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Coll 6/11 'Hejaz-Nejd Affairs: Economic Development in the Hejaz' [149r] (298/504)
The record is made up of 1 file (250 folios). It was created in 23 Dec 1929-12 Aug 1937. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
cnr.
o n Mahad Dahafr - Oold Hlne »
9 K o
J -W* £
. .* f-\
? •*: J
/s
Exoalnad (Pobruary 14-22,
(i^Isi-.Z= 1 ^ 12 SS
X) Nane of this proparty la *Haha4 Dahab 11 or TojiS) of Gold#
It la said to have been worked by Haroun Rasheed about 1,100 years
skszo and that tliousanda of people were employed# The extensive wor^ln^s
and large area cowered by ruins of buildings Indicate that many people
were working here but how many and over what period, it is impossible to
determine from Sects known to date#
2 ) Location# By the best obtainable map# being of a scale of l/liOOO,OGQ,
Mahad Dahab is located is located at latitude 24b m 16 i^orth, and longtitud
41° - 10* Bast of Grecnwlsh meridian# It is 132 kilometers south easterly
from Medina in an air line though by the route travelled ie 236 kilometers
from Hafna which le said to be 13 kilometers from Kedlna# In this case it
would be 261 kilometers from Medina and about 640 kilometers from Jedda by
road#
The natural port for supplies and exports would be Yenbo waich is 192
kilometers to the south west by air lino, but measures 260 kilometers by uV
road marked on the map#
The elevation of Mahad Dahab at camp, on the site of ancient building*
averaged 3,560 feet above sea level as recorded by my aneroid barometer#
3 ) Communications and trunaport . The ncai-eat telegraph line le at Bedim
Also the only railway In Arabia teralaatea at Medina. It le out of
commission between Medina and Maen, but a comparatively small outlay only
will be required to put It into operating conditions, ao It ie aaid.
The only practical method of traneport at present Is hy motor trucks
and oars. A f« hundred pounds sterling efficiently spent would out down
fuel consumption, wear and tear of cars, as well as reduce the ti.-.e of traV’
ollinc. As far as I have seen there are no excessive grades so by leugthei
Ing some curves levelling
Wadi
A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
crossings and clearing off stones and orush,
trucks and trailers could operate.
The water at Suwaldra, Huralr and Maden should be Increased by clean!)
out the wells and deepening them as far as possible. Windlasses a, “
buckets at these places would expedite the handling of water at very little
cost.
. ,, r .,^ T The climate le not in the uny hut cool lA hi Jit an
.ow in humldityT^it Is agreeable for living. It will be hotter In the
summer. Rainfall will probably not exceed 4 inches and will he in the fora
of heavy abort showers.
By developing water, gardens can produce vegetables and fruits but
additional and other food supplies will have to be brought from Medina, Yen
or Jedda. The gardens should be established at Jlralalya wells - 10& k.m.
to the west as It Is likely that all water In the Immediate vicinity of th
mine would be necessary for domestic consumption and for milling of the ore
Blr Maden et 3.2 k.m. north liest of the mine has furnished water tor it
previously
The
* 1 ,
About this item
- Content
This file mostly consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence, which have been forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India. The correspondence, most of which is between Foreign Office officials and either the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) or His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill, Albert Spencer Calvert, and Alan Charles Trott), relates to the economic development of the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Other correspondents include the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle) and officials of the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.
The opinion expressed by British correspondents near the beginning of the file is that the unsatisfactory state of the country's finances is a result of its complete dependence on the pilgrimage for income. Much of the file is concerned with various projects (such as water and mineral surveys) sanctioned by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in order to explore other sources of revenue.
Items of discussion include the following:
- News that Ibn Saud intends to establish a power station for the purpose of providing Mecca and Jedda with electricity.
- Ibn Saud's wish to establish a state bank, preferably a British bank, to improve the financial situation in the country.
- Four reports on the country's water and mineral resources, produced by American engineer and geologist Karl Saben Twitchell in 1932 (copies of three of the four reports are included).
- The British Minister at Jedda's thoughts on how the economic unification of the newly-formed Saudi Arabia will progress.
- Proposed improvements to Jedda's water supply.
- The establishment of an 'Arabian Steam Navigation Company' by the Saudi Government.
- Details of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate's concession with the Saudi Government for the exploitation of gold and other minerals, which was negotiated by Twitchell, signed in December 1934, and ratified by Ibn Saud in February 1935.
- Reports of anti-Ibn Saud propaganda in the Indian Muslim press.
- Details of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate's activities in Saudi Arabia.
- The history of the Ahrar movement in India, its political party, Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam, and its reported condemnation of the recent Saudi mining concession.
The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (250 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 251; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-251; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 6/11 'Hejaz-Nejd Affairs: Economic Development in the Hejaz' [149r] (298/504), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2077, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100038032900.0x000063> [accessed 25 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2077
- Title
- Coll 6/11 'Hejaz-Nejd Affairs: Economic Development in the Hejaz'
- Pages
- 133r:134v, 149r:159v, 163r:187v
- Author
- Twitchell, Karl Saben
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact copyright@bl.uk with any information you have regarding this item.