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File 10/11 Ibn Sa`ud and the Hijaz: cession of `Aqaba; conquest of `Asir; abdication of Amir `Ali; fall of Medina; fall of Jidda; establishment of Ibn Sa`ud's administration in Jidda [‎272v] (544/574)

The record is made up of 1 file (285 folios). It was created in 11 Dec 1924-11 Sep 1926. 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. .

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2
1 he majority ot the new employees in the various administrations would appear
to consider themselves entitled to and worthy of fabulous salaries, but I have no^
doubt that eventually this question will be settled in a much more reasonable manner
than is at present proposed by certain members of the Assembly
8. The Assembly,which is supposed to be a representative assembly, can hardly
claim that distinction at present, though in Mecca and Medina some pretence was
made of an election, but at Jeddah several notables went to Mecca as representatives
by common assent rather than election, and have taken their seats. The business
done to date, with the exception of the formal recognition of Ibn Sand as King of
the Hejaz, the allotment of an annual allowance, and the military occupation subsidy
as mentioned above, appears to have been nil, and various reports are arriving daily
from Mecca of the squabbles that are going on, particularly over financial matters
and the salaries of the heads of the different administrations
9. The following appointments have been made to date :—
(1.) Dr. Mohammed Hamuda (Syrian), Director-General of Health.
(2.) Dr. Kheri Bey (Syrian), Inspector-General of Health Department.
(/*•) Dr. Abdul Hadi Bey (Egyptian), Inspector-General of Quarantine.
(4.) Dr. Ramzi Bey, Chief of Jeddah Hospital.
(5.) Syed Hashem-al-Dagestan, of Mecca, Chief Revenue Officer.
(6.) Abdullah Effendi (Syrian), Superintendent of Police.
(7.) laufik Bey (Iraki), Port Officer.
(8.) Abdullah Effendi, of Mecca, Postmaster-General.
(9.) Sheikh Ali Salama, of Jeddah, Mayor of Jeddah.
(10.) Sheikh Qassim Ismail, of Jeddah, Director-General of Customs
(11.) Mohammed Sali Jamjoun, of Jeddah, Chief of Auqaf.
(12.) Sheri 1 Sharaf-el-Riza, of Mecca, Acting Financial Minister
(13.) Sheikh Mohammed Marzouk, of Mecca, Kadi of Mecca
(14.) Sheikh Bi Bhahed, of Nejd, Grand Kadi of the Hejaz.
i num ^ er Syrians of the medical profession is noticeable. Syrians are
also well represented in the various commands in the army, details of which I have
been unable to secure to date.
Other than the above Dr. Abdullah Bey Damluji, originally from Mosul and
whose brother is now at a military staff college in England, training for the Irak
army, has been appointed as the representative of the King of the Heiaz and Director
lor Jboreign Affairs.
10. There is a movement afoot, particularly in Mecca and Medina, that only
Hejazis should be employed on the administrations, and all the foreigners i.e.
Syrians, Egyptians, &c., should be dismissed.
IT Dr. Abdullah Hadi, mentioned above as Director-General of the Quarantine
Services has already submitted a budget for £60,000 for the erection of quarantines
all over the place, including Tebuk and Taif. He is, so I should iudge from a
conversation I had the doubtful pleasure of having with him, a man of no
intellectual development whatever, and how he came to be nominated to such a Dost
is quite beyond me. r
Should his proposals be put into force it is quite possible that the pilgrims will
have to do double quarantine, once at Kamaran and again at Jeddah I have already
protested to the King’s representative against such an eventuality, and as an example
of the regime Ham Bey wou d establish, may be cited the fact that he assured me
that pilgrims coming from the ships and proceeding to quarantine on the islands
would endure no hardships whatever as he was buying a fast tug capable of a speed
ot 2o knots to tow the dhows from the boats to the islands, and the trip of 7 miles
would not take more than 10 minutes. The above proposal and the Einsteinian
adaptability of his calculations are on a par with his many other suggestions.
12. On account ol the fact that most of the administrations are ?n the process
of reorganisation, and on account of the poorness of the available material for
the various administrative posts, no great improvement on the Sherifian regime can
be anticipated for some time to come, but the one asset over the old regime is that
the level-headed manner and strength of character with which Ibn Saud is facing the
situation, more particularly in regard to the pilgrimage question will overcome
many apparently insurmountable difficulties and tend to make the people cognisant
of their own shortcomings. 1 *
13. On the 8th January Ibn Saud was by a “ Bayat ” formerly elected King
of the Hejaz and assumed the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its

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Content

This file contains correspondence related to the British Government's relationship with Ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].

The correspondence primarily relates to the military capabilities of the Government of Hejaz, the conquest of the cities of Medina and Jeddah by Ibn Sa'ud's forces, the abdication of King Ali of the Hejaz and the establishment of Ibn Sa`ud's administration in Jeddah. As well as correspondence, the file contains a number of detailed accounts of these events that were written approximately once every two weeks by the British Agent in Jeddah, Reader William Bullard, and from August 1925 onwards, Stanley R Jordan .

The majority of the correspondence in the file is between British officials, but the file also contains a limited amount of correspondence from Ibn Sa'ud and officials of a number of Indian Islamic organisations. These letters are translated into English and the file does not contain copies of the Arabic originals.

The file also contains a number of extracts from the Mecca-based newspaper Umm al-Qura that are primarily related to proclamations made by Ibn Sa'ud. These extracts are translated into English and the file does not contain the original Arabic articles.

Extent and format
1 file (285 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 287; 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 3-286; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.

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English in Latin script
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File 10/11 Ibn Sa`ud and the Hijaz: cession of `Aqaba; conquest of `Asir; abdication of Amir `Ali; fall of Medina; fall of Jidda; establishment of Ibn Sa`ud's administration in Jidda [‎272v] (544/574), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/37, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040241605.0x000091> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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