Coll 6/10 'Hejaz-Nejd Affairs: Financial Situation and Internal Situation' [‎59v] (125/1310)

(c) Fishing and Sea Products.
Regulations concerning fishing and diving for pearls, mother-of-pearl, coral,
cowries and sea slugs in Red Sea waters were published in July/August 1932
Jizan, Birk, Qunfidha, Lith, Jedda, Rabigh, Yanbu, Umm Lajj, Wejh and
Dhaba are named as ports from which fishing may be undertaken. Licences are
necessary, and the products are taxed on being landed.
Little fishing is done by the natives except for their own purposes and up
and down the coast. The coastal market is limited, and fish will not carry to
the larger towns of the interior. Crayfish are occasionally exported from Wejh
to Egypt.
The Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. is famous for pearl fishing, but that industry is centred
round the islands of Bahrein and only affects Saudi Arabia indirectly. Native
divers fish for pearls on the Red Sea coast, but they have no idea of conserving
the beds which, as a result, contain small-sized shells of little value. The offer of
the Saudi Arab Government in 1934 to grant Sheikh Abdurrahman Qusaibi,
a member of the foremost pearl merchant family of Bahrein, a monopoly for
pearl fishing on the Red Sea coast, led to the survey of the coast from Wejh
to Jizan and the Farsan Islands by a party of Venezuelan divers. The concession
was not taken up.
Other sea products are mother-of-pearl and coral (black coral is especially
prized and used for making into rosaries), which are collected by individual
native fishermen, also sea slugs (“ Beche de mer ”), which are not at present fished
in quantity, although, it is believed, natives on the Sudan coast do a certain
amount of trade in this “delicacy” with China.
The commercial treaty of 1932 with Italy has a clause ensuring to Italian
and Eritrean fishing vessels most-favoured-nation treatment.
(d) Industries.
Saudi industry as an economic factor is negligible. In the tribal areas
it is little more than the production of the simpler necessities of Bedouin life.
In the more advanced Hejaz towns the pilgrimage provides for all, and industry
not connected with it is at a discount.
Bedouin tents are made of goat or camel hair, and ropes of palm fibre.
Shamlas, rough pileless rugs, are woven by the Bedouin women, and are vegetable
dyed. I he best Arab cloaks, made of camel hair (Mishlah), come from Nejd. but
are adorned with gold or silver thread imported from Germany and India.
Foreign gold thread and silver silk thread are also required for the grander type
iqal (head ropes), which are made in Mecca and Taif. Copper long-
routed coffee pots are made in Hasa, Medina and Mecca; in the Hejaz, however,
those of better quality are imported from the Yemen. The copper used in the
otal manufacture of these articles is imported from India. Sandals of camel
leather, saddle-bags of sheep and goat hair, and palm-leaf and palm-fibre mats,
<ins and basket work are other products of small native labour, none of which is
exported.
at a- u T tW i° md ; jstries of more modern kind are found in Mecca, Jedda a:
Medina, but the only one which can be said to be run as a normal commerc:
enterprise is the mineral water factory An East India Company trading post. at Jedda.
At Meooa the Government established in 1927 a factory An East India Company trading post. for the weaving
Kiswa (holy carpet to cover the Kaaba), following on a dispute with Egypt
the annual despatch of the traditional Mahmal. which previously included t
. , ;" a ,, . factory An East India Company trading post. was founded with men and material from India, but owi:
fbebilt f,f n t r? eSS1Ve - yearS ", haS , now heen P ut in ch arge of Hejazi weave
from Modern ^ Lswa A m ported m the first years from Germany, is now suppli
a h ® C0St of . weavm g the carpet in Mecca is believed to
mentarv mL h f gh t An /^Pt ln to utilise the factory An East India Company trading post. for the supp:
mental y manufacture of carpets, of the type of the Indian ‘ ‘ durri ” was t
“Ki wT'^nd lif he hlgh f°k S v A subsidiary industry to the local weavi,
Adpd fk L k k establlsh ed by the Government, is that of embroide
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