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Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎193v] (391/794)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (392 folios). It was created in 13 Jun 1934-13 Dec 1934. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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In March 1926 the Amir of Hasa sent two officials to collect zakat in Dhafra and
Baraimi, and in two iudicial cases about this time he is stated to ha,ve written
first to the Kazi of Shargah and secondly to the Sheikh of Debai chiding them
for not satisfying Nejdi complainants. The Kazi sent his son to Motuf to
express regret.” ^
Views of 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. , 1926.
204. 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. expressed the view in 1926 that the region of
Dhafra, some 14,000 miles square, which stretches 175 miles from west to east
and 80 from north to south, bounded on the north by the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and on the
south by the Rub al Khali, belonged, with three smaller coastal tiacts to its west,
historically and de jure to the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi. The first business of the
Wahabis if they were to establish themselves in Eastern Arabia, must be to
absorb this region. East of it they would have little difficulty in procuring the
adherence of the people of Baraimi, Haffit ano Dhahii ah, on account of the
antipathy of some for Abu Dhabi and of others for the Ibadhi fanatics of the
Muscat hinterland. He added that the kazis in all the chiefships except Abu
Dhabi and Debai were actually Nejdis.
205. The Resident stated that the tribal situation was that Abu Dhabi and
Debai were wholeheartedly opposed to Ibn Sand, and were followed by the Beni
Yas and Manasir of Dhafra, Mijan, Akal, and the Dhawahir of Baraimi.
Umm al Qaiwain, the Beni Khatib tribe and the Beni Kaab were inclined to be
neutral. Shargah and Ras al Khaimah had a century earlier been bigoted
Wahabis.
Trucial Oman A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. and the Wahabis, April 1927.
206. A further report by Sir Lionel Haworth in the spring of 1927 confirmed
that Debai and Abu Dhabi were opposed to Wahabism and had no desire to come
under the sway of Ibn Saud, and stated that Ras al Khaimah and Shargah were
closely sympathetic to the Wahabis, and that with them there might be bracketed
the lesser chiefs of Ajman and Ummal Qaiwain. “ The latter four chiefs were
actually Wahabis some hundred years ago, and are already in private
communication with the Wahabi leaders.”
Pol. Res. to
Gr. of I.,
137 S,
30.4.27,
P. 3996/27.
Position at Baraimi 1927—34.
207. The oasis of Baraimi was, the Resident reported, occupied by three
different sections of Arabs, the Naim, in close touch with Muscat and with no
desire to be absorbed by the Wahabis; the villages belonging to the Sheikh of
Abu Dhabi, partly occupied by the Dhawahir, and equally anti-Wahabi; and the
El Shamis, a branch of the Naimi, in close touch with the chiefs of Ras al Khaimah
and Shargah and strongly Wahabi in tone. “ The Baraimi section of this tribe
have recently paid willing tribute to the Wahabi agent of the Governor of Hasa,
who came to Baraimi, and they would encourage the extension of Wahabi power.”
Of these sections, the first were the strongest and their chief occupied the fort at
Baraimi. It will be seen that the pro-Wahabi element was in a minority and
did not in 1927 occupy the fort, and this is of importance in estimating the
weight to be attached to the payment of zakat to the Wahabis by Baraimi.
P.R. to G. of
L, 181 S.,
29.5.27,
P. 3404/27.
P.G. Ad.
Reports,
1928-33.
208. Later in the same year, however, the Baraimi Sheikhs, apparently
acting under the influence of Ibn Sand’s agent, and possibly apprehensive that
the presence of the Wazir Minister. of Muscat, Mr. Bertram Thomas, portended aggressions
by the Sultan, or that the establishment of a landing ground was likely to be
a threat to their independence, refused to allow an R.A.F. party to reconnoitre
the oasis. For convenience it may be recorded at this stage that despite this
incident, however, no interference with the affairs of the Trucial Sheikhs by
Ibn Saud’s agent for Baraimi was reported in 1928-1931. In 1932, a cousin of
the Sheikh of Baraimi having been ambushed by Bedouin consisting of Abu Dhabi
subjects and Manasir tribesmen, hostilities broke out between Abu Dhabi,
Baraimi and Dibai. Peace was restored after three months’ fighting. It may
be noted that there appears to have been no interference in this dispute by any
representative of Ibn Saud and that the parties fought it out among themselves
without any outside interference. There is no record since that date of Saudi

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Content

This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia.

It includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.

Much of the correspondence discusses the legal and international position of what is referred to as the 'blue line' (the frontier which marked the Ottoman Government's renunciation of its claims to Bahrain and Qatar, as laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year), a line which is not accepted by Ibn Saud as being binding upon his government.

The volume features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); 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 Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Chief Commissioner, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly, referred to in the correspondence as Resident); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon); the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the 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. , the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the War Office, and the Air Ministry.

Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:

  • Whether the British should press Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a general settlement of all outstanding major questions.
  • The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.
  • The British response to what are referred to as Ibn Saud's 'ancestral claims' to territories east of the blue line.
  • Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Taif, in July 1934.
  • Meetings held at the Foreign Office between Sir Andrew Ryan, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs), and Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Arabian Minister in London), in September 1934.
  • The boundaries of a proposed 'desert zone', suggested by Rendel, where Ibn Saud would hold personal rather than territorial rights.
  • Saudi-Qatari relations.
  • Whether tribal boundaries should be considered as a possible solution to the boundary question.

Also included are the following:

The Arabic material consists of one item of correspondence (an English translation is included).

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 4).

Extent and format
1 volume (392 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 394; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎193v] (391/794), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2134, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056574349.0x0000c0> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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