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'File 2/10 1 II. AVIATION. ROYAL AIR FORCE. (1) Reconnaissance of Basrah, Aden, Muscat, Masirah, Murbat, Sauqrah Bay Etc. AIR ROUTE.' [‎100r] (210/474)

The record is made up of 1 volume (233 folios). It was created in 23 Dec 1926-22 Dec 1931. 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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*
•flea the aite in question. he actual hill is called
Kur al Huen miich is close to Jaual Gharabah on its north
siae. Jabal Gharabah is alternatiYely known as Hur al
Burgah or Bahar fteak. These ruins, though the most
considerable relic of Persian occupation in Uaan, are in
reality crude and disappointing. hey will not bear
the slightest comparis/on with eraian ruins oi perhaps ths
same period which are to be found in khadhra in ^esupot-
-t*mia or Siaa in Trans-Jordan. Bacept for this fort,
ascribed traditionally to Earqar bin Ali Jiiluna, where is
no neighbouring mound or even the trace of a potsherd to
indicate an ancient city. At ifalaj os baq the foothills
are stuoded with innumerable *Bait al jahal* i.e. ’Jlouses
of the Bays of Ignoriince’. he local tradition that
these were dwelling places cannot be regarded as satisfact-
-orp. hey consist of circular mounds of black lave /
pebbles built up m without cement of any kind four feet
high and six or eight feet in diameter and are half roofed
over. The thickness of the walls varies between one
and two feet, leaving an interior narrow cell which could
scarcely accommodate one ma£. bor could their use have
been of a military nature for they are clustered close to-
-gether and often screen one another- X formed the view
that they have some religious after death significance -
and nay have been ancient prototypes of lowers o£ silence,
'his however is admittedly diifioult to reconcile with
their vast numbers and they have no cotiiaon orientation.
For fifty miles the Hajar foothills are a mass of them.
At Sihlat a few miles further on are extensive remains of
a village on a slight eminence with a mud fort and a ruinod
gun. On this gravel mound - it Wt £ not an artificial
•tfcll* - I collected many glased turquoise coloured pots-
-herds clearly not of Arab origin. hha&iych and Jalbah,
neighbouring villages to the south, but which I did not see,
havi

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Content

The volume contains correspondence related to the Air Staff Intelligence, Air Headquarters, Baghdad’s request for information to be obtained from Muscat regarding the possible establishment of a subsidiary air route from Iraq to India via the Arabian side of the Gulf. The required information was concerning the straight line Mirfah-Biraimi-Khaburah. Arrangements were made for some Royal Air Force (RAF) representatives to visit the region accompanied by a doctor, and Bertram Sidney Thomas, Financial Advisor to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman.

The correspondence contains information on the estimates of the cost of the journey including hire of camels; cost of feeding men and camels; presents to be given to the Shaikhs; wages and foodstuffs, coffee etc.

Letters were sent to various Shaikhs and Walis in Sohar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Baraimi [Buraimi] and other regions, asking them to assist the Royal Air Officers while conducting their work. The correspondence contains letters of certain Shaikhs such as Shaikh Salim bin Diyin [Dayyin] Al-Ka‘bi and Shaikh ‘Isa bin Salih Al-Ḥārithī [Al Harthi] negotiating the terms for them to accept the RAF work to take place. It also contains reports about the troubles made by some of the Bedouin tribes.

Bertram Sidney Thomas reported on his observation on the proposed seaplane flight along the south Arabian coast. He also sent a report (ff 82- 130) to the Sultan and 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. on the proceedings of the RAF Trans-Oman Expedition which he conducted from Sohar to Sharjah between 12 May and 3 June 1927. The report is in two parts covering the following: preliminary situation; itinerary of expedition; description of country passed through; tribal situation and Ibn Saud; personalities; tribal considerations and the air route.

The volume also includes correspondence with the Sultan of Socotra regarding the construction of landing ground in his territory near Qishn. It also includes correspondence about the Air Ministry’s interest in extending the reconnaissance to establish landing grounds along the southern coast of Arabia.

Among other correspondents in the volume are: 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. , Muscat; Muscat and Oman, Council of Ministers; and C Hilton Keith, Squadron Leader RAF, Sohar.

Extent and format
1 volume (233 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 229; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. 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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'File 2/10 1 II. AVIATION. ROYAL AIR FORCE. (1) Reconnaissance of Basrah, Aden, Muscat, Masirah, Murbat, Sauqrah Bay Etc. AIR ROUTE.' [‎100r] (210/474), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/86, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100066728594.0x00000b> [accessed 30 April 2024]

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