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Coll 30/123 'Bahrain (Unallotted Zone) Oil Concession: Negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Ltd.' [‎255r] (509/801)

The record is made up of 1 file (398 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1935-18 May 1938. 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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6. /
- 2 -
(2SSJ
letter No.C/217 dated the 6 th May 1936 to the representations
made by Shaikh Abdullah in London in 1919. Though the question
of the ownership of the island of Hawar was not specifically
mentioned then by Shaikh Abdullah, in view of its close proximity
to Zubara it is useful to examine the connection of the Al
Khalifah family of Bahrain with the latter place.
4. A note on the History of Zubara and the claims of the
Shaikh of Bahrain thereto is attached to letter No.3650 dated
the 31st January 1920, from the Acting Civil Commissioner in
Mesopotamia to the Secretary to the Government of India in the
Foreign and Political Department. It will be seen from this
letter that the Al Khalifah family first settled in Zubara in
1766, that it was thence that they captured Bahrain in 1782,
that subsequently a member of the family (who was expelled from
Bahrain^ rebuilt the town of Zubara in 1842, and that it was
not until about 1850 that the Al Than! (the present ruling
family of Qatar) rose to power in Zubara.
5. The representations of Shaikh Abdullah were replied to
by the Government of India in their letter No.D.O.1145-E.A.
dated the 5th May 1920. As regards Zubara the reply stated
that the Government of India did not see their way to w permit
and assist n the Shaikh of Bahrain to open a port at Zubara.
From the use of the word n permit n I infer that this refusal
was tantamount to a denial of the Shaikh of Bahrain* s claim
to Zubara. * If therefore Hawar, from its proximity to the
mainland of Qatar (it is described at page 1513 of Volume
II of the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. as lying S imiles due
west of the point of Has Aburuk) is held to follow the owner
ship of the mainland, it would fall under Qatar.

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Content

The file concerns negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) over oil concession rights in the Bahrain Unallotted Area (also referred to as the Additional Area), i.e. those parts of Bahrain territory not forming part of the concession awarded to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) in 1925. The negotiations principally concerned Muharraq Island and an area around the other islands to the north of Bahrain, and the sea area to the east of Bahrain, including Fasht Dibal [Fasht ad Dībal] and the Hawar Islands.

The papers include: maps of Bahrain and proposed concession areas; draft PCL concession, 1936 (folios 361-374); minutes of meetings at 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. ; negotiations with BAPCO over a counter-offer for the Unallotted area; the attitude of Shaikh Sir Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], Ruler of Bahrain, to the negotiations, including correspondence from the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave; discussions over the status of the Hawar Islands; Admiralty, Colonial Office, and Foreign Office papers concerning territorial waters, and submarine boring for oil (folios 221-225); Petroleum Department letter concerning the financial implications of the rival bids (folios 196-197); proposals to split the Additional Area between the two companies, including Belgrave's view that it would be of greater benefit to the Shaikh to have two companies working in Bahrain (folio 161); the role in the negotiations of Frank Holmes; the Ruler of Bahrain's wish to postpone discussion of the concession for a year on account of a dispute over the status of Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. , May 1937 (folios 124, 112); a suggestion by 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 that the Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. problem could be solved by allowing the shaikhs of Bahrain to hold Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. as their personal property (folio 102); draft PCL concession, 1938, and copy of the 1925 oil concession (folios 58-85); and suggestions of British Government support for the PCL bid (folios 9-15).

The Arabic language content of the papers consists of the bilingual Arabic and English text of the draft concession agreement of 1938, and correspondence (with English translation) from the Ruler of Bahrain.

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 (398 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 400; 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.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 30/123 'Bahrain (Unallotted Zone) Oil Concession: Negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Ltd.' [‎255r] (509/801), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3852, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100070084977.0x000070> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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