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Coll 30/159 'Ownership of Hawar Islands.' [72r] (144/361)
The record is made up of 1 file (179 folios). It was created in 29 Apr 1936-15 Oct 1942. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
PN
There are houses
built of unfaced
stone, with mat
roofs.
Much more.
♦There is excellent
pasturage after
rain in the main
island.
♦♦There are two
well-established
villages.
fishermen as "a laughable allegation and an
untrue description” and they allege that "they
are inhabited villages, established since a long
time, with firmly built stone houses, permanently
inhabited, for more than a century, by the sub
jects of the Ruler of Bahrain and the subjects
of his ancestors with their wives, families,
herds and boats”. I am surprised by such con
coctions and by the bold denial of the firmly
set facts. Sven more strange than these c on-
tradictory remarks, which are apparent in all
their allegations, is (the fact) that while they
deny my statement that fishermen frequent the is
lands yet they recant and confirm it thus t-
"that shows that the islands are frequented by
fishermen who are from among the inhabitants
of Hawar Islands". If the Bahrain Government
show their ignorance of the conditions of Hawar
in these terms, and to the extent of drawing a
hint from my letter that fishermen frequent
these islands - and there are no other fishermen
than those to whom I referred above - whom they
want to use to justify their action. (Then?).
The clear fact which nobody can deny is
that Hawar Islands are not in any way as des
cribed by the Bahrain Government. Because they
are islands whose extent is from 4 to 5 square
miles approximately at high tide. Moreover they
*
are barren, without water and unfit as a pastu
rage for herds, and was in the past completely
without inhabited buildings and by no any way
can be called villages or anything that approach
es the meaning of this word, and generally un
frequented except by fishermen who come from
About this item
- Content
The file concerns the disputed claims of the rulers of Bahrain and Qatar to sovereignty over the Hawar Islands. The issue arose afresh in 1936 in response to a request from Petroleum Concessions Limited to settle the issue of ownership, in order that the Company could claim oil concession rights over the island as part of the concession not previously allocated to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (the Bahrain Unallotted Area).
The papers contain statements of evidence on both sides, and correspondence discussing the question from 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. ; 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; the Foreign Office; Petroleum Concessions Limited; the Government of Bahrain; and the two rulers concerned. The British Government decided in 1939, after examining the evidence, that the islands belonged to Bahrain (folio 44). The papers show that 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 Charles Geoffrey Prior, challenged the validity of this judgement in 1941, stating that the case had been decided 'according to western ideas, and no allowance has been made for local custom and sentiment' (folios 6-8). However, a subsequent letter on the subject from the Government of India to 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. concluded that it was then too late to reverse the decision (folio 4).
The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately five folios; these include photographs of judgements (with translation, folios 57-58) submitted by the Government of Bahrain to the British Government, showing that the Bahrain Court had exercised jurisdiction in legal cases concerning residents of Hawar (folios 130-133).
The file also includes photographs of places in Hawar (folios 126-127).
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 (179 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front 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 181; 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. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 3-179, and ff 48-88; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 30/159 'Ownership of Hawar Islands.' [72r] (144/361), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3895, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076666398.0x000093> [accessed 20 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3895
- Title
- Coll 30/159 'Ownership of Hawar Islands.'
- Pages
- 25r:27v, 68r:84v, 103r:104v, 112r:113v, 116r:119v, 138r:139v
- Author
- Al Thani, Shaikh Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed
- Usage terms
- Public Domain