Skip to item: of 800
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

File 4640/1928 Pt 2 ‘Muscat Situation at Sur.’ [‎98r] (206/800)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (396 folios). It was created in 29 Apr 1926-19 Nov 1931. It was written in English. 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.

Apply page layout

T
i
y
section of the Jenebeh. There are, including families,
about 30 Indians in SUR.
The principal exports are dried dates which
are brought down from the interior and shipped to Indian
ports in bagalas- sea going dhows* Goods shipped from
Aiqa> where the Beni Bu Ali influence is predominant,
evade all customs payments except such as the Sheikh of the
Beni Bu Ali is able to enforce for his own benefit. There
is a very tall prominently-placed flag staff in Aiqa but
Siw
J^eo flag flying from it during my visit.
5. The Wali, who lives in a fort at Belad es SUR, has
no civil or other authority whatsoever in SUR and very
little in Belad es SUR. He can do nothing and admits it.
He rarely stirs out of his fort which is garisoned by 25
askari paid and armed by the State. He has not been
considered a success and is to be transferred, on the return
of the Sultan from Dhofar about the middle of February, He
will be succeeded, I believe, by the prsent V/ali of 3aham-a-
man, I understand, of firmer character.
6. The Beni Bu Ali are themselves at feud with their
neighbours in Jaalan, the Beni Bu Hassan. This feud dates
from 1812-13. While I was in Sur I heard that a truce of
6 months had been arranged between these two tribes to
take effect from approximately the beginning of January.
7. From my conversation with various persons in SUR
and from my own observations I am certain that the people
of all classes are heartily weary of the constant state of
insecurity which prevails there and would welcome effective
governmental control which is at present entirely lacking.
The person chiefly responsible for the present state of
affairs is Ali bin Abdullah, Sheikh of the Beni Bu Ali and
if he and his tribe were brought under control and his
pretensions to an independent Amirate definitely and
finally quashed it should be possible to find a way to heal
the rupture which now exists between the 4 sections of

About this item

Content

This volume contains papers concerning the situation at Sur in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The papers mainly relate to ‘difficulties’ which had arisen between the tribes of Sur and the Government of Muscat, inter-tribal and inter-factional rivalries, the question of what action the British Government should take to support the authority of the Muscat Government at Sur, and the general question of future British policy in Muscat.

It includes papers relating to the following:

  • The claim to independence of Ali bin Abdullah, Shaikh of the Bani Bu Ali (also spelled Beni Bu Ali) tribe and Amir of Jaalan [Emir of Ja‘alān, also spelled Jalan and Jallan]
  • The bombardment of the fort of Said bin Abdullah (also spelled Saeed bin Abdullah) by the Muscat gunboat, and the shelling and destruction of the fort by HMS Cyclamen
  • An incident in which a Hinawi caravan was stopped at Sur by the Amirs of Jaalan, who hoisted a flag in their fort at Aiqa (also spelled Aigah in the volume) which was reportedly the flag of King Ibn Saud, but which the Amirs of Jaalan subsequently stated was their own flag
  • The Government of India’s recommendation that a regiment be sent to hold Sur
  • Tribal conflict and rivalries, including the feud between the two main sections of the Jenebeh [al-Janabah] tribe, the Makhanah and the Aramah, which the British Government viewed as being encouraged by Ali bin Abdullah, and the feud between the Beni Bu Ali and the Beni Bu Hassan tribes
  • Proposed air operations by aircraft supported by HM Ships against the Bani Bu Ali at Sur.

The papers mainly consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and 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. Political Department minute papers.

The main correspondents are as follows: 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 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. and HBM Consul, Muscat; Mahomed bin Nasir Ali Hamud, Amir of Jalan; 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 Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the Admiralty; the Foreign Office; the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies; and the Air Ministry.

The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (396 folios)
Arrangement

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

The subject 4640 (Muscat) consists of two volumes and one file, IOR/L/PS/10/1275-1277. The volumes and file are divided into two parts, with part 2 comprising one volume, and part 4 comprising the second volume and the file. There is no part 1 or part 3.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 392; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

File 4640/1928 Pt 2 ‘Muscat Situation at Sur.’ [‎98r] (206/800), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1275, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080848157.0x000007> [accessed 29 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080848157.0x000007">File 4640/1928 Pt 2 ‘Muscat Situation at Sur.’ [&lrm;98r] (206/800)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080848157.0x000007">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000466.0x0002e5/IOR_L_PS_10_1275_0206.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000466.0x0002e5/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image