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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎100r] (204/898)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 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. .

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^[This Document is the Property of His Britannic
EASTERN (Arabia).
M ajesty’s Governmen t.]
August 21 , 1929.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 1.
[E 4134/94/91]
(No. 192 ) Mr ' B ° nd t0 Mr ' A ' Henderson —(Reived August 21 .)
Sir.
. T HAVE the honour to transmit herewith my reporttnthe^ LhA 1929 ;u
H ejaz for the period the 1 st to 30th June, 1929. 1 P situation m the
Jerusalem fo 1 r e tran S mksion P t 0 n rt theT e b f to ^F pt ’ Ba « dad - Jerusalem ( 2 ).
ror transmission to the Royal Air Force Officer Commanding in Palestine
and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , Beirut Damascus, Aden, Simla, Singapore Khartum through
Port Sudan, Lagos ( 2 ), the senior naval officer, Red Sea Sloops. through
I have, &c.
W. L. BOND.
Enclosure in No. 1 .
Jeddah Report for Period June 1 to 30, 1929.
TW* Kmg X? Slt 1 d / edd »h on 15th June, returning to Mecca on the 18th.
t rS w ? r f 110 offi cial functions, and his time seems to have been devoted entirely
Consular Corps 688 and th6 reCeptlon of lndl vi<lual members of the Diplomatic and
2 . Soon after his return to Mecca reports began to circulate that clouds were
gathering on the political horizon in the north, and that in the south also there was
a possibility of trouble with the Ataibah tribe on the King’s return iourney to Neid.
a- 86 If 1 ’'. 1 ' r ", rao T s f“, ned considerable currency, so much so that it was considered
advisable that he should be accompanied by a strong fighting force, instead of making
the journey as usual protected only by his bodyguard.
3. The mobilisation and equipment of this force delayed the King’s departure
tor some days, much to his annoyance, it appears, as he had been anxious to leave
at CC i a as s 9 0n as possible in order to deal with the situation in
JNortnern Hasa. -The chief obstacle was the difficulty experienced in finding the
requisite number of chauffeurs to drive the cars and lorries which had been
commandeered en masse in Jeddah and Mecca.
4. Matters appaiently came io a head on the 27th June, when the King roundly
abused his Ministers for the delay, and inflicted severe corporal punishment on a
large number of his entourage.
• n . The result was that Sheikh Abdulla Suleiman, His Majesty’s most
influential Minister, came post-haste to Jeddah the same evening, and ordered the
police to round up any man who looked like a driver and to send him to Mecca.
6 . Some thirty drivers, British-protected subjects, took refuge at the British
agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , and it was only after prolonged discussion that some guarantee was
extracted from the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs to ensure them, as far as
might be, against further molestation.
7. On the eve of his departure for Riyadh the King received a report of the
defeat of the Ajman tribe and Ibn Mashhur at A1 Rida, the casualties being given
as 600 killed. The news is said to have greatly lightened the depression from which
he was suffering, and he left Mecca in very good spirits. It also appears to have
had a salutary effect on the situation generally, although several of the King’s
sympathisers still express considerable anxiety over the situation in the north-east,
where Feisal-ed-Doweish is still at large in the neighbourhood of Jaryah-el-Ilya (in
Northern Hasa about 100 miles south of the Koweit frontier), and may combine
with the Ajman tribe and Ibn Mashhur.
8 . The continued presence of these insurgents in the neighbourhood of Koweit
brought to a head the question of the right of pursuit over the Koweit border.
The King asserted that, in spite of Ibn Mashhur’s withdrawal from Koweit
territory itself, the rebels were still receiving assistance, encouragement and food
from Koweit, and, while expressing his confidence that the Sheikh of Koweit, ££ his
[875 x— 1 ]

About this item

Content

The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes 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 and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.

The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.

The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).

The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).

In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.

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 (445 folios)
Arrangement

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

The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) consists of one volume only.

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 447; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎100r] (204/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998360.0x000005> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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