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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎211r] (426/898)

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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 Propert y His Britannic Majesty's r:,,,, ]
EASTERN (Arabia) .
CONFIDENTIAL.
i p. 1
i O [May 20, 1927.]
^ Jo
' Section 1.
1 i 9 2 7
X [E 2274/644/91]
No. 1.
AcUng Consul Mayers to Sir Austen Chamberlain.-(Received May 20 )
(No. 47.) ' ^
Sir,
-isssarjSKiiBW i” 1 *" ">
I have, &c.
NOEMAN MAYEES.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jeddah Report for the Period April 1 to April 25, 1927.
in JeSah Eing°of theYSlz h NeiYand^fn ram i the 4th Ibn Saud was proclaimed
that His MajesV was d^oY Sulta^toT ^TPTr ^
2. We are given to understand that on the 29th January I n a 7 /o', Tt-n'-L i q.rx
meeting of chieftains and “ deputations representing he people of Ne d’’ meAt P } k
TKn q i ^-i £ ^ ie Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies. Having issued this decree
Ibn baud prayed for Heavenly succour to bear the burden of his task
1st Wil ThTv^ ° f was P roclaimed ^ Mecca by the Emir Feisal on the
st Apii 1 ihe Kingdom of Nejd, he said, now took its place among the kingdoms of the
ear h, and he expressed his hopes that the new kingdom would show itself worthy in history
Almia^ 0 "t? A Q rab ,“’ °/ w] ? ich formed a P^- He prayed for the aid of the
Arab race 10 ^ & taSk seekmg tiie honour °1 Islam and raising the prestige of the
tk q' , Althou g h the Jeddah garrison presented arms, and the school-children sang, when
n aud was proclaimed King of Nejd in Jeddah, there was no popular enthusiasm,
mere was, indeed, no cause for enthusiasm. To the fanciful, the change may appear a
step towards the unification of the Arabs under one crown, and perhaps a step nearer to
oie Ualiphate. But only in a nominal sense are the Hejaz and Nejd one.
5 *. Among Ibn Baud’s reasons for assuming the new title is his desire to end all
suggestion of the inferiority of Nejd as compared with the Hejaz. Indeed, the change has
probably an internal, rather than an external, significance. That it means little to the
outside world can be judged from the readiness with which Soviet Eussia, Holland and
r ranee have recognised the new title, the first-named Government adding its congratula
tions. Before all of these, His Majesty’s Government had authorised the use of the new
i fe m correspondence with the King, the first occasion being on the 14th April.
6. The new designation makes Ibn Saud King of Arabia, from the Eed Sea to the
ersian Gulf; but the contrast in character between the Hejaz and Nejd remains for the
piesent as marked as ever. In religion, where the two countries might be expected to find
common ground, there is complete disaccord. The intolerance of the Wahabis infuriates
^ E; e -J az i townsman as much as the fundamental mercantilism of the Jeddah merchant and
e Mecca pilgrim- broker Often a local commercial agent in the Gulf who regularly performed duties of intelligence gathering and political representation. breeds contempt in the heart of the more single-minded beduin
o the desert. A difference of opinion such as that over the use of tobacco raises passion
out of proportion with the importance of the question, because founded on a profound
issimilarity of outlook. So far Ibn Saud has not succeeded in unifying the two realms.

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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.

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English in Latin script
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎211r] (426/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998361.0x00001b> [accessed 1 May 2024]

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