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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎403r] (810/898)

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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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Mala)o, Nigerians, and others, as well. Pilgrims who had performed the Hail
were to oe told that they would be well-advised to go home in view of the economic
difficulties incident to the situation; merchants and other residents who asked for
advice must decide for themselves : if, in case of need, they applied to the British
agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Jeddah, they would be given such assistance as was possible and as the
circumstances warranted.
7. When Mr. Yasin Khan and Sheikh Pravira showed King Hussein the two
letters which it was desired to send to the leader of the invaders, the King said that
the one signed by the British and Dutch representatives could not be allowed to
pass out of the Hedjaz lines : the protest against the holding of a British Indian to
ransom might go if the form of address (“ To the Leader of the Force which has
occupied Taif ”) were changed and the name of the Wahabi leader inserted. It
was necessary to telephone to the King personally, and to say that he would be
held jointly responsible for any further harm suffered by British subjects at the
hands of the invaders, before he would consent to our despatching the joint letter.
As to the other letter, I was compelled to insist on the retention of the form of
address I had used, since I had no official information as to the identity of the
attacking force or of their leader. As it turned out, the discussion was academic,
since Mr. Yasin Khan was unable to find a messenger who would agree to go to Taif,
and in any case the King would probably have had him waylaid; but the discussion
was useful in revealing King Hussein’s views. He told me in so many words that
he objected to the letter because it confined its representations to British subjects
and said nothing about the Hedjaz. From this, and from other remarks, it was quite
clear that he was still expecting that His Majesty’s Government would pull him out of
the pit he had helped so strenuously to dig for himself.
8. Taif has three functions very valuable to Mecca: it is a strong natural
position; it supplies the capital with the bulk of its fruit and vegetables; and it
serves as a health resort. Asa health resort it had been neglected for some years,
owing to the Wahabi menace, but gradually more and more of the wealthy Meccans
resumed their old customs, and this summer a very large number of families had
installed themselves in their Taif houses, among them two or three Indian families
There were also many pilgrims of various races. Most of these were Javanese.
9. Apart from the information obtained by Mr. Yasin Khan in Mecca, we have
now the evidence of many refugees from Taif who have come to Jeddah. The
outlines of the story are clear. When the Wahabi attack was threatening during
the three or four days preceding the capture of the town many of the Mecca people
asked for permission to leave. This was refused by the kaimakam, the Sheeref
Sharaf, on the ground that there was no danger, and that their return to Mecca
would cause a panic there. Many, again, wished to leave when the Amir Ali
evacuated the town, but they were told that he was only going to bring up
reinforcements. After the evacuation some of the people invited the Wahabis into
the town and into their houses. In spite of this, pillage and shooting began at
once. Everything of value was taken, even to the outer garments; men and women
were left with nothing but their underclothes. The Mecca people had with them
many fine carpets, much money (in this country money is hidden in the house rather
than deposited in a bank), and enormous quantities of jewellery. Everything was
taken. If a man hesitated to produce his money and valuables, or was suspected
of trying to conceal any, he was shot at once. Some families have lost five or six
men. Most of the people who survived the massacre were sent to the Palace of
Shubrah, an enormous building standing in a very large garden just outside the
town walls. There they remained for four days, living on fruit. When the corpses
were already swollen and putrifying about thirty of the survivors were compelled
to remove them; they were given mules and ropes by which to drag the bodies
away. Four days after the capture of the town the Mecca refugees collected in
the Shubrah garden were ordered to return to Mecca, seven men only being kept
until a sum of £1,000 should be paid for each. They were ordered to convey a
message to the people of Mecca, to the effect that the Wahabis were coming and
would treat them as Taif had been treated unless they got rid of the “ shereef ”
(King Hussein), who was referred to as “Abu Khishah,” i.e., “The Chap in the
Gunny Bag,” or “Him in the Sack.” They left on foot, in their underclothes and
barefooted. A small quantity of grain was given them by the Wahabis, but not
enough to go round. One, an Indian, had managed to conceal £2, and was able
to buy food on the way A few died of exhaustion on the journey.
10. There is evidence that the invaders showed religious fanaticism. They
[752 f—1] b 2

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.

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English in Latin script
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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎403r] (810/898), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1115, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100084998363.0x00000b> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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