File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [‎444r] (892/898)

M edinci.
All reports from Medina show the state of affairs to be very bad. The Amir Ali
is powerless, the real authority being in the hands of the Sherif Shahat who, although
nominally only kaimakam, adds to his hereditary position as member of the ruling
f family of Medina a drunken audacity which makes him indifferent to orders from the
Armr All 01 fiom the King. His exploits recall Hamzah, “ The Lion of God,” who, in
a nt of diunken generosity, killed and distributed as alms the camels with which Ali
was hoping to earn the money to marry the Prophet’s daughter. He releases men
imprisoned by the Amir Ali, visits the Amir when obviously drunk, refuses to take part
or to let others take part in the recruiting campaign ordered by the King, and sets all
laws and orders in general at defiance. Trade is almost dead, for onty small quantities
of goods aie allowed to go to Medina from Jeddah or Yambo, and the valuable trade
with Nejd is absolutely prohibited. There is no doubt, however, that trade continues
to pome extent between Medina and Nejd in spite of the prohibition. The principal
| article of export^ to Nejd seems to be ammunition from the huge dumps formed at
Medina by the durks during the war. Bin Saud must have obtained large quantities
of rifle cartridges from this source. The Amir Ah has not the authority to stop the
caravans and he cannot check the trade at its source because it is in the hands of his
own officers, who, when a store of ammunition is getting obviously depleted, have an
explosion and write off what they have sold.
King Hussein seems to have done nothing to conciliate the Medina people. Indeed,
he showed them far less than ordinary oriental consideration. He did not pass through
the gate which had been decorated for him but came in by a side way; he received
very, few people, and those very late, and for a very short time ; and, most damning,
he distributed no largesse but saved all his money for Trans-Jordan.
The Syrian-Greek employee of the Aviation Department who went to Egypt to
purchase aeroplanes has not yet returned, but it is believed that he has bought several
machines and has moreover secured some Mahommedan pilots and mechanics. In a
country where two of the three chief towns are forbidden to Christians the inconvenience
of exclusive employment of Russian pilots and air mechanics is obvious. The Hedjaz
aeroplanes piloted by Russians have, however, been sent into the interior lately. They
have twice flown over Taraba, as a demonstration against the Wahabis. There was no
bombing and the machines were not fired on. One of the machines, a de Haviland,
carrying a Russian mechanic as well as the pilot, has since crashed on the dangerous
landing ground at Taif, smashing the carriage and the propeller. The two Russians
are condemned to stay at 'Taif (the pilot is now ill) until the aeroplane is repaired, and,'
as the propeller has to be imported—probably from England—-their stay there promises
to be long.
Five doctors arrived recently to take up employment under the Hashimite Govern
ment. They are all Syrians—“pure Arabs,” the press boasts. Four have been sent
to Mecca, the fifth is working in Jeddah. Whether their appointment is inten ded as
an answer to criticism of lack of medical attention in the Hedjaz or is simply a step in
the Arabisation of the Hedjaz public services, is not known. Probably both considera
tions weigh with the King. On their arrival one Turkish doctor left and another is
going soon. The number and quality of the Hedjaz Government doctors matter little
because the Government will not spend the money to provide the necessary drugs and
equipment. Patients at the public hospital in Mecca have to procure their own
dressings in the bazaar, and the hospital is frequently without the commonest medicines,
lotions, &c.
The Egyptian Government have announced that they do not recognise AbdiT
Malik, the Hedjaz representative in Cairo, as the official representatative of the
Hashimite Government. This is only making public the attitude which the Egyptiar
Government have always adopted, but the announcement has led the Suez police tc
refuse to insist that no person shall embark for the Hedjaz without Abdul Malik’s.visa
As, however, the Hedjaz authorities have no instructions to allow any person arriving
from Egypt to enter the Hedjaz unless he has Abdul Malik’s visa there is no practical
change, and the Khedivial Steamship Company have been warned that they will do
well to refuse to grant a passage to the Hedjaz to any person who has not obtained the
Hashimite visa. It is supposed that the Egyptian Government will not interfere with
the grant of such visas by Abdul Malik.
The Malay pilgrim officer has arrived and is preparing to deal with pilgrims from
British Malaya. The authorities he represents have not found It possible to introduce
compulsory registration of pilgrims this year, but a good beginning has been made by
the introduction of a satisfactory form of passport and by the decision to advise ail