"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٣‎٥‎٣] (١٧٨٢/٤٩٦)

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The most significant instance of British political intervention with a Attempted
foreign power in the interests of a Trucial Shaikh occurred however in ^ n ® xatio n to
1904., when an attempt was made bj Persia to annex the islands of Bu MfisTand U
Musa and Tunb. The decline of trade at Lingeh after the establishment Sands,
of a post of the reorganised Persian Customs there in 1902, leading as it
did to suggestions by merchants that a new entrepot of trade should be
established on Bu Musa, caused the Persian Government to cast covetous
eyes on that island and on the island of Timb. Russian incitement also may
have been at work, for Russia, after a visit paid by the Viceroy of India to
the Persian Gulf in 1903, seemed to apprehend the creation by Britain of
a naval station or stations at the entrance of the Gulf. In the spring of
1904 a Belgian officer of the Persian Customs visited Bu Musa and Tunb,
removed flags which had been hoisted there by the Shaikh of Sharjah under
the advice of the Government of India in the previous summer, substituted
Persian flags, and installed Persian custom guards on both islands. Diplo
matic remonstrances by His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Tehran
resulted, however, in the removal of the Persian flags and the replacement
of the Sharjah colours. One of the inducements employed by the British
Legation in this case was a hint that the ownership of Sirri Island, which
had been annexed by Persia in 1897 but was claimed by the Shaikh of
Sharjah, would be called in question by Britain if Persia claimed Bu
M usa and Tunb.
Affairs and foreign relations of Qatar, 1399-1905.
The political position of the Qatar promontory remained indeterminate
throughout the period, the Turks still affecting to treat it as a part of the
Ottoman dominions, whilst the British Government regarded it as an inde
pendent Arab territory and themselves, consequently, as entitled to main
tain direct relations with its Shaikhs.
At the end of 1902 the Porte attempted to assert their authority over Relations of
Qatar by appointing Turkish administrative officials to Wakrah and Q U [ key witl1
Zubarah, as well as to J Odaid, which place, though situated in Trucial
'Oman, they persisted in treating as a dependency of Qatar ; the new
Ottoman officials were in addition to a representative whom the Turkish
Government already maintained at Dohah. A Turkish Mudir actually
made his appearance at Wakrah in the spring of 1903 ; but later, on
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