Qur'an Manuscripts 133989 items

This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, the British Civil Commissioner at Baghdad, as well as officials in the Government of India and ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd).The correspondence concern British involvement in Central Arabia and relations between Ibn Sa‘ūd and the Āl Rashīd family of Ḥā’il. Covered within the correspondence are details about the assissination of Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Rashīd at the hands of his cousin and the subsequent succession of ‘Abdullāh bin Mit‘ab Āl Rashīd, the son of the seventh Amīr of Ḥā’il, Mit‘ab bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Rashīd.The file also contains a genealogical 'Table of the Ruling Al Rashid (Shammar) Family of Jabal Shammar' (folio 28) and details of the 1920 deputation from Ḥā’il to Riyadh to arrange a treaty with Ibn Sa‘ūd (folio 20).

1 file (46 folios)

Foliation: This file has a foliation number in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The number is enclosed by a circle.

Correspondence and other papers relating to visits made by Europeans and Americans to Saudi Arabia, and specifically to Riyadh:A visit made in 1937 by Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, former Political Agent at Kuwait, reportedly in his capacity as a representative of the Kuwait Oil Company. The papers include English translations of press reports of the visit as reported in various Arab newspapers, including the Baghdad newspaper Al-Kifah, the Cairo newspaper Al-Mukattam[ Al-Muqattam] and the Wakalat-ul-Sharq Al-Arabia(ff 3-16).Dickson’s request to the Political Resident to visit the Ruler of Saudi Arabia Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in December 1938, and the Ruler of Kuwait’s [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] strong objection to the visit (ff 18-28).Lord Alington’s [Captain Napier George Henry Sturt] visit to Ibn Saud in April 1939, including notes on his visit, and demi-official letters exchanged between the Political Agent at Kuwait (Major Charles Crawshaw Galloway) and the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle) commenting on Alington’s description of Ibn Saud (ff 27-37).Correspondence dated 1942 between the Political Agent at Kuwait and the United States military relating to unauthorised entry into Saudi Arabia by foreigners (ff 41-42).A note written by the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield), dated 5 April 1943, on wartime conditions in Saudi Arabia, based on reports received by Dr Harold Storm and Gerrit Dirk Van Peursem, both of the American Mission at Bahrain, following their medical tour of Saudi Arabia (f 44).Correspondence dated August 1943 relating to a visit to Ibn Saud by Lieutenant-Colonel Harold B Hoskins, personal envoy of US President Roosevelt (ff 45-54).

1 file (58 folios)

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 60; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Genre/Subject Matter:View of the walls of a fort on Hormuz Island, perhaps the Fort of Our Lady of the Conception, also known as the Portuguese Castle, the construction of which was completed by the Portuguese after conquering the island in 1515.Two men stand in front of the crumbling walls, one immediately right of centre and one at far right, perhaps for the purpose of providing a scale.Inscriptions:Ink, below image: 'Exterior of Fort, Hormuz, showing mouldering walls.'

1 b&w silver gelatin print

Dimensions:145 x 200 mmCondition:The print is in good condition, though the mounting paper is heavily foxed and crumblingFoliation:‘12’Process:Silver gelatin

The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) representatives and managers and the Political Agent at Bahrain on BAPCO's deposit account with the Agency regarding payments for visas, passport renewals and certificates.

1 file (326 folios)

The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order. There are reference numbers in red crayon and blue in the file.

The foliation is written in pencil, underlined, and can be found in the top or bottom right corners of the recto side of each folio. The numbering commences at the front cover with 1 and 1A; 2-14; 15 and 15A; 16-132; 133 and 133A; 134-137; 138 and 138A; 139-167; 168 and 168A; and then it carries on until 323, which is the last number given on the back cover.

The file contains letters, telegrams and other papers relating to unidentified aircraft either seen or heard over the Arab coast during the Second World War, and the emergency landing of a B-17 Flying Fortress at Abu Dhabi in May 1944. Correspondence is sent and received by a host of British officials including political and consular agents and RAF officers.A telex sent by the Political Resident to the Government of India on 25 November 1940 reported that Italian radio broadcasts had claimed success in a bombing raid over Bahrain, accounting for recent reports of unidentified aircraft in the area (folio 6). A large part of the correspondence in the file concerns payments made by the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress to local Arabs, who offered them water and assistance. The crew members gave an array of banknotes to one man, which staff at the Political Agency in Bahrain attempted to convert into rupees at the Eastern Bank (folio 38). Further correspondence relates to a complaint made by the clerk at the Agency in Sharjah, over abuse directed at him by staff from the RAF base in the town (folios 46-47).

1 file (52 folios)

The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 51-53) mirror the chronological arrangement. Circled index numbers, written in red crayon and ink, can be found throughout the volume, and refer to the office notes.

Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts on the front cover and ends on the inside back cover, and uses circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff. 2-49; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

The correspondence in the file relates to a request made by 203 RAF Squadron at Basra, to carry out night-time flying practice, involving two flying boats for a period of ten days, at Bahrain. The Political Agent, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch, replied by stating that the ruler, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, had no objection to the request.

1 file (5 folios)

The contents of the file are arranged in chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the rear. There is a page of office notes (folio 5) at the end of the file, which mirrors the chronological order.

Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b.

Imprint:Published by James Horsburgh, Hydrographer to the East India Company.Distinctive Features:Relief shown by shading. Depth shown by soundings.Nautical chart of the northern shores of the Persian Gulf showing the coastline east of Shatt al-Arab to Bushire [Bushehr] compiled from the surveys carried out by the Bombay Marine’s officers between 1820 and 1829.Shows sandbanks and rock hazards; location of ruins and old entrance of Indian River marked.

1 map

Dimensions:504 x 599 mm, on sheet 565 x 777 mm

Imprint:General Staff India.Distinctive Features:Sketch map issued as an ‘Appendix B (1) Serial No. 12 D 2’ to illustrate British military operations on the Euphrates River from 26 June to 25 July 1915. Shows swamps and inundated fields with position for safe landing marked.Marked ‘For Official Use Only’.In the left-hand corner: ‘S.D.O. No. 1356, September, 1915’.

1 map

Dimensions:200 x 330 mm

Printed Confidential memorandum, headed 'Printed for the use of the Foreign Office', and signed by Alfred S Green, Foreign Office.The memorandum charts the history of the issue of the appointment of British officers to organise the Persian Army from the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 to the year 1870, and cites relevant Foreign Office and India Office correspondence (with references recorded as marginal notes). The memorandum states that there had been no correspondence between the two departments since 1870. It concludes by stating that the British Government had recognised the expediency of granting the Shah of Persia's request (for the appointment of officers); that a difficulty arose from the question of whether the cost of paying the officers should be borne by the India Office, the Foreign Office, or the Shah's own Government; and that questions had arisen concerning the effect of such a measure on the political relations between Persia and Russia.

1 file (6 folios)

Foliation: the foliation for this description commences at f 118 and terminates at f 123, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 5-137; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

The volume discusses the ongoing negotiations in Constantinople between the Ottoman, British and Russian Governments through 1912 and 1913 regarding the Turco-Persian Frontier. Also discussed is the decision in July 1913 to establish a delimitation commission to which Albert Charles Wratislaw and Arnold Talbot Wilson are appointed as representatives of the British Government.Also discussed in the volume is the region of Kermanshah and in particular Qasr-i-Shirin [Qaşr-e Shīrīn], along with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's concerns over the rights accorded to them in their 1901 concession should some of that territory be ceded to Turkey.Further discussion relates to the movements of Russian and Turkish troops near the frontier and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from certain places along the frontier.This volume is part two of two. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

1 volume (334 folios)

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1356 (Turco-Persian Frontier) consists of 2 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/266-267. The volumes are divided into 2 parts, with each part comprising one volume.

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Intelligence report by Major Norman Napier Evelyn Bray, Political Intelligence Officer attached to the India Office, on Soviet activities and influence in the Middle East and the implications for British interests in the region.The document was prepared as a departmental minute. It discusses several matters, including: the Soviet alliance with Turkish and Arab nationalists across the region, but with a particular reference to Mesopotamia; Italian support (in money and arms) of Turkish nationalists; the need for the British and the French to work together closely to protect their interests; the military strength of all parties.The report contains two appendices, as follows:I - Suggested measures for dealing with the Bolshevist Menace in Mesopotamia and Persia;II - A. Conditions proposed by the Bolsheviks for acceptance of Turkish Nationalists; B. Terms of agreement concluded by Bolsheviks with Mustafa Kemal Pasha.There are extensive notes in the left hand margin throughout the report with details on sources and other comments.

1 file (15 folios)

Foliation: the sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 3-15; this sequence is written in ink, and is located in the same position as the main sequence.

Report by Captain Frank Cooke Webb Ware, Political Assistant, Chagai. Printed in Calcutta at the Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India, 1900. The annual report concerns the conditions and administration of the region and the development of the Quetta-Seistan [Sistan] trade route and follows on from Ware's similar reports of 1897 (Mss Eur F111/362) and 1898 (Mss Eur F111/364).The report opens with a letter from Ware to the Agent to the Governor General in Baluchistan, Quetta, dated 31 July 1900, in which the main points of the report and certain events of the year are summarised. The report itself consists of four appendices, as follows:I 'On the administration of the Nushki, Chagai and Western Sinjerani Districts' (folios 5-7)II 'On the Quetta-Seistan Caravan Route' (folios 8-15)III 'Nushki Trade Returns for the year 1st April 1899 to 31st March 1900' (folios 15-23)IV 'Miscellaneous' (including genealogical tables of the main Seistan and Shorawak families) (folios 24-29).

1 volume (28 folios)

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.