HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
This substantial new collection, of almost 5000 pages in 6 volumes, focuses on political relations in the Persian Gulf region between Iran (Persia), Britain and the Arab states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, during the period when Britain, through her special treaty provisions with the Arab states, maintained an active presence in the area. Regular reports of events follow the initiation of diplomatic relations between Britain and Persia in the early nineteenth century, and the creation of treaties with the Arab shaikhs from 1820.
The material published is based on new research, and is arranged to cover the conflicts and communications between the states in a straightforward chronological and subject-related format. Territorial claims predominate in the material, but the selection also reflects questions including: the fortunes and succession of the Persian/Iranian Shahs; the status of Iranians in the Arab states; travel formalities and trade contacts with the Arab States; and the development of Iranian ports. The importance of the discovery of oil is, of course, a perennial subject for the Gulf States and certainly the revenue derived from oil has played a large part in both the development of Iran and its political life, but the selection of documents for this work is not intended to cover the internal affairs of the states nor, in any substantial way, the tensions between Iran and Britain at the time of the Iranian oil nationalisation (1951) which are the subject of other collections from Archive Editions, such as the Iran Political Diaries 1881-1965.
