Records of Saudi Arabia 1902

Records of Saudi Arabia 1902–1960

ISBN: (13) 978-1-85207-325-1 Extent: 10 volumes, 5,200 pages, including 1 map box

Editor: Chief Editor P. Tuson, former head of Middle East archives within the British Library (Oriental & India Office Collections). Assistant editors: A. Burdett, E. Quick. Published: 1992
Paper: Printed on acid free paper
Binding: Library bindings with gilt finish. The front cover carries the Saudi crest.

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RESUMÉ
Records of Saudi Arabia 1902-1960 traces the evolution and development of the Saudi state from the momentous reconquest of Riyadh in 1902 by ´Abd al-´Aziz bin ´Abd al-Rahman bin Faisal al Sa´ud, Amir of Najd. The collection offers historical evidence for the creation of Saudi Arabia – the capture of Riyadh, the conquests of Al Hasa and the Hijaz, the occupation of Taif, Jedda, Mecca and Medina, and the proclamation of the Kingdom. It includes many original letters of King Abdulaziz and illustrates the political, social and economic changes which in just over half a century transformed the desert amirate into one of the richest countries in the world.
The early years of this collection contain the key events, including a retrospective volume covering the nineteenth century, and aim to give a wide base of information from which further research will be stimulated.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

The collection is prefaced with an introductory volume which provides an historical background to the main series of documents. The origins of Saudi power are illustrated by selections from early European accounts of the Wahhabi religious reform movement in the eighteenth century, documents on the political development of the Saudi dynasty and official British summaries of events in Najd and Al Hasa in the nineteenth century.
The volumes detail the creation of Saudi Arabia from the struggle for supremacy in Najd and Al Hasa in the early years of the century, to the conquest of the Hijaz in the 1920s and the formal proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. Regional relations with Kuwait and the Gulf states, with the mandated territories of Iraq and Transjordan and with the southern neighbouring states of Yemen and Asir are also included.
From 1932 onwards the development of the Kingdom’s oil economy as well as its internal and external political relations are traced through a wide range of archival documents. During the late 1930s and the 1940s, Saudi Arabia’s stance as a neutral power caused it to be assiduously courted by both the allied and axis powers. After the war relations with the Americans became much more important although the British competed strongly to remain in control of arms procurement and defence supply.
In the late 1940s Saudi Arabia was a powerful voice in support of the Palestinians during the partition of Palestine. The death of King Abdulaziz in November 1953 was a blow to the country but the new King Saud was supported by his father’s advisors and in particular by Emir Faisal.
Throughout the entire 22 volumes there is an overall structure of subjects covered such as the affairs of the royal family, foreign and internal affairs, economic, civil and social development, defence policy and territorial negotiations and disputes.

DOCUMENTARY IMPORTANCE

Understanding the Collection
The three parts of Records of Saudi Arabia combine to create a large collection which offers historical evidence for the political, economic and social evolution of Saudi Arabia. The early part of the collection is organised so as to present a series of key documents which provide researchers and historians with access to original documents upon which to base their own work. In the more modern period, 1960 to 1970, almost all of the material available has been included providing a very detailed series of papers for these years.

Documentary sources
The documents have been selected from the major British archive series in the National Archives and the British Library´s Oriental and India Office Collections. They include documents from the London archives of the Foreign Office and Colonial Office, the India Office, the War Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Fuel and Power. There are also letters and reports from British Government agents in the Middle East: the Jedda Consulate, the British High Commission Cairo, the Political Resident in the Gulf and the Political Agents at Kuwait and Bahrain. Importantly the collection includes many original letters of King ´Abd al ´Aziz b. ´Abd al -Rahman b. Faisal al Sa´ud as well as early Saudi diplomatic, political, social and economic policy documents and correspondence.

CONTENTS OUTLINE

Examples of the subject coverage:

The origins of the Wahhabi Movement in the eighteenth century
The conquest of Mecca and Medina, 1803-1806: the first Saudi state
The reigns of Faisal b. Turki Al Sa´ud, 1834-1838 and 1843-1865
Travellers and surveyors of the Arabian Peninsula, 1831-1841
The capture of Riyadh, 1902
Relations with Ibn Rashid and with the Shaiks of Kuwait and Muhammerah, 1902-1918
Captain W.H.I. Shakespear´s meeting with Ibn Saud, 1911
The conquest of the Hijaz: the attack on Taif, September 1924, the siege of Jedda and the occupation of Mecca and Medina, 1924-1926
The Anglo-Saudi treaty, 1927
The Ikhwan rebellion, 1928
The proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1932
The border dispute with Yemen, 1934
The oil concession with Standard Oil of California, 1933
The first oil exports, 1939, and the development of the oil economy
US/Saudi relations and ARAMCO
The death of King ´Abd al-´Aziz b. ´Abd al-Rahman b. Faisal Al Sa´ud, 1953
The Buraimi dispute
The economic infrastructure; transport, telegraphs, aviation, communications
Local government
Religion and social structure

MAPS

Map 01. Map of Arabia illustrative of W. C. Palgrave´s journey in 1862-1863, London 1865.
Map 02. A map of the oases of El Hasa, prepared by Lieutenant W.H. Wyburd to accompany his journal.
Map 03. Map showing the extent of Wahhabi and of Muscat power, 1865.
Map 04. Rough tribal map of Arabia [from: The Arab of the desert: a glimpse into badawin life in Kuwait and Sa´udi Arabia, by H. R. P. Dickson, 1949].
Map 05. Sketch map of the Saudi-Yemen frontier enclosed in Jedda Chancery note, 12 June 1934.
Maps 06-08. Three sketch maps of Saudi Arabia to accompany survey of economic commercial and financial conditions, April 1936: physical features, administration communications.
Map 09. The frontier area of Qatar. Foreign Office Research Department map handed to the Saudi Arabian delegation at the Dammam conference, 1952.
Map 10. Map showing boundary claims, handed to Saudi Arabian delegation at the Dammam conference.
Maps 11-15. Table of the ruling (Wahhabi) Al Sa´ud (´Anizah) family of southern Najd (5 sheets) compiled by J. C. Gaskin in 1905 and revised in 1906 by Captain S. G. Knox, Political Agent Kuwait, with the assistance of ´Abd al-Rahman b. Zaid, agent of the Al Sa´ud [from J. G. Lorimer´s Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia, volume I (Historical) Part III, 1915].
Map 16. Arabic tree of Al-Sa´ud family [Dr R. L. Bidwell].