Page 252 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

RECEN'f HISTORY AND PRESENT POLITICS 303

May Oth seized Hofuf without much fighting, and soon afterwards
took Qatlf. The Turkish garrison withdrew first to El-Qatar and
finally sailed to Basra. Emirs were appointed by Ibn SaTijl in
Hofuf and Qatif, and at a meeting at ‘Oqair with Capt. Shakcspear,
the British Political Agent from Koweit, the Emir announced that
theso officials were instructed to help and protect British subjects
in consultation with the Agent. In June 1914 Ibn Sa‘ud accepted
the title of Vali of Nejd and Hasa from the Turks, but he continued
to invite closer relations with the Indian Government, and on Capt.
Shakespear’s appointment as Political Officer in Nejd, later in the
same year, he received the British representative with cordiality.
On the outbreak of the European War, he opposed Ibn Rashid,
who had espoused Turkish interests in Arabia, and fought a drawn
battle with him at Mejma‘ in Sedeir, in March 1915; but in the
summer of the same year a forrhal peace was concluded between
the two Emirs. This, however, is merely nominal, and in 1910 a
Nejd force was threatening Ibn Rashid from the south. Ibn Sa‘ud
can summon to his standard the Beni Khalid and Beni Hajar, and to
his control over these tribes is due the improvement in the security of
the Hasa province and the caravan routes by which it is approached.
The hostility of the Bedouins to the Turks had been such that the
sovereignty of the Sultan extended no farther than the effective
power of the garrisons and military or police posts, while life and
property were insecure even in the neighbourhood of Hofuf. Under
the Porte, the whole region of Hasa, kxrown as the Sanjak of Nejd,
formed a division of the Basra vilayet. The capital was Hofuf,
and the country was administered on the usual Turkish system,
though the government approximated to the nature of a military
occupation. Subsidies were paid to the ‘Ajman, Beni Hajar, Beni
Khalid, and Ahl Murrah tribes, who provided carriers of the official
mails, and rafiqs for their escort. The garrison, chiefly concen­

trated at Hofuf and Qatlf, consisted of 4 battalions of infantry and
2 squadrons of cavalry, with 1 mule-battery, and a small auxiliary
camel-corps of Arabs. In addition, there were 6 companies of police,
- ■ 4 of which were mounted. The revenue was chiefly obtained from
agriculture, more especially date cultivation, a tax being imposed
on dates in Qatlf, while in Hasa the Government took a share of
the crops. The amount thus obtained was estimated at nearly
£25,000 ; customs were farmed, and are said to have yielded as
much again. There were no public posts nor telegraphs.

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