Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia

Last updated
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia
Opening page of Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf - Lorimer.jpg
The cover page of the gazetteer
Author John Gordon Lorimer
LanguageEnglish
Published1908, 1915
Pages5000 [1]
John Gordon Lorimer John Gordon Lorimer.jpg
John Gordon Lorimer

The Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia (nicknamed Lorimer) [2] is a two-volume encyclopedia compiled by John Gordon Lorimer. The Gazetteer was published in secret by the British government in India in 1908 and 1915 and it served as a handbook for British diplomats in the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. [1]

Contents

The work was declassified in 1955 under the fifty-year rule, and was widely praised for its extensive coverage of the region's history and geography. [2] It is considered to be "the most important single source of historical material on the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia" from the 17th to early 20th century. [1]

Background

Beginning in the 20th century, the British Empire sought to strengthen its connections to British-controlled India which in turn resulted in a greater interest in the Persian Gulf region, culminating in the visit of the Viceroy of India Lord Curzon to the Gulf in 1903. [1] To ensure that British agents in the region were adequately informed and prepared to strengthen their influence in the region, a light-weight and easily accessible handbook was needed. [3]

In November 1903, the British authorities commissioned John Gordon Lorimer, a member of the Indian Civil Service serving in the North-West Frontier Province, to compile such a document. Lorimer was initially given six months to accomplish the task, but repeatedly insisted on being granted more time to ensure the work was completed thoroughly. Placed under special duty and with a team of researchers, over the next 10 years data was collated from government archives in Calcutta and Bombay, and from multiple field expeditions to the Gulf. [1]

Contents

The gazetteer is a 5000-page document divided into two volumes; the first details the region's history and the second details its geography. [1] The geography portion of the gazetteer was completed first and was published in 1908. The history portion of the gazetteer was only completed and published in 1915, one year after Lorimer himself died in a shooting accident. [1]

History

Titled "History, geography and genealogy", the volume was split into three sections which were divided by ethnicity. Section 1 (the Arab section) was dedicated to the history of the Persian Gulf, central Arabia and Ottoman Iraq. Section 2 (the Persian section) regarded the history of Persia with particular reference to the predominantly-Arab populated region of Arabistan. Section 3 consisted of 19 genealogical charts pertaining to the ruling families of the region. [4] The research was compiled from Lorimer's own notes and the work of colleagues such as J.A. Saldanha and C.H. Gabriel and ranged from the 17th to the 20th centuries. [1]

Doha in 1904, from the gazetteer. Doha1908.jpg
Doha in 1904, from the gazetteer.
Map of the Persian Gulf, from the gazetteer. Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia map by F.F. Hunder 1905 (retouched).jpg
Map of the Persian Gulf, from the gazetteer.

Geography

Titled the "Geographical and Statistical" section, this is a 2000-page document and lists an extensive alphabetical arrangement of tribes and settlements across the region, divided into different countries. [4] The data was obtained through research missions carried out by Lorimer and his group. [1] Also in the volume are 56 reproduced images of the region taken from colonial records and two maps showing the distribution of pearling sites and the overall political geography. [4]

Reception and legacy

Classified for official use only, the gazetteer was published in secrecy in 1908 and 1915 respectively with only dozens of copies in circulation. As such, there was no public awareness of the existence of the work. Consequently, Lorimer's obituary makes no mention of the gazetteer. [2] He was credited as the author only when the work was declassified in 1955. [5]

In 1971, The Times Literary Supplement praised the historical coverage of the work as "stupendous" and its geographical section as "without modern substitute". The gazetteer, although drawn from British sources and written from a British perspective, is still regarded as a valuable resource for the serious researcher. [1]

The gazetteer was digitised and made available online by the Qatar Digital Library in January 2015. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhofar Governorate</span> Governorate of Oman

The Dhofar Governorate is the largest of the 11 governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah Governorate and the southern border with Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. It is a rather mountainous area that covers 99,300 km2 (38,300 sq mi) and had a population of 416,458 at the 2020 census. Salalah is the largest city and capital of the governorate. Historically, the region was a source of frankincense. The local dialect of Arabic is Dhofari Arabic, which is distinct from that used in the rest of Oman and in Yemen.

Jasim bin Jabir, also known as Raqraqi, was a 19th-century pirate active in the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan</span> Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to 1909

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and namesake of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, founder of the United Arab Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zubarah</span> Ruined town in Al Shamal, Qatar

Zubarah, also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined, ancient town located on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 65 miles from the capital Doha. It was founded by Shaikh Muhammed bin Khalifa, the founder father of Al Khalifa royal family of Bahrain, the main and principal Utub tribe in the first half of the eighteenth century. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.

Persian Gulf Residency Colonial subdivision of the British-Indian Empire

The Persian Gulf Residency was a subdivision of the British Empire from 1822 until 1971, whereby the United Kingdom maintained varying degrees of political and economic control over several states in the Persian Gulf, including what is today known as the United Arab Emirates and at various times southern portions of Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.

Al Jalahma is an Arab clan, based primarily in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. They are derived from the `Anizzah tribe of Northern Central Arabia. They were one of the four Utub clans who founded the modern state of Kuwait in 1716, along with Al Bin Ali, Al Sabah and Al Khalifa.

Al Bin Ali is a Sunni Arab sub-tribal confederation based in the Arab states, especially in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khawr al Udayd</span> Place in Al Wakrah Municipality, Qatar

Khawr al Udayd, is a settlement and inlet of the Persian Gulf located in Al Wakrah Municipality in southeast Qatar, on the border with Saudi Arabia. It is known to local English speakers as the "Inland Sea". In the past it used to accommodate a small town and served as the center of a long-running territorial dispute between Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani and Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. At the present, it is a major tourist destination for Qatar.

Shaikh Isa Bin Tarif Al Bin Ali was chief of Al Bidda, known today as Doha, the capital of Qatar, as well as the chief of the Al Bin Ali tribe from the beginning of the 19th century until his death in 1847. He was described by the political agents in the Persian Gulf as being one of the most energetic and powerful chiefs in the Gulf region

The Bani Utbah is an Arab tribal confederation in the Arabian Peninsula. The confederation is thought to have been formed when a group of clans from Najd migrated to Eastern Arabia in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Most of the Utub clans and families, such as the Al-Sabah and Al-Khalifa, trace their lineage back to Anizah tribe, with the exception of some, such as the Al Bin Ali, whose lineage goes back to the Banu Sulaym tribe. The Al Bin Ali along with the current ruling families of Bahrain and Kuwait were the rulers of the federation. The name of the confederation is found in the form Attoobee or Uttoobee in English sources up to the late 19th century.

Al Buainain is a clan of Bani Tamim tribe, and the clan is divided to three main branches which are al-Muhammad and al-Ali and Al-Nuwasir. The clan is based primarily in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The tribe used to be involved in the lucrative pearl diving industry.

The Al Mohannadi tribe is an Arab tribal confederation based primarily in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially in Qatar. Being a tribal confederation that emerged in the coastal town of Al-Khor ruling the region before Qatar gained its independence in 1971, the larger portion of its members belong to the Bani Hajer, a Qahtanite tribe. It is also known as Al-Mahanda. The leading family of the tribe was the Al-Misnid family. The other families are Al-Bin Ali, Al-Ibrahim, Al-Shugari, Al-Matwi of Al-Shugari, Al-Qashasha, Al-Hassan, Al-Baduh, and Al-Bin Matar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Sulami flag</span> Heritage flag of the Al Bin Ali tribe

The Al Sulaimi Flag is an old heritage flag used historically by the Al Bin Ali tribe until the 1960s in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. It consists of four red and three white stripes with seven red triangles facing towards the west.

Qal'at Murair is a ruined and deserted fortified castle located a mile and a half to the south eastern part of the town of Zubarah.

Seqaya is a suburb located in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It used to be a village separate from the capital Manama, but rapid urbanization of the city engulfed the village. It is predominantly a residential area and lies close to Salmaniya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy in the Persian Gulf</span> Historic buckaneering era (C17th–C19th)

Piracy in the Persian Gulf describes the naval warfare that was prevalent until the 19th century and occurred between seafaring Arabs in Eastern Arabia and the British Empire in the Persian Gulf. It was perceived as one of the primary threats to global maritime trade routes, particularly those with significance to British India and Iraq. Many of the most notable historical instances of these raids were conducted by the Al Qasimi tribe. This led to the British mounting the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809, a major maritime action launched by the Royal Navy to bombard Ras Al Khaimah, Lingeh and other Al Qasimi ports. The current ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi argues in his book The Myth of Piracy in the Gulf that the allegations of piracy were exaggerated by the East India Company to cut off untaxed trade routes between the Middle East and India.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Doha, Qatar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gordon Lorimer (civil servant)</span> Scottish civil administrator

John Gordon Lorimer CIE, also known as J. G. Lorimer, was a British diplomat, historian and colonial administrator. Working for the British Raj in Punjab and the Northwest frontier province, he later served in the Gulf region as British Political Resident. He is most famous for his encyclopedia, the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia.

The Na'im is an Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates. The tribe is also present in other gulf countries.

Al Huwaila is an abandoned town in Qatar located in the municipality of Al Shamal. Prior to the 18th century, and as perhaps as early as the 16th century, it served as Qatar's main town before its population migrated elsewhere.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia". Cambridge Archive Editions. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Lowe, Daniel A. "'Persian Gulf Tragedy': the Death and Legacy of John Gordon Lorimer". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. Leech, Nick (7 January 2012). "A reference book for every historian to rely on". The National. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lowe, Daniel. "Colonial Knowledge: Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  5. Teller, Matthew (6 December 2014). "The diplomat's portable handbook (wheelbarrow required)". BBC News. Retrieved 10 August 2015.