Qatar and the Gulf States in the Indian Archives (Delhi Archives) 4th Volume

The National Archives in Delhi series consists of correspondences and reports by British agents, political residents, sailors, tribal sheikhs, and rulers of the Gulf sheikhdoms in the nineteenth century.

This volume contains translations of these documents, covering events in Qatar and its surroundings from 1882 to 1886. They serve as documented sources on various matters, including the challenges faced by Indian (Bania) merchants in Qatar, and the positions of Sheikh Jassim and the Ottoman authorities toward them and their trade.

It also includes letters between Sheikh Jassim and British authorities, some addressing the Ottoman presence in Qatar and related political and administrative issues. Other documents report Sheikh Jassim’s stance on the 1868 treaty between his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani, and the British government.

The volume also covers the dispute between Sheikh Jassim and the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi over Khawr Al Udayd, efforts to rebuild it, and the views of British and Ottoman authorities on the conflict.