Saudi Arabia and the Hejaz

The archive of nearly 200 items comprises four parts:
A. Petitions to King Ali of Hejaz, from families originally from Mecca and Wadi Fatima requesting permission to return to their homes, now that they are safe under Ibn Saud
B. Letters, drafts and notes from King Ali's office
C. Letters sent to or from Jeddah, confiscated by the Hejaz government, including family and business letters, some describing life in Mecca after Ibn Saud's occupation, others mentioning Ibn Saud and his followers
D. A collection of manuscript flyers dated February 1925 warning supporters of Ibn Saud that preparations are underway to re-take Mecca
Together with: PHOTOGRAPH OF SAUD OF SAUDI ARABIA by Lafayette studios, matt silver print (382 x 287mm.), mounted on Japanese paper, signed "Lafayette" in pencil on the mount, framed, [Saud, was the son of and successor to Abdulaziz Ibn Saud], minor surface wear

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This collection of nearly two hundred documents and letters relates to kingdom of Hejaz around the year 1925, by which time the British had realised that King Hussein of Hejaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca was no longer an instrument of power. In October 1924 Ibn Saud was able to enter Mecca without any resistance; most of its inhabitants had flown, fearing for their life, in the light of Taif Massacre, in which Ibn Saud's Ikhwan forces had looted the town and killed 300 hundred inhabitants. Many fled to Jeddah which became the last stronghold of King Ali, who had become king on 3 October when his father Hussein had abdicated at the request of 140 Hejazi notables. Ali still hoped to regain Mecca by force, but finally left on the 20 December 1925 to live at the court of his brother Faisal I in Iraq.

As these important set of documents show, Ibn Saud himself was much more moderate figure, who assured the British that all pilgrims to Mecca would be safe and forbade further attacks by the Ikhwan forces. Since none of the atrocities which were expected materialized, many people in Jeddah wanted to go back to their homes and businesses in Mecca. Some of the letters in this archive attest that the conditions in Mecca after Ibn Saud's occupation were good and that Saud proved to be a just ruler, keeping the more fanatical forces under his rule in check.

The former sharif of Mecca, Hussein was envious and reluctant to say the least, to see Meccans go back to their own city. All people in Jeddah had ask for permission to leave and the Hashemite Government made this very difficult. In several flyers he scolded his people that those who wanted to go back, would be considered criminals to the last day in this world. The people themselves however desperately want to go back.

In addition to these letters, we find correspondence from the Royal palace in Bagdad. In January 1926, King Ali Bin Hussein was crowned King of Iraq. Although Iraq would remain a British mandate for some time and the new King had to sign an alliance agreement with the British, the coronation of a Hashemite greatly extended the influence of King Faisal on the Middle East. Among the letters, are ones praising Ibn Saud "we are good and living in splendor under His Majesty the Great Sultan Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Faisal al-Saud, thank Allah we have everything we need of worldly things" and letters between emissaries of Ibn Saud to the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. There is also a poem praising the just rule of Ibn Saud.