Volume 7 • Number 16 • December 2016 ISSN 1729-9039 Liwa Journal of the National Archives Editor-In-Chief Dr. Abdulla M. Al Raisi Director General of the National Archives Deputy Editor-In-Chief Advisory Board Majid Sultan Al Mehairi H.E. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh Adviser in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Deputy Managing Editor Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Dr. L. Usra Soffan Heritage (ADACH) and Board Member of National Archives Editorial Board Prof. Mustafa Aqil al- Khatib Dr. Jayanti Maitra Professor of Modern History-Qatar University Farhan Al Marzooqi Dr. John E. Peterson Saeed Al Suwaidi Historian and Political Analyst Gregory Keith Iverson, Ph.D. Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad al- Muqaddam Editorial Secretary Assistant Professor of Modern History Nouf Salem Al Junaibi Sultan Qaboos University Dr. Sa’ad Abdulla al- Kobaisi Design & Layout Assistant Professor of Anthropology Printing Unit UAE University National Archives, 2016 © Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates The Editor of theLiwa Journal (ISSN 1729-9039) invites the submission of original and unpublished scholarly articles in English and Arabic related to archaeology, history and heritage of the UAE and the Arabian Gulf region. Manuscripts and all other correspondences concerning ‘Liwa’ should be addressed to: [email protected] Books sent for review in the Journal cannot be returned. For more details about ‘Liwa’ and subscriptions, access www.na.ae The views expressed in this issue are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the National Archives. Printed in the National Archives Printing Press LiwaJournal of the National Archives Volume 7 • Number 16 • December 2016 1 Contents When Mr Rickett Came To Sharjah Mr. Michael Quentin Morton 3 Independent writer and researcher Economic transformation in Al Ain under Zayed’s governance in the pre-oil era Dr. Jayanti Maitra 21 Research Adviser National Archives, UAE The Bridges of Wadi Ham, Fujairah, U.A.E. Dr. Michele C Ziolkowski & Leslaw T Ziolkowski 43 Archaeologist and Researcher 2 3 When Mr Rickett Came To Sharjah Michael Quentin Morton Sharjah from the air. (D.M. Morton) In certain accounts of the early history of oil on the Trucial Coast, there are intriguing references to the visit of a mysterious Englishman to Sharjah in October 1936. His arrival set alarm bells ringing in the office of the Political Resident in Bushire and beyond, and triggered speculation among oil company representatives about the true purpose of his journey. This apparently random visitor was in fact a seasoned oil promoter and concession hunter, Francis William Rickett, who had already brushed with the authorities elsewhere. At a time when the British were sensitive about American activities in the region, the appearance of a man with extensive oil connections in Great Britain and the United States might not have been as innocuous as he claimed. This article describes Rickett’s career in the oil business, examines his visit to the sheikhdom and the response to it, and considers the reasons for British concerns about his presence there. 3 Michael Quentin Morton A Flying Visit The unannounced arrival of a single-engined Vultee-1AD aeroplane at the Sharjah airfield on 4 October 1936 brought the Residency Agent, Abdur al-Razzaq Razuqi, to the scene; as a paid official of the British government, it was only natural that he should investigate. Great Britain acted as gatekeeper and guardian of the coastal sheikhdoms, and the air route through the Gulf was closed to private aviators, therefore the aeroplane’s presence – whether by accident or design – was most irregular. Razuqi met its two passengers, a 47-year-old Englishman named Francis William Rickett and his companion “Smith”, who in fact was Ben Smith, a Wall Street financier. He proceeded to quiz them. According to Rickett’s version, their plane had been diverted on its flight from India because of engine trouble, but Razuqi remained suspicious. Having been told that Smith was an “American savage” interested only in gold mines, Razuqi related a tale about gold and presented Rickett with two small gold coins.1 This prompted Rickett to mention the gold mines of Saudi Arabia and ask if any gold might be found in the vicinity. He said they were interested in touring Sharjah, but Razuqi turned down his request for a motor car on account of smallpox in the area.2 The two visitors retired to the rest house in the fort adjoining the airfield. Built in 1932, the fort was a response to bedouin raiding in the area, although in fact there were few such attacks.3 At the time of Rickett’s arrival, not many Westerners could afford long-distance air travel. Sharjah was one stop of many on the week-long air route between Great Britain and India, a place for a single night in transit rather than a stopover for a leisurely vacation. Otherwise, the airfield rest house was the occasional haunt of those engaged on official assignments in the area, and private visitors were rare.4 The ruler, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, was a regular visitor, and Razuqi was his official interpreter, which gave him scope to control any social interactions that might take place.5 When the sheikh dropped in that evening, Razuqi made sure that Rickett and the sheikh were kept apart. Smith offered the services of an American geologist to look for gold, but Razuqi did not pass the offer on.6 Their aircraft was briefly impounded and then released after Rickett complained of a duodenal ulcer haemorrhage which required treatment in London. According to one account, however, when his plane landed in Baghdad on its way back to England, he seemed to be “in the best of health”.7 He returned to London safely and, as far as is known, he was never heard of again in Sharjah. In ordinary circumstances, that would have been the end of the matter, and yet the movements of these eccentric but apparently harmless travellers were deemed important enough to be reported to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in London, Anthony Eden.8 4 5 When Mr Rickett Came To Sharjah “Lawrence of Oil” In order to understand why Rickett’s arrival in Sharjah should have caused such consternation among British authorities, it is first necessary to consider his earlier career. Among other things, he was a concession hunter and adventurer in the world of oil. He was closely involved in the petroleum affairs of Turkey and Iraq, and was dubbed the “Lawrence of Oil” on account of his Middle Eastern connections.9 He also happened to be a wealthy man, owning a mansion in Berkshire and a castle in Pembrokeshire, and counting King Feisal I of Iraq among his house guests.10 It was in the late summer of 1935, about a year before his Sharjah visit, that his name became widely reported in the Western press. He obtained an oil and mineral concession covering about half of Ethiopia just as the Italians were about to invade. It was a sensational coup, earning him front-page headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, though the agreement was cancelled when the US State Department intervened.11 Rickett was undeterred and five months later it was reported that he was still trying sell the concession to the fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, as Italian troops were advancing towards Addis Ababa.12 Ultimately, his efforts came to nothing. Francis William (“Bill”) Rickett on his return from Ethiopia in 1935. (Illustrated London News) 5 Michael Quentin Morton Memories of Ethiopia loomed large in the official mind, however, whenever the name F.W. Rickett was mentioned. In Sharjah, there was a danger that he would open up negotiations with the sheikh for an oil concession, and that the British authorities would be powerless to stop him in the face of American objections.13 At the very least, he would bring confusion to the Trucial Coast by offering impossible terms. Whatever his intentions, if Rickett had been hoping that his brief appearance in Sharjah would pass unnoticed, he was mistaken. The Americans Are Coming This was a particularly delicate moment in the oil development of the Trucial Coast. Exploration was in its early stages and the British authorities were anxious to protect the area from outside interference. By undertakings given in 1922, the local rulers had agreed not to grant oil concessions without the approval of the British government. In the mid-1930s, the British-led Iraq Petroleum group through its subsidiary company, Petroleum Concessions Ltd (PCL), began negotiations with the rulers, including Sheikh Sultan of Sharjah, for oil concessions. Rickett’s visit to Sharjah at such a time was a puzzle for the oilmen. E.V. Packer, PCL’s local manager based in Bahrain, noted the event with concern, adding that Rickett’s “subsequent behaviour was regarded as somewhat peculiar and secretive”. Packer referred to him as “a Mr Ricketts [sic] of Bapco”, suggesting a connection with the Bahrain Petroleum Company (known as Bapco) and a possible American interest in obtaining oil concessions along the Trucial Coast.14 Bapco was owned by the Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), which held the concessions for Bahrain and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Al Hasa. Major Frank Holmes, who had acted for Gulf Oil in Kuwait, was now acting for PCL in the talks with the Trucial Coast sheikhs. An experienced concession hunter himself, Holmes must surely have heard or read about Rickett’s exploits in the course of his travels. Holmes had been absent in London for medical treatment at the time of Rickett’s brief visit to Sharjah, but on 15 January 1937 he shared his thoughts about it with another PCL manager, Brigadier Stephen Longrigg: I heard in London before leaving that, now that the Texas Corporation are interested, the latter’s policy is to secure all the likely oil-bearing areas in Arabia.