- All Journals
- Al-Qadisiyah University
- Basrah University
- Kirkuk University
- Mosul University
- The Iraqi Borad for Medical Specialization
- University of Anbar
- University of Technology
- Al Mustafa University
- Al-Zahraa University for Women
- Alnoor University
- Kunooz University
- Misan University
- Ninevah University
- Tikrit University
- University of Al-Hamdaniya
- University of Kerbala
The Pollution Of The Shatt Al-Arab Waters By The Oil Of The Anglo-Persian Oil Company And Its Impact On Ottoman-British Relations Before World War | ||
| Kirkuk University Journal: Humanity Studies | ||
| Volume 20, Issue 2, Part 1, September 2025, Pages 863-885 PDF (1.86 M) | ||
| DOI: 10.32894/1992-1179.2025.189915 | ||
| Author | ||
| Aedan Shabib AL-Sabahy* | ||
| Kirkuk University /College of Education for Women Department of History | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The British government sought to control the Anglo-Persian Oil Company after the discovery of oil in Persia, in order to support its expansion projects in the Arabian Gulf region. They established a (colony) in the Abadan area, resembling a complete city for refining and producing oil, on the shores of the Shatt al-Arab. This sea passage became a commercial market for the company at the expense of the local population, as oil-laden commercial ships sailed through the waters of the Shatt al-Arab, disregarding the ruling Ottoman authority. The situation worsened when one of the oil tankers capsized in 1913, leading to a mixture of oil with the waters of the Shatt al-Arab, causing severe environmental pollution for the residents of Basra province and the coastal areas. Potable water became nonexistent, agricultural crops suffered, livestock was wiped out, and the livelihoods of the people were destroyed, while the Ottoman authorities were completely powerless. They resorted to diplomatic correspondence and sent reports about the problem to the British government, forming joint committees with neighboring countries made up of engineers and experts, without any effective response from the company or the British government to alleviate the pollution. This situation continued until the outbreak of World War I, after Britain took control of the entire region with the collapse of Ottoman authority there. This study did not receive much attention in the writings of researchers despite the availability of numerous Ottoman documents and others, and it revealed an important phase of the difficult political and economic conditions in the Arabian Gulf region and Iraq before the fall of the Ottoman Empire. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| The English Oil Company- Persian; pollution of the Shatt al-Arab; the people of Basra; Al-Muhammarah; Abadan; the Ottoman government | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 226 PDF Download: 97 |
||