[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.

[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] 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.

[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.