page_title: Telegraph Island
section_title: Laying the cable
hierarchical_section_title: Telegraph Island / The Persian Gulf Telegraphic Cable / Laying the cable
caption_attribution_description: English: Image showing approximate route of Persian Gulf telegraphic cables
context_page_description: Telegraph Island is located in the Elphinstone Inlet or Khor Ash Sham, the inner inlet of Khasab Bay, less than 400 meters off the shore of the Musandam Peninsula, and less than 500 meters south of much larger but also much lesser known Sham Island, both of which are parts of the Sultanate of Oman. It is 160 meters long, and up to 90 meters wide, yielding an area of 1.1 hectares. The name as "Telegraph" comes from the telegraph-cable repeater station built on the island in 1864.
  The inlet at the island is a fjord surrounded by high mountains, with notable geology in the rock strata which dip downwards under the immense pressures caused by the Arabian tectonic plate meeting the Eurasian plate. In the 19th century, it was the location of a British repeater station used to boost telegraphic messages along the Persian Gulf submarine cable, which was part of the London to Karachi telegraphic cable. It was not an easy posting for the operators, with the severe summer heat and hostility of local tribes making life extremely uncomfortable.
context_section_description: In 1864 the Government of India contracted the Gutta Percha Company to manufacture the core. Henley’s Telegraph Works was to construct the armouring, and Sir Charles Bright was appointed the consulting engineer.  Because telegraph signals tended to fade over distance, it was necessary to build a series of repeater stations along the cable route to boost them, hence the decision to build a repeater station at Musandam. The cable was landed on a small rocky island in the Elphinstone Inlet (Khor Ash Sham) of the Musandam Peninsula. Hence this island became known as Telegraph Island. A repeater station was built on the island, which was about a mile offshore, because of fears about the volatile tribes on the mainland, primarily the Zahuriyeen tribe, who lived on the nearby Maqtab Isthmus. The work of laying the Gwadar to Musandam section took a month to complete. 
  The station at Musandam was fitted with telegraphic equipment by Siemens. There were quarters for the telegraph operators, together with those for the servants and two hulks fitted up for staff who wanted a break from the monotony of living on the island. They had a couple of boats for their leisure time, and regular newspaper deliveries.  This, together with the work of maintaining the cable, and visits from steamers to change over staff and bring supplies, it was hoped would keep the staff occupied.
  The Musandam to Bushire section was completed on 25 March 1864, and that between Kurrachee and the head of the Gulf at Fao, on 5 April. Unfortunately, the Turks experienced problems in completing the link from Baghdad to Fao, primarily due to attacks by hostile tribes in Mesopotamia, which were only stopped after negotiations with local sheikhs and by stationing guards at close intervals along the line. The through connection was eventually achieved in 1865.
  The telegraph station was abandoned in December 1868 when the cable was diverted to Henjam and Jask. In 1870, after a new cable was laid from Bombay to Aden, there was a significant reduction in the use of the Persian Gulf cable.
caption: Image showing the approximate route of the Persian Gulf cables
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