ملف ١٩١٧/٢٣٤ "تقارير التجارة في مسقط". (١٩١١-١٩٢٤) [و‎‎٥‎٠] (٤٢٨/١٠٨)

REPORT
ON THE
TRADE OF MUSCAT
for the year 1919-20 By E. L. Wingate, Esq., I.C-S*, His Britannic
Majesty’s Consul, Muscat.
Introduction.
Muscat is the capital and the chief port of the
Sultanate of Oman which theoretically stretches
from Dhofar on the southern coast of Arabia up
to Ras Musandam at the entrance to the Persian
Gulf.
Historically with a great past and once a port
of the first importance, modern trade conditions
and above all the introduction of steam have
reduced it to but a shadow of its former self.
Formerly due to its geographical position at the
entrance of tho Persian Gulf and at the south
eastern corner of Arabia it formed a great intrepot
where goods brought from Basrah, India or
Africa could be off loaded to await the favour
able season of the year when they could be
carried on to their destinations. It became the
great distributing centre for the Gulf, and an
important port of call in the ludo-African trade.
The introduction of regular steamship services
up the Gulf killed Muscat, and though through
vested interests and the temporary prosperity
brought by the Arms Traffic, the town died hard,
at present with the cessation of the latter it is in
ruins and almost dead, the population numbers
less than 2,000, and the fact that it is still the
only port of call for steamers alone prevents its
extinction.
It is no longer a distributing centre except for
the small towns of the Oman coast and for
interior Oman, and even in this its place has been
largely taken by the neighbouring port of Muttra
which has always been the sailing vessel port
and which is the starting point for the caravan
roads to the interior. As has been stated in
previous reports every article brought to Muscat
for interior Oman must pass through Muttra.
Were steamers to call at Muttra in the
future instead of Muscat, it is possible the latter
would only exist as a name on the map.
Though entitled the Muscat trade report, this
report is in actuality a report upon the
trade of Oman in which the figures through
their known inaccuracy and the fact that they
refer only to Muscat are practically useless.
It may therefore possibly be of advantage in
this short introduction to attempt to give a
picture of the conditions prevailing, as other
wise the report is liable to give an entirely wrong
impression.
Oman is an exceedingly mountainous and
for Arabia very fertile country with a long coast
line, 3 large ports — from North to South Sohar,
Muscat — Muttra and Sur and a number of
small ones. Its population grows with great
skill dates of the first quality, a certain amount
of fruit such as mangoes, pomegranates and limes
with less skill, occasionally wheat and barley when
there is sufficient water, with no skill at all and
on the coast catches quantities of fish. These
articles and firewood are exported, and for them
there is a constant demand in India for the dates,
fish and pomegranates ; in other parts of / rabia
for dates, fruit and firewood and in the United
States for a special type of Muscat dates. In
return is imported rice which is the staple diet
of the Arab and piece goods with which he
clothes himself.
The trade of Muscat therefore is or should
be practically constant, varying only with the
price of silver and the rainfall. T here are no
openings for further trade. The people of the
interior are exceedingly primitive and enjoy a
Government differing little from that of the
Prophet s. As far as is known there are no miner
als that could be profitably worked. Agricul
ture could not be further developed due to the
limited quantity of water. Finance due to the
primitive method of trade and the necessity for
making advances on the date crop in a very'
insecure country, can only be carried on as it is
that is by the merchants themselves, and a bank