'15/10 PERSIAN GULF HANDBOOK' [‎12r] (23/28)

Dhofar and on Masirah Island. R.A.F. aircraft from Aden visit these
aerodromes from time to time but they are not used by any regular air service.
Cable and Wireless maintain a cable station at Muscat and there is a post
office there. There is a post and telegraph office at Gwadur, and telegrams
are sent by land line via Panjgur in Makran to Karachi. There is a rest house
at Gwadur where travellers can stay but there is no cook. The local currency
in Muscat and Oman proper is the Maria Theresa dollar and this is the only
coin current in the interior. Indian rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. are also current in Muscat town
and Matrah and elsewhere on the coast and are the sole currency at Gwadur.
The exchange rate between the Maria Theresa dollar and the rupee varies.
Before the war the rupee was worth slightly more than the dollar but at present
the rate is over two rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. to the dollar. Messrs. Gray, Mackenzie have a
branch at Muscat and there is a fish meal factory An East India Company trading post. run by a local Khoja at
Matrah. Dates, dried fish and fish meal are exported to India and elsewhere.
At present there is no bank at Muscat. Oil Companies subsidiary to Petroleum
Concessions, Limited, hold prospecting licences for the whole of the Sultan’s
dominions excluding Gwadur but no oil has yet been found.
The climate is more severe than at Bahrein and warm clothes *are only
occasionally needed. The heat at Muscat in the early summer and autumn
is intense. It is sometimes moderated during August by monsoon winds
from the south. Very little rain falls on the coast. The main bazaar is at
Matrah where local produce can be obtained and there are one or two shops
in Muscat where a limited amount of imported groceries can be purchased.
Other requirements have to be obtained from Bahrein or India. Local
sanitation is almost non-existent and dysentery is prevalent. Malaria is pre
valent wherever there is cultivation. The British Government maintain a
medical officer at Muscat who is in charge of the quarantine arrangements
and a local dispensary, and medical assistance can also be obtained from the
American Mission hospital at Matrah. There is no State medical service.
There is good sea bathing to be had when the water is not infested with jelly
fish and the sea never becomes as hot as it does at Bahrein. The gardens
on the Batinah Coast are full of partridge and there are some duck and geese
to be had on the small creeks along this coast and in Dhofar.
CHAPTER VIL—LOCAL CUSTOMS
Generally speaking the inhabitants of the Gulf States are extremely polite
and courteous to European and American visitors. When a visitor enters
an Arab house he is ordinarily offered coffee in a small cup without handles.
Not more than three cups should be taken at a time. On returning the cup
to the servant it should be shaken when it is desired to show that no more is
required. When seated on the ground it is considered rude to point the soles
of one’s feet towards any other person in the gathering. Shorts should not
be worn when calling on a person of any consequence as it is considered
impolite to show the knees, and ladies should wear stockings. An Arab meal
is normally eaten on the ground without knives and forks, though spoons are
often provided. It should be remembered that food should only be handled
with the right hand. Water is always offered for washing the hands both
before and after the meal. In most of the Gulf States, rose-water and incense
are passed round at the conclusion of a visit as a sign for the guest to leave.
CHAPTER VIIL—NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
India and Pakistan .—The Gulf States are linked to India and Pakistan
by old commercial ties, and B.I.S.N. steamers maintain regular services with
Bombay and Karachi. British Political Officers in the' Gulf are responsible