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'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.' [‎24r] (47/282)

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The record is made up of 1 file (137 folios). It was created in 6 Dec 1950-25 Dec 1951. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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Buraimi. A settled portion, -
al Shamio lives in Hamaeah near
section, who unlike the others,
Dhank (Dhahirah district) under
Azizi.
under Shaikh Rashid "bin Hamad
Buraimi, whilst another
are Hinawis, is settled around
Shaikh Matar "bin Salim al
The "bedouin section of the Al bu Shamis could muster
about four hundred rifles; the other section are negligible.
Their total population may be one thousand. The Sultan
claims influence over the Al bu Shatnis and has stated that
he pays them annual allowances and fines them for disturbances
or disorders occurring in their territory. There is i o
evidence of either payments or fines in recent years, and
it is doubtful if in fact the Sultan or Imam of Oman exercise
any control, and the tribe is virtually independent, though
at least portions are settled in undisputed Sultanate
territory (i.e. Dhank). Shaikh Mohammad bin Salmin bin
Rahmah is believed to have visited the Sultan in 1918 and
to have offered to place himself and his followers at his
disposal for Rs, 85,000/- (M.T. Dollars 10,000). The Sultan
seems to have been unimpressed and to have sent him away with
a present of M.T. Dollars 500/- ( Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. 1,250).
Y’ith regard to the rest of the Na’im in Sultanate Oman,
that is the settled portion of the Al bu Khuraiban division,
the principal shaikh appears to be Saqr bin Sultan al Hamud.
His influence is weak, and does not approach that of his father.
He lives, it is said, in fear of the Shaikhs Humaid bin Rashid
of the bedouin section and Rashid bin Hamaid of Ajman
( Trucial coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ). In 1948, however, the Sultan claims to have
got the Na’im through the offices of his Minister for the
Interior, Saiyid Ahmad bin Ibrahim, to accept Shaikh Saqr as
their Tamimah and to have signed a document to that effect.
More recently though, because Shaikh Saqr started to take an
independent line in negotiat ; ons with the Oil Company
prospecting in the Buraimi area, the Sultan has not been
giving his support to this arrangement, and Shaikh Saqr’s
influence is again on the decline, so that in due course, the
Sultan hopes, he will have to appeal again to the Sultan;
always provided the oil people make no further direct approach.
Other sections of the Na’im in Sultanate territory live
around Dhank and Hatif in both the plains and hills.
The Na’im are on bad terms with the Al bu Palah of
Trucial Oman A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. and the Sultanate settlements of the Beni Ka’ab,
Beni Qitab and with their sub-division, the Al bu Shamis..
Not counting the Al bu Shamis, they could probably not raise
more than three or four hundred rifles, even il the various
sub-sections could unite.
In the past there was Saudi influence which may again be
reviving, and the Na’im, including the Al bu Shamis, xollow
the Y'ahabi religion.
The Al bu Shamis aro on good terms with the Al bu
Palah, Duru and Beni Qitab.
The area all around Buraini is uncontrolled, and any
foreigners visiting it would require military protection and
careful previous arrangements through official channels. \A
considerable traffic in slaves is still reported to be carried
on, and the fort at Hamasah in Al bu Shamis (and Sultanate)
territory is believed to be the main clearing house.
/ qara ....

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Content

This file relates to the principal shaikhs and tribes of Oman, and also to the Imam of Oman's administration. It largely consists of copies of (and various amendments to) two reports. The first of these is an account by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. and Consul at Muscat entitled 'Notes on the Tribes of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman' (full versions found at folios 11-37 and folios 90-116, the latter of which includes an enclosed map). This account provides written summaries of the main tribes, plus tables with further details, including principal settlements, estimated population, and estimated number of rifles.

The second report is entitled 'A Note on the Imam's Administration in the interior of Oman' (ff 3-9 and ff 38-44). It includes details on the extent of the Imam's administration, a list of the tribes that currently support the Imam, and a list of walis appointed by the Imam.

The correspondence, most of which is between the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , mainly concerns details from, and revisions to, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. 's aforementioned account on the tribes of Muscat and Oman.

Extent and format
1 file (137 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 139; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence between ff 95-138, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.' [‎24r] (47/282), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/245, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069907939.0x000030> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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