'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.' [‎54r] (107/282)

Copy of Note recorded by Sir Rupert Hay, 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. , Bahrain, on Research Department Paper
of the 6 th December, 1950 entitled "Tribes of Muscat & CHian 1 .
niixti uju 2« Prom the election of Said Ahmad in 1
until 1?83 the Sultans were themselves Imams and from that date
until 1912 when the tribes elected an Imam from outside the Al
Bu Said dynasty there was no effective Imam. During the whole
of this period successive Sultans controlled all oi the territory
which we now claim for the Sultanate on and off sudjgcc to fre
quent rebellions and invasions.
Paragraph 5. I do not think there is any xringe of
"independent" tribes between the Imam end the Ruba al Khali.
The Harasis, the most westerly of the Onan tribes, acimowledge
the Imam and the Qara and other Dhofari tribes are definitely
subject to the Sultan. Tribes beyond these are Saudi. There
must be a very large aree which is completely uninhabited and
perhaps not included in any tribal dirah though this requires
verification.
With regard to the parenthesis at the end of paragraph 5,
the loose use^of the term Buraimi causes some confusion as it
is applied without distinction to the whole of the oasis and
one specific village. There are seven villages in the oasis
of which five belong to Abu Dhabi and two, including Buraimi
itself, form part of what we claim as Sultanate territory. I
have not heard that the Sultan disputes Abu Dhabi s rights in
the five villages which are subject to it.
Paragraph 6 . I think the Imam’s reluctance to admit any
form of modernisation is a more or less complete sareguard ior
so long as he lives. The Sultan recently told me that
Sulaiman bin Himyar if deprived of the Imam s support coaid
exercise very little influence.
The position as I see it is that all the tribes in
Sultanate clearly acknowledge the authority of ® ither . t J 1 . e ,
or the Imam with the exception of those in the Jau and Mahadhah
districts. The Sultan has recently claimed, I think correctly,
that the Imam recognises his authority in external affairs.
Chauncy has recently written ... "My own impression is that the
Sultan and the Imam are at present closer than people tiiinx and
together they wield a fairly extensive influence ov ®f
territories in question, and the ranks will close still further
to resist Saudi claims". My own view is that the only trioes
who might be persuaded to submit to Saudi authority are those
in the Jau tract.
paragraph 7 . I agree generally.
Their shaikhs
Paragraph 8. The Karasis should be added,
visit the Sultanfrom time to time in Dhofar.
I would note that no very great reliance can be placed on
visits and presents. Some of the shaikhs concerned have
probably also visited Ibn Saud and been given presents.
Paragraph 11.
Paragraph 14*
See the second part of my note on paragraph ?
As I have noted, these tribes are our
/ Achilles’ heel.