'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.' [‎104r] (210/282)

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Other settlements of the tribe are to be found
in Samail, Izki, Nizwa ? Boshar and even Zanzibar. The
total population may reach eight thousand or even more,
and their rifles two thousand.
The people are mainly cultivators and donkey
drivers. About forty are employed as Askaris inMatrah.
The tribe is at feud with the Beni Riyam and Beni Jabir.
Both Shaikhs visited the Sultan in 1948 and
received presents of about Rs. 500/-* each.
The Imam, Mohammad bin Abdullah al Khalili, as
tribal leader appears to have little to do with his tribe.
As elected Imam of Oman since 1920 he has considerable
spiritual power over the tribes as a whole. His temporal
power is shared, more or less equallyjwith the leaders of
the Ghafiri and Hinawi factions, and together these three
exercise a fairly effective independent control over the
interior of Oman proper ? where the Imam appoints his own
Walis. He lives at Nizwa, insists upon a strictly purita
nical way of life, and is opposed to all progress such as
oil development andjnotor transport 5 and to penetration
by Europeans ( and probably Americans) especially Christian»|
though the Missionary doctors have been called to him in ^
sickness. He has brought up the ihroe sons of the late ImamjYofcya*
Abdulin and Yakub f and in some quarters it is held that,
in 1948, when . .iffering from dysentery he nominated the second
.eon as his successor, and that this has the support of
many of the tribesr Other quarters insist that he has
refused to make a nomination, inspite of entreaty by
various other leaders in 19471 Whichever is true, as has
been shown in these notes, the Sultan appears to have
encouraged all the leaders to visit him at Muscat in 1948.
He has also tightened up on religious observances and.
retarded many poss?.ble developments since; oil in_ particular 4 and
has endeavoured to build up a reputation for religious orthodoxy.
In the meantime (July 1950) the Jmam is reported
to be in excellent health and to be looking much younger
than his 72 years. Khalil with which he completes his name
is a sub-section of the Ruwaha«
SA'AD,-, .
The Yal Sa f ad are reckoned as numerically the
second largest tribe in Oman. They live in an almost solid
block around el Khadra and Suwaik on the Batinah coast,
with their capital somewhat inland at El Batha. Their
other big villages are Mladdah, Tharmad and Bu. Abali. The
present population is about ten and they may
possess as many as six thousand rifles , oone are Bedouins,
wild and warlike, and some are said to be famous for
slaving, and still to engage in kidnapping from Mekran and
Africa. For the most part they are settled and own exten
sive date gardens, and peaceably inclined. Many are
wealthy and engage in trade with Africa and India. Their
Tamimah is a comparatively young nan of about thirty living
at el Batha, named Hamad bin Hilal bin Hamad. He succeeded
his father about three years ago. Another Shaikh of the
sub-section Yal bu Rashaid, named Khalid bin Salim bin
Khalid ' * lives at el Khadra. Shaikh Hamad visited
the Sultan in 1948, and received Rs. 2,0O0/~ o The tribal
attitude to the Sultan and British J.; goodThey appear
to have no special enemies and have not been at war with
any other tribe for the last thirty years 5 nor have they
any named allies.
AL BU SA ! ID.