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'File 8/62 IV PRINCIPAL SHAIKHS & TRIBES OF OMAN.' [‎125r] (253/282)

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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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COIOTDEifflAL,
ME 86/50
The Tribes of i!uBO&t and Oman,
Ajny attempt to asoertain the territorial limits of the
Sultan's sovreignity or suzerainity on the baais of tribal
allegiance - which appears to be the o-nly possible one in which
actual conditions will be depicted - meets considerable difficulties.
The main ones are those of separating those tribes whose whose
allegiance to the Stiltan is undoubted from those which f while
apparently, friendly toward the Sultan are under Imandc influence,
and, even if this puzzle is satisfactorily resolved, of defining the
limits of the territory occupied by each of the four groups into
which all the tribes may be divided: Sultan's, Imam*s, doubtful
and independent.
2. Whatever may have been the f^rentiers of the Sultanate in
the distant past (and no precise definition of or them is available)
it is an undoubted fact t at, since the latter part of the 18th
century the Sultan has been unable to exercise authority over all
the territory which was his before that period; that, for a number
of years, elected Imams have dominated the mountainous districts
in the centre; but tliat the Sultan has never relinqxiishedjiis claim
to be the rightful ruler of all the country whether 'under his actual!
control or not. In the Treaty of Sib concluded between the Sultan
and the Imam in 1920 (copy attached) this claim is implied in the
provision that he will not "interfere in their internal affairs"
( dakhali-tahum) a formula which was deemed by the Sultan to
maintain his rights of sovereignty including the conduct of
external affairs while granting no more than the internal autonomy
of the districts under the Imam. Since, in practice, the Imam
and his followers eschew relations with the outside world it may
be assumed that the significance of the phrase escaped them or was
regarded as of no p aotioal importance, in spite of the fact that
the Sultan had tried to insert some direct acknowledgement of
his suzerainty in the terms fcf the Treaty.
3. As will be seen this particular aspect of the problem does
not directly effect the question of the validity or otherwise of
Sa’u&i claims to the allegiance of bribes on the west of the
Sultanate, though the Sultan's lack of authority, past or present,
in those regions adds very much to the difficulty of contesting them.
4. Broadl it may be said that the tribes of Dhofar and the
majority of the tribes of Sharqiyah and the coastal belt as far
north as about 25°K acknowledge the Sultan, although his authority
progressively diminishes towards the north and the tribes in Ru’us
al Jibal are virtually independent. The central block from the
Bani Bu Ali in Ja* alan on either side (E and W Ha jar) of a north
westerly line stretohing to the Jau and ahadhah tracts(about
23O6N 56 °E) is under the Imam's rule though there is a consider
able number of tribes which appear to owe doubtful or dual allegiance.
With the Imam are closely associated the heads of the Hinawi and
Ghafiri factions, Salih bin Isa al Hart hi and Sulaiman bin Hamyar,
both of whan, however, visited the Sultan in 1948, were
lavishly entertained and received presents.

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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.' [‎125r] (253/282), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/245, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069907940.0x000036> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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