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'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.' [‎6r] (16/316)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (154 folios). It was created in 14 Oct 1920-27 Jul 1934. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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Brief survey of causes and history of the rebellion of
the Oman tribes under the leadership of their elected Imam
Sheikh Salim bin Rashid al Kharusi till 1915.
A perusal of any history official or ot'irwise of
Muscat and Oman will show for several hundred years
examples of *evolutior^ # anarchy and murder almost un-
-paralleled even in Arabian history. Since the expulsion
of the Portuguese however there has been, except during th
the periods of Persian or Wahabi domination, a r^ler
b oth /
combining spiritual and temporal authority/acknow-
-ledged nominally by all thetribes. According to the
Ibadhi sect of Islam such an Imam al Muslimin must be
elected by the people, and there is no right of heredity,
though often the son of the dead Imam was accepted as
Imam.
With the accession to the Imamate of Ahmed Albu i
Saidi, the founder of the present dynasty, the system
seems to have changed and the rulers of Muscat and Oman
succeeded as a dynasty without the formality of election
as Imam. This definite departure 0 gfYJ r Sfn W AhSed U 110,11
aurped the po»er from hia brother Said bin Ahiued
bin Ahme<V w * 10 elected imam. The latter retained
the title of Imam till his death, but no temporal power.
»rv»« -rmio <vf flultan and of hi
MW Q 4 /■»
lasted from about 1790 till 185* marked the growth
of sea power, foreign conquests, the most important of
which was Zanzibar, and the removal of the capital from
Rustaq in the interior to Muscat on the coast, and
foreign treaties and interference, almost entirely Britii
The removal of the capital to the coas^: cut off from
the interior has been stated by some as the beginning of
the loss of hold by the Sultans ^f#Xover the interior,
as impolitic
and as such/an move. This is however open to
question. It is more probable that the Bu tan knew
they could hope better to control with outside power
and this outside power they obtained from the: r se
power and their foreign possessions. It

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Content

This volume concerns relations between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and the tribes of interior Oman. The volume contains multiple copies of notes produced in October 1920 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, providing a British perspective on the history of political affairs in Muscat and Oman from the late 18th century to the present day (ff 6-22, ff 49-53 and ff 56-60). The notes attempt to summarise the underlying causes of the tense relations between the Sultan and the Omani tribes, before going on to document events during the period October 1919-October 1920, which culminated with the re-establishment of peaceful relations, following the conclusion of an agreement between the two parties (the Treaty of Sib, concluded on 25 September 1920). Related items include multiple copies of the English text of the 1920 agreement (ff 23-26, ff 53-55, and ff 60-62), and a Photostat copy of the Arabic text of the concluding part of the Treaty (f 154).

The volume also documents the Sultan's relations with the Omani tribes in the years following the treaty. There is a series of letters written in 1924 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 Shaikh Isa bin Saleh [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥārthī], who makes a request to import ammunition and protests against taxes that he claims contravene the Treaty of Sib. The correspondence dated 1932-1934 largely concerns the murder of a Muscat Government clerk at Sib, and the Sultan's frustration with the evasive response of Shaikh Isa bin Saleh on the matter. Also discussed in this part of the volume is the question of whether the Treaty of Sib will be renewed.

In addition to the treaty text mentioned above, the Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the British and Muscat authorities and various shaikhs and subjects of interior Oman (English translations are included).The volume includes copies of correspondence originally written in 1919. There is no material covering the periods 1922-1923, 1925-1931, and no material dated after 1934, with the exception of a note at the rear of the volume, which is dated 16 October 1961.

Extent and format
1 volume (154 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 156; 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.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.' [‎6r] (16/316), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/264, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100070535087.0x000011> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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