'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎52v] (109/180)

Shamailiyah
officially
regarded at
Sohar as
belonging to
Sharjah.
1905.
Position in
Shamailiyah,
1905-07.
Relations of
the Turks
with 'Odaid,
1871-76.
Correspon
dence with
the Porte
regarding
Piracies
committed
from 'Odaid,
1877.
Complaint by
the Porte of
British action
at 'Odaid,
1878.
In the course of some topographical and political inquiries which were held
by the present writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. on tour at Sohar in March 1905, a striking corroboration of
the correctness of this view was obtained. By a crowded assembly which included
the Sultan of 'Oman's Acting Wali of Sohar it was stated, without one dissentient
voice, that the coast from Khor Kalba to Dibah, inclusive, belonged to the Shaikh of
Sharjah.
By 1905 the Shaikh of Sharjah had apparently abandoned ail hope of reducing
the headman of Fujairah to obedience; and in that year it was ascertained that
Hamad-bin-'Abdullah held adverse possession of the following places in addition to
his own village of Fujairah;—Bithnah, Gharaifah, Marbah, Qaraiyah, Qidfah
Saqamqam and Sufad. In April 1906, as mentioned* in the general history of
Trucial 'Oman, the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, in a written agreement between himself
and the Shaikh of Umm-al-Qaiwain, claimed the headman of Fujairah as amorF
his own political dependents, and no protest was apparently entered by the Shaikh
of Sharjah.
Relations of Qatar with Abu Dhabi and affairs at 'Odaid, 1872-93.
[pp. 818-22]
The history of a colony of Bani Yas seceders at Khor-al-'Odaid, maintained
from 1869 to 1878, will be found included in that of the Abu Dhabi principality,!
within the territorial limits of which 'Odaid is situated; but the bearing of certain
events there upon the history of Qatar, which the inlet closely adjoins, should be
noted.
In 1871, soon after the arrival of the Turks in Hasa, it appeared that the
Turkish flag had been offered to the Bani Yas colonists at 'Odaid, but the latter,
who professed themselves independent of all authority, were said not to have
accepted it, though there was also a contradictory rumour that it was hoisted on
Fridays. In 1873 four Turks visited 'Odaid and arranged that a sum of $40 or 50
should be paid annually by the settlers through Shaikh Jasim of Dohah, after which
they went away, having been deterred by the inferior character of the water supply
from establishing a post. In 1874 Shaikh Zaid of Abu Dhabi stated that local
Turkish officials had written to him asserting Odaid to be under their protection,
and calling on him to abstain from interference there; he was unable, however,
to produce their letters when called upon to do so. In 1875 it was ascertained
that the headman of Odaid had both a Trucial and a Turkish flag and that he
used one or the other as occasion required. On the 18th of October 1876, when
Captain Guthrie visited Odaid in the May Frere,'' he found the Trucial flag flyina
but learned that tribute was still paid to Turkey.
In 1876 and 1877 a number of piracies were committed by the A1 Morrah,
a Bedouin tribe nominally dependent on Turkey, from boat harbours under 'Odaid;
these proceedings the headman of "Odaid was unable to prevent, and representa
tions to the Turkish Government became necessary. Her Majesty's Government,
while avoiding specific mention of 'Odaid, reference to which might have raised
an inconvenient territorial question, drew the attention of the Porte to the increase
ot piracy along the Qatar coast which had resulted from the extension of Turkish
sovereignty in that direction, and intimated their own resolve not to allow the peace
of the Persian Gull to be disturbed by marauders, whether proceeding from places
like Dohah actually in Turkish possession, or belonging to tribes that admitted
Turkish supremacy and sailing from the ports of independent chiefs too weak
to prevent the abuse of their territory. The Turkish Government in reply denied
all knowledge ot piratical outrages on the Qatar coast and asked for particulars.
n - ^ ie P^ toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. Minister for Foreign Affairs complained of action by
the British authorities at Odaid a few months previously, which, as related in the
history of Abu Dhabi, had resulted in the abandonment of the place by the Bani
Yas colonists; and in the Turkish communication 'Odaid was stated to be a
dependency ol the Turkish district of Qatar. It does not appear from the records
ot the Government of India what reply was made to this complaint; but, from
the correspondence which shortly after took place in regard to piracies off the coast
ot Hasa and Qatar, it seems clear that the British Government were resolved not
to admit Turkish pretensions to jurisdiction at 'Odaid or at any place further to
the eastward.
* Vide page 754 ante. [See p. 74 of these Extracts.]
I Vide page 763 ante. [See p. 80 of these Extracts.]