'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎74r] (152/180)

137
Political position. Dhafrah, as already remarked, is a part of Trucial 'Oman
and the whole of it falls within the political sphere of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi
to whose principality it may accordingly be considered to belong. The Bani Yas
of Liwah count themselves subjects of the Shaikh, but the extent to which the
Manasir are amenable to his influence is doubtful. Dhafrah has been at times the
scene of prolonged contests between the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and the principal
Shaikh of Qatar, the latter making raids into the Liwah tract, and the former
retaliating by means of expeditions against Qatar, in the course of which he has
been known to utilise Shwaihat upon the coast as an advanced base for his
operations.
A considerable Arab tribe who have their headquarters in the Baraimi Oasis DHAWAHIR
and inhabit its neighbourhood: practically the whole Baraimi Oasis except the [pp. 439-40]
villages of Su'arah and Baraimi belongs to them. They number perhaps 4,500 souls
and are divided into 3 sections, the Daramikah, who inhabit Hili, Ma'ataradh and
Qatarah; the Jawabir, who are confined to 'Ain; and the Bani Sa'ad, who own
Jimi. In politics the Dhawahir are Hinawiyah; in religion Muwalik. In summer
all of them inhabit villages; in winter the entire community become Bedouins.
They own large flocks of sheep and many camels; they are charcoal-burners and
carry their charcoal for sale to the coast of Trucial 'Oman, and elsewhere, on their
own camels. The Dhawahir have probably little cultivation elsewhere than in
Baraimi, unless, as some assert, the Bani Sa'ad of Ghiinah and Mad-hah in
Shamailiyah belong to this tribe. Politically the Dhawahir of Baraimi are sub
servient to the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, to whom they even pay tribute; and it is
not unlikely that, if they were to avail themselves of their numerical superiority
and of his assistance, they might be able to possess themselves of the whole oasis.
Also called Khatam Al Bu Shamis. A tract dividing the region of Dhafrah KHATAM
on the west from that part of Trucial 'Oman which is sometimes called 'Oman-Lw?- 1032-3]
ash-Shamali on the north-east. Khatam is apparently a compact district of
somewhat circular shape with an average diameter of about 40 miles; its centre
appears to lie 65 or 70 miles south-east by east of Abu Dhabi town and 45 miles
south-west of the Baraimi Oasis. Khatam is covered with sand dunes, but it
bears some Ghaf trees, besides shrubs of Abal, Arta, Markh and Ghadha. There
are a number of wells, generally varying in depth from 1 to 2 fathoms, some of
which contain good and the others indifferent water. Khatam appears to be a
meeting ground of the Bedouins of the Bani Yas, Manasir, and Na'im tribes; and
it may perhaps be regarded, at the present time, as included in the sphere of the
Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, whose personal influence is predominant there. In the hot
weather Khatam is deserted.
The following is a list of the principal wells in Khatam:—
'Ajam (Bada'-al-) Hadhaib (Imwaih-al) Jatiya
'Ankah Hadhrum (Maghail) Lahmah
Artah (Bu) Hanifah Mirdah (Abu)
'Arus Hawidh (Bui) Naghalah (Umm-an-)
Balqahais (Maghail) Hilyau Sablah
Banadiq (Umm-al) Iqtiwah (Bu) Suwaihan
Paris Bu Hadid (Ghait) Jabahinah ('Idd-al-)
Singular Mansuri. A Bedouin tribe of Trucial 'Oman whose headquarters MANASIR
are in Dhafrah; their general range is from Qatar on the north-west to the Baraimi [pp. 1162-4]
Oasis on the east, and they are found all over Dhafrah, but especially in Dhatrah
Proper and Liwah, and also in Khatam. A few frequent the neighbourhood of
Abu Dhabi Town and visit the Baraimi Oasis, and some are settled in the coast
villages of Khan and Jumairah. On the north the tribe are in contact with the
Bani Hajir in the neighbourhood of Qatar and further inland, oji the west, with
the Al Morrah: their raiding parties sometimes reach Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Faruq. On the east
their territory marches with that of the Bani Yas, with whom moreover they, are
intermingled in Dhafrah; and to the south of them the country is uninhabited,
being part of the Ruba'-al-Khali.
The Manasir, except those at Khan and Jumairah, are altogether nomadic,
most of them winter in Qatar or its neighbourhood and spend the summer in
Liwah where they have temporary villages of huts and some date groves, possessed
as tribal joint property. Their manner of life in Liwah is described in the article
on Dhafrah.
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