'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎81v] (167/180)

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island, and in those of Bahrain and the 'Oman Sultanate. At the present day
they lead a quiet and unobtrusive existence, but doubtless the old qualities are
latent in them still.
The well-to-do classes on the coast of Trucial 'Oman have three meals a day;
the first, called Fakk-ar-Riq, or " Loosening of the Spittle," is a kind of breakfast
and consists sometimes of pancakes made of eggs, rice flour and sugar; the other
two meals, at noon and evening, comprise rice with fish or meat, accompanied by
dates and thin cakes of white bread. Coffee is drunk several times a day.
Virtually the whole free population is Arab, and Arabic is almost the only
language spoken. Swahili, however, survives among negro slaves of the full blood.
Occupations and resources. —Pearl diving is, since the suppression of piracy,
the principal and almost the sole occupation of the maritime population. In
summer most of the able-bodied men, to the number of more than 22,000, are
absent at the pearl banks; and the coast towns and villages are left to a great
extent unprotected and deserted. The number of pearl boats in Trucial 'Oman is
approximately 1,215, carrying on the average crews of about 18 men each: they
are distributed as follows:—
In winter some of the pearl diving class take part in the ordinary sea fisheries,
but the majority of them spend the season at home in idleness, supported by boat
owners and contractors who thereby acquire, under the stringent rules of the
industry, an indefeasible lien on their services for the next pearling season. A few
of the seafaring class are employed on the cargo vessels mentioned in the paragraph
on shipping below. Fish are everywhere plentiful and excellent, and turtle are
caught upon the islands.*
The settled population who do not live by the sea are herdsmen and agricul
turists: to this class belong most of the non-nomads of the interior and of the
eastern side of the 'Oman Promontory. The agricultural capabilities of the country
are, however, very limited; and cereals, such as wheat and jowari, are grown only
in a few favoured localities such as Sir and the Shamailiyah district. Dates
flourish in most places; but on the west coast south of Ras-al -Khaimah Town
they never fully ripen, tor want of water, and are eaten fresh. Vegetables are
raised at most places by means of well irrigation. Livestock are chiefly camels,
donkeys, cattle, sheep and goats, and there is plenty of poultry; but horses are
few in consequence of the difficulty of feeding them; the last are kept on barley
and desert grass, with occasionally a little lucerne, which in places is grown among
the date groves.
The Bedouins depend chiefly on their livestock for subsistence, but some of
them take part in the pearl fisheries. In winter, when the weather is cool and
grazing abundant, they are scattered far and wide in small parties; but, as water
and pasture become scarce with the approach of summer, they congregate in larger
bodies around the more copious wells in the less inhospitable parts of the country.
Favourite Bedouin summer resorts of this kind are the Jiri plain in the north and
Bainunah in the west. They own many camels and a number of donkeys; but
the latter are used only for work in the neighbourhood of the camps, and not for
long caravan journeys.
Foreign trade. —Commercial statistics are available only for the larger towns
on the western side of the 'Oman Promontory, and so much of the foreign trade
ol the country as is carried on from the Shamailiyah coast escapes observation:
the amount of this trade is probably inconsiderable, but the fact of its non-inclusion
should be borne in mind. Scrutiny of the trade statistics shows how artificial is
the existence of the larger coast settlements of Trucial 'Oman and how entirely
dependent they are on the proceeds of the pearl fishery for the means of purchasing
the ordinary necessaries of life, which they do not themselves produce.
Pearls are the only export of any magnitude, and the average annual value
of those sent abroad (almost entirely to India) during the last seven years has been
67 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. : the second export in value is that of mother-of-pearl shell,
Principality.
'Ajman...
Dhabi (Abu) ...
Dibai ...
Qaiwain (Umm-al-) ...
Sharjah...
Number of boats.
40
410
335
70
360
* See Appendix on Fisheries.