'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎82r] (168/180)

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worth only j of a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per annum. Dibai is now the chief pearl mart
of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. after Bahrain and occupies in this respect the place formerly
held by Lingeh; it has also supplanted Lingeh as the distributing centre for imported
goods on the Arabian coast between Ruus-al-Jibal and Qatar.
The following are the chief imports with the average annual value of each
during the past septennium (in lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. ):—grain and pulse, chiefly from
Persia and India, 12^; cotton piece-goods, from India, 4; dates and date juice,
mostly from Turkish 'Iraq, 3; coffee, from India, 2f;
from Persia, 2; and sugar, from or through India, 1
miscellaneous provisions,
Considerable amounts of
specie also pass in both directions.
In face of the facts it does not seem unreasonable to hold that all sources of
profit here are subsidiary to pearl diving, and that if the pearl banks were to fail
this coast would shortly be depopulated.
Shipping. —Dibai is the only steam port of Trucial 'Oman. Ten years ago
Dibai was almost unvisited by European vessels, but in 1905-06 the number of
steamers calling had risen to 34, all British, with a tonnage of 70,132; the progress
of the place is a consequence of the decline of Lingeh, The number of native
sailing vessels,—other than pearl boats, coasters and fishing boats,—owned in the
ports of Trucial 'Oman is about 90, distributed as follows:—
Bidyah
Dhabi (Abu) Town
Dibai T own
Fakkan (Khor)
Ghallah
10
10
20
5
10
Khaimah (Ras-al-) Town ..
Qaiwain (Umm-al-) Town
Rams
and
Sharjah Town
15
1
1
18
The majority appear to be Sambuks, but a proportion of them are Baghlahs, and
there are some jollyboats and Badans: these vessels are chiefly employed in running
to India and ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. for supplies. The statistics of pearl boats
are given in the Appendix on the pearl fisheries. Fishing boats not also used as
pearlers appear to be roughly equal in number to pearl boats, but they are often
extremely small. Jazirat-al -Hamra and Sha'am, though they have no large vessels,
possess some coasters of a useful size.
Internal trade and manufactures. —Inland traffic is petty and is chiefly with the
Bedouin tribes; but Sharjah, Dibai and Abu Dhabi divide with Sohar Town in
the 'Oman Sultanate the trade, such as it is, of the Baraimi Oasis.
Local manufactures are few and none of them are exported. ^ Fine sheep wool
'Abas are made at Sharjah Town, and daggers at Ras-al -Khaimah. A certain
number of sailing vessels are built, chiefly at Umm-al -Qaiwain; the average
numbers launched annually are about 20 at that place, 10 at Dibai and 5 at Sharjah
Town.
Topography. —The topography of nearly the whole of Trucial 'Oman is
explained in the articles on the five principalities of which it consists, and in the
various subsidiary articles to which clues are given in the articles on the princi
palities. Some additional facts may be learned from the paragraph on communi
cations which follows below.
It only remains to deal in this place with the topography of a small land
locked tract which does not apparently belong to any one of the principalities in
particular, and which has no general name; the centre of this tract is approximately
the Madam plain which lies about 40 miles inland, south-eastwards, from Sharjah
Town. The principal points of the tract in question are as follows*:
Name.
Position.
Character.
Remarks.
'Aiyoh
'Anaij (Ram!at)
In the centre of the
Madam plain.
20 miles south of Aiyoh.
A single well, lined at the
top with timber.
A narrow strip of rolling
sand hills.
The site is surrounded by
acacias.
This tract lies east and
west across the route
from Ras-al -Khaimah
Town to the Baraimi
Oasis.
* Authority. —Major P. Z. Cox from personal observation and inquiry- Most of the places
mentioned in this table are shown in the map Route taken by Major P. Z. Cox, etc., lyio.
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