'History of the imâms and seyyids of 'Omân by Salîl-ibn-Razîk, from A.D. 661-1856; translated from the original Arabic, and edited with notes, appendices, and an introduction, continuing the history down to 1870, by George Percy Badger, F.R.G.S., late chaplain in the Presidency of Bombay.' [‎19] (52/612)

and analysis.
xix
receiving the allegiance of the people he entered upon the
duties of his office, which, besides the conduct of the civil
administration, involved the duty of leading in the public
prayers.
The reign of Rflshid-bin-el-Walid, which began so aus
piciously, ended in disaster. Intrigue and insubordination
broke out among his subjects, who once more invited the
Khalifah to intervene in their intestine quarrels. Nezwa
was again occupied by his army, and an imprudent attack upon
them led to the overthrow of the Imam Rashid and his adhe
rents. Rashid eventually made his submission to the Khali-
fah's representatives in the country, who held it until the
increasing commotions in the Muslim empire, which had led
to its rapid disintegration, prevented the Abbaside sove
reigns from dispatching reinforcements into 'Oman. This
took place about a.d . 1000, after which we read of no
further interference of the Khali fahs in the affairs of 1 hat
province. 1
For upwards of a century afterwards the ^Omanis reverted
to their old system of government, and five successive Imams,
who appear to have resided principally at Nezwa, were
elected. An interregnum of 260 years followed, during
which the Benu-Nebhan tribe acquired the ascendancy, and
established a dynasty of Mdliks, or Kings, 2 who ruled over
1 For half a century at least prior to that date the Arabian Khalifate
had been shorn of its authority and dignity by the numerous Amirs
who had set up independent rule over almost all the provinces of the
empire, (see note, p. 34). At the outset, these princes paid some sort of
homage to the reigning Khalifah, but in course of time they came to
regard him only as the great Imam or Sovereign Pontiff of Islam, who
had nothing more to do than to lead in the services of the Mosque and
to decide certain points of right. It is true that once and again the
Khalifahs re-asserted their independence of the Amirs, nevertheless their
power began to decline perceptibly from the reign of er-Radhi-b'Illah,
a.h . 325 = a.d . 936, until Baghdad was captured and the Khalifate
abolished by the Moghuls under Iluliiku-Khan, a.d . 1258, after it had
been held by the el-'Abbas dynasty for about 523 years.
2 From a remark by the author at p. 52 it would seem that some of