'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1422] (483/688)

1422
'OMAN SULTANATE
stone plastered with gpysum stucco. Where stone is not easily obtainable suri dried
brick often takes its place ; but throughout Batinah and in part of Sharq'yah light sheds
of date branches and mats are the commonest form of domestic architecture.
Beef is little eaten by the people, and fish is an important article of diet even in the
interior.
Tridt. —The trade of 'Oman, which is described in full detail in the article on Masqat
Town, is chiefly with India ; and its character is by no means complicated.
The only valuable export is dates, of which the better sorts go to America and most of
the remainder to India. The Fard date, a small dark-coloured sort grown in the Samail
valley, enjoys high favour in America and the supply of it is never equal to the demand
of the market; the Americans have lately been endeavouring to acclimatise it in Arizona,
but as yet without much success. Another date called Mibsali, preferred by natives
of Oman to the Fard date and much appreciated in India, is grown in Sharqiyah and
exported through Sur to Bombay ; a third kind is the Khalas. Exports of secondary
importance are pearls, mother-of-pearl, dried limes, fresh fruit and salt fish, all of which
which go chiefy to India.
By far the most valuable import received in return for these exports is rice from India,
and after rice come arms and ammunition, consigned direct from Europe ; but this is
not unlikely to prove on ephemeral traffic, for the arms market in 'Oman itself is said to
be already glutted and the extinction of the arms trade through Masqat with other
countries is an object of the British Government. Next are cotton goods, Indian,
Manchester and American, mostly (except the American) imported through Bombay.
The American cotton is a time-honoured import which shows no sign of increasing at the
expense of the other kinds. Twist andy am, silk and silk goods, sugar, coffee, and cereals
other than rice are the chief remaining imports. Timber, except date trunks, is all
brought from India and Africa. The foreign trade is largely in the hands of- Indian
merchants resident at Masqat and Matrah—-the latter being the real commercial capital—
but there are also some wealthy Arab merchants. The total value of the imports
at Masqat was £401,320 in 1911-12, £463,551 in 1912-13, and £407, 768 in 1913-14.
It should be noted that the imports for 1912-13 included an item of over £180,000
for arms and ammunition, imported mainly during the seven months from April to
the end of October. By the latter date the warehouse regulations (see p. ) had begun
seriously to affect the traffic, and in 1913-14 the year's imports under the same head
amounted only to £13,500. The total value of exports was £ 290,387 in 1911-12,
£301,477 in 1912-13, and £271,536 in 1913-14. The decrease in the last year referred
to, as compared with 1912-13, was entirely due to less export of specie. Muscat's trade
with the interior has of course been entirely dislocated since the rising of the tribes men
in 1913 (see p. ), and their capture of the Semail valley.
The British Indian Company, who have the contract for mails from and to India,
provide a weekly fast mail service, and also a weekly slow coasting service, between
Bombay and Basra, and the vessels call at Masqat both ways. The vessels of the Arab
Steamers, Ltd., maintain an irregular service between Bombay and Basra calling at
Masqat; and during normal times vessels of the Bucknall Steamship Co., the Strick Line,
and the West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co. from Ixmdon, the Compagnie Russe
de Navigation a Vapsur et de Commerce from Odessa, and the Hamburg-America
Line from Hamburg call at Muscat.
The trade of Oman is limited, not so much by insecurity, bad communications and the
difficulty of recovering debts in the interior, though these are not without their effect,
as by the natural poverty of the country and the limited purchasing power of the inhabit
ants. The only valuable asset is the date crop, which is liable to be severely affected
by draught.
The carrying trade of 'Oman is small and practically confined to Sur ; the only other
ports of any account are Wudam and Sur Haiyan in Batinah with about 15 and 40
sea-going vessels, respectively, Suwaiq with 10, and Matrah without about 7.
Weights and measures vary somewhat from place to place.* The standard of currency
every where is the Maria Theresa dollar or Riyal, but the Indian rupee also circulates.
Accounts are kept in Muhammadis, an imaginary unit of which 11.1 are equal to one dollar.
Subsidiary coinage consists of copper pice, partly imported from India, Zanzibar, and Ger-
f . l^hl 0 ! 6 0n k 'ST* 7T' n i. Her ? 14 " lay be addRd that the Kiyas Of the interior is only i of
the Masqat Kiyas, and the same holds of the Man. In the interior there is a weicht oalloH /nlnral )
equal to 71 Klyis, and another called MakiySl (plural Ma kail) equal to 12 KiyL or i a Man. b (PlU 1