'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1438] (499/688)

1238
'OMAN
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 agriculturists;
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 loca
lities 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, for want of water
and are eaten fresh. Vegetables are raised at most places by means of well irrigatioon.
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 of the country
as is carried on from the Shamailyah 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, 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 chiof 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 suplanted Lingeh
as the distributing centre for imported goods on the Arabian coast between Ruus-ul-
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 ; miscellaneous provisions, from Persia, 2 ; and sugar, from or
through India, 1^. 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 steani port of Trucial 'Oman. Ten years ago Dibai
was almost unvisited by European vessels, but in 1905-06 the number of steamers, call
ing 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 .. .. ,. 10 | Khaimah (Ras-al-) Town .. 15
Dhabi (Abu) Town .. ,. 10 Qaiwain (Umm-al-) Town .. 1
Dibai Town .. .. .. 20 , Rams .. .. .. .. 1
Fakkan (Khor) .. .. 5 an( j
Gh^h .. .. ..10 Sharjah Town .. .. ..18
The majority appear to be Sambuks, but a proportion of them are Baghlahs, and there
are some jollyboats andBadans : these vessels are chiefly employed in running to India
an ports o 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
rou g y equal in number to pearl boats, but they are often extremely small. Jazirat-