'Annals of 'Omān' [‎77] (94/112)

Notes to Boole First.
77
incense grows in this country and brings in a great revenue to the Prince, &c. Ac."
(Chap. XXX\II., Book III., \ ol. 2, Colonel Yule's Edition of Marco Polo),
The following information is extracted from- Colonel Yule's notes :
Shihr, or Shehr, with the article Es-Shehr, still exists on the Arabian Coast as a
town and district about 330 miles east of Aden. * * The hills of the Sheor and Dhafar
districts were the great source of produce of the Arabian frankincense. (Vide pp. 378
879, Yule's Marco Polo.)
In modern times the port of Makalla appears to have superseded el-Shihr, and the
sources of wealth of that port of Arabia have become exhausted.
12 (P- 4-) Mahrah-bin Heidan, from whom the district Mahra was named. The full
pedigree is not given, Mahrah being of the 15th. generation from Kahtan. The following
notices are translated from Dr. Wustenfeld's Register. " Some say Mahra-bin Heidan
«belongs to the branch Ma'add-bin 'Adnan, others to Codha'a. The family, after
"separation, settled in the coast line of el-Shihr between Yemen and 'Oman, and retained
" the old Himyaric language. The celebrated Mahari camels derive their name from
Mahra."
The district of Mahra was at one period in a measure under the power of the Imams
of 'Oman. The language is said to be still peculiar to its inhabitants. It is to be
remarked that the settlement of Mahra-bin Heidan at el-Shihr was probably earlier than
the period of Malik-bin Falun,
13 (P- 4.) The king Dara, son of Dara. An obvious anachronism. The period of
younger Darius was about 337 B. C. As from about 300 B. C. to 220 A. D. Persia was
under the kings of the Ashkanian dynasty, or the Arsacides, one of that line must have
been in power at the time of Malik-bin Fahm.
14 (p. 4.) Marzaban. A Persian word meaning a governor of an outlying province,
or " Margrave."
15 (p. 4r.) Kalhat. This town was visited by Marco Polo- towards the end of the
13th century, who wrote concerning it—" Calatu is a great city, within a gulf which bears
" the name of the Gulf of Calatu. It is a noble city # * The people are Saracens, and
" are subject to Hormos. And whenever the Melik of Hormos is at war with some prince
" more potent than himself, he betakes himself to this city of Calatu, because it is very
" strong, both from its position and its fortifications. * * * They also export many
" good Arab horses from this to India. For as I have told you before the number of
" horses exported from this and the other cities to India is something astonishing." *
* * * " The city of Kalhat, says Ibn Batuta, stands on the sea-shore. It has fine
"bazars and one of the most beautiful mosques that you could see any where, the walls of
" which are covered with enamelled tiles of Kashan. * * * Most of them (inhabi-
" tants) are Schismatics, but they canno-t openly practise their tenets, for they are under
" the rule of Sultan Tehemten, Malik of Hormuz, who is orthodox. * * There was
" still a horse tnule at Kalhat in 1517." * # (Travels of Marco Polo, Col. Yule's
edition, pp. 381, 282, Vol. 2.)
Ibn Batuta wrote in 1328. In modern times, Kalhat is art insignificant place, but
extensive ruins are traced. The Schismatics alluded to by Ibn Batuta were doubtless
Ibadhis, then the prevailing sect in 'Oman. The author of the " Keshf ul-Ghummeh"
mentions the rule of Malik of Hormuz as will be seen. In modern times scarcely any
horses are produced in 'Oman, except for the Sultan's private stable.
16 (p. 4.) El-Jowf. A term which was applied to the central valley region from
'Oman proper to el-Dhahireh. Mr. Badger identifies el-Jow and el-Jowf, but this is
erroneous.