'File 8/63 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: SHIHUH TRIBE.' [‎13r] (25/56)

isotJi are men of strength and standing in their tribe, uoth
are limited in outlooic fanatical. .Both are ambitious.
SheiKh naan bin Muhai^ad of Aha sab is a man of about 32
heavily built - father boorish stupid in conversation but
resolute in action, ne succeeded his wiser uncle t>a*id bin
suiaiman some four years ago and from the first showed himself
vain and independent, made a practice of not calling on n.M.
ships and when the aultan paid a visit to Khasab two years ago
did not come off to the ship and then delayed an hour before
coming to make his call at the fort. «hen aaiyid aa‘id the
present ^resident of the Council came on visit in the early
part of this year the aheikh did not bother to come and pay
his respects to all. Sheikh nasan is traditionally the enemy
of Sheikh Salah but intered into agreement mfcx with him for
presenting a solid front to protect their supposed matual
interests in the Ormonde incident, ne is traditionally in
alliance with nakha and opposed to juunzar. ne married a daughte
of the late aheikh of nimah by whose recent death he is said
to have inherited considerable property at limah. He is we&l
off and trader himself at iUainasb where he has at least one
small dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. .
Sheikh fralih bin muha: ma d of cibah about 40 years old the
elected sheikh of the Bani shatair bat in origin a poor
Aumzari. A pale insignificant individual with rather an
inflammable temper. Is crafty, clever and concerted - is the
most important personality in the shihuh and appears to be
able to mase nhasab his butt, is on closest terms with sheikh
nam&d of jj*ujairah the alliance believed to be defensive and
offensive. The town of Dibah he shares rather unequally with
the ^awasim sheikh xvashid bin Ahmed. The latter a loyal
supporter of authority having only about 200 men and appears
to live on sufference. liimah follows sheikh salah as also the
snihuh elements of sha^m near was al lUiaima. ne has recently
built a bazaar of some 14 shops on the seashore at Dibah wlrere
he himself trades, ne possesses a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. .
Saiyid hasir bin nhalfan . age 42 the wall of hhasab has been
m that fort for nearly four years. A Sultan’s nominee he is
a pure Arab and of good family, ned experience before as wall
of Murbat in south Arabia, ne has been a cypher in the affairs
of Ahasab where Sheikh Hasan has been the *de facto 1 Governor.
In the nature of the situation he has not attempted to inter
fere except the exceptional cases e.g. (i; slavery (11; murder
and has usually been resisted in both, nast year a murder took
place in Ahasab bazaar of an itinerant Moroccan or Egyptian
doctor, a Saiyid. Theft was the motive. The wail appealed in
vain to the sheikh to hand the murderers over and they
presumably escaped justice. During the wal^s term of office
this is tne first word of complaint from tie shihuh against him.
nis is a pleasant but not strong character and during the
recent troubles he/i made several appeals to a.m. ships to
evacuate him on Ihe score of fear.