'ARBITRATION CONCERNING BURAIMI AND THE COMMON FRONTIER BETWEEN ABU DHABI AND SA'ŪDI ARABIA' [With maps] [‎25r] (54/541)

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Otherwise, there would have been no reason for reminding the ‘Amirs of the terms
of his undertaking. Thereafter, the Sa‘udis played no part in the history of
Buraimi until 1952.
49. After the eviction of the Wahhabis in 1869, the Sultans of Muscat and
‘Oman soon re-asserted their ancient rights in the Oasis. In 1870, Turki bin Said,
uncle of the deposed Sultan, and himself a member of the Dynasty of the Al-Said’
returned from exile in India and proceeded to Dubai and Buraimi, where he re
ceived support from the Shaikhs of Dubai, Ajman and Ra’s al-Khaimah, and was
joined by the Nairn, the ‘Awamir, and other tribes of ‘Oman. ‘Azzan set out to
meet him, but was defeated in battle in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Dhank, and eventually killed
in the fighting. Turki soon became master of all ‘Oman; and, having crushed an
attempt at rebellion by the deposed Sultan Salim, he reigned for 18 years. He had
been assisted to power largely by the Nairn from Buraimi, upon whom and upon his
possession of the fort at Buraimi his initial strength, to a great extent, had depended.
He succeeded to the position which had been enjoyed by ‘Azzan bin Qais in
Buraimi, continuing the arrangements which ‘Azzan had made with the Shaikhs
of Abu Dhabi, and with the Paramount Shaikh of the Naim. In 1875, Colonel
Miles, the British Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Muscat, carried out an extensive tour by way
of Sohar and the Wadi’l-Jizzi to Buraimi; and it is of interest to observe that, in
his report' 11 , he noted that Sohar was dependent for its existence entirely upon
its position, which enabled it to tap the trade of Upper Dhahirah and Jau. The
economic link between Buraimi and Sohar< 2) , thus appears to have been as strong,
80 years ago, as it is to-day. In 1885, Colonel Miles undertook a similar tour
of the whole Dhahirah from Muscat' 31 . Both these tours were carried out under
the auspices and under the protection of the Sultan, and are clear evidence that,
at that time, the Sultan’s authority extended to Buraimi. In the circumstances, it
is, perhaps, not surprising that, in 1888, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. should have written to the
Foreign Office, in London, describing the territory of the Sultanate of Muscat
and ‘Oman as extending “ Westward, inland, as far as the great Arabian Desert ” <4) .
This description certainly accords with the historical facts as they have been recorded.
50. In 1888, the Sultan Turki died. He was succeeded by his son, Faisal, who,
like his father, retained the loyalty of the Nairn tribe in Buraimi, and continued
the practice of making them an annual allowance*®. This traditional loyalty of the
Nairn to the Sultans of Muscat was effectively demonstrated during two tribal
revolts, which occurred in 1890 and 1895, when the tribe rendered practical
assistance to the Sultan’s brother, who was acting on his behalf. After the collapse
of the second revolt, the Shaikhs of the Nairn, together with the Shaikhs of the
other loyal tribes, visited the Sultan, and were rewarded for their support. The
Sultan then made fresh arrangements with Shaikh Zaid bin Khalifah of Abu Dhabi
for the maintenance of security at Buraimi, for which the Sultan agreed to pay the
Shaikh an annual allowance (farizah) of $ (M.T.) 2,000' T This sum was collected
by the Muscat Government from the people of Sohar and the Wadi’l-Jizzi—who
were likely to be the chief beneficiaries—in the form of a tax known as shofah.
51. The eviction of the Wahhabis, and the re-affirmation of the arrangements
with the Sultan for the security of the Oasis, enabled the Ruler of Abu Dhabi to
consolidate his position in the Oasis. In 1875, Colonel Miles had reported that the
Bani Yas were occupying Jlmi, Qattara, Hill, and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Masudi, at Buraimi.
In the same year, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi attacked Dhank with a force of about
200 Manasir and Bani Hajir; while, at the same time, a similar force of Manaslr
and Mazari‘ attacked Buraimi. In 1887, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi attacked in
Buraimi a section of the Dhawahir who had attempted to throw off their allegiance
to him, and succeeded in defeating them. In 1891, the Rulers of Abu Dhabi and
Dubai fought the Dhawahir, capturing al-‘Ain. In the same year, Shaikh Zaid
bin Khalifah persuaded the Sultan, Saiyld Faisal, to restore some allowances which
he had been accustomed to pay the Nairn and the Bani Qitab. About 1897, he
appropriated, or reclaimed, Jahall; and his eldest son, Khalifah, formed a new
settlement at Masudi. Evidence of this is contained in a letter from one Muhammad
bin ‘Ahmad, written in 1901, which states: “We have been intending to come to
you, but received the news that Shaikh Zaid was to come to his place at Jahih and
(1) See Annex B, No. 38.
<2) See Part IV of this Memorial.
(3) See Annex B, No. 39.
(4> See ibid., No. 20.
(5) Lorimer, op. cit., i. 747; see also Part VI of this Memorial.
<6) Lorimer, Joe. cit.