"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [و‎‎٤‎٤] (٦١٦/٩٢)

RESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1905-1906.
69
at Samayil on the 8th October with about 400 followers of his own and other
Hinavi tribes, and at once despatched to Maskat Abdallah bin Hamaid As
Salimi, a well-known Matawwa priest, with 25 men to visit His Highness. This
party were hospitably entertained until the 13th when the majority returned
to Samayil, the Salimi himself remaining in Maskat which he quitted for • the
pilgrimage to Mecca shortly afterwards.
Sheikh 'I^a succeeded in establishing the reconciliation above referred to,
and on the 16th October sent a message to the Sultan begging to be allowed to
visit him personally. His Highness after consultation with the Political Agent
replied that there was no objection provided that he came with a few followers
only. Distrust on the part of Sheikh 'Isa prevented his accepting these terms,
and be then wrote to Sheikh Zaid bin Khalifah of Dibai who happened to be
in Maskat at the time asking him to intercede with the Suit m on his behalf.
His Highness could not change his views as to the escort, but he sent Sheikh
'Isa a present of $400 as a proof of sincerity. The meeting however did not
come off, and the Hartbi after a quiet sojourn in Samayil, set out for his own
country on the 12th November, the greater portion of his retinue having
dispersed in the meantime.
As usual quarrels occurred occasionally between the Maawalis and the
people of Nakhal. None of them were of
Naklial - serious import, however, and each was
settled by a truce of more or less duration. At the time of writing they
appear to be on terms of mutual forbearance if nothing more satisfactory.
The most serious difficulty of the year, which has not in fact yet been
brought to a conclusion, has been occa-
Revolt of the Earn Riyam. sioned by lawlessness on the part of the
Bani Eiyam ( ^ ), a numerous and influential tribe inhabiting the
s * ^ ' '
neighbourhood of the Jabal Akhdar ( ) range, and Ziki ( )
arid Nizwa ( Jj}* ) in Oman proper. During the autumn some men of
this tribe having caught a member of the Sultan's garrison, sold him as a slave
to some Bedouins, and in revenge the Governor imprisoned a son of the
Eiyami Sheikh Nasir bin Majid. Pinding that ihey could not induce the
Governor to release this person, the tribe broke into revolt and about the 20th
December killed two men of the A1 bu Said (^ jl), the tribe to which
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the reigning house belongs, and announced their intention of besieging Ziki.
His Highness the Sultan on hearing of these occurrences despatched the
indefatigable Sulaiman bin Suwailim, who had recently returned from his
successful campaign against the Makabil, with stores of food and ammunition
for the garrison. Sulaiman on arrival at Samayil at first found it impossible
to proceed further owing to the sympathy of the Bani Jabir ( ^ ^ ) and
other Ghafiri tribes with the Riyamis, and the consequent difficulty of obtain
ing help from them in the matter of transport. Eventually, after remaining
inactive for a month, he received assistance from the Bani Ruwahah, and
reached Ziki late in [February where he found that the fort was still hold
ing out although the garrison were in distress on account of the exhaustion of
their stores and ammunition. Meanwhile, the Sultan had arranged^ for the
arrest and imprisonment at Maskat of certain Sheikhs of the Bani Riyam and
had moreover taken measures to block the commercial dealings of the rebellious
tribe with the ports of Maskat and Mattrah.
Sulaiman on arrival at Ziki at once tried to arrange a settlement upon the
following terms :—
(1) The return to His Highness the Sultan of Birkat-ul-Mauz
() a large and flourishing village about six miles west
of Ziki.
(2) The payment to the Bani Biyam by His Highness of $7,000, and
(3) The release by His Highness of his prisoners. To these terms the
rebels would not agrae neither would they accept a suggestion