"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٣‎٥‎١] (١٢٦٢/٨٦٨)

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ation, 6,000) is Sunni, Zikri, Khojah and Ibadhi ; the Sultanate of
Oman on the Arabian side (population, including Dhufar and the
South- Eastern Coast of Arabia, 500,000) is in the main Ibadhi and
Sunni, chiefly it would appear the former, with a small proportion of
fahhabis.
On the whole it may be said that the populations of Persian race
are exclusively Shi'ah and that those of Arab descent are generally
Sunni; but, as we have already seen, the Arabs of Turkish J Iraq and of
'Arabistan constitute a large exception to the general rule. Again, the
Persian Gulf is predominantly IShfah, chiefly on account of the countries
a t its head, while the Gulf of 'Oman is almost altogether Sunni and
Ibadhi.
Almost the only matter concerning all Muhammadans of the Mnhamma-
persian (rulf alike is that of the annual pilgrimages to the holy cities of dan pilgri-
Makkahand Madinah. There are three principal routes across Arabia ma g eB to
bj which pilgrims from the Persian Gulf reach Hijaz; the first runs a1
from Hofuf in Hasa via Kiyadh in Southern Najd, the second from'
Kuwait via Buraidah in Qasim, and the third from Najaf in Turkish
'Iraq via Hail in Jabal Shammar.^ Of these the last, by which pilgrims
from Persia generally travel, is the most important and the most regu
larly used, the extent to which the other two are frequented varying with
the security or insecurity of the regions that they traverse in the interior.
About 1897 annual caravans used also to leave Samawah and Zubair on
the borders of 'Iraq; the former consisted entirely of Arabs, but the
latter contained some Persians; both were accustomed to march by Hail.
The Najaf caravan is said to consist, by the time it reaches Makkah, of
8,000 to 10,000 pilgrims, or even more, of whom 1,500 or 2,000 may
be Persians.
The passage of these pilgrim caravans through their territory is a
matter on which the rulers of Central Arabia lay much stress, chiefly
on account of the revenue derived from the pilgrims in fees paid for
protection against Bedouins, Various references to the pilgrim caravan
question will be found in the history of Najd; and in the history of
Turkish 'Iraq it is related how, in 1903, an attempt was made by some
leading Persian ecclesiastics to prohibit the use of the Najaf-Hail route
during the continuance of war in Central Arabia, and how this was
viewed by the Porte as a deliberate effort to benefit the ruler of Kuwait
at the expense of their own vassal, the Amir of Jabal Shammar.
Historical events explaining the existence of Muhammadan
denominations.
It will probably be convenient to the reader if we give in this place
a brief resume of the events to which the existeuce of the principal
* These three routes are described in the article on " NVjd " in the Geographical
Volume of this Gazetteer, with full detail of stages and dates of starting of the
annual caravans. Some general information regarding the pilgrimages from the
Gulf will he found in a report by Dr. Cassim Izzedine, dated 14th November 1897,
which is contained in the Proceedings of the Government of India in the Foreign
Department for June 1898. There is not any direct pilgrim route, though some
Diaps show one, from 'OmSn to Hijaz.