"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٥‎٩‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٧٣٨)

595
Efforts of Saiyid Fadhl to recover Dhufar, 1879-1887.
On his expulsion from Dhufar in 1879 the Moplah Saiyid Fadhl had
retired in the first instance to Makalla ; but ; his intrigues there meeting
with no success, he made his way during the next few months by way of
Berbera and J iddah to Constantinople. There he quickly gained the ear
of the Sultan of Turkey; and, before the end of the year, that monarch,
notwithstanding the advice of his ministers, was almost persuaded to
lend the Saiyid active assistance for the recovery of Dhufar. In 1880
Saiyid Fadhl wrote to the Sultan of 'Oman that he had gone to
Constantinople in connection with a scheme of reforms for Dhufar, that he
was now about to return, and that he was astonished at the presumption
of Turki in violating Turkish territory ; and about the same time the
Sharif of Makkah advised the Porte to recognise and support Fadhl, because,
he said, the 'Omani annexation of Dhufar would produce a bad effect
in Arabia. In August of the same year the honorary title of "Wazir"
was conferred on Saiyid Fadhl by the Sultan of Turkey. In March 1883
Fadhl again wrote to Saiyid Turki from Constantinople, claiming that
friendship existed between himself and the British Government and stating
that he would never renounce his claims to Dhufar; and this missive was
followed in July by one from the Sharif of Makkah, in whicli the Sultan
of ; Oman was advised to renounce his claims to Dhufar in favour of ladhl.
To the suggestion contained in the latter of these Saiyid Turki, advised
by Colonel 0 Miles, the Political Agent, returned a courteous refusal,
stating that Dhufar had belonged to the Portuguese, to the Ya arabi
dynasty of 'Oman and to his own ancestors, but that Saiyid Fadhl had no
hereditary claim. In 1884 the Government of Bombay received, thiough
the Turkish Consul-General there, a letter from Saiyid Fadhl, in which he
complained of the action of the Sultan of ; Oman in Dhufar ; and the
question of Dhufar formed the subject of several articles in the Aiabic
newspaper "Ftidal", published at Constantinople.
It was in 1886, however, during the temporary or at least partiaj
evacuation of Dhufar by the Government of ''Oman, that Saiyid Fadhl
made his chief effort to recover the district; but it was frustrated by
British intervention. On the 20th of J anuary in that year the retuinmg
pilgrim ship " Metapediaunder British colours, was boarded at
Aden, and Muhammad, a son of Fadhl, with 16 personal attendants and
100 disbanded Arab soldiers of the Sharif of Makkah, was found o e
on board; on the vessel being searched a large quantity of arms and
ammunition, including revolvers and Martini-Henry rifles anc cai ines,
was discovered and confiscated under the Arms Act. Muhamma , w ose
object was undoubtedly a descent on Dhufar, then landed to ^ awai , as
he said, the orders of the Porte; but he did not apparently receive any.
A little later it was reported that an agent of Muhammad ha
succeeded in conveying to Salalah in Dhufar the luikisi a o r „ an , . f
document purporting to be a Turkish commission, as also some ur is
coin and a quantity of military stores, all of which he had eposi e in
the house of one of the A1 Kathir. No overt act, however, followe s
47 a
Intrigues
of Fadhl at
Constanti
nople, 1879-
1884,
Attempted
descent on
Dhufar in
the interest
of Fadhl
frustrated by
the British
authorities at
Aden, 1886.
Subsequent
proceedings
of Fadhl,
1886-87.