Page 135 - UAE Truncal States

Chapter Three

vested with considerable power over the lesser headmen of the
villages, and due to his personality as much as to the A1 Bu Falah
power he represented, his influence over the tribes in the vicinity of
the oasis usually far exceeded that of the Na'Im shaikhs of Buraimi
and the representatives of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Like other
leading personalities, IhcDhawahir shaikhs obtained subsidies from
the A1 Bu Falah with whom they also intermarried. Now' the
Dhawahir occupy prominent positions in Ihe political and economic
life of the emirate.
After the death of Ahmad bin Hilal in 1936, the wali of al 'Ain,
Ibrahim bin 'Ulhman, succeeded lo this position of extensive
responsibility, while the post of wdli in al 'Ain was filled for a few
years by 'Abdullah bin Ghanum al Hamili, whose standing was
similar lo that of tribal headmen of villages, such as Sultan bin
Muhammad al Darmaki in al Qattarah. Soon after the death in 1946 of
Ibrahim, and after the war between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in which
the younger brother and right hand man of the Ruler, Shaikh Zayid bin
Sultan, had proved his ability as a leader, he was formally appointed
wali over all the oasis. When Shaikh Zayid bin Sultan became Ruler
of Abu Dhabi in 1966 he appointed his son Khallfah to the post he
had vacated.
In August 1970 Shaikh Tahnun, one of the sons of Muhammad bin
Khallfah, was entrusted with the affairs of the fast-growing town of al
'Ain and of the other villages, as chairman of a municipal council. A
large part of his responsibility as the Ruler’s representative in the
Eastern Region is the development of agriculture and the settlement
of beduin in al 'Ain and the entire region.
Dalma
The island of Dalma, 160 kilometres almost due west of Abu Dhabi
town, has been of vital importance to the pearling community of Abu
Dhabi. Every year it became the centre for the pearling fleet of the
Bani Yas and other boats, initially because they could obtain fresh i
water there. A seasonal market also developed and many pearl
merchants visited the island themselves during the pearling season.
The administration of this island on behalf of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi
was in the hands of an amir who was also responsible for all the
other islands belonging to Abu Dhabi except for the town of Abu
Dhabi itself. An amir usually lived on the island only during the
summer months, collecting the pearl taxes and settling disputes. He
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