Page 321 - PERSIAN 3 1883_1890

RESIDENCY AND MUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOU 1835-88. 25

houses and scorn well off aud contented; they were still lamenting, however, Uho damage done
in tho great storm of March 1885, when the river rose many feet and carried off many houses
nnd dato trees. I was much pleased with the general reception I met with here and was glad
to have seen so interesting a place. The elevation of Cahilah is 1,550 feet
In the afternoon, accompanied by Shaik Nasir-bin-Hamid, who insisted upon showing me
every attention in his power, I started for Yabrin, which is four miles distant, and which was
reached before sunset. Tho Shaikh and his followers amused themselves by galloping about
aud running races with each other all the way. Yabrin is merely a small fort, garrisoned by
six Arabs, without any dependent township, and there is no settled population here. Formerly
it was of more importance, and in the days of the Imam Belarab bin Sultan El Yaareby, who
built the fort about the year 1090 A. D., it was the capital of Oman. As the 6un set here it
revealed in all its glory and distinctness of outline the huge mountain called Jebel-cl-Kor»
which lies to the westward of Bahflah and forms the geographical boundary between the Pro­
vinces of Oman and Dhahirch. It is quite detached from the Jcbcl Akhdar range, and appears
to have a height of 0,000 or 7,000 feet The chief road from Baliilah to Dhahireb runs to the
£outh of this mountain and is called by some the “ Nejd-cl-Makharim,” by others the " Nejd-el-
Dhahirch/' Tho northern road is steeper and more difficult, and is known as the “Nejd-cl-
Barak.” After consulting with the Arabs I resolved after leaving Nezwa to cross over to
Dhabireh by tho northern pass, and as it turned out it was fortunate I did so.
2015.—We despatched a Kossid early to give notice to Shaikh Hilal at Nezwa of our ap­
proach, and started about 8 A.M.; we passed a hamlet in the Wadi Masalla, reached Tanoof
at 2, and at 3-150 came to the outskirts of Nezwa. As we passed the outlying watch towers
commanding tho various approaches, the men therein fired their matchlocks, and as we came
nearer, the fort took up tho firing with its big guns. Descending into the bed of tbo Y» adi
Kalbuh, we rode through a dense crowd of people until we met Shaikh Hilal-bin-Zahir, who re-
ceived us very civilly and conducted us to asubla near the gate. I was then taken to the resi­
dence allotted to me, and an hour later was visited by Shaikh Hilal, who informed me that the
house I was in belonged to a brother of Say id Nasir-bin-Ali, who was the Governor of Muscat,
and was murdered in his house there during the time of Sir B. Frere's visit in 1873. Shaikh
Hilal is a dignified and powerfully built man for an Arab, with a broad, expressive countenance,
showing much firmness and intelligence. He is now one of the most prominent men in Oman ;
his artful diplomacy in turning every move in the intrigue against the late Wali a few years*ago
to his own advantage and in gaining possession of, first, the fort, and then the government, of
Nezwa, drew general attention to him, and he is now looked on as second only to Saleh-bin-Ali
himself as a leader. He gave me the idea of being the same sort of man that the Imam
Ahmed bin Said was—able, resolute, and capable of any villainy to compass the end he had in
view.
21st.—Shaikh Hilol paid me an early visit, and we had a long geographical talk, during
which he gave me an-account of the watersheds of the country. He said very little cotton was
grown at Nezwa and no cloth made whatever, but that indigo was largely cultivated and used
to dye American cloth brought from Muscat. Nezwa was famous for its copper and brass
work. After breakfast I took a walk through the town and environs, and was surprised at the
prosperity and populousness of the place. Nearly all the tribes of the country seem to be
represented hore, the predominating ones being the Beni Riyam, who occupy Alaya>
and the Beni Hinah, who have been introduced extensively by Shaikh Hilai since he
assumed power here. Sifala h«a six haras, vis.,—f< Akr,w in which stands the fort and
which has a fine gate to its enclosure; “Saal,” unwalled; u Khorasin,w walled and
contiguous to u Akr," u Khorasitin,” " Harct-el-wady,w and another. The two Wadies
u Kalbuh ” and “Abyad” divide the town and join near the fort by the market. Abyad
has a more abundant supply of water than Kalbuh, and consequently supplies more felejes.
Tho fort consists of two parts, the “Kila” and the " Hisn.” The latter is a quadrangular
enclosure, at one corner of which stande the Kila, a huge circular tower 80 feet high, and
considered by the Arabs to be by far the strongest fort in Oman. I did not enter it, but
Wellstcd says that three-fourths of tho height, which he gives at 150 feot, are filled up solid
with earth and stones, and that the narrow passage inside, leading up from the doorway and
forming tho only entrance, has soven iron doors to it. Leaving Nezwa at 4-30 I inarched
to Tanuf, a distance of 8 miles, the same evening, having promised Shaikh SuHmau bin Saif
bin Suliman-el-Itiyami, who had intercepted me on the road the day before, to spend a night
in his town. It is a compact and substantial-looking place, fortified with a wail, on which
ore mounted two guns, and there is a large date grove in the ravine at the hack. Hits ravine
18 ,, Wftdy Hyin, and up it lios the road from Nezwa to Rostak known as the “Tarcek-el*
ohas.