Page 123 - UAE Truncal States

Chapter Three

nearly obtained the full status of a Trucial Shaikhdom was
Hamriyah. The majority of the inhabitants or Hamriyah were a
settled section of the A1 Bu Shamis division of the NaTm tribe called
Darawishah. Successive leaders of this tribe were appointed wall's of
Hamriyah. Through the wall, the community had to pay a lax on
pearling boats and on dates to the Ruler of Sharjah. In turn the Ruler
of Sharjah was expected to act on behalf of Hamriyah. Frequently
there were cases of debtors from among the diving community
absconding to a neighbouring port to evade their creditors, and the
Ruler should have exerted his influence to help recover the loans.
Alleged negligence of this duty on the part of the Rulers of Sharjah
was at the root of Hamriyah’s attempts to gain independence during
the latter part of the 19th century.4"
Out of consideration to the Ruler of Sharjah, at that time Saqr bin
Khalid, the British Government on the occasion of Lord Curzon’s i
visit to the coast in 1903 stopped short of granting recognition to Saif
bin * Abdul Rahman of Hamriyah as a Trucial Ruler. This shaikh, and
later his son, 'Abdul Rahman bin Saif, were in many respects treated
like Trucial Rulers and often asked to mediate, and they invariably
attended the official majlis held when the Political Resident visited
the coast. In 1923 Hamriyah came again within reach of complete
sovereignty, when Khalid bin Ahmed, Ruler of Sharjah, in a letter to
'Abdul Rahman bin Saif granted independence to Hamriyah on 9
August, and renounced all claims on taxes and revenues from that
I
port. The following year, however, Khalid was deposed, and his
successor, Sultan bin Saqr, did not honour this undertaking.50
In 1922 and again in 1925 attempts were made by 'Abdul Rahman
bin Saifs son Humaid to take the leadership from his father. Both
times the Rulers of Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain rallied to the
support of the wali of Hamriyah. When 'Abdul Rahman bin Saif was
killed in April 1931 he did not die at the hand of his son Humaid but
at the hand of his nephew, Saif bin 'Abdullah, whom he had brought
up in his household. Saif and his brother claimed that 'Abdul
Rahman bin Saif had kept for himself their father’s property. Saif bin
'Abdullah held the leadership in Hamriyah for some months but he
did not satisfy the creditors of the former wali as expected; the
murdered uncle 'Abdul Rahman bin Saif had left some 21,500 Rupees
of debts to merchants of Hamriyah and neighbouring ports. Humaid,
the son of the deceased, with the support of 'Ajman and Umm al
Qaiwain tried to oust his cousin Saif bin 'Abdullah. He was at first
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