Page 585 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

541
GULF OF PERSIA.
an enterprising Shaikh, and who stood high, on account of his strict
observance of 4he Wahabec tenets, with the late head of that faith,
whose representative he was among the pirates ; but since the fall of
Ras-ool-Khyma, and his own hill fort of Zyali, it has fallen fast to
decay, and is at present under the Shaikh of Shargah. There are in the
date groves about three or four hundred of the Tannagee tribe, the re­
mains of the former inhabitants. They send boats to the pearl fishery,
and at other times employ themselves in the trading boats of Ras-ool-
Khyma, and in fishing. Some few supplies may be obtained here, The
soundings abreast here arc three fathoms close to the beach, five to eleven
from one to three miles off shore ; bottom sand and broken rock. A
little to the southward of this place there is a small creek running nearly
from Zyah to Ras-ool-Khyma, but not navigable. The whole coast is
flat and marshy.
Ras-ool-Khyma.
Ras-ool-Khyma (or the Cape of the Tent). The Point is in lat. 25° 48'
12" N., long. 56° 4' 10" E. It was, prior to the expedition in 1819-20,
the principal pirate port; was surrounded on three sides with a wall,
flanked with towers, and to the south-westward of the town had a fur­
ther defence of a strong square fort or Ghurcc, and was at that time
supposed to be defended by between six and seven thousand men, in­
cluding the auxiliaries collected from the country round about, and about
eighty boats of different sizes, from two hundred and fifty to forty or
fifty tons, some mounting eight and ten guns. They had also about
sixty or seventy pieces of cannon, of various descriptions, mounted round
the walls, but most of them would be considered unserviceable by Eu­
ropeans. A large number of their best boats were sent to Lingah and
other friendly places, by which they escaped being destroyed, and are
now employed in trade.
At the present time, from the best information I have been able to
obtain, there are about two thousand four or five hundred inhabitants,
of the Joasmee, Shehaheen, Zaal, and Mootarish, and strangers of various
tribes. The Point forms the western side of the entrance to the back­
water, which runs in about three miles, and is capable of receiving the
largest boats unladen. The entrance is blocked up by a bar ; the
channel is very narrow, not having more than two feet water at low-
water spring tides. The soundings inside vary from sixteen to five
- feet, but at low-water spring tides there is only a stream left in mid­
channel.
Opposite the ruined town inland is the island of Maharah, on which
was a tower ; there is now a village. The present town is on the east-
ern bank of the creek, and is rapidly increasing; they have a square
Ghuree in it, and several good houses. They now participate in the

i