Page 93 - 8 Persian Trade rep Muscat 2_Neat

Report on the Trade of Muscat for the year 1928-29.

Introduction. The Maria Theresa dollar fluctuates in value con­
siderably being affected by the world price of silver,
3^’at is the capital of the independent .Sultanate by the local demand in the date season, and by the
of that nam*- situated at the easterly corner of Ara­ state of the Bahrein pearl market.
bia. Its seaboard is nearly 900 miles long and
extends from Tibbat on t he west side of Cape* Musscn- Trade accounts are kept in Mohamadis aud Gajh
dani round Ras Sajit rather over 200 miles due imaginary coins. There are two kinds of Moba-
north of the island of Socotra, with the exception madis— black and white. Black 20j = l dollar ar.d
of a small strip on the east coast of the Mussendaiu white 111=1 dollar. The white is used in whole­
jK-ninsula from Dibbab to Khor Klialba which is sale trade accounts and the black for fruits, vege­
in the administration of the minor chiefs of Trucial tables, etc. Most hundis from India show their
Oman. The Sultauatc extends inland to the borders face value in Mohamadis and not in rupees.
of the Great Desert but of late years tbc Omanis 20 Gajh . 1 Muhanndi.
Lave become virtually autonomous and arc now
tnorc subject to the Imam of Oman and his lieu­ IIJ Mohamadis . 1 dollar.
tenant Shaikh Isa bin Salih than to His Highness 100 Moha-nalia . 1 To min.
the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. The anterior is The average rate of monthly exchange between
for the most part mountainous, the high country the .Maria Theresa dollar and the rupees varied from
extending dowu to the sea coast iji a series of arid Rh. 120 to Rs. 131*5 per I'O dollars, the lowest
rocky heights though vegetation exists o:i the higher being in 31urcb 1929 and the highest in October 192S.
mountains. North-west of Muscat the sea coast
The dollar rate fluctuate'] from iis. 123-5 to
littoral tract is fertile and prosperous and date groves Rs. 131-00 per 100 dollars, it was lowest in March
extend aloLg it for over 100 miles. Tl.is strip is 1929 and highest in October 1928.
known as the Bat inch coast and it is to here that
the hillmcn from Oman, finding tbc struggle for Weights and Measures.
existence too keen in the face of a decreasing water
supply, are gradually descending and forcing out The weights used in the Custom* Department
the date and fisher folk. The remainder of the are prescribed in Muscat, Mattrah and the Coast
coast with one notable exception is barren and towns.
forbidding and rarely visited by Euroj-cans. The They are :—
exception is Dhofar which is the name of a small 1 Kiras
fertile district comprising a group of villages at . TuC weight of 6 dollar* or
0-9375 r/raL
the south-west corner of the Sultanate. Gwadur, 24
a port on the Mekran Coast, and a small tract of . Muscat M-vand.
country round it also owns allegiance to Muscat. 10 Muscat Maundfl . . Facasala.
It is the last remnant of the Omani possessions on 209 . Bahr.
the Persian side of the Gulf. Rice is sold by the bag; other.cereals by the
The town of Muscat, once so important aud following measures:—
prosperous has been filling iuto decay for years now.
Most of the trade go?s to the sister port of Mattrah 40 Pali* . Farrah.
which is the starting point of the trade route to the 20 Farrahs KLudi.
interior, but Muscat still remains the capital and The rupee which weighs one tola and the dollar
seat of Government.
of which the weight is called “ Auqia ” are used for
weighing drugs aud perfumes. One *4 Aukia ” equals
Currency. eight “ Misqals.”
The currency of the country is the Maria Theresa
dollar and the copper coin minted in 1895 to the Measures (Linear).
order of His Highness the Sultan. In Muscat aud 1 .Shi hr . 1 Hand or 4| inches.
Mattrah, sovereigns, Indian currency notes aud 4 SLihrs . . 1 Dhira or cubit.
Indian rupees are generally accepted. 4 Dhinw , . 1 Bah* or fathom.