Page 130 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

242 THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

everywhere ; the sheep, which arc less numerous than the goats, are
most common in the hilly districts, and in the possession of the
Bedouins. The cattle are of the humped Indian variety. Camels
are bred and sold by the Bedouins, and are numerous in Sharqlyah
and Batinah ; the dromedaries of Oman are esteemed among the
best in Arabia. In both the Ha jar districts donkeys are largely
em ployed, but very few horses are found anywhere. In normal
times a considerable carrier-class is engaged in local trade and
along the through routes from the coast to the interior.
Insome of the larger inland towns part of the population lives by
retail trade or by simple industries and manufactures ; such are
indigo-dyeing, as at Nizwa and ‘Ibri, copper and brass work at
Nizwa, and the weaving of cloth turbans and lungis at other places.
Muscat is famous for its gold and silver work, especially the sheaths
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and mountings of daggers and swords, the workmen being Indians
(cf. p. 257). In addition to Muscat and Matrah, the towns of Sur
and Khaburah are ports of which sea-borne trade is the mainstay.
The only valuable export is dates, of which the better sorts go to
America, and most of the remainder to India. The fard date,
a small dark-coloured sort grown mainly in the Scma’il valley, is
popular in America. Exports of secondary importance are pearls,
mother-of-pearl, dried limes, fresh fruit, and salt fish, which go
chiefly to India. By far the most valuable import, received in
return, is rice from India ; and next in importance are cotton
goods, Indian, Manchester, and American, the first two classes,
imported through Bombay. Twist and yarn, silk and silk goods,
sugar, coffee, and cereals (other than rice) form the chief remaining
imports. With the exception of palm-trunks, all timber is brought
from India and Africa. The foreign trade is largely in the hands of
Indian merchants resident in Muscat and Matrah, but there are
also some wealthy Arab merchants.
The total value of imports at Muscat was £401,320 in 1911-12,
£403,551 in 1912-13, and £407,768 in 1913-14. It should be noted
that the imports for 1912-13 included an item of over £1S0,000 for
arms and ammunition, imported mainly during the seven months
from April to the end of October. By the latter date the warehouse
regulations (see p. 247) had begun seriously to affect the traffic,
and in 1913-14 the year’s imports under the same head amounted
only to £13,500. The total value of exports was £290 387 in
1911-12, £301,477 in 1912-13, and £271,536 in 1913-14. The
decrease in the last year referred to, as compared with 1912-13, was
entirely due to less export of specie. Muscat’s trade with the
interior has of course been entirely dislocated since the rising of the

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