Page 134 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

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244 THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

bills of lading for the cargo against which they are drawn, and there
is no relation between the value of the Huncli and the value of the
consignment.’ He adds that the existence of such a trade usage is
sufficient in itself to deter European firms from engaging m banking
business in Muscat.

Weights and Measures

There are two kinds of weights, one for the Sultan’s customs and
the other for retail bazaar use.
(1) Those used for the Sultan’s customs are :

1 Kiyas = G dol., or 5-9375 oz.
: :• •«<:
1 Muscat maund (or Mann) = 24 Kiyas, or 144 dol.. or S lb.
144 oz.
10 Muscat maunds = 1 Farasilah.
200 Muscat maunds = 1 Bahr.
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There is yet another weight also called Bahr, which is equal to 400
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Muscat maunds. This weight is exclusively used for weighing salt.
(2) Bazaar weights are :
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1 Kiyas = 5-71 dol., or 5-67 oz.
1 Muscat maund (or Mann) = 24 Kiyas, or 137.dol., or S lb. S oz.
With the exception of rice, which is sold in bags, all cereals are
sold by palli and farrah (wooden bowls) :
40 Pallis = 1 Farrah.
20 Farrahs = 1 Khandi.

When measuring in palli the measure is heaped up. The Indian
rupee is taken as 1 tola, and is used for weighing perfumeries. The
weight of a Maria Theresa dollar is chiefly used in weighing amber :
6 Miskals (Mithqdls) = 1 rupee weight.
8 Miskals (Mithqdls) = 1 dol. -weight.

Weights and measures vary somewhat from place to place. Those
in use at Muscat (given above) are the same as those of Matrah, but
differ somewhat from those of the Batinah coast and other parts of
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Oman. Lorimer (Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, 1908) notes that the
Kiyas of the interior is only a quarter of the Muscat Kiyas, and that
the same holds good of the Mann ; in the interior there is a weight
called sa' (plur. sa‘at), equal to 7J Kiyas, and another called maku/al < !►
(plur. maka’U), equal to 12 Kiyas or half a Mann.

The following isthe ordinary table of measures of length at Muscat
with their equivalents :
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