Page 164 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

DISTRICTS 250

IV. Eastern Hajar

A tract of mountainous country of limestone formation, occup}'-
ino- the north-eastern fringe of the Oman peninsula, and extending
for about 120 miles from Wadi Sema’il and its tributaries on the
NW. to the Jebel Khaims range on the SE. Its watershed, which
is continuous with that of Western Hajar, is about 50 miles from
the sea at the head of Wadi Sema’il; beyond Muscat town its dis­
tance from the coast diminishes until, in the neighbourhood of Stir,
the watershed approaches within 20 miles of the sea. There is no
continuous coastal plain, such as separates Western Hajar from
the coast ; and between Daghmar and Stir the foot-hills of Eastern
Hajar fall directly into the sea.
Over the greater part of the district the hills maintain a com­
.. paratively high elevation, reaching 5,250 ft. at the head of Wadi
TayTn, and 6,300 ft. inland of Quryat ; but SE. of Jebel Khadhar,
in the Jebel Khamls range beyond Stir, they fall away to 2,845 ft.
The disposition of the valleys and ridges with reference to the
axis of the main range is still imperfectly ascertained ; but their
arrangement appears to be less regular than that of Western Hajar
(see p. 263) : Wadi Taymt, for example, in its upper course runs
parallel to the general direction of the range instead of at right
angles to it. The inward slopes of Eastern Hajar are practically
unknown, but they appear to be less abrupt than the outward
1 !
face.
The most important district of Eastern Hajar is the Wadi Sema’il, !
which forms its north-western boundary, dividing the Hajar range
into an eastern and a western mass. It is the most populous and
politically the most important valley in the Sultanate of Oman,
and is described in detail in Route No. 71 (vol. ii, pp. 319 ff.) ; its
principal settlement is Sema’il, the seat of a Vali, who represents
the Sultan’s authority in the valley.
The other important settlements of Eastern Hajar are all on the
coast ; they are described in the following sections, in order from
NW. to SE., following the description of Sema’il :
1. Sema’il, an important settlement and oasis in Wadi Sema’il.
It is not a single compact town, but a group of twelve adjoining
unwalled villages, with their plantations, fields, watch-towers, and
S homesteads ; these form a luxuriant settlement extending along
the valley for 10 miles, with an average breadth of 1 mile. Its
centre, Hisn Sema’il, divides the upper portion of the Sema’il
settlement (‘Alayah), tenanted by Hinawi tribes, from the lower
valley (Sifdlah) which is held by Ghafiris. The two halves of the
R 2