Page 166 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

260 THE SULTANATE OF OMA.

settlement are constantly at feud, and when the stream is low the
Hinawis sometimes cut off the water from the lower town.
The eastle of Hisn Sema’il stands on an isolated rocky eminence,
scarped all round at the base, and presenting a high precipitous
clifE on the side towards the valley ; it commands the great highway
along the valley between the coast and the interior. On the east or
lower side is a massive gateway containing two unfailing wells cut
through the solid rock. The keep, a large circular tower of solid
stone masonry, is built on the highest point of the rock, and contains
a capacious reservoir which is always kept filled. Curtain walls,
connecting the keep and the gateway, enclose a considerable area of
irregular shape. The Vali resides at Hisn Sema’il, and his authority
is supported by a detachment of 25 askaris, under an ‘Aqul.
Immediately under the castle on the W. side are some 30 or 40
houses and about 60 shops, known as Suq Semdiil; here the
usual food-supplies, fruit, vegetables, meat, and salt fish, can be
obtained.

The settlement is rich in fard dates, and a large quantity are
boxed and shipped annually to New York and Boston markets.
Fruits grow here in great abundance and variety, Muscat and
other markets being largely supplied from Sema’il. The only local
manufacture is cloth-weaving ; cotton, both white and brown
varieties, is extensively grown in the valley. About §2,400 are col­
lected annually as revenue, and of this a balance of §1,000 usually
reaches the Muscat treasury. The Sultan’s private property in land
and date plantations, of an annual value of §2,000, are assigned for
the Vali’s maintenance.
2. Quryat, a town on the coast of Eastern Hajar, 31 miles SE.
of Muscat, standing on the S. side of a creek formed by Wadi
Mijlas. It consists of 12 hamlets, of which 3 stand on the sea­
shore and the remainder on a plain, about 2 miles wide, extending
between the coast and the hills ; total population about 3,500:
There is a good bazaar, the town being the port of supply for the
interior via Wadi Tayln ; the inhabitants own a dozen large badans
by which communication with Muscat is maintained. "The date
plantations are considerable, and barley and musk and water­
melons are cultivated ; there is also a fishing industry, and lime
and firewood are exported to Muscat. The Sultan of Oman main­
tains a Vali, with a military detachment of 15 men who occupy
the fort in the Siiq quarter. The customs of the port brinw in
a revenue of §3,000, and Zakdt yields §1,700 a year ; but, with
the exception of §1,000 annually remitted to Muscat, the whole is
devoted to local expenses.

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