Page 188 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

.V.l

r DISTRICTS 271

VII. Oman Proper

This district consists of a central plateau shut in on the N. by
Jebel Akhdhar and on the S. by the desert. On the E. the range of
Jebel Kor, running X. and S. for 20 miles as an offshoot of the
Ha jar hill system, forms a natural barrier which separates it from
Dhahirah. On the W. side there is no natural boundary dividing it
from Sharqlyah, unless it be the Wadi ‘Andam.
Until the removal of the capital to Rostaq (see p. 205) and eventu­
ally to the coast, Oman Proper was the principal seat of political
power, as well as the most prosperous and civilized district, in
Oman. The term Oman (‘Oman) appears to have belonged originally
to this inland plateau and from it to have spread to the whole princi­
pality. Its two main channels of drainage are the Wadi Kalbu and
the Wadi Halfein, both of which traverse it from N. to S., the former
from Nizwa near the centre of the province, the latter from Izki at its
eastern extremity. The Wadi Halfein is probably the longest in
this part of Arabia ; beyond the.border of the province it runs S.
by E. through the desert until it reaches the sea at Mahot (see p. 278).
The Wadi Kalbu probably falls into the Wadi Halfein in the desert.
The surface of Oman Proper, outside the oases, is rough and
broken. The central portion, called Jauf, the ‘ hollow ’ or ‘ basin ’,
contains the towns of Bahlah, Nizwa, and Izki; it is a stony plain
thickly dotted with small volcanic hills and mounds, some of conical
shape. The N. part, under Jebel Akhdhar, is very barren and
seamed with dry water-courses. A wide and level surface with
a gentle declivity to the S. separates Izki from Manah, and this con­
tinues between Manah and Adam to the border of the desert, being
sprinkled with dwarf mimosa and bunches of desert grass. At many
places in Oman Proper the springs are hot, their temperature ranging
from 102° to 112° E.
The settled population of the district is said to be about 34,300.
The Bedouins of Oman Proper are numerous, and belong to Jannabah
‘Awamir, Al-Wahlbah, Daru‘, A1 Khameyyis, and other tribes.
The following are the principal towns and villages, arranged in
order from W. to E. and then southwards :—
1. Seifam,a flourishing village at the W. end of the province under
Jebel Kor in Wadi Seifam ; elevation 1,900 ft. It consists of
about 180 houses, with date plantations ; it is the head-quarters of
the Beni Shakeil.
2. Bahlah, a town in the W. end of the province, about 20 miles
W. of Nizwa, on the left bank of the Wadi Bahlah, which appears to
be a tributary of Wadi Halfein ; elevation 1,600 ft. ; population