| Show 0 man J 0 Y 1 A 1 at ak Q 1 31 native of oman prepared by the national geographic society clef Wh washington ington D C but a step from lanh lands first and longest known in the history of the world eglet babylon flah vlon Pal palestine estille arabia rei remains nallis ohe aili oi of the wor corll worlds ll most unknown regions and in one of its least known eat corners ners Is the independent state of owita historically politically and geographically omin oman has bas always been isolated from the rest of arabia ever sine the lays days of the caliphate so far as communication with other arabs Is concerned oman was practically an island with nith a sea of ct water on two sides and a sea of sand the great arabian desert on the other As a result the people tire ore even more primitive in their habits babits than the arabs generally and only recently have other towns than muscat the capital opened their eyes to the alie world oman Is a relatively narrow strip of coast bowed around the irregular eastern tip of 0 arabia to the northwest it extends half way along the southern shore of the persian gulf into the head of which empty the historic tigris and euphrates rivers from there it extends in a crooked unbroken strip of varying width for nearly 1000 miles its southwestern extremity reaching almost to the mid point of the flaring south shore of the arabian peninsula the state has an area of square miles almot almost twice that of pennsylvania although generally ac e apted pt ed statistics place the population fit at colonel allej mile who has seen more of the interior than any other recent traveler estimates it at over the capital muscat and the adjoining town of metrah have together about inhabitants the ancient capital It which Is inland declined in importance after the portuguese during the remarkable growth of their colonial power in the sixteenth Six tenth century pushed around the cape of good hope and north ard find and eastward occupying muscat the portuguese uee remained in of this metropolis of oman from 1308 until the middle of the seventeenth entee nth century was almost an empire the conquerors of oman who gae g 1 I c it its present ruling family came front from yemen on tile the other side of arabia ahmed ehmed bit bin saeed the leader cap lilied muscat in 1711 1741 the present and iman nho came to tile the throns throne in 1913 1013 Is a descendant of this GIN century conqueror at the beginning of the nineteenth century before european powers had determined upon the almost cony complete L bete parceling out of africa oman wo was s almost an ern empire pire it extended over a large part of arabia the islands to the dorth of arabia in the persian gulf a strip of the sou southern theril coat coast of persia and a strip of the indian ocean coast of africa from the northeastern point near the entrance to tile iltz attil sea almost half way to the cape cale of good hope this african territory including zanzibar comprised large parts of what later became italian Somal Soma lland liland british east africa and german last east africa it also included tile important island of at the lie mouth of the gulf ot of Aden jiow under british control at that time the slave trade was nas nourishing flourishing and it was the arabs of oman who iho explored the great interior of africa long before the lays days of speke and Living bitone on oil the hie death in 1850 1856 of omans alexander the sultan saeed tile the empire began to to break up one soil hwi becoming sultan of zanzibar and another bullan of the arabian territory alib subsequently all possessions outside arabia viere vere lost except a few aill islands ads in the persian gulf about this time oman came under the virtual protection of great britain through the indian government ern eni ment and a british consul and political agent has since been mat talked at one of the most picturesque parts parti of is lip lie so o called const coast just fust within the great point or of land jana which almost closes the hie mouth of tile r cain an p r I 1 f 1 t U HIP ip sailing ground of 0 slit sinbad lite sailor this region was a base of operation for pirates as troublesome in the ilie first half ot of the nineteenth century of the indian and persian trade as were the callb caribbean pirate nests to the ships that piled between panama and europe a celi century tury or so earlier the inhabitants of the pirate coast were extremely fanatical as well which added to their trouble making qualities british gun boats with the assistance of indian forces put an end to the depredations arid and the onetime one time pirates of this region have now mostly turned to pearl diving tor for a living trip through the country A journey from the pirate coast across the base of the great point ot of to or some of the adjacent ports a trip of about ralles miles gives nil in excellent idea of the back country of this little known state caravans making this trip usually travel at night and rest under whatever Nhat ever shade may lie be found during the day on the second day one passes villages and cultivated fields and at night sleeps sur founded by thousands of sheep beep and goats driven in by bedouin lasses from their mountain pastures even among these shepherds one finds readers and colporteurs eurs sell books wherever tile the camels halt long enough to strike a bargain in entering the narrow pass ot of eltta the guides go ahead mounted with rilles rifles loaded and cocked travelers are not troubled with inith the heat at night but during the day it Is intense andic Is hang to come to an oasis common in this part ol 01 0 ciann alaan where water bursts from a mil bg pl ing and trees and grow in luxury in the lioun mountainous tain oils parts of 0 oman th the roads run almost almont invariably along tile the wady beds bedi sometimes these ire are s indy water courses course 3 again deep lee p rocky rocki ravines or broad fertile valleys agitation generally Is tolerably abundant tamarisks Tama risks ks olenn oleanders ders eupher blas bias and acacias amacias are arc lite hie most common trees and shrubs some of it unexplored although some travelers have i cached readied tile edge of the oman desert all the country beyond Is still largely terra incognita no one has ever everi made nade the lie journey beyond the range of moun luins or solved the mystery of western oman blikh Is still a blank on the bet best maps nor 1 Is 13 3 uny anything thing known of the land miles southwest of unseat save by arab harsay the most populous und and fertile fits erict of the highlands of oman Is aebel jebel Akl akhdary idar which Is also alo the best known the fertility of this region Is wonder fill and in striking contrast with the barren rocks of so large a part of the const with a semitropical semi tropical climate an elevation devotion of to feet and abundant springs the wadys arid and oases of oman have awakened the de and amazement of every traveler who 10 lias fins ventured to explore them water tile one priceless treasure in all arabia here issues in perennial streams from ninny many rocky clefts and Is most carefully husbanded hus lins banded by the ingenuity ger fulty of the people for wills irrigation by means of canals or water watce cour coursel sei called falej except along the pirate coast the arabs of oman are remarkably free ficia fanaticism simple in their habits find aind wonderful in their hospitality most of them belong to the abadal sect Iv which illich has many beliefs in common with christianity |
