IOR/R/15/6/264

This volume concerns relations between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and the tribes of interior Oman. The volume contains multiple copies of notes produced in October 1920 by the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, providing a British perspective on the history of political affairs in Muscat and Oman from the late 18th century to the present day (ff 6-22, ff 49-53 and ff 56-60). The notes attempt to summarise the underlying causes of the tense relations between the Sultan and the Omani tribes, before going on to document events during the period October 1919-October 1920, which culminated with the re-establishment of peaceful relations, following the conclusion of an agreement between the two parties (the Treaty of Sib, concluded on 25 September 1920). Related items include multiple copies of the English text of the 1920 agreement (ff 23-26, ff 53-55, and ff 60-62), and a Photostat copy of the Arabic text of the concluding part of the Treaty (f 154).

The volume also documents the Sultan's relations with the Omani tribes in the years following the treaty. There is a series of letters written in 1924 between the Political Agent and Shaikh Isa bin Saleh [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥārthī], who makes a request to import ammunition and protests against taxes that he claims contravene the Treaty of Sib. The correspondence dated 1932-1934 largely concerns the murder of a Muscat Government clerk at Sib, and the Sultan's frustration with the evasive response of Shaikh Isa bin Saleh on the matter. Also discussed in this part of the volume is the question of whether the Treaty of Sib will be renewed.

In addition to the treaty text mentioned above, the Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between the British and Muscat authorities and various shaikhs and subjects of interior Oman (English translations are included).The volume includes copies of correspondence originally written in 1919. There is no material covering the periods 1922-1923, 1925-1931, and no material dated after 1934, with the exception of a note at the rear of the volume, which is dated 16 October 1961.