Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-08-11

(Ro0srsd b. the National Geographic So
ctety, Warrington. d. C.)
t But step from lands first and
longest known In, the history of the
world-Egypt, Babylon, Palestine
Arabia remains one of the worlds
most unknown regions. And in one
Of its least known corners is the In
dependent state of Oman. Historically,
politically and geographically, Oman
llas always been isolated from the rest
Of Arabia. Ever since the days Of
the caliphate. so far as communication:
with other Arabs is concerned, Oman
was practically an island. with sea
IF water on two sides and sea Of
sand-the great Arabian desert on
the other. AS 4 result. the people are
even more primitive in >their habits
than the Arabs generally; and only re-
Gently have other towns than Muscat,
the capital, opened their eyes to the
world.
I Oman is relatively narrow strip Of.
coast. bowed around the irregular
eastern tip Of Arabia. To the north
west it extends half way along the
southern shore Of the Persian gulf,
into the head Of which empty the his
toric Ngris 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 $1,000
square miles, almost twice that Of
PENNSYLVANIA. Although generally ac-
cepted statistics place the population
at 100000, Colonel MileA who has
seen more OF the interior than any
other recent traveller, estimates It at
over ,OO0, 600. The capital, AIuscat,
and the adjoining town Of AIutrah,
have together about 25,OOO lnhabit.
ants. The ancient capital. ROstak,
which Is inland, declined In impor-
lance after the Portuguese. during the
remarkable growth of their colonial
power In the Sixteenth century, pushed
around the Cape Of Good Hope and
northward and eastward. occupying
Muscat. The Portuguese remained In
possession Of this metropolis Of Oman
from 1908 until the middle Of the sew
eDteenth century. 95s e Z
Was Almost an Empire. 81 4 y
The conquerOrs of Oman who gave
e It's present ruling family came from
Yemen on the other, side Of Arabia,
Ahmed bin sa'eed, the leader, cap
|stured Muscat In 1741. The present
sultan and imam, who came to the
throne In 1913. Is a descendant Of this
Eighteenth,xcentury conqueror. s
1 Al the beginning of the Nineteenth
century, before European powers had
determined upon the almost complete
parceling out of Africa, Oman was al
most an empire. 1t extended over &
large part Of Arabia, the islands to
the north Of Arabia In the Persian
knlf. strip Of the southern coast Of
Persia. and q, strip OF the Indian
I3ocean coast of Africa from the north
eastern point near the entrance to tie
Red sea almost half way to the CAPE
Iof Good Hope. This African territory,
Including Zanzibar, comprised large
parts of what later became Italian
lSop1aiiland, British East Africa and
iGerman East Africa. 1t also included
ltfie Important island Of Socotrazat the
mouth OF the Gulf OF Alden. now under
British control. q. ls
i that time the slave. trade waa
Sd0urishing, and It was the Arabs 81
i0man who explored the great interior
Lot Africa long before the days 81
ISpeks and Livingstone. On the death
stn 1855 Of Oman's Alexander the
ESultan Sa'eed. the empire began %
lbreak mp. one son becoming sultan 81
Zanzibar and another sultan of tie
Arabian terrttoey. subsequ al
Asiatic possessions outside Arabia
were lost. except . few Islands IA the
PERSIAN gulf. About this time Oman
eame under the virtual projection oi
iireats Britain through the Indian g6y.
t,nInert. and. a British consul and ~.
itical agent has si,.ce been main.
nsveai et Muscnt.