Treaty of Seeb

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1920 Treaty of Seeb

The Treaty of Seeb (variously Sib or As Sib) was an agreement reached between the

Seeb (as-Sib), a coastal town in present-day Oman.[2]

History

The Imamate has appeared in cycles for more than 1,200 years in Oman, at times succeeding in expelling the Portuguese colonizers out of southeast Arabia and establishing a

Ibadi sect in the interior Oman and reestablished the Imamate in opposition to Muscat.[8] The Imamate of Oman, similar to the Sultanate, was ruled by the Ibadi sect but the former differed politically as it opposed foreign interference in internal affairs and believed that the ruler should be elected.[3][9] With British assistance by mediator Ronald Wingate, the Treaty of Seeb was signed on September 25, 1920. The capital of the Imamate was established in the town of Nizwa, one of the traditional centers of power in Oman's history.[6]
Imam Salim ibn Rashid al-Kharusi was murdered in July 1924 and a new Imam, Muhammad bin Abdullah AlKhalili, was elected.

Relationships between Muscat and Oman were relatively peaceful until 1945 when news broke out that Imam Alkhalili was ill. Sultan Said bin Taimur expressed his interest to the British government in occupying the Imamate right after the death of the Imam and take advantage of potential instability that may occur within the Imamate when elections were due.

Buraimi Dispute, Egypt and Iraq supported the Imamate's cause.[13][14] The brother of the new Imam, Sheikh Talib bin Ali Alhinai, who fled to Saudi Arabia then Egypt, gradually restarted the Jebel Akhdar rebellion and eventually re-joined his followers in Oman. Following direct intervention by the British forces, including the Royal Air Force and Special Air Service, the war ended in 1959 with the defeat of the rebels and the exiling of the leaders to Saudi Arabia.[15][12][16]

Text

This is what has been agreed upon in the settlement between the Government of the Sultan Saiyid Taimur bin Faisal and Shaikh Isa bin Salah bin Ali Al-Harthi on behalf of the Omanis who sign their names here through the mediation of Mr. Wingate, I.C.S Political Agent and his Britannic Majesty's Consul, Muscat, who is authorised by his Government in this respect to be a mediator between them. The conditions are stated as follows. Four of them concern the Government of the Sultan and four of them concern the Omanis. What concern the Omanis are these.

Firstly. On all commodities brought from Oman of all kinds to Muscat, Matrah, Sur and all the coast towns nothing more should be taken than 5 percent.
Secondly. For all the Omanis there should be safety and freedom in all the coast towns.
Thirdly. All restrictions on entry to and exit from Muscat, Matrah and all the coast towns should be removed.
Fourthly. The Sultan's government should not protect criminals who flee from the justice of the Omanis and that they may be returned to them if asked for and that the Sultan's Government should not interfere in their internal affairs.

The four which concern the Government of the Sultan are stated as follows:-

Firstly. All the tribes and Shaikhs should remain in peace and amity with the Government of the Sultan and that they should not attack the coast towns and should not interfere in his Government.
Secondly. All travellers to Oman on their lawful business should be free and there should be no restrictions on trade and travellers should be safe.
Thirdly. All criminals and evil men who flee to them should be turned out and should not be protected.
Fourthly. The claims of merchants and others against the Omanis should be heard and decided as is just according to the Sharah.

Written at Sib on the eleventh day of Moharram one thousand three hundred and thirty nine Hijrah, corresponding to twenty fifth day of September one thousand nine hundred and twenty.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.' [23r] (50/316)". Qatar Digital Library. April 30, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "'Historical Summary of Events in the Persian Gulf Shaikhdoms and the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, 1928-1953' [93v] (191/222)". Qatar Digital Library. May 30, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "CNNArabic.com - وفاة آخر أئمة عُمان في منفاه السياسي بالسعودية". archive.arabic.cnn.com.
  4. ^ Dr Francis Owtram (2014-12-11). "A Close Relationship: Britain and Oman Since 1750". QDL.
  5. ^ "BBC Middle East: Oman profile - Timeline (25 April 2018)". BBC News. 2018-04-25.
  6. ^
    JSTOR 1797273
    .
  7. ^ Cobain, Ian (September 8, 2016). "Britain's secret wars | Ian Cobain". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ^ J. E. Peterson, "The Revival of the Ibadi Imamate in Oman and the Threat to Muscat, 1913–20," Arabian Studies 3 (1976): 165–88.
  9. ^ "'File 8/67 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: MUSCAT – OMAN TREATY.' [7r] (18/316)". Qatar Digital Library. April 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "'File 8/62 Muscat State Affairs: Principal Shaikhs and Tribes of Oman' [35r] (69/296)". Qatar Digital Library. April 20, 2018.
  11. ^ J. E. Peterson, "Britain and ‘The Oman War’: An Arabian entanglement," Asian Affairs 7, 3 (1976): 285–298.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9780863567025
    . Retrieved 29 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  13. ISBN 9781440804250
    – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Adams Schmidt, Dana (January 29, 1956). "U.S. SEEKS TO AID IN OASIS DISPUTE; Ready to Use 'Good Offices' in Deadlock Over Buraimi by Britain, Saudi Arabia Independence at Issue Undisputed as Best Route". The New York Times.
  15. ISBN 9781135314309
    . Retrieved 29 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  16. ISBN 9781135356736
    – via Google Books.

External links

  • Husain M. Al-Baharna. The Legal Status of the Arabian Gulf States: A Study of Their Treaty Relations and International Problems. Manchester University Press, 1968.
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