- 298 Besides the four villages mentioned above under the settlemots of Wadi al-Kabir and the settlements of the Baluchis-al-Aragi, al Mazim, al-Subaikhi, and Masharib the tribe has connections with al-Ghabbi, a place now in ruins that was once a city of consequence in Oman. According to popular tradition, al-Ghabbi was formerly so flourishing that it contained seventy mosques. The tribes of the Mayavihah and. Bani Shukail also have connections with al-Ghabhi and it is said that the inability of the three tribes to agree amani themselves over their respective rights there prevents the restor ation of the city. Although al-Mazim is regarded as the capital of this Bal enclave, the paramount chief, Rashid ibn Sa'id of Al Isma's in al-Araqi, which is considered a sort of secondary capital, des the fact that the Baluchis do not hold the whole town. Rashid oldest son, Sa'id, serves as his father's deputy in all the Baluchi tlements of the Dhahirah. The control of these men apparently do not extend to Baluchis in other parts of Oman or in the ter of the Sultan of Muscat, though Rashid and his son both cniny n enjoy an excellent reputation. Sa'id ibn Rashid visited Riyadh in the early part of 1951 which time it is understood he informed the King of Saudi Arabi that his father and all their people were very sympathetic towards Saudi rule. The fact that the Baluchis of these settlements and Hanbalites, with the exception of a group of Hanafites in al-'Aracil helps to explain this sympathy. These Baluchis were formerly close allies of Al Bu Falah of Abu Dhabi, bur relations between them have become less cordial in recent years. Hamad ibn Rashid, a second cousin of Sa'id ibn Rashid, made the pilgrimage to Mecca in the fall of 1951.
