46 e Sultanate and the Imamate exist in these parts: the of the one fade away gradually before the territories of the o ries other. In the north the natural barrier of the Hajar marks in a general way the limit of the Imam's authority, which tends to possess the crest of the mountain chain and in some places even reaches down the northern and eastern slopes towards the belt of coast held by the Sultanate. The town of Samayil, guarding the main pass into the interior, is in the hands of the Imam, as is the famous stronghold of al-Rustaq on the heights above the Batinah. In the northwest the territory of the Imamate touches the south eastern edge of the region of the Dhahirah, with the important town of Ibri, firmly occupied by one of the Imam's governors, being the anchor there. Beyond: "Ibri as far as the valleys north of al-Buraimi lies free country, where authority is divided among the lords of little towns and the chiefs of wandering tribes. The Ibadhis of Oman have not held al-Buraimi since the brief tenure of the Imam 'Azzan about eighty years ago; their one major attempt aimed against it in 1925 proved abortive In the west and southwest the lands of the Imamare roll away towards the sand masses of the Rub al-Khali. Here the Imamate abuts on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but no negotiations have as yet been: conducted by these two states looking towards a definition of their common boundaries, The territory circumscribed in this rough fashion consists of three principal regions: the Green Mountain, Inner Oman, and the Sharqiyah. The Imam's influence extends into a fourth region, Ja'lan, on the outer edge of Arabia between the Sharqiyah and the sea, but his authority here is not as complete and undisputed as it is in the centers of the realm. The Green Mountain, the heart of the Hajar, is not the only mountainous terrain attached to the Imamate, but the stretegic value of its position and the power of its Amir give it a place of special prominence. The closest of the three principal regions of the
