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AREA NO. 3: HABUS LANDS
The Habus territory in the hills extends from abranch of the Wadi Bih behind the Wadi Haqil to theneighbourhood of Khatt, and for a distance of roughly6 to 8 miles into the hills.
Sharjah file1041/8/52.
When the Political Resident visited the Sultan inMarch 1952 the latter said that he had met the Shaikhof Bakha who had complained "that the Jawa sim wereencroaching on some territory belonging to the Habusnear Dhaid." ("Dhaid' was later corrected to Khatth.)
Sharjah0254/9/521.6.52,
To get an answer to this complaint the PoliticalAgency, Sharjah, wrote to Mr. R. A. T. Codrai, theLocal Representative of Petroleum Development, who wasregarded as the local expert on the Habus and Shihuh,and whose visit under the auspices of the Ruler of Rasal Khaimah to the area had prompted the complaint.Mr. Codrai replied giving his own ideas about theHabus quoted below.
0259/10/52.
1 The Habus are essentially a sub-section of theBeni Hadiyah section of the Shihuh and claim allegianceto Bakha. However, on each occasion that I have beeninto their territory (and I have travelled through thewhole of it) I have done so through the auspices of theRuler of Ras al Khaimah, who did not of course find iteasy to arrange our entry, but by paying out sums ofshifiyah it was managed. My last visit was the mostdifficult. The Shaikh of Bakha had given the Habusorders to refuse an entry, and they would not come outto meet the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah to discuss terms.They came only when the latter threatened to use force.
H.
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"Despite their allegiance to Bakha, the Habus wouldfind it very difficult to defy the orders of Ras alKhaimah, for although for a few months of winter theycould stay in the hills and gesticulate with theirlittle axes, they are largely dependent for theirexistence on the Sir plain and Ras al Khaimah town.Indeed, the moment their water or grazing is exhaustedin the hills the whole of the Habus move out onto theSir plain, where some of them even remain for thewinter. Apart from casual business they may do atthe Sir villages, all their marketing, either inwinter or summer, is done in Ras al Khaimah (namelythe selling of firewood and goats, and the buying ofrice and dates). In summer I doubt very much whethera single member of the Habus could be found living inthe hills. Many of them are to be found among thepermanent retainers of the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah,"
"....... It may well be that the Sultan hashistorical claims to this particular area about whichI know nothing, for I understand that he has in hispossession a map of Muscat territory which includesWadi Milha, one of the principal wadis in Habusterritory..........
HI did not discuss this matter with the Habus, butI would say that they are not aware that theirallegiance to Bakha brings them under the control ofMuscat. My first visit to this area was made duringthe last war between Bakha and Shaam, and the Habusseemed to be only vaguely concerned over it. This
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