Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 26 January 2010 Version of attached le: Published Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Kennet, D. (2002) 'The development of Northern Ras al-Khaimah and the 14th-century Hormuzi economic boom in the lower Gulf.', Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian studies., 32 . pp. 151-164. 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Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk hocftdi"BJ o!tMs-.i"ar!or ArabilUr Stwlia 32 (2002): 1SI-I64 The development ofnorthem Ra's al-Khaimah and the 14th-century Hormuzi economic boom in the lower Gulf DEREK KENNET Introduction (Dostal 1972). In these fields, crops were cultivated whilst The aim of this paper is to examine the archaeological goats were grazed in the surrounding mountains. Most of evidence for the development of human occupation and the villages were unable to support year-round occupation exploitation of the ~ir and Jiri plains which are the due principally to a lack of water. Large sections of the agricultural core ofnorthem Rrs a1-Khaimah inthe United population therefore moved down to the coast during the Arab Emirates (Fig. I). The paper is principally concerned summer and worked on the date harvest and at fishing with the last two millennia, although some information (Dostal 1972: 3-4; Lorimer 1908: 1439). relates to earlier periods. I Once the recent anthropological fieldwork in northern According to Lorimer, 8t the beginning of the 20th Ra), al-Khaimah by W. and F. Lancasler is published.. it century, settlement on the Sir and liri plains consisted of is to be hoped lhat the basic information provided by eleven small villages with alotal ofabout 600 houses and Lorimer and Dostal wlll be supplemented by a more an estimated sedentary population ofabout 3, I00 people detailed understanding of the complex pre-oi) economy (Lorimer 1908: articles 'Sir', 'Jiri'). The principal villages ofthe area (Lancaster & Lancaster 1999).' were ShimAI and Khan. On the coast. Lorimer lists the In considering Lorimer's description, a question lhal towns of Ra)s al-Khaimah, JazIrat al-I:Iamrt? and Rams presents itselfis the antiquity oCthe situation he describes. with a combined population ofabout 9,500 people, 5,000 In the absence ofevidence to the contrary. we ue tempted of whom were in Ra)s al-Khaimab and the: rest divided to imagine that this was the way things had always been. between Rams and Jaztrat al-l:Iamr.).' The urban The historical evidence related to this question is very population therefore considerably outnumbered the rural limited; what evidence is available has been srudied by population, but some seasonal movement took place J.C. Wilkinson (1977) who concluded that Oman's between the two. For example large sections ofthe Ulb agricultural potential reached its fullest development tribe moved from Jazinlt aI-l;lamrt) to their dale palms at during the Sasanian period, and that Iinle bas changed Khan ea<:h year (Lorimer 1908: article '}azilal aJ-l:Iamrl1"). since that lime: The rural economy at that lime seems to have been The mise en valeur ofthe natural RSOUfCCS...was based principally on date cultivation, supplemented by a in large measure completed in pre-Islamic times; mixture of wheat, barley, sorghum, and vegetables since then, it is only in the context ofmaritime trade irrigated from wells. In addition, livestock.. principally and overseas expansion that importanl shifts in the goats. sheep, poulb'y, cattle, and camels were kept Fishing economic structure have tended to occur (before and pearl diving were important - pearls provided the the advent of the oil era). The general plnern of only notable export from !he ",gion (Lorimer 1908: 1439). human occupancy in Oman has, then, been flXed Rice, pulses, cloth, coffee, and sugar were imported, since a remote period.. .' (Will:insoo }e 19n: 239) mainly from Iran and India (Lorimer 1908: 1440). Seasonal movement was an important factor for some This seems to be a very bold assumption. and it is not groups such as the Si~nI;1 and l:IabQs whose traditional certain that the evidence lhat Wilkinson used can really panern was to move up to mountain villages during the support it A re-cvaluation of his conclusion in the light winter, residing in stone-built villages clustered around ofarchaeological evidence is therefore one ofthe central terraced fields created to catch run-ofT water and silt questions that this paper will try to address. 152 Derek KCMct Juim al-HuJaylah oJ- Ras al-Khaimah SIR ~ al-Fulayya =Jazinrot ai-Hamra SAND DUNE FIELD - -- FIGURE J. The Sir and Jiri plains ofnor/hem Ras al·Khaimah. The development ofnorthern Ra's al-Khaimah and the /4th-century Hormuzj economic boom 153 Archaeological Evidence Further north along the coastline, Jazirat al-f:lulaylah was surveyed by the presentauthor in 1991 (Kennet 1994). Archaeological evidence, specifically evidence from The survey revealed evidence of settlement dating to archaeological survey, is well suited to the investigation between the fifth century and the early 20th century, ofpanems ofrural occupation and exploitation. However, although there is very little indication ofoccupation during in order to make valid comparisons between different the 11th, 12th, or 13th centuries. At the time ofthe survey periods. the survey needs to be conducted according to a it was not possible to make a reliable distinction between methodology that is not statistically biased (Cherry & the al-Ma{lfand post-al-Matafassemblages, but it is now Shennan 1978). clear that material from both periods was found. The The first archaeological surveys of Ra's al-Khaimah survey demonstrated that the occupied area ofthe island were carried out in 1968 and 1977 by de Cardi (de Cardi increased considerably from 42.9 ha in the SasanianlEarly & Doe 1971; de Cardi 1975; de Cardi 1985). They were Islamic period to 78.7 ha during the Abbasid period, and conducted with the specific aim oflocating and protecting 218.2 ha in the 14th to 19th century (Kennet 1994: 171­ sites of archaeological importance, an aim which they 175). These figures suggest a very large settlement, but achieved with notable success. However, the methodology this is probably deceptive because repeated seasonal employed makes quantification ofthe results problematic. settlement in temporary huts can give the impression of Bearing this in mind, the erode tabulation of de Cardi's larger occupation than actually existed in anyone year. A results in Fig. 2 suggests a dramatic increase in the number tabulation ofthe results ofIbis survey is given in Fig. 3. ofsites between the Early and the Late Islamic periods.4 Twenty·five kilometres to the south, the inland oasis 1n 1987 and 1988 Vogt carried out an archaeological of Khatt was first explored by de Cardi during her 1968 survey of the Ra)s al-Khaimah coastline, concentrating and 1977 surveys (de Cardi & Doe 1971: 252-254; de on two areas: the area around the town ofRa's al-Khaimah Cardi 1985: 182-t 85). In 1992 a more detailed survey of and the area to the south ofJazlrat al-ijamra) (Vogt 1988; the oasis was conducted, which revealed evidence of 1994). The sites he located all consist of deflated shell continued occupation from the late pre-Islamic period to middens on sand dunes. Although he does not deal with the present day, with the exception of the 11th to 14th the laler material in detail, the resuils indicate a limited centuries, which are hardly represented (de Cardi, Kennet occupation of this part of the coast during the Abbasid & Stocks 1994: 53-63). period, and much wider occupation in the more recent Of particular interest were two mounds, initially past, possibly between the 17th and 20th centuries. thought to be clearance mounds but later shown to be small archaeological tells (de Cardi, Kennet & Stocks Period Datt (AD) Number or 1994: areas 3 and 4; Kennet 1998). These mounds sites have yielded evidence of occupation from the late SasanianlEarly Islamic 400 - 800 ? Iron Age through to the founh or fifth centuries AD Samarran Abbasid 800 - 1000 2 - 5? (Kennel 1998). Another mound (85) and a flat area 11th-13th century 1000 - 1300 2 to the south-east of the oasis yielded evidence of 1300 - 1600 9 AI-Ma\3f Abbasid ponery in an area where Early Islamic Post al·Mataf 1600-1900 11 ponery had also been noted by de Cardi in 1977 (de nCURE 2. A reassessment ofde Cardl's sues (from de Cardl & Cardi 1985: sites 45a and b). Doe J97J and de Cardi J985). Fig. 4 summarizes the results ofthe 1992 survey. There is almost no evidence of occupation in the 11th-13th centwies, but there appears to have been Period Date (AD) Number-of sites a significant increase in the post-al-Matlfperiod. Sasanian/Earlv Islamic 400 - 800 9 At the back ofthe aJluvial plain behind KQsh and Samarran Abbasid 800 - 1000 15 a1-MatAflies the Wa.di I:faqil where Stocks conducted II th-13th century 1000·1300 4 a survey in 1992 (Slocks 1996)_ Only the ed8es of AI-Malaf 1300·1600 18 the broad wadi were surveyed but 169 sites were found and listed, together with their periods of 1600 - 1900 16 Post al-Mataf occupation (Stocks 1996: fig.