1877.] 
Sohdr and el-Bereymi in ’ Oman . 55 
standing, the other has been demolished, and lies a heap of mins. Both 
are said to have been built by the Showamis, a strong clan of the Na’rm 
occupying chiefly the Wadi Jezze, but the fort still standing was improved 
and strengthened by the Wahhabis during their occupation. It consists of 
four towers joined by curtains and surrounded by a deep ditch. It is of 
square form, built entirely of mud or unburnt bricks, and carries eight guns 
of sizes. The breadth of the ditch is about 25 feet, and both scarp and 
counterscarp are quite steep and faced with brick work. The rampart is 
eight feet high and two thick, and there is an open space of 20 paces between 
it and the towers. These towers rise perhaps 40 feet, the curtain some¬ 
what less than half way up, and each side of the square formed by them 
is about one hundred and fifty feet. The gate is the weakest part of the 
structure, there being only a single small wooden door standing half way 
across the ditch, which is here bridged with the trunks of two date trees. 
Inside the fort is a residence for the Sheikh with accommodation for the men, 
and some godowns. Water is abundantly provided by two wells, which 
would yield sufficient for a large garrison. I tasted the water of one, and 
it was perfectly sweet and good. Near the outer gate is a brass 24-pounder, 
mounted as a field-piece, having the name of Seyyid-bin-Sultan, A. H. 1258 
in Arabic, and the English date 1842. It is one of a batch of 20 that 
Seyyid Sa’id procured from America at that time for his corvette the Sultan. 
This gun was brought from Sohar by Seyyid ’Azan, in 1870, in his expedition 
against Bereymi, and was used against the fort it now defends. With 
unusual energy and forethought for an Arab, Seyyid ’Azan brought spare 
carriage wheels, harness, and tents, all of which are carefully stored up in 
a godown. The harness did not look as if it had ever been used, and they 
told me the gun had been dragged thither entirely by manual labour. The 
fort is fairly well situated, and stands out on the plain, but on the N. W. 
side the houses and cultivation encroach somewhat close upon it, and on the 
other side lie the ruins of Sedeyri’s fort at no great distance, which would 
afford capital shelter for an enemy. Both as regards strength and position 
it is the most important fort in this part of ’Oman, and is generally regard¬ 
ed as the key of the country towards the west. Its reduction, therefore, 
would be considered necessary by any force approaching from that side. 
I endeavoured to gather information respecting the route between ’Oman 
and Nejd, but the accounts were somewhat discrepant. According to some 
the first district beyond el-Jow is Beinuneh, in which is el-’ Ankeh, a hamlet of 
the Beni Kattab, with a small date grove, the Sheikh of which is Sai’d-bin- 
Aweydimi. Next to Beinuneh lies el-Dhafreh, inhabited chiefly by the 
Menasir, and where there is a watered grassy vale called Da’fis, visited in 
season for pasture by the Menasir, ’Awamir, Beni Yas, Beni Kattab, el- 
Mizaniyeh, and el-Ghafaleh nomads. Further on between el-Dhafreh, 
