Khuriya Muriya Islands
Encyclopedia
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
, 40 km (24.9 mi) off the southeastern coast of the Sultanate of Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
. The islands form part of the province
Provinces of Oman
The regions and governorates of Oman are subdivided into provinces .-Ad Dakhiliyah Region:*Nizwa*Samail*Bahla* Adam*Al Hamra*Manah*Izki...
of Shalim and the Hallaniyat Islands in the governorate of Dhofar.
History
In antiquity the islands were called the Zenobii or Zenobiou Islands or Doliche . The islands were mentioned by several early writers including PtolemyPtolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
(vi. 7. § 47) who numbered them as seven small islands lying in Khuriya Muriya Bay , towards the entrance of the "Persian Gulf" (most likely the modern Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
).
In 1854 the hami (sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
) of Muscat
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
(later Muscat and Oman
Muscat and Oman
Muscat and Oman was a country that encompassed the present day Sultanate of Oman and parts of the United Arab Emirates. The country is not to be confused with either the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, which were sheikhdoms under British protection since 1820....
, now Oman), ceded the islands to Britain
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and in 1868 they were attached to the Aden Settlement (in modern Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
). As a British possession until 1967, they were administered by the British Governor of Aden until 1953, then by the British High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
until 1963, and finally by the British Chief Political Resident of the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
(based in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
). On 30 November 1967, Lord Caradon, the British Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, announced that in accordance with the wishes of the local inhabitants, the islands would be returned to Muscat and Oman
Muscat and Oman
Muscat and Oman was a country that encompassed the present day Sultanate of Oman and parts of the United Arab Emirates. The country is not to be confused with either the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, which were sheikhdoms under British protection since 1820....
, despite criticism from President Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi that the islands should be transferred to the People's Republic of South Yemen.
Islands
| Island | Arabic Arabic language Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book... |
Transliteration Transliteration Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another... |
Area (km²) | Coordinates Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Hasikiyah | جزيرة الحاسكية | Ǧazīrat al-Ḥāsikiyya | 2 | 17°28′28"N 55°36′05"E |
| Al-Sawda | الجزيرة السوداء | al-Ǧazīra al-sawdāʾ | 11 | 17°29′28"N 55°51′18"E |
| Al-Hallaniyah Al-Hallaniyah Al Hallaniyah is the largest and only inhabited of the Khuriya Muriya Islands, which belong to Oman. It is located in the center of the group, eight kilometers east of Al-Sawda, the closest island, and the second largest of the group. The area is 56 km². The only village is located on the flat... |
جزيرة الحلانية | Ǧazīrat al-Ḥallāniyya | 56 | 17°30′52"N 56°01′29"E |
| Qarzawit | جرزعوت | Ǧazīrat Ǧarzaʿūt | 0.3 | 17°37′01"N 56°08′24"E |
| Al-Qibliyah | الجزيرة القبلية | Ǧazīra al-qibliyya | 3 | 17°30′00"N 56°20′15"E |
| Khuriya Muriya Islands | جزر خوريا موريا | Ǧuzur Ḥūriyā Mūriyā | 73 | 17°30′N 56°00′E |
External links
- 1911 Britannica
- WorldStatesmen - Oman
- Hazlitt, Classical Gazetteer, "Zenobii ins."
- Hazlitt, Classical Gazetteer, "Doliche"
- Nautical Information (Sailing Directions)
17°30′N 56°00′E