116 a ship, a motor car, or an electric light, and had never heard a radio or a phonograph. Early in 1949 Sulaiman stayed in Muscat for nearly two months, and on his departure he was given an American jeep by the Sultan, though it is said that he did not succeed in getting the vehicle all the way through the mountain pass to Tanuf. On this occasion he was again talking about building a motor road to link his territory with the coast, and it has been reported that since then be has even given thought to the possibility of constructing a landing field for aircraft within his domains. He has also made a trip to India that has helped to broaden his horizons, and in the fall of lost he performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. After meeting Sulaiman in February 1950 Thesiger wrote of him. He is without the narrow fanaticism of most Omani townsmen, interested in the inventions of the west and prepared to make use of them, and this, and his obvious ambition, makes him suspect with the Imam. He was angry that the Imam had prevented me from coming to Birkat al-Mauz at his invitation and by meeting me at al-Ma'mur he had defied the Imam and asserted his independence, but he was now obviously unwilling to take me to the Jabal al-Akhdhar and thereby risk a more serious quarrel. Although disappointed at the failure of my plans, I was glad to have met him, for he is, except for the Imam, the dominant figure in Oman. Although Sulaiman has shown signs of wishing to bring himself and his people into closer touch with the world beyond the mountains no indication has yet been found of his readiness to make an agreement with the Sultan or the British that would tend to cut him off from the remainder of the Imamate. It is possible that he would not be reluctant to deal with the governments of other foreign powers or their private citizens. For purposes of defense Sulaiman ibn Himyar maintains a sort of militia, which, though not numerous, is probably the strongest Thesiger, "Desert Borderlands", 159.
