Hamasa () is an area in the
Buraimi area in
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
on the
Oman–United Arab Emirates border.
Hamasa, for the period of 200 years, was the capital of the Buraimi district.
History
Being part of the
region of Tawam or Al-Buraimi Oasis, Hamasa's history dates back thousands of years, and in 2015 was the site of archaeological investigations undertaken by
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) () is a public university located in al-Seeb, Oman. Established in 1986, it is one of the two public universities in the country and is named after Qaboos bin Said al-Said, the Sultan of Oman from 1970 until 202 ...
, the
Omani Ministry of Heritage & Culture and
Zayed University. It was described by the explorer
Wilfred Thesiger
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger (3 June 1910 – 24 August 2003), also known as Mubarak bin Landan (, ''the blessed one of London'') was a British military officer, explorer, and writer. Thesiger's travel books include '' Arabian Sands'' (1959), ...
as being involved in the slave trade when he visited in the 1940s.
Al Kandaq Fort
The Al Kandaq Fort is an ancient fort located in Hamasa. The fort is believed to have been built in the pre-Islamic era. It is being maintained by the government since 1994. The fort is a local tourist attraction. It is situated just 755m away from the Hamasa border crossing station connecting
Al Buraimi to
Al Ain
Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...
.
Role in the Buraimi dispute
On 31 August 1952, Hamasa was occupied by a group of 80 Saudi guards led by the Saudi
Emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
of
Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura (, presumably due to the unusual heat prevalent at the cape that projects into the sea) is a city and semi-governorate in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Per ...
,
Turki bin Abdullah Al Otaishan as part of the Saudi's attempts to claim
Buraimi as the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.The British initially responded with diplomacy and formality and reached a Standstill agreement in October 1952 and negotiations to take place in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
. In 1955, proceedings had taken place in Geneva only to collapse when the British arbitrator,
Sir Reader Bullard, objected to Saudi Arabian attempts to influence the tribunal and withdrew – one of the two judges to resign, the other being the Belgian President.
Given these breaches of the agreement, the British government decided to unilaterally abrogate the Standstill Agreement and take the oasis on 25 October 1955.
On 25 October, the
Trucial Oman Levies quickly took the oasis and captured all fifteen of the Saudi contingent under the Saudi Emir Bin Nami.
Following the conflict, the British decided to split the territory of Buraimi Oasis, ceding the areas under the
Na'im and
Al Bu Shamis,
Buraimi and Hamasa, to Oman and the territory under Sheikh Zayed, including the village of
Al Ain
Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...
, to
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
.
The dispute continued to rumble on for many years to come until settled in 1974 by an agreement, known as the
Treaty of Jeddah, between Sheikh
Zayed (then President of the UAE) and
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; Najdi Arabic pronunciation: ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until #Assassination and aftermath, his assassination in 1975. Before his ascension, he served as Cr ...
.
See also
*
Al-Buraimi
*
Al Qabil
*
Mahdah
*
Sunaynah
References
Oman–United Arab Emirates border crossings
{{Oman-geo-stub