TALE OF A CITY 102 a. the difficulties Sharjah had to deal with as its creek was too narrow; and b. the strictness of the Iranian Custom Authorities in Lingeh, Bandar Abbas, and other parts. Asaresultof thelatterreason,manyIranianmerchantsmovedtheirwholesale businesses completely to Dubai which was considered “a storehouse” not only for the Arabian coast and its remote areas, but also for the Persian coast on the other side of the Gulf. Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, was 40 years of age at the time, had a fairly large library, and income of about 70,000 Rupees a year divided as follows: 40,000 Rupees from the oil concession, 25,000 from BOAC, and 5,000 from customs and other levies. It is a fact that Sharjah, at some point, was the most prosperous place on the Trucial Coast. Its decline was owing to the difficulties resulting from its narrow creek. The marketplace in Sharjah was active with abundant products. The hospital worked at more than full capacity. Work in the aerodrome and the resthouse built for the R.A.F was progressing speedily. In spite of the fact that the construction work began later than it should have, Sheikh Sultan was taking care of all the facilities. The market was busy, the creek full of craftsmen, the active atmosphere was that of liveliness and prosperity. It was like nothing ever witnessed before in the Gulf. Most of the shop owners were Iranian; others wereHindu, IndianMuslim and Baharni. The only ones dressed in European attire were the storehouse manager, Gray McKenzie, and the Post Office Director, who was a Muslim from the Sind. McKenzie’s storehouse was full of merchandise, and it was obvious that it was doing excellent business. As for the Post Office, it exceeded all the expectations. The Post and Telegraph Department of the Government of India had predicted that the Sharjah Post Office was not going to be able to meet its expenses. However, by 15 April 1942, that is, two weeks after its inauguration, the Post Office was able to pay back all its expenses that month. On 10 August 1942, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Muhammad al-Shamsi,
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