OMAHA 23 OMBAY em terminus of the Union Pacific rail- road. Stock yards were established in 1884. In 1898 the trans-Mississippi Ex- position was held here. The Grain Exchange was opened in 1904. In 1920 Omaha was selected as the half-way sta- tion of the Trans-continental Aerial Mail. Pop. (1910) 124,096; (1920) 191,601. OMAHA, UNIVERSITY OF, a coedu- cational institution in Omaha, Neb.; founded in 1880 under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and in- structors, 73; students, 509. President, D. E. Jenkins, Ph. D. OMAHAS, a tribe of North Ameri- can Indians living in E. Nebraska. They number about 1,400. The name is derived from an Indian word meaning "those who go up the stream, or against the current." OMAN, or MUSKAT, a sultanate in Arabia (British Protectorate), partly on the Persian Gulf, partly on the Indian Ocean; area, estimated at 82,000 square miles; pop. about 500,000. The chief features of the country are stretches of barren sand or rock, mountains reaching the height of 10,000 feet; fertile valleys and plains, yielding abundance of grain, sugar, fruits, cotton, coffee, etc., Oman being the richest part of the Arabian peninsula both in agricultural products and in mineral treasures. The inhabi- tants are very superstitious and immoral. They are mostly Arabs. The form of government is a monarchy (the ruler be- ing styled Imam), limited by a powerful aristocracy with hereditary privileges. Zanzibar and its dependencies formerly belonged to Oman. The capital is Mus- kat. Pop. 24,000. Since 1913 the inte- rior has been in a state of continuous revolt. The Sultan's power really only extends along the sea-coast. OMAN, CHARLES WILLIAM CHADWICK, British historian, born in India, 1860; graduate of Oxford; be- came deputy professor of modern history there in 1900. In 1905 he was elected to the British Academy of Sciences. Among his best known works are: "A Short History of the Byzantine Empire" (1892); "A History of Europe, from 476 to 918" (1893) ; "A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages" (1898) ; and a "History of England" (6 vols., 1905). ^ OMAN, GULF OF, an arm of the Ara- bian Sea, between Oman and the S. coast of Persia. It is connected with the Per- sian Gulf by the Strait of Ormuz. OMAR I., Caliph of the Mussulmans, the successor of Abu-Bekr, and father- in-law of Mohammed. He began his reign a. d. 634, and is conspicuous among the conquerors who chiefly contributed to the spread of Ilsamism. His generals drove the Greeks out of Syria and Phoe- nicia; and the Caliph himself took pos- session of Jerusalem in 638, till it was reconquered by Godfrey of Bouillon, at the end of the 11th century. Amru, one of his generals, defeated the troops of Heraclius, near Antioch, in 641. Mem- phis and Alexandria surrendered; all Egypt and a part of Libya were con- quered from the Romans; and the famous library, which had been founded at Alexandria by Ptolemy Philadelphus, is said to have been burnt by the express order of Omar I. Having fixed his resi- dence at Medina, he was there assassi- nated by a Persian slave, in the 10th year of his reign, a. d. 643. He refused to ap- point a successor; and thus the caliphate became elective. He introduced the sys- tem of standing armies, and a police force. OMAR II., the eighth Caliph of the Ommiades, great-grandson of the preced- ing, and succeeded Solyman in 717. He laid siege to Constantinople, but was forced to raise it, on account of a violent storm, which destroyed a great part of his fleet. He was poisoned in 720. OMAR KHAYYAM, a Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician; born in Nishapur in Khorasan. His scientific works, which were of high value in their day, have been eclipsed by his "Rubai- yat," a collection of about 500 epigrams in praise of wine, love, and pleasure. A portion of the "Rubaiyat" was translated or rather adapted into English verse by Edward Fitzgerald (1859-1879), and en- joyed a wide popularity. Other versions were made but Fitzgerald's remains the best. Omar Khayyam died in Mishapur 1123. OMBAY, MALOEWA, or MALUWA, Malay Archipelago, one of the Sunda Islands between Celebes and the N. W. coast of Australia, from which it is sep- arated by the Strait of Ombay. The hills are volcanic, and the coasts steep and difficult to approach. The inhabi- tants are dark brown, have thick lips, flat nose, and woolly hair; appearing to be of mixed Negro and Malay origin. They are armed with the bow, spear, and creese, and live on the produce of the chase, with fish, cocoanuts, rice, and honey, A portion of the island formerly beyonged to the Portuguese, but since Aug. 6, 1851, it has entirely become a
