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Lime burning was a lucrative industry
undertaken by several Arabs who worked 15
kilns. In 1877 a quarterly fee of 3 rupees
was paid by each kiln owner to the Municipal
Fund.
Lime
crushing
The lime, or 'Chunam', as it was called
locally, was used principally by the construction industry,
and a little for dhow building.
The raw material used was coral which came
from the northern side of the harbour. The
lumps of coral would be put into red-hot
kilns into which would be thrown salt-water
causing the coral to crumble into a powder.
Fuel for the kilns was in the form of wood
which was brought by the camel-load from the
Protectorate states or in the form of
cinders obtained from the furnaces of the
local distilled water condensers.
The lime was sold by cubic volume per 'farah'
which was 1¾ x 1¾ x 1 feet.
Wood-Seller
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