al-Ḫeǧijje; Sejḥ al-Ḳṣejr; al-Metâha; aṣ-Ṣdejr; al-ʻEmejḳ; ʻAleǧân, made by the junction of al-Mḥaṭṭa and al-Ṛâra; Amwas, formed by the combination of Fejḥân, ar-Râḥa, and Emtân; and, finally, at the water of al-Bedʻ and ruins of Ḥawra, the šeʻîb of an-Nmejr. On the right the valley al-Abjaẓ is joined by the shorter šeʻibân of Sidd near the spring of al-Wuǧêra, by aš-Šerâf, as-Seʻêd, aṭ-Ṭleje, al-Ḥṣâne, Mašra’, Umm ʻEšš, Ḫarm al-ʻÂḳer, Asejḥer, az-Zerâfa, al-Maḳje, and Ekḳâd.
ʻELW AS-SIRR TO THE ŠEʻÎB OF AL-MISMA’
Having spent a peaceful night, we left our encampment at 4.34 A. M. on Friday, June 10, 1910. There were a number of isolated rocks scattered over the plain, among them, on our right, the small red rock of al-Ḥmejdijje, said to be inhabited by a spirit. At 5.20 we reached the rocks of aš-Šaraf and Umm Ǧidde, between which the Pilgrim Route of as-Sulṭânijje swings off, maintaining, however, its generally southeasterly direction from al-ʻAḳaba to the šeʻîb of aš-Šerâf, through which it reaches the wâdi of al-Abjaẓ where it trends southward.[1]
Leaving the Pilgrim Route, we rode in a southerly direction along the foot of ad-Daʻǧânijje. At six o’clock we met two riders on camels and three wayfarers traveling from west to east. Having greeted our guide, they stopped with him for about ten minutes, after which the riders went on eastward, while the wayfarers joined us. Falling into conversation with them, I discovered that one had an admirable knowledge of the region, so I asked him to accompany us as a guide. He accepted my offer and told me that he was going to fetch his riding camel which his father was watering at the well of Bwâra.
At 6.24 A. M. we entered a gap about three hundred meters broad and rising to the south, which we followed until 7.20, when we halted. The baggage was unloaded, and Ismaʻîn and Šerîf, together with the old guide, drove the camels to the well of al-Bwâra, which flows in a deep šeʻîb. The new
- ↑ Aš-Šerâf is the ancient pilgrims’ halting place, Šaraf al-Baʻl or Šarafe Beni ʻAṭijje.Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 1. p. 675; Vol. 3, p. 278, mentions Šaraf al-Baʻl but does not know whether it is a place in Syria or a mountain on the Pilgrim Route from Syria.—Jâḳût was not familiar with the Pilgrim Route from Egypt.Al-Ḳazwîni (died 1283 A. D.). Aǧâ’ib, (Cairo, 1321 A. H.), Vol. 1, p. 234, says that the mountain of Šaraf al-Baʻl rises on the Pilgrim Route leading from Syria to al-Medîna. On it there is a large building for the statues of deities wrought so artistically in stone that it would have been exceedingly difficult to do the same work in wood. Everyone marvels at the height of the building, the size of the stones, and the length of the pillars.—The name Šaraf al-Baʻl is printed Šaraḳ al-Baʻl. The place now is full of isolated rocks curiously eaten away by sand and wind, rain, frost, and sun.
