THE ŠEʻÎB OF AL-ḤÂKA TO AL-ḪAMÎS
On Monday, July 4, 1910, at 3.53 A. M., we left the channel of al-Ḥâka—here crossed by the railway on an embankment of no great height although it is provided with eighty culverts. To the southwest rose the isolated hill Ṭwejjel Ṣaʻîd, near which is the well of the same name. On the east extend the low hills of al-Ṛwêrât, from which proceeds the šeʻîb of al-Miṣwal. This šeʻîb merges into the short šeʻîb of al-Meḳbel by the station of al-Muʻaẓẓam and joins the šeʻîb of Abu Ḥlejje. It thus forms a broad valley covered with coarse gravel, gradually narrowing towards the north. On the east it is bordered by the elevation of al-Maradd, on the west by the rocky slope of aš-Šrejf, so that the šeʻîb is only about four hundred meters broad. Before it narrows in this way, it is joined by the broad šeʻîb of ad-Dirʻ. On the southeastern spur of aš-Šrejf is a large rain water pond, or ḫabra’, the north and east sides of which are enclosed by a long, artificial, stone wall, in order that more water may be held; but this wall is now broken down in places. The whole pond is fringed by a broad strip of luxuriant vegetation. On its northwestern edge and on the southwestern foot of aš-Šrejf stands the fortress of al-Muʻaẓẓam, in which three gendarmes reside. At every corner the fortress has circular projecting towers connected with the rectangular wall only at the angles. Around the courtyard are constructed stables, storerooms, and dwellings, and in the center a well is hollowed out. A few paces farther to the north there is a tiny house belonging at the time of my visit to the manager of the Royal Telegraph Office. Alongside the railway there were two telegraph lines, one being royal property, the other belonging to the railway administration.[1]
The railway station of al-Muʻaẓẓam is situated to the east of the rain pond at the foot of al-Maradd. In front of the railway station there is a large well, a reservoir, and
- ↑ Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa, Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople, 1145 A. H.), p. 523, writes that al-Malek al-Muʻaẓẓam ʻÎsa had a reservoir for rain water built at this place known as Birket al-Muʻaẓẓam. Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople. 1232 A. H.), p. 76, calls this station Birket al-Muʻaẓẓam or Wâdi al-Asad and says that it is seventeen hours distant from al-Uḫajḍer. During abundant rains there are torrents flowing near it. The reservoir was built in the year 600 A. H. (1203—1204 A. D.) by al-Malek al-Muʻaẓẓam ʻÎsa of the Beni Ajjûb. It is three thousand cubits square, but at the end of the seventeenth century it was broken up. If it contains no rain water, the pilgrims obtain their supplies at al-Uḫajḍer. The stronghold of Birket al-Muʻaẓẓam is called Abu Ǧnejb. In the surrounding neighborhood grow many acacias (ṭalḥ).
