The Northern Ḥeǧâz/Appendix 13
APPENDIX XIII
TEBÛK
Ptolemy, Geography, VI, 7: 27, records on the northwestern border of Arabia Felix a settlement called Thapaua, the name of which I regard as a corruption of Thapaucha, or Tebûk. The position of the two tallies.
O. Blau, Altarabische Sprachstudien (1871), p. 561, finds a reference to Tebûk in the work of the anonymous Ravenna geographer, Cosmographia, II, 6 (Pinder and Parthey, p. 57), reading Taboca Romanis instead of Taboca Coromanis, but the former reading is not accurate, for the Ravenna geographer erroneously copies Ptolemy, op. cit., VI, 7: 19; the correct reading of his Taboca Coromanis should be Abukaion Koromanis, which Ptolemy places on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
Al-Belâḏori, Futûḥ (De Goeje), p. 59, relates that in the year 630—631 A. D. the Prophet reached Tebûk with a large Moslem army, concluded peace with the population there on condition that they should pay the ǧizja tax (levied upon Christians and Jews), and after about ten days returned to al-Medîna.—
Tebûk, therefore, at that time was inhabited by Christians and Jews, for they were the only ones who paid the ǧizja tax.
According to Ibn Hišâm, Sîra (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 1, p. 907, mosques of the Prophet are situated at Tebûk, at the valley of al-Ḳura’, and at the following places in between: Ṯenijjet Medrân; Ḏât az-Zerrâb; al-Aḫḍar; Ḏât al-Ḫeṭmi; Alâ’i; by al-Batra at the end of al-Kawâkeb; Šiḳḳ Târa; Ḏi al-Ǧîfa; Ṣadr Ḥawḍa’; al-Ḥeǧr; aṣ-Ṣaʻîd.—
It seems that Ibn Hišâm quotes these in geographical order, for according to al-Bekri the mosque of az-Zerrâb is situated two days’ march from Tebûk; and in Ibn Hišâm it stands in the second place beyond Tebûk and before al-Aḫḍar. The latter is identical with the halting place of al-Aḫẓar, seventy kilometers south of Tebûk, so that about twenty-five kilometers would be reckoned as one day’s march. After ten such marches from Tebûk, al-Ḥeǧr would be reached, and Ibn Hišâm mentions the mosque of al-Ḥeǧr in the tenth place. We may thus locate the mosques enumerated between these two places on the Pilgrim Route. It is remarkable, however, that not a single one of the devout pilgrims who have described this route refers to these mosques consecrated by Mohammed, although they give detailed descriptions of various places connected with the legend of the Prophet Ṣâleḥ.
The defile Ṯenijjet al-Medrân is identical with the defile of al-Medra’, which begins at the ruins Ḳṣêr at-Tamra. These ruins are perhaps the only remains of the mosque of al-Medrân; they are not situated, however, on the Pilgrim Route but about twenty kilometers to the west. I locate the mosque of aṣ-Ṣaʻîd near the springs having their source beneath Ṭwejjel eben Ṣaʻîd; this, however, is not situated to the south but nearly one hundred kilometers north-northwest of al-Ḥeǧr. I should likewise identify the mosque of Ḥawḍa’ with the ruins near the well of al-Ḥawṣa’ on the crossroad to the northeast of Tebûk and at a long distance from it. If, however, these conjectures of mine are accurate, Ibn Hišâm does not enumerate the mosques in their actual order and thus does not afford an opportunity of fixing their exact position. It rather seems that the pious tradition ascribed all the mosques constructed between al-Medîna and Syria at some distance from the Pilgrim Route to the Prophet on his expeditions to Tebûk and Dûmat al-Ǧandal (al-Ǧowf).
Al-Masʻûdi, Tanbîh (De Goeje), p. 270, includes Tebûk in Syria and states that it is ninety parasangs or twelve nights distant from al-Medîna.—As the journey from Tebûk to al-Medîna is more than 550 kilometers, one parasang would be more than six kilometers. Al-Masʻûdi is the only Arabic author who gives the distances on the Syrian Pilgrim Route in parasangs. His statement cannot be more than roughly accurate, because, knowing the number of marches, he multiplied them by seven, although the separate daily marches might be longer or shorter according to the supply of water. He reckons Tebûk as part of Syria, because at his time (the middle of the tenth century) it belonged to the political administration of Syria.
According to al-Muḳaddasi, Aḥsan (De Goeje), p. 179, Tebûk in the tenth century was a small town with a mosque of the Prophet.
Al-Idrîsi, Nuzha, III, 5, locates Tebûk about midway between al-Ḥeǧr and the Syrian frontier, from which it is four days’ march distant. At Tebûk, he says, there is a citadel haunted by spirits. The inhabitants obtain water from a well which gushes out with great force, and they cultivate date palms.—
These assertions make the Ḥeǧâz extend as far as the foot of the aš-Šera’ range at a distance from Tebûk of four days’ march. Such marches would be of forty-five kilometers each.
Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 1, pp. 421, 824 f.; Vol. 4, p. 690, says that Tebûk, a place between Wâdi al-Ḳura’ and Syria, is a reservoir of the Beni Saʻd of the ʻUḏra tribe. He cites Abu Zejd al-Anṣâri to the effect that Tebûk is situated between al-Ḥeǧr and the Syrian frontier, four days’ journey from al-Ḥeǧr and nearly midway between al-Medîna (twelve days’ march distant) and Damascus. He says that it is a stronghold girded by a high wall, with a well and palms, between the mountains of Ḥesma’ in the west and Šarawra’ in the east. Many have related that the Prophet Šuʻejb was sent from Madjan—which is situated on the shore of the Red Sea six days’ journey from Tebûk—to Tebûk to the owners of the thicket of al-Ajka. But Jâḳût did not believe this narrative and was of the opinion that the thicket of al-Ajka must be located in the neighboring Madjan, whence the Prophet Šuʻejb came. At the command of Caliph ʻOmar ibn al-Ḫaṭṭâb, the Jew Ibn ʻArîḍ walled up an excellent well at Tebûk, which, according to Ibn Saʻd, was known as Mûla. It contained so much water that it perpetually overflowed.—
The distance from Tebûk to Madjan and to al-Medîna is not given in marches of equal length. Madjan is only 150 kilometers distant from Tebûk, so that Jâḳût must be reckoning according to the march of loaded camels, this being about twenty-five kilometers daily. But from Tebûk to al-Medîna is more than 550 kilometers, so that each march would have to be forty-five kilometers, the average speed of a camel rider. The ʻUḏra tribe was encamped to the southeast of Tebûk, and, when Jâḳût assigns the reservoir there to the Beni Saʻd of that tribe, he proves that in past centuries the individual clans obtained possession of various halting places just as they do today.—According to Abu Zejd too, the Ḥeǧâz extends northward as far as the aš-Šera’ range.
Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 247, refers to Ḥarra Tebûk, through which the Prophet marched on his expedition to Tebûk.—This is the volcanic territory between al-Muʻaẓẓam and Luṣṣân.
Ibn Baṭṭûṭa, Tuḥfa (Defrémery and Sanguinetti), Vol. 1, pp. 257 ff., visited Tebûk at the end of 1326 A. D. and heard from the pilgrims that they ascribed the abundance of water there to the Prophet. Arming themselves in memory of the fact that the Prophet entered this oasis at the head of a military expedition, they made a sham attack on it and struck the palm trees with their swords. They stayed in Tebûk four days, in order to rest and to obtain the water necessary for the onerous march between Tebûk and al-ʻEla’.
Aḥmed al-Maḳrîzi, Mawâʻiẓ (Codex Vindobonensis, 908 [A. F. 69]), Vol. 1, fol. 36 v., writes that the settlement of Tebûk is situated in the desert six days’ march east of Madjan and that it has an abundance of date palms.
Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa, Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople, 1145 A. H.), p. 523, also praises the pilgrims’ station of Tebûk for its date palms and water, which was increased by the Prophet in a miraculous manner. According to Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa the Sultan Suleiman had the stronghold renewed and a large reservoir constructed there.
Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople, 1232 A. H.), p. 73, calls Tebûk also ʻÂṣi Ḫurma, fixes its distance from the halting place of Ḳâʻ al-Basît at twelve hours, and mentions numerous wild palm trees, which grow there abundantly. The stronghold and reservoir, he says, were built during the reign of the Sultan Suleiman. He adds that in the stronghold there is a large fig tree, by which a well had been hollowed out. In the reservoir there is a powerful spring, near which grow fig trees, pomegranates, quinces, grapes, bêtingân, and watermelons. In Tebûk there is said to be a mosque where the Prophet prayed and which was later renovated by ʻOmar ibn ʻAbdalʻazîz. Opposite is situated a place called Ṯenijjet al-Medrâri, in which there was likewise a mosque where the Prophet prayed. In those regions much bejṭarân grows, and even forests are found because water flows there. In the neighborhood the Arabs dwelt in places which they cultivated. Only a few Arab huts stand there, where formerly a settlement had been situated. Not far away is the village called Sarṛ. All these places belong to the Ḥeǧâz, in which Mecca, al-Medîna, and Jemâma are situated. According to al-Aṣmaʻi, Ḥeǧâz is the name of the territory covered with volcanic stone. All the camping places of the Beni Selîm as far as al-Medîna are named Ḥeǧâz, because they are surrounded by mountains.—
There neither were nor are any forests near Tebûk, but both to the west, north, and northeast of Tebûk the ṛaẓa’ used to form thickets which from a distance resemble small woods. Since the building of the railway these thickets have become thinner because the ṛaẓa’ wood is sent to various railway stations or used for preparing charcoal, which is conveyed to Damascus. Ṯenijjet al-Medrâri is identical with the mosque al-Medrân, or the modern al-Medra’ near Ḳṣejr at-Tamra, about twenty kilometers to the south of Tebûk. The Arab houses stood near the garden of ar-Râjes, near the well of Ǧerṯûma, near Bîr al-Ḳena’, and elsewhere to the south and west of the settlement. The village of Sarṛ recalls the halting place of Soṛar, which, however, is situated nearly 117 kilometers north-northwest of Tebûk.
According to U. J. Seetzen (Beiträge zur Geographie Arabiens [in: Monatliche Correspondenz, edit. by F. von Zach, Vol. 18], p. 377), who records the statements of Jûsef al-Milki, Tebûk at the beginning of the nineteenth century was inhabited by the Ḥamâjde, who had emigrated northward.
APPENDIX XIV
THE PILGRIM ROUTE FROM EGYPT
Aṭ-Ṭabari, Ta’rîḫ (De Goeje), Ser. 1, p. 2078, records a statement by Ibn Ishâk to the effect that there were two highroads leading from the Ḥeǧâz to Syria: the al-Muʻreḳa road along the seashore to Ajla, and the Tebûkijje road by way of the settlement of Tebûk.
The former highroad is perhaps identical with the later Egyptian Pilgrim Route from Ajla to al-Medîna and Mecca. From Ajla northward the al-Muʻreḳaa road probably led through the rift valley of al-ʻAraba. I infer this from the fact that the first army sent to Palestine under the leadership of ʻAmr ibn al-ʻÂṣ marched in the spring of 634 A. D. from Ajla through al-ʻAraba, rested for some time at al-Ramr (see Musil, Arabia Petraea, Vol. 2, Part 2, p. 201), and proceeded thence in a north-westerly direction to Gaza.
The at-Tebûkijje road leading by way of Tebûk was later transformed into the Pilgrim Route from Damascus to al-Medîna.
Al-Jaʻḳûbi, Buldân (De Goeje), p. 330, likewise mentions the al-Muʻreḳa road as proceeding from Palestine by way of al-Ramr to the harbor of Ajla and the settlement of Madjan, even though he does not give its name.
The position of the separate halting places situated on the roads from Syria, Palestine, or Egypt to al-Medîna can nowhere be determined with the help of the exact statement of distances. Computations in parasangs or miles are lacking, and in the case of daily marches we cannot decide whether the marches of transport caravans are meant or those of camel riders, as were the pilgrims. We may therefore suppose that these roads were never officially measured. From the time of the Omayyads there are no particulars of the lengths of the Syrian pilgrim routes, and the Abbassides completely neglected them.
Ibn Ḫordâḏbeh, Masâlik (De Goeje), p. 149, was acquainted with only one road which we can precisely identify: the one from Egypt to al-Medîna. It led from the harbor of Ajla to the oasis of Ḥaḳl (40 km.); to Madjan, or the modern al-Bedʻ (80 km.); and to al-Aṛarr.—The name of the latter stopping place has been changed by the copyists in various