The Northern Ḥeǧâz/Chapter 5

by Alois Musil

CHAPTER V

MADIAN TO THE OASIS OF ŠARMA

AL-MALḲAṬA TO AL-ḪRAJBE

Having left the ruins of al-Malḳaṭa, we reached the ancient Pilgrim Route at noon and proceeded along it toward the south-southeast. After a short while we met two riders on camels, subjects of the chief Abu Ṭḳêḳa, who were carrying a message to the ʻImrân. They informed us that ʻAfnân, the son of the chief, was living at al-Ḫrajbe. The Mesâʻîd, who until now had been watching us from a distance, disappeared as soon as they saw that we were talking to the riders.

The Pilgrim Road leads across a stony, bare, and almost flat plain, al-Ṛarâma, bordered on the east by the red peaks of aš-Šedîḫ and aḏ-Ḏbejbi. At 1.30 P. M. we crossed the šeʻîb of al-Mhâš, and at two o’clock al-Marra umm Ǧarda. From 2.30 to 3.25 we halted by al-Ḳtejbe in order to make a sketch of the surrounding district. At 4.05 we crossed the broad channel of Mšâš al-Ḥawa and perceived on the left a deep gap through which the šeʻîb of al-Kûs proceeds from the mountain. We reached this šeʻîb at 4.30 and at 5.48 came to the channel of ar-Râka, or Arâka, in which grew a quantity of green plants of the same name, but these our camels refused to touch. The šeʻîb of ar-Râka joins that of al-Ḫrob. We searched vainly in the undulating plain, with its broad and shallow valleys, for pasture for our camels, but nowhere could we find any green vegetation, for everything was completely dried up. But at 6.15 we found extensive groves of low dûm palms, from which the ʻarâd shrubs stood out here and there by reason of their yellow color. Branching off eastward from the highroad, we encamped at 6.45 in the deep šeʻîb of al-Ḫrob, which was covered with a growth of ʻarâd shrubs (temperature: 33.8° C). Our camels could now graze. I was feeling far from well, as I was racked with fever and physically quite exhausted. Fearing the rapacious Mesâʻîd, we kept guard all night over our baggage and camels.

On Monday, June 13, 1910, we started off at 4.47 A. M. (temperature: 26.8° C), leaving the Pilgrim Route that leads to the southeast and proceeding southward to al-Ḫrajbe. This region is full of lofty, oblong heights with steep, rocky slopes and broad, fertile valleys; but the latter were completely parched, as there had been no adequate rain for the last four years. There was an impressive view to the east, where the sun was just rising. A chain of high granite mountains, extending toward the southeast to within about fifty kilometers of the shore, concealed the sun in such a way that isolated rays penetrated only through the deep mountain gaps. The eastern peaks and angles of the granite summits shone with a clear light, while the western parts lay swathed in a dark blue curtain. Two thirds of the whole range were almost invisible, for dense vapors rested on them; only the upper third projected above the mists. I felt as if I were standing before a great exhibition of ecclesiastical architecture, save that I was not confronted with small patterns or diagrams of the various styles but with temples of all possible shapes in their natural sizes or even of gigantic dimensions. There was perhaps no variety of Gothic which was not represented there. The roofs and towers glittered in the sun’s rays and around them could be seen Gothic churches with countless turrets and windows, unequaled in wealth of ornament even by the Milan cathedral. Magnificent domes were displayed in every possible variety of style, and among them the attention was held by a number of cupolas, reminiscent of baroque architecture in its prime. Nor were the simple and magnificent forms of the earliest basilicas missing. And all these towers, turrets, roofs, columns, pillars, and statues were as if festively illuminated, shining with the clearest luster, while the houses and churches below were hidden in a mysterious twilight. My eye fondly clung to this splendid picture, and my only desire was that the sun should rise quite gradually. But suddenly the pure orb leaped above the highest towers, and all those temples, houses, and basilicas disappeared, leaving only the bare parched rocks before us. How beautiful is mere illusion, how prosaic is reality!

At 5.02 we rode through the broad šeʻîb of al-Mrâḥ, in which the luxuriant, dark green ʻasla grows.

 

To the east of this valley rise the plateaus of aṣ-Ṣeʻede and Radma, and above these plateaus project the isolated black cones and ridges of the granite mountains which form the above-mentioned chain on the watershed between the Red Sea and the lowland near the Ḥeǧâz railway. Naming them from the northwest, these mountains are al-Ḫejmri, al-ʻEnejme, Dafdaf, Ṣafwân, ar-Râwa, as-Sîḳ, aš-Šâṭi, and Ḳîr. From al-Muʻaffara they approach the sea like an arch, so that between them and the mountains of az-Zihed and al-Ṛâjme there lies a deep basin,
Fig. 55—The šeʻîb of aṣ-Ṣwêr. from which the rain water flows to the oasis of ʻAjnûna. From the southern slope of the mountain of al-Muʻaffara runs the šeʻîb of the same name; from Ṣafwân comes the šeʻîb of ʻAẓbe; from ar-Râwa and al-Ḫarîṣ, the šeʻîb of Râwa, near which rises the spring of al-Bsajjeṭ; and from the plateau of Radma, the šeʻibân of Umm Nîrân and Entêš.

 

At 5.42 we advanced through the broad šeʻîb of al-Ǧimm, which is covered with a growth of palm thickets and could be transformed into an extensive plantation of date palms. It forms the border of the region known as al-Hrajbe. At 6.16 we crossed the šeʻîb of aṣ-Ṣwêr, which contains a growth of dûm bushes. From 6.45 to seven o’clock we halted in this šeʻîb, for among the dûm palms we discovered a number of ratam bushes which our camels devoured greedily (Fig. 55). To the west there rises the elevated ridge of Dabbet aṣ-Ṣwêr.

Proceeding on our journey, we rode through the hillock range of Berḳ al-Mḫaṣṣab with its deep and narrow šeʻibân and steep slopes, the eastern sides of which are covered with sand.

All night long quite a strong northeast wind had been blowing. At sunrise the wind abated, but at 7.28 A. M. it began to blow from the southwest.

At 8.40 we entered the šeʻîb of al-Mḫaṣṣab. In the sand drifts on both sides of this šeʻîb there is a luxuriant growth of tonẓob bushes, which in places form low trees. As soon as the south-southwesterly wind began to blow, the air was filled with innumerable horizontal veils of vapor, which rested nearly on the ground. The sun’s rays then penetrated and heated them, so that they became as a sweltering furnace. At 9.10 we again caught sight of the Red Sea through a gap in the šeʻîb of al-Mḫaṣṣab. It was not red, but of a pale and even yellowish blue. The flat marshy shores merge into it without any sharp transition. Our guide Ḥsejn caught a large ẓabb lizard, which he tied up in his cloak, wishing to take it home as a delicacy.

At 9.25 we passed from the hillock range to the flat shore, and proceeded to the southeast through a region covered with rimṯ shrubs and sejâl trees that make it resemble our orchards. But neither the rimṯ nor the sejâl was green; all the trees and shrubs were a pale yellow or a parched gray. Towards the northeast this coastal plain joins a green hillock range, behind and above which there rise the granite mountains. To the west, rising above the sea, were the pink rocks of the islands of Tîrân, Ṣenâfîr, Abu Šušwa, Rajamân, Umm as-Sjêle, Barḳân, and al-Maḳṣûd. Close to the shore itself we observed numerous islets, among which a white sail was wending its way.

At 9.42 we saw to the southeast the green palm groves in the oasis of ʻAjnûna, which belongs to the Ḏijâbîn and Zamâhre clans of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama. It is situated at the foot of the red hillock range of Berḳ al-Mḫaṣṣab at the point where the latter is penetrated by the Râwa šeʻîb. Beneath the trees could be seen a number of white huts constructed of palm leaves.^[1]

The oasis of ʻAjnûna is famed for its good, fresh water, which once flowed through a walled aqueduct, now ruined in places, to the coast settlement of al-Ḫrajbe. We recognized this place from a number of palm trees standing on the shore itself. Behind the palms several stone huts have been built, but as they are of the same gray color as the shore they are indistinguishable from it. At ten o’clock we entered Wâdi ʻAjnûna, two kilometers broad, which might easily be transformed into one great palm garden. On the southern side there rose a low elevation, upon which was situated a four-cornered building with the Turkish flag flying over it. This building, really no more than a spacious cottage, is the fortress of al-Ḫrajbe. West of the fortress, or rather of the barracks, there are a number of palms, and between them and the sea stand ten small trading huts built of marl.

AT AL-ḪRAJBE

At 10.28 A. M. our camels knelt down beneath the palms at al-Ḫrajbe (Fig. 56) (temperature: 35° C). As there was no pasture anywhere in the neighborhood, we tied their forelegs together, and instead of grazing they rested. Before long six traders approached us. They were young men with thick lips and broad, fleshy noses; and all of them were dressed in thin white shirts and fine white turbans. They were eager to know what we were buying or selling. Behind them came two other men: one dressed in trousers, one leg of which reached only to the knee, and in a vest, while the second was wearing trousers similar to our bathing drawers and a thick padded coat.
Fig. 56—Al-Ḫrajbe from the northwest. They introduced themselves to me as gendarmes and requested that I should visit the commander of the garrison, under whose command were fifteen infantry soldiers of the line.

The commander was sitting in a hut which had been built north of the barracks. He greeted me very agreeably and offered me his services and help even before I had shown him my recommendations. He complained of the ruinous climate and the dreadful solitude in al-Ḫrajbe. The head commander resided at Jidda and paid no attention to the separate garrisons distributed along the coast. Once a month a ship arrived at al-Ḫrajbe from the settlement of Ẓbe’ with rice or ḏura (a kind of millet, a variety of Andropogon sorghum); once every two or three months a ship from Suez put in with flour, rice, and particularly clothing, which were exchanged for charcoal, obtained by the neighboring Arabs from sejâl, ṭarfa, and, in the highlands, from ṛaẓa. Except for these vessels, nobody came to al-Ḫrajbe for months at a time. If the garrison was relieved, it received food supplies for six to twelve months. When I mentioned that our flour was running short, the commander immediately offered me some of his own for sale. His flour was clear white, but half mixed with potato flour. The officer and the soldiers declared that they had enough to eat, but that they were suffering from various diseases. They were afraid of water, especially of sea water. Not a single one would bathe in the sea, and they washed only when it was absolutely necessary and then only in a superficial manner so as to carry out the command of their religion. They were firmly convinced that all the diseases which were rampant at al-Ḫrajbe came from the sea and that the deeper a man plunged into the sea water, the sooner he would catch them. They were afraid of water, but they drank distilled liquor, ʻaraḳ, which was brought by the vessels from Suez. The officer’s family dwelt a cottage of palm leaves built in an old cellar which had been somewhat cleaned out. The commander showed me a rectangular pool to the east of the barracks where the aqueduct from ʻAjnûna ends.

Southwest of the pool had been laid out gardens of date palms, which, though not large, were carefully tended. They were the property of the chief, Abu Ṭḳêḳa, and his son ʻAfnân was then inspecting the promised harvest for that year. As soon as I left the commander, the chief’s son came to call upon me. He was about twenty years of age, puny and frail, with a dark-colored face like all the coast dwellers. On his head he wore a fine white kerchief fastened with a broad, bright-colored string. A thin white shirt, over which was a loose white cloak, covered his body, and he wore large sandals on his feet. The expression of his face was gentle, his eyes were large, and the edges of his eyelids were darkly tinted with koḥl (collyrium, antimony powder). After the usual greetings I asked him to furnish me with a guide to Tebûk. He told me to visit the territory of his tribe and then to travel to Tebûk from Ẓbe’. I thanked him for his kind invitation and promised him that I would be sure to visit their territory, but not for about a fortnight. The scientific investigation of the territory of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama demanded at least twenty days, and our supplies were not sufficient for that length of time. When leaving Maʻân, I had taken supplies for only fifteen to twenty days, for I had supposed that I should be able to survey the region lying east of the railway and within the allotted time reach Tebûk, to which place I had arranged that all my supplies should be transported by railway. But the war between the Ḥwêṭât and Beni ʻAṭijje on one side, and the Beni Ṣaḫr and Šarârât on the other, had prevented me from traveling to the east of the railway. Consequently, I had proceeded westward to al-ʻAḳaba, and had already been on the road for eighteen days. The uninvited guests had partly helped us to diminish our supplies so that not even the additional flour which we purchased was adequate, and there was no other food to be had. In addition to that, I needed photographic plates and gifts for the head chief of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama and his relations; our camels were tired and hungry, and we learnt from ʻAfnân that in the whole territory of his tribe there was absolutely no pasturage; in fact, his father had sent his horses to Egypt and had entrusted his camels to the protection of Chief Abu Šâma, who was encamped to the west of al-Ḥeǧr. It was therefore necessary for us to proceed to Tebûk to obtain the necessary supplies there and to give the camels a rest and good pasturage. I proposed that after a stay of about ten days at Tebûk we should return to the coast territory of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama, through which I intended to travel as far as al-Weǧh, where I could visit my old acquaintance Slîmân eben Refâde, the head chief of the Beli tribe. From al-Weǧh we were to go to al-Ḥeǧr, to which place our supplies were likewise to be transported.

When ʻAfnân heard that I intended to return to his territory, he promised that he would give me a guide who would conduct us as far as Tebûk and from Tebûk to Ẓbe’. When I asked him where I should find this guide, he answered that he was now sojourning in the oasis of Šarma and that he would send for him. I suggested that we should immediately set out for the oasis of Šarma, as our camels had no pasturage at al-Ḫrajbe. But neither ʻAfnân nor the commander, who meanwhile had joined us, wanted to let me leave al-Ḫrajbe at once, and it required a long time to obtain their consent. ʻAfnân declared that he would come with me and asked me to have the water bags filled. At al-Ḫrajbe there is plenty of water, for wherever a hole about four meters deep is dug water is found, but it is quite salt. For that reason drinking-water is brought from the oasis of ʻAjnûna. We filled one skin with salt water, while the officer had the other one filled for us with good water from ʻAjnûna, and when we left al-Ḫrajbe at 2.30 he accompanied us some distance.

THE ḤWÊṬÂT AT-TIHAMA AND THE TURKISH
GOVERNMENT

ʻAfnân was riding on a very lean white camel, and his two negroes went on foot. His father, the head chief Abu Ṭḳêḳa, generally resided in the settlement of Ẓbe’ where the muḥâfeẓ^[2] of the wâli of the town of Jidda also dwelt.

The tribe of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama^[3] is composed of the following clans:

al-ʻEmêrât
al-Mesâʻîd
aḏ-Ḏijâbîn
az-Zamâhre
aṭ-Ṭḳêḳât

Selêmijjîn
al-ʻObejjât
al-Mawase
al-Mešâhîr
al-Ḳurʻân

al-Ǧawâhre
al-Ḳbêẓât
al-Faḥâmîn
al-Ǧerâfîn

Until 3.40 we rode along the shore in an almost easterly direction and then turned southward. We met four men going to al-Ḫrajbe. They were farmers who tended ʻAfnân’s gardens at Šarma in return for a quarter of the net yield. They joined us. At 4.15 we rode into the broad, marshy lowland of Wâdi Šarma. Here and there rise low, sandy drifts and cones, from which grow tonẓob and rimṯ. Between them stand serried groups of sejâl trees. We saw, on the peninsula of Mṣajbet Šarma before us, a large ruined building and in front of it Ḳṣêr abu Ṭḳêḳa, a large, roofless, four-cornered house with broken windows. Both buildings had been erected for the use of pilgrims by the chief Abu Ṭḳêḳa, but as the number of pilgrims was growing smaller year by year, the houses were deserted and falling into decay.

At 4.50 we encamped near a small hovel constructed of palm leaves, which also belongs to the family of Abu Ṭḳêḳa, the members of which use it as a nocturnal lodging when they visit the oasis of Šarma. They are afraid of the oasis, because the ague is said to lurk there at night and to attack every stranger who ventures within its domain. The oasis itself appeared to us as a broad, dark strip lying towards the east-northeast.

Sitting down with ʻAfnân about one hundred paces from the rest of the party, I asked him whether the inhabitants of the coast were satisfied with the Turkish Government. His reply was voluble:

“May Allâh curse the Turkish Government! What do we get from it? They give us nothing and oppress us wherever they can. In every harbor they have placed a toll collector, but they pay no heed to the harbor itself, or to the buildings which are necessary for the storing of goods. All along the shore they have placed regular garrisons who do not protect, but harass and exploit us. I am sorry for the soldiers who die here or who are killed by our arms. They are destroyed by the climate, to which they are not accustomed, and they are destroyed by us when they steal our goats, sheep, and cows. They are supposed to protect us against our enemies, but they do not venture even so much as a gunshot beyond their barracks and indeed scarcely dare even to thrust their heads outside the doors. It is a good thing that they let us have their ammunition and even their firearms by trade or sale. And these poor wretches are the representatives of the Turkish Government in our country! It is no wonder that we hate and despise the Turkish Government as we do. It never occurs to us to pay any attention to what is happening in Constantinople, but we are all interested by what is happening in Egypt or among the English. The Turkish soldiers and ourselves have Turkish money, it is true, but we fix its value according to Egyptian or English money. Our traders maintain trading relations only with the Egyptians and the English. They read Egyptian newspapers and tell us about everything that they learn. The poor people go to Egypt to find work and profit, and when they return home a few months later they proclaim the splendor of Egypt. We all want our coast to become a possession of England, or at least of Egypt. When the Viceroy of Egypt, the Ḫedîwi, made a pilgrimage to Mecca this year, we supposed that he would become our master. But we were mistaken. If we belonged to the Egyptians or the English, all the settlements on our coast would flourish. Our oases would be capable of feeding thousands of people. Thou visitedst al-Bedʻ, Mûsa; thou sawest al-ʻEfâl and thou wilt see Šarma, so thou wilt believe it when I tell thee that at al-Bedʻ and al-ʻEfâl and in the šeʻibân situated to the east thousands and thousands could find nourishment. The whole of this region could be planted with palms and transformed into a garden. And ʻAjnûna, the coast by al-Ḫrajbe, the whole of the wudijân of Šarma, Terîm, and aṣ-Ṣurr, the neighborhood of Ẓbe’ and other places could be inhabited by peasants, if the safety of our lives and property could be guaranteed. We are told about Paradise which we have not seen, but the whole of our coast could be made a single paradise and we could dwell in it.”

“Who taught thee, ʻAfnân, to speak thus?”

“My father, my uncles on my father’s side, and all with whom I meet. Betake thyself, O Mûsa, to al-Mwêleḥ or Ẓbe’ or Ẓaḥakân, and everywhere thou wilt hear the same thing that I, ʻAfnân, am telling thee.”

We were disturbed in our conversation by three riders on camels arriving from the south. They were going on the Darb ar-Rakak road as far as the aš-Šarma valley, where they had branched off to the oasis, and, having discovered that ʻAfnân was sojourning at al-Ḫrajbe, they had wished to go there to see him. But the slave, whom ʻAfnân had sent into the oasis for the sheep, had told them that ʻAfnân was to be found on the peninsula of al-Mṣajbe, and they had therefore journeyed to us. While ʻAfnân was discussing things with one of them, the other two drew in the sand for me a map of all the surrounding neighborhood from al-Ǧeles to the sea, indicating the hills and mountains by means of small stones and cutting the courses of the various šeʻibân. They were admirably acquainted with the whole region, especially the elder, who, quite unabashed, declared that when he had been a young man he had been fond of going on marauding expeditions and that he had spent months at a time in the ravines of the granite mountains which separate the coast valleys from the northern highlands. From his indications we drew a map of the whole coast area and fixed the position of the mountains in sight, from Mount Ṛâl in the south as far as Ornub in the east and az-Zihed in the north.

Mṣajbet Šarma is actually the eastern extremity of a strip of dry land which formerly extended westward nearly as far as Râs al-Ḳaṣba. This strip was broken through by the sea in six places, and of it there remain six larger islets and several smaller ones. Between them and the northern mainland there is a bay about twenty kilometers broad and sixty-five kilometers long. During the reign of the Ptolemies these islets were explored, and detailed accounts of them and the coast have been preserved to us from the second century before Christ.^[4]

TOPOGRAPHY OF REGION BETWEEN ŠARMA AND BADA’

To the southeast of the peninsula of Mṣajbet Šarma rises the tableland of an-Nuḫbâr, and, to the south of the latter, Burḳa Ḳrajḳre, which passes eastward into al-Ḥamûm. Near Burḳa Ḳrajḳre the šeʻîb of ar-Râṯijje proceeds seawards, and farther on are Rowẓ al-ʻAbd; Terîm; al-Waḳẓân; Ṣwêr, near the village of Ṣawra; Abu Serîḥa; al-Mṛîr abu Hašîm, separated by the elevation of aṣ-Ṣafra from al-Mṛîr abu Ḫajme; aṭ-Ṭwejjeḳ; Umm Ǧejhîle; al-Mestebeḳ; aẓ-Ẓawǧe, proceeding from the spring of Ammu Sjejle in the hills of al-Aṣâjle; Smejr Ǧâber; al-Ḳâmre; al-Fšêr, which rises in al-Frejš; Abu Dijje; aṣ-Ṣurr; and al-Ḥaǧǧâr, forming the northern border of the elevation of Leḥjâne, through which winds al-Miṣṭâḥ, which begins in the hills of al-Mawḳre. Southeast of these, the jagged hillocks of as-Snejwijje, Ṭwejjel al-Kibrît, al-Bêẓa, and Ḥmêra-l–Ḳrajḳer approach near the shore. The separate river beds form deep šeʻibân with steep banks. They are: al-Ḥarr, which terminates in the harbor of the same name; al-Ḳmajjes, which ends in the harbor Šerm al-Ḫirḳe; al-Bêẓa; al-Madsûs, which, joining Abu Ṛarâjer and al-Mradder, reaches the harbor of Ǧibbe; al-Manaṭṭ; al-Muʻarraš, which passes through the salt swamp as-Sabḫa; ad-Derre; and Abu Šerîra and al-Ṛâl, which form the southern border of the hills of Ḥmêra-l-Ḳrajḳer. Farther to the southeast the undulating plain nearly reaches the sea, towards which it falls in a gradual slope. Through this plain pass the šeʻibân of al-Mhaššam, ʻEjâne, aš-Šḳîḳ, al-Hâši, Ẓaḥakân, Ẓbe’, Sidre, and al-Kfâfi, all of which come from the mountains of aš-Šrejḫ and Abu Rîš. Farther on are: as-Sâlmi, with the spring of al-Bedîʻ; al-Ǧawḫa; Abu Tîrân; al-Baḥara; ad-Dâma; aš-Šbêrem and al-Marr, penetrating the hillocks of an-Nuṣba; al-Aznam; Ḥrajmel; ad-Duḫḫân; ad-Dḫêḫîn; Balâḫt; al-Marra; Ḳrejdaḥḥa; and Šaʻaf.

The longest valleys are those of aš-Šarma, Terîm, aṣ-Ṣurr, al-Ṛâl, as-Sâlmi, al-Baḥara, ad-Dâma, and al-Aznam. They all rise in the mountain chain which extends over a distance of fifty to one hundred kilometers from the sea in a southeasterly direction, forming a continuation of the watershed between the valley of al-Abjaẓ and the lowland through which the Ḥeǧâz railway passes near the Pilgrim Route. The mountains of al-Muʻaffara, which have already been mentioned (see above, p. 123), also stretch toward the southeast, and the same direction is followed by al-Ḫejmri, al-ʻEnejme, Dafdaf, ar-Râwa, as-Sîḳ, Ornub, an-Naʻejẓa, and ar-Rawjân. The mountains of al-Meljân and ad-Dwejme trend toward the east, while Tmarr—which is next to them—swings off toward the northeast. Nûf, Nwejfât, al-Ḳṭejfe, an-Nawmân, al-Ḳerâḳer, al-Muḫteleṣ, as-Sowṭ, and aẓ-Ẓelfe again trend in a southeasterly direction.

The continuous chain terminates to the south of aẓ-Ẓelfe. Here separate mountains diverge somewhat to the southwest and form a lower watershed. Thus, the lower spur of aẓ-Ẓarba runs from aẓ-Ẓelfe to the southeast and is joined on the west by aṣ-Ṣâneʻ, with the cones of Naṛar and Nuṛejjer; while to the southeast of aṣ-Ṣâneʻ are grouped: Abu Ṭîne; Mwêreb; al-Wited; al-Wutejdât; al-Ǧowla; al-Maḥâẓa; al-ʻEšš; Ammu Rumejs, with the pass of al-Ḳnej; al-Ḳlûb; as-Saʻad; al-Libne; al-Ḫasîf; Ḥamṭ at-Tjûs; Šahbat at-Twejs; as-Selʻ; and Šhejb al-Bûm.

Wâdi Šarma, the middle part of which is called al-Ṛarr and the upper part Umm Ḳarâdi, starts near the well of an-Naʻemi, between as-Sîḳ and Ornub. Into it, on the right-hand side, run the šeʻibân of: Umm Hašîm; ʻAjn Ḳîr; Bîr az-Zerb; Abu Turbân; al-Ḥṭân; ʻAjn abu Ḥrêra; ʻAnṣûrijje, rising near the ruins of al-Merw; Umm as-Sarâbîṭ; and al-Mellâḥ. On the left it receives the šeʻibân of: Abu Ḥamâṭa; ʻAlaṣ with al-Medâʻîḳ; Ornub with al-Maṭḥane, al-Ḫaṭijje, and Ǧarâǧra; an-Naḫala; Dṛejm; Abu Taḳar; al-Ḫrâše; and Ẓeḥijje with Umm Hešîm.

Wâdi Terîm begins under the name of al-Ḫambara on the eastern uplands behind the chain of granite mountains to the north of the Tmarr range. At first it trends toward the west-northwest, but near the granite chain it swings off to the southwest and runs through the deep gap of al-Malḥaǧa, between the mountains of Ornub and an-Naʻejẓa, to the coast lowland, where it is called al-Kaḥala; it then waters the oasis of Terîm, from which it receives its name, and comes to an end at the seashore near some ruins which bear the same name. In the uplands it is joined on the right by the šeʻibân of: Abu-l-Ḳawâṣîm; Retâme; and Zwejbt aṣ-Ṣḳûr, the last-named being joined by the šeʻibân of Obejjeẓ abu Zukra and Obejjeẓ aṭ-Ṭarîk. Lower down on the right Wâdi Terîm is joined by: al-Aǧzaʻ, running from the well of the same name; al-Wejmijje, which rises on the western slope of Mount Râẓi near the well of Ḏḳêṭ; Ḫarḫûra, at the upper end of which flows the spring of aẓ-Ẓabʻijje; Ammu-d-Dûd, with the well of the same name; and Abu Ḏêl, which extends from the hills of al-Mufa’. Wâdi Terîm is joined on the left by al-Ḳwêra, al-Frâš, and aṯ-Ṯawar, as well as by the long šeʻîb of Ṣadr, which begins under the name of aṣ-Ṣwêwîn at the foot of the mountains of ar-Rawjân and Ḫrejṭat ammu Rǧûm. On the right hand Ṣadr receives only the šeʻibân of ʻAzâza, through which a road leads to the pass Naḳb al-Bdejje, and an-Namra; but on the left there merge into it: aṣ-Ṣafra, Ajlân, Umm Leben, al-Mrajfeḳ, Naḳwa, Turbân, al-Wêwi, Umm Žaʻžaʻ, Zunnâra, Umm ʻAḳab, an-Naḫala, Umm Sijâle, and Umm Ṛarejmîn.^[5]

Wâdi aṣ-Ṣurr runs from the defile Naḳb al-Ḫrejṭa, between the mountains of Ḫrejṭat ammu Rǧûm and al-Meljân, where the spring of al-Hâma has its source. On the right it is joined by the šeʻibân of: al-Kšâbrijje, into which ad-Dâra and al-Ǧidde merge; and by the šeʻibân of aḏ-Ḏbejjeb, al-Ḳtajfe, al-Ḳwêmra, Ammu Mzêrîḳât, and Ammu Skâka; on the left by al-Meljân, Umm Ḫârǧa (with Abu-ṭ-Ṭanâẓeb), al-Makḥûl, al-Muṣâb, and Abu Ḥawâwîṭ.

Wâdi al-Ṛâl rises on the northwestern slope of Mount aš-Šâr near the springs of al-Mlêḥ and al-Bdejje and, running in a south-easterly direction, separates the high ridge of aš-Šâr from the lower cone of al-Ḳwâjem. After this wâdi is joined by the šeʻîb of Umm Ǧirma, which comes from Mount al-Ṛâl, it swings off to the west.

Wâdi ad-Dâma begins in the pass Naḳb al-Ḳerâḳer, between the mountains of aš-Širṯ and al-Muḫteleṣ, near the springs of ad-Difla and al-Lowza. It extends through the plain of ar-Raḥaba and is joined on the left by the šeʻibân of: al-Ǧbejl, in which there is a well of the same name; al-Bedʻ, in which there are also a well and the ruins of al-Ḳanṭara; aš-Šubejče; ad-Dijâr; al-Malaka, united with Ammu Nṣâl; al-Bedîʻ; Šwâḳ, coming from the ruins of the same name near the oasis that lies between the mountains of aṣ-Ṣâneʻ on the north and al-Hašîm on the south; al-Ḫandaḳi; al-Ḳṭân; and the šeʻîb in which are the wells of al-Mzêḥfe and Abu Salama. On the right ad-Dâma is joined by the šeʻibân of: Šagarât al-ʻArâjes; az-Zarb; aṭ-Ṭlejḥ; and the great šeʻîb of Tmarr, which begins between the mountain range of the same name and the mountains of Nûf, Nwejfât, and at-Twejme. On the right hand the šeʻîb of Tmarr receives the šeʻibân of: ʻAffân, near the Ḳârt al-Ḥamra; and Salûwa, which is joined by Farrâše, as-Slejsel,^[6] Râtje and Daḥal, and by al-Ḳṭejfe, which comes from Ḫarm al-Bedarijje; while on the left hand the Tmarr šeʻîb is joined by al-Mrejṭbe, al-Ḥǧejl, and an-Namra.

Wâdi al-Aznam rises among the mountains of Mwêreb, al-Wited, and al-Wutejdât; not far from the ruins of Šaṛab^[7] it is joined by the šeʻîb of al-Eṯle and farther to the west by the šeʻîb of Ziḳlâb, both of which come from the southeast.

Still farther to the southeast lie: Wâdi al-Manabb, with the branches of Sḥejjer and ʻAnḳa, proceeding from the mountains of al-Maḥâza; al-Ḳnej and al-Medhem, rising between the mountains of Ammu Rumejs and al-Ḳlûb, near the defile of Naḳb al-Ḳnej; as well as Wâdi as-Srûm, the beginning of which forms the šeʻîb of aẓ-Ẓaʻame, near which is the oasis of Bada’.^[8]

Between the chain of granite mountains described above as steeply enclosing the coast region and the uplands to the east, there are numerous high hills, mountains, and elevations which give the region a distinctive charm. Thus, from the ar-Râwa range on the northern side of the Šarma valley there stretch westward the mountains of Ḳîr, aš-Šâṭi, al-Abjaẓ, ad-Dubba, Ummu Rǧûm, and Umm as-Sarâbîṭ.

The watershed between aš-Šarma and Terîm is formed by Mount Râẓi and the elevations of al-Ḥamûm, Ḳôs al-Ḥnâne, an-Nuḫbâr, and Burḳa Ḳrajḳre. Between al-Kaḥala and aṣ-Ṣadr the huge black cone of Ḥarb rises to a height of 2134 meters. Mount Debbâṛ, southeast of Ḥarb, is higher, rising to an elevation of 2347 meters, and, with its spurs Ḫejšûmi, Ṭôr (or Ṭowr) al-Wušem, Šrejf al-Ḥaṭab, al-Ǧimm, al-Ḳalb, Ammu Ǧdejl, Zunnâra, Ṛarṛûr, and Wabri, forms the border between the valleys of Terîm and aṣ-Ṣurr. To the southeast of Ḫejšûmi stretch the elevations of as-Saḥḥâra and Ḳalḫa.

Between the upper part of Wâdi aṣ-Ṣurr and Wâdi al-Ṛâl extends the narrow but lofty ridge of aš-Šâr, which in its northwestern spur, Râs al-Ḳṣejb, attains a height of 2000 meters. Between the eastern part of this spur and Mount Umm al-Frûṭ cuts the defile Naḳb abu Šaʻar. To the southwest, from the ridge of aš-Šâr, projects the elevation of al-Ḳwâjem with the springs of al-Mâlḥa, al-Bdejje, Umm Časr, al-Leḥjâne, Abu Râka, and al-Ḥwêṭ; to the west are the hills of al-Ḳumma, al-Mejšeri, al-Mawḳre, and Leḥjâne. The southwestern extremity of the aš-Šâr ridge—known as Abu Šenâḏer—is connected with the mountains of Ṛâl and Ab-al-Bâred, between which the pass Naḳb Hwejd leads to the head of the šeʻîb of Salûwa which separates the mountain of al-Maʻîn from aš-Šâḥṭa.

From Mount al-Ṛâl to the southeast extend the hills of al-Hawâni, al-Meʻtedân, Rajdân, Ziḳlâb, Ṛurâb, and Ṯalba, from which the ridge of Nazʻân proceeds in a southwesterly direction. The branches of the Tmarr šeʻîb run eastward from Ab-al-Bâred, between the ridges of as-Slejsel, Sawd al-Lehûd, Ḳârt al-Ḥamra, al-Mḫajneḳ, Šdejjed, ar-Rwejṯ, al-Mrejṭbe, al-ʻEmdên, Nezâha, an-Namra, and Ummu Rmejṯ. To the south of al-Mḫajneḳ stretches the plain of Burajrîǧ, connected on the south with the defiles Ḫrejm al-ʻAṣîra and Ḫarm al-Bedarijje, from which the pass Naḳb al-Merwa leads across the ridge of al-Meʻtedân to the springs of ʻEmûd and Umm ʻÂmel and farther on to Ẓbe’.

South of the upper part of the valley of ad-Dâma rise: the hills of Abu Šnân enclosing the plain of ar-Raḥaba on the south; Ẓlûʻ al-Ḥumr; al-Fǧejme; aṣ-Ṣâneʻ with the cones of Naṛar and Nuṛejjer; still farther on: al-Hašîm; aẓ-Ẓuma’, and Abu Tîne, separated from Mount Rajdân by the šeʻîb of al-Ḫandaḳi; and to the south of aṣ-Sâneʻ, Mwêreb, al-Wutejdât, Šhaba’ Ǧâmra, al-Ḫaẓa, Šhejb al-Bûm, and al-Ǧebâla.

On the seashore near Wâdi aṣ-Ṣurr is the shrine of the Sheikh (aš-Šejḫ) ʻAbdallâh, and to the east of it the spring of az-Zaḥlûṭa, while still farther eastward are the oases of an-Ngêr and an-Neǧel. South of the wâdi, on the shore itself, is located the settlement of al-Mwêleḥ beside the ruins of Leḥjâne.

Farther to the southeast are clustered the huts of the village of Ẓaḥakân on the bay of the same name, and about five kilometers still farther south is the large settlement of Ẓbe’^[9] with fine palm gardens. Beyond this village is the shrine Ḳabr aṭ-Ṭwâši, and near it the well Bîr as-Sulṭâni.

The island of an-Naʻmân lies to the south of Ẓbe’ and almost west of Wâdi ad-Dâma, which forms the old frontier between the territories of the Ḥwêṭât at-Tihama and the Beli, to whom the rest of the coast with the settlement of al-Weǧh belongs.^[10]

There are two old trade routes leading along the coast to the southeast; they branch off from each other north of the oasis of ʻAjnûna. The eastern one is called Darb ar-Raṣîfijje; and the western, Darb al-Mellâḥ. The latter leads via the oases of Šarma, Terîm, and an-Nǧêr, makes a crooked detour around the rugged elevations of as-Snejwijje and al-Bêẓa, under the name of Darb al-Falak, then passes the settlements of Ẓaḥakân and Ẓbe’, approaches the sea itself, crosses Wâdi al-Aznam by the ruins of the halting place of al-ʻWejned, and again turns away from the marshy seashore.^[11]

The eastern road, Darb ar-Raṣîfijje, seems to be the older. It crosses Wâdi al-Ṛarr west of the spring of the same name; reaches Wâdi Terîm by way of the šeʻîb of Ammu-d-Dûd; leads along the western foot of the al-Ǧimm mountain range; passes round the ridge of aš-Šâr through a plain extending to the east of the upper part of the aṣ-Ṣurr wâdi; then, under the name of Darb ar-Rakak, it crosses the elevations of Ab-al-Bâred and al-Maʻîn; follows the šeʻîb of Salûwa’ past the point where the latter joins ad-Dâma; runs through the šeʻîb of al-Ḫandaḳi to the water and ruins of Šaṛab; and continues along the western slope of Šhaba’ Ǧâmra to the oasis and ruins of Bada’.

From the coast it is possible to ascend the eastern uplands through numerous defiles. The road most often taken is the Darb al-Wabri, which runs from al-Mwêleḥ through the aṣ-Ṣurr valley and the pass Naḳb al-Ḫrejṭa to the uplands, whence it leads by way of the well of al-Ǧdejjed to Ṛadîr abu ʻAẓejne, Ṯemîlt ar-Radhe, and farther on to Tebûk. The settlement of al-Mwêleḥ serves as a harbor for Tebûk.

TO ŠARMA

I did not cease making my notes until it had grown completely dark and Tûmân called me to determine our latitude (temperature: 31.1° C). ʻAfnân was sitting beside me, smoking and groaning. Like myself, he had been tormented with recurrent ague and had no appetite. After supper, he got up, kissed my head, and thanked me for the kindness which I had shown him in accepting his hospitality. He went through the same ceremony with the rest of my friends, excepting only the black Mḥammad; him he did not kiss.

On Tuesday, June 14, 1910, we set out at 4.29 A. M. for the oasis of Šarma (temperature: 25° C) across a flat plain which was covered with sejâl thickets. At 5.44 we reached the edge of the oasis where we were to wait for ʻAfnân. Our camels grazed around the water, while we, with the guide, made a sketch map of the surrounding district. About an hour later ʻAfnân rode up accompanied by six men and asked us to proceed farther eastward. After riding for ten minutes through a dense palm forest, we arrived at a large vegetable garden and halted in front of a palm-leaf hut. As there was no pasturage in the vicinity, we tied up our camels. At ʻAfnân’s request the farmers brought the animals a lapful of green dates, but our camels, which were not accustomed to this food, did not touch it, while ʻAfnân’s camels consumed the dates with great relish.

 

1. Ptolemy, Geography, VI, 7: 2, notes, on the coast of northern Arabia Felix, the settlement of Onne, which is identical with al-Ḫrajbe, the former harbor of the settlement of Una’ (ʻAjn Una’, Ajnûna’).
   Marcianus of Heraclea (about 400 A.D.), Periplus (Müller), p. 527, speaks of Onne, as an emporium of Arabia Felix.
   Al-Jaʻḳûbi, Buldân (De Goeje), p. 341, writes that in his time (about 891 A.D.) the settlement of ʻAjnûna’ was inhabited, that it had palm gardens, and that buried gold was being sought there. As early as the end of the ninth century the covetous natives were destroying ancient tombs and buildings.
   Al-Muḳaddasi (985 A. D.), Aḥsan (De Goeje, 2nd edit.), p. 54, assigns the settlements of ʻAjnûna’, Wajla, Madjan, Tebûk, Aḏruḥ, Moab, and Maʻân to the administrative district of Ṣoṛar.
   Al-Bekri. Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 266, mentions the settlements of Ḥebra’ and ʻAjnûna’, situated between the Wâdi al-Ḳura, and Syria, which Tamîm ad-Dârij obtained from the Prophet as a fief. Al-Kalbi thinks that these two settlements belonged to Syria. When Sulejmân ibn ʻAbdalmalek (died 717 A. D.) journeyed there, he did not venture to spend the night in them, as he said, for fear of the Prophet.—
   Tamîn ibn Aws ibn Ḫâreǧe ad-Dârij was probably a Christian monk who passed over to Islâm (see an-Nawawi [died 1278 A. D.], Tahḏîb [Wüstenfeld], pp. 178–179).
   The place Ḥebra’ is not mentioned by any other writer. Possibly it is a bad transcription for the settlement of Ḥawra’ situated near Madjan. According to al-Kalbi these two were the only fiefs bestowed by the Prophet in Syria, but al-Wâḳedi, Maṛâzi (Wellhausen’s transl.), p. 405, records that the Prophet bestowed also the settlement of Maḳna as a fief, and this is situated to the northwest of ʻAjnûna’. If Ḥebra’ and ʻAjnûna’ belonged to Syria, then Maḳna did also: and so there were then not two but three fiefs situated in Syria. Syria denotes the administrative district of Ṣoṛar. Al-Bekri places ʻAjnûna’ not in Syria but in the border territory.
   Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 758, decides that it is possible to write either ʻAjn Una’ or ʻAjnûna’. According to him, Una’ is a valley on the shore between aṣ-Ṣala’ and Madjan. As-Sukkari, the commentator on the Kitâb al-luṣûṣ, writes that the settlement of ʻAjnûna’ is situated on the Egyptian Pilgrim Route. The poet al-Kuṯejjer refers to a journey from the valley of al-Buḍajʻ, by way of ʻAjn Una’, to the slopes of Ḳibâl.—
   Aṣ-Ṣala’ is identical with the modern al-Mwêleḥ and Madjan with the oasis of al-Bedʻ: I locate the valley of al-Buḍajʻ among the valleys of the region of al-Beẓîʻ: the place Ḳibâl must be read as Ḳijâl, as the valley about twenty kilometers to the west of ʻAjnûna’ is called.
   Abu-l-Faḍâ’il (died 1338 A. D.), Marâṣid (Juynboll), Vol. 2, p. 294, records the form ʻAjnuwunna’, which presupposes a name Unna’, recalling the Onne of Ptolemy.
   Jâḳût. op. cit., Vol. 1. p. 367, also mentions the simple form Una’. It is a wâdi near the shore of aṣ-Ṣala’ and Madjan, through which the pilgrims passed. In it there is a spring which is called the spring of Una’, ʻAjn Una’.
2. Vernacular equivalent of ḳâjmaḳâm.
3. See Musil, Arabia Petraea, Vol. 3, pp. 48–49.
4. See below, pp. 302—308.
5. Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 1. p. 846; Vol. 2, p. 727; and al-Bekri, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 196, assert that Ibn as-Sikkît places the valley of Tirjam close to Madjan.—
   As according to al-Bekri, loc. cit., the poet Kuṯejjer also was acquainted with the form Terîm, we may infer that Ibn as-Sikkît identifies the oasis of Terîm with the place called Tirjam situated not far from Madjan.
   Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 270, locates the place called Šarâwa near Tirjam at Madjan.
6. According to Ibn Isḥâḳ (768 A.D.) (Sîra, as edit. by Ibn Hišâm [Wüstenfeld], Vol. 1, pp. 984—985; al-Bekri, op. cit., p. 780) ʻAmr ibn al-ʻÂṣ in 629—630 A.D. penetrated the territory of the Ǧuḏâm as far as the well of Silsil, from which his expedition was then called ṛazwat as-Salâsel (raid to as-Salâsel).—Our Slejsel is a diminutive of Silsil, and the spring bearing the same name is on the western slope of this valley.
   Al-Masʻûdi, Tanbîh (De Goeje), p. 265, writes that Ḏât as-Salâsel, from which the raid of ʻAmr ibn al-ʻÂs in 629—630 is called, is situated ten days’ march from al-Medîna to the north of the Wâdi al-Ḳura’.—As al-Masʻûdi fixes the distance between al-Medîna and Tebûk at twelve night halts (ibid., p. 270), the position of Slejsel tallies exactly with the distance of Ḏât as-Salâsel, for our Slejsel is situated nearly ninety kilometers (i. e. two days’ march) to the south-southwest of Tebûk, and the road from al-Medîna direct to Slejsel is not as troublesome as that to Tebûk. The Moslems proceeded along the old transport route from al-Medîna to Palestine and Egypt through the territory of the Beli—with whom ʻAmr was related through his mother—wishing to surprise the camps of the Beni ʻUḏra from the west.
7. Aṭ-Ṭabari (died 923 A. D.). Ta’rîḫ (De Goeje), Ser. 1, p. 395, explains that the descendants of the Patriarch Jacob dwelt below the Palestinian territory of Ḥesma’ in the coast region of aš-Šaṛab, where there are many caves. Jacob was a nomad and possessed camels and sheep.—
   The territory of Ḥesma’ nowhere reckoned as geographically part of Palestine but always as part of the Ḥeǧâz. That aṭ-Ṭabari calls it Palestinian must be explained by the political administration which incorporated the northern Ḥeǧâz as far as latitude 27° 40’ N.—this comprising nearly the whole of the territory of Ḥesma’—into the Syrian political area of Ṣoṛar.
   Al-Iṣṭaḫri (951 A.D.), Masâlik (De Goeje), p. 27, writes that the Beni Merwân gave the settlement of Šaṛab as a fief to az-Zuhri, an expositor of the oral tradition (see. Ibn Saʻd [died 845 A.D.], Ṭabaḳât [Sachau], Vol. 2, Part 2, pp. 135—136) and that he was also brought up there.
   Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 302, locates Šaṛba’ in the territory of the ʻUḏra tribe. Ibn as-Sikkît relates that the place contains a pulpit (mimbar) and a market, and that in the settlement of Bada’ there is likewise a pulpit. According to others, Šaṛba’ and Bada’ are situated between al-Medîna and Ajla. The expositor az-Zuhri Muḥammed ibn Šihâb was brought up at Šaṛba’ in the Ḥeǧâz. Bada’ of the Patriarch Jacob is a day’s journey from Šaṛba’.—
   It is not certain whether in the thirteenth century the Beni ʻUḏra were still encamped to the west of al-Ḥeǧr. As early as the tenth century Šaṛba’, which is certainly identical with our Šaṛab, had become the property of the Beli tribe, to whom it still belongs. Az-Zuhri, the famous expositor of the law, died in 742 A. D.
   According to Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa (died 1658 A. D.), Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople, 1145 A. H.), p. 525, Azlam (so written instead of Azlad) is a bare, salt territory, a day’s journey wide and surrounded with mountains. In it the senna plant flourishes. In the year 1504—1505 A. D. Sultan al-Malek al-Ašraf Ḳansûḥ al-Ṛawri caused the pilgrimage station, built by Sultan al-Malek an-Nâṣer Muḥammed ibn Ḳelâʻûn (1298—1308 A.D.), to be fortified and provided with a military garrison.
8. Ptolemy, Geography, VI, 7: 30, was acquainted with Badais to the south of Soaka, (Šwâḳ), which is certainly our Bada’.
   Stephen of Byzantium, Ethnica (Meineke), Vol. 1, p. 155, mentions the town of Badcos situated in Arabia Felix near the shore of the Red Sea.
   Al-Muḳaddasi, Aḥsan (De Goeje), p. 84, records that at his time Bada’ Jaʻḳûb was inhabited and its environs were cultivated.
   Al-Bekri, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 143, locates Bada’ between the road from Egypt and that from Syria to al-Medîna. He quotes passages from the poet Kuṯejjer, who mentions Bada’ together with Šaṛab, and also from the poet Ǧumejl, who connects the valley of Bada’ with the region of Ḥesma’ and the oasis of Šaṛab.—All these particulars are accurate. Bada’ is situated to the east of the Egyptian, and to the west of the Syrian Pilgrim Route. From Bada’ a road leads in a northwesterly direction to the oasis of Šaṛab and then in a northerly direction to the region of Ḥesma’.
   Jâḳût. Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 3, pp. 463—464, says that Ḍabba is a settlement near the coast in the Tihâma still belonging to Syria. Opposite, seventy miles from it, is situated another settlement known as Bada’, through which a stream flowed and which belonged to the Patriarch Jacob. From this settlement Jacob proceeded on a journey to Egypt to his son Joseph.—Ḍabba is the modern Ẓbe’ on the coast. At a distance of 130 kilometers, or over seventy miles, to the southwest of it is situated our Bada’, watered by a stream which swells into a wild torrent after abundant rains.
   Elsewhere (ibid., Vol. 1, p. 523) Jâḳût states that Bada’ is a valley on the coast near the town of Ajla, or an oasis in one of the valleys of the Beni ʻUḏra territory, or that it is located in Wâdi al-Ḳura’.—The two last details are inaccurate. Both the territory of the Beni ʻUḏra and al-Ḳura’ lie to the east and southeast of Bada’.
   Al-Ḳazwîni (died 1283 A.D.), Âṯâr (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 2. p. 104, likewise recalls the oasis of Bada’.
9. Al-Muḳaddasi, Aḥsan (De Goeje), p. 53, records Ḍabba also among the settlements belonging to the Ḳurḥ area.
   Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 3, pp. 463—464, as we have already seen (see above, p. 135, note 39), says that Ḍabba is a settlement near the coast in the Tihâma, still belonging to Syria. Opposite, seventy miles from it, is situated another settlement known as Bada’, through which a stream flowed and which belonged to the Patriarch Jacob. From this settlement Jacob proceeded on a journey to Egypt to his son Joseph.—Bada’ is an oasis on the Darb ar-Rakak road leading from Egypt to al-Medîna. About 130 kilometers to the northwest of it, on the shore, is situated our settlement of Ẓbe’, which I identify with the Ḍabba of al-Muḳaddasi and Jâḳût. Al-Muḳaddasi does not transcribe names accurately, and those who copied from him did not investigate the correctness of his lists. He mentions two places of the same name in the Ḥeǧâz and in the depression of Sirḥân. Both are pronounced al-ʻAwnîd by him, and Jâḳût follows his example, although the two places are actually called al-ʻWejned. He probably jotted down Ḍaba’ and later transcribed it as Ḍabba’, while actually the name of this settlement was Ẓaba’, or, as it is now pronounced, Ẓba’ or Ẓbe’.
   This supposition is confirmed by al-Maḳrîzi (died 1142 A.D.), Mawaʻiẓ (Wiet), Vol. 1, pp. 57—58, who says that to the east of the Ḳolzum Sea are situated the region of al-Ḥawra’, Ḍabba, and Nebk, the region of Madjan, and the region of Ajla. Some manuscripts have Ṭana’ and others Ẓaba’. The transcription Ḍabba, however, is certainly erroneous. It is obtained from Jâḳût and is due to an inaccurate etymology. The name of this settlement does not come from ḍabb, as Jâḳût supposes, but from ẓaba’ or ḍaba’. Codex Vindobonensis has Ḳaṭaja’, which suggests an original phrase fa Ẓaba’ (and Ẓaba), that is our Ẓbe’.
10. Al-Maḳrîzi, Mawâʻiẓ (Codex Vindobonensis), Vol. 1, fol. 36 v., writes that the island of an-Naʻmân is situated not far from aṭ-Ṭûr and that it is inhabited by Arabs.—The landing place of aṭ-Ṭûr is located 260 kilometers to the northwest of the island of an-Naʻmân.
    Al-Maḳrîzi, Mawâʻiẓ (Wiet), Vol. 1, p. 62, also records that in the Ḳolzum Sea there are fifteen islands, of which four are inhabited, among them the island of an-Naʻmân.
11. Al-Muḳaddasi, Aḥsan (De Goeje), pp. 26, 84, was acquainted with two towns called an-Nabk and al-ʻAwnîd in the Ḥeǧâz, which he compares with the two halting places of the same name on the road through the desert to Tejma. He describes al-ʻAwnîd as the populated harbor of the town of Ḳurḥ, famous for its honey, and includes it among the main settlements (ummahât) of the Ḥeǧâz.—The reading al-ʻAwnîd is not accurate. The halting place of the same name, situated in the desert to the north of Tejma, is not called al-ʻAwnîd, but al-ʻWejned. Ḳurḥ is an older name for the modern oasis of al-ʻEla’.
    Al-Maḳrîzi, Mawaʻiẓ (Codex Vindobonensis, Vol. 1, fols. 10 v., 36 v., 134 v., 316 v.; Wiet, Vol. 1, p. 311), asserts that the vocalization should be al-ʻUwajnid and not al-ʻAwnîd.
    Al-Idrîsi (1154 A. D.), Nuzha (Rome, 1592), III, 5, likewise records al-ʻUwajnid as an anchorage where mariners take in a supply of water, situated opposite the island of an-Naʻmân at a distance of ten miles. The nearest anchorage to the south is called aṭ-Ṭanâfijje.
    Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 748, allots al-ʻUwajnid to Egypt and says that it lies near Madjan and al-Ḥawra’. This location is not very exact, for Madjan is nearly 200 kilometers away and al-Ḥawra’ more than 250 kilometers.