The Northern Ḥeǧâz/Chapter 8

by Alois Musil

CHAPTER VIII

RETURN FROM WÂDI AL-ǦIZEL TO TEBÛK BY WAY OF AL-MUʻAẒẒAM

THROUGH AL-ǦAW INTO THE ḤARRAT AL-ʻAWÊREẒ

On leaving Wâdi al-Ǧizel we had on the right the šeʻîb of ar-Râṯijje, which comes from the cone of Slejʻ.

Wâdi abu Ḥamâṭa, through which we now rode, is enclosed by high sandstone rocks covered with a stratum of lava. It grows broader towards the east. Its channel is more than thirty meters broad, four meters deep, and covered with a layer of fine sand. On its sides there are numerous ṭalḥ trees and ratam and rimṯ bushes. Our camels were showing signs of great weariness. Mine was limping, and all of the animals had such lacerated soles that they walked very cautiously. I should have liked to go from Abu Raka direct to al-Ḥeǧr, but in the volcanic Ḥarrat al-ʻAwêreẓ our camels would certainly have perished. Moreover, I was afraid that one guide would hand us over to another and that new difficulties and fresh extortions would arise in every camp. I therefore intended to proceed through Wâdi abu Ḥamâṭa, which is not covered with lava, and thence to the station of Dâr al-Ḥamra’. Whether we went south or north from there depended on the condition of the camels. As I did not trust the guide, for the time being I said nothing to him about my intention, not knowing whether his fellow tribesmen would attack our encampment during the night. At 7.32 we encamped by the dry channel beyond the šeʻîb of Ḫrejmel. We did not light a fire, and nobody ventured to talk aloud. We took the guide, along with Šerîf, into our midst and kept guard over him all night.

On Saturday, July 2, 1910, quite early in the morning, I made an attempt to secure the guide for my plan. Ḫalîl supported me and pointed out to the Belâwi the great reward he would receive if he accompanied us to Dâr al-Ḥamra’ and if he did not share it with anybody. The guide understood that he would be rewarded only if he avoided every other encampment, and he promised to guide us so that we should not encounter the Beli. Having settled the payment which he was to receive for guiding us, he demanded an extra fee for giving the topographical names, threatening that otherwise he would merely guide us and not tell us the names of the various places. On disposing of this matter also to his satisfaction, we started off at 4.30. A M. (temperature: 17° C).

The valley broadens out into a basin enclosed on all sides by low, but steep, slopes, and known as al-Ǧaw (the watering place) because it contains many mšâše, or rain water wells. The plain is covered with a fairly deep layer of clay in which various plants thrive luxuriantly, and it therefore forms the best winter encampment of the Beli. The guide proudly pointed out to us the abundant withered pasturage through which we were passing and asked whether throughout our journey from Tebûk we had seen so many and such various plants. The annuals were yellowish, while the shrubs were a brilliant green. At 4.45 we observed the šeʻîb of Ḏerwa on our left. To the east of it, Wâdi abu Ḥamâṭa is joined by the šeʻîb of aš-Šeḳḳ, which contains the well of Maḳran aš-Šeḳḳ. The mšâš of az-Zennâdijje lies to the northeast. Ḏerwa starts from the hill of aṭ-Ṭlâḥ and divides the table mountains of al-Mšaḳḳar, Swejd an-Niswân, and al-ʻAmâra on the west from the similar mountain of Ṯadra on the east. In the upper part of this šeʻîb are the rain water wells Mšâš al-Bli. The knoll of Ṭôr Ḥamde overlooks its mid-course from the west. From the east Ḏerwa is joined by the šeʻîb of an-Neǧîli, which begins under the name of al-Mrejra to the north of Ṯadra near the wells Ḳulbân Ḥẓêr and divides this mountain from al-Kafḥa on the east. Upon the eastern slope of the gray table mountain of Ṯadra is situated the black volcano Ḥala’-l-Bedr. On the western slope there used to flow a spring now said to have been clogged up by the collapse of a rock. Southwest of Ṯadra the plain is overlooked by Ṭôr Ḥamde. To the southeast we perceived the hill of Slejʻ and still farther in that direction the volcano of al-ʻÂṣi, in which are the Moṛâjer ʻAbîd Mûsa, “the caves of the servants of Moses.” Our guide explained that the servants of Moses sojourned in them when their master was abiding with Allâh. Another sacred spot is situated by the well of al-Ḥẓêr. It is called al-Manḥal, and upon it are twelve stones known as al-Maḏbaḥ, where the Beli still offer up sacrifices when they are encamped close by.

Ṯadra and the entire surrounding district is associated with various legends. The volcano of al-Bedr is said once to have vomited fire and stones, destroying many Bedouins and their camels and sheep. Since then the Bedouins have been afraid to ascend this volcano and they drive away their animals, not allowing them to graze upon the slopes or upon the gray ridge of Ṯadra. Beneath the volcano of al-Bedr there was once encamped a Bedouin, “belonging to the men of vision, ahl as-sirr,” i. e. acquainted with what is a secret to others. This Bedouin had intercourse with heavenly spirits. When his tribe wished to migrate and to seek better territory for their flocks, he dissuaded them, prophesying that they would have to face many contests and obstacles in which very many of them would perish. But his fellow tribesmen would not listen to him. They departed, and the man of vision was left deserted with his daughter Ḥamda near the holy volcano of al-Bedr. He used to sit on the summit of the volcano and his daughter upon its spur, which was named Ṭôr Ḥamde after her. Every day Allâh sent them an eagle, which gave half a loaf to the man of vision and half a loaf to his daughter. This continued for twenty years. Then at last the remnants of his tribe, which had once been so powerful, returned to their original settlements. They found the man of vision and his daughter, acted in accordance with his counsel, and within a short time, with the help of Allâh, they prospered so much that they recovered their lost happiness.

The plain of al-Ǧaw forms the frontier between the volcanic territory Ḥarrat ar-Rḥa in the north and Ḥarrat al-ʻAwêreẓ in the south. A significant reminder of the latter volcanic territory, the huge volcano of al-ʻEnâz, was perpetually in sight to the east. South of al-ʻEnâz are situated almost in a straight line the volcanoes of al-Fûr, al-Mabna’, Ẓobʻân, Saʻede, Saʻêda, as-Shejb, ar-Rḥajje, al-Ašhab, and al-ʻAraf. From ar-Rḥajje to the northeast descends the šeʻîb of al-Mnaḳḳa; from as-Shejb, the short šeʻîb of Ṯaṛbe, with the water of the same name, and al-Ḥawẓa; from Saʻêda, the šeʻîb of ʻAlija; while from Ẓobʻân descends al-Mizže. To the east of al-ʻEnâz can be seen the volcanoes of Ǧwejfle, Ḥala’ Bedr, and al-Ḫrejz, near which is the water of Ṛâreb. Ascending gradually toward the northeast we perceived at 7.10 A. M. on our right the hills of al-ʻOmejjed; to the south of them, aš-Šmejḥṭa; and to the east, the volcano of Abu Ḫašâreb. Below al-ʻOmejjed the šeʻibân of Ḫmejjeṭ and aṭ-Ṭarfâje merge.

At 7.50 we reached a narrow ravine, the rocky bed of which was worn away in places to a depth of one hundred meters, thus forming natural reservoirs. The northernmost of these reservoirs, surrounded by smooth and almost vertical walls, is known as al-Mutawwaḥa, and here we halted at eight o’clock. Camels cannot descend to it, and therefore the water remains fresh and pure throughout the year. We drove the camels farther to the south to another cavity, full of water, which, however, had been polluted with refuse. When the animals had drunk, three of them refused to graze. They knelt down, and neither kindness nor severity would induce them to get up. They were already quite emaciated, and our guide asserted that they had no marrow in their bones.

At 10.30 we left al-Mutawwaḥa, passing through the sandy šeʻîb of Ḫmejjeṭ between the rise of al-Kafḥa and the volcanic spurs of aṣ-Ṣḳûr and Ṛubejje. To the northeast we saw the volcanoes of Tidneḳ, Ǧamlûd, and Ḥala’ Ḫmejjeṭ; at 12.10 P. M. we crossed the šeʻîb of Abu Slejlât and drew near to a lava flow which comes from the volcano of Ḥawmal. This volcano towers in complete isolation in the plain. The well-formed crater crumbles away toward the west. Northeast of it is the smaller volcano of Ḥwejmel. At 12.18 to the northwest of Ḥawmal we caught sight of Rîʻ and Ferdân, as well as the hill of Nâjef.

At 12.36 the volcano of al-Bedr presented a fine view, rising as it does above the gray table mountain of Ṯadra, which stands in the midst of the fertile, pale green basin of al-Ǧaw. Behind it, far away to the west, rise red and white slopes. I wanted to return to it in order to view the surrounding district, especially the sacred place of al-Manḥal, where various signs and inscriptions are said to be carved on sacrificial boulders. But our guide would not accompany us there. He reminded me that we might encounter the Beli and that our camels were in need of rest. Šerîf and Ḫalîl likewise persuaded me not to return there, because it was not certain that the Beli might not rob us.

From 1.45 to 3.05 we halted and drew a map of the surrounding district (temperature: 36° C). The camels grazed on the luxuriant vegetation. The guide told us that the basin of al-Ǧaw is frequented by the rapacious bands of all the tribes who wage war with the Beli. In former times the Beli suffered most from the Šammar, under Eben Rašîd, whom they defeated several times in al-Ǧaw. But ten years previously Eben Rašîd sent the chief Eben Refâde a valuable sword and ten camels. Eben Refâde received the sword and had the ten camels loaded with twenty bags of the best rice and sent them back to Eben Rašîd. Since that time there has been peace between the Šammar and the Beli. The Pilgrim Road forms the border between the two. When I asked the guide whether he knew of any ruins in the territory of the Beli, he said that to the south of the road leading from al-ʻla’ to al-Weǧh he had seen some ruined settlements. North of this road and in the valley of al-Ǧizel there are the ruins of at-Tefîhe, Balâṭa, and ʻAwêrež, the largest of which is Balâṭa. The ruins of Dajdân are situated on the northern edge of the gardens of al-ʻEla’, and the guide said that the inhabitants of this oasis call them al-Ḫrajba.^[1]

At 5.10 we saw in the east the two volcanoes of ʻAjr, which have in their midst the water Ǧebw ʻAjr; farther on were Ḥlewwât, Arṭa, Abhaḳ, the Amhâr group with four volcanoes, and to the west of them Umm ʻUrf. At 5.35 one of our draft camels knelt down and would not get up again, so that we had to camp. The camels grazed near by, while, with the guide’s assistance I drew a sketch map of the territory of ar-Rḥa’ and al-ʻAwêreẓ with which he was familiar^[2] (temperature: 30° C).

In the evening my camel got lost. We all searched for it, but in the darkness of the night its track could not be found. As there are numerous fahad and nimr in the volcanic region and the camel was exhausted, I was afraid that it might have become their prey, and I therefore listened to every sound. But I heard nothing unusual. Shortly before midnight a dark moving shape appeared to the east; it drew near and turned out to be the camel coming back to us.

THROUGH ḤARRAT AL-ʻAWÊREẒ TO THE RAILWAY

On Sunday, July 3, 1910, we let the camels out to graze before three o’clock in the morning. The animal belonging to our guide strayed away somewhere, so that it was 4.15 before we could start (temperature: 17.5° C). The dark red gravel lacerated the soles of our poor beasts. At 4.40 the region opened out on all sides. In the north appeared the volcano of al-Ḫaẓra, to the northwest of it al-Ḥaṣnawên; on the eastern horizon rose the sharp peak of ad-Dabbe, near which the šeʻîb of Ḥaṣât al-Ḳanîṣ begins; nearer to us was the huge volcano of Bâḳûr, with the smaller volcano of al-Mṭawwaḳ to the northwest of it. On the right hand, to the south, we observed the two almost circular volcanoes of ʻAjr, between which is the rain water well Ǧebw ʻAjr; and to the north of them the volcano of Umm Arṭa, near which begins the šeʻîb of the same name.

The road which we had followed hitherto led in a north-easterly direction to the station of al-Muʻaẓẓam, and, as we wished to reach the station of Dâr al-Ḥamra’, we had to branch off eastward on rocky ground. The ground consists of hard sandstone, which the sun has baked to a dark brown color, and forms innumerable small basin-like hollows with sharp edges. At 6.30 we had to the north-northeast the low, rugged mountain range of Ḥlejlât abu Ṭarfa’, and we arrived at the uneven rocky tract between the volcanoes of al-Ḫmâm^[3] and Umm al-Ǧerâd.

To the southeast of Umm al-Ǧerâd are grouped the reddish hillocks of Abraḳ al-ʻAšâr. To the east are the hills of ʻAfejž al-Asmar and aṣ-Ṣwêwîne, forming the watershed between Abu Ǧnêb, which runs almost due north, and al-Ǧûba which extends to the south. To the west aṣ-Ṣwêwîne adjoins the plain of Mafâreš ar-Ruzz, through which leads the Pilgrim Route as well as the railway line, and in which is also situated the station of Dâr al-Ḥamra’.^[4]

 

To the east of Dâr al-Ḥamra’ appear the limestone hills Ṛarâmîl ar-Rwala, and to the north rise the slopes of Ḫibt aṯ-Ṯemâṯîl, al-ʻAfêž, and Abu Ḥlejje. The šeʻîb of Abu Ǧnêb, beginning near aṣ-Ṣwêwîne, is joined on the east by the united šeʻibân of al-Ḥemmâẓa, Umm Arṭa, and al-Msêfre; farther on by al-Miṣwal; and near the station of al-Muʻaẓẓam by the šeʻîb of al-Meḳbel, which contains the water of al-ʻAḳejla. On the west, not far from the station of Ḫašm Ṣanaʻ, the šeʻîb of al-Ǧenûd merges with Abu Ǧnêb. To the south of the table-shaped hills of aṣ-Ṣwêwîne appears the crag of Šoḳb al-ʻAǧûz, through which the railway line passes. Below it, on the southeastern side of the šeʻîb of al-Ǧûba, is the water of al-Aḳraʻ.^[5]

Along the eastern side of the šeʻîb of al-Ǧûba extends southward the oblong Ḫašm Marṯûm, near which, to the east, rise the flat hills of al-ʻArejf and Abu Ṭâḳa. Above the latter towers the steep crest of as-Sičč with the well of the same name on the northwestern slope. To the south of these hills extends the basin of Ḳâʻ ab-al-ʻAẓâm enclosed on the east by the rugged hills of al-Ǧanaḥ, on the south by the elevation of Ḥlewijjet an-Nâḳa,^[6] and on the west by the volcanic region of al-Ešêhed.

Ḥlewijjet an-Nâḳa is connected in the south with the hills of al-Mzelže, Umm Ǧerfân, Abu Ḥamâṭa, Eṯleb, and al-Ḥwâra, which enclose the basin Ḫôr al-Ḥamâr. From this basin there rises to the west the mesa of az-Ziblijjât, upon which are grouped the volcanoes of al-Ešêhed. The former town of al-Ḥeǧr, now only a four-cornered stronghold and station, is situated in the lower half of the basin Ḫôr al-Ḥamâr, where good water may be obtained on all sides by digging to a depth of eight or ten meters. In some of the hollows the water rises nearly to the surface, but it is brackish and hence not good. There are said to be very many old wells there, but they are entirely or partly clogged up. If they were cleaned out, the vicinity of the stronghold could be transformed into a large oasis, for the water never dries up there.

The railway line and the Pilgrim Route lead through the šeʻîb of al-Muṣâb from the crag Šoḳb al-ʻAǧûz and the station of al-Muṭallaʻ along the western slope of Ḫašm Marṯûm, where the station of Bwêžre is situated in the basin of al-Ǧûba. Below it on the west the šeʻîb is joined by the double šeʻîb of aṣ-Ṣadr and as-Srajjed and a little farther on by the šeʻîb of al-Ḥawẓa, which begins under the name of al-Mizže near the volcano of Ẓobʻân and is joined on the right by the šeʻibân of ʻAlija and al-Mnaḳḳa.

 

At eight o’clock we crossed the large road, Darb al-Bakra—this being the name of the southern part of the road, Darb al-Mšejṭijje, which connects Syria with al-Medîna. The Bedouins prefer to take this route rather than the Pilgrim Road. It leads from the fountain of al-Mṛâṭijje to the waters of ad-Dimež, Ǧerṯûma, al-Ṛẓej, al-Ḫarîm, Ṛadîr al-Ḥṣân, al-ʻEšže, and farther to the southeast. After a while, on the dark red gravel, we observed pink blood stains, a mournful sign that the soles of our camels were already lacerated and bleeding. The camel bearing the water bags was bleeding from both hind feet and my camel from its left forefoot. If the animal lost a drop of blood at every step, how long would it hold out on this journey? We could not reach al-Ḥeǧr in less than three days, but neither in al-Ḥeǧr nor in the surrounding district were any Bedouins encamped, from whom we could have bought fresh animals, and it was not possible to undertake a new journey with our exhausted and wounded camels. We had not intended to work at Medâjen Ṣâleḥ (al-Ḥeǧr), our wish being to proceed westward; and at Medâjen Ṣâleḥ there were Turkish gendarmes, whom I should have preferred to avoid. They had certainly been informed of the way in which we had been treated by the mudîr at Tebûk and possibly the mudîr had received replies to his telegraphic enquiries, replies which were not favorable to us. Our guide told me that he could not go with us along the railway except as far as the station of Dâr al-Ḥamra’, which belonged half to the Fuḳara’ and half to the Beli; al-Ḥeǧr belonged only to the Fuḳara’, and the Fuḳara’ were the enemies of his clan. I doubted whether we should find a reliable guide at Dâr al-Ḥamra’, because both the Fuḳara’ and the Âjde had departed from there for fear of the attacks of Eben Rašîd.

At nine o’clock our camels knelt down; when we forcibly urged them to get up and led them to good pasturage, they knelt down again. The heat was unbearable and the air full of dense sandy clouds. Rifʻat and Tûmân complained that their eyes were hurting them and that they were physically worn out. Accordingly I decided that we would not go either to al-Ḥeǧr or to Dâr al-Ḥamra’ but turn direct to the station of al-Muʻaẓẓam. I hoped that somewhere to the north of this station I should find a camp of the Âjde or the Fuḳara’, where we could exchange our camels, and that after recuperating we could proceed either to the south or to the east. My companions were in full accord with this plan.

Mounting a high rock not far away, we drew a sketch map of the surrounding district.

 

To the southeast could be seen the black hills of Abraḳ al-ʻAšâr, partly covered with sand. From them descend the šeʻibân of aṣ-Ṣadr and as-Srajjed in a southeasterly direction. To the east loomed up the black rocks of ʻAfejž al-Asmar, penetrated by the šeʻîb of al-Ǧenûd, which joins the šeʻîb of Abu Ǧnêb to the south of the station of Ḫašm Ṣanaʻ. To the northeast, through a black undulating plain, extended the gray strip of the šeʻîb of al-ʻEšš, to the north the long šeʻîb of al-Ḥâka. This šeʻîb begins by Mount Nâjef, under the name of Mdejsîs, and on the right is joined by the šeʻîb of al-Ḥmejjeṭe, descending from the volcano of al-Ḫmâm; on the left by al-Mǧejnîn, al-Ḥaṣnawên, and al-Muṭawwaḳ. Al-Ḥâka also merges into the šeʻîb of Abu Ǧnêb.^[7]

From the elevation of ar-Rḥajje descends the šeʻîb of al-Mâlḥa, which, after joining the šeʻibân of Ṛadîr al-Ḥṣân, Rwêšde, and al-Lwij, merges into the šeʻîb of Ammu Wêzrât between Ḥala’ umm ʻAwâḏer and Dirʻ. The latter šeʻîb starts from the volcanoes of al-Ḥaṣnawên and Ḥlej as-Semeḥ and forms the šeʻîb of ad-Dirʻ, which terminates by the station of al-Muʻaẓẓam. To the east and northeast appeared the gray šeʻîb of al-Mṣaḥḥ which is traversed by the Pilgrim Road and the railway. Behind it, to the east, rise gray, table-shaped hills, in which can be clearly seen the gap formed by the šeʻîb of al-Ḥammâẓa, which on the right is joined by the šeʻibân of Umm Arṭa and al-Msêfre and merges into the šeʻîb of Abu Ǧnêb.

 

At 11.10 we turned off to the north (temperature: 33.5° C). After a short time we observed far away on the horizon Mount al-Farwal and nearer to us Ḫašm Ḫibt aṯ-Ṯemâṯîl with the railway station of Ḫašm Ṣanaʻ. At first we rode through a bare plain covered with coarse gravel. After 12.45 we reached deep, narrow ravines, round which it became necessary to make a detour. The sides of the ravines are twenty to one hundred meters high and so steep that it is impossible to crawl along them. The beds are covered with large, rugged boulders, often ten to twenty meters high. After abundant cloud-bursts, foaming cataracts are formed in these beds. Nowhere did we see any water, nor any vegetation except ṭalḥ trees and rimṯ bushes.

At 1.30 we had the volcano of Bâḳûr on our left, and at 1.52 to the northeast we saw the black volcano of Sâlûm standing out conspicuously from its gray surroundings; to the west of it were the elevations of Abu Ṭôr (or Ṭowr) and to the northwest the eminence of ar-Rmêmijje. With difficulty we drove the camels forward, while we ourselves all went on foot. Finally, at 3.46, we entered the šeʻîb of al-ʻEšš, the bed of which is covered with sand, so that our camels were able to get along more easily. In the sand we observed numerous traces of rodents, wabrân, hiding on the rocky slopes. We should have liked to have halted, but nowhere could we find any pasturage. At last, at 4.40 (temperature: 36° C), we reached some blossoming ṭalḥ trees, on the blossoms and shoots of which our hungry animals grazed until 6.52.

The šeʻîb of al-ʻEšš gradually opens out into a gray, undulating plain connected with the lowland of al-Mṣaḥḥ through which wind the railway and the Pilgrim Road.

At 7.08 we rode around some ruined huts once inhabited by workmen engaged upon the construction of the railway. Then, on the right, could be seen the flat elevation Matent al-Habwa extending from south to north. On the eastern spur of the elevations of Ḥlejlât abu Ṭarfa we perceived the glow of a small fire. As this region is continually frequented by marauding bands and we had heard of the warlike expedition of the Âjde and Fuḳara’, we were afraid that we might be attacked. With loaded rifles we hastened northward. The animals, who had scarcely crawled during the night, suddenly started off at a swift and regular trot. Listening carefully to every movement and sound, we rode round the fire, reached the railway, and encamped in a dense ṭalḥ thicket in the channel of al-Ḥâka at 8.50. Throughout all this time the camels made no noise whatever. Amid deep silence we unloaded our baggage, arranged the beasts in a circle, lay down around them, and kept watch all night, not knowing whether we had been observed.

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.^[8]

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 a small barrack for soldiers, where fifteen men were quartered. Halting at 5.48 in front of the railway station, we wished to water our camels, but the well was locked up, the station master was asleep, and none of the soldiers ventured to go and wake him. The soldiers filled one of our bags from their own water supply, and at 6.10 we left (temperature: 32° C).

Ḫalîl urged me to give the guide only a third of his wages; otherwise, he said, he would drive him away before he received anything. The reason, he stated, was that the Beli had extorted large gifts from us and had ill-treated us and that he would therefore like to avenge himself on one of them. Together with Šerîf he was preparing to knock the guide about, but I would not permit them to harm him in word or deed, and I paid him all his wages. He at once disappeared among the crags to the west, afraid that after our departure the soldiers or the gendarmes would rob him. I should have liked to proceed to some encampment of the Âjde or the Fuḳara’, but nobody at al-Muʻaẓẓam knew for certain where they were encamped. I was told that all their clans had gone at first northward but that some had now joined the Mwâhîb and had fled to the volcanic territory west of Medâjen Ṣâleḥ. The Weld Slejmân, with whom I was likewise acquainted, were encamped in the volcanic territory extending to the south of al-Bird.

As our camels were so tired that they could not have endured the journey to the southern camps, I proposed that we should proceed to the north, hoping soon to discover where the clans were encamped who had departed in that direction.

We had not gone one kilometer from al-Muʻaẓẓam, when we were overtaken by a non-commissioned officer of the gendarmes, who handed Ḫalîl a written order to return with me immediately to Tebûk. If I refused to obey or wished to branch off to the right or left of the Pilgrim Road, he was to inform me and my native guide that the Government would no longer protect me and would assume no further responsibility for the safety of my life or property. Things had thus turned out as I had expected. I could go where I liked, but I should have had no protector, and anybody could have robbed or killed me. The marauding tribes encamped along the railway would certainly have made away with us all, if they had found out that the Government was no longer protecting me; and it was not possible for me to get from Turkish territory to the great tribes of the Weld Slejmân or the Šammar. Accordingly, there was nothing left for us but to make our way to Tebûk.

At 6.55 our camels found a pasture of no great size in the valley of Ummu Rmam, and we remained there until nine o’clock. The valley is covered with a deep layer of sand, in which ṭalḥ, rimṯ, and ʻarfeǧ grow.

 

On the east Wâdi Ummu Rmam, through which the Pilgrim Route passes, is joined by the ravine of al-Mḳêbel, separated by the ridge of al-Mẓêbʻe from the šeʻîb Ammu ʻAwâḏer. Beyond this šeʻîb Wâdi Ummu Rmam is joined by al-Mšâš, Ammu Ẓrûb, Rdêhat aṣ-Ṣfêra, Ḏbejjeb al-Mša’, Sâlûm, Umm Ḥanẓal, al-Mezâjîn, Abu Ṣdêra, al-Mhejr, al-Mohr, ar-Rwêḥa, al-Fâjde, Ammu Ṛẓejje, al-Mhejdi, Ammu Ṭuʻûs, Erdêht ʻAneze, Ammu Kanâtel, and by Umm Ṣafa’, which descends from the foot of the al-Ṛazwân slope at the water Ṯemîlt aṭ-Ṭrûš; still farther it is joined by al-Bêẓa and Umm Tîna. On the left near the Pilgrim Road terminate the šeʻibân of ar-Radi; Umm Ḥawâjeẓ; Wudej Selîṭ, with al-Muṭallaḳ, near which rises the volcano of aṯ-Ṯoṛra; al-Muʻaḳḳar, which is joined on the right by the šeʻibân of Umm Hašîm and Umm Ḥanẓal, and on the left by al-Ḫabra and Abu Nmâr. Farther down, on the left, end the šeʻibân of Wudej al-Ḳahwa; as-Sinfe, near which is situated the hill of al-Ḳdûd; al-Fwâẓle; ʻAǧîrt al-Ḥelw; al-Ḥamaṣ, with ar-Radha and Abu Ṭoboḳ; al-Mdejsîs; al-Ḫawwâr; and finally Maḳṣadet Ḳaṣja’ and Maḳṣadet ad-Dunja’. Al-Ḫawwâr rises as Telʻet aẓ-Ẓîḥ to the north of the hills of Neẓûḥ and is joined on the right by the šeʻibân of al-Mzêrîd and Umm Ẓamrân and on the left by Ummu Rẓîm, Sbejḥuwât, Ẓaram, and Ammu Rtejmât.

 

Proceeding through Wâdi Ummu Rman to the northwest, we passed by the two dark hills of al-Ḳaṭawên, between which and the ridge of Ammu-ẓ-Ẓrûb the valley of Ummu Rmam terminates. At 10.02 we again entered a broad valley, known as ar-Rwêḥa, and from eleven to 11.40 the camels grazed here. At 11.50 we reached the end of this valley; it becomes a ravine, its bed being wedged between the steep slopes of Ammu Ẓrûb and Umm Ḥawâjeẓ. We there observed some railway sleepers which had been carried away by the water.

The railway line is very superficially constructed: the banks are almost vertical, so that the stones which are heaped up gradually fall out from under the sleepers and holes are formed everywhere in the embankments. The culverts built in the embankments for letting the rain water flow off from one side to the other are very narrow and low, in consequence of which the sand clogs them up and they continually have to be cleaned out by the soldiers. If a rainstorm sweeps to the southwest and the foaming water rushes down, it fills the culverts with a deposit, comes to a standstill, breaks through the embankment, and carries away the sleepers. This had happened the previous winter, and the sleepers were still lying in the river bed. At 12.08 P. M. and again at 12.15 we saw on our right a number of culverts which were completely clogged up with sand.

The valley through which we proceeded is called Ḫanzîra. It is of such a rugged nature that the construction of the railway line there demanded considerable labor. At 12.23 we rode past some ruined culverts, at 12.35 past a bridge whose pillars were entirely covered up with a deposit of stone and sand; at 12.40 we saw a part of the railway embankment in ruins. At one o’clock we arrived at a bridge which had recently been built afresh but had already been damaged again by water. To the right Ḫalîl pointed out two large boulders saying that they were two petrified pigs. Why these wretched animals had been changed into rocky boulders here in the inhospitable desert, neither he nor the shepherd Muṭalleḳ could say, although the latter hailed from Tejma and had often accompanied caravans from al-Muʻaẓẓam to Tebûk.

At 1.08 we passed the small railway station of Maḳaṣṣ al-Asʻad. To the east-northeast of the station in the valley is situated a large boulder known as Ḥaǧar al-Bint. A maiden (bint al-bejt) of the Swêfle clan had been compelled by her father to marry an old man. On the eve of the wedding day she had escaped from the tent and had sat down on this boulder, saying: “Never will I marry that old man full of wrinkles, but you, O stone, shall become my husband.” And by a miracle her wish was fulfilled. Her father, who was told of her escape, went to look for her and found her lying on this stone. Noticing some blood, he searched in the sand for the tracks of a man, but found no tracks except those of his daughter. So awed was he by this portent that he did not compel his daughter to return to the old man’s tent but allowed her to marry the man she loved. Since then the girls of the Swêfle, if they have to marry a man whom they do not like, threaten to make a journey to Ḥaǧar al-Bint.

At 1.25 we observed in the railway embankment a washout a few meters in length, another proof of the hasty construction of the line. To the west, above the low hills, projected the cone of al-Ḳdûd. The valley grew narrower and narrower, and at two o’clock we reached a defile enclosed on both sides by high lava crags. In the dry river bed was the large natural hollow of Luṣṣân. At 2.30 we crossed the šeʻîb of al-Fawâẓle and reached a broad basin covered with sand and a growth of ṭalḥ trees, where we rested from 2.38 to 5.03. To the west the šeʻîb is bordered by the dark walls of al-Ḳdûd; to the east by the rocks of Luṣṣân, upon which rests a stratum of lava. At 5.38 the embankment was again blocked up, and at 5.42 we saw that it was constructed only of sand and clay and that it dropped off, so that the sleepers projected freely on both sides. At six o’clock we reached the broad valley of Ǧenâjen al-Ḳâẓi, where an Italian railway workman is buried under a ṭalḥ tree. Ḫalîl drew my attention to the fact that the ṭalḥ, rimṯ, and ʻawseǧ growing in Ǧenâjen al-Ḳâẓi have much larger leaves and needles than those growing elsewhere. He said that they are not ṭalḥ, rimṯ, and ʻawseǧ but in reality plum trees, almond trees, and orange trees; but I saw no difference between the shrubs here and those growing anywhere else.

On our right yawned the šeʻibân of Abu Ṣdêra and al-Mhejr. Near the šeʻîb of Abu Ṣdêra looms the huge dark hill Burḳa Ṣdêra, half-covered with whitish sand.^[9]

At 6.15 to the west of the embankment we saw a large stretch of low-lying land covered with yellow clay, a sign that the culverts were clogged up and that the rain water had formed a pool around the embankment. At 6.26 we passed by the embankment, here constructed only of clay and protected against storms by means of deep trenches. At 6.45 we crossed the elevation of Šrejf aṭ-Ṭaʻâm and rode into the valley of al-Maʻw. Before 8.30 we saw in front of us the light of the station of al-Ḫamîs, situated opposite the šeʻîb of al-Ḥamaṣ. The soldiers guarding the various stations of the Ḥeǧâz railway are afraid of the Bedouins, and they immediately fire at anybody who comes near them. Apprehensive lest they might begin shooting at us, I therefore halted and sent Ḫalîl on in front. He kept on calling in the Kurdish language for a soldier whom he knew, and, when the latter appeared and he had told him who we were, we were able to ride on. At 8.40 we encamped by the side of the station. The officials and soldiers asked us how we were and invited us to take part in their amusement. They were exhilarated with tea and ʻaraḳ brandy and were dancing and singing. Ḫalîl and Šerîf joined them, but the rest of us lay down beside our camels, for we were tired and needed rest.

AL-ḪAMÎS TO ḪŠÊM BIRḲ

On Tuesday, July 5, 1910, we were in our saddles again at 4.02 A. M. At 4.20 we mounted a rise of no great height and ten minutes later were enjoying a beautiful view: in front of us wound the šeʻîb of al-Ḫawwâr bordered to the north by dark heights; to the northeast appeared the low cones of Brêḳ al-Mḥâmli; to the north the cones of al-Mšêrîf stood out, while in the east hovered the bluish slopes of al-Ṛazwân and al-Edêreʻ. From 5.15 to 6.06 our camels grazed on fresh arṭa in the šeʻîb of al-Mdejsîs. At 6.38 we crossed the šeʻibân of al-Ḫawwâr and Ammu Rtejmât; at 7.16 Maḳṣadet al-Ḳaṣja’; at 7.32 Maḳṣadet ad-Dunja’, where we were overtaken by a member of the Ḫuẓara clan of the Beni ʻAṭijje, who had been appointed gendarme at al-Aḫẓar. He rode with us to his post and described the whole of the surrounding district.

At 8.34 we reached the reservoir of the station of al-Aḫẓar. The station is built on the right-hand side of the valley of the same name and is a rectangular stone stronghold without towers. On the north and east are six deep reservoirs, the water for which used to be obtained from a well about ten meters deep and more than two meters broad, hollowed out in the courtyard of the stronghold. The water is now conducted into a large cistern excavated in the rocky southern slope, whence it is conveyed to the railway water tower constructed by the side of the embankment.^[10]

Having watered our camels, at 9.20 we rode on, because we found no pasture in the neighborhood. About four kilometers to the west, in the river bed of al-Aḫẓar, are several springs, near which it is said that the ruins of small ancient buildings and garden walls may be seen. Having discovered pasture, we allowed the camels to rest from 9.45 to 11.35, while Tûmân and I mounted the western slope and drew a sketch of the surrounding district. On our return we were informed by Šerîf that the camel carrying the water would not graze any more and that it remained kneeling. Two other animals did the same. A gendarme who came to us from al-Aḫẓar explained that they had received orders to search for me and to compel me to return to Tebûk. It was fortunate for us that in consequence of the threatened raid by the Âjde against the Beni ʻAṭijje, none of the latter had recently come to the fortress of al-Aḫẓar or discovered that the gendarmes were to search for me. This news would have spread throughout the camps of the Beni ʻAṭijje, who would certainly have robbed us before we could get away from their territory.

At 11.50 we heard a piercing shout and immediately afterwards the sound of a shot. On the western foot of the slope we perceived a Turkish soldier, who was aiming at us and shouting at the top of his voice. Soon after that we saw about twenty soldiers who had been detailed to repair the embankment and were resting in the culverts. Disturbed by the shout and the sound of firing, they had seized their arms, posted themselves behind the embankment, and were aiming at us. We halted and sent Šerîf to them. As they saw that he was on foot and without firearms, they allowed him to approach them and he told them who we were and where we were going. We were then able to ride on. At twelve o’clock we had the railway station of al-Aḫẓar on our left hand. On a knoll situated on the eastern slope to the left of the šeʻîb of an-Nâḳa we perceived a dummy soldier made of a pole and some tattered clothing. This scarecrow was hidden behind a large pile of stones and was looking toward the south.

At the station of al-Aḫẓar the broad basin terminates, for the valley swings off nearly due north and between the rocks of Brêḳ al-Mḥâmli becomes so narrow that during the time of rain it is impossible to pass through it. The Pilgrim Road therefore leads through the gap an-Nḳejb on to the western upland and then along it farther to the north, while the railway winds through the šeʻîb. Both the engineers and the workmen had considerable labor before they succeeded in constructing a railway in these places. The crags consist of small stones, hard and soft, which are cross-bedded in arrow yers. The gap of an-Nḳejb is in places scarcely three meters broad and is enclosed on the right and left by high rocky walls; in it the Bedouins are fond of lying in wait for the caravans, which they rush upon and rob. The Bedouins have also several times damaged the railway embankment and the track. The railway stations here are therefore placed much closer together and are provided with strong garrisons.

At one o’clock to the east we saw the station of al-Muṣṭabṛa, in a district more forlorn and barren than any other I have seen in the Orient. Around the station are nothing but bare rugged rocks, gray or brown parched slopes, and above them a narrow, gray strip of sky. At 1.30 we crossed the šeʻîb of al-Worob, which joins with the ravine of al-Muṣṭabṛa and terminates in the šeʻîb of al-Ḫabbîni. At 2.25 we had a delightful view on the left to the southwest, immediately before us, extended the hills of Ẓahr al-Mohr; behind them could be seen many separate mesas, buttes, and cones of the an-Naʻâjem, an-Nimrijjât, an-Naʻâme, and Ǧdejdîlât ranges, all of which are overtopped far to the southwest by the mutilated cone of al-Watar and the huge pink range of Šejbân. To the northwest appeared the bare plateaus of Ḫšêm Birḳ and al-Mowreda with steep black slopes covered with sand on the southeastern side. To the east of them and to the north of us we saw Umm Ẓambûḥ and Ḳrenât al-Ṛazâl, a confusion of diverse crags resembling a petrified stormy sea. Behind them to the northwest was an interminable plain bordered on the horizon by the peak of al-Mambar, an indication of the proximity of Tebûk. At 3.08 we reached the station of Ẓahr al-Ḥâǧǧ, which is constructed in a rocky basin.^[11]

From the station of al-Aḫẓar onward we did not find a single plant. We were now able to ride on two of the camels only, as all the rest were bleeding from their feet. Šerîf, Ḫalîl, and Muṭalleḳ, who for two days had gone entirely on foot, were complaining of weariness and wanted to rest, but this was not possible, because there was no pasturage for the camels. At 4.10 we entered the plain of al-Eṯêli, covered with coarse gravel, enclosed to the west by the steep spurs of Ḫšêm Birḳ, al-Mowreda, Ammu Ǧuʻejb, ʻAšêra, and extending eastward as far as the slopes of aẓ-Ẓufejjer. At 4.50, in a shallow gully, we found a strip of soil covered with a growth of nasi, on which our camels grazed until 6.52. Our cameleer complained that he was dying of fatigue; he I lay down by the fire, and Tûmân and I had to guard the camels while at the same time we drew a sketch of the surrounding district. We could not spend the night at the place where we had prepared our supper, because the smoke and flame of our fire could be seen from afar. At 7.55 we traversed an undulating plain to the railway station of Ḫšêm Birḳ and there we encamped.

ḪŠÊM BIRḲ TO TEBÛK

On Wednesday, July 6, 1910, we started off at 3.17 A. M. and from 4.16 to 5.22 halted in the river bed of al-Ṛẓej, where the camels grazed on naṣi. To the northwest in the rays of the rising sun the slopes of the mesa of ʻAšêra glistened before us, red below and white above and capped with lava. Far to the north the horizon was enclosed by the tablelands of Šarôra’, while to the east appeared the heights of al-Ṛazwân and al-Lemleme only slightly higher than the elevations to the west. From 7.00 to 7.30 we again rested, because our camels could not proceed. Five animals were bleeding from the feet, the worst of them being the camel carrying our water. At 7.53 we crossed the broad valley of al-Eṯel which was covered with a dense growth of ṭarfa. The railway crosses the valley near a station of the same name by means of a bridge that has frequently been broken down and rebuilt. If a considerable quantity of rain were to fall in the vicinity of the mountains of Šejbân and ad-Daḫâḫîr, the water would certainly carry away the whole of this bridge and with it also a great part of the railway line, which was very rapidly constructed in the plain. Beyond the bridge we observed the tracks of about fifty camel riders who had passed that way the previous night. They had ridden from the north and branched off to the south-southeast and were certainly a troop of raiders. We were not very much concerned about them, however. All my companions were complaining of fatigue and fever, but the camels hurried forward as if they knew that rest was awaiting them in Tebûk, near at hand. They were so emaciated that, as Ḫalîl declared, all their bones could be counted.

From 9.55 to 10.53 we rested in the stony šeʻîb of al-Ḳrên. None of the camels would graze, but all knelt down and refused to get up again. We all shouted “al-ḥamdu lillâh!” when at twelve o’clock we caught sight of the oasis of Tebûk. If we had been obliged to travel for another two days, we should certainly have lost three of the animals. The road led us through a parched plain covered with coarse gravel and in places with sand drifts. At 1.18 P. M. we crossed the šeʻîb of abu Nšejfe, which proceeds from the rocks of ʻAšêra. At its head is situated the ancient burial place of Rǧûm Šowhar, to the southwest of which stands the ruined fortress Ḳṣejr at-Tamra, and to the northwest gushes the spring ʻAjn abu ʻAǧejǧât. At 1.42 we crossed through the šeʻîb of Ẓabʻân, at two o’clock we traversed the broad river bed of ʻArejḳên, and at 2.05 we dismounted in front of the quarantine.

AT TEBÛK; THE BENI ʻAṬIJJE

ʻAbdarraḥmân Effendi, the director of the quarantine, greeted us with great joy, for the news had spread at Tebûk that we had been attacked and murdered. In the last two days Tebûk had been surrounded by a marauding band of al-Âjde, numbering more than fifty warriors, and the foot soldiers had been unable to do anything against the mounted attackers. The raiders had stolen the camels belonging to the soldiers, as well as two large flocks of goats and sheep, which had been intended as food for the officials and soldiers at Tebûk. They had driven their booty to the gardens of ar-Râjes, where they had killed and cooked some of the animals. The rest they had then driven away to the southeast before evening on the previous day. If the Bedouins had actually attacked Tebûk, not a single soldier or official would have escaped. The soldiers and officials live a long distance from each other, their homes are neither fenced in nor fortified, and they have no cisterns, so that after two days they would be compelled to surrender by thirst and hunger. And all the tribes, the Beni ʻAṭijje, Ḥwêṭât, and the Weld ʻAli complain of the Turkish garrisons and curse them.

From Ǧwâd, who throughout the period of our journey had remained in the infirmary, I learnt that the mudîr as well as Sâlem, the deputy of Ḥarb eben ʻAṭijje, had been in a rage when they had discovered that I had departed without their consent. Immediately after my departure an order had arrived from Damascus that I should not be allowed to leave Tebûk except by railway. That is why the mudîr had sent two gendarmes and Sâlem three Bedouins to follow us and bring us back. But after two days they had returned reporting that they had been unable to find us, because, they said, we had gone through the defile of al-Ḫrejṭa to the coast.

In the immediate vicinity of Tebûk there was scarcely any pasture for our camels, and they could not graze at a greater distance because they might have been stolen. Ǧwâd explained that the Beni ʻAṭijje were encamped near Bîr al-Msallam on the eastern side of Mount az-Zejte. I very much desired to go to them. In their camp we could have exchanged our worn-out camels for sound animals and could also have made a more thorough topographical survey of the northern half of the region of Ḥesma; but a few days previously two men from this camp had been in Tebûk and had learnt from the mudîr and Sâlem that the Government was no longer protecting us. It was therefore uncertain whether they might not have adopted a hostile attitude towards us; as, however, the Beni ʻAṭijje were moving northward to the territory of the Ḥwêṭât and knew that I was friendly with the chief ʻAwde abu Tâjeh, I conjectured that they would sooner esteem me as a friend of the chief ʻAwde than hate me as a man deserted by the Government. I therefore made up my mind after all to go to them.

The tribe of the Beni ʻAṭijje, which is known also as al-Maʻʻâze, or contemptuously as al-ʻAṭâwne, is composed of the following clans:

al-ʻAṭjât;	chief,	Ḥarb eben ʻAṭijje
as-Sbût;	chief„	Ḥamûd eben Farḥân
Ǧmêʻânijjîn;	chief„	Muṭlek al-Muʻaẓẓam
ar-Rbejlât;	chief„	Ḥâmed
al-ʻAḳejlât;	chief„	Hlejjel eben Hirmâs
al-Mrâḳîn;	chief„	Muḥammad eben ʻEmrân
al-Ḥamâjse;	chief„	Niǧm aẓ-Ẓjûfi
Slejmât;	chief„	Msellem al-ʻEẓejdi
as-Saʻêdânijjîn;	chief„	Sâlem eben Ṣaḳr
ar-Rawâẓîn;	chief„	Daʻsân eben Zelʻ
al-Wkala’;	chief„	Sâlem al-Wakli
al-Maṣâbḥe;	chief„	Muḥammad eben Mesʻed

 

Of the families I noted down:

 

al-Madâmje al-Ḥumrân al-Furǧân al-Ǧhûš ar-Rwâjât ad-Daḥḥâlîn al-Brejkât al-Merâʻijje ar-Rwêʻât

al-Kurʻân az-Zlûʻ as-Swêrḥijjîn aḏ-Ḏijabe al-ʻErǧân as-Saʻêdât as-Saʻûd ad-Dbâwijjîn al-Ḥwâmde

an-Nwâbte al-Ṛnejmât al-Hrâmse ar-Ršîd al-Jaṣâjṣe al-ʻEsejfât al-Fursât al-Ḥšâjme al-Ǧrâjʻe

al-Ḥmûdât Awlâd Selîm Awlâd ʻEmrân al-Hlebât aẓ-Ẓfûfijje al-ʻAjjaba al-Hlôlât as-Swêfle al-Ḫuẓara

 

The clans of the Beni ʻAṭijje possess the territory from the aš-Šera range in the north to the station of Ḫašm Ṣanaʻ in the south and from the mountains of al-Ǧalad, or al-Ǧeles, in the west to the table mountains bordering the Pilgrim Route in the east. The great chief is of the clan of the ʻAṭjât, after whom the whole tribe is really named, although some clans, such as the Sbût, for example, are of a different origin. They assert that they have dwelt from time immemorial in the various halting places by the Pilgrim Route and that these are their property, although today they are nomads. Concerning the various families, their connections, property, and traditions, I had detailed records in the notebook which disappeared when we were attacked and robbed by the Beli.^[12] I should have liked to replace what was lost, but on the journey from Wâdi al-Ǧizel to Tebûk we did not meet with the Beni ʻAṭijje, and at Tebûk I learnt only what I have here reproduced.

On Thursday, July 7, 1910, I spent the whole day drawing maps of the environs of Tebûk in accordance with statements made by various Bedouins who had resided for some time in the settlement. My companions overhauled the baggage. Ǧwâd made enquiries in the village as to whether some member of the Beni ʻAṭijje had not arrived from the north, or whether anybody would be going in that direction, but he discovered that telegraphic news had arrived from the station of al-Mdawwara concerning a great band of Šammar raiders which had crossed the railway line to the south of al-Mdawwara and was making its way to the southwest. As the Šammar are the enemies of the Beni ʻAṭijje, it was certain that they were looking for the camps and flocks of the latter. Accordingly it was not to be expected that any ʻAṭiwi would in the next few days proceed from the northwest to the southeast, or vice versa.

Neither the mudîr nor Sâlem visited us in the infirmary. The gendarme Ḫalîl came to me with the request that I protect him from the mudîr, who had threatened to have him imprisoned for having left Tebûk with me without his consent. He had referred to the telegraphic order received from the commander of the gendarmes at Damascus, in accordance with which I was to be strictly watched and not allowed to speak with the Bedouins, because I was to be permitted to travel only by railway and not to go east or west of the railway line.

On Friday, July 8, 1910, the mudîr sent two gendarmes to the infirmary to prevent my speaking with anybody. As the infirmary belonged to the International Board of Health at Constantinople,
Fig. 86—Railway station, Tebûk. I ordered the gendarmes to leave these international premises immediately and threatened to have them fired at if they came near. But at the same time I promised them half a meǧîdijje (45 cents) each and three cups of tea daily, if they would retire to the inn of Mr. Sarikakis about one kilometer away from the infirmary. This promise was more effective than the orders of the mudîr, and they immediately went off to the inn, where they remained the whole day.

RETURN TO MAʻÂN

We could not remain any longer at Tebûk; the camels were weak with hunger; we did not know whether the Beni ʻAṭijje, in fear of the Šammar, were moving rapidly to the north or not, and it was likewise uncertain how they would receive us and whether the mudîr would allow us to leave Tebûk without interference. I therefore decided to depart for Maʻân, transporting the wearied camels by railway (Fig. 86), and from Maʻân to proceed to one of the camps of the Ḥwêṭât and rest there. But it was not easy to get the camels into a railway van. In Tebûk there was no gangway on which the animals could have entered the van, and, as they had to jump, they became much frightened. It took more than three hours before we got them in by force and tied them up there.

Having reached Maʻân on Saturday; July 9, 1910, at noon, we immediately departed westward to the ridge of as-Semne, where we found pasturage and from where we could make sketch maps of the western region. But now the results of our fatigue manifested themselves. Rifʻat, Tûmân, and Šerîf fell ill and declared that they could not move. The camels ran away, three lost their saddles, and it took a long time before I found them with the aid of the guide and drove them up to the fire. The guide guarded the animals while I went to look for the lost saddles.

On Sunday, July 10, 1910, my European companions could not get up, and there was nothing for us to do but to help them on to the camels and to return with them to the station of Maʻân, where they lay down at the inn of Mr. Sarikakis.

Accompanied by Ǧwâd, I proceeded on Monday, July 11, to the town of Maʻân to the ḳâjmaḳâm. He also informed me that he had received from Damascus a telegraphic order not to permit me to leave the railway line. To my question whether he knew where the Ḥwêṭât were encamped, he replied that they had all left the region west of the railway and that they were threatening the Government with revolt if they were not paid the money that was due them. He added that he would be glad to pay them the amount to which they were entitled but that the wâli had sent no money from Damascus. While I was talking with him, we heard three shots and after that a cry of pain. The frightened soldiers and gendarmes scrambled into the Government building and began to close the heavy gate, declaring that a revolt had broken out at Maʻân. After a while they brought a severely wounded gendarme to the gate and asked me to examine his wound. A bullet had passed through the right side of his lungs and had embedded itself somewhere beneath the shoulder blade. Quickly tying up his wound, I promised the ḳâjmaḳâm to bring the necessary medicines for the wounded man from my baggage, but it was not possible to leave the Government building, because firing could be heard everywhere in the settlement. After about an hour the disturbance abated somewhat, and two gendarmes brought me a horse and accompanied me by the shortest road from the settlement to the railway station. From them I learnt that neither the native population nor the Bedouins had revolted, but the gendarmes and soldiers had begun to fire at each other.

I returned with the medicines to Maʻân and went to the severely wounded gendarme in his quarters. While he was being moved his bandage had slipped down, the wound had begun to bleed profusely again, and it was certain that he would not live till midnight. His friends overwhelmed me with questions as to whether I thought he would recover and, gnashing their teeth, vowed vengeance upon the soldiers, if he died.

Seeing that at Maʻân and in the surrounding area everything was being prepared for a revolt, I proposed to return to Damascus. Rifʻat and Tûmân were much pleased with my decision and said that it had brought them instant relief. Šerîf and Ismaʻîn, who again visited us, were to accompany the camels along the railway line as far as Damascus, while we intended to take all the baggage with us by rail.

On Tuesday, July 12, 1910, we loaded the baggage into a cattle truck, sat down beside it, and during the journey drew sketches of the country around the railway. We reached Damascus without any mishap. The wâli excused himself for having sent to Maʻân and Tebûk orders which were so unfavorable to me but said that it had been done in consequence of a direct order from Constantinople. He himself, likewise alarmed about a revolt not only in the environs of Maʻân but also in the Ḥawrân, asked me to act as intermediary between him and my friend, Prince an-Nûri eben Šaʻlân.

 

1. According to Gen., 10: 7, Dedan was related to Šeba’ (Sheba), for like the latter he was a descendant of Kûš (Kush) through Raʻama. Gen., 25: 3, makes Dedan also a descendant of Abraham by Keturah and calls him, as well as Šeba’, a son of Joḳšan.
   From both sources it may be inferred that Dedan maintained close relations with the descendants of Kûš residing in southwestern Arabia as well as with the descendants of Abraham by Ketura, who dwelt in the northwestern corner of Arabia proper. And such was actually the case, for the oasis of al-ʻEla’, which belonged to the Dedan, is situated in the northwestern corner of Arabia on the important transport route joining the northern country with the fertile southwestern part of the peninsula.
   That Dedan was in touch with the Sabaeans is proved by Ezek., 38: 13, where it is stated that Šeba’ and Dedan bought spoil from the conquerors. Dedan hence was engaged in trade relations and according to Ezek., 27: 20, sold coverings for saddles to the people of Tyre.
   In Is., 21: 13—15, the trade caravans of Dedan are threatened with the same destruction which overtook those of Edom. Isaiah therefore calls upon them to spend the night in the plain, in the wood, and the inhabitants of the land of Têma are to bring water and bread to the thirsty because they are fleeing from the sharpened sword, the stretched bow, and the onslaught of war. We may interpret this to mean that they are to hide in the thickets formed by the ṛaẓa’, sidr, sejâl, ṭalḥ, and the bushes growing in certain šeʻibân near the oasis of Tejma.
   A similar threat is repeated by Jer., 25: 23 f., also against the inhabitants of Têma and Bûz and all those with a shaven head, all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the Arabs dwelling in the wilderness.—
   Têma and Bûz are two oases to the northeast of the oasis of Dedan (al-ʻEla’) whose settlers likewise were actively engaged in trade. The inhabitants with a shaven head are the nomads hiring their camels for transport purposes to the settlers in the oases. The kings of Arabia are the chiefs of the separate oases: the kings of the Arabs dwelling in the wilderness are the chiefs of the Bedouins wandering with tents.
   Jer., 49: 8, threatens Edom and Têmân with destruction, and therefore the inhabitants of Dedan are told to flee and hide in deep basins.
   Edom, and the territory of Têmân in particular, were traversed by the most important trade route from Dedan northwards. The enemy threatening Edom and Têmân could also easily surprise and rob a Dedan trade caravan; for which reason the latter is told to flee and hide itself in the inaccessible basins.
   Ezek., 25: 13, likewise repeats that in Edom the people and the animals will be destroyed and that the land will be laid waste from Têmân to Dedan. Here Têmân forms the northern border of Edom, while Dedan borders on Edom to the south.
   The oasis of Dedan with the distant surroundings were subject to the kings of southwestern Arabia, who maintained there a political regent, known as kebîr. Many inscriptions preserved at Dedan are dated from the rule of this regent.
   It seems that Jâḳût was still acquainted with the ancient name of Dejdan, as it is always found in the Septuagint, for he recounts (Muʻǧam [Wüstenfeld], Vol. 2. p. 639), that ad-Dajdân was once a fair city on the road leading from al-Belḳa’ to the Ḥeǧâz but that in his time it was ruined.
   He also asserts (ibid., Vol. 4. p. 53), that according to old sources Ḳurḥ is the market place of the valley of al-Ḳura’. He records the report that the people of ʻÂd, subject to the Prophet Hûd, were destroyed there.—This report is probably associated with the rock tombs near ancient Dajdân (Dedan; the modern al-Ḫrajba near the oasis of al-ʻEla’). The name Ḳurḥ superseded the old name ad-Dajdân, and even before Jâḳût’s time it had been replaced by the name of the neighboring settlement al-ʻEla’.
   Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 709, states that al-ʻEla’ is a place belonging to the district of the valley of al-Ḳura’, situated between it and Syria. On his expedition to Tebûk the Prophet Mohammed stayed at al-ʻEla’, and a mosque was constructed on the spot where he prayed.
   Abu-l-Faḍâ’il, Marâṣid (Juynboll), Vol. 2, p. 273, defines the position of the settlement of al-ʻEla’ much more precisely, saying that it is situated in the district of the valley of al-Ḳura’ beyond the region of the Ṯamûd, on the way to al-Medîna, and accordingly to the south of al-Ḥeǧr.
   Ibn Baṭṭûṭa (died 1377 A. D.) relates (Tuḥfa [Defrémery and Sanguinetti], Vol. 1, pp. 260 f.) that it is less than half a day’s journey from al-Ḥeǧr to al-ʻEla’. At the time of his visit (at the end of 1326 A. D.) al-ʻEla’ was a large and beautiful settlement with palm gardens and well water. The inhabitants kept the peace. In the settlement dwelt Christian traders from Syria, from whom the pilgrims, who spent four days there, bought various wares. Nobody did any harm to these Christian traders.
   According to Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa, Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople, 1145 A. H.), p. 522, the settlement of al-ʻEla’ is situated a half day’s journey south of the region of the Ṯamûd and therefore the same distance south of al-Ḥeǧr, among the mountains, and it has vineyards and flowing water. The stronghold there was restored by Sultan Suleiman. ʻÎsa Pasha, governor of Damascus, fortified this settlement in order to protect its inhabitants against the marauding Arabs, but he increased the tax on each date palm from one dirhem to forty, and refused to reduce it.
   Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople, 1232 A. H.), p. 80, records that the flourishing settlement of al-ʻEla’ is situated nine hours from Medâjen Ṣâleḥ between two mountain ranges. This place also belongs to the region of the Ṯamûd. It is a settlement between mountains and possesses the advantages of flowing water, vineyards, and date palms. In it there is an abundance of sweetish oranges, and sweet and bitter lemons. Watermelons, cucumbers, and several other fruits also thrive there. Many acacias grow as far as Bijâr Ṛânem. During the rule of Sultan Suleiman Khan a fortress was built at al-ʻEla’, where the valley of Mušfeḳ is situated.
2. I identify the volcanic territory of ar-Rḥa’ and al-ʻAwêreẓ with Ḥarrat an-Nâr of the Arabic authors.
   Al-Hamdâni, Ṣifa (Müller), p. 180, says that al-Laṣâf and Ḥarrat an-Nâr belong to the Beni Murra.
   Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 252, following various sources, writes that in Ḥarrat an-Nâr were encamped the Ǧuḏâm, Beli, Balḳejn, and ʻUḏra. Abu-l-Fatḥ Naṣr al-Iskandari mentions that Ḥarrat an-Nâr extends between the valley of al-Ḳura’ and Tejma and that it belonged to the territory of the Ṛaṭafân. At the time of Jâḳût the ʻAneze were already encamped in Ḥarrat an-Nâr, which is several days’ march long. Borax was obtained there.—
   Naṣr, who died in 1164 or 1165 A. D., locates Ḥarrat an-Nâr between the valley of al-Ḳura’ in the south and Tejma in the north. The center of the valley of al-Ḳura’ was only a very few kilometers to the south of al-ʻEla’, for this oasis, under the name of Ḳurḥ, formed its headquarters; the whole of the modern Ḥarrat al-ʻAwêreẓ and Ḥarrat ar-Rḥa’ belonged to the volcanic territory of an-Nâr. Naṣr probably derived his information about the tribes from older sources, for the Ṛaṭafân had already migrated from Ḥarrat an-Nâr to the southeast in the seventh and eighth centuries. Only their clans, the Beni Murra and the Beni Fezâra, were encamped in the northeastern part of Ḥarrat an-Nâr. In the southwestern part dwelt the Beli, in the southeastern the Beni ʻUḏra, in the northwestern the Ǧuḏâm, and to the northern parts the Balḳejn perhaps sometimes paid visits. At the time of Jâḳût that is at the beginning of the thirteenth century—the Beni ʻUḏra were driven by the ʻAneze from the southeastern part of Ḥarrat an-Nâr. In this Ḥarrat an-Nâr some volcanoes were still active in the eighth century, as is shown by the poet ʻAntar, who refers to the smoke arising from the volcanic crater which was visible from the region of Ḥesma’.
   Abu-l-Feda’, Muḫtaṣar (Adler), Vol. 4. p. 550, mentions that in 1256 or 1257 A.D. there was a volcanic eruption in the territory of al-Medîna and at night its flames were visible a great distance off.
3. According to Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 2, p. 469, Ḫimân is the name of the mountains in the territory of the Ḳuḍâʻa on the road to Syria.—Our extinct volcanoes of Ḫmâm (n is frequently interchanged with m at the beginning and end of words) are situated by the road Darb al-Bakra leading from Wâdi al-Ḳura’ through the former territory of the Ḳuḍâʻa. We may therefore identify them with the Ḫimân mountains mentioned by Jâḳût.
4. Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople, 1232 A. H.), pp. 76 f., asserts that this station is called not only Dâr al-Ḥamra’ but also Mafâreš ar-Ruzz (not Maṛâriš az-Zîr as printed), Aḳraʻ (not Aḳraḥ as printed), Šiḳḳ al-ʻAǧûz, Maḳbara, and Dâr al-Ḥaǧar. It is eighteen hours distant from al-Muʻaẓẓam. In the year 1167 A. H. (1753—1754 A. D.) Othman Pasha built a stronghold there and in the following year a reservoir. The pilgrims collect small stones there, which they place in signet rings. The surrounding neighborhood is rocky. Beyond this station the pilgrims bound south turn off to the east and descend through a ravine into a sandy plain, on the right of which are situated the hills of aṭ-Ṭâf, an-Nuṭṭâḳ, Mazḥam, Ṣanwa’, and Mabrak an-Nâḳa. It was at Mabrak an-Nâḳa that the camel of the Prophet Ṣâleḥ appeared. It came forth from the rock of Kâṯibe and disappeared in the crag of an isolated table-shaped hill (ḳâra). The pilgrims ride around this hill as rapidly as possible amid shouting, uproar, and the firing of pistols, in order that their camels may not hear the voice of the Prophet’s camel, for, if they hear it, they sink down on their knees and cannot get up again.
5. Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa, Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople, 1145 A. H.), p. 521, writes that Mafâreš ar-Ruzz (thus, instead of the printed Maṛâriš az-Zîr) is also called Aḳraʻ and lies a half day’s journey from al-Ḥeǧr near Ǧebel aṭ-Ṭâḳ, where Ṣâleḥ’s camel was slain at al-Mazḥam.—Ǧebel aṭ-Ṭâḳ is the modern Abu Ṭâḳa.
6. Al-Bekri, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 466, states that in the territory of the Ṯamûd is to be seen the isolated table-shaped hill of Kebâba, referred to in the narrative concerning the camel of the Prophet Ṣâleḥ.—This is probably the modern Ḥlewijjet an-Nâḳa.
7. Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 2, p. 187, refers to the valley of al-Ḥâka in the territory of the Beni ʻUḏra and recalls the battle which once raged there. As our šeʻîb of al-Ḥâka traverses the former territory of the Beni ʻUḏra, we may identify it with the valley of al-Ḥâka mentioned by Jâḳût.
8. 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).
9. I identify it with Burḳa Ṣâder, which is referred to by the poet Nâbiṛa (Dîwân, [Derenbourg], p. 292). The Beni Ḥunn of the Beni ʻUḏra tribe opposed the supremacy of the Ghassânian (Ṛassân) tribe. Near al-Ḥeǧr they attacked some members of the Ṭajj tribe, to whom the water of Buzâḫa belonged.—Noʻmân, the brother of ʻAmr, made an expedition against them, and Nâbiṛa met him near Burḳa Ṣâder.—Noʻmân, the brother of ʻAmr, was the head chief of the Ṛassân tribe about 604 A. D. (see Musil, Ḳuṣejr ʻAmra, Vol. 1, p. 138). The Beni ʻUḏra were encamped to the south of the modern station of al-Muʻaẓẓam, and it is therefore very probable that Noʻmân marched with his army along the great transport route and rested in Ǧenâjen al-Ḳâẓi, where there was plenty of fuel and in the surrounding neighborhood an abundance of pasture for the camels. The poet an-Nâbiṛa may have met him near our hill of Burḳa Ṣdêra.
10. According to Ibn Hišâm, Sîra (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 1, Part 2, p. 905, and al-Bekri, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 802, Abu Ruhm Kulṯûm ibn Ḥuṣejn al-Ṛifâri accompanied the Prophet Mohammed on his expedition to Tebûk. When during the night they reached al-Aḫḍar, he fell asleep and his camel collided with the camel of the Prophet: whereupon the latter woke him up telling him to mind what he was about.
    Al-Bekri, op. cit., p. 79, states that al-Aḫḍar is four days’ march distant from Tebûk and contains a mosque of the Prophet. As it is not quite seventy kilometers from Tebûk to al-Aḫẓar, the statement of al-Bekri is not correct.
    Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 1, p. 164. writes that the pilgrims’ halting place of al-Aḫḍar is situated near Tebûk in the direction of the valley of al-Ḳura’ and that in the mosque there a spot is pointed out upon which the Prophet prayed on his expedition to Tebûk.
    According to Ḥaǧǧi Ḫalfa, Ǧihân numa’ (Constantinople. 1145 A. H.), p. 523, the well and stronghold of al-Uḫajḍer were constructed at the beginning of the reign of Sultan Suleiman under the supervision of the Syrian Governor Mustapha Pasha, the building having been carried out by Ṭurbân ibn Farrâǧ, the chief of the Syrian al-Ḥâreṯa. There were twenty soldiers from Damascus guarding this important and frequently visited station among the mountains between Damascus and Mecca. It was harassed by the unruly tribes of the Beni Lâm and Beni ʻOḳba. They clogged up the well and emptied the three reservoirs in front of the gateway. It was likewise the custom of the Beni Lâm to barricade with boulders the pass Naḳb al-Uḫajḍer, not far off.
    According to Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople, 1232 A. H.), pp. 75 f., the station of al-Uḫajḍer is also known as al-Ḥajdar. It is twelve hours distant from Moṛâjer, is one of the Prophet’s camps, and contains a mosque. During the reign of Suleiman Khan a stronghold and five reservoirs were built there. In the stronghold is a large well, from which is obtained water with which the reservoirs are filled. The water from this well is so very pleasant to the taste that many pilgrims carry it several halting places farther on. There is a tradition that Job washed in during which process the worms fell from his body and were turned to stone, so that it was possible to collect them. The Prophet Ḫiḍr is reputed to have dwelt there. In the stronghold is the grave of Ḥajdar Baba, to which pilgrimages are made. There are twenty Syrian soldiers guarding the fortress, which was built during the reign of the above-mentioned Sultan in 938 A.H. (1531–1532 A. D.) by Ṭurbân ibn Farrâǧ, the Prince of the Arabs al-Ḥâreṯa, at the command of the Syrian Governor Mustapha Pasha and the Sultan already named, because the Beni Lâm rebelled against the soldiers and clogged up the well. Opposite the stronghold rises a tower, and on all four sides there are high mountains. Part of the region is stony, part flat and sandy. The pass Naḳb al-Uḫajḍer (not ṯaḳab, as printed) is situated here. The water carriers near it give “sherbet” (lemonade) to the pilgrims. The tribes of the Beni Lâm encamp here and often barricade this pass. The station of al-Uḫajḍer is situated half-way between Damascus and Mecca the Sublime. In the region from which Birket al-Muʻaẓẓame may be reached, is situated the spot well known as the Gardens of the Ḳâḍi. Beyond the defile of al-Uḫajḍer there opens out an extensive plain, on which may be seen here and there snow-white sand drifts.
11. Meḥmed Edîb, Menâzil (Constantinople, 1232 A. H.), pp. 74 f., calls Ẓahr al-Ḥaǧǧ Moṛâjer al-Ḳalenderijje, ʻAḳabat Ḥajdar. Dâr al-Ṛadîr, and al-Birke and says that it is situated thirteen hours from ʻÂṣi Ḫurma or Tebûk. Othman Pasha set up a stronghold and a reservoir there, but, as there is no spring, water is often conveyed thither under military escort. In the neighborhood there are numerous caves. The hills are black as if covered with coal. At a distance of three hours’ journey before the station of al-Uḫajḍer is reached from the north there is a defile through which only two camels can proceed side by side. The soldiers surround this defile and guard it, and the Pasha, the leader of the pilgrims, sits under a sunshade and watches the pilgrims pass by. On the road can be seen small, thin, oval, black and white stones, which the people say are the petrified worms that fell from the body of Job.
12. See above, pp. 210—211.