reddened rocks Berḳa’-d-Dimež, partly covered with sand; to the north of them were the yellow rocks of Ferdât al-Aṭraš and in the angle formed by the two, on the right of the river bed of al-Ḥadad, the wells Ḳulbân ad-Dimež; far to the north there were to be seen several black hills of al-ʻÂǧât, and to the southeast of them, a long ridge straggling to the southeast, the steep slope of the mountains of Birḳa Šarôra, Ammu Ṛẓejje, al-Ṛawânem, and aẓ-Ẓufejjer.[1]
Between the slope of aẓ-Ẓufejjer and the region of Ḥesma there extends an undulating plain which near al-ʻÂǧât is known as al-ʻArâjed,[2] farther to the south as al-Ḫaẓẓa, to the north of the settlement of Tebûk as al-Meḥteṭeb, and, to the southeast of this settlement, as al-Eṯêli.
On our return we dismissed the guide. He had begged flour, salt, coffee, sugar, ammunition, etc.
At 5.05 we proceeded eastward (temperature: 15.5° C). In front of us stretched a large plain, from which isolated heaps of rock projected here and there. Numerous drifts of sand extended from west to east, overgrown with high and massive ṛaẓa bushes. Mḥammad explained that before the railway was built it was impossible even to penetrate the ṛaẓa thickets, but it could be seen that since then the woodcutters had been busy there. The wood of the ṛaẓa is conveyed to Tebûk and from there sent by railway as fuel for the various garrisons guarding the railway. Also to the north and northeast of Tebûk there are extensive ṛaẓa shrubberies, in which the inhabitants of Tebûk burn charcoal.
- ↑ According to Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 3, p. 475, Ḏu Ḍafîr is a mountain in Syria. He recalls a verse composed by the vice-governor and poet an-Naʻmân ibn Bašîr, a contemporary of Caliph Moawiyah, in the camp of the Ḳajn tribe at al-Ḥafr in which mention is made of Ḏu Ḍafîr, Ra’is, and Maṛân. In Abu-l-Faraǧ, Aṛâni (Bûlâḳ, 1285 A. H.), Vol. 14, pp. 124 f., the verse runs differently.—Maṛân, about which Jâḳût knew nothing, is probably a transcription from Maʻân. Instead of al-Ḥafr I would read al-Ǧafr, and I would locate the camp of the Ḳajn tribe to the east of Maʻân in the lowland of al-Gafar, where there is an abundance of water. I identify Ḏu Ḍafîr with our Ẓufejjer, and Râ’is with the well of ar-Râjes situated to the west of Ẓufajjer.Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 745, calls Râ’is a well of the Beni Fezâra—and at ar-Râjes, six kilometers to the south of Tebûk, there is an abundance of water. Whether this well ever belonged to the Fezâra is doubtful, but it is possible that during the years of drought they encamped at ar-Râjes as guests and dug a well there. Even today we have wells named after clans whose pastures are situated hundreds of kilometers away.
- ↑ Meḥmed Edîb describes (Menâzil [Constantinople, 1232 A. H.], pp. 72—73) Ḳâʻ al-Busajṭ, which he also calls ʻArâ’id, Meḫâr, Ruhejbe, as well as Ḳâʻ aṣ-Ṣaṛîr. He asserts that it is situated thirteen hours from Ḏât al-Ḥaǧǧ in a sandy plain. At about the center of the plain there rises a high mountain called Šarôra’. In the year of the Heǧra 1121 (1757—1758 A. D.) the pilgrims were attacked and robbed there. To the right of the halting place a mosque and a pulpit can be observed on the hill. Neither a stronghold nor a reservoir was built there, and therefore the military escort brings water from Ḏât al-Ḥaǧǧ.—The plain of al-ʻArâjed is enclosed to the east by Mount Šarôra’, the peak of which rises up like a pulpit and is therefore known as al-Mambar. It is probably identical with the pulpit to which Meḥmed Edîb refers. Nobody there at the present time knows of a mosque.Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, pp. 282 f., mentions Mount Šarôra’ rising to the east of Tebûk.
