al-Aḳejla, al-Mšêṭijje, and al-Ǧafar. Thence it winds through the defile of an-Nḳejb to the Ḳurṭâsijje range, passes by Ṭwîl aš-Šhâḳ on the west, swings off to Ṛadîr al-Ǧinz, and at al-Ḥasa’ again unites with the highroad of al-Ḥâǧǧ, the Pilgrim Route. At the wells of al-Ǧafar this road is crossed by another road leading from the west from Petra (Wâdi Mûsa) via Maʻân, al-Ǧafar, al-Ḥawṣa, and Majḳûʻ to Dûmat al-Ǧandalijje (al-Ǧowf).[1]
Westward from the former road the region of al-Kḏûr becomes more and more rugged. The individual gullies are deeper and the slopes more precipitous. At 8.42 we perceived in one of the gullies a boulder 2 m. long, 1.6 m. high, and 1.1 m. thick, known as al-Maḏbaḥ (place of sacrifice) because it is said that upon it goats and sheep have been sacrificed to the dead who are buried in the small cemetery to the south. Around al-Maḏbaḥ, as well as in the other šeʻibân of the neighborhood, there is an abundant growth of ratam, iḏen, al-ḥmâr, šîḥ; also žetâde in places and ṭalḥ bushes. The hills separating the šeʻibân from each other are covered with coarse stones, which made it difficult for our camels to press forward. From 9.30 to eleven o’clock we remained in the šeʻîb of al-Mutrammel, where the camels found only a scanty pasture (temperature: 29.8° C). The winter rains had filled the artificial reservoirs at the pilgrimage station of Faṣôʻa, and several clans of the Ḥwêṭât had encamped near by. Their flocks had been grazing in al-Kḏûr, and in consequence all the grass and brushwood had been consumed. At 1.15 P. M. we crossed the railway line near the station of ʻAḳabat al-Ḥeǧâzijje (1150 m.).[2]
To the northeast we perceived a higher elevation, Ṭwejjel al-Ḥâǧǧ, and to the west a tower-shaped pile of stones indicating the site of the pilgrimage station of Faṣôʻa, hidden in the basin of the šeʻîb of al-Mšâš, which unites with Abu ʻAmûd
- ↑ This is the transport route which Artemidorus (100 B.C.) states (Strabo, Geography, XVI, 4: 18) is used by the trade caravans of the inhabitants of Gerrha proceeding to Petra.
- ↑ Jâḳût. Mûʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 2, p. 712, relates that Dât al-Manâr is situated on the extreme southern border of Syria. It was there that Abu ʻObejda (634 A.D.) pitched his camp on his expedition to Syria.—As we know from the report which is recorded by Abu Ḥuḏajfa (Jâḳût, op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 86), Abu ʻObejda entered Syria north of Soraṛ; we must therefore expect to find Ḏât al-Manâr between this settlement and the town of Maʻân and thus somewhere near the present station of ʻAḳabat al-Ḥeǧâzijje. The main transport route from southwestern Arabia to Syria ascended the ridge of aš-Šera’ behind the station of Soraṛ, through the pass of Baṭn Ṛûl, which is the most convenient for draft animals. Above this pass there certainly was erected a watchtower, illuminated on dark nights in order that the caravans might not wander from the right path and therefore called Ḏât al-Manâr. Similar towers were built along the road from al-Kûfa to al-Medîna, where they were also known as Manâr.
