'Persian Gulf Gazetteer Part II, Geographical and Descriptive Materials, Section III Central Arabia' [‎104v] (213/258)

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roiles. Name is derived from a plant which grows in it, and is much prized
as pasture for both camels and horses. The tanks are of concrete, now as hard
as granite and with a tine polish. Largest is 64 yards by 37 and about
12 feet deep. Fail of valley from its head to Batn seems to be nearly 600
feet.
11U MM AH (TVADI).—Called Ermok by Huber. The principal water
way of North Arabia, if not of all Arabia. It rises in the Harrat Kheybar
about 50 miles east of Kheybar and is believed to reach the Euphrates valley
near Zobeir. Its total length is 40 camel-marches " or between 400 and 500
miles. Its source appears to be at eastern foot of Jebel Abiadh in the Harrat
Kheybar, one of the summits of a range of the Harrat which runs north and
south, the principal points being, in order from north to south, Gheinat, Gheneim,
Ras-el-Abiadh, La Kebir, Remahah and Aaker. Of these Gheneim also sends
down a wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. which joins that of Rummah about 30 miles further east. The
source of Rummah is about 40 miles west-south-west of Haiet and its elevation
about f),000 feet. Iluber gives the following affluents : Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Makhid (left bank)
at 50 miles from source; VVadi Kahed (left bank) at 70 miles, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Mehehel
(left bank) at 80 miles ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rekob (risrht bnnk) at 9D miles ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Ash Abah
(left bank) at 114 miles ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Jadakk (right bank) at 140 ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Tsadek (right
bank) at 185 ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Tsalabut (left bank) at lUO ; Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Garib (risrht bank)
at 232. Makhid (called by Doughty Mukheyat) comes down from the Ilarrat
Kheyber ; so does Kahed, at the liead of which Thurghud stands. Huber places
the desert of Zerb on the upper course of Makhid, and that of Kalankuah bet.
ween Kaled and Mebehel ; the former is exceedingly barren and monotonous.
Ash Ahah appears to drain the district Shaaba and is perhaps the same
word; it leaves Ghazala and Mustajidda not far from its left" bank.
Tsalabut is shown as draining the country between Eeyd and Kaseem.
Doughty shews no tributaries except Makhid, that coming down from
Thurghud and one from the south, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Jerrir, which he says is by far the
greatest of the feeders of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rumtnah. He makes it join Rummah
from the south 30 miles west of Jebel Abanat at a place Hemelliy, from
which Jerrir may be conjectured to be the same as Gureir, shown by Huber as
a tributary of Tsadek. Doughty passes the source of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Jerrir 50 miles south
west of Aneyza on route to Mecca. Between the Tsalabut and Garib conflu
ences Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rummah passes between the Abanat mountains which are 45 miles
south-west of Aneyza. After receiving the Garib, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rummah turns north
east passing Rass on its right (?) bank, Khabara on its left, Aneyza on its ri^ht
and lioreyda on its left. About 50 miles below Aneyza is Thu'eyrat, a ^reat
natural dam formed by sand-dunes From Thueyrat to Zobeir Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. is called Eatin
and little is known of its course ; except that Hafr (see Section II, sub section £)
is situated upon it, that it is route of north caravans and that there are a few wells
with little vater. From its source to Rass, general direction of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rummah
is due east, but Doughty and Huber agree that it describes somewhat of a curve
to the north between these points. From Rass its course, so far as known, is
north-east. Above Kaseem it runs through uninhabited country. The Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
banks are often of clay and gravel and the bed is sometimes three miles across
from clitT to cliff. In Nefud plain of Kaseem, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. is hardly discernible bv
an unpractised eye. The arable lands of Rass and Khabara lie in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
bed ; those of Khabara extend for a length of 5 miles. Rass has its palm-groves
on the high banks. Between lioreyda and Aneyza the valley is full of palm plan
tations ; one is a mile broad, water is only 6 to 10 feet below surface here, but it
is brackish and fever is prevalent in the plantations which are tended by negroes
There is much good loam in the middle of the valley, but it cannot be tilled on
account of the saltness of the subsoil water. Soil is w hite with subakha, but desert
buslies and tamarisks grow. These outlying plantations (which belong to Aneyza)
are ancient, but they are the first to suffer in time of war ; consequently old trees
are seldom found in them. The village here, called Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , is mainly temporary
and is at its lull size only in date harvest. Floods do not occur more than
twice or thrice in a century and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , even in flood, cau be crossed by
camel-riders except where the torrent is confined. The last great flood was
about 18:8 when the waters pent up by the Thueyrat dam washed back to
Aneyza and formed a lake of about 200 square miles whieh remained for 2
yeais and attracted many water-fowl not seen before in South Arabia.