'Persian Gulf Gazetteer Part II, Geographical and Descriptive Materials, Section III Central Arabia' [‎120v] (245/258)

site as a shallow, loamy flood-liottom. Height above sea 3,400 feet. Wallm
savs the onlv cultivable parts are sand-patches which have encroached on the
rock. Town consists of 3 main parts : Haddaj, the main and central village, and
2 detached portions called Shark and Gharb. (See plan in Doughty I, 287.)
Doughty savs there are 3 suks and 15 small karats-, Huher that there are 61)
plantations/ Town looks like one immense palm-grove. Few houses stand on
streets or lanes, but in plantations belonging to owners ; they are of clay and
most have 2 storeys. Each of the 3 wards is walled externally and the interior
consists of a labyrinth of shady lanes. According to Huber there are 60 separate
plantations. On west at less than 1 mile are ruins of an ancient town includ
ing remains of columns. Fever is unknown at Taima. (3) There is now
no general wall enclosing all 3 quarters such as apparently existed m
1863 (4) Population was estimated at 300 families in 1845, 1,000 per
sons' (including 20 horsemen and J 50 matchlock men) in 1863 and 1,500
persons in 1880. (5) Population is entirely Shammar ; according to Wallin o£
the Ali and Hamdeh sections, according to Doughty of the Aushez section.
Their speech is that of the Shammar, though they are far removed in distance
from their native dira, and like their kinsmen they are tall and ready of tongue.
Thev ^o barefoot but are well dressed in clothing from Irak and their women
are'unveiled. They are shallow-minded without foresight or reflection.
Neighbouring Bedouins are Anezah, viz., Fukara, Wilad Ali, W ilad Suleman
and 5 " Bishr. There are no beggars or destitute in Teima. (6) There is no
public market or shop ; buying and selling are carried on in private houses.
Camels and dates are the current coin ; there is a little silver, mostly Turkish,
in circulation, but it mostly goes to ITail in payment of Government
revenue. Special sleeping carpets called ekims are manufactured hero ;
they are of black wool with coloured edges and fringes. Landed property
is of high value in Teima, owing to security of water-supply, which never
fails. (7) The dates, including the halwa variety, are the best in North
Arabia, except a few grown specially at Hail and Jauf-el-Aamir. Some of
the palms adjoining the Haddaj well are 90 feet high and said to be 200 years
old. Vines, figs, peaches, and pomegranates,, introduced from Damascus
flourish. Wheat, barley and very fine oats are grown, but not in sufficient
quantities to satisfy local demand ; also millet, duhsa and tobacco. heat
and barley are reaped in first week of April, iliere are a few cattle and poul
try in plenty. Water is abundant, clear and agreeable to drink. The main
well called Haddai (public in name, but really in the hands of some of the
more influential families who charge the others for its use) is on an enormous
scale and perhaps the most celebrated object at Teima. The mouth has 4
unequal sides and is about oO feet m diameter. Ihe sides vary as miiLh as 16
feet in level at the top ; where the side is of mean elevation, depth of^ well
(to bottom) is about 40 feet. Water has a rise and fall of about 10 feet. No less
than 48 camels are continually employed in raising water and there are 60
draw-wheel frames. Bulk of plantations are irrigated from Haddaj. (8) (9)
There is mosque in each quarter and harat. (10) Teima is the westernmost
frontier town of Jebel Shammar, to which it can hardly be said to belong geo-
graphically. It is a colony, supposed to be 200 years old, of the Shammar. It
is a market town of the Sherarat who get dates here in exchange for sheep and
butter ; Buwalla also come, but not every year. In 1878 Amir of Hail's
resident here was an African freedman and the revenue paid by the town
was $ 4,000 a year. The ruins near Teima are of black basaltic stone and there
are inscriptions in archaic Nabathean and Aramaean characters.
TELUH.—See Wilad Ali.
TEMIM (BENI),—Tribe said to have succeeded the Beni Taamir in
North Central Arabia and to have immigrated from Howtah in the south, which
they still possess. The villages of Kefar, Mustajidda, Uaudha, Sebam, Bekaa,
Kasr, Garal, Seleimy and Tabe in the Amir of Hail's dominion are Beni Temim
and ^ of the village of Feyd ; also the whole of Boreyda in Kaseem north of
West Uummah and J of Aneyza south of it. The Kusman generally have much
Beni Temim blood. The Beni Temim are all skilful and diligent agriculturists,
seldom engaging in either trade or war. They are more robust physically than
the Bedouins around them ; they have a spirit of industry and a good plain