'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎218] (233/1050)

218
'ARIDH
Bedouin total for 'Aridh of some 30,000 persons. In the whole district, Riyadh town
being left out of consideration, the predominant tribe of respectable lineage apppear to
be the Dawasir, with about 3,600 souls, who are particularly strong in Mahmal; they
are followed by the Sabai' and the Bani Tamim with about 2,600 persons each, and by
the 'Anizah and 'Atibah, whose numbers are about 2,000 and 1,000, respectively,
after these come the Fadhul and Qahtan, and after these again the Bani Hajir, Sahul,
Mutair, 'Aid, Harb and Bani Khalid whose numbers are extremely small. More
numerous than any single Arab tribe, however, are the low-caste cultivators, generally
grouped together under the common designation of Bani Khadir, who appear in this
district to number nearly 6,000 persons. The people of 'Aridh are restless and not un-
warlike and their district is the headquarters of Wahhabism.
The ordinary Bedouins of 'Aridh are SabI, Sahul and, in a minor degree, Dawasir;
but nomads of the Harb, 'Ataibah and Qahtan and a few Mutair also visit the district.
Agriculture and resources, —The character of agriculture in 'Aridh will be understood on
reference to the village lists of its various divisions, from which it will be seen that the
people depend chiefly on the cultivation of dates, wheat, barley, millet, melons and lucerne,
all of which are grown for the most part by irrigation from wells. There are also, in
most places, fruitless trees of the various sorts met with in Najd, especially citrons,
limes, pomegranates, figs and vines; vegetables also are raised in considerable variety.
A large part of the district consists of pastoral uplands or downs, and the ordinary live
stock of Najd are owned, in the usual proportions, by most villages. The flocks and
herds graze on the lower levels in winter and the hill grass is reserved for consumption
in summer and autumn.
Communications, —The routes which traverse the 'Aridh District are described in the
article on Najd.
Administration, —The political importance of the district is proved by the fact that,
despite political convulsion and foreign wars, one of its towns has always remained the
capital of the Wahhabi dominions. The revenue of 'Aridh, then mostly collected in
kind, was valued in 1865 at $50,000 at the present time the revenue from dates is esti
mated at $ 12,000 and that from cereals at $4,000 only. The decrease is said to be
due to the damage done by both sides during the recent wars in Najd.
Topography. —The villages of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. HanTfah and of the Dhrumah neighbourhood are
tabulated in the separate articles on those sub divisions of the district; those of the re
maining Mahmal tracts are as follow:—
Name.
Position.
Houses
and
inhabitants.
Remarks.
'Awainidh ..
About 3 miles east of
Barrah on the way
to Riyadh.
A Qasr containing 15
houses of Sabai' of
the A1 Khanaizan
section.
Close to 'Awainidh is
a hill called Jabal
Abuz Zidd. There
are a few dates and
some cultivation of
wheat. Wells are 2 to
3 fathoms deep : the
water is rather bitter.
Banban
One and a half days
bv caravan (say 45
miles) north by east
of Riyadh and about
midway between
the chief ran^e
of Tuwaiq and its
eastern offshoot.
20 houses, viz.,
5 of 'Ataibah and
15 of inferior tribes.
To these are added
about 5 houses of
inferior tribes from
Dara'iyah when
there is scarcity of
water at that place. |
There are no date
palms, but wheat, bar
ley, millet, musk me
lons and water melons
are grown. The
wells vary in depth
from 4 to 12 fathoms.
Good grass grows in
the neighbourhood