'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎299] (314/1050)

AWA—AWA
hollowed out in the limestone rock, with tracks resembling deep trenches leading to it
from every side, and as being so abundant in their supply that they not unfrequently
overflow the whole space and form a small lake. He says the water was clear and good
and that no other wells are to be met with on the entire line between them and Hasa.
These wells cannot be identified unless on the supposition that Palgrave transferred the
name Oweysit to some earlier stage in his journey than that to which it belonged, in
which case they would probably be those of the same name in Kharmah.
'AWAISAH (ABU)—
A Bedouin camping-ground, with a well, in the interior of Qatar (q.v.),
'AWAJ (SHA'IB)—
A small watercourse in north-eastern Arabia, a part of which approaches to within
about 20 miles of Linah, to the east north-east of the latter. It appears to trend south
east, and to be a continuation of the ShaibGurabi. This shrflb divides the Nafud and
A1 Hajarah, and is said to reach the Batin depression.— [Leachman, 1910-12.)
'AWAJIYAH (TRIBE.)
See 'Anizah (Tribe); Wald Sulaiman sub-division of the Bishr section.
AWAL—
The old name of Bahrain Island, disused but still remembered. According to tradi
tion Awal was the name of the first occupier, the brother of a certain Na'asan whose
name also is supposed to survive in that of Jazlrat Umm Na'asan. The name Awal
occurs in the annals of the earliest Muhammadan conquest, f
Palgrave, however, considers this name to have arisen through a mistake. He states
that the word awal is commonly used for a shark, and as many of these fish are to be
found off Bahrain the name came to be applied to the island itself.
AWAL—
A camping ground in Jabal Shammar, situated nearly a hundred miles south-west of
Hail, and just north of Jabal Sfa. The ground itself is called 'Awal and the landscape,
Ghulfa. Water is to be found in the camping ground in certain {Doughty.)
'AWALI (HAKRAT-AL)—
One of the numerous harrahs of Hejaz, lying to the south-south-west of Al-Madmah,
and to the south-south-east of Harrat-al-'Anabis. {q. v.)—[Doughty.)
^AWAMIR—
Singular 'Amari. A large Arab tribe of 'Oman, by race Nizariyah, but now in politics
Hinawivah. About one-third of them are Bedouins ranging the borders of the Ruba'-
al-Khali from Trucial 'Oman in the north, which they occasionally visit in small numbers,
to the district of Dhufar on the southern coast of Arabia.
The other two-thirds are now settled, chiefly in 'Oman Proper where they possess the
villages of 'Aqil, Qal'at -al-'Awamir, Falaj, Hamaidhah, Quriyatain, Qarut, Khurmah,
Shafa', Saiyahi and Suq-al-Qadim and are found at Nizwa: they occur also at Masqat
Town, Bait-al-Falaj, and Ruwi in the Masqat District; at Ghallah and Sad in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
Boshar ; at Hail A1 'Umair, Sib and Ma'bllah in Batinah ; at Kh5dh in WadiSamail and
at Khubar and LuwTz in Daghmar. In 'Oman Proper the settled 'Awamir number
about 2,500 souls and are divided into the following sections : Ahmad (Aulad) 'Ali-bin-
Hamad' (Aulad) 'Ali-bin-Khalf (Ajilad) Amir (Aulad) Haramilah, Ja'afarah, Ja'id
(Aulad-al-) Khanajirah, Muhammad Musa (Aulad), Rakhbah, Ra^hid (Aulad), Saba
(Aulad) Saif (Aulad) Sallm (Aulad) Sand (Aulad), Sarahin, Sarahin-al-Muwailah and
Shiraz (Aulad); those at Nizwa are of the Aulad Saif section, and at Sib a section called
Aulad Mahaiyi'are found. The settled Awamir outside 'Oman Proper are about 4,000
persons.
♦See Ttoute* in Arabia, 1913. « « r.
i fide Le Strange's Lands ol the Eastern Galipnate,
2Q2