'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎591] (634/1050)

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FAI-FAI 591
ber and the tamarisk are the principal trees other than dates, but hardy as they are
they do not grow without attention.
Domestic and other animals. —Failakah boasts a dozen camels, a number of donkeys,
a few flocks and herds, and some poultry. Flamingoes, pelicans, gulls and flocks of a bird
resembling the curlew haunt the shore and the island is said to be visited in the hot
weather by large flocks of sand-grouse. There are a number of gazelles, descended from
a pair which a member of the Shaikh of Kuwait's family turned loose some years ago :
only relations of the chief are permitted to shoot them.
Administration. —Failakah is governed (1904) on behalf of the Shaikh of Kuwait, to
whom it belongs, by one of his relations. This individual, Sa'ud Qalatah, who is
a man of about 35 with some negro blood and partially paralysed in his lower limbs,
succeeded his father in the governorship. About one-third of the arable land on Failakah is
held mu'af or revenue-free: the remainder pays zakat to the Shaikh of Kuwait at the
rate of one-tenth of gross produce, besides which the Shaikh takes for himself all the
straw of the island, even on revenue-free holdings, except a small quantity that the
inhabitants are allowed to retain for their own necessities. The Shaikh has declined to
allow rich merchants of Kuwait or foreigners to settle in Failakah on the ground that they
would probably oppress the original inhabitants.
Sacred places. —Failakah is remarkable chiefly for its tombs and shrines. First, there
are the graves of the auliya or saints, who •play a large part in the traditions of the
island ; of these some 60 or 70 are scattered round the village of Zor. Then, about a mile
to the south of Zor, there are the tombs of Sa'ad, Sa'id, and Sa'idah ; that of Sa'ad is to
the east of the others, and the whole group stand up conspicuously as Failakah is ap
proached in a boat from Kuwait. It is principally to visit these tombs, said to com
memorate two brothers and a sister who were murdered here, that piligrims from Yemen
and India, and more frequently from Afghanistan and Baluchistan, visit Failakah.
There is another tomb, also possessing virtue and visited by pilgrims ; it is said to be that
of a certain Muhammad-al-Badawi, whose only claim to distinction is that his finger
after death resisted the removal of his signet ring. Lastly, there is the Muqam-al-
Khidhar, which overlooks the boat harbour of Zor, and is now a roofless tower threatened
by the encroachments of the sea. Persians do not resort to it, but it is frequented
by Arab sailors who come to perform their vows, made in sickness or in danger at sea,
by sacrificing a sheep or a goat, by burning incense and by feeding the poor. The
tutelary spirit is probably the same Khidhar who has a shrine on ' Abbadan island ; in
Failakah, however, his reputation is chiefly as a patron saint of mariners. The shrine
of Khidhar is not so much visted by foreign pilgrims as those mentioned before it.
Traditions. —Qrainiyah is said to have been the seat of a tyrant who wore golden boots:
his city was destroyed by God because he cut a child in half to prove the temper of his
sword. There is a local tradition, supported by traces of good stone houses in the
middle of the island, that the Portuguese once occupied the place. They are said to have
been driven, first from Dasht and then from the centre of the island to which they retired
by a plague of rats sent upon them by the Auliya.— {Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .)
FAILI YAH—
Kurds belonging to the Faili sect; see Kurd tribe.
FAILIYEH—
A village in the Muhammareh District of Southern'Arabistan ; it is situated on the left
bank of the Shatt-al-'Arab, 3 miles above Muhammareh Town, between the Shatt-al-
'Arab, and the right bank of the Abu Jidi' canal. It consists of about 300 brick, mud,
and reed houses, with 12 or 15 general shops and two coffee shops : the inhabitants are
Muhaisin and mixed Arabs, Baluchis, and negroes. Failiyeh is the head-quarters of
the Shaikh of Muhammareh's administration ; here are the offices of his Government, and
here is quartered his mercenary force of about 400 armed Arabs and Baluchis. A small
quay of date logs occupies the angle between the river and the canal, and about a mile
up the Abu Jidi' is a small dock in which the Shaikh's steamers are repaired. The Shaikh
has at Failiyeh about 20 brass and iron muzzle-loading guns, and his saluting battery stand
just below the entrance to the canal: below the battery is an orchard and young date
grove. Failiyeh is connected with Muhammareh Town by a private telephone belonging
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