'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎777] (832/1050)

HASA
777
Other hills which, standing within district, belong to it and are described in the
article under its name are the following:—Jubail-al-Bahri, Dhalaifain, MubarakTyah
and Qarain in Biyadh, the two former on the coast and the two latter in the interior ;
Ghumis and Qabiirah in Habl, in the interior; Dhahran in Barr-adh-Dhahran, near the
the Coast; Qarah and Buraijah in the Hasa Oasis; Ghuwar in Ghuwar and Khar-
mah in Kharmah, both in the interior; and finally Jabal-al-Qarah in Barr-al-Qarah,
near the coast. Springs, streams and lakes occur only in the Hasa and Qatif Oases,
in the articles on which they will be found. The depth of the water level has been
indicated, so far as possible, in the articles on the numerous desert tracts. The climate is
warm and in the oases moist also ; more rain, it is said, falls than in Bahrain, and some
food grains are even raised near the Hasa Oasis without recourse to artificial irrigation.
Inhabitants, —-The following is an estimate of the population of the whole Sanjaq,'
distinguishing between villagers (or townsmen) and Bedouins, according to such informa
tion as is available
Settled population.
Area. Souls.
Hasa Oasis, including the towns of Hofuf (25)000) and Mubarraz 67,000
(8,500).
Jinnah island .. »• 500
Miyah ( Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -al-) ., ., ,, .. .. .. 1,000
Musallamiyah island .. .. .» ,. .. 2,000
Qatif Oasis, including Qatif Town (10,000) ., . k .. 26,000
Subaih (Qasr-al-) .. .. .. . • .. 1,000
Tarut island •• .. .. .. 3,500
• "
Total settled population ,. 101,000
Nomadic population.
Tribe. Souls.
'Ajman .. •• .. 35,000
Hajir (Bani) ,, .. .. .. .. ., 5,000
Khalid (Bani), after deducting settled Bani Khalid on the islands 10,000
of Musallamiyah, Jinnah and Tarut and at Qasr-as-Subaih, etc.
Morra (Al) ., .. .. .. .. .. 7,000
Total nomadic population ». ., 57,000
The whole of the'Ajman and Al Morrah tribes have been included among the Bedouins-
of Hasa, for the great bulk of the former have their headquarters in the Sanjaq, and the
Al Morrah, though the Jafiirah desert and Jabrin are among their peculiar possessions,
have hardly any relations with the external world except through Hasa. Conversely
the 'Awazim and Rashaidah, although they wander to some extent in Hasa, have been
excluded from the table because their permanent headquarters and proper locations are
in Kuwait territory; and certain Bedouin tribes of Najd—such as theDawasir, Sahul,
Mutair, Sabai', 'Ataibah and Qahtan, who are represented by camps in Hasa in the hot
weather,—have been similarly treated.
The Baharinah —who form nearly the entire population of the Qatif Oasis, compose
perhaps y or more of the population of the Oasis of Hasa and occupy Tarut island, but
are not found elsewhere—are the chief racial ingredient in the settled population : their
number may amount to 58,000 souls. The next most considerable element is the settled
portion of the Bani Khalid, about 4,500 persons, chiefly on the islands of Musallamiyah,
Jinnah and Tarut, at Qasr-al-Subaih, and at Kalablyah and Jishshah in the Hasa Oasis
and Umm-as-Sahak in the oasis of Qatif. In Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -al-Miyah there are about 1,000
miscellaneous Arabs, drawn from the 'Ajman, 'Awazim, Bani Khalid, Mutair, Rashidah
and Shammar tribes ; and these, with a few Bani Yas and Sadah on Tarut Island and
still 'fewer Huwalah at Qatif Town and in the Hasa Oasis, complete the tale of the
settled inhabitants. Negro slaves, who are fairly numerous, have been included, for
statistical purposes, in the tribes and communities by whom they are owned. There
was formerly a flourishing though fluctuating community of Hindu traders, British
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