'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME IV.' [‎125v] (255/652)

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HAN—HAH
fossilised bivalve shell. The outer clay case was extremely hard but
peeled off in layers under the blows of a hammer*.
The climate of Hanjam in summer is barely tolerable ; the heat is ter
rific and is aggravated during the months of June, July and August by
the moisture with which the atmosphere is laden, by the assaults of sand
flies and other insects and, in the neighbourhood of the coast, by the stench
of decomposing sea-weed. The rainy season begins in October and ends
in March. In the winter of 1903-04 the fall was considerable and filled
the reservoirs, but for 4 or 5 years previously there had been very little
ran.
In the hills are some wild goats, in reality domestic goats which have
escaped from the villages and their descendants, and the island is now
overrun by hares, which were introduced here and on Tunb island about
1882 by Mr. Ffinch, then Director of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Telegraphs. There
are no wild carnivora. Birds are not uncommon, especially towards
the open ground at the south-west of the island ; among them are the
kite, hawk, stone-plover, lark, dove and blue-rock pigeon, the latter
inhabiting the caves and sometimes the deep wells of the island. The edible
oyster is plentiful along the shores and pearl-oysters also abound. Sand
flies and other insects exist in myriads and are troublesome at certain
seasons.
Only three points on Hanjam are at present inhabited. Of these the
first is the British telegraph station, which was re-established at the north
end of the island in April 1904 after having been m abeyance for 13 years.
The buildings are situated on a cliff, J mile inland from the north coast of the
island, and are only a few yards to the northward of the plinth which makes
the site of the original station. The staff consists of an Assistant Superin
tendent and 2 clerks. To the south of this old site is a valley of consi
derable extent in which are two or three wells, the best of which is reserved
for the use of the Telegraph establishment. The water is about 18 feet
from the surface and varies from sweet to brackish ’. advantage has been
taken of it to lay out a small garden and plant some trees. A native
village called Masheh, consisting of a few huts, stands 300 yards east of the
site of the old station and may be regarded as a dependency of the present
one; the inhabitants are native emplo) es of the I. E, T. D. who were
brought here from Jashk.
The most populous place on the island is the village of Han] am, situat
ed on a stretch of flat open country by the coast at the south-east side
of the island. The plain adjoining it is all under cultivation. Hanjam
is a typical Arab village, comparatively clean and well-built, and consists
of about 200 houses. It possesses 8 or 9 gardens well stocked with fruit
trees and irrigated from wells 20 to 25 feet deep which are worked by
bullocks ; there are about 1,400 date-palms and the other principal crops
are wheat, barley, onions, and pumpkins. The Arabs of Hanjam belong
to the Bani Yas tribe of the Arabian coast, whence they are said to
have immigrated about 3 generations ago ; their intercourse is still chiefly
* Mr. Q. W. Laing (?) of the Indo-European Telegraph Department on whose
excellent account of Hanjam the greater part of this article is founded, has seen similar
freaks of nature at Qunara on the coast of Makran.