'Koweit: A Report' [‎7v] (19/140)

2
arbour.
A remarkably fine bay some twenty miles long and ten
miles wide, stretching approximately east and west, forms
an excellent and flourishing harbour. The surrounding country
to the southvyard is low-lying, level, and of the ordinary desert
type, ^stretching away as far as the eye can see. The “ Hill
Fort," shown on the charts, some seven and a half miles south
east of the town of Koweit, stands 180 feet above sea level, and
is a conspicuous object, when entering the bay from the sea*. It
is a well-built square erection, with towers at the corner?
There is a small village to the south-east of this fort, on the
coast nestling among palms and other trees.
With the exception of some sand-hills immediately to the
south of the town, which are referred to in greater detail further
on, the general character of the country, along the southern
shore of the bay, is the same, *>., an unbroken level plain of fairly
firm, whitish sand stretching away to the south and south-west.
The approach to the entrance to the bay, though it lies
through shoals and low-lying sand banks, is not difficult. At
present there are neither buoys nor lights, but with a lighthouse
on kaz-al-Arz the harbour could be entered, at night, with ease.
After reaching its most westerly point, in Duhat Kathama,
head f°r' VhlC ' ! ieS the v5,la g e Jehara, of which more
anon, the coast-line makes an abrupt turn to the north-east,
ong this northern side of the bay, about two miles from
ke^ h" 8 r " nSa Iine of hei g h ts, steep and cliff-
Tfitc ^ S i ea ^ Ce \ h , av,n " an eleva *ion of about 200 feet.
ant wind! 6 h? Uab cl shel 1 t ^, r fr ° m the prevailing and most import-
Owinp- to’t ^ lamal > wh,ch b,ows fr om the north-west.
ra secHn tl, hf ’ T ^ aI1 distressin g to big ships, is
raised in the bay, even by a strong north-west gale. The ^en-
reaches'the'cre ^ , COast ,ilie then trends eastwards until it
from the mainland SeparateS the i6,and of B “ bi )™
beach and inn • i V a extends som e distance from th
five miles ?n w»d.r ' V ' dth ,0 the east " ard “"‘i 1 is nearl
m les in breadth opposite to Ras-al-Arz.
to thI h B e av of n Ko B we b ,7 an "'l' iCh n f S °? the "“■•‘^astern entranc
in leneth bv .2 m f, ’•‘ S 'fP island ’ 25 mile
i"ally overflowed at h" T I “ f S uite barre " : a » d is par
IpHis mrvig^te^d a 'g
^ of Basrah/ 01
miles long by^thret miles 6 ^de^aswe^tern end^ if""^ 56 '' 6 '
250inhabitants Theisland's V 'i a f>. e . wltb dafe groves and about
0 1 icants. 1 he .sland is unhealthy and the water indifferent
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