'Koweit: A Report' [‎40v] (89/140)

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Harbour.
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 southward 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 corners.
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-hdls immediately to the
south of the town, w’hich 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 Raz-al-Arz the harbour could be entered, at night, with ease.
After reaching its most westerly point, in Duhat Kathama,
near the head of which lies the village Jehara, of which more
anon, the coast-line makes an abrupt turn to the north-east.
Along this northern side of the bay, about two miles from
the water's edge, there runs a line of heights, steep and cliff
like on their sea face, having an elevation of about 200 feet.
These give valuable shelter from the prevailing and most import
ant wind, the “ Shamal," which blows from the north-west.
Owing to this shelter, no sea, at all distressing to big ships, is
raised in the bay, even by a strong north-west gale. The gen
eral direction of the coast-line then trends eastwards until it
reaches the creek which separates the swampy island of Bubiyan
from the mainland.
Along this shore a mud flat extends some distance from the
beach, and increases in width to the eastward until it is nearly
five miles in breadth opposite to Ras-al-Arz.
The island Bubiyan which lies off the north-eastern entrance
to the Bay of Koweit, is a large low-lying island, about 25 miles
in length by 12 miles in width. It is quite barren and is par
tially overflowed at high water. It is separated from the main
land by Khor Subiya which, with a creek which leads out of
it, is navigated as far as a place called Duweira, the port for
Zobeir, a large town ten or twelve miles south-west of Basrah,
Failaka island at the entrance to the Bay is about seven
miles long by three miles wide at its western end. It is all very
low lying, its highest point being only thirty feet above sea level.
On its western side is a small village with date groves and about
250 inhabitants. The island is unhealthy and the water indifferent
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