"دليل الجزيرة العربية المجلد II" [‎١‎١‎٢‎٠] (٦٨٨/١٦٩)

madinah
the Najd road runs. A number of torrent courses (of which Wadi Qanat to the north
at the foot of Mount Ohod and Wadi 'Aqiq, some miles to the south, are the most
important) descend from the mountains, and converge in the neighbourhood of the
town to unite farther West at a place called Zaghabah, whence they descend to the
sea through the mountains of the Tihamah the rough country between Al-Madinah
and its port of Yanbo under the name of Wadi Idam. Southwards from Al-Madinah
the plain extends unbroken, but with a slight rise, as far as the eye can reach.
Thecity, which is about half the size of Mecca, forms an irregular oval, and is about
a mile in length. It consists of two parts. The older town, in the north-east
quarter, is surrounded by its own wall, and is separated by a broad open space, the Barr-
al-Munakhah, and on the south side by the narrower Darb-al-Jenazah, from the modern
town and suburbs, which are protected by a rampart of mud and crude brick joining
the wall of the older town at its north-west and south-east extremities. Through the
modern town runs the Wadi Bat-han, a tributary of the Wadi Qanat, which the road
from Yanbo' crosses. A fort or small citadel shuts in the head of the Barr-al-Munakhah
on the north side. There are five outer gates, the Bab-ash-Shami and the Bab-az-
Ziyafah on the north, the former leading to Jabal Ohod and the tomb and mosque of
the Prophet's uncle Hamza (about 4 miles from the town) ; in the East wall is the Bab-
al-Jumah, which opens on the "Najd road, and Bakis-al-Gharqad, the cemetery, in which
are the tombs of many of the companions of the Prophet ; on the south is the Bab Kuba,
opening on to the Kuba road, and on the west is the Bab-al-Ambari through which runs
the road to Yanbo' The east and west gates are massive buildings with double towers.
The railway station lies abcut a quarter of a mile to the west of tjhe town, and includes
some substantial, bullet-proof buildings.
Pilgrims arriving by rail or from Yambo' enter the town by the W. gate and cross the
suburbs to the Barr-al-Munakhah, the great open space, already referred to, where cara
vans assemble on arrival and before starting ; here those who cannot afford to hire houses
encamp in the open. The older town is entered from the Barr-al-Munakhah by the Bab-
al-Misr, from which the principal street runs eastward to the Haram or Prophet's Mosque,
which is entered at the principal gate (Bab-as-Salam) in the south-west corner, richly
decorated with marbles, tiles, and gilded inscriptions ; but the spacious court of the
mosque, with its minarets and lofty dome, are hemmed in on all sides by narrow
lanes and houses. Within the principal gate a portico leads along the south wall to
t le chain bo t hung with curtains, which is supposed to contain the graves of Muham-
mad, Abu Bakrand Umr ; the reputed tomb of Fatima is in a chamber to the north
of tins, \\ ithin the court of the mosque are the Prophet's well and some palms said to
have been planted by Fatima. The houses of the town ar® substantially built of
granite and larva blocks cemented with lime ; some of those in the better
residental quarters are four or five stories high and have small gardens behind
® , r n " Tb® street are narrow and dark, but clean, and in part paved.
Unhke Mecca, Al-Madinah has always been a city of agriculturists. It is surrounded
on all sides except the west by date-plantations and cultivated fields, which extends
or severa 1 miles. A copious supply of watei is conducted from a tepid source (Az-Zarka)
to eaXo3t P fr. t0 t J leso » tb )' and is distributed by underground conduit
eround wntor l^' 0 ° wa ei 18 ; ^ so obtained from many wells in the oasis, the under-
and • eaSy reach ^ lmost an y P oint - Some of the wells are brackish
no less than j Jq a ^ S . 1S . lm P re S na ^®d with salt. The date-palm grows luxuriantly :
known The besfoW ^ j ai( l to be cultivated, of which 60 or 70 are well
n In l, f a f ^ exported. Vines also flourish, the best variety (sherifi) having
r 1 'w eS inClUde W ube - trees ' bananas, limes, s^me F each tree!
of wheafanl baHof ^ ^ 7- Maize is g ro ™, smaller quantities
tables. Egyptian clover (barsim), and a large assortment of vege-
on ^the P®P ulat,0 n. apart from the garrison, is about 40;000, living mainly
^r^). Th^^^urban^onuTnf 1 ' 1168 0f ^ m0S ^r and a Gov'ernmelt grant
profess Shiah opinions more orT^ss oSTa dT^W of Iand - owners and cultivators
this respect they form a contrast to tho /T i marry amon ^ tbemselves. In
i ey ioi m a contrast to the motely population of the city, which through