"كتيّب الجزيرة العربية. مجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٥‎٣] (٥٤٢/٥٧)

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SOUTH-WESTERN ROUTES (Nos. 40-66) 53
E. SOUTH-WESTERN ROUTES (Nos. 40-66)
(i) Routes in Asir
imiil; . These routes (Nos. 40—54) have been compiled entirely from native
Sati! information, and therefore can only be expected to locate approxi-
t«Ti| matel y the places referred to. Travelling in Asir is apt to be a dan-
ttiss gerous matter, not through any natural causes, but on account of the
% uncontrolled and predatory character of the tribes. Natives, there-
oaJsv fore, generally attach themselves to some armed caravan before
Nl y cnturin g 9 llt side their own boundaries. The Turks in Asir have,
ittW t or some time P ast ' been restricted to the use of the road down
iljtol Wadi Tayyah from Ibha (Ebha) to Muha'il (Route No. 45), and to
the Sikkat el-Barak, or Tariq es-Sultani, from Muha'il on to
t Qunfudah (Route No. 49).
'Mi tw0 exce P tions the routes here given start from Ibha or
Muha'il. Nos. 40-47 radiate from Ibha, beginning with the track
leading SSW. to Darb on the main Tihamah road ; the remaining
se . v e n routes are arranged in order round the circle, concluding
filial with that to Wahlah, which also lies on the Tihamah road to the
ysto; ^ • R ai ^'. ; Route No. 40, from Ibha to Darb, known as the
i™(w l)arb Beni Shi bah, is not much used, being rough and precipitous
in parts and infested by hostile Arabs. It has, however, a certain
strategical importance, as part of an alternative route between
Sabia (Sabiyah) and Ibha. The direct track from Ibha to Sabia
is given as Route No. 41. The main inland road from the Yemen
to the Hejaz is described in Routes No. 42 (Ibha to Dahran) and
No. 44 (Ibha to Ta'if). It lies for the most part through elevated
hilly country, and is practicable both for donkeys and camels. The
Ibha to Bishah road (Route No. 43) sees considerable traffic during
the date season. It is only traversed by large and well-armed
caravans on account of the robber bands of nomads en route. The
caravans, as a rule, are formed at Khamis Musheit, and travel
under the escort of the Shahran tribe. The road is fairly level, and
passes over a sterile and undulating country intersected by several
fertile valleys. The variant of the route represents the line taken
by the Sherif's forces in 1911.
Route No. 45, from Ibha to Muha'il via Wadi Tayyah, though used
by the Turks, is avoided by travellers and merchants, because
neither water nor supplies can be procured for more than half the
distance, and because the Wadi Tayyah is infested with robbers.
The route coincides with the main pilgrim route to Mecca as far
as Jebel Sha'r, and then plunges abruptly down the pass of 'Aqabah