'Southern Nejd: Journey to Kharj, Aflaj, Sulaiyyil, and Wadi Dawasir in 1918.' [‎17v] (39/100)

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villages are quite distinct both in situation and character, Umm
bnmadhir comprising a strip of com land about one and a half
miles long and a few hundred yards broad with some fourteen
qasrs, oiwhich some are in ruins, scattered at short intervals
along it, while Wusaila is a wretched little hamlet of some thirtv
houses with a few isolated jam standing amid cornfields and
live small palm-groves. The water in both villages is slightly
brackish except in one well in Wusaila, the average depth to
water being about eight fathoms. The total population is not
more than 250 souls of which Wusaila contains about 150
Worth-east of these villages at a distance of about three miles
les a fairly extensive corn patch with a few called Jnfra-
north-west at the same distance lie the ruins of Shaiariya a
similar settlement long abandoned; and a number of isolated
standmg m small corn patches, lie in the plain south-west
of Wnsada These are Nahaqa, Sabah al Khair, and Qasr
Kawwas, all belonging to inhabitants of Laila.
n ceiltral section of the settled area is the most fertile
An S P 0 P^ted comprising the oases of Laila, Saih, '
lar, Kharfa, Raudha, and Saghu—the last three forming
gr ° U P- a lar g e abandoned corn tract called
Makh Khadha and the network of canals already mentioned in
connection with the reservoirs.
Lail f'' tlle ca Pital of the province and its only town, is situated
western f anCe , T- f nC ! a llalf miles from Wusaila on the
western fringe of a fairly large but somewhat straggling palm-
belt roughly one mile square. Backed by palm-groves on the
own of T T ^ P? heS 0f P aIms to "orth and sonth the
bv the nffi with its high walls and two large forts, one occupied
by the official goyernor of the province and the other by the
ding family of the Ajjalm subsection of Al Hasan makes
from the 1 w PC r ng P1C n Ure V • rrile S overnor ' s fort projects'slightly
primitive 7ZZ ' Cr0SSeS a Sma11 tOTrent ^d on a
prinntiye arch, through which flood water passes into the town
to a rough depression outside the north wall. There are three
waraXnet ^ flanked ^ ^ ^ 0116 ^ th ^ h
come right 1^7 nOT , h ' ^ 011 tlle east side palms
east side t!,.,. 1 h J entr a nce to the fort is on the
lined with ablt t "t 0pen ' 0 ^ lon g s Pace, three sides of which are
at mos 1 - times i'"V Sm j " ' ll ' e tile centr al space seemed
to be crowded with women hucksters, whose