'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1235] (284/688)

MIZ—MOK
1235
MIZRA' SUiMAIR—
A hamlet near Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Mijlas {q. v.), in the Masqat district of the 'Oman Sultanate.
MOAHIB—
One of the tribes of Hejaz {q.v.).
MODAINAH (A l)—
See Fuwwah.
MOGHLAF—
A hamlet in Yemen, situated in the tihdmah a short distance to the north-east of
Dhahi, which is 27 miles (crowfly) north-north-east from Hodaidah on the right bank of
Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sardud.— {N iehuhr, 1763 ; Maun sell 's map).
MOHlYAH—
A hamlet on the left bank of the Shatt-al-'Arab {q. v.), between Basrah and the Persian
frontier.
MOHRAM (W adi)—
A fertile valley in Hejaz, extending from north-west to south-east and situated about
half-way between Qahwat Qura' and Taif. It contains many fruit trees and a few
cultivated fields irrigated from wells and not from streams. The valley is so called
from the circumstances that pilgrims going to Mecca from the eastward garb themselves
with the Ihram here.— {Burckhardt.)
MOHSAB (W adi)—
One of the side valleys of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Muna {q. v,), in Hejaz.
MOINAH—
A hamlet in Hadhramaut about 2 miles out of Mukalla on the route to Shibam.
MOIYA (S harm-al)—
An anchorage near Ras Muhammad {q. v. ), in the Sinai peninsula.
MOJ (Ras Abul)—
A cape on the west coast of Bahrain Island {q. v.).
MOKHA (Lat. 13° 20' N., Long. 43° 14' E.)—
Formerly the chief port in the Yemen for the coffee trade, but now much diminished
in importance. It is situated some 115 miles south by east from Hodaidah, and lies in
a small bay between two low points, about 1J miles apart, on each of which are the ruins
of a fort. Between these ruins extends the sea-wall, which allows access to the town
by a single gate only ; and in front of this gate is a stone pier or jetty, which, like the
town itself, is in a state of utter decay. The town extends along the shore, is about half
a mile square, and in its days of prosperity must have possessed an imposing appearance.
The houses were originally large, white, and built of stone, but are now in ruins, the only
buildings now standing, and deserving of note, being the mosques, of which there are
several with lolfty minarets. The highest, which is in the eastern quarter of the town,
is 118 feet high, and is a good landmark. The streets were always very narrow, and in
places have become impassable from the debris.
Mokha which belongs to the Mashalahah tribe, no longer holds any position as a trading
port. In 1824 it contained about 20,000 inhabitants; in 1882 the population within the
walls had dwindled to 1,500, and in 1901 the number was probably not more than 400.
A floating population composed of Arab, Somalis, and Jews, lives in huts outside the walls.
The total present population within and without probably fluctuates between 5 ,000 and
8,000. The decline of Mokha, once the principal seat of commerce in the Read Sea;
seems to have been coincident with the establishment and rise of Aden as a British port,
and to have been affected also by the rise and development of Hodaideh.
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