'Southern Nejd: Journey to Kharj, Aflaj, Sulaiyyil, and Wadi Dawasir in 1918.' [‎9v] (23/100)

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1,400* feet at the north-eastern corner to some 1,700* feet at its
apex to the south, are the springs of Firzan with the subterranean
aqueduct or Kariz of the ordinary Persian type here called
Kharaz or Saji (Saqi) leading from it to the gardens of Sulaimiya
and a series of three bottomless, presumably spring-fed reservoirs,
from one of which flows a perennial but exiguous supply of water
in a narrow open channel called Saih, which irrigates the lucerne
fields of Ibn Sauds' stud farm of Qurain, while subterranean
aqueducts like that of Firzan but now run dry connect the other
two with the same channel. These reservoirs, known collectively
as the Aiyun of Kharj, are situated close together about six
miles south of Sulaimiya under the cliff of the Biyadh, the
central reservoir called Ain A1 Dhila lying in a gaping cleft at
the foot of the cliff itself; and it is, 1 firmly believe, to them
that the district owes its name, though local etymology is not
with me and derives the name from the fact that in days long
past this valley was the source (Makhraj) of the corn supply
of Mecca. I base my opinion, which involves a change of
spelling (namely Kharq meaning a cleft) but none of pronuncia
tion, on the analogy of the name of Aflaj derived from a precisely
similar phenomenon, on that of at least three localities called
Khafs, all of which are named from natural reservoirs in great
rock clefts attributed to the falling of stars, and generally on
the fact that Arab geographical nomenclature is so largely based
for very natural reasons on phenomena affecting the water
supply. An actual instance of the use of the word Kharq to
signify a cleft of the kind is supplied by the extraordinary
grotto hill called Makhruq which is one of the sights of the
Riyadh oases.
However, whatever the etymology of the name may be,
there is no doubt that these two sources of perennial irri
gation were the backbone of the district in the past and the
cause of its great prosperity. Each of them is overlooked by
the debris of a forgotten city, the one astride of the northern
extremity of the Firzan ridge and the other on the summit of
the cliff behind the reservoirs. The very situation of these
cities, raised well above the level of the plain in strange contrast
to the settlements of the present day huddled up in the middle
* These and all like figures will probably have to be reduced as my aneroid on this
occasion gave 1,950 as the lowest height of Riyadh, whereas on my previous journey my
results placed Riyadh at only 1,750 feet above sea-level.