'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1117] (166/688)

MAE—MAD
1117
MABU—
A village in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sahtan (q. v.), in the western Hajar district of the 'Oman Sultanate.
MADAIMIN (B urj)—■
A blockhouse on the side of Masqat {q. v.), town towards Riyam.
MADAIN—
A collective name for some ruined sites in 'Iraq upon both banks of the Tigris
30 to 34 miles below Baghdad City by river and 20 miles from it south-south-eastwards by
land. The remains on the right bank represent the Macedonian town of Seleucia, those
on the left the Parthian town of Ctesiphon. According to the Arab geographers there
were formerly 7 towns at this place ; but in the 9th century of the Christian era only 5
of them were still extant. About 903 AT), large quantities of stone were carried off
from the ruins of Madain for use at Baghdad, yet in the 10th century Madain was still
inhabited and fairly populous. The only building of which a considerable portion now
remains standing is the winter palace of the Parthian kings known as Taq Kisra: the
vaulted central hall and the half of the facade on the proper right are still standing, but
the left facade has fallen since the British survey of 1860-65. Near the left bank of the
river a little above Ctesiphon is the tomb of Salman, one of the companions of the
prophet Muhammad and said to have been his barber. This place is called Salman Pak,
MADAIN—
A small settlement, in Mesopotamia, near the banks of the Shatt-al-Gharaf {q.v.), and
four hours' march north of Shatrah.
MADAIN SlLIH ( or A l -H ajar)—
A station on the Hejaz railway, some 594 miles from Damascus. Before the days of
the railway, Madain Salih was an important halting place on the Syrian Hajj route. The
qaVah is 70 feet square and in the middle of it is the Bir-an-Naqa, a well with water at
about 26 feet. Round the courtyard are stables and a prayer and store room. Stairs
lead up to a gallery running round above these and on to the terraced roof. On the
north and south sides are dwelling chambers.
The Bir-an-Naqa tank measures 55 feet by 66 feet and is 18 feet deep. The water is
drawn by a Persian wheel turned by two mules working singly ; it is lukewarm and is
fouled by leakage from a cesspool. Madain Salih is famous for its rock tombs. These
tombs are mostly carved in a series of rocks near to Jabal Ithlib or Athlib, on the south
east side of the plain of Al-Hajar. Away to the west, the two great table-shaped rocks,
covered with black volcanic debris, called Hawarah and Hawairah, rise precipitately
to a height of some 2,000 feet above the desert.
MAD AIR AH—
A village in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. TayTn {q. v.), in the 'Oman Sultanate.
MADAISlS—
One of the valleys in the depressed area known as Wadyan [q. v.), in northern Arabia.
MADAK—
The dar of the Upper Aulaki Sultan, situated 4 miles from the town of Nisab, in western
Hadhramaut, on a prominent hill.— {Bury, 1899.)
MADAKHKHAN (R as-al)—
A cape on the west coast of Qatar {q. v.), in eastern Arabia.
MADAL—
A small settlement in western Hadhramaut, 2 miles from Yashbum on the road to Nisab.
MADAL (H ub-al)—
A detached hill in Mahadhah {q. v.), in the 'Oman Promontory.