'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1317] (366/688)

MUS—MUS
C
1317
of a Nahiyah—which also contains Sikandariyah—in the Qadha of Karbala ; but only
the smallest local affairs were settled by the Mudir. The town is a municipality, and
Paswanivah and Chiraghivah, or taxes on account of night watchmen and the lighting
of the streets, are collected. Besides the Civil Mudir there was here a harbour master,
a Mudir of the Public Debt and a Mamur of the Sanitary Department. From Musaiyib
a double line of telegraph runs to Baghdad on the one side and to Hillah on the other.
Before the war the Dairat-as-Saniyah took firm hold of the country around Musaiyib
on the left bank and planted down a number of masonry enclosures m the neighbour
hood ; these were used as storehouses, but in appearance they resemble military forta.
The same department maintained a school on one of its estates near Musaiyib.
MUSAIYIB—
One of the canals of the Euphrates {q. v.).
MUSALLA—
A hamlet in Bahrain Island {q. v.).
MUSALLA (K han)—
Or Khan Mirza ; a halting place on the road between Karbala and Xajaf and situated
about 11 miles from the latter. It consists of a large walled enclosure containing two
caravansarais which lead one into the other. Outside are two small khans and a few
coffee-shops and about 200 yards to the eastward are some 30 Arab huts. The sarais
would hold about 800 horses and 600 men, but there are practically no supplies. Water
is obtained from wells and from a canal which comes from the Shatt-al-Hindiyah {q. v.).
MUSALLAKH—
One of the wells in Habl {q. v.) in the Hasa District of Eastern Ar',bia.
MUSALLAM (Ar.)—
Singular Musallami. A small clan of Qatar and Bahrain who clai n descent from the
Bani Khalid and are probably a branch of the Al Humaid section of that tribe. The Al
Musallam wore once numerous and influential in Qatar, where about 1850 a number of
them were settled by the Shaikh of Bahrain at Dohah as a counterpoise to the Sudan ;
they were brought apparently from Fuwailat and Huwailah. The present fort of Dohah,
formerly known as Qal'at Al Musallam, was built by them; they founded the quarter of
Duwaihah; and they maintained close rel .tions with the Ma'adh'd. They have now
been reduced by natural causes to about 25 houses in Bahrain (at Muharraq Town
Hadd and Halat Abu Mahur) and 8 houses in Qatar (at Dohah, Fuwairat and Wakrah).
In religion the Al Musallam are Maliki Sunnis : by occupation they are all pearl merchanta
except a few who serve the Shaikh of Bahrain as soldiers.
MUSALLAM (F AIUQ-AL)—
A quarter of the town of Hadd {q. v.) in Muharraq Island, Bahrain Archipelago.
MUSALLAMIYAH—
Musallamiyah bay is a considerable indentation in the coast of the Hasa Sanjaq ; it is
situated about 77 miles north-west of Has Tanurah and divides the tract of Zor-al-
Audhan on the north from that of Huzum on the south : at the foot it meets, or nearly
meets, the inland district of Sabakhat-al-Mutaya. The northern point of the bay is
Ras-al-Bidya', a low sandy promontory with tufts of grass ; the southern, wjiich is of
some height and runs into the sea between Musallamiyah bay and the island of Jinnah,
is named Ras-al-Abkharah. The width of the entrance between these points is 4 miles,
and the depth of the bay inland from the entrance is 6. The inner area is for the most
part shallow ; but a deep channel, known as Khor MusallamTyah, leads past Ras-al-
Bidya' up to MusallamTyah island.
This island, which like Jinnah has Jazirat-al-'Amair for an alternative name, is situated
in the bay about 5 miles west of Ras-al-Bidya'. On the east side of it is a village of 400
houses, protected by two adjacent forts, which possesses several wells and a few bar
trees, but no cultivation. The inhabitants are Bani Khalid of the " Amair section and