'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1356] (411/688)

1356
najd
and bears one of the Xajdean districts, Sadair, almost entirely on its broad baolr tn
getber with the northern half (Mahtnal) of another, 'Aridh. The two ridges divert
in south Sadair, leaving an intramontane depression. The eastern ridge bears awav
South-East into desert ; the western breaks down to a deep and broad gap and then
alter rising again on the farther side takes a south-westward course. The gap allowt
the waters drained off the western face to escape through the ridge by a great valley
known at first as Wad! Haosiyab and lower as Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hanifah. The upper part of this
valley with the lower country on each side of the broken rigde make the rest of 'Aridh
which is therefore about half and half chalky hill country and sandy valley and plain
Below the westward escarpment of Jabal Tuwa.q lies a plain of sandy loam sloping
gradually up towards south- est and divided longitudinally by a beft of drift-sand
running north and south la its western part subterranean drainage collects and
comes near the surface before finding its way from the northern haH to Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rummah
rom t e southern haM to Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Haisiyah This whole district may be called Washam
4^1 n i ^ partlClllarl - y to the so^hern part only, while the northern
kn ' Vvilti Is lOW Water9hed contain9 a large water-logged depression
I I r. A southern region, dependeot in the main on the same western ridge of the Tuwaiq-
plateau after its deflection to south-westward. Only a very smaH part of it has been
seen by any European eye, and its physical character remains largely conjectural It
may be assumed that the eastward slope from the plateau is very gradual and long and
2her 0f Ha 7 q and Khar J both lie on this slope, one below the
^ w£di nL^fah in ^ erc fP tlbI y int( JPia»n and is bounded by the southern continuation
of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Haitifah Partly on the plateau itself and partly belmv its westward scarp lies a
third not unfertile district, Afiaj, fed by its inland drainage. To the south and
rTftrr^l T f t lle . latterlie two more districts, Salaiyil and Dawasir, but how
T who if differ ^ knOW - 11 is Certain ' hcwever ' that th ey are fed by
w^t Sht fl ^ ^ ^ drai " a fr- that Which = startin g in the highlands of south
^ est Arabia, flows inland and probably is absorbed midway across the peninsula.
eh.rttl h 18 r ,y -" lt0rmittently fertile and a11 settlements have an oasis
aracter but, internally, it contains no formidable desert, though much steppe Ahka f
EKMh'wh^h ^ 1 an - No ^ 18 rich - Witness the Amir of
as T On0e hi3 inland d0miDi0,1S ^ n0 diStriCt
. Clem at k.
souin^Hetrr^^ except according to report, in its extreme
DawWr coud S with Th lq ^ P^cuhr ,sreported exeeedingly hot, and all heard of
» dark coloiation ot Dawasiris, leads us to suppose it no cooler.
of oth^L^f ^ 1 hrc I 9 . WelCO " ,e "" lvim<!r but his testimony and that
d ffcrent and K,,- h ^ '"'j 1 n0tkn0wn ther( -- 0n the Tuwaiq plateau it is
air ' ^ich would render ail except in summer
i r ' no ^ or 1 t s comparatively low elevation /under 2"000 feetV
RaStTh"' T ple t asantly 00id in I-** "> the day time ^ fcet, •
eniovs rarclv oxtendW S, 6 P reol P itation . which the northern Nafiid
which de'lavcd J Sh"-mmar, and the rains of the Gulf littoral,
Tuwaiq. " Most of the rain which d^rfaU ta S^utt^Vd T* 61 l914 ' UOt: PaS8ing ^
ofsi e ai r do£ the aand -— in thc nam
rrn , . , - _ POPULATION,.
qu«or^ mEnXr^L^/ St f a ^ d , Cm 2 CtumIfyali ra fher over than under a
quarter ot a million No account is here taken of unsettled Bedawis since there is onlv
kmywn Z' iTT ^ ^ J 1 "" "y Arabian ^n All the
"u. , tribes, which owe fealty to the Amir of Rivadh ran ere either
outside the boundaries w e have indicated or for a very short ^ g „
the Mutair on the northeast,