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'Handbook of Arabia. Vol II. 1917' [51] (55/542)
The record is made up of 1 volume (271 folios). It was created in 1917. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
25
WESTERN ROUTES (Nos. 17-39)
51
(vi) Routes in South Hejaz
Two routes are described schematically which start from Jiddah
Of these, Route No. 36 to N. Yemen (from Jiddah to Hodeidah) is
very ill-known, and has been traversed by no European ; a con
siderable portion of the first part of it, as far as Qunfudah, was
traversed by the Sherif s forces in 1911. It is not much in use,
owing to the heat and barrenness of the tracts through which
it passes and the predatory uncontrolled character of the North
Asir tribes._ At present it is cut by Idrisi, who controls it in
the Abu Arish district. It lies wholly in the coastal plain known as
the Tihamah and runs mostly along the shore, following the tele
graph line as far as Loheia. (From that point the telegraph con
tinues to keep near the coast, while the route turns inland.) The
track lies over sand, and is suitable for camels only; the going is
very heavy in places, but there are no other physical difficulties.
The section from Loheia to Hodeidah is constantly used by Turkish
troops and convoys ; it is an easy route, across open desert country
for most of the way.
Supplies. Water is apparently limited over a great part of the
route ; except for the meagre details given for a few of the stages,
no information is available ; between Loheia and Hodeidah the
supply is reported to be sufficient and good. Fodder and other
supplies would be very limited, even for a small caravan. Meat can
be obtained at Jiddah, and, by waiting a few days, at Qunfudah.
Route No. 37, on the other hand, which runs from Jiddah to
Mecca, is the most travelled track in Arabia, protected by block
houses at intervals, and well supplied with halt-stations. The first
few miles are over sandy plain, after which the track passes through
a range of low hills to the plain of Bahrah. Thence it leads over
dusty undulating country to the main range of West Arabia, in
a foothill valley of which, running NE. into the range, lies the
Holy City at a mean altitude of not more than 700 ft, A carriage
could pass with difficulty over this track, and continue by the
more northerly (Seil) route to Ta'if (64 miles as the crow flies, but
well over 100 by this route ; see Route No, 38, alternative) ; but
it is not the practice to use carriages on the Jiddah road, although
guns have often been wheeled over it. Mecca donkeys are the best
riding animals for this road (see above, p. 16). The road is un-
metalled and not embanked, but it has been worn to a very fair
surface, and is not interrupted by any natural obstacles.
d 2
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About this item
- Content
This volume is A Handbook of Arabia, Volume II, Routes (Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: May, 1917) and contains details on routes in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as information on transport and lines of communication arranged on a geographical basis. Chapters concerning meteorological information, hygiene and disease, and vocabularies have also been incorporated. The volume was prepared on behalf of the Admiralty and the War Office. The sources from which the routes have been compiled, together with notes on directions and distance, appear at the head of each chapter, while some sections have been compiled on the basis of native information. Authorities cited include: George August Wallin, William Gifford Palgrave, Carlo Claudio Camillo Guarmani, Lady Anne Blunt, Charles Huber, Julius Euting, Gerard Leachman, Gertrude Bell, Anders Christian Barclay Raunkiær, William Henry Irvine Shakespear, and John Gordon Lorimer.
The volume includes a note on confidentiality, title page, and a 'Note' on the compilation of the volume. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following sections:
- Chapter 1: Methods of Transport;
- Chapter 2: Communications, A. Northern Routes, B. Eastern Routes, C. Central Routes, D. Western Routes, E. South-Western Routes, F. Southern Routes, G. Souther-Eastern Routes;
- Chapter 3: Routes, A. Northern Routes, B. Eastern Routes, C. Central Routes, D. Western Routes, E. South-Western Routes, F. Southern Routes, G. Souther-Eastern Routes;
- Chapter 4: Meteorological Observations;
- Chapter 5: Hygiene and Disease;
- Chapter 6: Vocabularies;
- Appendix: Note on the System of Transliteration and Glossary of Topographical and Common Terms;
- Index;
- Plates.
There is also a 'List of Maps' and a 'Note on the Spelling of Proper Terms'.
There is one map contained in this volume: 'Map 5. Key Map of Routes'. In addition, there are nine plates by Douglas Carruthers, Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear, Captain Gerard Leachman, and Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Barrett Miles.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (271 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in chapters. There is a contents page, list of maps, alphabetical index, and list of plates.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the map which is inserted at the back of the volume, on number 271.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/E84/2
- Title
- 'Handbook of Arabia. Vol II. 1917'
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1:534, ii-r:ii-v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence