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'Handbook of Arabia. Vol II. 1917' [‎127] (131/542)

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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. .

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a
KOUTE 17: MA £ AN—MEDINA
127
Dist. km.
In ter
med.
Total.
173-00
23-50
195-50 22-50
Alt.
ft.
2.054
2,126
Station.
Bir Hurmas
Hazm
There are about 100 palm trees,
the remains of old palm gardens.
The water drains into a depres
sion to the NW.
Camp of Huweitat Arabs.
After Dhat el-Hajj there is, on
an average, one culvert per km.
for the first 10 km., and then
only 1 on the next 12 km. After
km. 152-50 the line ascends
slowly. For the first 12 km.,
the country is undulating, with a
line of low hills on the E. Then
the line enters a plain, at first
narrow like a valley, but soon
opening out to a width of 9 or
10 km.
Station building on E. side
of line ; 1 loop-siding. Well,
yielding 18,000 gallons a day ;
water 3 or 4 ft. below ground
level. Water-tower with iron
tank, fed by windmill and steam
pump.
At Bir Hurmas the plain
widens yet further ; the ground
is sandy with stony patches, and
very level. The line of hills on
E. ceases, and the country is
flat for 50 or 60 kilometres. On
W. is a line of hills, 15 or 20 km.
distant. The ground drains
imperceptibly eastward, where
a lake (Khabrat el-Muhtatah)
forms in wet weather.
Only seven culverts in this
stretch.
Stone blockhouse on W. side
of line ; 1 loop-siding ; no water.
Line traverses sandy and

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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
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'Handbook of Arabia. Vol II. 1917' [‎127] (131/542), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/E84/2, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023896534.0x000085> [accessed 6 April 2025]

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