'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎185] (200/1050)

AQA-AQA
185
antiquity, being the Elath or Elath of the Bible, and one of the ports whence Solomon's
iieet sailed to Ophir. By the Romans, who made it a military post, it was called Ael
&na. It continued to be the seat of great commercial activity under the early Moslem
Khalifs, who corrupted the name to Haila or Aila. In the 10th century an Arab geo
grapher described it as the great port of Palestine and the emporium of the Hejaz. In
the 12th century the town suffered at the hands of Salah-ud-Din, and thereafter fell
into decay. In T841 the town was recognised by Turkey, together with the Sinai Penin
sula, as part of Egypt. At that time Egyptian pilgrims frequented "Aqabah in large
numbers. In 1892, on the accession of the Khedive 9 Abbas II, Turkey resumed pos
session of 'Aqafeah, the Egyptian pilgrims having deserted the land route to Mecca
in favour of a'sea passage. In 1906 the construction was begun of a branch line joining
^Aqabah with Ma'an and thus giving through railway communication with Beirut.
Early in the same year the Turks occupied T^bah, a village at the mouth of a small
Stream S. miles by land W. by S. of 'Aqabah. Tabah being on the Egyptian side of the
frontier, great Britain intervened On behalf of Egypt, and in May 1906 secured the with-
■drawai of the Turks.
The Arab tribes in the neighbourhood possess some horses and a considerable number
tif camels. The latter are, however, removed during the summer months in order to
find better grazing. In the year 1905, during the march of 14,000 to 16,000 Turkish
troops from Ma'an to 'Aqabah for embarkation for the Yemen, the principal Bedouin
tribe on the route, the Huwaitat, and a subsidiary tribe, the Ibn Injad, supplied 1,500
camels for bringing water from the springs in the adjoining hills to the halting places,
where is was stored in barrels.
There is a telegraph line between 'Aqabah and Ma'an.
'AQABAH (Zamar-Al)—
A halting place f shown on Hunter's map of Arabia as being on one of the routes running
from Mecca to Al-Madinah, via Rabigh. According to that authority it is about 22
miles north-east irom Rabigh. As far as oan be ascertained however, from native in
formation, this name seems almost unknown at the present day, the more usual halting
place in this vicinity being Bir-Ridhwan,
'AQAFAH (Tribe)—
See 'Ataibah (Tribe); Miqatah section of the Barqah division.
'AQAILAH—
Some wells in the district of 'Adan, '{q.v.'),
'AQAILAH (T ribe)—
See 'Ataibah (Tribe); Da'ajll section of the Barqah division.
^AQAILAH—
A well in Dhafrah (<?.&) in Trucial 'Oman;
'AQAIR—
A village in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Bani Battash {q.v,),
'AQAIR—
A village in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -al-Hilti {q,v.) in the western Hajar district of the 'Oman Sultanate.
'AQAIR—
Some wells in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -al-Miyah {q>v.) in the north of the Hasa district of eastern Arabia,
'AQAIR—
A village in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Shafan (q.v.) in the 'Oman Sultanate,
* AQAIYAL (Q asr I bn)—
A settlement in Qasim {q.v.) in central Arabia,
C52(w)GSB ^ 2 b