File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎267v] (543/834)

breadth of Arabia. The extremities of their present range are
roughly the Raiyaniyya mountain on the west and the province of
Hasa on the east. Their northern boundary, which marches with
the Qahtan, Subai, Suhul, and Shamir, runs from Raiyaniyya
along the northern edge of Nafudh Dahi to the Tuwaiq barrier,
thence along the northern boundary of the Aflaj hill district, and
thence along the eastern slope of Tuwaiq, following the western
edge of the Kharj valley, from whose further extremity it runs
to the Aqla wells in Turabi plain and on to A1 Jafiya wells on
the Anna plateau, whence, striking across the Dahana and
Summan, it ends on the borders of Hasa. Southward, the
boundary of the tribe runs from Hasa across the Summan and
Dahana to the well Wasiya in Arina, and thence along the
northern fringe of the Riyadh, past Kharj and Aflaj, to the
eastern extremity of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Dawasir, along which it runs
westward through Sulaiyyil and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , back to the Raiyaniyya
mountain. The A1 Murra march with the Dawasir from Hasa to
the eastern extremity of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Dawasir, and the tribes of Yam
along the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. itself.
Within the limits of this vast tract the tribe owns all the
villages of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , Sulaiyyil and the Aflaj plain, some part of
the oasis in the Aflaj hill district, and considerable holdings in
Kharj, notably at Dilam. Both nomad* and settled elements
share in the ownership of the palm-groves and corn-plots of these
oases, the latter dwelling in permanent habitations of mud, therein
to guard and cultivate their holdings ; while the nomad element
ranges the beautiful pasture lands with the common flocks and
herds. The best pastures are Nafudh Dahi, the Maqran area, the
Kharj valley, the Anna plateau, and the Dahana and Summan.
Water is abundant in the Dawasir territories, where, owing to the
presence of the high barrier of Towaiq, some precipitation is almost
certain to occur in most years. Sheep and goats they have in
plenty ; horses but few, and those of miserable stature ; but their
main wealth lies in their vast herds of camels—large, heavy-bodied
brutes of a darkish dun colour—suitable rather for draught purposes
than for riding ; the cow camels are renowned for their heavy yield
of milk. I bn Sand’s annual revenue from the Dawasir camels,
collected at the rate of one sheep or goat per five camels and
converted into cash at the rate of five dollars per sheep {i.e. a tax
of one dollar per camel per year), amounted last year to some
sixteen thousand dollars ; but it should be noted that the tax is
collected thus : namely, nothing on a holding of less than three
camels ; one sheep on holdings of from three up to nine camels ;
two sheep on holds of from ten to fourteen ; three on fifteen and
so forth. Making due allowance for this method of assessment, a
fair computation of the camel holding of the tribe would be,
perhaps, thirty thousand camels, exclusive of youngsters which
are not taxed and animals actually out to hire which are taxed on
the loads they carrj^ each trip. A complete enumeration would
probably discover not less than fifty thousand camels in the
possession of the Dawasir tribe.