[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎18v] (36/206)

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Note .—
Name of stony tract
Wells to S. W.
Amjuzal |
Alhataki
( )
The water after flood flows in this depression from Tumair beyond Majmah
and the flood passes Artawiyah but cannot cross the Dahanah; it is said to
form a big, shallow lake near Artawiyah which, in some years, lasts for 2 or 3
months. Al-Bataniyah ( ijJlkJI ) is the joint name given to the wells of
Artawiyah ( A^D) ), Dujani (), Gaiyiyah ( ) Albatarah ( »,Axl ),
and Al-Hathaki ( ^ Hsr‘| ). - w '
Continued march at 3-45 p.m. and on into the night pulling up at about
Distance—ne hours, 20 minutes, miles. • P ' M ' Lovely temperature at night
n °w. One or two scares of Arabs
occurred but we encountered none. Ghunaim very uncertain about the way.
£ot/i October. Marched at 5-4o before sunrise and reached descent
Distance— lie hours, 20 minutes, 300 miles. into the deep, stony gorge, wdiich forms
At 5 V.M. —Temp. 95°, Bar. 3,230'. the entrance into Zilfi from this direction,
. rm . • about 8-55 a.m. The baggage camels
came very slowly. This steep place is called Attaw^aij ( ^ ). We waited
f tf 6 a ^ m !i S f0r u an i ^ 0Ur at tlie ^ rst we ' 1# Tliere w as a small garden
attached to the well and a square cover exactly over it. The well was cut
into the solid rock the water being about 18 ft. below the surface when we‘
saw it, which w as after many sheep had been watered. It was not more than 1
2 orSmiles fromZiHi but w^e did not get to our camp between the 2 towns
until ll-4o a.m., s.c., our progress was latterly at the rate of about a mile an
ATnhfvm 2 ~ 1 f in 1 ^ a f^rnoon the Amir of Zilfi, by name Usman ibn
Muhammad, who lives in the western town, came to call. We had sent on
llm of , our , arriv al from the first well (Mirshid and
Abdullah al Dahabas went on). Usman is an old man, very gentle and
f f He haS !.T lted US a11 t0 dinner - We ^alt to-morrow when
2 t0WnS 'i 1 1 he new toWn ’ wllich re P laces that destroyed by
Ibn Rashid some years back, is a quadrangle facing north with 5 towers
connected by a curtain, the height of which is about 15 ft. The east and
west sides have 3 square towers, in addition to the circular towers connecting
v ? Y! n th ^ lth ^ nd sou th faces. We camped at a distance of about 700
jaidsfiom the east face of the new town. The old town is about l 1 miles
rom the new one. _ The Amir has promised to take me over the old town
f?om zTfi subu ^ ] yteg very slightly wes^ of north, about 3 miles
A?Tflr in bA ^ rai f aral1 )• At 4-45 p.m. had coffee with the
Zilfi During TX dafterWarC J S t0 ? k a P hot °graph of the west side of new
• mg coffee conversation turned on the question of passes The
KuwaiU Wp t0 i fb passes give “ b ' v him had not been accepted at
lteene^en^hvuTn n | 4 t li attl ' ere f 0 , nwaSpr ' >babl 5 rt,llat ‘ his had “ot
name” b ? ud as . 0Ile ° 1 t,ie Amlrs qualified to grant passes in his
Oa^m tamnL f ‘h 6 ,?™ 01 ?? 1 merchants qf Kuwait, he tells me, are from
f amihes who have migrated thither in recent generations It seems
that all the anstoeracy of Kuwait, as well as the places like Zubair and
L-BaM (’ 3 VI)' a:,dlS ' NeW Zllfiis CaUed A l-Ajdah ( ) and old Zilfi
SStk Octobei. Halted. Visited old Zilfi with the Amir and spent a conple
Eaylight — Temp. 56°, Bar. 3,210'. °f hours shopping there with Mullah
not imfrip-nfilv Tiio-.. i Abdullah to assist me. People cool but
fellows who hate the lovlal^ 16 ’ f S e y e 5' whe . 1 ' e ’ a fewof tbe Akhwan, sour-faced
couple of armed
27th October. Halted. Had breakfast with the Amir in his garden about
Onyiigu Temp. 60 °, Bar. 3,280'. a “ 1 te behind new Zilfi. Saw well from
which 4 camels were drawing wafer