[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎35r] (69/206)

the plateau above the depression we looked down to Shagralx and Shaijar, which,
latter lies about 3 miles north of our road. Shaijar is a larger town than
Mudhnib. Beyond Shaijar we saw the ruddy Nufudh and further back the
chalklike cliffs of Jabal Tuwaiq. We halted at 5-25 p. m. (sunset), having
sent on Thami al Bair and ‘Ali al Dhuwaiki with a letter to the Amir, Muhammad
Bin Sand, Al-Lsa. -He has been appointed Amir by Bin Saud. He is a man
about 45 jears old. Came to our tents and brought us off to a good breakfast.
Was very hot against the ‘Ajman who, he said, were treacherous ; why, he asked,
did Ibn Sabah and the British Government harbour them ? Bin Saud, he told
us, claims overlordship over Arabia as far as Najran, including Qasim, Hasah,
Mekka, Kuwait, and Oman. The Shagrah market is smalb like that of Zilfi, but
it is a larger town, surrounded by gardens. It has been well described as a
lesser ‘Anaizah. The Amir told us there were 14 large townships in Woshm.
Wushaiqir and Shaijar are one and the same ; the name is only a diminutive
of Shagrah, of which it is an offshoot.
Yesterday had some trouble with‘Abdul ‘Aziz bin Hassun, who tries to
thwart me when he can do so safely. I had caught him the previous day twice
chasing my pony away vindictively, following him with a stick and swearing.
He began to argue till told roughly to let the horse alone. Now he wants to
get even and has been giving a lot of trouble in other ways. I had to give him
a severe dressing-down.
9th November .—Marched in^o Shagrah at about 7-10 a.m. A horseman
Distauce—iso hours, 35 minutes, 469 miles. was sent out to meet us. Breakfast with
Temp. 54°, Bar. 3 ,roo'. the Amir. Camped in open north-east of the
town in sand. Mullah thinks that Shagrah contains more than 5 to 6 thou
sand inhabitants. He says it is about § or f the size of ‘Anaizah and con
siders the population to be as high as 15,000. Putting ‘Anaizah at an outside
ffgure of 12,000 I should say there might be 8 ,q 00 souls in Shagrah.
Had dinner as about 2-40 p. m. with the Amir and then departed, catching
up the baggage about f hour later. After leaving Shagrah climbed up the
rocky side of the depression and, stopping at the top and looking back with
binoculars, had a good view over Shagrah, which lies very low. It is ^ not
more than J the size of ‘Anaizah. Has 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants possibly.
Bode on to within sight of palms of Tharmidab and halted at sunset, 5-25 p. m., in
open patch, putting up some gazelles and a pair of bustard, which Amar tried to
stalk; ground hard, country all along Nufudh level, loam plain and covered
with fortified granges, looking like castles and called qasrs (castles).
10th Aovemfor.—Started at 7 a. m. and rode straight into Tharmidah,
Distance—184 hours, 35 minutes, 484 miles. having sent Thami and Sa’ad on a head to
Temp. 68°, Bar. 3 , 335 '. warn the Amir, ‘Abdul Rahman al Angari,
who, it seems, formerly resided at Kuwait. His first cousin was the Amir of
Tharmidah when it held out against Bin Saud who besieged it. The cousin was
put to death for his resistance. Gardens ©f Tharmidah delightful; water in
wells 60 ft. below surface. Saw 2 wells, one with 9 and one with 10 buckets,
working; each waterskin drawn by bullock, cow, or donkey, with a short, steep
run down on both sides.
Wells here mostly worked by cattle during hours of day only. Some few
wells worked by camels as in Qasim. Plenty of maize and bajra (Dukhan) and
dux ; some lime trees, melons, pumpkins, and vegetables grow in profusion; air
delightful; people look very much of the cultivating class and are said to be
mostly Beni Tamim. Outside walls in ruins. At the Amir, ‘Abdul Rahman’s,
house had coffee, tea, and dates and then went and spent an hour or two
looking at wells and chatting in gardens with Mullah ‘Abdullah, Amar, and
Thami. Thami has had 12 wives; all, except 2, he says, were girls, the other 2 being
grown women. He did not keep any of them long. The lad who was with us
was the Amir’s servant; very poor; said his only chance of getting a woman was
to go on a raid with Bin Saud. Otherwise, he would remain a poor, wifeless
wretch to the end of his days.
The Amir is a man about 60 years old and a regular type of townbred
Arab, most friendly. There seem to be a good many of the Akhwan about
here. My “ Salaam-Alaiks ” were not infrequently ignored.