"كُتيّب اليمن" [ظ‎‎١‎٩] (١٩٠/٤٣)

site, the town is in itself a collection of forts and stone -built
fortress-like houses. It stands on a steep ridge formed by
an offshoot from Jebel Shibam, and is guarded by a number
of outstanding forts and armed posts occupying the heights
around, of which the two principal are forts Hadar and Beh
(with one or more heavy howitzers), both situated on the
south-east, and commanding the town as well as the ap
proaches to it. The streets are steep and often lead' over
bare and slippery rock. The normal population is about
5,000, including 1,000 Jews. The place would be well able
to stand siege, for fertile gardens with good crops overhang
the precipices which fall sheer from the town on one side,
and orchards and fields of fodder cover the slopes of
Jebel Miibam on the other side. The military hospital is
at the upper end of the town, and somewhat lower down
are the tall oblong barracks and magazine ; the government
buildings, and post office, are substantial buildings All
these are supplied with a very excellent water laid on to
hem by a covered conduit leading from a good spring
in a ravme in Jebel Shibam. There are also a number of
other perennial springs of good water which adequately
supply the town. 1 J
in a va l Ie yof considerable fertility
aWe i Jebel Sabor, and at an elevation of 4,000 feet
ll 1 f he t0 ™. quadrilateral in plan, is sur-
n | ^ :t u '' fiom twenty-five to thirty feet in thiek-
of l:!^.^ ™ ' hiKh ' cons tracted in the main
the exterin 11u ''' 1 a layer of fire-baked bricks on
intervak Th tower8 risin S «ght or ten feet at
great eastern j® 8 Ve : the Bab el-Kebir, the
Ihetkh Mflsn ft. . ng ^ San ' & and Mawiyah ; the Bab
towards Tebel ^l K 8 » d Hais ' «>• Bab 'Ain Dnnnnah,
Kahrah Th' ? abor V 1 and conn ecting the town with the
s b o a xtTi: b0our ^
fortress with barracks which ^onn^nd ^l ^^ft ^ai^'would