"دليل الجزيرة العربية المجلد II" [‎١‎١‎٣‎٧] (٦٨٨/١٨٦)

mah—mah
1137
Mahmudiyah was founded about 50 years ago by one Saiyid Ja'farof Baghdad, who
built the first Khan ; and it soon superseded the stages of Khan Azad and Khan-al-
Bir which were respecti\ely nearer to and further from Baghdad on the way to
Karbala. The original inhabitants were a few Bani Rabi'ah Arabs who migrated from
Khan-al-BIr ; but Mahmudiyah is now a considerable and increasing place with 11
Khans, a dozen shops, about 150 houses, and a population of perhaps 1,000 souls. The
Khans are mostly defensible, one of them being partly loop-holed and provided with
circular towers at the four corners ; in the aggregate they would provide accommoda
tion for about 1,000 men and the same number of animals.
Under Turkish rule, a manager of the Dairat-as-Saniyah resided here and had under
him some mounted Dhabitiyahs and a few regular soldiers for the work of the Depart
ment. There was also a Saniyah Ambar or store-house and a Saniyah primary school.
The canal, which is noticed in the article on the Euphrates, since the opening of the new
Hindiyah barrage in 1913, gives to the village a perennial supply of water and
irrigates fields of wheat, barley and millet.
MAHMUDIYAH—
One of the canals of the Euphrates {q.v.).
MAHNAWIYAH—-
A canal in the Khawas Nahiyah of the HUlah Qadha {q. in Iraq.
MAHOT—
An island village on Ghubbat Hashish on the south-eastern coast of 'Oman in the
dominions of the Sultan of 'Oman ; it is situated in the northern part of the bay 2 or
3 miles from the shore of the mainland, to which a man can cross on foot at low tide.
The island is a mere sand bank 2 miles long by 1 broad, devoid of vegetation, except
mangroves, and of potable water ; the mangroves grow on a mud-flat, screening the
island from view seawards and extending round f of its circumference. The village
consists of about 50 huts of mangrove boughs and there is one mosque roughly built of
stone. The inhabitants are Hikman and a few Jannabah; they maintain a perpetual feud
with the A1 Wahibah of the adjoining mainlaind ; thrie semi-insular position protects
them from sudden attacks. Water is fetched daily by slaves In earthen vessels from
wells under a low hill on the mainland 4 miles to the northward. Mahot is the principal
trade centre of this part of the 'Oman coast and in particular the market in which the
inhabitants of the coast from Masirah to the Kuria Muria islands purchase their dates ;
its unimportance is in proportion to that of the district which it serves. There are no
regular shops and few large boats ; but caravans constantly visit the place from Adam, tho
nearest point in 'Oman Proper, distant from Mah5t, 7 days' journey by way of Wadi
Halfain which reaches the sea, it is believed, a little to the north-east of Mahot. These
caravans bring dates and cotton twist and take away fish. Animals at Mahdt are
10 camels, 10 donkeys, 20 cattle and 30 sheep and goats ; there are 4 Baghlahs and
20 small fishing boats. In former days Mahot was a great place for the disembarkation
of slaves, who were then smuggled into 'Oman by way of Wadi Halfain. Native
sailing vessels passing between Aden or Zanzibar and the Persian Gulf used some
times to call and ship cargoes of salt, made at Has Sauqirah or Kh5r-al-Milh, or of salt
fish, shark-fins and tortoise-shell, but this has become unusual. The only supplies
obtainable at Mah5t are a few sheep, firewood and water.
MAHBA (District)—
A district extending eastwards for nearly 100 miles from the mouth of the Wadi
Musailah. The chief village of this Mahra coast is Qishn, 3 miles inland. When the
Bents visited Qishn m January 1895, the Sultan of Qishn was one Salim, father to the
Sultan of Soqotrah which belongs to the Mahra tribe, and brother to the Sultan of
Saihut.
MAHRA (Tribe)—
This tribe of Southern Arabia lie almost entirely beyond the limits of the present
Gazetteer, but some of the 'Amarjid and Tho'ar sections are found at Hasik, in the hills
C52 (w )GSB Va