Page 306 - A Hand Book of Arabia Vol 2_Neat

150 WESTERN ROUTES (

ROUTE 24

MEDINA—R ASS

Authorities: For this route, linking N. Kejnz and Qaslm, there is no recent
authority. What follows is deduced from .Sadlier’s narrative, 1819, compared
with an itinerary given by Burckhardt and reports of French ofliccrs in
Ibrahim Pasha’s service in the Wahabite War of that time. It is impossible
to indicate convenient stages throughout.
- ' General Direction : ENIO.
Distance: Crow-lly, 2150 miles ; road, 28") (?) miles.
Character and Supplies : sco p. 40 f.

miles.
total, stages.
MEDINA, town; see I, p. 116 f.
Dir. generally NE. by N.
The route at first follows Route No. 22 (see above,
p. 152), but the precise point at which it branches
off to Rass is not definitely indicated by any
authority ; the Persian Gulf Gazetteer states
‘ probably Shaqrah ’ (cf. also Hunter’s map).
The following is Sadlier’s description of the road
from Medina to Henaklyah: Aftor crossing the
barren Medina plain, the track runs through
a sandy plain affording some pasturage, and then,
over a rocky mountain road ; at about 50 m., it
descends into a rocky ravine with some trees1
and plentiful water ; after entering a valley, it
emerges upon a barren gravelly plain bounded
by rocky hills ; it then traverses a broad plain
covered with loose stones, and, finally, crosses;
a ravine (possibly Wadi Hamdh).
85 85 Hencikiyah, village of about 40 houses in Wadi Hamdh.
Forage and good wells, water at 60-90 ft. (In
1818, 800 cavalry, 900 infantry, and 3 guns halted
here for 25 days.) !
23 m. Cross low range of hills.
Dir. ENE. generally through isolated rocky hills.
25 m. Track crosses valley running NAY. to SE.,
with some wells.
153 68 Jebel Mairiyali; camping-grouncl to the W. of the hill.Jj
Dir. E., round N. side of Jebel Mawlyah.

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