Page 378 - A Hand Book of Arabia Vol 2_Neat

ROUTE 33: YAMBO— MEDINA 191

miles.
total, stages.
3 m. The mountains are left and a broad plain is
entered.
2 m. Jedid, a small village in the plain, which is
here crossed by a torrent course ; there are
a few date-palms and fields.
The route soon enters a valley, known as
Wadi Beder. Leaving this on the 1., it as­
cends a rough slope, up a steep mountainside,
the summit being known as Thenyat el-Wasit.
Thence there is a steep, rocky, and difficult
descent, where it is necessary to dismount.
At the foot, Wadi Beder is re-entered.
[This climb may be avoided by following the Beder
valley, which makes a circuitous bend westward,
passing the settlements of Barakah, Far a1, and
Huseiniyah, and rejoining the mountain track a
little below Wdsit ; but the distance is longer.]
5 m. Wdsit, a village among date-groves, with ex­
tensive gardens of fruit-trees in the neigh­
bourhood ; there are numerous wells.
Dir., after some little distance, N. ; then the track
trends E. and ascends a narrow valley, known as
Wadi Safrah, which for some miles has an un­
interrupted line of date-plantations on either side.
66 15 Safrah, village ; see above, p. 167.
Dir. generally N. The route now enters Wadi Jedei-
dah, which for some miles is lined on both sides-with
date-palms, passing Hamra, a village with a small
suq and good spring water (see above, p. 166 f.,
and p. 188).
7 m. Je.de.idah, a village with a large market, des­
cribed as ‘ now almost in ruins ’ ; it lies in
the Wadi Jedeidah ; see above, p. 188 (m. 76i
of Burton’s route).
Dir. N. by E., continuing along Wadi Jedeidah.
2 m. Kheif, an important Hejaz camping-place at
the head of Wadi Jedeidah, which here
widens out. [Burton regards Jedeidah and
Kheif as one and the same place (see above,
p. 188) ; the truth seems to be that they
form a continuous though straggling line of
villages along the Wadi.]