Page 436 - A Hand Book of Arabia Vol 2_Neat

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220 SOUTH-WESTERN ROUTES

miles.
total, stages.
12 m. Hifa,large village, belongingto the Mo'awiyah
section of the Shahran.
2 m. Al Khalit, small village.
4 m. Nimran, the largest village in the district,
consisting of some 500 mud houses.
154$ 22 QaTah Bishah, ruined castle, marking the end of the
Bishah oasis : see I, p. 142.
The road continues in the direction of Nejd.

The following is a variant of the same route,
which was taken by the Sherif in 1911, when
a force of 5,000 Arabs, or more, with camel
transport and 100-200 horses, passed along it
in one party, and there appears to have been no
scarcity of water :
IBHA town; see I, p. 142.
Dir. NE. down the Wadi Ibha, passing villages of
the Beni Malik. i
20 20 Beni Malik village (name of halting-place not given).
Continue NE. down wadi to its junction with
the Wadi Shahran.
8 m. Janfur (or Jinfur), the last of the Beni
Malik villages ; the country of the Shahran
is now entered.
40 20 Wadi Rashid, apparently the local name for the Wadi
Shahran. It is a broad valley with many wells,
and produces wheat, barley and fruit; the
climate is temperate as compared with the
extreme cold of Ibha. i
Dir. N. down the main valley.
65 25 Wadi Masiraq (or Museiriq), apparently the local name
for the Wadi Shahran.
Continue N. down the valley.
89 24 Wadi 'Ardq, apparently the local name for the W am
Shahran; here are palm-trees and tamaris
jungle.
Continue N. down valley.
6 m. Wadi Khadhra is passed ; some cultivation.
Some miles further on
irrigated by wells,
the Wadi Fidayah is reached, apparently
the local name for the Wadi Shahran.

I