Page 48 - A Hand Book of Arabia Vol 2_Neat

i
COMMUNICATIONS
. 26

Wadi el-Khar which runs into the Bahr en-Nejef, for Leachman
was told that the Wadi el-Khar had its head ‘ near Lubbe in th$
Nefud near Jauf At mile 260, some 63 miles beyond Hayyamyah,
the track crosses the Darb Zobeidah, and at mile 356 the route from
Nolde’s route from Jauf to Ha’il took
Samawah to Boreidah.
a more direct course across the Nefud.
Supplies. There is no water between Howah (Hoa) or Shaqlq and
the wells of Hazam el-Mai near the 110th mile. After this there is
another long interval of about 90 miles before Hayyanlyah wells
are reached ; this is followed by a third waterless tract between
these wells and the Bir Zerud. After Zerud there are wells on or
near the route at distances of about 40 miles or less. There is
sufficient grazing for camels along the route, but no food-supplies.

(ii) Routes from the Euphrates Valley

(a) From Nejef or Samawah

There are three recognized routes between Nejef and Jebel
Shammar. The best known, although no longer the most frequented,
is the Darb Zobeidah (Route No. 3), which runs due south to Birkat ez-
Zebalah (Zobalah), and thence slightly west to the wells of Sha‘Ibah,
skirting the edge of the true Nefud, but crossing a few tongues of
sand which extend eastwards from the main sand-bed. Here the
track divides—south-eastwards to Boreidah, and westwards to
Ha’il. Huber accomplished this journey in 35 days, but remarked
that it could easily be done in 12 days. The Blunts took 22 days’
ifctual travelling, but w'ere much hindered by the Hajj, which they
• accompanied. There is a continuous series of tanks and wells, but
in spite of this the route has fallen into disuse. Even in Huber’s
time (1884) he had to confess that the pilgrims were unable to make
use of the route which had been especially constructed for them.
The rains are not sufficient to fill the reservoirs, and therefore the
more direct and safer track by Loqah and Havyaniyah is the
favourite one. Apart from the question of water, the Darb Zo­
beidah presents few physical difficulties for camel transport except
at the Jal el-Batn and possibly along the sections where intermittent
tongues of the Nefud have to be crossed. The line followed is
subject to deviations according to the season and political circum­
stances. It should be added that there is an alternative route
which diverges from the Darb Zobeidah about 40 miles S. of Nejef,
and, running by the wells of Sclmiin and Leinah, rejoins the Darb
Zobeidah at Khadhra.