Page 60 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 4,5

districts and towns 125

iter-supply is derived from springs at Jebel ‘Arafat, the
|1"‘l v'jncr brought to Mecca by a conduit, which runs underground
''■'" 'cri* the city.° Here it is tapped at intervals by pits resembling
\he water is good (containing a large amount of chlorides),
\\ *
I s fairly abundant. The water-carriers form a special class;
.lll« [ ' the water in skins and supply houses at a fixed rate per
iliry carry
'theonly weiI in
imcI.v for religious and medicinal purposes e™scl,Jt\ employed
carriers and attendants, who SS'it W P<!C,al °iass o£
rii
1 ense it free, are supported
bv voluntary contributions. The well is about 40 ft. deep, and the
water is unusually brackish and contaminated. It is regarded as
a panacea for many bodily as well as spiritual ills, and is used both
. fur drinking and ablutions ; many pilgrims have it brought to their
bouses in order to wash themselves and their clothes in it; a canister,
containing a pint or so, is the most valued present that can be
brought from Mecca.
The soil of Mecca and its immediate neighbourhood is almost
entirely barren. There are hardly any gardens, and all supplies
are brought in from outside, fruit and vegetables from Ta’if, rice
and foreign products from Jiddah ; poultry can be obtained at
reasonable prices, and mutton, milk, and butter are plentifully
su pplied from the desert. Very little live stock is kept locally, except
donkeys and camels.
There are no local industries, and all classes of the population live
by the Pilgrimage, acting as guides and directors during the sacred
ceremonies, contractors for transport and the like. Considerable
•sutns are also realized by the letting of houses, of which many more
exist than the permanent population requires. Besides the resident
merchants, traders arrive from all parts of the Mohammedan world
during the Pilgrimage, and do a considerable business (see p. 101).
the permanent population, exclusive of soldiers, is about 70,000
(the largest urban aggregate in Arabia), including about 12,000
mjians. The annual Pilgrimage brings normally at least 200,000
'iMtors into the town. The British Indian pilgrims sometimes
pi I min1 aS many as 20,000, besides 4,000 or 5,000 British Malay

T,^ climate of Mecca is very hot and very dry, but not unhealthy.

''c;u l *s so s^llV in by the surrounding hills that a breeze seldom
'•dare? ail<^ ^iea^ reflected from the rock-faces increases the
FuUs o 7 C^ay anc^ t^ie closeness of the atmosphere at night. Rain
does CU ,v.°nce °r twice a year, but it is tropical in its violence, and
onsiderable damage to the town. On these occasions, during