Page 17 - Arabian Studies (V)

The Identification of the Wadi 7 -Qura 7
latitude 20°.47 The author of the Hudud al-'Alam says of Wadi
’1-Qura, Tabuk and Tayma’ that they are very prosperous boroughs
situated in the desert.48 Yaqut locates Wadi ’I-Qura between Syria
and Medina, adding that it lies between Tayma’ and Khaybar. He
says that it includes many villages and so it was named Wadi
’1-Qura (the valley of villages).49 Al-Fayruzabadl50and al-Samhudl51
follow Yaqut in placing it between Syria and Medina and in consi­
dering it as a large valley with many villages. Al-Fayruzabadi
quotes al-Sakunl who includes Dumat al-Jandal in Wadi ’1-Qura.
Al-SakunI mentions that the Christian leader (Ukaydir) of Dumat
al-Jandal, upon his banishment to al-Hirah by the Caliph ‘Umar,
after having broken a treaty made with the Prophet Muhammad,
built a fortress for himself in Wadi ’1-Qura.52 Yaqut mentions this
report in relating Ukaydir’s story, but he does not rely on this for
his evidence.53 It seems that Musil was influenced by this mistaken
report when he claims that there existed two places known as Wadi
’1-Qura, the famous southern Wadi ’1-Qura and the northern Wadi
’1-Qura which was the settlement of Dumat al-Jandal.54 This
ignores the unambiguous statement of Al-Samhudl who refers to
that report, declaring that Dumat al-Jandal is far away from Wadi
*1-Qura, that it lies at a distance of fifteen or sixteen days march
from Medina, while Wadi ’1-Qura, according to Ibn Sa‘d, in his
Tabaqaty is six days march. This distance was, according to Usamah
b. Zayd’s travels after he returned from his campaign against the
Romans.55 In point of fact Dqmah, Skaka and Qarah were known
by the name of al-Qurayyat, as al-Sakunl himself points out,56 but
later this name was given to the villages of Wadi ’1-Sirhan which are
still known today by the name of al-Qurayyat. Al-Sam‘anT says
that Wadi ’1-Qura is an ancient town in the Hijaz, towards Syria,57 a
statement which was repeated by Ibn al-Athlr58 and al-Hafiz b. Hajar
who says that Wadi ’I-Qura is an ancient town lying between
Medina and Syria.59
Thus this particular Wadi ’1-Qura, as it is located by the Arab
historians and geographers, from the period of the ninth century to
about the end of the twelfth century A.D. seems clearly to be the
main town of the ‘Valley of Villages’ which is Qurh, and which al-
Bakri60 and al-Suddi61 describe as the capital of Wadi ’1-Qura or, as
Ibn Qutaybah points out, is another name for Wadi ’1-Qura.62 On
the other hand, al-Maqdisi speaks of Wadi ’1-Qura as another
name for Qurh which he describes as a region with Wadi ’1-Qura as
its capital.63 At any rate, it is not unusual that a town gives its name
to a region, as al-Wohaibi points out.64
As for the valley itself, it is formed from small valleys proceeding
from the area of Mada’in Salih in the north and from Wadi