Page 234 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

294 .SULTANATE OF KOWEIT

brushwood. This is succeeded by undulating plains with outcrops
of sandstone, which end abruptly at the edge of Dahanah.

Though there are no wells in the interior of Sununan, after good
rains it provides excellent and extensive pasture. But if the later
rains fail there may be a shortage of grazing as early as April,
affecting the movements of the tribes, the chief of which, in the
Koweit Sununan, is the Muteir.

Islands

1. Bubiydn in the NW. corner of the Gulf, just N. of Koweit Bay,
is claimed by the .Sheikh of Koweit, on the ground that Hawazin
from his territory fish in summer on its NE. coast. In 1902 the
Turks established a storehouse, guarded by a detachment under an
officer, near Ras cl-Qaid on the SE. corner. There are no villages
on the island.
2. Feilalcah (pronounced Feilachah) on the N. side to the entrance
to Koweit Bay, is 7 miles in length with a maximum breadth of
3 miles, and is very low. The only village is Zor, on the NW. coast,
though there are several deserted settlements ; the only other in­
habited place is Qreiniyah, where the Sheikh has a residence, The
people of Zor are of mixed origin, mostly fishermen, with a few pearl-
divers, and owning about 100 boats. Water is found in most parts
of the island at a depth of about 6 ft. : in the interior and during
the hot weather it is apt to be brackish. Wheat and barley are
cultivated, with an annual yield of about 30 tons ; there is some
cultivation of melons, lucerne, and vegetables. There are a few
camels, a number of donkeys, and some cattle on the island.
Feilakah is governed on behalf of the Sheikh by one of his relations.
It possesses numerous tombs of Mohammedan saints to which pilgrims
resort: the Muqam el-Khidhar, overlooking the boat-harbour of Zor,
and now a roofless tower, is a shrine frequented by Arab sailors.
3. Kubbar, in 29° 4' Lat. N. and 48° 30' Long. E., about 20 miles
off the coast; an uninhabited islet.
4. Qdm, 28° 49' Lat. N., 4S° 47' Long. E., 25 miles from the coast,
and 24 miles SE. of Kubbar, likewise uninhabited.
5. Umm el-Marddim, 2S miles S. by E. of Kubbar, and 16 miles
from the coast, also without inhabitants.
6. Qurein or Qreiti (frequently pronounced Grain), another islet
close to the shore 4 miles to W. of Koweit, with a good anchorage
for boats in the basin called Bandar esh-Shuweikh, on the SE. side,
was used as a quarantine station in 1912, but abandoned in the
following year on account of difficulties with regard to supplies and
water. Granc, or Graine, the old English name for Koweit, was
probably taken from this island.

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