Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/176

 reddened rocks Berḳa’-d-Dimež, partly covered with sand; to the north of them were the yellow rocks of Ferdât al-Aṭraš and in the angle formed by the two, on the right of the river bed of al-Ḥadad, the wells Ḳulbân ad-Dimež; far to the north there were to be seen several black hills of al-ʻÂǧât, and to the southeast of them, a long ridge straggling to the southeast, the steep slope of the mountains of Birḳa ŠarôraŠarôra’ [sic], Ammu Ṛẓejje, al-Ṛawânem, and aẓ-Ẓufejjer.

Between the slope of aẓ-Ẓufejjer and the region of Ḥesma there extends an undulating plain which near al-ʻÂǧât is known as al-ʻArâjed, farther to the south as al-Ḫaẓẓa, to the north of the settlement of Tebûk as al-Meḥteṭeb, and, to the southeast of this settlement, as al-Eṯêli.

On our return we dismissed the guide. He had begged flour, salt, coffee, sugar, ammunition, etc.

At 5.05 we proceeded eastward (temperature: 15.5° C). In front of us stretched a large plain, from which isolated heaps of rock projected here and there. Numerous drifts of sand extended from west to east, overgrown with high and massive ṛaẓa bushes. Mḥammad explained that before the railway was built it was impossible even to penetrate the ṛaẓa thickets, but it could be seen that since then the woodcutters had been busy there. The wood of the ṛaẓa is conveyed to Tebûk and from there sent by railway as fuel for the various garrisons guarding the railway. Also to the north and northeast of Tebûk there are extensive ṛaẓa shrubberies, in which the inhabitants of Tebûk burn charcoal.