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 the places enclosed by the sea belong to the peninsula of Arabia. In his time they exhibited a stone at Madjan, which Moses lifted when he wished to water the flocks of sheep and goats belonging to Šuʻejb. Plenty of water was found there. The inhabitants used Syrian weights and measures.—Thus, according to al-Muḳaddasi, the district of aš-Šera’ extended from the stream of al-Môǧeb, the northern frontier of Moab, in the north, to south of Tebûk. The effect of incorporating Tebûk and Madjan in the administrative district of Syria was that both places were regarded as part of Syria. The northern frontier of the Ḥeǧâz was thus often changed, the determining criterion sometimes being the natural and sometimes the administrative border.

Al-Bekri, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), p. 516, assigns to Syria the settlement of Madjan on the highroad leading to Gaza. It is said that the Prophet despatched an expedition against Madjan, which was led by Zejd ibn Ḥâreṯa. Zejd returned with numerous prisoners from the harbor (mîna)—for according to Ibn Isḥâḳ mîna denotes shore.

According to Ibn ʻAbbâs (al-Bekri, op. cit., p. 135; see az-Zabîdi, Tâǧ al-ʻarûs [Bûlâḳ, 1307—1308 A. H.], Vol. 7, pp. 104 f.; Ibn Manẓûr, Lisân al-ʻArab [Bûlâḳ, 1300—1307 A. H.], Vol. 12, pp. 274 f.) the woods of al-Ajka mentioned in the Ḳorân, in which the kinsmen of Šuʻejb encamped, extended either between Madjan, Šaṛab, and Bada’ or between Madjan and the shore. It was formed of low, luxuriant dûm palms.

Down to the present day the whole valley between al-Bedʻ and the sea is covered with thickets, from which project numerous dûm palms. But the road from Madjan to Bada’ also leads through several oases which are well watered and thus well provided with vegetation; formerly these also belonged to the people of Madjan. There is an interesting statement (Ibn Manẓûr, Lisân al-ʻArab, loc. cit.) to the effect that the word al-Ajka means thicket and Lajka a neighboring settlement. Lajka recalls the Greek leuke, meaning white; and the part of the ruins of Madian bordering on the thickets is still called Ḥawra, which also means white.

Al-Idrîsi, Nuzha, III, 5, following al-Balḫi, states that the distance between the towns of Madjan and Ajla was five days’ march and between Madjan and Tebûk, situated to the eastward, six days’ march. In his time (1154 A. D.) the town of Madjan was greater than Tebûk; a well was exhibited there from which Moses watered the cattle.—According to this, it appears that there were two highroads which crossed at Madjan, the first running from Palestine and Egypt by way of Ajla along the seashore southward with branch roads to al-Medîna and Mecca, and the second running eastward to Tebûk and thence to Tejma, or al-Ḥeǧr.—From Madjan to Ajla is about 125, and to Tebûk about 140 kilometers, so that al-Balḫi gives distances both as traversed by trade caravans and by travelers proceeding at a slow pace.

Jâḳût, Muʻǧam (Wüstenfeld), Vol. 4, p. 451, records various reports about Madjan. He writes that according to Abu Zejd al-Balḫi (died 931 A. D.) Madjan is situated by the Ḳolzum Sea opposite Tebûk, at a distance of six days’ march. It is larger than Tebûk and contains a well from which Moses watered the flocks of Šuʻejb. Al-Balḫi himself inspected this well, above which a house had been built. The inhabitants of Madjan obtained water from the well. Madjan originally was the name of the