Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/54

 al-Aḳejla, al-Mšêṭijje, and al-Ǧafar. Thence it winds through the defile of an-Nḳejb to the Ḳurṭâsijje range, passes by Ṭwîl aš-Šhâḳ on the west, swings off to Ṛadîr al-Ǧinz, and at al-Ḥasa’ again unites with the highroad of al-Ḥâǧǧ, the Pilgrim Route. At the wells of al-Ǧafar this road is crossed by another road leading from the west from Petra (Wâdi Mûsa) via Maʻân, al-Ǧafar, al-Ḥawṣa, and Majḳûʻ to Dûmat al-Ǧandalijje (al-Ǧowf).

Westward from the former road the region of al-Kḏûr becomes more and more rugged. The individual gullies are deeper and the slopes more precipitous. At 8.42 we perceived in one of the gullies a boulder 2 m. long, 1.6 m. high, and 1.1 m. thick, known as al-Maḏbaḥ (place of sacrifice) because it is said that upon it goats and sheep have been sacrificed to the dead who are buried in the small cemetery to the south. Around al-Maḏbaḥ, as well as in the other šeʻibân of the neighborhood, there is an abundant growth of ratam, iḏen, al-ḥmâr, šîḥ; also žetâde in places and ṭalḥ bushes. The hills separating the šeʻibân from each other are covered with coarse stones, which made it difficult for our camels to press forward. From 9.30 to eleven o’clock we remained in the šeʻîb of al-Mutrammel, where the camels found only a scanty pasture (temperature: 29.8° C). The winter rains had filled the artificial reservoirs at the pilgrimage station of Faṣôʻa, and several clans of the Ḥwêṭât had encamped near by. Their flocks had been grazing in al-Kḏûr, and in consequence all the grass and brushwood had been consumed. At 1.15 P. M. we crossed the railway line near the station of ʻAḳabat al-Ḥeǧâzijje (1150 m.).

To the northeast we perceived a higher elevation, Ṭwejjel al-Ḥâǧǧ, and to the west a tower-shaped pile of stones indicating the site of the pilgrimage station of Faṣôʻa, hidden in the basin of the šeʻîb of al-Mšâš, which unites with Abu ʻAmûd