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[-population-]{+8
Dr. Wallin’s’ Route in-Northern Arabia.
population+} of Al-Sharm, when the first boat returned from the
Arabian side ; it belonged to a Bedooin of the Beni ’Ukba (Beni
’Ukbah), who, for some years, had been living with the Muzeiue
(Muze’ineh) Arabs in the Sma mountains. As soon as he landed
he drew Tip his small bark on the beach and began to dismantle
it, with the intention of leaving it in the care of the fishermen, and
going himself to visit his family in the Wadi-al-’Aat
(Wadi-1-’Aat). After much persuasion, and the offer of a comparatively
large fere, I prevailed on him to launch his boat again, and return
with ine to Muweilah (Muweilah), which he had just left. We
set sail on the same evening, and passed the island of Teiran
during the night. On the following morning we were overtaken
at sea by a heavy squall from the west, which compelled us to
seek shelter under the island of Shooshwd (Shushweh), in an unsafe
anchorage between coral reefs, where we remained for some hours,
when the wind suddenly veered round to N.N.W., and partially
laid the heavy sea. We then left our place of refuge and fetched
the island of Barakan, where we passed the night. On the
following day we continued our voyage by the small island of
Yaboo’a (Yahii’a) and arrived at Muweilah about noon.
Muweilah is dependent upon the Egyptian government, and is
one of the more important of the places on the road of the
Egyptian pilgrims to Al-Higaz (llijaz). Like other principal
stations on the pilgrim karawan routes, it contains a castle
(arab.-kal’a) and a few stone houses. The castle of Muweilah is
garrisoned by Egyptian troops, and the houses are tenanted by the
officers and dependents of the garrison. The remaining
inhabitants, who are small traders and members of reduced Bedooin
(Bedowin) families, content themselves with temporary huts called
bakkar (bakkar)—pi. bakakir (bakakfr), made of the branches
and covered with the leaves of the date-palm. The garrison may
he estimated at forty persons, and the other inhabitants at from
seventy to eighty families.
The castles on this and the Syrian pilgrim-route arc nearly all
similar in construction, although differing in size ; they were
probably built by the Turkish Sultans for the protection and supply
of the pilgrims, and to guard the wells which they generally inclose,
and also to defend the inhabitants of the town around their walls
against the incursions of predatory parties of Bedooins. But the
spirit and boldness of the Arabs having been much repressed
by the late Pashas, the Turkish government in its indolence
has neglected to repair these castles, and although originally
strong and easily defensible, they are now falling rapidly into
decay.
The Bedooins, who only resort to Muweilah as a place of longer
nr shorter provisional abode, and dwell in the before-mentioned
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