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[-towards-]{+50
Dr. Wallin’s Route in Northern Arabia.
towards+} the Persian Gulf, however, tracts of the soft nufood sand
occasionally occur ; but have no longer the peculiar character of
the higher levels which occupy the centre of the northern desert
lying between Syria and Mesopotamia.
We crossed al Dahana* in half an hour to the land of al-Hagard
(Hajarah), extending from al-Dahana to ’Irak. This is, as its
name implies, a hard stony tract; its surface presents an unvarying
succession of broad ridges, like waves, alternating with gravelly
plains, without a single hill or other prominent object above the
undulating level to relieve to the eye the dreary monotony of the
desert-sea, or serve as a land-mark to the traveller on his way.
Our general course from Gabal Shammar had been nearly N.E.,
but from this place “ we took the pole star between our eye-brows,”
to use the Bedouin phrase, and struck a course due N. After a
journey of 71 h. we halted for the night.
On the lltli we reached, after travelling 91 h., some wells, called
Hazil, about 20 fathoms deep. They were all lined with hewn
stone, similarly to that of al-Atwa. AVe proceeded for 1 h. 40 m.
more, and then lay down for the night.
On the 12th our journey was continued for 13Jh, We passed
on this day various low ranges, either of limestone or
conglomerate sandstone.
On the 13th, after a march of 21 h., we descended into the low
plain of al-Magamir (Majamir). Its sandy level was studded
over with hummocks of agglutinated sand, rising to the height of
the adjoining land above. 5^ h. more brought us to the
district of al-Musheikik (Musheikik), where we expected to find
water, but as the summer was so far advanced that the cisterns
were empty, we were obliged to continue our journey through the
whole day without a drop of water to relieve our thirst. After
travelling on for 7 h. 20 m. we stopped for the night.
On the 14th, at the end of 5 h., we reached the cisterns of Samit
(Sanut), filled our water-skins, and continued our journey for 8} h.
before we rested for the night.
On the 15th we reached the northern limit of the land of
* Dahna signifies, according to the author of1 Al-Kamoos,’ “ desert, in general”
(falitt): it is also the name of “ a land belonging to Beni Temim in Negd,” which
land may be taken, 1 think, to be the ridge of sand we here crossed. The present
inhabitants use dahna, or, after their pronunciation, dahana, in the same sense as
they do the word hatha, in certain phrases in the signification of sand, but which
properly means a place with a gravelly sandy surface somewhat depressed, so that
water from higher ground occasionally collects upon it; I cannot, however,
remember having heard dahana given by them as a name for the whole of the vast
desert of Nufood, as it sometimes seems to be, by the Arabian geographers, and by
M. Caussiu de Perceval. The general and almost only name in use at the present
day for this extensive tract, is Nufood, which word is also used for expressing the
idea of a soft, sandy soil in general; although, I must allow, that I have found no
authority in the old literature for this last signification.—W.
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