In The Time Of The Islam It Was A Fine
Town, Inhabited By The Beni Omeya.
Ibn Ahmed Ibn Touloun (a Sultan of
Egypt), made the road over the Akaba or steep mountain before Aila.
There were many mosques at Aila, and many Jews lived there; it was taken
by the Franks during the Crusades; but in 566, Salaheddyn transported
ships upon camels from Cairo to this place, and recovered it from them.
Near Aila was formerly situated a large and handsome town, called
Aszyoun [Arabic],” (Eziongeber.)
My guides told me, that in the sea opposite to the above mentioned
promontory of Ras Koreye, there is a small island; they affirmed that
they saw it distinctly, but I could not, for it was already dusk when
they pointed it out, and the next morning a thick fog covered the gulf.
Upon this island, according to their statement, are ruins of infidels,
but as no vessels are kept in these parts,
[p.512] Ayd, who had been here several times, had never been able to
take any close view of them; they are described as extensive, and built
of hard stone, and are called El Deir, “the convent,” a word often
applied by Arabs to any ruined building in which they suppose that the
priests of the infidels once resided.
The Bedouins in the neighbourhood of Akaba, as I have already observed,
are the Alouein, Omran, and Heywat. They are all three entitled to a
passage duty from the Hadj caravan; the Alouein exact it as owners of
the district extending from the western mountain, across the plain to
Akaba; the Heywat, as the possessors of the country from the well of
Themmed, to the summit of the same mountain; and the Omran as masters of
the desert from Akaba southward as far as the vicinity of Moeleh.
Caravans of these tribes come occasionally to Cairo in search of corn,
but they are independent of the Pasha of Egypt, of which they give
proofs, by continually plundering the loads of the Hadj caravans, and of
all those who pass the great Hadj route through their districts. Their
intercourse with Syria, especially with Khalyl, is much more frequent
than with Cairo.
We had had through the whole of this day a very intense Simoum, or hot-
wind, which continued also during the night. In the evening I bathed in
the sea, but found myself immediately afterwards as much heated as I had
been before. After retiring to sleep we were awakened by the barking of
Ayd’s dog, upon which Ayd springing up said he was sure that some people
were in the neighbourhood. We therefore got our guns ready, and sat by
the fire the whole night, for whatever may be the heat of the season,
the Bedouin must have his fire at night. Szaleh gave evident signs of
fear, but happily the morning came without realizing his apprehensions.
May 9th.—Ayd still expressed his certainty that somebody had
WADY MEZEIRYK
[p.513] approached us last night, so much confidence did he place in the
barking of his dog; he therefore advised me to hasten my way back, as
some Arabs might see our footsteps in the sand, and pursue us in quest
of a booty. On departing, Ayd, who was barefooted, and whose feet had
become sore with walking, took from under the date-bush round which we
had passed the night, a pair of leathern sandals, which he knew belonged
to his Heywat friend, the fisherman, and which the latter had hidden
here till his return. In order to inform the owner that it was he who
had taken the sandals, he impressed his footstep in the sand just by,
which he knew the other would immediately recognise, and he turned the
toes towards the south, to indicate that he had proceeded with the
sandals in that direction.
We now returned across the plain to the before mentioned basalt cliffs,
passed the different small bays, and turned up into Wady Mezeiryk. We
had descended from our camels, which Szaleh was driving before him,
about fifty paces in advance; I followed, and about the same distance
behind me walked Hamd and Ayd. As we had seen nobody during the whole
journey, and were now returning into the friendly districts of the
Towara, we had ceased to entertain any fears from enemies, and were
laughing at Ayd for recommending us to cross the valleys as quickly as
possible. My gun was upon my camel, and I had just turned leisurely
round an angle of the valley, when I heard Ayd cry out with all his
might, “Get your arms! Here they are!” I immediately ran up to the
camels, to take my gun, but the cowardly Szaleh, instead of stopping to
assist his companions, made the camels gallop off at full speed up the
valley. I, however, overtook them, and seized my gun, but before I could
return to Hamd, I heard two shots fired, and Ayd’s war-hoop, “Have at
him! are we not Towara?” Immediately afterwards I saw Hamd spring
DJEBEL SHERAFE
[p.514] round the angle, his eyes flashing with rage, his shirt
sprinkled with blood, his gun in one hand, and in the other his knife
covered with blood; his foot was bleeding, he had lost his turban, and
his long black hair hung down over his shoulders. “I have done for him!”
he exclaimed, as he wiped his knife; “but let us fly.” “Not without
Ayd,” said I: “No indeed,” he replied; “without him we should all be
lost.” We returned round the corner, and saw Ayd exerting his utmost
agility to come up with us. At forty paces distance an Arab lay on the
ground, and three others were standing over him. We took hold of Ayd’s
arm and hastened to our camels, though we knew not where to find them.
Szaleh had frightened them so greatly by striking them with his gun,
that they went off at full-gallop, and it was half an hour before we
reached them; one of them had burst its girths, and thrown off its
saddle and load.
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