8 



This plain of Dhofar was explored by Mr. C. J. Cnittenden 

 ill 1834. It has been described by him\ also by Capt. Haines^, 

 and by Mr. Carter. Mr. Cruttenden travelled over it on foot ac- 

 companied by two men of the Gara tribe. He describes its rich 

 vegetation and that of the hills, and mentions the lime, tama- 

 rind, henua, nebbuck, tamarisk, dom {Zizyphus spina-cTiristi), the 

 subhan or frankincense tree, the abundance of aloes, and the 

 figs and grapes of the higher region. The running streams, the 

 large sheets of water on the plain, the flocks of sheep and goats, 

 the ruins of El Balad, and the remarkable ravine of Darbat behind 

 Takal), are all enumerated ; but unfortunately, like all the tra- 

 vellers that have followed him, he gives no iuformation about the 

 wild animals of the country beyond stating that the only beast of 

 prey on the plain of Dhofar is the hyaena, and that antelopes are 

 numerous. Haines describes the plain as covered with large 

 tracts of maize and millet, and tlie trees so abundant as to afford 

 ample shade from the scorching rays of the sun ; the whole being 

 richly watered by streams from the mountains. The plain is 

 50 miles in length and 6 to 12 miles in breadth. The mountains 

 approach it in sudden descents ; and some of their ravines open 

 on to it in abrupt precipices over which streams fall into the 

 gorges below. One of the mo^t striking of these ravines is that 

 of Darbat, described fully by Carter^ many years ago. He 

 followed the Ivhor Eeri, and, entering the bottom of that ravine, 

 found it suddenly closed by a precipice 250 feet in height, and, 

 scaling it, arrived at a grassy plateau shut in on every side by 

 the mountains, except towards the sea, where it terminated in the 

 precipice just mentioned. This sequestered hollow was occupied 

 by a small lake and stream, which were diverted for the irriga- 

 tion of crops of indigo, corn, and onions. The lake, on which 

 water-fowl floated, was fringed in many places with tall bul- 

 rushes and spreading trees; and among them and on the slopes 

 were pomegranate bushes and fig trees. Tlie precipitous sur- 



' Proc. Bombay Geogr. Soc. 1837-38, pp. 70-74 ; Trans. Bombaj Geogr. 

 Soc. i. 1844, pp. 184-188. 



^ Journ. Roy. Geogr. Soc. sv. 1845, pp. 1 10-122. 



* Journ. Roy. Geogr. Soc. xvi. 184(5, pp. 169-186; Journ. Bombay Branch 

 Roy. As. Soc. iii. 1849-51, pp. 252-264. For a geological account of Dhofar, 

 see a memoir on the Geology of the South-East Coast of Arabia, Journ. 

 Bombay Branch Roy. As. Soc. iv. Jan. 1852, pp. 32-44. 



