4 



former torrents. The surface of the flat- topped hills was strewn 

 with fragments of quartz and jasper. Leaving this barren 

 plateau, they met with stunted acacias which increased in number 

 as the trayellers advanced; and then they came upon good water 

 surrounded by trees, among which were numerous tamarisks and 

 Cissus arborea, Forski.1. The ground they next passed over 

 afforded ample evidence of its haviug been quite recently the 

 bed of a powerful stream. Numerous hamlets were seen among 

 extensive groves of date-palms and verdant fields of dura, and 

 there were many herds of sleek cattle. On this, the second 

 day of their journey, they travelled on till midnight, and, on the 

 following morning, were astonished to find themselves surrounded 

 by luxuriant fields of dura and tobacco, extending as far as the 

 eye could reach, mingled with the foliage of the acacia and the 

 stately date-palm. The creaking of numerous wheels for the 

 irrigation of the fields, several rude ploughs drawn by oxen, 

 the ruddy countenances aud lively appearance of the people, 

 and the delightful refreshing coolness of the morning air, com- 

 bined to form a scene which, Wellsted says, could never have 

 been anticipated from the barren aspect of the coast where they 

 had landed. 



It was at this part of the coast (Bir Ali ^) that Captain Miles 

 and M. Munzinger entered the country in 1870. The tovpn of 

 Habban which they visited lies a considerable distance inland, 

 situated in a gorge girt round, on every side, with high, almost 

 inaccessible clifis. It presents a striking appearance, as the 

 houses are lofty, detached, castle-Hke structures. Around the 

 town, wheat, jowari, barley, and other crops are cultivated, and 

 four crops are raised annually, viz., one rain-crop, and three by 

 irrigation. 



Near to Bir Ali is Hisn Ghorab, a dreary-looking, brown hill, 

 464 feet high, in the neighbourhood of which the first Himyaritic 

 inscription was found by Lieut. Wellsted and Dr. Hulton on 

 6th May, 18.34. Close to this spot, a remarkable, flat-topped 

 sandstone hill, called Sha'ran, rises from the plain to a height of 

 800 feet. Its summit is a crater-shaped cavity, 2500 yards in 

 diameter, filled with salt water, and presenting the remarkable 

 feature that the edge of the water is fringed by an overhanging 



1 Anthracite coal exists at Bir Ali, and specimens used to be taken to Aden 

 as coal. Bitumen is found in abundance, and there are eigne of copper. 



