William Robertson Smith

“ The city lies close to one of the great volcanic centres of the peninsula, which was in violent eruption as late as A.D. 1266, when the lava stream approached within an hour’s distance of the walls, and dammed up W. Kanat. The result of this and older prehistoric eruptions has been to confine the underground water, so important in Arabian tillage, which can be reached at any point of the oasis by sinking deep wells. ”

“ To the north of this is a smaller chamber of the same kind, draped in black, which is said to represent the tomb of Fatima. Both are enclosed with an iron railing, so closely interwoven with brass wire-work that a glimpse of the so-called tombs can only be got through certain apertures, where intercessory prayer is addressed to the prophet, and pious salutations are paid to the other saints. [7] The portico in front of the railing is not ineffective, at least by nightlight. It is paved with marble, and in the eastern part with mosaic, laid with rich carpets ”

“ The population of the city and suburbs may be from 16,000 to 20,000.
The city proper is surrounded by a solid stone wall, [4] with towers and four massive gateways of good architecture, forming an irregular oval running to a kind of angle at the north-west, where stands the castle, held by a Turkish garrison. ”

“ The great dome above the tomb, the railing round it, and the pulpit, all date from Ḳāit Bey’s restoration.
The suburbs, which occupy as much space as the city proper, and are partly walled in, lie south-west of the town, from which they are separated by an open space, the halting-place of caravans. Through the suburbs runs the watercourse called Wadi Buthan, a tributary of W. Ḳanāt, which the Yanbuʽ road crosses by a stone bridge. The suburbs are the quarter of the peasants. ”