Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-18
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
ABOUT HEDJAZ

ABOUT HEDJAZ
1.-THE possibility that Hedjaz will
send an envoy to Washington raises
the interesting question: Where
would an American minister to
Hedjaz live were he appointed"
says a bulletin from the Washington
D. c.. headquarters Of the National
Geographic Society.
THE former Emir of Mecca is
King of Hedjaz and his capital is
Mecca, which no Christian is allow
ed to enter and where every Mo-
hammedan is supposed to go al
least once.
Imagine the Crusades conducted
on tourist trains at special
ton rates and you M something
of the incongruity which attaches
to the Moslem throngs who make
the steel-rail pilgrimage to Mecca.
Throw Stones at Satan
"At Medina the faithful leave the
the pilgrim trail to Mecca. Before
entering the gates of their holy city
they discard all garments to put on
their worshippers' uniform-an
apron and a piece of cloth thrown
over their left shoulder. There
these modern Moslems engage In
the historic round of ceremonies
which includes the stoning of Satan
and slaughter of sheep.
"All passengers other than Mo-
hammedans u leave the railway
trains at El-Ma'an and non-Mos-
lens who enter Hedjaz by steamer
approach no nearer Mecca than the
Holy City's port, Jidda. The city Of
Medina, where the bones of the Pro-
phet are believed to repose, also is
forbidden, though visitors are not
excluded from its environs nor is it
SO jealousy guarded as Mecca.
1.-THE Damascus-Medina railway,
built to facilitate a religious cere-
mony, enabled Feisal to throw off
the Turkish yoke along the Red
Sea, turning over the sovereignty
there to his father, the present
ahead of Allenby and now sits on
the throne of Irak, Britain's Mese-
potamia mandatory.
Geography Conspires with Religion
Geography conspires with reli-
gion to make Hedjaz remote. Be-
fore the war no region had been
less accurately mapped and contain
ed untraversed areas than
Arabia. This s~eclusion, in Central
Arabia, arises from the vast desert
area; Arabia's far west, or Hedjaz,
AS q liCi Aii1tdS0 LOT JULIET TedSOuS-
There the mountain masses of
broken granite, and lava surfaces
which resemble a newly %ploughed
field OF many rocks, forestall travel
and often forbid habitation.
In area and shape Hedjaz is
comparable t. California. In one
other respect 1t resembles our Ell
Dorado State. Its mountain masses
swirl into a figure 8, e~ffectually
cutting off northern Hedjaz from
the southern part Then the like
ness ceases. Instead of abundant
fertility in the loop of the 49, the
southern division of Hedjaz Is a lean
land, which ever Bedotuns scorn.
There a few ancient and dwindling
tribes exc out an existence by Gull
ttvahng h occasional arabic patch
es and by 1evying tribute upon the
pilgrims. Mecca dominates this
region; hence the Shereef Of Mecca
was a strong figure under Turkish
rule and now finds himself inde-
pendent, largely owing to geogra-
ply.
Lava Wedge Splits Hedjaz
1.-THE barrier hat cuts Hedjaz IL
two is a triangular plateau of lava
the seaport where the British land
ed supplies to aid the Arab uprising
against the Turks. One route
around this mass lies along the sea
by Rabigh, the other Is far inland
By way of Medina. It's rough sur
face makes this lava-table impass-
able, lack of water makes 1t unin-
habitable. English geographers have
found no Arabs who had penetrat-
ed the plateau; airplanes cut across
parts of it only to find dismal, wa
t~erless, stony wastes.
"Orthodox Mohammedans still
Insist that the hardships of camel
travel to Mecca are q part Of the
virtue Of making the pilgrimage.
From the railway through northern
Damascus the traveller may see
these caravans making their slow
way through a desolate country,
n at many stations are cisterns
for their refreshment.
"Only his imagination will save
the traveller from boredom on his
railway journey. Glimpses of ga
zelles, date palms and camel herds
and consciousness of passing
through Hauran, the Land of the
Druses; Amman. ruined city OF the
Biblical Amorites; and Maan, in the
vicinity Of the rich city of Petra,
constitute the principal rewards OF
the monotonous trip"