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CHAPTER VIII

The Wells of Makkah

Before Ḳuṣai brought Ḳuraish together, and before they entered Makkah, they used for drinking purposes reservoirs, rain-water tanks on mountain tops, a well called al-Yusairah dug by Luʾai ibn-Ghâlib outside the Ḥaram and another well called ar-Rawa dug by Murrah ibn-Kaʿb and which lay just beyond ʿArafah. Later, Kilâb ibn-Murrah[1] dug outside of Makkah three wells Khumm, Rumm and Jafr; and Ḳuṣai ibn-Kilâb dug another which he called al-ʿAjûl and prepared a drinking place in connection with it.[2]

After the death of Ḳuṣai a certain man of the banu-Naṣr ibn-Muʿâwiyah fell into al-ʿAjûl well and it was no more used.

Badhdhar was a well dug by Hâshim ibn-ʿAbd-Manâf. It lies close to Khandamah at the mouth of abu-Ṭâlib's water-course. This Hâshim also dug Sajlah[3] which Asad ibn-Hâshim gave to ʿAdi ibn-Naufal ibn-ʿAbd-Manâf abu-l-Muṭʿim. It is asserted by some, however, that he sold it to him, and by others that it was ʿAbd-al-Muṭṭalib who gave it to him when he dug Zamzam and the water became abundant in Makkah. This Sajlah was later included in the Mosque.

ʿAbd-Shams ibn-ʿAbd-Manâf dug out aṭ-Ṭawi which lay in the upper part of Makkah. He dug out another for his

  1. Azraḳi, pp. 436, 439, 496; Hishâm, p. 95.
  2. A few verses composed in regard to this and other wells have been omitted from the translation.
  3. Bakri, p. 766; Fâkihi, p. 120.
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