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It is a journey of at least four days from Beishe to the district of Zohran: all the Arabs from Taraba to Beishe, and from thence westward, are cultivators or agriculturists; those due south and east, are Bedouins, or wandering Nomades.
It lies from Tayf in the direction of E.S.E. About Lye and Kolakh, live the Arabs of the Ossama tribe, who form part of the great Ateybe tribe. Between Kolakh and Taraba, off the straight road, lies Abyla, once the residence of the great chief Medhayfe. By Kolakh passes the most frequented road from Nedjed to Zohran, and from thence to the sea-ports of Yemen.
The less mountainous districts mentioned here, south of Mekka, are even in time of peace accessible only to Bedouins, or Bedouin merchants, and have not any regular communication with Mekka by caravans Taraba excepted, the inhabitants of which carry their dates in monthly caravans to Mekka and Djidda.
Taraba is environed with palm-groves and gardens, watered by numerous rivulets; near it are some inconsiderable hills, at the foot of which the Arabs cultivate durra and barley: the inhabitants are of the Begoum tribe, and their Sheikh is Ibn Korshan.
The Begoums had enclosed Taraba with a wall, and constructed some towers: at present a Turkish garrison is stationed here, this being a principal position and the grand thoroughfare between Nedjed and Yemen.
One Ghalye, the widow of a deceased Sheikh, had immortalised her name by devoting her property to the defence of the town, and taking an active part in the council of the chiefs. The country about Taraba, and thence to Kolakh, is inhabited by the Ateybe Arabs, the most numerous of the Hedjaz tribes.
Pursuing the road from Taraba southwards to the east of the great chain of mountains, over an uneven ground intersected by many wadys, we come, at two days from Taraba, to the town of Ranye, inhabited by the Arab tribe of Sabya, whose Sheikh is Ibn Katnan, a personage distinguished for his bravery in the campaign against the Pasha's Turkish troops.
Continuing over the plain from Kolakh in a more southern direction for about eighteen hours, we come to the town of Taraba, as the people of Tayf and Mekka call it, or Toroba according A soldier who possessed a watch told me that he had counted three hours on the march between Tayf and Taraba.
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