JABAL SHAMMAR

mountainous area, northwestern Saudi Arabia, bounded by the regions of Hejaz on the west and Ash-Sharqiyah on the east. The principal features of the region are the two great mountain ranges of Aja' (granites) and Salma (basalts) and the immense rolling sand dunes of An-Nafud. The oasis town of Ha'il is situated on the southern flank of the Aja', while an older capital, Fayd, lies in the midst of Salma. Both towns were important stations on the pilgrim route to Medina from Iraq and Iran (Persia). But in modern times this traffic (by motor vehicle) is negligible, because the pilgrims prefer the amenities of Riyadh, which is accessible by air and by rail. The Jabal Shammar area has long been inhabited by the Shammar clan. An independent principality of the Ibn Rashid dynasty from 1834 to 1921, Jabal Shammar was involved in constant strife among the eastern Sa'ud dynasty, the Rashid rulers, and the sharifs (nobles) of Mecca until the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formed in 1932.