309. Rjūd al-Maṭālga, ar- | رجود المطالقة

Ma‘ān Governorate

Maqām Shēkh Aḥmad

JADIS no. none

MEGA no. none

Coordinates: unknown.

Plan: see below traveler reports.

Measurements: unknown.

Exterior: unknown.

Interior: unknown.

Building Materials: local sandstone.

Construction details: see below.

Preservation: intact.

Inscription(s): none known.

Date: unknown.

Traveler Reports: “The tombs of al-Matālga form a small cemetery that has apparently grown around the central tomb. The smaller graves are very simple, marked either by large stones or a simple vertical stone slab. Many are already badly worn and barely visible. The central tomb consists of an irregular-shaped low mound made of piled boulders with three single rows of stones extending east from the central mound. A large patch of dried vegetation and soil covers the top of the mound. Several of the boulders in the mound have traces of burning on the surface or small ashy patches on the top, indicating the use of incense. Some worn white rags are also lying on the ground and between the stones. Other than these, no signs of recent or ancient human activity could be detected on the surface. According to Oppenheim’s table (scil.: II. 1943, 300), al-Matālga is a subtribe of the al-Huwaytāt ibn Jāzi. However, the local informants said that the tombs belong to the Zewāyde family, although all the tribes in the region visited the maqām. The burial in the central mound belongs to Shēkh Ahmad, an ancestor and leader of the tribe.” (Miettunen 2013).

Bibliography: Miettunen 109-110 no. 21; 212 fig.