ABSTRACT
THE only conspicuous sign of architecture that meets the eye, as we approach the city from the east, is the high tower of the Palace; and the only voice we hear, as we enter the city gate, is that of the moaning saqia, which in Najd is called gharb. Even as we go through the principal street to the Palace square the men look up incuriously, as they pass, and the children gape in silence. There were crowds, squatting along the walls or just visiting in the street; but there was no bustle and no visible sign of business. Even the square, which in the morning is a busy scene, was at that hour almost empty, except that part of it immediate to the Palace gate.
