As-Suwaydirah

As-Suwaydirah lies east of Medina, at a watering place formerly known as al-Taraf. Ancient rock carvings and inscriptions cover the sides of its valley, recording people and animals in a landscape of mountains and dry watercourses. The settlement stood on a branch of the pilgrimage road from Iraq to Medina. Ibn Rustah described al-Taraf as inhabited in the pilgrimage season, with rainwater collected in pools for those who stopped there.