Fayd

Fayd was a major station on the pilgrimage road from Kufa to Mecca. Set east of Ha'il in northern Arabia, it furnished a stopping place where travellers could replenish supplies before continuing across the desert. The remains of the old settlement include a fortified palace, houses and a network of wells, channels and reservoirs. These waterworks made possible a substantial community on a route whose long intervals between watering places were a constant concern to pilgrims.

Known as the Darb Zubayda, the road took its name from Zubayda bint Ja'far, the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid's wife, whose patronage supported facilities for travellers. At Fayd, wells were dug around the settlement and in the neighbouring valley, while pools stored water for the caravans. The station's buildings and its position on the Iraqi pilgrimage route bear witness to the movement of worshippers and merchandise between Mesopotamia and the holy cities of western Arabia.