Ḥafar al-Bāṭin

Hafar al-Batin lies along the dry course of Wadi al-Batin in northeastern Arabia. Its name recalls the wells dug to supply travellers where the road from Basra crossed a long stretch of waterless country. Tradition attributes these wells to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, governor of Basra in the early Islamic period. The water made Hafar an important stopping place for pilgrims travelling between Iraq and the holy cities of the Hejaz.