Zubāla

Zubala was a substantial station on the pilgrimage road from Kufa to Mecca, in the dry country of northern Arabia. Its wells and reservoir furnished water to travellers, while a mosque, fort and market served the settlement. The medieval geographer Yaqut described it as a flourishing village between Waqisa and al-Tha'labiyya. The site lay on the Darb Zubayda, a road whose watering places allowed caravans to cross the long desert stretches between Iraq and the holy cities.