Darb Zubayda — the pilgrim road from Kufa to Mecca

درب زبيدة — طريق الحج من الكوفة إلى مكة

The pilgrim road from Kufa to Mecca as registered by Qudama ibn Ja'far in the barid chapter — its relay stations, mileages and each halt's cisterns, wells and minbars: from Madinat al-Salam to Kufa, al-Qadisiyya and al-Udhayb (the frontier picket between Arabs and Persians with its twin walls), then al-Maghitha, al-Qar'a, Waqisa, al-Aqaba, al-Qa', populous Zubala, al-Shiquq, Qabr al-Abbadi, al-Tha'labiyya, walled al-Khuzaymiyya with its minbar and hammam (once called Zarud, its sand red), al-Ajfar, Fayd with the governor's lodge and canal and minbar, Tawz, al-Hajir, Ma'dan al-Nuqra, al-Rabadha with abundant water, Ma'dan Bani Sulaym, and on through the Hijaz road to Mecca 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
Abbasid Fragmentation
Region
Arabia · Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Overview

The pilgrimage road from Kufa to Mecca, recorded by Qudama ibn Ja'far in the postal-station system, with its stations, its distances in miles, and the pools, wells and pulpits at each station 2.

From Baghdad to Kufa

It begins at the City of Peace (Baghdad) and goes to Kufa, passing the bridge of Kuthaa, the palace of Ibn Hubayra, and the markets of Asad and Sayy. From Kufa to al-Qadisiyya is fifteen miles 2.

The stations

Then al-Udhayb, which was a guard post between the Arabs and Persia at the edge of the desert, with two walls. Then al-Mughaytha, al-Qar'a, Waqisa, al-Aqaba, al-Qa', Zubala the inhabited, al-Shuqqa, the grave of al-Abbadi, and al-Tha'laba 2.

Al-Khuzayminya is walled, with a pulpit and a bath; it was called Zarud, and its sand is red. At Fayd there is a station for the agent, a canal, fields and a pulpit. Then come Tawz, al-Hajir and the mine of al-Nuqra. Al-Rabadha is rich in water and has a pulpit, and it is the mine of Banu Sulaym 2.

Then the Hijaz road to Mecca 2.

Sources

  1. Kitab al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik of Ibn Khurdadhbih, pp. 193-194
  2. Kitab al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik of Ibn Khurdadhbih, pp.193-194
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Darb Zubayda — the pilgrim road from Kufa to Mecca”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/journey/darb-zubayda/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.

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