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.
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
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.
Sources
- Kitab al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik of Ibn Khurdadhbih, pp. 193-194
- 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.