Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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impact of these series of battles and interludes of peace time can be traced and identified
with the traditional integument of Huraimla, (1) the early, Abo-Reeshah's "scattered"
pattern (880-1045), (2) the compact formation following the control of Huraimla by Abo-
Rabba'a clan, and (3) the (multi-nuclear) compact-scattered growth. 6
A. "Scattered" Development: 880-1045 H. (c.1460-1625 A.D.)
The first structures of Huraimla's precocious v growth were laid by Abo-Reeshah
following his arrival in the Ash'aeeb area (Huraimla) in 880 (c. 1460 A.D.). Abo-
Reeshah's development is primarily defined by a wall, which was later named Hami Abo-
Reeshah. Cognizant of the value of the investment and the threat posed by the marauding
Bedouins nomads and neighboring towns' inhabitants, he swiftly laid a formidable 3,075-.
meter wall system interspersed with thirteen watch towers and three gates. The 20-foothigh
wall rimmed an area of 64.9 hectares of farms, including water wells and buildings.
Abo-Reeshah's wall continued to serve as an outer protective wall for several internal
walled developments in Huraimla and defined developed area during the first two centuries
of its birth.
B. Compact Pattern: 1045H/1625-1233H/1818
During the first two centuries following the departure of Abo-Reeshah, Huraimla's
inchoate development was marked with clusters of structures and farms grouped around
water wells. This pattern was abandoned when the region passed through a period of
insecurity marked by incessant bursts of raids and battles. Huraimla's built form reflected
two overriding factors. On the one hand, Huraimla's residents reeled under persistent
threats from outsiders. Especially in a region that was marked by penury, Huraimla's
tenuous prosperity enticed rancorous interests by neighbors and Bedouins. Faced with
such threats, residents were forced to live close together. On the other hand an atmosphere
of feuds between families had also compelled some dissenting households to build separate
quarters and encircle them with walls. Huraimla experienced a recrudescence of feuds that,
coupled with migrants joining the settlement's growing population, caused the proliferation
of different walled clusters which characterized the town's traditional built form.
However, the process of building did not go outside Abo-Reeshah's walled area.