Sebha includes two towns, having a considerable population, with gardens
and date-palms.
Bouanees includes three towns, well peopled, and has immense numbers of
date-palms.
El-Jofrah contains the second capital or large town of the pashalic,
Sockna, built of stones and mud, with nine or ten smaller towns, all
tolerably populous.
Sockna is situated midway between Mourzuk and Tripoli, and is about
fourteen days from the former. The inhabitants are Moors, and, besides
Arabic, speak a Berber dialect. Sockna is celebrated for its fine sweet
dates, called kothraee; and there is abundance of every kind of this
fruit. A considerable quantity of grain is sown--wheat and barley--and
the gardens abound with peaches. The town of Honn, distant about two
hours from this place, is nearly as large, and also surrounded with
gardens.
Wady Gharby, and Es-Shaty, have already been described. In the sands
between these two places are situated the celebrated natron lakes, in
which that miraculous dud ("worm") spontaneously appears at certain
seasons of the year, and is eaten as people in Europe eat sardines--to
sharpen the appetite. The natron is also a source of profitable
exportation. Wady Sharky almost exactly resembles Wady Gharby, in
population and natural features.
Sharkeeah, besides some insignificant places, includes the interesting
ancient capital called Zoueelah, whence the name of Zoilah is given by
the Tibboos to all Fezzan.
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