CHAPTER IX.

Mecca — Judda — Saivakin — Hall — Sarja — Zabid — Ghasana — Jahala — Tiazz — Sanaa — Aden-^
Zaila — Malcdashu — Mombasa — Kalwa — Zafar — Hadramaut —Amman — El Ahkaf — Fruits,
8^c, — El Hasik — The Island of Tair — Kolhat — Amman — Nazxva.

At this time, that is, in the year 729 (A.D. 1328), prayer was made,
during the sermon, for the King of Irak ^Abu Said, and after that for “El
Melik El Nasir. I remained there during the third year also, and then left
Mecca* with the intention of visiting Yemen. I arrived accordingly at

* The following account of the temple of Mecca, by El Harawl, as to its state both before
and after its being destroyed and rebuilt by the Koreish, is well worthy the attention of the

reader. ^J\ cT'

(jKs \z\j3

... . . .. t ^

ULj^ liL) jLs-

l^l/.5 A-< is I^L.3

^^3 'hy^3 'hy^3

^ ^3 .dll (*^ U«gJx.

tM-U XaLvo i^Ldl AcsTO .

“ From the western side one and thirty cubits, and from the pillar in which the black stone is
found, to that which is opposite to it on the south, were two and twenty cubits, and from the
northern opposite part, twenty cubits. Its circumference was one hundred and five cubits, and
thus it remained, until destroyed and rebuilt by the Koreish in the times of the prophet. They
also made it smaller than it was at first, so that there remained six cubits and a half in its capa-
city (internal length and breadth I suppose). Its height they increased by nine cubits, so that it
became eighteen cubits. Its building consisted of a layer of wood and another of stone ; so

H 2

52

ARABIA.

* Judda. From this place I went with a company of merchants who were go-
ing to Yemen ; but, as the wind changed upon us, we put into the island of
‘'Sawakin, the Sultan of which was '^El Sharif Zaid Ibn Abu Nonima,^ son
of the Emir of Mecca. Sawakin fell to him on the part of the ^Beja,f who
were nearly related to him, and from whom he had an army attending
upon him. From Sawakin I set out for Yemen with the merchants, and
came to Mali, J a large and handsomely built city. The inhabitants are
aboriginal Arabs, governed by the Sultan ^Aamir Ibn Dhuwaib of the tribe
^Beni Kenana. He is one of the most elegant, generous, and poetical
geniuses (of his time) ; he took me with him and entertained me very hos-
pitably for some days. From this place I travelled with the merchants to

.JUJr •

✓ «... p

. jAc. ®

that there were fifteen courses of wood, and sixteen of stone. Within it were six columns, as
also images of the angels, the prophets, the tree, and of Abraham the friend, with the divining
arrows in his hand : there was also an image of Jesus and another of his mother Mary. But in
the year of victory the prophet ordered them all to be destroyed. There were also in it, the horns
of the ram which Abraham sacrificed (in lieu of his son). They were hung up within the temple,
and thus they remained to the times of Ibn El Zobair, and then they were burnt.” That this
temple was at first the residence of some of the patriarchs seems to me extremely probable,
and as it was at first larger than it is now, it might then have been quite sufficient for all the
purposes of a shepherd. If, indeed, it contained an image of Abraham, the ram’s horns, &c. as
here mentioned, a curious proof is afforded to the truth of the original history : and if there
was an imao-e of our Lord and his mother, it should seem that the Christians of Arabia had

O

adopted images before the times of Mohammed, for from them the pagans must have taken
them.

* We are told by Abulfeda (Ann. Muslem., tom. v. p. 282-3, i. e. A. D. 1313) that Abul Ghaith
Ibn Abu Nami (as Reiske writes it) accompanied him to Mecca, in order to be put in possession of
the government of that place in lieu of his brother. The appointment took place ; and it is pro.
bable that the person here mentioned was son to the same governor, who must have held Mecca
when our traveller visited it.

f See Ouseley’s Oriental Geography, p. 13.

Abulfeda puts this place, according to the Atwal, in long. 66° 20', lat. 13° 50' ; according
to the Kanun, long. 66° 50'. He then says JIj

iuj Lii-w)

. Hall is one of the parts of Yemen : El EdrIsI says, that any one who wishes to pass
the desert from Tahama to Senaa, let him go about six stages fi-om Sirrain, and in those parts
(he will find) the city of Hall.

ARABIA.

53

the town of * * * § Sarja, a small place inhabited by merchants of Yemen, a liberal
and hospitable people. From this place I went to the city of-^ Zabid,* where
I arrived in two days. This is one of the primary cities of Yemen ; it is large
and handsome, and abounding with every commodity. The inhabitants are
generous, well-informed, and religious. In its environs the village of ^Gha-
sanaf is the grave of El Wali El Salih Ahmed ^Ibn El Ojail El Yemeni.
The doctors of Zabid told me of one of his miracles, which was this : The
doctors and great people of the Zaidia:}: sect once came to his cell. The
Sheikh sat without the cell, and received and returned their salutations. At
length a question arose on the subject of predestination ; the Zaidia affirm-
ing, that there was no such thing, and that every man was the author of
his own actions. The Sheikh replied: If the matter be as you say it is,
get up from the place where you are now sitting. They all endeavoured to
rise, but not one of them could do so. The Sheikh left them in this situa-
tion, and went into his cell. They accordingly remained in this state, sub-
ject to the burning rays of the sun and lamenting their sad condition, till
after sunset, when some of the Sheikh’s companions going in to him
told him, that the people had repented and turned from their corrupt
creed. He then came out to them; and, taking them by the hand, joined
them in their conversion to the truth, and dereliction of error. They
arose and entered the cell, where he hospitably entertained them, and
sent them home. I went to the village in order to visit the grave of the
Sheikh, which I did, and met his son ”‘E1 Khashia Ismail, who enter-
tained me very hospitably. I then went to "Jabala,§ which is a small

' I ^ ^

* See D’Herbelot under Zebid.

f This, according to the Marasid El Itlaa (^^^1 is the name of several lakes in

Arabia, on one of which the Beni Mazin resided ; of another at the obstruction of Maarab in
Yemen, which is said to be near Jahfa, and perhaps of another in Yemen, between .... and
Zabid, (JUuj 1^. tip

jj • • • *

t See D’Herbelot art. Zeidiah, and Annales Muslem., tom. iii. p. 734).

' f

§ This place, according to Abulfeda, is named Jubla (<)d^), and is said after Abu Akul to
be in long. 66° 8', lat. 13° 55' (<)j not as in our copy, which is manifestly wrong). It is

54

ARABIA.

town ; and from that to the city of ^Tiazz,"* *" the residence of the King of
Yemen. This is one of the most beautiful and extensive cities of Yemen.
The Sultan of this place was El Malik El Mojahid Nur Odden Ali, son
of the Sultan ’ El Mawayyid Baud, son of ’’ Rasul, | {sent or commis-
sioned). The grandfather of these sultans was called Rasul, % because one
of the Califs of the house of Abbas had sent or commissioned him as the
Emir of Yemen, after which his descendants kept possession of his govern-
ment. I was introduced to the king with the KazI of the place. Their

situated between Aden and Senaa, in the mountains. It stands upon two rivers, and hence has
been called the city of the two rivers. It is modern, and was built by the Sulaihl when they had
power in Yemen. Some respectable travellers have stated that Jubla is less than a day from
Tiazzinan eastern direction, inclining a little to the north. The passage is

c/* [_g^j *■' , gix

JUJl J\ . " .

* Abulfeda pronounces this word Tiaz {jxj), and gives the longitude and latitude after the
different authors as follows : long. 64° 30', lat. 13° 8'. Ibn Said, long. 70°8', lat. 14° 30'. Ana-
logy, long. 65° 30', lat. 13° 40', and says, that it was in his times the residence of the kings of
Yemen, was a fortress situated on the mountains overhanging the coasts and the country of
Zabld. Beyond Tiaz is a pleasure ground called Sahlah, to which water has been brought from
the mountains by the king of Yemen ; and in this he has erected some spacious and strong edifices
in the middle of a garden. Jl-^ jW' 4 liub lijU;

Jl^H ^ n\4}i

l.]‘ ^ L S *

f We are told in the Annales Muslemici, tom. v. p. 348-9 that the father of this prince died
at Tiazz yCj which Reiske writes Teez) A.D. 1321 ; and, that on this occasion, his son, Ali
received the title of El Malik El Mojahid Saif El Islam, and succeeded to his throne : hut, as he
was very young and inexperienced, he was near losing it with his life more than once (p. 357,
361, &c.) He nevertheless continued in power, and was, no doubt, king of Yemen when our
traveller was there.

4 A title of this sort seems to have originated the Prester John of Abyssinia, of which the mis-
sionary accounts said so much. A Tartar king seems also to have assumed this title, which
in Persian was translated ^ Rerishta Jan, John the Angel, probably, because he had

received Christianity. Hence the European Prester John : but, how this became ascribed to
the King of Abyssinia it is not easy to say, unless he had assumed the title mentioned here
by our traveller which belonged to the king of Yemen. See Asseman’s Biblioth. Orient, tom. ii.
P. II, p.404.

ARABIA.

55

custom in saluting their king is this : any person coming before him, first
places his fore-finger on the ground, and then, putting it on his head, says,
“ May God perpetuate thy power.” I was received very courteously, and
then invited to a banquet.

After this I travelled to the city of ® Senaa,* * * § the capital of Yemen. It is
a large and well-built city. From this place I went to the city of ^Aden,|
which is situated on the sea- shore. This is a large city, but without either

seed, water, or tree. They have, however, reservoirs, in which they col-
lect the rain-water for drinking. Some rich merchants reside here : and
vessels from India occasionally arrive here. The inhabitants are modest
and religious. I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days came to
the city of “Zaila.lj; This is a city of the Berbers, a people of Soudan, of
the Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months’ extent. The first
part is termed Zaila, the last "'Makdashu.§ The greatest part of the inha-

A * \ * U t 1.5

* See Asseman. Biblioth. Orient, tom. iii. P. IL, p. dccdxxv., and D’Herbelot, under the word
Sanaa.

f For an account of this place, see the geographical Index appended to the life of Saladin,
by Schultens, sub voce Adenum, Asseman, Biblioth. Orient, tom. iii. P. II. p. dccvii, and
D’Herbelot, sub voce Aden.

On this place see Rinck’s Tract, containing extracts from Makrizi and Abulfeda on Abys-
sinia, Lugd. Batav. 1790, p. 9, Arab, text, and p. 10 Lat. trans. Also p. 12, Arab, text from
Abulfeda; also Eichhorn’s Africa, p. 31, which I thus translate: Ibn Said has said, that Zaila is
a well-known city of the Abyssinians. Its inhabitants are Moslems. It is situated upon a canal
which comes from the sea, and is low : its heat is excessive. Its waters are sweet, and are got
from wells. The people have no gardens, and know nothing of fruits. Zaila is said in the
Kanun to be a port of Abyssinia not far from Yemen ; and to be a place of scarcity. It is
situated between the equinoctial line and the first climate. Those who have seen it have stated,
that it is a small city nearly the size of Aidhab. It is situated upon the shore, and is governed
by Sheikhs. Merchants frequent the place, who are treated with hospitality and traded with.
See also D’Herbelot, art. Habasch.

§ Abulfeda, as given by Rinck and Eichhorn (Afr. p. 33) pronounces this word Mahdishu,
and says, that it is situated on the Indian sea ; that its inhabitants are Moslems. It has a large
river like the Nile of Egypt, which swells in the summer season : it is said to be a branch of the
Nile which issues from the lake of Kaura, and runs into the Indian sea near Makdishu. Abul
Majd of Mosul has said in the Mazil El Irtiab, that Makdishu is a large city, lying belween the
Zinj and Abyssinians. See also Sir Wm. Ouseley’s Oriental Geography, p. 14. On the fruits,
&c. of these countries see Rinck’s Tract above-mentioned. Arab.text.pp.il, 12, &c. It is
worthy of remark, that Ibn Batuta afiiliates these people with the Berbers of Sudan ; see note at
p. 17. This is the Magadocia of the Portuguese navigators.

56

Z ANGUEBAR.

bitants of Zaila, however, are of the Rafiza sect. Their food is, for the
most part, camel’s flesh and fish. The stench of the country is extreme,
as is also its filth, from the stink of the fish, and the blood of camels which
are slaughtered in its streets. I then proceeded by sea for fifteen days, and
came to Makdashu, which is an exceedingly large city. The custom here
is, that whenever any ships approach, the young men of the city come out,
and each one addressing himself to a merchant, becomes his host. If there
be a theologian or a noble on board, he takes up his residence with the
Kazl. When it was heard that I was there, the Kazi came with his stu-
dents to the beach : and I took up my abode with him. He then took me
to the Sultan, whom they style Sheikh. Their custom is, that a noble or
a theologian, must be presented to the Sultan, before he takes up his abode
in the city. When, therefore, the Kazi came to the palace, one of the
King’s servants met him. The Kazi was then "’Borhan Oddin El Misri
(of Egypt), and to him he mentioned my having come. The servant
then went to the Sultan, and informed him : but soon returned to us with a
basket of vegetables, and some " fawfel nut. These he divided among us,
and then presented us with rose-water ; which is the greatest honour done
among them to any one. He then said: It is the command of the King,
that this person should reside in the student’s house. The Kazi then took
me by the hand, and conducted me to it. It was near the palace, was
spread with carpets, and prepared for a feast. The servants then brought
meats from the palace.

Their meat is generally rice roasted with oil, and placed in a large wooden
dish. Over this they place a large dish of elkushan, which consists of
flesh, fish, fowl, and vegetables. They also roast the fruit of the ^plan-
tain, and afterwards boil it in new milk : they then put it on a dish, and
the curdled milk on another. They also put on dishes, some of pre-
served Hemon, bunches of preserved pepper-pods salted and pickled, as
also grapes, which are not unlike apples, except that they have stones.
These, when boiled, become sweet like fruit in “general, but are crude
before this : they are preserved by being salted and pickled. In the same

• (J'"

. Jiyll ^

w

ZANGUEB AR.

57

manner they use the ^ green ginger. When, therefore, they eat the rice,
they eat after it these salts and pickles. The people of Makdashu are
very corpulent : they are enormous eaters, one of them eating as much as
a congregation ought to do.

The Sultan then sent for me and for each of my companions a dress ;
after which I was presented to him. Their custom in giving a salute is the
same with that among the kings of Yemen. I remained some days the
King’s guest, and then set out for the country of the ®Zanuj,* proceeding
along the sea- shore. I then went on board a vessel and sailed to the island
of '^Mambasa,t which is large, abounding with the ® banana, the lemon, and
the -^ citron. They also have a fruit which they call the ^jammoon (jambu).
It is like the olive with a stone except that this fruit is exceedingly
sweet. There is no grain in this island; what they have is brought to them
from other places. The people are generally religious, chaste, and honest,
and are of the sect of Shafia. After lodging there one night, I set out,
by sea, for the city of ^ Kulwa, which is large, and consists of wooden
houses. The greater part of the inhabitants are Zunuj of the sect of
Shafia, of religious and peaceful habits. The king of this place, at the
time I entered it, was *Abu El Mozaffir Hasan, a person who had obtained
great victories over the countries of the infidel Zunuj. He gave much
away in alms. The greatest gift bestowed by the people of these countries
is ivory, which is the elephant’s tooth : they seldom give gold. I then
proceeded to the city of -^ Zafarj: by sea : this is the farthest city of Yemen,

. J;Q\ s . f '

.jUls jjI * . (jK

* See D’Herbelot, under Zeng. From this word the Zanguehar of the maps seems to he
derived. It is doubtful, however, whether our traveller proceeded so far south as to touch on
those countries as there given.

-]- This is the Mombas of Hamilton. India, chap. i.

:j; Asseman’s Biblioth. Orient., tom. iii. P. 2, p. dcclxxv.; and D’Herbelot under Dhafar. Abulfeda
puts this place in the following longitudes and latitudes, viz. after the Atwal in long. 66° 30', lat.
13° 30'; the Kanun, long. 67° 8', lat. 13° 30'; Ibn Said, 73° 8'; the Rasam, 73° 8'. No reliance can
be placed on the other numbers given, I therefore omit them. He then describes the place thus :

i

58

ZANGUEBAR.

and situated on the shore of the Indian sea. From this place they carry
horses to India ; and when the wind is fair they pass from it to the
Indian shores in a full month.' Between Zafar and Aden, by land, is the
distance of a month ; but between it and Hadramaut that of sixteen
days; and between it and 'Amman | twenty days. This city of Zafar
stands alone in a large plain, in which there is no other village or governed
district. It is a filthy place, and full of flies on account of the great
quantity of fish and dates which are sold there. They feed their beasts
and flocks also with fish, a custom witnessed by me no where else. Their
money is made of copper and tin : they bathe several times in the day
on account of the heat of their country. Their diseases are generally the
elephantiasis and hernia. The greatest wonder among them is, that they
injure no one unless he have previously injured them. Many kings have
attempted their country, but have been forced to return, with the effects of
their devices upon their own necks. At the distance of half a day from
this place is the city of “El Ahkaf,j: the residence of the people of

^ ^.3 JUj jUb JUij

jUb , &c. Zafar is a city standing upon the margin of an

estuary which stretches out from the southern sea, and makes an indenture into the land in a
southern direction for about one hundred miles ; upon a part of this estuary therefore is Zafar.
No vessel leaves Zafar and this estuary but by a land breeze ; but there clear out from it
vessels for India. Zafar is a principal city of the districts of El Shajr, and in its lands are
found many of the productions peculiar to India, such as the cocoa-nut and the betel leaf. To
the north of Zafar are the sand banks of Ahkaf : between it too and Sanaa is a distance of
twenty-four farsangs. According to some this place is on the shores of Yemen, and abounds
with gardens, &c.

* See D’Herbelot, under Hadhramout.

f We have, in the Marasid El Itlaa, this word pronounced Oman, and the place is said to
be a westerly tract of land on the shore of the sea of Yemen, and on the east of Hajar ; that it
contains two towns ; its heat is proverbial, and its inhabitants of the Ibazia sect of heretics.

'jr .

J This word means sand-hills or banks, as mentioned in the note on Zafar. The author of the
Marasid El Itlaa says on it J-^1 u-iib-

ARABIA.

59

** Aad.* * In this city there are many gardens, in which there is the large and
sweet fruit of the "banana, the seed of one of which will weigh ten ounces.')'
There is also the ^betel-tree, and that of the ^cocoa-nut, which are gene-
rally found no where else except in India, and to those of India may
these be compared. I shall now describe both. With respect to the betel-
leaf, its tree is supported just as that of unripe grapes generally is ; they
prop it up with reeds.:}: It is planted near the cocoa-nut, and is sometimes

supported by it. The betel-tree produces no fruit, but is reared merely for
its leaf, which is like the leaf of the ’ thorn, and the smallest are the best.
These leaves are plucked daily. The people of India esteem, it very highly,
for whenever any one of them receives a visit from another, the present
made is five of these leaves, which is thought to be very splendid, parti-
cularly if the donor happen to be one of the nobles. This gift is esteemed
among them as being much more valuable than that of gold or silver. Its
use is as follows : A grain of fawfel (which is in some respects like a * nut-
meg) is first taken and broken into small pieces : it is then put into the
mouth and chewed. A leaf of the betel is then taken, and when sprinkled
with a little quick lime is put into the mouth and chewed with the fawfel.
Its properties are to sweeten the breath, help the digestion, and to
obviate the danger incident to drinking water on an empty stomach : it
'also elevates the spirits and stimulates to venery.

As to the ‘ cocoa nut, it is the same with the “Indian nut. The tree is
very rare and valuable. It is something like the palm. The nut is like a

JU | ^ JJj ^

El Ahkaf is the plural of Hikf, sand, and it is taken to signify a crooked sand-bank. But the
Ahkaf which is mentioned in the Koran is a valley between Omman (al. Amman) and the country
of Mahrat ; it is also said to be between Omman and Hadramout : they are sand-banks which
approach the sea.

* A tribe mentioned in the Koran.

t As this passage appears obscure to me, I give the original

t Knox says ; “ the tree that bears the betel-leaf, so much loved and eaten in these parts,
grows like ivy, twining about trees or poles which they stick in the ground for it to run up by,
and as the betel grows, the poles grow also.” Ceylon, p. 34).

I 2

60

ARABIA.

man’s head ; for it has something like two eyes and a mouth ; and within,
when green, is like the brains. Upon it too is a fibre like hair. From this
they make cords with which they sew their vessels together, instead of iron
nails. They also make great ropes for their anchors out of it.^

The properties of this nut are, to nourish and quickly to fatten the body,
— to make the face red, and greatly to stimulate to venery. Milk, oil olive,
and honey, are also made out of it. They make the honey thus : having cut
off the tendril on which the fruit would be formed, leaving it, however,
about the length of two fingers, they then suspend a larger or smaller pot
to it, and into this a kind of water drops, which they collect morning and
evening. They then expose it to the fire, just as they do dried grapes, and
it becomes stiff, and exceedingly sweet, honey : out of this they make
sweetmeats.'!' As to the making of milk, they open a side of the nut,
take out the whole of the inside with a knife, and put it on a plate.
This they macerate well in water. It then becomes milk, both as to taste
and colour : and is eaten as such. The oil-olive is thus made : When the
nut is ripe and has fallen from the tree, they peel off the bark and cut it

*■ According to Mr. Crawfurd, a species of this palm, called the gomuti in the islands of the
Indian archipelago, produces a superior kind of cordage to that of the cocoa-nut : and while
that of the cocoa-nut is most in use in the Maldives, Ceylon, &c., this prevails in the parts he, is
describing, vol. i. pp. 380, 398. It is curious enough to observe, that the same thing is said by
Abu Zaid El Hasan, in his remarks on the Arab travellers of the ninth century, translated by
Renaudot, when speaking of the ships of these parts ; and that the editor doubts the truth of
the statement. See Pinkerton’s Voyages and Travels, vol. vii. pp. 207, 220, where the whole
process of making is described,

f Mr. Crawfurd’s description of the manner in which the toddy is extracted from the gomuti
palm is so nearly allied to this, that I cannot forbear copying it, vol. i. p. 398 : “ The principal
production of this palm is the toddy, which is procured in the same manner as from other palms,
or in the following mode : one of the spathce, or shoots of fructification, is on the first appear-
ance of its fruit beaten for three successive days with a small stick, with the view of determining
the sap to the wounded part. The shoot is then cut off" a little way from the root, and the

liquor which pours out is received in pots of earthenware, in bamboos, or other vessels

When newly drawn the liquor is clear, and in taste resembles fresh must. In a very short time
it becomes turbid, whitish, and somewhat acrid, and quickly runs into a viscous fermentation,
acquiring an intoxicating quality. A still larger quantity is immediately applied to the purpose
of yielding sugar. With this view the liquor is boiled to a syrup, and thrown out to cool in
small vessels, the form of which it takes, and in this shape it is sold in the markets.” The man-
ner of making the oil is also mentioned by Mr. Crawfurd, pp. 381, 382.

ARABIA.

61

into pieces ; it is then placed in the sun, and when it is withered they heat
it in a potj and having extracted its oil, eat it with their breakfast and
other meals. The Sultan of Zafar is ®E1 Malik El Mogith, uncle’s son
to the King of Yemen.

Leaving Zafar, I proceeded by sea towards “ Amman, and on the second
day put into the port of ^ Hasik ; where many Arab fishermen reside. We
have here the ^ incense tree.^ This tree has a thin leaf, which when scari-
fied produces a fluid like milk : this turns into gum, and is then called
Hoban, or frankincense. The houses are built with the bones of fish, and
are covered with the skins of camels.

Leaving this place, we arrived in four days at the mountain of “ Lomaan,
which stands in the middle of the sea. On the top of it is a strong edifice
of stone, and on the outside of this there is a reservoir for the rain-water.

After two days I arrived at the island of '’Tair, in which there is not a
house: it abounds with such birds as the '^sparrow. After this I came
to a large island, in which the inhabitants have nothing to eat but fish. I
then arrived at the city of '^ Kulhat,'j' which is situated on the top of a
mountain. The inhabitants are Arabs, whose language is far from elegant,
and who are, for the most part, ® schismatics. This, however, they keep

.

. ® . El Tamir of birds, al.jJal! ^

* This is the of the Greeks. See the Phaleg. of Bochart, lih. ii. cap. 18, or, as

appended to the Monumenta Vetustiora Arabicae, by Alb. Schultens, pp. 25-6.

-j- This is written Kalhat Lulgij by the author of the Marasid El Itlaa, who says, . , . C->1^

A city in

Amman upon the sea shore, which is well inhabited and populous : the inhabitants, however,
are all schismatics of the Ibazia sect, which they openly profess. As some further notices will
occur of this sect, I will here give what the author of the Kamoos with Jawharl says about it.

.... . El Ibaz...Abd Allah

Ibn Ibaz of the tribe of Beni Temim, after whom the Ibazia schismatics are named. Jawha-
ri’s explanation is : cT* ^4/ i- e. “ the

Ibazia are a sect of the schismatics, the followers of Abd Allah Ibn Ibaz El Temimi,” who, as
our traveller will presently tell us, is, according to them, the saint who is to put an end to error.

62

ARABIA.

secret, because they are subject to the King of Hormuz, who is of the
Sonnee sect.

I then set out for the country of ^ Amman, and after six days’ journey
through a desert, arrived there on the seventh. It abounds with trees,
rivers, gardens, with palms, and various fruit trees. I entered one of the
principal cities of these parts, which is ^'Nazwa.* * * § This is situated on a
hill, and abounds with gardens and water. The inhabitants are schismatics
of the *lbazla sect. They fall in with the opinions of the base-^ Ibn Mol-
jam,j' and say, that he is the saint who shall put an end to error. They
also allow the Califats of Abu Beker and Omar, but deny those of Othman
and Ali. Their wives are most base ; yet, without denying this, they ex-
press nothing like jealousy on the subject.

The Sultan of Amman is an Arab of the tribe of ^E1 Azd,;{: named ^Abu
Mohammed Ibn Nahban ; but Abu Mohammed is with them a general
title, given to any ruler, just as Atabek, and other titles are, to Sultans of
other places. § The inhabitants eat the flesh of the domestic ™ass, which is
sold in the streets, and which they say is lawful.

. al. ^ ’

* This is probably the Hjjj of the Marasid El Itlaa ^ ) which is there said to be

a hill in Amman ; there is, it is added, a number of large villages on the shore near it, the whole
of which are called by this name. The inhabitants are of the Ibazia sect. ^

J^Ub ... (l read

i^\j\ . Our copy reads J-^bJb but this I cannot understand, unless

it means that there is not a number of large villages, ^. e. a number of small ones. I prefer
however, omitting .

f See the Annales Muslemici, tom. i., pp. 332-3, &c.

X See D’Herbelot, under Azd.

§ So the Pharaohs of Egypt, {i. e. Pe Ouro. Copt.) the king : the Abimeleks of Gerar among
the Philistines, &c. According to Abulfeda, the title of Atabek was first given by Malik Shah
to his Vizier Nizam El Mulk, A.D. 1052. Annales Muslemici, vol. iii., p. 226-7.

ARABIA.

63