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cal pleiades, or seven illustrious bards, whose works are considered as the finest that were written before the time of Mahomet; and which are distinguished by the appellation of muallakat, or suspended,' because, on account of their great excellence, they were suspended around the kaabs or temple at Mekka. In later times, under the khalifs of the house of Al Abbas, the muses of Arabia, which had long been silent, resumed the lyre; and in the reigns of Harun Arrashid, of his successor Al Mamun, and especially of the khalifs of the Ommiyad dynasty in Spain, the Arabian poetry attained its highest degree of splendour. It was first submitted to regular rules by Khalil Ibn Ahmad al Farahidi, who lived in the reign of Harun Arrashid; but received still greater improvements from Mutunabbi, who is styled the prince of poets. Like all oriental poetry, the Arabian abounds with strong expressions, bold metaphors, glowing sentiments, and animated descriptions. It is in rhyme, which, however, does not fetter the sense as in European verses, the copiousness of the language furnishing the author with vast numbers of words having a similar termination. To this facility, Sir Wm Jones attributes the number and singular readiness and vivacity of Arabian improvisatori poets. Neither epic nor dramatic poetry, strictly so called, is known to the Arabians,-but they are the inventors, or at least the great practisers, of a kind of composition which is related to the epic, and which with them is a substitute for theatrical representation. We allude to the tales so well known by the name of the

Arabian Nights' Entertainments.] These tales compose, beyond question, one of the greatest monuments of Asiatic talent and genius. Every reader is familiar with them; but if we may believe the French translator, we do not possess the six-and-thirtieth part of the great Arabian collection. This collection is not confined to books, but forms the treasure of a numerous class of men and women, who, throughout the whole extent of the Mahommedan dominion, in Turkey, Persia, and even to the extremity of India, find a livelihood in reciting these tales to crowds who delight to forget, in the pleasing dreams of imagination, the melancholy reflections of reality. Of those presented to the European reader, some are not Arabian, but Persian, Indian, and Egyptian. The purely Arabic portion relate mostly to the adventures of the khalifs, principally in and about Bagdad, and their date is generally of the time of Harun Arrashid. Independently of other matters, they are highly valuable from the view of eastern society which they afford, and many travellers have confirmed their truth in so far as the delineation of the manners and customs of the east was concerned. We find in them, besides the female characters, only four distinct classes of persons-princes, merchants, monks or calendars, and slaves. Soldiers are scarcely ever introduced; valour or military achievements seem to excite no enthusiasm. In this respect, they may be considered as less noble and heroic than our romances of chivalry; but they greatly surpass them in producing, sustaining, and unceasingly varying the interest of their narrative; and to them we are indebted for that brilliant mythology of fairies and genii, which, without striking us with terror, carries us into the realms of marvels and prodigies. Many of them can be traced into the early literature of Europe. They have passed from tongue to tongue and from nation to nation, through channels frequently unknown, and have formed, and still form, a source of delight to half the inhabitants of the world.

Lokman.] Akin to these tales are the fables of Lokman, an Arabian,

who is supposed to have been contemporary with David and Solomon. His wisdom, together with the good sense and striking morality of his fables, bear so great a resemblance to those of Esop, that it is to this day a question, whether the latter did not derive his fables from an oriental source, or whether Æsop and Lokman are not identical personages. The traditions in Arabia regarding the bodily deformity of Lokman, and his condition as a slave, go to confirm the latter supposition.

CHAP. V.-TOPOGRAPHY.

Ir now remains to notice more particularly the provinces into which Arabia is divided, and the more important districts and towns embraced in them. The peninsula of mount Sinai forms the northern part of Arabia. Hedjaz stretches along the shore of the Red sea from mount Sinai to Yemen. The series of deserts in the centre forms the extensive province called Nedjed. Yemen is to the S. of Hedjaz, extending to the straits of Babel-mandel. Hadramaut lies along the shore of the Indian ocean. Ommân is at the entrance of the Persian gulf, and Lachsa, or Hajar, occupies the western shore of that gulf.

PENINSULA OF MOUNT SINAI.] The peninsula of mount Sinai is formed by the gulfs of Suez and Ailah. It has Palestine on the N., the gulf of Suez on the W., the gulf of Ailah and Hedjaz on the S., and Syria and Arabia Deserta on the E. It is sacred as the scene of the most interesting transactions of the Israelites under Moses after leaving Egypt.R This peninsula does not admit of much cultivation, the greater part being

A difference of opinion exists as to the precise spot at which the Israelites crossed the Red sea or Arabian gulf; and the difficulty of coming to a conclusion on this point is increased by the changes which have taken place in the bed of the sea, as there is every evidence to prove that the gulf of Suez extended farther north ages ago than it does at present. Dr Shaw fixes the passage of the Israelites opposite the desert of Shur. Supposing Rameses to have been Cairo, there are two roads, he remarks, by which the Israelites might have been conducted to Pihahhiroth on the coast; the one through the valleys of Jendily, Rumeleah, and Baideah, which are bounded on each side by the mountains of the Lower Thebais; the other, more to the northward, having these mountains for several leagues on the right, and the desert on the left, till it turns through a remarkable breach or ravine in the northernmost range, into the valley of Baideah. The latter he presumes to have been the road taken by the Israelites. Succoth, the first station, signifies only a place of tents; and Etham, the second station, he considers as probably on the edge of the mountainous district of the Lower Thebais. Here the Israelites were ordered to turn from their line of march, and encamp before Pihahhiroth, that is, the mouth of the gullet or defile betwixt Migdol and the sea. This valley he supposes to be identified with that of Baideah, which signifies miraculous, and is also still called Tiah Beni Israel, the road of the Israelites. Baaltzephon, over against which they encamped, is supposed to be the mountain still called Jebel Attakah, the mountain of deliverance. Över against Jebel Attakkah, at ten miles' distance, is the desert of Sdur or Shur, where the Israelites landed. This part of the gulf would, therefore, be capacious enough to cover a numerous army, and yet might be traversed by the Israelites in a night; whereas, from Corondel to Tor, the channel is ten or twelve leagues broad, which is too great a distance to have been travelled by a multitude with such incumbrances, and the passage from Suez appears as much too short. Having once entered this valley, it might well be said that the wilderness had "shut them in," inasmuch as the mountains of Mokattem would deny them a passage to the southward; those in the neighbourhood of Suez would be a barrier to the northward, towards the land of the Philistines; the Red sea was before them to the east, while Pharaoh with his army closed up the defile behind them. The valley ends in a small bay formed by the eastern extremities of the mountains.-Shaw's Travels. Dr Shaw fixes Marah at Corondel, the same place that Niebuhr writes Girondel, and Burckhardt Gharendel. Here, he says, is a small rill of water, which, unless it be diluted with the dews and rains, still continues te be brackish. The desert in this neighbourhood is still called Marah. Morra in Arabic means bitter.

covered with dry sands, or rising into rocks, interspersed here and there with some fruitful spots. The coasts are lined with coral reefs, and covered with innumerable organic petrifactions. Its few habitable spots are peopled by hordes of Arabs, who subsist chiefly by plunder. Tor, situated on the shore of the gulf of Suez, (long. 33° 28′ E. lat. 28° 19′ N.) is its principal town: but ever since Suez became the emporium of the trade of the Red sea, it has been dwindling into insignificance. The monks of mount Sinai have a convent here, and here there is a fortification, (now in decay,) said to have been built by the Portuguese. The water of this place is the best that is to be found on the coast of the Red sea. A grove of palm-trees constitutes the chief source of wealth to the inhabitants. Tor is supposed to be the ancient Elim. The most interesting spots of this part of Arabia are mount Sinai, and the ruins of Petra, the ancient capital of Arabia Petræa.

Mount Sinai.] Mount Sinai, celebrated in sacred history as the spot whence the law, written with the finger of God, was delivered to Moses, is an enormous mass of granite rocks, near the head of the Red sea, situated 150 miles S.E. of Suez, in the centre of a vast and gloomy desert. It is the highest summit of a chain of mountains called by the Arabians Djebbel Moosa, which chain contains several fertile valleys, where the rose of Jericho, the bitter apple, dog's bane, the tamarind tree, and various other plants and fruits flourish. At the foot of the mount is the Greek convent of Saint Catherine, the monks of which are kept, as it were, imprisoned by the wild Arabs of the surrounding country, never, except on rare occasions, opening the gate of entrance, but introducing men and provisions into the convent by means of a pulley. Steps are cut out on the rock for ascending mount Sinai, and a short way up is a fine spring of water, where stands a little chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Higher up is shown the impression of the foot of the animal which carried Mahomet to heaven; and this absurdity is said to have been invented and propagated by the Greeks with the view of exciting in the breasts of the Moslems a veneration for the mount. A Christian church and a Mahometan mosque stand on the summit of Sinai, the former on the highest peak, and the other about 30 paces lower. Both are objects of pilgrimage, but the Christian church is now greatly dilapidated. Djebel Oreb, or Horeb, is one of the eminences of mount Sinai.

Petra.] It is only of late that the ruins of Petra, the ancient capital of Arabia Petræa, have come to light. Kerek, which may be considered as at present the frontier town of Syria and Arabia, was supposed to be the ancient Petra of Pliny and Strabo; but modern travellers have with more certainty traced it in a series of magnificent ruins, lying near Eldjy, the principal village of Wady Moosa. These ruins consist of numberless tombs and temples, excavated in the craggy precipices of an extensive valley, the effect of which, combined with the savage scenery around, and the variegated colours of the rocks, is described as singularly imposing. On one of the mounts which overlooks the ruins, and which is supposed to be mount Hor, the tomb of Aaron is shown, enclosed in a small modern building; and this goes to identify the site, for Josephus expressly mentions the place of Aaron's decease as near the metropolis of Arabia Petræa; and Eusebius says that the tomb of Aaron was shown near Petra.

HEDJAZ.] Hedjaz, or 'the land of pilgrimage,' has Nedjed on the E., Yemen on the S., the Syrian desert on the N., and the Red sea on the W.

The holy land of Islam is comprised within Hedjaz, but that does not comprehend the whole territory; for Medina, although comprised in Hedjaz, is not considered as belonging to the holy land. Hedjaz has its tehama, or sandy plain' near the sea, as well as Yemen; but its mountains are fertile, although not so generally productive as those of the latter country. The inhabitants in the interior are governed by independent chiefs or sheikhs. The district of Kheibar, which is N.E. from Medina, is said to be inhabited by independent Jews. The towns on the coast, and a few others, are now subject to the pasha of Egypt, who a few years ago drove the Wahabys from Mekka. Djidda, Mekka, and Medina, are the three most important towns in Hedjaz.

Djidda.] Djidda is the most flourishing sea-port of any on the Red sea. It is situated in lat. 21° 33′ 14′′ N., long. 39° 6′ E. of Greenwich. It is handsomely built, and contains from 12 to 15,000 inhabitants. This town is washed by the waves of the Red sea, and is surrounded on the land side by a wall, which, although of no strength, affords sufficient protection against the Arabs, who have no artillery. It extends along the shore about 1500 paces, and is about the half of that space in breadth. From the sea it is entered by two quays, and from the adjacent country by two gates; it is well-built of blocks of modrepores, and occasional layers of wood, and afterwards plastered. The houses are generally furnished with cisterns to hold rain water, which is better than that of the wells. The inhabitants are almost exclusively strangers. Colonies from every town and province of Hadramaut and Yemen are settled here; likewise more than a hundred Indian families, chiefly from Surat; some Malays and people of Muscat ; as also settlers from Egypt, Syria, Barbary, and European Turkey; but there are very few Christians or Jews. This mixture of races is partly owing to the mercantile character of the place; but it is chiefly the effect of the pilgrimage to Mekka, as many of the pilgrims marry Abyssinian slave-girls, and settle in the town. The commerce of Djidda consists of the coffee and Indian trade. The price of coffee is here exceedingly fluctuating, and therefore the trade is hazardous. This arises from the competition of West India coffee, which both Smyrna and Constantinople import in vast quantities. The trade in India goods is steadier and safer. Djidda carries on an extensive trade with Mekka and, Medina, by means of caravans of camels and asses. The shops, as in all parts of Turkey, are raised several feet above the ground, and have a stone bench in front, covered with an awning.9

In the main commercial street, Burckhardt-who visited this city in 1814-informs us there were twenty-seven coffee-shops; twenty-one butter sellers, who likewise retail honey, oil, and vinegar; (butter forms the chief article of Arab cookery, which is more greasy than that of Italy;) eighteen vegetable or fruit stands, all of which are furnished from the gardens of Tayf; eight date sellers,-dates being the favourite eatable of the Arabs, their importation continues throughout the year; four pancake makers, who sell early in the morning, as a favourite breakfast, pancakes fried in butter; five bean sellers,Egyptian horse-beans boiled in water, and eaten with ghee and pepper, are also used for breakfast by many; five sellers of sweet-meats, made chiefly by Indians; two kebab shops, where roasted meat is sold; these are kept by Turks, the kebab not being an Arab dish; two soap sellers, who also sell boiled sheep's heads and feet, and are much visited at mid-day; one seller of fish fried in oil, frequented by Turkish and Greek sailors; ten stands of bread, kept by women; two sellers of leben, scur milk; two shops, in which cheese, hams, and dried fruit are sold; eleven corn dealers; eighteen druggists; eleven shops in which Indian manufactured articles are sold; eleven cloth shops, in which articles of dress are sold by public auction; six shops of Indian piece goods; four barbers' shops; four tailors'; five makers of sandals; three shops in which water-skins from Egypt are sold and repaired; two turners; three dealers in perfumery; one watch-maker, a Turk; one seller of Turkish and Persian

IV.

2 K

Mekka.] Mekka, the birth-place of Mahomet, is situated in a narrow sandy valley, about 13 leagues E. of the Red sea, and 70 S. from Medina. At an early period, it attained a considerable degree of prosperity under its rulers, the Koreishites; but, after the death of Mahomet, it increased greatly in celebrity and extent, in consequence of its becoming the resort of Moslem pilgrims. According to Ali Bey, it contained once 100,000 inhabitants: Burckhardt estimates the present amount at 25 or 30,000, with 3000 Negro and Abyssinian slaves. Mekka is without trees, gardens, or verdure; and water of good quality must be brought from the distance of 20 miles. The houses are built of stone, and are handsomer and gayer than those of most Eastern cities; the streets are broad, to afford space for the crowded processions, and the windows made large, to afford a view of them, and ornamented, to attract tenants. In this holy city is the great mosque, called the Beitallah, or house of God, one of the largest structures in the Mahommedan world. It is about a quarter of a mile in length, and nearly as much in breadth; and forms, indeed, not so much an edifice as a large covered square, surrounded on all sides with a triple or quadruple row of columns, united by pointed arches supporting small domes, and composed partly of marble and partly of stone, with as little uniformity in the shape as in the materials. It can contain 35,000 persons; and it is believed at Mekka, that whenever it becomes too small for the crowd of worshippers, its dimensions will be invisibly expanded by an angel. It was built almost solely for the purpose of containing the kaaba, or temple, of which, and the ceremonies connected with it, we have given a description in another place. Mekka subsists wholly on the pilgrims who visit it; and during the residence of the caravans, it becomes an immense fair, covered with sheds and booths, where the productions of the most distant regions are exposed for sale. The character of the native inhabitants is distinct from that of other oriental people. They are proud of belonging to the holy city, and look upon all other Mahommedans as of an inferior order; but their pride is not connected with gravity or insolence on the contrary, they are gay and polite in the extreme, and more lax in the observance of their sacred rites than any other Moslems. The wealth which flows upon them from the pilgrims is profusely lavished on luxuries their tables are spread with every delicacy, and their houses decorated with the costliest furniture. Strong liquors are drank by them in all openness, notwithstanding the injunctions of the prophet, and numbers of females and dancing-girls are publicly kept for the behoof of devout pilgrims. By letting their houses during the period of the pilgrimage, they are enabled to subsist for the rest of the year. Some are handsomely paid for officiating in a singular character-that of husbands to female pilgrims, who are not allowed to approach the holy place in a single state. The marriage is contracted on the condition, that after having, in the double capacity of guide and husband, led her round the circle of devout visitation, a divorce shall take place on their return to Djidda. Mekka was once eminent for its schools and libraries; but neither of these are now to be found there; and those who feel any thirst for knowledge must resort, for its gratification, to Cairo and Damascus. In no Moslem city are the mechanical arts at so low an ebb as at Mekka. Ali Bey could not

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tobacco pipes; seven money dealers. In the same street are ten large okales, or khans, oriental inns, full of strangers and goods. In a street adjoining this great market, live artizans, blacksmiths, silversmiths, carpenters, butchers, &c., most of them natives of Egypt.