ARABIA 



245 



"the bread of the land" and "the staff of life." Mohammed enjoined his followers to 

 "honour the palm-tree, for she is your mother." When fresh, the date is about the size of 

 a large plum, juicy and delicious. It bears no more resemblance to the date exported in 

 boxes than does a fresh bunch of grapes to packed raisins. Coffee is not less associated with 

 the Arab's life than the indispensable date. The story goes that it was first discovered by a 

 wandering Arab who had made a fire beneath a wild shrub on the edge of the desert. Soon 

 he inhaled a delicious fragrance which was new to him. He found that it came from the 

 roasted berries on the shrub, and to his curiosity we are all indebted for the inestimable 

 discovery of coffee. 



The most important animals herded by these people are the horse and the cumel. In 

 South Arabia donkeys are bred. These animals constitute their chief source of wealth. 



Three classes of society are usually distinguished: viz. the townsfolk, who are mostly 

 traders and artisans; the semi-nomads, who live in tents or mud huts on the edge of the 

 desert; and the Bedouins, who roam about the plains. In South Arabia the distinction is 

 drawn between the Shereefs, who are descended from the Prophet; the families who belong to 

 the ruling classes; and, thirdly, the Bedouins. Below these again are the lower classes, the 

 Akhdams, who perform humble but necessary duties. They are generally despised, and their 

 work as tanners, potters, or butchers is supposed to unfit them for decent society. Ratzel 

 points out that even in Aden, Avhere caste notions have no official validity, the Akhdams 

 inhabit their own quarter. 



The sheikh is the head of the tribe among the nomads, and the title is hei'editary. He 

 has the power of life and death, and the duty of making treaties with other tribes and 

 of settling disputes which arise in his own. 



After rising in the morning, the Arab's first care is to perform his devotions, Avith much 

 apparent earnestness and humility. He then seats himself or squats on his carpet, where his 

 wife serves him with a chibouk, or pipe, and coffee with her own hands. She then retires to 

 a respectful distance, standing with hands crossed, till her lord's cup is ready. When it is 

 returned to her, she frequently kisses his hand, a common mark of respect in the East; it 

 also serves to remind us that among the Arabs, as among other Moslems, woman occupies a 



Photo by Le Grand. 



ARAB CHILDREN. 



