i 5 4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



We pafied out at the fouth gate of the town, into the firft 

 fmall fandy plain, A very little to our left, there are a num- 

 ber of tcmb-ftones with inferiptions in the Culic character, 

 which travellers erroneoufiy have called unknown language, 

 and letters, although it was' the only letter and language 

 known to Mahomet, and the moil learned of his feel: in the 

 firft ages. 



The Cufic characters feem to be all written in capitals, 

 which one might learn to read much more eaflly than the 

 modern Arabic, and they more reiemble the Samaritan. 

 We read there — Abdullah el Hejazi el Anfari — Mahomet Ab- 

 del Shems el Taiefy el Anfari. The firfl of thefe, Abdullah 

 el Hejazi, is Abdullah born in Arabia Petrea. The other is, 

 Mahomet the flave of the fun, born in Taief. Now, both of 

 thefe are called Anfafii which many writers, upon Arabian 

 hiilory, think, means, bom in Medina; becaufe, when Maho- 

 met fled from Mecca, the night of the hegira, the people of 

 Medina received him willingly, and thenceforward got the 

 name of * Anfari, or Helpers. But this honourable name 

 was extended afterwards to all thofe who fought under Ma- 

 homet in his wars, and after, even to thofe who had been 

 born in his lifetime. 



These of whofe tombs we are now fpeaking, were of the 

 army of Haled Ibn el Waalid, whom Mahomet named, Saif 

 Ullah, the ' Sword of God,' and who, in the califat of Omar, 

 took and deftroyed Syene, after lofmg great part of his army 



before 



* This word, improperly ufed and fpelled by M. de Volney, has nothing to do with, .. 

 theft Anfaris. 



