186 



CHARACTER, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS 



same country. Their months consist of twenty- 

 nine and thirty days alternately ; so that the entire 

 year contains only 354 days. Eleven times in thirty 

 years one day is added to the last month, which 

 makes it amount to 355 days. About the end of the 

 fourth century of our era, the old names of the 

 months and the days of the week were changed by 

 Kelab, an ancestor of Mohammed ; and after the 

 Koreish had gained the political ascendency in Ara- 

 bia, they were adopted by all the other tribes. 



TABLE OF THE ARABIAN MONTHS AND WEEKS. 



Like all ignorant people, the Arabs were addicted 

 to superstition. A favourite study among them was 

 oneiromancy, or the interpretation of dreams. This 

 art and various other kinds of divination they had 

 in common with the Jews, Chaldeans, Egyptians, 

 and other nations. The country swarmed with ma- 

 gicians, sorcerers, soothsayers, and astrologers. 

 These "wise men" held different ranks, according 

 to the depth of their knowledge. The cohen or di- 

 viner appears to have been the chief priest of the 

 whole sect. It was his office to know things that had 



