308 SOCIAL STATE OF THE ARABS. 



hold the first rank in point of dignity. This has 

 arisen doubtless from the singular veneration in 

 Avhich the family of the Prophet is held, and it has 

 entailed on his posterity the double honour that 

 always attaches to splendid descent and superior 

 sanctity. The sheriffs are very numerous, and mul- 

 tiplied over all Mohammedan countries. Whole 

 villages are peopled with them ; and they are fre- 

 quently found in the lowest state of misery. Still 

 their presence commands universal respect ; in a 

 fray no arm would violate their person, — their char- 

 acter is held sacred, and furnishes a better protec- 

 tion for their property against thieves than bolts or 

 bars. The reason why these families are so numer- 

 ous is that the honour is hereditary both by male 

 and female descent. The son of a Turk or Syrian is 

 ennobled if his mother can reckon kindred with Fa- 

 tima. To this class belong the seyeds and mollahs ; 

 but between these and the sheriffs there is this dis- 

 tinction, that the latter are constantly devoted to a 

 military life, while the former engage in the pursuits 

 of trade and science. There are, besides these, other 

 noble families at Mecca, such as the Koreish and 

 muftis of certain sects, who have hereditary em- 

 ployment about the mosque, and for the retention 

 of which they are obliged to prove the genuineness 

 of their pedigree. 



In the domestic life of the Arabs there is little to 

 attract the admiration of strangers. Their best 

 houses display little exterior magnificence, and are 

 still more deficient in point of internal accommoda- 

 tion. The tent forms the cherished home of the 

 larger proportion of the inhabitants, and when they 

 remove they transport their dwellings with them. 

 The height of this dwelling is generally seven feet, 

 its length from twenty-five to thirty, and its breadth 

 about ten. It is divided into two apartments, one 

 for the men and the other for the women ; and these 

 are separated by a white woollen carpet of Damas- 



