GOVERNMENT OF ARABIA. 143 



vicinity were sown with rice and wheat; while nearly 

 all the hills and valleys were covered with vines, cof- 

 fee and fruit trees of every description. The royal 

 gardens were extensive, but presented nothing parti- 

 cular, except in the arrangement of the shrubberies, 

 which contained specimens of all the trees known in 

 the kingdom. The harem was kept in the castle, and 

 replenished with 600 or 700 women. When they 

 ventured abroad, their ordinary conveyance was on 

 the backs of camels, enclosed in a sort of cage covered 

 with scarlet and stuffed with cushions, on which 

 they sat or lolled at pleasure. The only entrance 

 into this sedan was by a small opening before, which 

 was covered with a curtain or veil of fine linen. 

 The ladies in general used a profusion of scents and 

 odours; many of them had large gold rings sus- 

 pended from the end of their nose, besides bracelets 

 of the same metal on their arms, neck, and ankles. 

 When Niebuhr visited the court of Yemen, fifty 

 years afterwards, Mohaib had ceased to be the royal 

 residence. Damar contained about 5000 houses, with 

 a dowlah, and a university attended by nearly 500 

 students. At Sanaa the Danish travellers were con- 

 ducted to the royal presence by the secretary of the 

 vizier. The court of the palace (the Bustan el Mo- 

 takkel) was so crowded with horses, officers, and 

 servants, that it would have been impossible for the 

 strangers to force their way, had not the principal 

 equerry, who had formerly been a slave, opened a pas- 

 sage through the crowd with the aid of a ponderous 

 staff in his hand. The hall was a spacious square 

 chamber, having an arched roof, lighted from the top. 

 In the centre was a large basin with some jets d'eau 

 rising to the height of fourteen feet. Behind this 



