GOVERNMENT OP ARABIA. 151 



he stood out for twelve years, leaving the succession 

 to his eldest son Abdallah. The place was taken 

 and pillaged about the end of the year 1 760. 



On the route from Taas to Sanaa the principal 

 cities are Abb, Jerim or Yerim, and Damar. Abb 

 is situate on the summit of a hill, surrounded by a 

 strong wall, and contains about 800 houses, most of 

 them well built. Jerim, which some suppose to be 

 Dafar, an ancient capital of the Hamyaric kings, is 

 but a small town ; the houses are built of stone or 

 sundried bricks. The castle stands on a rock, and 

 is the residence of the dowlah. In all the markets 

 locusts were sold at a low price; and these the 

 peasants dry and lay up for winter provisions. 



In Yemen the usual method of travelling is on 

 asses, which in that country are large, strong, and 

 spirited, walking at a pace not very agreeable to the 

 rider. As Christians, however, are not prohibited 

 the use of horses, Niebuhr and his companions pre- 

 ferred that animal ; hiring camels for their baggage. 

 A bucket of water is sometimes suspended from the 

 saddle, that being an article indispensable in these 

 arid regions. The roads in general are of a very 

 bad description. Among the mountains the path is 

 sometimes so narrow that a single camel only can 

 pass at a time ; in other places it winds up steep 

 and rugged acclivities, and is formed of a causeway 

 or pavement, which is occasionally broken and ren- 

 dered impassable by the descending torrents. 



The town of Mocha, the name of which a celebrated 

 article of its export-trade has rendered so familiar to 

 our ears, has no pretensions to antiquity. It was not 

 in existence 400 years ago ; and nothing was known 

 of it till the adventures of the Dutch and Portuguese 



