182 



CIVIL HISTORY AND 



Damascus. The plains about the Dead Sea and 

 the Lake of Tiberias are inhabited by the Ghour 

 Arabs. The Ahl el Kebly, or Southern Nations, 

 comprehend the various tribes that dwell south of 

 Palestine, and along the borders of the Red Sea. 



Gebel Shera is peopled by the Hejaje, who num- 

 ber about 400 horsemen. The Howeytat, the Mo- 

 wali, the Omran, Debourt, Bedoul, Hekouk, and va- 

 rious others, occupy the desert from Suez to Akaba. 

 The Omran are a strong clan, and of very independ- 

 ent spirit. Their frequent depredations render them 

 objects of terror to the pilgrims proceeding to Mec- 

 ca, who are under the necessity of passing through 

 their territories. Five tribes, called the Towara 

 or Arabs of Tor, inhabit the peninsula of Sinai ; 

 these are the Sowaleha, the Mezeyne, the Aleygat, 

 the Tayaha, and the Terabein, who feed their flocks 

 in the Petrsean deserts. They maintain very little 

 intercourse with their eastern neighbours, and can 

 muster together a force of more than 600 match- 

 locks. In dry seasons they occasionally approach 

 towards Gaza or Hebron ; and some have a caravan 

 called Kheleit, of more than 4000 camels, which 

 sets out every year to Cairo, where they purchase 

 wheat, barley, and articles of dress. 



Most of these, with various other branches, call- 

 ed the Sherkyeh Arabs, have colonized the western 

 shore of the Red Sea, from Suez as far as Nubia. 

 During the time of the Mamlouk reign in Egypt, 

 they might be said to have been masters of a con- 

 siderable part of the country. They exacted tri- 

 bute from the peasants, and engrossed a great share 

 of the transport- trade. The Maazy sometimes pas- 

 ture their cattle near the Nile, but generally resid 



