348 SOCIAL STATE OP THE ARABS. 



perty against thieves than bolts or bars. The rea- 

 son why these families are so numerous is, that the 

 honour is hereditary both by male and female de- 

 scent. The son of a Turk or Syrian is ennobled 

 if his mother can reckon kindred with Fatima. 

 To this class belong the seyeds and mollahs ; but 

 between these and the sheriffs there is this distinc- 

 tion, that the latter are constantly devoted to a mi- 

 litary 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 employ- 

 ment 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 at- 

 tract the admiration of strangers. Their best houses 

 display little exterior magnificence, and are still more 

 deficient in point of internal accommodation. The 

 tent forms the cherished home of the larger proportion 

 of the inhabitants, and when they remove they tran- 

 sport their dwellings with them. The height of this 

 dwelling is generally seven feet, its length from twen- 

 ty-five to thirty, and its breadth about ten. It is di- 

 vided into two apartments, one for the men and the 

 other for the women ; and these are separated by 

 a white woollen carpet of Damascus manufacture 

 drawn across, and fastened to the three middle posts. 



The furniture comprises pack-saddles, as well as 

 those for riding, large water-bags made of tanned 

 camel-skins, goat-skins for milk and butter, the 

 little bag into which the hair or wool is put that 

 falls from the sheep and camels on the road, the 

 leather bucket for drawing up water from deep 

 wells, a copper pan, coffee-pot, mortar, hand-mill, 



