238 BIMANA. 



mixture with the previous inhabitants, from which epoch their national 

 consolidation is to be dated. The Arabs were, originally, a fierce nomadic 

 race, and certain tribes * among them have never relinquished their 

 ancient habits : nevertheless, the Arabs founded an empire ; attained to 

 a high state of civilization ; extended their conquests over Persia, Syria, 

 Egypt, the North of Africa, and Spain. Under the Caliph, Almansor, and 

 his successors, they rose to eminence in arts, learning, and poetry ; and, 

 during the period in which Europe was immersed in ignorance, they 

 cultivated, with success, the sciences of astronomy and medicine ; that of 

 chemistry may be said to have been born and nurtured among the 

 Saracens. They first invented and named the alembic, for the purposes 

 of distillation ; tried the distinctions and affinities of alkalis and acids ; and 

 converted minerals into medicines. But the objects of the most eager 

 search among Arabian chemists were, the formation of gold by the trans- 

 mutation of metals, and the elixir, or balm of immortal health : in these 

 pursuits the reason and the fortunes of thousands were evaporated in the 

 crucibles of alchemy ; while the consummation of the great work was 

 promoted by the worthy aid of mystery, fable, and superstition, 



The religion of the Arabs was anciently, perhaps, theism ; but the 

 worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars, was early adopted ; and 

 the Caaba, or celebrated temple of Mecca, was adorned with 360 idols, 

 of Men, Eagles, Lions, and Antelopes, among which was the statue of 

 Hebal, of red agate, holding in his hand seven arrows, without heads or 

 feathers. At length arose the founder of a new religion, Mahomet, the 

 success and wide prevalence of whose doctrine, in Asia and Africa, and 

 the fanaticism of whose followers, it is the province of history to record. 



The modern Persians are a mixed race. Persia was overrun by the 

 Arabs, who abolished the Magian worship, and established that of 

 Mahomet ; it was overwhelmed by the armies of the Mogul monarch, 

 Holagou Khan, the grandson of Zingis, whose successors possessed the 

 throne till the death of Abosaid, which left the country without a lawful 

 sovereign, and open to the victorious arms of Timour. Of the Guebres, 

 or Guares, the descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Persia, little is 

 known. According to Chardin, they are an ill-shaped, dull race, and 

 of an olive complexion. Their worship is said to resemble that of the 

 ancient Persians, who thought it unlawful to form images, or to construct 

 temples or altars, not believing the gods to be allied to humanity. Hence 

 it was their custom to ascend the highest mountains, and there perform 

 sacrifices to an immortal power, visibly personified in the heavenly bodies. 



The old language of Media, according to Anquetil du Perron, and 

 Professor Rask, was Zend, the language of Zoroaster ; afterward, the 



* The roving Bedouins of the desert are true examples of the nomadic Arabs. 



