SENNAAR. 



Hveen the cultivated country and the fands. The fly, that 

 inexorable perfecutor of the Arabs, never purfues them to 

 the north of Shaddly. The knowledge of this circumftance 

 was what, perhaps, determhied the firft builders of Sennaar 

 to place their capital here ; this too, probably, induced the 

 two faints, Shaddly and Wed Aboud, to make here thefe 

 valt excavations for corn and water. This is the firft reft- 

 ing-phce the Arabs find, where, having all things neceflary 

 for fubli (fence, they can at leifure tranfad their affairs with 

 government. 



To the weilward of Shaddly and Aboud, as far as the 

 river Abiad, or El-aice, the country is full of trees, which 

 make it a favourite llation for camels. As Shaddly is not 

 above three hours ride on horfeback from Sennaar, there 

 could not be chofeii a fituation more convenient for levying 

 the tribute ; for though Gerri, from the favourable fitua- 

 tion of the ground, being mountainous and rocky, and juft 

 on the extremity of the rains, was a place properly chofen 

 for this purpofe by the Arab prince before the conqueft: of 

 the Funge, (for his troops there cut them oft, either from 

 the fands, or the fertile country, as he pleafed), yet many 

 of them might have i-emained behmd at Shaddly, and to the 

 weftward, free from the terror of the fly, and confcquently 

 without any neceffity of advancing fo far north as Gerri, 

 and there fubjecling themfelves to contribution. 



In this extenfivc plain, near Shaddly, arife two moun- 

 tainous diftricls, the one called Jibbel Moia, or the Moun- 

 tain of Water, which is a ridge of confidcrable hills nearly 

 of the fame height, clofely united ; and the other Jibbel 

 Segud, or the Gold Mountain, a broken ridge compofed of 

 parts, fome high and fome low, without any regular form. 

 Both thefe enjoy a fine climate, and are full of inhabitants, 

 but of no confidcrable extent. They fervc for a proteftion 

 to the Daheera, or farms of Shaddly and Wed Aboud. 

 They are alfo fortrefles in the way of the Arabs, to detain 

 and force them to payment in their flight from the cultivated 

 country and rains to the dry lands of Atbara. Each of 

 thefe dillriAs is governed by the defcendant of their ancient 

 and native princes, who long refilled all the power of the 

 Arabs, having both horfe and foot. They continued to be 

 Pagans till the conqueit of the Funge. Bloody and un- 

 natural facrifices were faid to have been in ufe in thefe 

 mountainous fl;ates, with horrid circumllances of cruelty, 

 till Abdelcader, fon of Amru, the third of the kings of 

 Sennaar, about the year 15,-4, befieged firll the one and 

 then the other of thefe princes in their mountain, and forced 

 them to furrender ; and, having faftened a chain of gold to 

 each of their ears, he expofed them in the public market- 

 place at Sennaar in that fituation, and fold them to the 

 highelt bidder, at the vile price of fomething like a farthing 

 each. After this degradation, being circumcifed, and con- 

 verted to the Mahometan religion, they were reftored each 

 to their government, as flaves of Sennaar, upon very eafy 

 conditions of tribute, and have been faithful ever fince. 



Nothing is more pleafant than the country around Sen- 

 naar, in the end of Augull and beginning of September, I 

 mean (fays Bruce) fo far as the eye is concerned ; inftead of 

 that barren, bare walte, which it appeared on our arrival in 

 May, the corn now fprung up, and covering the ground, made 

 the whole of this immenfe plain appear a level, green land, 

 interfperfed with great lakes of water, and ornamented at 

 certain intervals with groups of villages, the conical tops of 

 the houfes prefenting, at a diftance, the appearance of fmall 

 encampments. Through this immenfe, extenfive plain, winds 

 the Nile, a delightful river there, above a mile broad, full 

 to the very brim, but never overflowing. Every where on 

 thefe banks are feen numerous herds of the molt beautiful 



cattle of various kinds, the tribute recenrfy extorted from 

 the Arabs, who, freed from all their vexations, return home 

 with the remainder of their flocks in peace, at as great a 

 diftance from the town, country, and their opppcflort, as 

 they poflibly can. 



The banks of the Nile about Sennaar referable the plea- 

 fanteft parts of Holland in the fummtr feafon ; but foon 

 after, when the rains ceafe, and the fun exerts his utmoft 

 influence, the dora begins to ripen, the leaves to turn yel- 

 low and to rot, the lakes to putrefy, fmell, aoil be full of 

 vermin, all this beauty fuddenly difappears ; bare, fcorchcd 

 Nubia returns, and all its terrors of poifonous winds and 

 moving fands, glowing and rcntilated with fultry blalls, 

 which are followed by a troop of terrible attendants, 

 epilepfics, apoplexies, violent fevers, ubilinate agues, and 

 lingering, painful dyfenteries. Hill more obftinate and 

 mortal. 



War and treafoii feem to be the only employment of this 

 horrid people, whom heaven has feparatcd, by almoft im- 

 paflable deferts, from the reft of mankind, confining them 

 to an accurfed fpot, feemingly to give them earneli in time 

 (as Mr. Bruce forebodes) of the only other worfe whicl) he 

 has referved to them for an eternal hereafter. 



The drefs of Sennaar is vtry fimple. It coDfifts of a long 

 (Kirt of blue Surat cloth called Mirowty, which covers 

 tkem from the lower part of the neck down to their feet, 

 but docs not conceal the neck ilfelf ; and this is the only 

 difference between the men's and the women's drefs ; tlial 

 of the women covers their neck altugcthcr, being buttoned 

 like ours. The men have fometimcs a fafli tied about their 

 middle ; and both men and women go bare-footed m the 

 houfe, even thofe of the better fort orpcoplc. Their floors 

 are covered with Perlian carpets, efpecially the women's 

 apartments. In fair weather, they wear fandals ; and with- 

 out doors they ufe a kind of wooden patten, very neatly 

 ornamented with Ihells. In the greatcft heat at noon, they 

 order buckets of water to be thrown upon them inilead of 

 bathing. Both men and women anoint themfelves, at lealt 

 once a day, with camels' grcafe mixed with civet, which 

 they imagine foftens their flcin, and prefcrvcs them from cu- 

 taneous eruptions, of which they are fo fearful, that the 

 fmalleft pimple in any vifiblc part of their body keeps tliem 

 in the houfe till it disappears : for the fame reafon, though 

 they have a clean fliirt every day, they ufe one dipt in 

 greafe to lie in all night, as they have no covering but this, 

 and lie upon a bull's hide, tanned, and very moch foftened 

 by this conftant greafing, and at the fame time very cool, 

 though it occafions a fmell that no wafliing can free them 

 from. 



The principal diet of the poorer fort is millet, made into 

 bread or flour. The rich make a pudding of this, toafling 

 the flour before the fire, and pouring milk and butter into 

 it ; bcfides which, they eat beef, partly roailed and partly 

 raw. Their horned cattle arc the largcft and fattcll in the 

 world, 'and are exceedingly fine; but the common meat 

 fold in the market is camel's flefli. The liver of the animal, 

 and the fpare rib, are always eaten raw through the whole 

 country-. Bruce never faw one inftance where it was drefled 

 with fire ; it is not then true that eating raw flefh is peculiar 

 to AbyfTinia ; it is praAifed in this inftance of cameU' flefli 

 in all the black countries to the weftward. 



Hogs' flefh is not fold in the market ; but all the people 

 of Sennaar eat it publicly : men in office, who pretend to 

 be Mahometans, eat theirs in fecrct. 



There are three principal governments in the kingdom of 

 Sennaar. The firfl is at El-aicc, the capital of that coun- 

 try, from which the Shillook came. The Bahar el Abiad 



fpread* 



