ETHNOLOGY OF THE PRESENT DAY. 227 



have in common with the Moors proper. It was applied particularly to 

 the settled Arabs of Moghrib (West Africa), of whom it is known that 

 they immigrated as nomads, and in the course of time took possession of 

 fixed abodes among the Berbers, the aborigines of Moghrib, intermingling 

 with them and other nations, but nevertheless securing to themselves the 

 supremacy. Graberg de Hemso had occasion to observe these true Moors 

 for a long time, in different countries of Africa. He describes them as 

 rather slender, well formed, of medium size, and appearing stouter than 

 they actually are, only on account of their full dress. It is said, however, 

 that at a more advanced age, men as well as women, in consequence of 

 their inactive mode of life and want of exercise, become rather corpulent. 

 Their eyes and teeth are handsome ; the complexion, however, varies 

 greatly, owing to the different colors of the mothers, who are of various 

 tribes, especially the blacks of Soudan. The more the color approaches to 

 black, the handsomer and of more decided character are the men. The 

 women, who, when young, are well formed and pretty, color their eyelids 

 and eyelashes with antimony, and paint their fingers and toes, faces, and 

 other parts of the body. The dress of the Moors consists of a shirt with 

 wide sleeves, and of very wide trowsers of white linen, over which they 

 wear the kaftan, usually of bright yellow color or sky-blue, with short 

 sleeves buttoned at the wrist, and fastened by many with a colored sash. 

 Over this is displayed the Jiaick, or cloak, of reddish cotton or silk, which 

 is worn in the manner of a Roman toga. At times a garment of blue cloth 

 with a cowl, called humous by them, is added, or a lighter undervest {sool- 

 ham), usually of white casimere. The covering for the head consists of a 

 white cap, to which is added, by such as have made a pilgrimage to Mecca, 

 a turban of white muslin. The feet are covered with yellow leather shoes, 

 or half boots. Women also wear the haick ; indeed it is frequently their 

 only article of dress, and often so fine as to be almost transparent. Those 

 in easier circumstances wear a wide and handsome chemise of fine linen 

 embroidered at the bosom with gold, and over it an ample kaftan, usually 

 of cloth, or velvet worked with gold. Strips of a silk or gold-worked veil 

 {ahaur) are wrapped around the head, and fastened at the neck, where its 

 knots fall with the braided hair upon the girdle. Sometimes they add a 

 riband ornamented with gold coins and pearls (A'zaba, or SJifa), encom- 

 passing the forehead like a diadem. In the upper part of the ear they wear 

 a small ring (amara) and in the lobe of the ear a larger weighty one (k/iersi, 

 khorsa), both ornamented with costly stones ; around the neck, rows of 

 gold and silver coins with jewels, called tezra ; on the wrists, thick gold or 

 silver bracelets {deblis, mukis). Such bandeaux are worn on the legs also, 

 the lower being called khelkal, that around the knee ruccus. Over the 

 kaftan is thrown a light linen garment (mon-oria), which is fastened 

 around the body, either by a girdle of crimson velvet embroidered with 

 gold, and with a gold or silver buckle, or simply with a twisted sash. 

 They wear red slippers; but like the men, no stockings. The lower 

 classes and the poor wear, as their only garment, a kind of sack of coarse 

 linen, called dshelahia, with a hole at the top for the head, and openings 



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