292 
ZOBIEDE ARABS. 
riched with a silver or gold coin. A black handkerchief binds 
their heads, beneath which devolve their long uncombed tresses. 
The nose is never without its weighty ring also, which gives 
rather a snuffling grace to the voice of the wearer. Though it 
may seem something disrespectful to the fair daughter of Laban, 
to recall her remembrance by any assimilation with these dingy 
ladies of the Zobiede tribe; yet I cannot but remark, that we 
have here a specimen of the massive bracelets and rings which 
the servant of Abraham bound round the wrists of Rebecca, in 
the neighbourhood of this very country, (Harran in the higher 
part of Mesopotamia,) nearly four thousand years ago : — “ And 
he took a gold ear-ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets 
for her hands, of ten shekels weight of gold.” Gen. chap. xxiv. 
ver. 22. Isaiah mentions the nose-jewels worn by the Israelitisli 
women. 
The men do not, like the Turks and Persians, shave their 
heads ; but letting their hair grow, its dark locks much increase 
the wild and often haggard appearance of their roughly bearded 
visages. They frequently are seen without other covering than 
the kaffia or cloak, formed of an extremely broad-striped stuff. 
This is the domestic attire, in which they are met in the vicinity 
of their homes; but when they go farther a-field, they put on a 
brown woollen tunic, girt about the middle with a stout leathern 
belt, armed with a short wooden club, or a long crooked dagger. 
Most of them carry, in addition, a scymetar, and a small round 
shield. The head-dress of Arab men, appears the point to 
which they pay the most attention. It is usually of one fashion 
with all; being composed of a yellow and red piece of stuff, 
wound round the brows like a close turban, with pointed ends 
hanging long upon the breast. The wearer sometimes throws 
one of them across his chin ; which piece of drapery, falling on 
