Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah Volume Ii Part 9

[p.120]The Benu Salim, again, have eight subdivisions, viz.:-

1. Ahamidah (Ahmadi)[FN#60]: this clan owns for chief, Shaykh Sa'ad of the mountains. It is said to contain about 3500 men. Its princ.i.p.al sub-clan is the Hadari.

2. Hawazim (Hazimi), the rival tribe, 3000 in number: it is again divided into Muzayni and Zahiri.

3. Sobh (Sobhi), 3500, habitat near Al-Badr.

4. Salaymah (Salimi), also called Aulad Salim.

5. Sa'adin (Sa'adani).

6. Mahamid (Mahmadi), 8000.

7. Rahalah (Rihayli), 1000.

8. Timam (Tamimi).

The Masruh tree splits into two great branches, Benu Auf, and Benu Amur.[FN#61] The former is a large clan, extending from Wady Nakia [Arabic] near Nijd, to Rabigh and Al-Madinah. They have few horses, but many dromedaries, camels, and sheep, and are much feared by the people, on account of their warlike and savage character. They separate into ten sub-divisions, viz.:-

1. Sihliyah (Sihli), about 2000 in number.

2. Sawaid (Sa'idi), 1000.

3. Rukhasah (Rakhis).

4. Ka.s.sanin (Ka.s.san): this sub-clan claims origin from the old "Ga.s.san"

stock, and is found in considerable numbers at Wady Nakia and other places near Al-Madinah.

5. Ruba'ah (Rabai).

6. Khazarah (Khuzayri).

7. Lahabah (Lahaybi), 1500 in number.

8. Faradah (Faradi).

9. Benu Ali (Alawi).

10. Zubayd (Zubaydi), near Meccah, a numerous clan of fighting thieves.

Also under the Benu Amur-as the word is popularly p.r.o.nounced-are ten sub-families.

1. Marabitah (Murabti). They [nrs. 1-5] princ.i.p.ally inhabit the land about Al-Fara [Arabic] a collection of settlements four marches South of Al-Madinah, number about 10,000 men, and have droves of sheep and camels but few horses.

2. Hussar (Hasir).

3. Benu Jabir (Jabiri).

[p.121]

4. Rabaykah (Rubayki).

5. Hisnan (Hasuni).

6. Bizan (Bayzani).

7. Badarin (Badrani).

8. Biladiyah (Biladi).

9. Jaham (the singular and plural forms are the same).

10. Shatarah (s.h.i.+tayri).[FN#62]

The great Anizah race now, I was told, inhabits Khaybar, and it must not visit Al-Madinah without a Rafik or protector. Properly speaking there are no outcasts in Al-Hijaz, as in Al-Yaman and the Somali country. But the Hitman (pl. of Hutaym or Hitaym), inhabiting the sea-board about Yambu', are taxed by other Badawin as low and vile of origin. The unchast.i.ty of the women is connived at by the men, who, however, are brave and celebrated as marksmen: they make, eat, and sell cheese, for which reason that food is despised by the Harb. And the Khalawiyah (pl. of Khalawi) are equally despised; they are generally blacksmiths, have a fine breed of greyhounds, and give a.s.ses as a dowry, which secures for them the derision of their fellows.

Mr. C. Cole, H. B. M.'s Vice-Consul at Jeddah, was kind enough to collect for me notices of the different tribes in Central and Southern Hijaz.

His informants divide the great clan Juhaynah living about Yambu' and Yambu' al-Nakhl into five branches, viz.:-

1. Benu Ibrahimah, in number about 5000.

2. Ishran, 700.

3. Benu Malik, 6000.

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4. Arwah, 5000.

5. Kaunah, 3000.

Thus giving a total of 19,700 men capable of carrying arms.[FN#63]

The same gentleman, whose labours in Eastern Arabia during the coast survey of the "Palinurus" are well known to the Indian world, gives the following names of the tribes under allegiance to the Sharif of Meccah.

1. Sakif (Thakif) al-Yaman, 2000.

2. Sakif al-Sham,[FN#64] 1000.

3. Benu Malik, 6000.

4. Nasirah, 3000.

5. Benu Sa'ad, 4000.

6. Huzayh (Hudhayh), 5000.

7. Bak.u.m (Begoum), 5000.

8. Adudah, 500.

9. Bashar, 1000.

10. Sa'id, 1500.

11. Zubayd, 4000.

12. Aydah, 1000.

The following is a list of the Southern Hijazi tribes, kindly forwarded to me by the Abbe Hamilton, after his return from a visit to the Sharif at Taif.

1. Ghamid al-Badawy ("of the nomades"), 30,000.

2. Ghamid al-Hazar ("the settled"), 40,000.

3. Zahran, 38,000.

4. Benu Malik, 30,000.

5. Nasirah, 15,000.

6. Asir, 40,000.

7. Tamum, *

8. Bilkarn, * * together, 80,000.

9. Benu Ahmar, 10,000.

10. Utaybah, living north of Meccah: no number given.

11. Shu'abin.

12. Daraysh, 2000.

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13. Benu Sufyan, 15,000.

14. Al-Hullad, 3000.

It is evident that the numbers given by this traveller include the women, and probably the children of the tribes. Some exaggeration will also be suspected.

The princ.i.p.al clans which practise the pagan Salkh, or excoriation, are, in Al-Hijaz, the Huzayl and the Benu Sufyan, together with the following families in Al-Tahamah:

1. Juhadilah.

2. Kabakah.

3. Benu Fahm.

4. Benu Mahmud.

5. Saramu (?) 6. Majarish.

7. Benu Yazid.

I now take leave of a subject which cannot but be most uninteresting to English readers.

[FN#1] In Holy Writ, as the indigens are not alluded to-only the Noachian race being described-we find two divisions: 1 The children of Joktan (great grandson of Shem), Mesopotamians settled in Southern Arabia, "from Mesha (Musa or Meccah?) to Sephar" (Zafar), a "Mount of the East,"-Genesis, x.