'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎259] (274/1050)

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259
It is only in times of great crisis, as when the Shahran rose in a body against them
about a hundred years age, that they answer to the call of their common blood, or"
nowadays when the Idrissi calls on them to rally to his standard under their tribal leader.
In normal times some are at enmity with others, and although Shaikh Muhammad
Dhulaim ma}* be called in to settle tribal disputes and is responsible to the Idrissi for
their good order, he has nothing to do with their tribal administration. They are in
fact a loose confederation, who will only combine for defence in face of a danger which
threatens to extinguish all, and for offence at the bidding of the Idrissi.
On this account they are dealt with one by one, but are grouped together under the
heading of Qahtan for convenience of reference.
They are far too removed from the northern Qahtan to keep in touch with them, and
never go near their country. Sometimes in times of drought a few of the former come
down south and are always well received, but the connexion ends at that.
The southern Qahtan tribes are for the most part, and with the exception of certairt
nomad sub-tribes, well conducted and prosperous, and interested in trade or agriculture.
The different sections vary considerably in military skill and few of them appear to have
inherited the characteristics which have earned for their northern relations such air-
unsavoury reputation.
1. 'AbIdah—
The 'Abidah appear to be the bravest as well as the most prosperous and enterprising"
section of the Qahtan. Their boundary in the south, where they have their villages, is
well defined, but to the north their nomads wander over a vast stretch of country, and
for almost 150 miles their western boundary adjoins that cf the Shahran. To the east lies
Tathlith and the Yam tribes, to the south the Bani Bishr, and to the south-west the
Kufaidhat-al-Yemen.
The 'Abidah will follow Muhammad Ibn Dhulaim in battle, but they do not like the
Sharaif in normal times, and look to their own chief Shaikh, Sa'ad Ibn Sulaim, in tribal
matters. The latter is a man of about 40, and lives at Khamis 'Abidah, the principal
village and market-place of the tribe. He is a rich man, and owns a large estate, and
is much liked by his tribesmen, both for his justice and fairness and because he always
is in the forefront of every fight. His sister married one of the sons of 'Abdul 'Aziz,
Mushait, chief of the Shahran, about 20 years ago, and a truce was made between the
two tribes. Shortly alterwards he had the misfortune to kill another of 'Abdul 'Aziz's-
sons in a petty tribal dispute, and war again broke out and continued until the Idr
pacified the country. There is still a bitter hatred between the two, which shows itself
in periodical outbreaks. So deep is the enmity that in the case of a murder of an 'Abi
dah by a Shahran no question of blood money is entertained, and the murdered man's" 1
relations do not rest until they have killed a Shahran in return. Shaikh Sa'ad Ibn
Sulaim was formerly with the Turks, but he joined the Idrissi in his first revolt and has
been one of his most faithful followers ever since. The Idrissi has a representative at
Khamis 'Abidah, who collects taxes from all the tribe.
The 'Abidah engage largely in trading, and buy up much of the coffee which comes
from the district round Jabal Razah through Wada'a, subsequently selling it through
out Asir. Some of them live permanently in Rijal, Abha, and Namas, and others are
engaged in the Jiddah trade. They are a very industrious race, always on the look
out for making money, and their villages are numerous and well built. They also
specialize as masons and ply their trade throughout Asir. Th'ey do not agree with the
Sharaif or Bani Bishar in peace time, but are friendly with the Rufaidhat-al-Yemen
and Sanhan-al-Hibab.
Unlike a great many tribes, the ' Aqidah are entirely united and the nomads are
guided in their policy by the villagers. They are rich in dark-haired camels and black
sheep, and take great pride in their pedigree horses. They will sell their poorer animals
in the market, but they take great care of their finer beasts, feeding them on milk and
only parting with them on special occasions, such as when they make a present to the
Idrissi. The A1 Hamdan and Al-Hurjan, who number about 3,000 men and 2,000 mem
respectively, are the two largest sections of the nomads. They come down to Khamis
'Abidah for the harvest and afterwards go up to Bishah with the other - nomads for the
date season. They also wander out to Tathlith, where they meet other Qahtan Arabs
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