'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. I' [‎673] (728/1050)

hauhramaut
k m ^ gS L t - h ] e . Se ^ aterC0Ur f S are the wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Amd and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Qasr. the latter, formed
Hanral.H'Lth" 11 !^ ,Al f r ' having been J ' oined b y the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. 'Ain just above
Jt "ran- Below this latter town for some 60 miles there is a succession of villages with
whiih *r,ttTw"rr w te ® ro r S; s ® vera ' tributaries join in on both sides, the chief of
which are the W adis Henan, Ser, and Latak from the left, or north side ; and the Wadis
^.ain L fT T ^ right ' 0r S0Uth side - Below Q^r Hud the ^Hey forks, The
M -I I" 1 ™ COast m Q amar Bay, and the southern arm, called the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
VhnTlt r /f I 6 P rinoi P al t0HrI19 are Shibam, A1 Ghurfa Saiwun, Taribah, A1
, ' ""i' ( ° r ™ , y an lm P 0rtat place) and 'Ainat, and A1 Qasm. The two shrines
vS hi ^ ^ . Qabr Hud are looked on - s P eoia % -eredT and are
the WnHh nl f rS n ° l nmS ' E xce pt after heavy rain there is no running water in
the Hadhramaut valley, the cultivation consequently depending on artificial irrigation
tant^ that the^had tbe B^ ^tedthe Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Ser in 1894 they 4re told by the ifhabT
tants that they had had no ram for two years, and that they were without any for some-
bed of 8 ! • yearS S* j time ' The Same authorities as « er t that although the
r ?L Hadhramaut is usuall dry, there is water under the sand which can be tapped
in most places by means of wells. The principal crops are wheat, millet, indigo dates
and tobacco ; this latter, known as Hamuni tobacco, is of excellent quality. The
as the t^of Pliny ^ 7 ^ Whi0h SeemS t0 haVe bCen 08le brated as far back
The Hadhramaut has preserved its name from the earliest times. It occurs in the
and cLtTr a . s H [ az;armaveth : and the old Greek geographers mentioned Adramytta
and Chatramitas in their accounts of the frankincense country. The numerous ruins
discovered m the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Duwan and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Adim, as weU as in the m^S vaUev are
evidences of rts former prosperity and civilisation. The people known as Hadhrarai
Yrsrlfwn o r I«n 0 ^h gen - era1 ^ t0 the S ? th St0ck ' claira, ' n fe' descen t from
Ya arab bm Qahtan. There is, however, a large number of Sayyids, or descendants
f the Prophet, and of townsmen of northern origin, besides a considerable class of African
r mixed descent, ' Van den Berg estimates the total population of Hadhramaut (ex-
eluding the Mahra and Qara) at 150,000, of which he locates 50,000 in the valley between
Shibam and Tanm, 25,000 in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Duwan and its tributaries, and 25 000 in Makalla
ov^hTre t'ofTe' T' ^50,000for the non-agricultuk popuConscaS
over the rest of the country, probably an excessive estimate.
The Sayyids, descendants of Husain, grandson of the Prophet, form a numerous and
highly respected aristocracy. They are divided into families, the chiefs of which are
known as Munsibs, who are looked on as the religious leaders of the people and are
Ah? >T e -7 < fu era J? d » a j Sain< f Among the loadin g families are that of Shaikh
Abu Bakr of Amat, the AI Aidrus of Shihr, and the Sakkaf of Saiwun. Thev do not
bear arms, nor occupy themselves in trade nor manual labour nor even agriculture •
though owning a large proportion of the land, they employ slaves or bird labourers to
cultivate it. As compared with the other classes they are well educated, and are strict
in their observance of religious duties, and owing to the respect due to their descent they
exercise a strong influence both in temporal and spiritual affairs.
a trl ^ e f men ' as ln Arabia generally, are the predominant class in the population
All the adults carry arms. Some of the tribes have settled towns and villages, others
ad a nomadic life keeping however within the territory which is recognised as belong-
u i y -u re dlvided into sections or families, each headed by a chiff
whilst the head of the tribe is called the muqaddam or sultan. He is the leader in peace
and m war, but the tribesmen are not his subjects ; he can only rule with their support
The most powerful tribe m Hadhramaut at present is the Ka'aiti, a branch of the Yafa'
tribe whose settlements lie further west. Originally invited by the Sayyids to protect
the settled districts against the marauding tribes, they have established themselves as
practically the rulers of the country, and now possess the coast district with the towns
^ as wel1 as Haurah ' Haj rain, and Shibam, in the interior. The
head of the family has accumulated great wealth, and is in the service of the Nizam of
Hyderabad m India as commander of an Arab levy composed of his tribesmen, numbers
and numbers of camel-thorn trees.
somewhat resembles the holm oak. Its fruit is like a small crab annTfTanTi* Th l la l t . ter
A«h ^ P r e T- The tea T wh}ch are calied are powdered and used i soap "te
called Ailb, and it« branches are much liked by camels.—109.) is
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