'Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys Collected During his Travels in the East, by the Late John Lewis Burckhardt' [‎5r] (30/470)

THE BEDOUINS.
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that they may purchase in his territory wheat and barley. The
Djelaes are not entitled either to the szourra from the Hadj, or
to any tribute from the Baghdad and Basra caravans. Their prin
cipal tribes are, el Soualeme, el Abdelle, Ferdja, el Belaaysh, el
Bedour, Ibn Aiujdje, el Zerdk, Sahhcm, Hedjlis, Deraye.
IY. El Besher, the most numerous of the Aeneze tribes. Their
great chief is Ibn Hadddl, who encamps with his tribe in the
Nedjd, where most of the Besher tribe have taken up their abode.
Ibn Haddal is at the same time one of the principal men at the
court of Derayeh, if so may be styled the seat of Ibn Saoud. The
Besher about fifty years ago began to claim passage-money from
the Baghdad and Basra caravans ; the Hessenne had received such
toll from time immemorial. The Besher are divided into the
following powerful tribes— el Fedhaan, Ibn Imhyd, Ibn Ghebein,
(who conducted me to Palmyra in 1810), Ibn Kay Shysh, Ibn
Ghedhzour, el Zebaa. In my way from Hamah to Tedmor, I
found all the watering-places occupied by Arabs of this tribe : the
greater part of them are in Nedjd; el Mauaydje, el Metarcfe,
whose brethren are likewise in Nedjd; el Seleymdt, el Hossenny,
(not to be mistaken for the Hessenne,) el Medheyan. Thus far
extends my knowledge of the greater Aeneze tribes. To detail
all their minor branches or towayefs, would be to give an index of
all their families, every large family with its relations constituting
a small tribe in itself. It is difficult to ascertain the numbers of
each tribe, from a prejudice which forbids them to count the
horsemen, as they believe, like the eastern merchants, that who
ever knows the exact amount of his wealth may soon expect to
lose part of it. From some Damascus pedlars, who had passed
their whole lives among the Bedouins, I learned particulars which
induce me to state the force of the Aeneze tribes above men
tioned, (their brethren in Nedjd not included,) at about ten thou
sand horsemen, and perhaps ninety or one hundred thousand