'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎70] (203/458)

COMMANDER F. JONES.
abandonment, in all probability, lik^ the other towns in its neighbour-
hood, to a great and sudden change the Tigris underwent,—but at what
precise time it is impossible to say. Abulfeda, who wiote at the end
of the seventh century of the Hijreh, notices Akbara as a mere
village only in few and concise terms.* It probably derived its
water from the Dijeil Canal, and so long as this great conduit
remained capable of fulfilling the design for which we may suppose
it was excavated—that of supplying the town recently bereaved
of the element by the great change of the course of the river
we m ay presume that Akbara continued to be inhabited.
It is idle, however, to speculate farther on its history, though it
doubtless existed in situ prior to the Mahomedan conquest, perhaps
under a different name. We have a notice of the place also in the
geographical work entitled M&rifet-al-Buldan of Ibu Hookal, who
wrote in the first third of the tenth century of Christ, and who merely
mentions it by name with several others,—concluding the meagre list
medans: the Shiahs, however, refrain from its flesh, deeming it entire y prohibited. There are
some tribes of Arabs, finding that opinions clash upon the subject, wisely enough, when
hungry devour the whole; the Jebour, indeed, seem to have a relish for the flesh of the noxious
animal. The peculiar formation of the hind-legs of the hysena, coupled with the fact of its
being a semi-edible brute, and an inordinate desire for the marvellous in all Orientals, have
induced the worthy Chokadar to exercise his powers of invention, probably after inquiry had
been made on the subject by Mr. Rich or some of his party,—for these people will readily
affirm to anything, however surprizing, if a leading question, apparently of‘.interest to the
querist, is put to them to solve, and indeed will not fail to embellish it with some crude and
preposterous remarks of their own, that in most instances secure for the rest of the tale tne
discredit it is generally entitled to. As a myth, however, the satyr is not unknown in this
country, and has held its place, doubtless, from the most ancient times; for we find it repre
sented on the cylinders and gems peculiar to ancient Babylonia, and in the imagination ot the
inspired writers was perhaps invested with the same powers as the “jins” and a ews
(genies and evil spirits) are supposed to possess among the more enlightened Mahomedans oi
the present day. Formerly, from a want of a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew term
tzdbwd yUS the hytena was supposed to be unknown in Asia, and as Pliny (Vol. I. Book
8, Chap. 30) described it only as a native of Africa; its presence in the East in remote ages
was once doubted by a naturalist of distinction, (Col. Hamilton Smith.) Though little k” 0 '? 11 ’
perhaps, from its nocturnal habits, it was doubtless much dreaded, and may have sll PP liea J*
type for the term “ Satyr,” as rendered in our version of the Scriptures, in which the hyaena
is named but once in the Greek text of the Apocrypha by the name of Yai m. (Ecclesiasticus,
xiii. 18). At the present day the animal, amongst the Orientals, has ascribed to nimu
same salacious powers as the ^aTVpos 0 f Greek fable was supposed to enjoy, and in this
respect amongst the ancients doubtless it held the same place, from the peculiar perm
glands with which it is furnished by nature. Its habits in other, respects—associated vv
imagination—lent an ideal picture sufficiently corrupt and alarming to create either te
or disgust in the minds of all men. There are some Arabs even at the present time,
suppose it to be so far a distinct species from other beasts, as to be able to change its se
will. The Arabic name d’thdb'a, f-i'e meaning alike “hyaena” or “lust,” shows at once
its close affinity to the Hebrew.
* In the Taquim-al-Buldan, where Akbara is described as ten farsakhs from Baghdad- This
gives a value of 5,062 yards to the farsakh, or 2 English statute miles A linear distance of 1,760 yards. and 1,542 y ar ^ s ’T"^ tot)
lent to 2$ miles geographical, exactly. Abulfeda’s information on this head is deriveci
fiio hhAh nv “choice” pieces of a work called Kanum.