"عبر بلاد فارس على سرج ركوب جانبي" [‎٢‎٧‎٦] (٣٦٠/٣١٧)

276 THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
The Arabs near Ahwaz were tall, straight, slightly built
men, holding themselves well, dressed in long, white or
light-coloured cotton robes, with the flowing burnoos of
black or brown woollen material draped round them, the
better class having this cloak made of such thin texture as
to be almost transparent. With the characteristic blue
and white checked kafia streaming from their heads, and
the inevitable rifle slung at their backs, they made
imposing figures on their cherished mares, which, however,
they rode with most cruel bits. Tne Arab women by no
means equalled the men in looks, although it must be
remembered that I never saw any of the upper class.
Those I came across were very squalid and dirty-looking,
often wearing huge nose-rings, only a few of the young
ones appearing to think about keeping their persons tidy.
Their dress was usually a shabby, black, loose garment,
with a shawl of the same material draped over the head,
an unsuitable colour and style for such a climate.
But I feel that I ought to give some idea of what
Bunder Nasseri and Ahwaz are like, since I hope both are
destined to become commercial centres from the opening
up of the trade of the Karun.
The former place was not much to look at, but the stir
of commercial life was in the air, and building was busily
going on. To supply the quantities of bricks required,
a couple of kilns just outside the scattered village were
eternally belching forth volumes of black smoke, and as
fuel was hard to procure, the whole Karun district being
deforested, the kilns were fed with the golden tibbin or
chaff piled up in heaps beside them. As this flaked straw
is given to horses instead of hay, this sight caused the
little European colony to lay in their winter stock of fodder