Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 25 - A-AUS.pdf/565

 ARABIA 515 and a rock exhibiting Himyaritic inscriptions. This British. It owes its existence to the trade in coflee. Early in the appears to have been an important position on the great 17th century English and Dutch established factories at Mokha, caravan route between east and west. Large unhewn and a century later the French followed their example, so that for two centuries Mokha became renowned for its wealth. On stones of the dolmen type, decorated on the inside with some the British occupation of Aden in 1839 trade left Mokha, and geometric patterns similar to those found in Mashonaland, since then the town has fallen into decay. together with buildings of extreme antiquity far anterior From Aden, northwards, a stretch of some 30 miles of desert to those of other Himyaritic remains around them, also separates the volcanic rocks and ridges of the coast from the green and fertile highlands of Yemen. These highlands present a most exist in the Wadi Sher. The general result of these curious contrast to the arid sterility of the Tehama. Ranges of discoveries is greatly to enlarge our views of the extent mountains rise abruptly from the plains to great altitudes (estiof ancient Sabtean colonization in the Eastern world, a mated at 10,000 to 12,000 feet, or even higher, but there is no result which is still further supported by the remarkable absolute determination of the height of any of the most prominent and assume a general formation of parallel ranges, with a similarity which exists between the great irrigation works peaks) strike from north-west to south-east, sheltering lateral valleys, to be found in emen and those which yet require further which are wide and fertile, highly cultivated, and teeming with investigation in Southern Baluchistan. agricultural wealth. It is here that coffee and indigo are chiefly The remarkable connexion between the fauna and the grown. Here, in Arabia Felix, English vegetables and many of fruit reach perfection in a climate of which the average flora of Arabia and those of the Somali country and kinds mean shade temperature may vary between 60° and 70° F. A Abyssinia, no less than the curious analogies between line drawn from Aden northwards for 170 to 180 miles will pass geological and topographical construction in the physio- not very far from the main water-parting of the plateau, of which l°gy °f the two countries, points to a prehistoric land the average level is 7000 or 8000 feet, and not far east of the great connexion between them on the south, as well as the caravan road which connects Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, with the southern port. It is on this route that the towns of Kataba, north, of the Red Sea, which may possibly have been great Terim, and Damar are situated, and it has probably been through coeval with the land connexion between India and Southern all ages the great central trade-route of Yemen. It is remarkable Africa. The link forged in geologic ages never seems to that whilst the Tehama is subject to a most uncertain rainfall, have been entirely broken, and nothing has served to there should be two regular wet seasons in the highlands, correto the spring and autumn “monsoons” of Harrar and give emphasis to previous evidence on this subject more sponding the Galla country. Rain is said to fall daily during the recurthan the Zimbabwe discoveries of Theodore Bent. It is rence of these wet seasons, but with intermittent periods of bright certain that the ruins and the relics in them (amongst sunshine. Of the beauty of the scenery in the Yemen hill-country, which were found fragments of Persian and Celadon china, Harris gives us a most vivid description. “Torn into all manner fantastic peaks, the rocky crags add a wildness to the view that such as may still be found in quantities on the coast of of otherwise possesses the most peaceful charms. Rich green valleys, Makran and of the Persian Gulf) are not in any way well timbered in places, and threaded by silvery streams of connected with any African race. We also know that for dancing water; sloping fields gay with crops and wild flowers ; many centuries before our era the Red Sea was alive the terraced or jungle-covered slopes—all are so luxuriant, so that one’s ideas as to the nature of Arabia are entirely with the ships and commerce of Arabia. Arab ships verdant, upset.” Colonel Wahab, who surveyed the hills north of Lahej brought spices from India and the “ Cania ” tree from in the Aden district, describes the wealth of green terraces, sloping China; and “ Arabian ” gold is celebrated in the writings in steps of graceful contour down the spurs of the mountains, as of the very earliest historians. Very little gold ever recalling the beauty of Himalayan scenery in the valleys of the and Sutlej. Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, lies at an elevacame from Arabia, but in Africa it was produced in Jumna tion of nearly 7800 feet above sea-level, about 250 miles by road to large quantities (both from alluvial and quartz sources) the north of Aden, and 180 by road north-east of Hodeida, on the from the earliest ages. There can be little doubt Red Sea coast. Between Sanaa and Aden are the three principal that the builders of Zimbabwe came from the Arabian towns of Damar, Terim, and Kataba, the last marking the southern frontier of Turkish occupation in the highlands. Damar, Peninsula. 9300 feet above sea - level, is described by Harris as being an Although no recent travels or explorations in Yemen unwalled town, but protected by small mud forts placed at have added greatly to the mass of scientific information intervals—an obviously Turkish innovation denoting recent construction. Many of its houses are well built of stone, and Yemen collected by Glaser, Schweinfurth, and Playfair, decorated with considerable taste. A peculiarity in their conwe have acquired a better knowledge of the is the use of slabs of alabaster for the windows, 'which, chief geographical features of that country from the struction being carved in relief, admits of a peculiarly soft and varying adventurous journey of W. B. Harris in 1892, supple- light. There is an open square about the centre of the town, the it being full of life and busy mented by the researches of the Indian surveyors in the bazaars and narrow streets around r Aden district about the same period, and the earlier with trade. As usual, the Jew s occupy a separate quarter. The of Turkish misrule are everywhere strongly marked in travels of General F. T. Haig in 1887, than we formerly effects Damar. Terim, 80 miles from Sanaa, is comparatively a new, possessed. and essentially a poor, town, built chiefly of sun-dried bricks. It lies between 7000 and 8000 feet above sea-level. The country is split up into the two great natural divisions of Two notable examples of the engineering skill of the Sabsean the interior highlands or Jebel, and low-lying sandy deserts and and Himyaritic Arabs exist in Yemen ; one at Hirran, near plains of the seaboard. The latter are from 30 to 100 miles in Damar (which Harris believes to be the Haran of Biblical record), breadth, skirting the highlands on the west and south, and are and the other at Mareb or Saba. The storage tanks at Hirran, only broken where a spur from the mountains approaches the which are supplemented by deep wells, were obviously built for southern outlet of the Red Sea, forming the headland of Sidi the purpose of providing water for the garrison of an ancient Sheikh, exactly opposite to the island of Perim. There are many fortress which encloses them. Two spurs of a hill have been joined indications that this seaboard strip of desert was, until a geologi- by an enormous wall, whereon there is space sufficient to drive ‘ ‘ a cally recent period, below sea-level. These plains of Yemen are carriage and pair. This wall is 150 yards long and 20 feet an called Tehama. They are subject to drought, the rainfall being d L built with the peculiar cement which is typical of extremely small, but there are, nevertheless, scattered about them, early Arab construction. Harris recognized in it many points of oases where cereals can be reared with success, and water may similarity to a gigantic wall, dating from early Arab times, which be obtained in the nullah beds by sinking wells sufficient to exists at Mekinez in Morocco. Within the wall is a well of which supply the flocks and herds of the Beduin. It is in these arid the lower part is sunk in the solid rock, and above the northern plains that some of the best of Arabian camels are bred. The end are a series of three tanks reached by a stairway. Hirran, or chief towns of the Tehama are Hodeida and Mokha on the western Hail Hirran, as the hill is also called, is perforated with excavations, coast, and Aden (q.v.) on the south. Hodeidalies on the north-east and abounds in sepulchral ruins and masses of broken pottery. side of a large bay, sheltered by a promontory to the north-west. The great dam of March (Sheba or Saba) possibly dates from 1700 It is a large and flourishing town containing about 30,000 in- years b.c., for its construction is attributed to the father of Himyar, habitants, with a Turkish garrison. It possesses a climate which the founder of the Himyaritic dynasty. It is certainly of vast is inimical to European existence. At certain seasons of the year antiquity. M. d’Arnaud describes its ruins as comprising a it is subject to frightful epidemics of fever. Mokha has lost its gigantic wall 2 miles long and 175 paces wide, connecting two hills. importance as a trade port since Aden has been occupied by the The water which was stored by means of this enormous dam was