Travels in Arabia

plorers

s, or of journeys to the Levant, Persia and the Indies, with the object of acquiring wealth by traffic, the profits of which increased in the same proportion as its hazards. From the time of Trajan's expedition to Arab

in the company of a Mameluke captain, himself disguised as a Mameluke renegade. After several attacks from the Bedouins of the desert, the caravan reached Medina, which he describes as containing thr

, all raised with this cry, took weapon with all expedition, suspecting that the Arabs were come to rob our caravan. We asked what was the cause of that exclamation, and what they cried? For they cried as do the Christians when suddenly any marvellous thing chanceth. The elders answered: 'Saw you not the lightning which shone out of the sepulchre of the Prophet Mohammed?' Our captain answered that he saw nothing, and we also being demanded, answered in like manner. Then said one of the old men

in horrible noise and cry," and after journeying for ten days longer, during which time they twice fought with "fifty thousand Arabians," they reached Mecca, of which Bartema says: "The c

us, and the members of the troop were ordered to accompany it, on pain of death. Then he managed to escape by persuading a Mohammedan that he understood the art of casting cannon, and wished to reach India, in order to assist the native mo

man. After some years, when he had acquired the Arabic and Turkish languages, he accompanied his master for a pilgrimage to Mecca, by way of Cairo, Suez and the Red Sea. Here he received his freedom;

ve, like that of all former visitors to Mecca, has been superseded by the more intelligent description of Burckhardt; yet it coincides with the l

o force, wanting both walls and gates. Its buildings are, as I said before, very ordinary, insomuch that it would be a place of no tolerable entertainment, were it not for the annive

ness, appearing at a distance like cocks of hay, but all pointing towards Mecca. Some of them are half a mile in circumference, but all near of one height. The people here have an odd and foolish sort of tradition concerning them, viz., That when Abraham went about building the Beat-Allah (Beit-Allah, or 'House of God'), God by his wonderful providence did so order it, that every mountain in the wor

ly retire for his solitary devotions, meditations and fastings; and here they believe he had a great part of the Alcoran br

ay, Mahomet when very young, viz., about four years of age, was carried by the angel Gabriel, who opened his breast and took out his heart, from which he picked some blac

after various adventures, he became at last a corporal in Mohammed Ali's body-guard, and shared in several campaigns against the Wahabees. He did not, however, penetrate very far inland from the coast,

o us are positive contributions to our knowledge of Arabia. With the exception of the journey of Carsten Niebuhr, which embraces only the Sinaitic