After The
Feast, The Fine Suit Is Laid Aside, And Every One Returns To His Wonted
Station.
Every grown-up Mekkawy carries a long stick; among the lower
orders, they may rather be called bludgeons.
An olema is never seen
without his stick. Few persons go armed, except among the lower classes,
or the Sherifs, who carry crooked knives in their belts.
The women of Mekka and Djidda dress in Indian silk gowns, and very large
blue striped trowsers, reaching down to the ankles, and embroidered
below with silver thread; over these they wear the wide gown called
habra, of black silk stuff, used in Egypt and Syria; or a blue and white
striped silk mellaye of Indian manufacture. The face is concealed by a
white, or light blue borko; on the head, covered by the mellaye, they
wear a cap like the men's, around which a piece of coloured muslin is
tightly twisted in folds. The head-dress is said to
[p.186] be less ornamented with gold coins, pearls, and jewels, than
that of the ladies of Egypt and Syria; but they have, at least, one
string of sequins tied round it: many have gold necklaces, bracelets,
and silver ankle-rings. The poorer women wear the blue Egyptian shirt,
and large trowsers, like those already mentioned; and bracelets of horn,
glass, or amber.
The children of Mekka are not so spoiled by their parents as they are in
other countries of the East; as soon as they can walk freely, they are
allowed to play in the street before the house, clad in very light
clothes, or rather half-naked. On this account, probably, they are
stouter and healthier than the bandaged children of Syria and Egypt; of
whom it may be truly said that they are often nursed to death.
There are few families at Mekka, in moderate circumstances, that do not
keep slaves. Mohammed found the African slave-trade so firmly
established in Arabia, that he made no effort to abolish it; and thus he
has confirmed, and extended throughout Northern Africa, this traffic,
with all its attendant cruelties, besides those which have followed the
propagation of Islam. The male and female servants are negroes, or
noubas, usually brought from Sowakin: the concubines are always
Abyssinian slaves. No wealthy Mekkawy prefers domestic peace to the
gratification of his passions; they all keep mistresses in common with
their lawful wives: but if a slave gives birth to a child, the master
generally marries her, or, if he fails to do so, is censured by the
community. The keeping of Abyssinian concubines is still more prevalent
at Djidda. Many Mekkawys have no other than Abyssinian wives, finding
the Arabians more expensive, and less disposed to yield to the will of
the husband. The same practice is adopted by many foreigners, who reside
in the Hedjaz for a short time. Upon their arrival, they buy a female
companion, with the design of selling her at their departure; but
sometimes their stay is protracted; the slave bears a child; they marry
her, and become stationary in the town. There are very few men
unmarried, or without a slave. This, indeed, is general in the East, and
no where more so than at Mekka. The
[p.187] mixture of Abyssinian blood has, no doubt, given to the Mekkawys
that yellow tinge of the skin which distinguishes them from the natives
of the Desert.
Among the richer classes, it is considered shameful to sell a concubine
slave. If she bears a child, and the master has not already four legally
married wives, he takes her in matrimony; if not, she remains in his
house for life; and in some instances the number of concubines is
increased to several dozen, old and young. The middling and lower
classes in Mekka are not so scrupulous as their superiors: they buy up
young Abyssinians on speculation; educate them in the family; teach them
cooking, sewing, &c.; and then sell them at a profit to foreigners, at
least such as prove barren. I have been informed by physicians, barbers,
and druggists, that the practice of causing abortion is frequent here.
The seed of the tree which produces the balsam of Mekka, is the drug
commonly used for this purpose. The Mekkawys make no distinction
whatever between sons born of Abyssinian slaves and those of free
Arabian women.
The inhabitants of Mekka have but two kinds of employment, - trade, and
the service of the Beitullah, or Temple; but the former has the
preference, and there are very few olemas, or persons employed in the
mosque, who are not engaged in some commercial affairs, though they are
too proud to pursue them openly. The reader has probably remarked, in
the foregoing description of Mekka, how few artisans inhabit its
streets; such as masons, carpenters, tailors, shoemakers, smiths, &c.,
and these are far inferior, in skill, to the same class in Egypt. With
the exception of a few potteries and dying-houses, the Mekkawys have not
a single manufactory; but, like the people of Djidda, are dependent upon
other countries for a supply of their wants. Mekka, therefore, has
necessarily a considerable degree of foreign commerce, which is chiefly
carried on, during the pilgrimage, and some months preceding it, by the
wealthy hadjys, who bring from every Muselman country its native
productions to Djidda, either by sea or across the Desert from Damascus,
exchanging them amongst each other; or receiving from the merchants of
Mekka the goods of India and Arabia, which the latter have accumulated
the whole year in
[p.188] their warehouses. At this period, Mekka becomes one of the
largest fairs of the East, and certainly the most interesting, from the
variety of nations which frequent it. The value of the exports from
Mekka is, however, greatly superior to that of the imports, and a
considerable sum of money, in dollars and sequins, required to balance
them. Of these, some part finds its way to Yemen and India; and about
one-fourth remains in the hands of the Mekkawys.
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