The Serdie Generally Regulate The Amount Of
The Khone Which They Levy, By That Which The Fehely Receive; And Take
Half as much; but the Khone paid to the Aeneze chiefs is quite
arbitrary, and the sum paid to a
Single Sheikh varies according to his
avidity; or the wealth of the Fellahs, from thirty and forty piastres up
to four hundred, which are generally paid in corn.
These various oppressive taxes, under which the poor Fellah groans, are
looked upon as things of course, and just contributions; and he
considers himself fortunate, if they form the whole of his
[p.303]sufferings: but it too often happens that the Pasha is a man who
sets no bounds to his rapacity, and extraordinary sums are levied upon
the village, by the simple command issued from the Hakim el Haouran to
the village Sheikh to levy three or four hundred piastres upon the
peasants of the place. On these occasions the women are sometimes
obliged to sell their ear-rings and bracelets, and the men their cattle,
to satisfy the demand, and have no other hope than that a rich harvest
in the following year shall make amends for their loss. The receipt of
the Miri of the whole Pashalik of Damascus is in the hands of the Jew
bankers, or Serafs of the Pasha, who have two and a half per cent. upon
his revenue, and as much upon his expenditure. They usually distribute
the villages amongst their creatures, who repair thither at the time of
harvest, to receive the Miri; and who generally extort, besides,
something for themselves.
The Druses who inhabit the villages in the Loehf, and those on the sides
of the Djebel Haouran, are to be classed with the Fellahs of the plain
with regard to their mode of living and their relations with the
government. Their dress is the same as that of the Fellahs to the W. of
Damascus; they seldom wear the Keffie, and the grown up men do not go
barefoot like the other Fellahs of the Haouran. I have already mentioned
that their chief resides at Soueida, of which village he is also the
Sheikh. On the death of the chief, the individual in his family who is
in the highest estimation from wealth or personal character succeeds to
the title, and is confirmed by the Pasha. It is known that on the death
of Wehebi el Hamdan, the present chief, who is upwards of eighty,
Shybely el Hamdan, the Sheikh of Aaere, will succeed him. The chief has
no income as such, it being derived from the village of which he is
Sheikh; and his authority over the others goes no further than to
communicate to them the orders of the Pasha. In manners these Druses
very much resemble those of the mountains of Kesrouan.
[p.304]The families form clans almost independent of each other; and
among whom there are frequent quarrels. Insults are studiously avenged
by the respective families, and the law of blood-revenge is in full
force among them, without being mitigated by the admission of any
pecuniary commutation. They all go armed, as do the Turks and Christians
of the Haouran in general. Few Druses have more than one wife; but she
may be divorced on very slight pretexts.
With respect to their religion, the Druses of the Haouran, like those in
Mount Libanus, have the class of men called Akoul (sing. Aakel), who are
distinguished from the rest by a white turban, and the peculiarity of
the folds in which they wear it. The Akoul are not permitted to smoke
tobacco; they never swear, and are very reserved in their manners and
conversation. I was informed that these were their only obligations; and
it appears probable, for I observed Akoul boys of eight or ten years of
age, from whom nothing more difficult could well be expected, and to
whom it is not likely that any important secret would be imparted. I
have seen Akouls of that age, whose fathers were not of the order,
because, as they told me, they could not abstain from smoking and
swearing. The Sheikhs are for the greater part Akouls. The Druses pray
in their chapels, but not at stated periods; these chapels are called
Khalawe [Arabic], i.e. an insulated place, and none but Druses are
allowed to enter them. They affect to follow the doctrines of Mohammed,
but few of them pray according to the Turkish forms: they fast during
Ramadan in the presence of strangers, but eat at their own homes, and
even of the flesh of the wild boar, which is frequently met with in
these districts. It is a singular belief both among the western Druses,
and those of the Haouran, that there are a great number of Druses in
England; an opinion founded perhaps upon the fanatical opinions of the
Christians of Syria, who deny the English to be followers of Christ,
because they neither confess nor fast. When I first arrived at the Druse
village of Aaere
[p.305]there was a large company in the Medhafe, and the Sheikh had no
opportunity of speaking to me in private; he therefore called for his
inkstand, and wrote upon a piece of paper the following questions, which
I answered as well as I could, and returned him the paper: "Where do the
five Wadys flow to, in your country?--Do you know the grain of the plant
Leiledj [Arabic]; and where is it sown?--What is the name of the Sultan
of China?--Are the towns of Hadjar and Nedjran in the Yemen known to
you?--Is Hadjar in ruins? and who will rebuild it?--Is the Moehdy (the
Saviour) yet come, or is he now upon the earth?".
I have not been able to obtain any information concerning the period at
which the Druses first settled in these parts. Min Kadim [Arabic], a
long time ago, was the general answer of all those whom I questioned on
the subject.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 103 of 232
Words from 103894 to 104901
of 236498
