The philosophy of Arabia in the earliest ages may be collected
from the dialogues in the Book of Job : it is evident that the
stars were then divided into constellations ; for in one passage1
the Deity calls upon the Patriarch to say whether he can bind
the delights of Chimah, and loosen the bands of Chesil, which
have been interpreted to signify the Pleiades and Orion. A star,
or cluster, is also mentioned under the name of Mazzaroth ;
and it is remarkable that the isolation of the earth in space is
indicated2 by its being suspended from nothing. The balancing
of the clouds, the formation of rain, and the effects of frost in
contracting the breadth of water, are noticed,3 together with
the quarters of the horizon from whence proceed tempests and
fair weather-4 Concerning the arts, we find written characters
in use, and the practice of engraving on stones.5 Mining and
smelting operations are alluded to ; and various precious stones
enumerated.6 Molten looking-glasses, probably metallic mirrors,
are mentioned;7 and the shortness of life is illustrated by
comparisons with the swiftness of post-messengers and ships.8
Respecting natural history, it will be found that many
beasts and birds are incidentally noticed in the same book ;
and the plants which are mentioned prove that botany must
have been attentively studied ; agriculture was practised, and
the sounds of the harp, the organ, and the timbrel, were heard
at the social meetings of the people
Owing to the nature of the country, and the mode of living,
the people of Arabia have had but little opportunity of displaying
their ingenuity in the erection of buildings; yet the
structures in Tehámeh, ’Omán, Nedjd, and the Hijáz, which
are almost entirely in the Saracenic style, show much taste.
The Khánats, elsewhere described, are precisely similar to
those of Persia ; and the excavations of Petræa, Yemen, and
the Hijáz, are vast monuments of the skill and industry of
the ancient people of the country. The great dyke of Mareb,
among other structures, is in that style of architecture which
1 Chap. XXXVIII., v. 31, 32. s Chap. XXVI., v, 7.
8 Chap. XXXVII., v. 10, 16. 4 Ibid,, v. 9, 22.
5 Chap. XIX., v. 23, 24. 8 Chap. XXVIII,, v. 1-18.
1 Chap. XXXVII., v. 18. 8 Chap. IX., v. 25, 26.
was brought from Arabia, through Africa, into Spain; and in
Grenada, Cordova, Seville, and Gibraltar, are tanks, similar to
those of the East, which were constructed by the Arabs or
Moors: these, from the perfection of their coating, continue to
be water-tight though some of them, as those under the castle
of Gibraltar, must have been in use upwards of eleven centuries.
They consist of a series of subterraneous apartments, containing
reservoirs which are connected together by means of earthen
pipes proceeding from the innermost tanks, which receive their
supplies of rain water from the heart of the limestone rock.
The ancient fortress, on the summit of Mount Agatha, in
the Termino of Mercadel, in the island of Minorca, contains
two remarkable cisterns for rain water; both unquestionably
Moorish, as is evident from the nature of their construction, as
well as an Arabic inscription on one of the towers of the
enclosure, These vast reservoirs differ from those of Gibraltar,
by being raised buildings, instead of excavations, and they are
at the same time of much greater dimensions, being together
capable of containing 2173 tuns, or upwards of half a million
of gallons. The enclosures to contain the water-are constructed
of large blocks of concrete, known by the Moorish
name of Tapia, which is composed of sand, lime, and pebbles,
well tempered, thoroughly wrought together, and then moulded
in wooden frames; walls of this kind possess strength, solidity,
and durability, equal to those of stone itself,1 particularly when
covered with a coat of cement. The latter, which is ealled
Jabba, appears to have been nearly the same as that used in
the tunnels under the city of Alexandria, as, well as in the
stone khanats occasionally met with in Barbary.
The Arab is raw-boned, rather below the middle stature,
but muscular, well formed, very active, and particularly swift
of foot. His eyes are dark, approaching to black, which is
the colour of his hair and beard; the latter is particularly
scanty, whilst the former is generally thick, and frequently
left in its natural state. On the whole, he has an inquisitive
1 A wall on the Moorish castle at Gibraltar offers a fine specimen of this
kind of building, not only with respect to the nature of the materials, but also
to the manner in which the frame was removed as the work advanced.