ThiS cfountry !sr divided 'among'’Numerous ItriafliS and Sheiks, an
idea o f whofe government may he drawn from that ,bf Yemen which is
described b y Niebuhr. s TThe bf'/wa*» impTyTlig Vxe^ttiait iff of
Mahomet, is ecclefraffjc'; and amoAg the' Tifrks implies-i cbmrhon
prieft, while'the IVInlla pfeTidef in a ciphk b f juftice. But dihdrig fhe
Perfians 'and Arabs the title Ima^ ;i|£f tdperior dignity, 'as the tWlvb
Imams, or genuine fubceflors'of the prophet in Periia'; wb'iledn Arabia
memn, or Prince of the faithful.3 The antiquity oftbis $ le has hdt
heed explained, but 'the hiftory of the Infakb t>f "Yemen 'is very
modern ; and though thefe Imams fdm&hnejs ‘Celebrate dMrie fetvidb,
the ftyle ofT'mir, which (hey themiefves afliime bn thfelr fc&itfs, feeths
more proper and precife. The inferior governiiietits are eofedudted by
Sheiks, a term merely implying old' men, add fdeins r&Vely mingled
with the ecclefiaftic character.
The throne p f Yemen is hereditary: and the ‘ImaS, Or TM t; an independent
power, acknowledging no fuperior in fpirituM OPtempbrifl
affairs.4 He poffeffes the prerogative of ’peace and War; but cahdof be
called defpotic, as he cannot deprive eVen a “Jew, Jor a Pagih of
but the caufe mull be tried before the fupreffle tribunal Of Sana,0bn~
lifting of feveral Cadis, while he :is bffTy prefidetft. Wheb an -EfniV
Ihews a defpotic difpofitiOnhe isfOrhrriohly dethroned. The -ndxt in
Varik are the’Fakis, a title fo lax asfeem'mgly
The governors of dift'ridts are called ©bias; of, if fuperior in birth,
Walis. The Dola in fame 'degree cOitefponds with the TurMffi #adha.
The chief ihagiftrate of a fmall town without a ^rrifon is caled SheHc;
as a fuperior governbr is fometim'es’ffiftfe lEndr, and in'little ^ilfeges
tiakim. The Bdlkateb, dr coinpttolle'r, is ah officer Vrhb attends on
the pnnce, and infpefb the CdndUift of the ©ola, and'ihe -toanageftVent
of the revenues. Ih ea^h diftri& there is affo a Cadi; ivho, like tnofe
in Turkey, are judges of ecclefiaftic and civil affairs; and perhaps ^depend
on the chief Cadis at Sana, asthofeof Turkey on the Mufti; but
in Arabia the prince himfelf is the high prieft. His army, irkpeace,
was computed at 4000 infantry, and 1000 cavalry; the foldiers being,
5 Niebuhr, 162. * lb. 179-
A R, A. B I m 4M
ag qfual inA tp . ea.ft, witbyDiit u n ifq r^ s, ^ There-, is n o navy,^ and the
yejjejs in,g^nerafpr'eogery rudely conftru^ecj^ th o fe /o f Yemen having
feils made, matting, ’■
7^/gfe fbyeteigi^, ;as in the-time
of and Jriaimpcye^ate fncceflof|s, ’ k&fpql ideal |mf>o|4 dce may"
be * inferred fojm the* events Yjf that period. Yet’eveh filed little is
fO T t wiT regard, to ,me p^mps<iipd tril^A op'the weftern.
^nd.^lftm northern froq^iep^towams Syriiarid Perfxa. There
is,(hQ.wey£ry realqiptQ infer that "the..jmerhal provmceOf Neged pre-
esxtehhvg jd eferfs life tfipfe pf p k |f / a n f MfricV,^'^hich cafethe
forgier prgyjfjfi^ ®ut a?
an accurate idea, pffbis fu b je ^ io f a r a fW *iH
IjLsjj.S* is .indi^pgf^blp jn 'a 'juff'^ |im a || of rifts' fextenfive
country, Niebuhr’s ^ ^ ^ c o u i i t of Neged,.maj be here irnertefd.**
*‘ f This Ijrgp country extends front Labfa, ^or^lf ajafy 4n4 frak Arabi, NegeA
pn the £• to Hejaz7 - and fpm Yemen on th^ Si^d-themefert’s df Syria
on the N. Th^, grejfeft part of this province is inhabited by Beduiris,
OF Wlapdering Araps. T h e j>art which pis Darticularly known under the
name p f N e g # V mountainou?, yet full ..of towns and’village^^as well
as little Iqrdftiipg, f? tjbataljnQ§t every littl|y ow n is .g^vepeQ b ^ a'n
independent Sheik. N ^e rth e le fs, 4 'tb e ( .time when ^tbe’' Sgerefs 'were
mwe powerful, feveral ,of iftt^e JSh^ks have been fomki'mes
obliged to pay tribute to Mecca. ^ m^ouhtamo^’ ija rty o f Neged are
very fejtilg in all forts (of fruits, particularly ^dates. 1 There are few
rivers, and even that whiph ^s marked in . ^ e m ^ ,9$ P* .^nvilfb f the
Aftan) is QUly a 01 ? "which tu p s ,a f^ tr ^ieay^ rainsj ^ FoV
thisxaufe the Arabs o f;this^Qt|9l!h7:^lp
and the Want .of water renders .aguicuitu^yery l ^ | j p u s . ^ ;(>
.There are in the province of Neged, property §> £ $ &
eipal 'mti&s* mely, Ar.ed and,
<bt lijLahfa, to the jeaft; ;and prefehts
celebrated, and ft;ll inown by the fame ,name. J,^e,,j^pe|d^p<^es .are
Aijana, a ;tpwn whieh pnaduced ^ h h e b the'^newp^ophet, and Miui-
'■ ; t Niebuhr, p. 296, the names are given in-the orthography oLGibbon,
3 G a Yohai”