Travels In Arabia

J >> John Lewis Burckhardt >> Travels In Arabia

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The street, which extends the whole length of Muna, was now converted
into a market and fair: every inch of ground not built upon,

[p.281] was occupied by sheds or booths, made of mats; or by small
tents, fitted up as shops. Provisions, and merchandize of every kind,
had been brought here from Mekka; and, contrary to the custom in other
Mohammedan countries, where all commerce is laid aside during the feast-
days, all the merchants, shopkeepers, and brokers, were busily employed
in traffic. The merchants who had arrived with the Syrian caravan, began
their bargains for Indian goods, and exhibited samples of the articles
which they had themselves brought, and which were lying in the
warehouses at Mekka. A number of poor hadjys were crying their small
adventures, which they carried along the street on their heads; and as
all business was confined to this single street, the mixture of nations,
costumes, and merchandize, was still more striking than at Mekka. [This
pilgrimage among the Pagan Arabs was, at all times, connected with a
large fair held at Mekka. In the month before the pilgrimage, they
visited some other neighbouring fairs, namely, those of Okath, the
market of the tribe of Kenane; of Medjna and Zou el Medjaz; the markets
of the tribe of Hodeyl; and of Hasha, that of the Beni Lazed. After
having spent their time in amusements at those fairs, they repaired to
the Hadj at Arafat, and then returned to Mekka, where another large fair
was held (see Azraky). At Arafat and Muna, on the contrary, they
scrupulously abstained from any traffic during the days of their
sojourning there, and the performance of the holy rites; but the Koran
abrogated this observance, and by a passage in chap. ii. permitted
trafficking even in the days of the Hadj; at least it has been so
explained. (See El Fasy.)]

In the afternoon of the first day of Muna, the two Pashas paid mutual
visits; and their cavalry manoeuvred before their tents. Among the troops
of Soleyman Pasha, about sixty Sambarek (Zembourek) attracted notice:
these are artillerymen, mounted on camels, having a. small swivel before
them, which turned on a pivot fixed to the pommel of the camel's saddle.
They fire while at a trot, and the animal bears the shock of the
discharge with great tranquillity. The Syrian cavalry consisted of about
fifteen hundred men, principally delhys; no infantry whatever being with
the caravan. Soleyman Pasha appeared to-day with a very brilliant
equipage; all his body-guards were dressed in richly-embroidered stuffs
glittering with gold, and were well mounted, though the Pasha's own stud
was very indifferent. After the two

[p.282] Pashas had interchanged visits, their officers followed the
example, and were admitted to kiss the hands of the Pashas, when each of
them received presents in money, according to his rank. The Kadhy, the
rich merchants of Mekka, and the grandees among the hadjys, likewise
paid their respects to the Pashas, and each of their visits lasted about
five minutes. An immense crowd was, at the same time, assembled in a
wide semicircle round their open tents, to witness this brilliant sight.
In the afternoon, a body of negro pilgrims, under a leader, made their
way through this crowd, and, walking up to Soleyman Pasha, (who sat
quite alone, smoking upon a sofa in the recess of his tent,) boldly
saluted him, and wished him joy on the accomplishment of the pilgrimage;
in return they received some gold coins. They afterwards tried the same
experiment with Mohammed Aly Pasha; but received only blows on the back
from his officers, in return for their compliments. Among the
curiosities which attracted the notice of the crowd, was a curricle
belonging to the wife of Mohammed Aly, which stood in the gateway of the
Sherif's house. This lady had carried it on board her ship to Djidda,
from whence she rode in it to Mekka and Arafat, her person being, of
course, completely concealed; it was drawn by two fine horses, and was
seen frequently afterwards parading the streets of Mekka.

At night, the whole valley blazed; every house and tent was lighted up;
before the tents of the Pashas were fine illuminations; and the Bedouins
made large bonfires upon the summits of the mountains. The noise of guns
continued throughout the night; fire-works were exhibited; and several
of the Mekkans let off rockets.

The second day of the feast at Muna was passed in the same manner as the
first; but the putrefying carcases of the sheep became excessively
offensive in some parts of the valley, as very few of the richer hadjys
can consume the victims which they kill. The Hanefys are not even
allowed by the laws of their sect to eat more than one-eighth of a
sheep. The greater part of the flesh falls to the lot of the poorer
hadjys, and the entrails are thrown about the valley

[p.283] and the street. The negroes and Indians were employed in cutting
some of the meat into slices, and drying it for their travelling
provision. [Until the sixteenth century, it was an established rule with
the Sultans of Egypt, and afterwards with those of Constantinople, to
furnish, at Muna, all the poor hadjys with food at the expense of the
royal treasury. The Pagan Arabs distinguished themselves more
particularly during the Hadj for their hospitality; and such of them as
went on the pilgrimage, were gratuitously entertained by all those whose
tents they passed on the road; they having previously prepared for that
purpose large supplies of food. (See Kotobeddyn.)--Among the wonders
which distinguish Muna from other valleys, El Fasy relates that it
occasionally extends its dimensions to accommodate any number of
pilgrims; that on the day of sacrifice, no vultures ever carry off the
slaughtered lambs, thus leaving them for the poor hadjys; and that,
notwithstanding the quantity of raw flesh, no flies ever molest the
visiters at this place. That the last remark is false, I can declare
from my own experience.]

To-day many hadjys performed their prayers in the Mesdjed el Kheyf,
which I found crowded with poor Indians, who had taken up their quarters
in it. The pavement was thickly spread with carrion; and on cords
extended between the columns were suspended slices of meat, for the
purpose of being dried. The sight and smell were very disgusting; and
many hadjys seemed surprised that such indecencies should be allowed. In
general, foreign hadjys see many practices at Mekka, which are not
calculated to inspire them with great veneration for the holy places of
their religion; and although some may, nevertheless, retain all their
religious zeal undiminished, others, we may be assured, lose much of it
in consequence of what they witness during the Hadj. It is to this loss
of respect for religion, and to the nefarious and shameful practices in
some measure legitimatised by their frequent occurrence in the holy
city, that we must attribute those proverbs which reflect upon the
hadjys as less religious and less trustworthy than any other persons.
But our Christian holy-land is liable to some censure, for practices of
the same kind. The most devout and rigid Mohammedans acknowledge and
deplore the existence of this evil; and prove that they are either more
clear-sighted or more sincere than the Christian pilgrim
Chateaubriand. [Mons. C. may have had very statesman-like motives for
giving in his Itinerary so highly coloured a picture of Palestine and
its priesthood; but, as a traveller, he cannot escape blame for having
departed from the truth, and often totally misrepresented the facts that
fell under his observation.]

[p.284]At mid-day on the 12th of Zul Hadj, immediately after having
thrown the last twenty-one stones, the hadjys left Muna, and returned
along the valley to Mekka, evincing their high spirits by songs, loud
talking, and laughter; a contrast to the gloom which affected every body
in proceeding here four days ago. On arriving at Mekka, the pilgrims
must visit the Kaaba, which in the mean time has been covered with the
new black clothing brought from Cairo, walk seven times round it, and
perform the ceremony of the Say: this is called the Towaf el Ifadhe. He
then takes the ihram once more, in order to visit the Omra; and on
returning from the Omra, again performs the Towaf and Say, and with this
the ceremony of the Hadj is finally terminated.

The principal duties incumbent upon the hadjy are, therefore:--1. that he
should take the ihram; 2. be present, on the 9th of Zul Hadj, from
afternoon till sun-set, at the sermon preached at Arafat; 3. attend a
similar sermon at Mezdelfe, at sun-rise of the 10th of Zul Hadj; 4. on
the 10th, 11th, and 12th of Zul Hadj, throw on each day twenty-one
stones against the devil's pillars at Muna; 5. perform the sacrifice at
Muna; or, if he is too poor, substitute for it a fast at some future
time; and, 6. upon his return to Mekka, visit the Kaaba and the Omra.
The law makes so many nice distinctions, and increases so greatly the
number of rules which are to guide the pilgrim at every step, that very
few can flatter themselves with being quite regular hadjys; but as no
ritual police is kept up during the ceremony, every one is completely
his own master, and assumes the title of hadjy, whether he has strictly
performed all the duties or not. It is enough for such that they have
been at Arafat on the proper day--this is the least distinction: but a
mere visit to Mekka does not authorise a man to style himself hadjy; and
the assumption of this title without some further pretensions, exposes
him to ridicule. There is not any formal certificate given to hadjys at
Mekka, as at Jerusalem; but many of the great people purchase a few
drawings of the town, &c.; annexed to which is an attestation of four
witnesses, that the purchasers were

[p.285] regular hadjys. If the 9th of Zul Hadj, or the day of El Wakfe,
falls upon a Friday, it is held to be particularly fortunate.

Some hadjys are anxious to acquire the title of "Khadem el Mesdjed," or
servant of the mosque, which may be obtained at the expense of about
thirty dollars; for this sum, a paper, bestowing that appellation upon
him, is delivered to the purchaser, signed by the Sherif and Kadhy. It
is not uncommon to permit even Christians to obtain the privilege of
calling themselves servants of the Mesdjed, and the honour is
particularly sought for by the Greek inhabitants of the islands and
shores of the Archipelago; as, in case of their being captured by the
Barbary pirates, such a certificate is often respected by the most rigid
Moggrebyns. I saw a Greek captain who obtained one for two hundred
dollars; he had commanded one of Mohammed Aly's dows, and was now on his
way home; and he felt satisfied that, whatever ship he might hereafter
take under his charge in the Archipelago, would be secured by this
certificate from the pirates. In former times, this title of Khadem
appears to have been of more importance than it is now; for I find, in
the historians of Mekka, many great people mentioned, who annexed it to
their names.

After the return of the Hadj from Muna, the principal street of Mekka
becomes almost impassable from the crowds assembled there. The Syrian
hadjy merchants hire shops, and make the best use of the short time
which is granted to them for their commercial transactions. Every body
purchases provisions for his journey home; and the pursuit of gain now
engrosses all minds, from the highest to the lowest. The two caravans
usually leave Mekka about the 23d of Zul Hadj, after ten days' stay in
the town. Sometimes the leaders of them are prevailed upon by the
merchants, who pay highly for the favour, to grant a respite of a few
days; but this year they did not require it, as the caravan was detained
by Mohammed Aly, who, preparing to open his campaign against the
Wahabys, thought proper to employ about twelve thousand camels of the
Syrian Hadj in two journies to Djidda, and one to Tayf, for the
transport of provisions. As to the Egyptian caravan, which, as I have
already mentioned, contained no private hadjys, it was wholly detained
by Mohammed Aly, who ordered all

[p.286] the horsemen and camels that had accompanied it, to assist him
in his campaign. The Mahmal, or sacred camel, was sent back by sea to
Suez, a circumstance which had never before occurred. The Syrian caravan
did not leave Mekka till the 29th of Zul Hadj; and the incessant labour
to which its camels had been subjected, weakened them so much, that
numbers of them died on their return through the Desert. The caravans of
unloaded camels which were hourly leaving Mekka for Djidda, to take up
provisions there, facilitated the short journey to that place of those
hadjys who wished to return home by sea.

Having heard that the supply of money for which I had written to Cairo
on my first reaching Djidda, had been received there, I rode over in the
night of the 1st of December, and remained in that town six or seven
days. The hadjys who had, in the mean while, daily flocked into it on
their return from Mekka, were seen encamped in every quarter, and thus
it soon became as crowded as Mekka had just been. Among the ships in the
harbour, ready to take hadjy passengers on board, was a merchant-vessel
lately arrived from Bombay, belonging to a Persian house at that
presidency, and commanded by an English captain, who had beat up to
Djidda against the trade-winds, at this late season. I passed many
agreeable hours in the company of Captain Boag, on board his ship, and
regretted that my pursuits should call me away so soon. Two other
Europeans had arrived at Djidda about the same time, by way of Cairo;
the one an Englishman, who was going to India; the other a German
physician. This gentleman was a Hanoverian by birth, and a baron:
misfortunes of a very distressing nature had driven him from his home,
and he had thought of practising his profession at Djidda, or of
proceeding to Mokha; but his mind was too unsettled to determine upon
any thing; and he was of too independent a character to receive either
counsel or assistance. I left him at Djidda when I returned to Mekka,
and learnt afterwards that he died there in the month of March, of the
plague, and that he was buried by the Greeks of Djidda upon an island in
the harbour.

When I returned to Mekka, about the 8th or 9th of December, I found no
longer the same multitudes of people; but the beggars had

[p.287] become so numerous and troublesome, that many of the hadjys
preferred staying all day at home, to escape at once the importunities,
the expense of acceding to them, or the scandal of wanting charity.
These beggars were soliciting alms to carry them home; and their numbers
were increased by many pilgrims of respectable appearance, whose money
had been spent during the Hadj. It was my intention, in returning to
Mekka, to join the Syrian caravan, and travel with it as far as Medina;
I therefore, in imitation of some other Syrian pilgrims who had arrived
at Mekka before the caravan, engaged with a Bedouin of the Harb tribe
for two of his camels; although most of the hadjys, who, after the
pilgrimage, visit Mohammed's tomb at Medina, accompany the Syrian
caravan, agreeing with some Mekowem to defray all expenses on the road;
but it is better, for many reasons, to travel with Bedouins than with
towns-people, especially on a route across the Bedouin territory. An
accident, however, prevented me from availing myself of this
opportunity.

The caravan being ready for departure on the 15th of December, I packed
up my effects in the morning, and at noon a gun was fired, to announce
that Soleyman Pasha had quitted the plain of Sheikh Mahmoud, where the
caravan had been encamped; but still my Bedouin had not arrived. I ran
out towards Sheikh Mahmoud, when I understood that a rumour, whether
false or true, having been spread, that Mohammed Aly was only waiting to
see the camels all assembled in the morning upon the plain, that he
might seize and send them to Tayf, several Bedouins had made their
escape during the night: it was evident that those with whom I had
bargained were among the number. In the hurry and bustle of departure no
other camels could possibly be found; and I was therefore obliged to
return to the town, together with several Mekkans, who had been
disappointed in the same manner.

At the moment of starting, the leader of the Damascus caravan always
distributes a certain quantity of provision to the poor. Soleyman Pasha
had, for this purpose, heaped up two hundred camel-loads near his tent;
and when he mounted his horse, at a given signal it was seized upon by
those who were waiting, in the most outrageous and

[p.288] disorderly manner: a party of about forty negro pilgrims, armed
with sticks, secured a considerable part of the heap to themselves.

It is usual for the Syrian Hadj to stop two or three days, on its
return, in Wady Fatme, the first station from Mekka, to allow the camels
some fine pasturage in that neighbourhood; but Soleyman Pasha, who
entertained a great distrust of Mohammed Aly, and was particularly
fearful lest he should make some further demand upon his caravan for
camels, performed an uninterrupted march for two stations, and passed
Wady Fatme; thus disappointing many Mekkan shopkeepers, who had repaired
thither in hopes of establishing a market for the time. The Pasha became
delirious during the journey, and, before he reached Damascus, was put
under restraint by his own officers: he recovered his senses at
Damascus, but died there soon after.

I was obliged to remain at Mekka a whole month after the departure of
the Hadj, waiting for another opportunity of proceeding to Medina. I
might have easily gone from Djidda, by sea, to Yembo; but I preferred
the journey by land. At this time the people of the Hedjaz were kept in
anxious suspense, on account of Mohammed Aly, who was preparing to set
out from Mekka, in person, against the Wahabys. They knew that, if his
expedition should fail, the Bedouins of the Hedjaz would immediately
resort to their wonted practices, and cut off the route to the interior
from all travellers; and experience had also taught them, that if the
Wahabys obtained possession of the country a second time, the town of
Mekka alone could indulge in any hope of escaping from being plundered.
These considerations retarded the departure of caravans for Medina. A
strong caravan usually leaves Mekka on the 11th of Moharrem,
(corresponding this year with the 2nd of January, 1815,) the day after
the opening of the Kaaba, which always takes place on the 10th of
Moharrem, or the day called Ashour. Towards the end of December, the
inhabitants were alarmed by a false report of the arrival of a Wahaby
force, by the way of the seacoast, from the south: soon after, in the
first days of January, 1815, Mohammed Aly set out from Mekka. He met the
Wahaby army, four days after, at Byssel, in the neighbourhood of Tayf,
where he gained

[p.289] the complete victory of which I have elsewhere given the
details; this was no sooner known at Mekka, than the caravan for Medina,
which had long been prepared, set out, on the 15th of January.

After the Syrian Hadj had departed, and the greater part of the other
pilgrims retired to Djidda, waiting for an opportunity to embark, Mekka
appeared like a deserted town. Of its brilliant shops, one-fourth only
remained; and in the streets, where a few weeks before it was necessary
to force one's way through the crowd, not a single hadjy was seen,
except solitary beggars, who raised their plaintive voices towards the
windows of the houses which they supposed to be still inhabited. Rubbish
and filth covered all the streets, and nobody appeared disposed to
remove it. The skirts of the town were crowded with the dead carcases of
camels, the smell from which rendered the air, even in the midst of the
town, offensive, and certainly contributed to the many diseases now
prevalent. Several hundreds of these carcases lay near the reservoirs of
the Hadj, and the Arabs inhabiting that part of Mekka never walked out
without stuffing into their nostrils small pieces of cotton, which they
carried suspended by a thread round the neck. [The Arabs in general, even
the Bedouins, are much more sensitive than the Europeans concerning the
slightest offensive smell. This is one of the principal reasons why the
Bedouins never enter a town without repugnance. They entertain a belief
that bad smells affect the health by entering through the nostrils into
the lungs; and it is for this reason, more than for the disagreeable
sensation itself arising from the smell, that Arabs and Bedouins are
often seen covering their noses with the skirts of their turbans, in
walking through the streets.] But this was not all. At this time the
Mekkans are in the habit of emptying the privies of their houses; and,
too lazy to carry the contents beyond the precincts of the town, they
merely dig a hole in the street, before the door of the dwelling, and
there deposit them, covering the spot only with a layer of earth. The
consequences of such a practice may easily be imagined.

The feasts of nuptials and circumcision now take place, being always
celebrated immediately after the Hadj, as soon as the Mekkans are left
to themselves, and before the people have had time to spend the sums
gained during the residence of the pilgrims; but I saw many

[p.290] more funerals than nuptial processions. Numbers of hadjys,
already ill from the fatigues of the road, or from cold caught while
wearing the ihram, are unable to proceed on their journey homewards;
they remain in the hope of recovering strength, but often terminate
their existence here. If they have some companion or relative with them,
he carries off the dead man's property, on paying a fee to the Kadhy; if
he is alone, the Kadhy and Sherif are his heirs, and these inheritances
are no inconsiderable source of income. When I quitted Mekka, there were
still remaining there perhaps a thousand hadjys, many of whom intended
to pass a whole year in the holy city, and to be present at another
Hadj; others to protract their residence only for a few months.

On the day of quitting Mekka, it is thought becoming to pay a parting
visit to the Kaaba, called Towaf el Wodaa, and to perform the Towaf and
Say. The hadjys generally do it when every thing is ready for departure,
and mount their camels the moment they have finished the ceremony.

[p.291]JOURNEY FROM MEKKA TO MEDINA.

ON the 15th of January, 1815, I left Mekka with a small caravan of
hadjys, who were going to visit the tomb of the prophet: it consisted of
about fifty camels, the property of some Bedouins of the Ryshye and
Zebeyde tribes, who either accompanied their beasts themselves, or had
sent slaves with them. I had hired two camels, to carry myself and my
slave and baggage; and, as is customary in the Hedjaz, I had paid the
money in advance, at the rate of one hundred and eighty piastres per
camel. My late cicerone, with whom I had every reason to be satisfied,
though not quite free from those professional vices already mentioned,
accompanied me out of town, as far as the plain of Sheikh Mahmoud, where
the camels had assembled, and from whence the caravan started at nine
o'clock in the evening. The journey to Medina, like that between Mekka
and Djidda, is performed by night, which renders it much less profitable
to the traveller, and, in winter time, much less comfortable than it
would be by day.

Having proceeded an hour and a quarter, [I had bought a watch at Mekka,
and had obtained a good compass from the English ship at Djidda.] we
passed the Omra thus far the road is paved in several parts with large
stones, particularly on the ascents. We passed through valleys of firm
sand, between irregular chains of low hills, where some shrubs and
stunted acacia-trees grow. The road, with few exceptions, was perfectly
level.

[p.292]At five hours from Mekka, we passed a ruined building called El
Meymounye, with the tomb of a saint, the dome of which was demolished by
the Wahabys. Near it is a well of sweet water, and a small birket, or
reservoir, built of stone: a little building annexed to the tomb serves
as a sort of khan for travellers. For the first six hours from Mekka our
road lay N.W., when we turned a steep hill, which caravans cannot cross,
and proceeded N.N.W. to Wady Fatme, which we reached at the end of eight
hours from Mekka, just at the first appearance of dawn.

January 16th. We alighted on the spot where the pilgrim caravans repose
on the day before they reach Mekka, in a part of the valley of Fatme,
called Wady Djemmoum. Wady Fatme is low ground, abounding in springs and
wells; it extends in an E.N.E. direction to the distance of four or five
hours, until it nearly joins Wady Lymoun. To the west of our resting-
place, it terminates at about an hour and a half's distance, being about
six hours in its whole length. The most western point is called Medoua.
On the western side are the principal plantations; to the east it is
cultivated in a few spots only. It presented to the view on that side a
plain of several miles in breadth, covered with shrubs, and flanked on
both sides by low barren hills or elevated ground; but towards its
eastern extremity it is said to be very well cultivated. Wady Fatme has
different appellations in different parts; but the whole is commonly
known to the people of Djidda and Mekka by the name of El Wady, or the
valley. By the Arabian historians it is usually called Wady Merr.
Between Wady Fatme and Hadda, (the station so named on the Djidda road,)
are the two places, called Serouat and Rekany. (See Asamy.)