PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY TO THE KHABOUR.--SCULPTURES DISCOVERED
THERE.--SHEIKH SUTTUM.--HIS REDIFF.--DEPARTURE FROM MOSUL.--FIRST
ENCAMPMENT.--ABOU KHAMEERA.--A STORM.--TEL ERMAH.--A STRANGER.--TEL
JEMAL.--THE CHIEF OF TEL AFER.--A SUNSET IN THE DESERT.--A JEBOUR
ENCAMPMENT.--THE BELLED SINJAR.--THE SINJAR
HILL.--MIRKAN.--BUKRA.--THE DRESS OF THE YEZIDIS.--THE
SHOMAL.--OSSOFA.--ALDINA.--RETURN TO THE BELLED.--A
SNAKE-CHARMER.--JOURNEY CONTINUED IN THE DESERT.--RISHWAN.--ENCAMPMENT
OF THE BORAIJ.--DRESS OF ARAB WOMEN.--RATHAIYAH.--A DEPUTATION FROM
THE YEZIDIS.--ARAB ENCAMPMENTS.--THE KHABOUR.--MOHAMMED EMIN.--ARRIVAL
AT ARBAN.
I had long wished to visit the banks of the Khabour. This river, the
Chaboras of the Greek geographers, and the Habor, or Chebar, of the
Samaritan captivity[103], rises in the north of Mesopotamia, and flowing
to the west of the Sinjar hill, falls into the Euphrates near the site of
the ancient city of Carchemish[104] or Circesium, still known to the
Bedouins by the name of Carkeseea. As it winds through the midst of the
desert, and its rich pastures are the resort of wandering tribes of Arabs,
it is always difficult of access to the traveller. It was examined, for a
short distance from its mouth, by the expedition under Colonel Chesney;
but the general course of the river was imperfectly known, and several
geographical questions of interest connected with it were undetermined
previous to my visit.
With the Bedouins, who were occasionally my guests at Mosul or Nimroud,
as well as with the Jebours, whose encamping grounds were originally on
its banks, the Khabour was a constant theme of exaggerated praise. The
richness of its pastures, the beauty of its flowers, its jungles teeming
with game of all kinds, and the leafy thickness of its trees yielding an
agreeable shade during the hottest days of summer, formed a terrestrial
paradise to which the wandering Arab eagerly turned his steps when he
could lead his flocks thither in safety. My old friend Sheikh Mohammed
Emin, who had pitched his tents on the river, having invited me to visit
him, and sent me word that two colossal idols, similar to those of
Nimroud, had suddenly appeared in a mound by the river side, I did not
hesitate, but determined to start at once for the Khabour.
As the Shammar Bedouins were scattered over the desert between Mosul and
the Khabour, and their horsemen continually scoured the plains in search
of plunder, it was necessary that we should be protected and accompanied
by an influential chief of the tribe. I accordingly made arrangements with
Suttum, a Sheikh of the Boraij, one of the principal branches of the
Shammar, whose tents were at that time pitched between the river and the
ruins of El Hather, and punctual to his appointment, he brought his camels
to Mosul on the 19th of March. He was accompanied by Khoraif, his
_rediff_, as the person who sits on the dromedary[105] behind the
principal rider is called by the Bedouins. Amongst the two great nomade
tribes of the Shammar and Aneyza, the word "rediff" frequently infers a
more intimate connection than a mere companionship on a camel. It is
customary with them for a warrior to swear a kind of brotherhood with a
person not only not related to him by blood, but frequently even of a
different tribe. Two men connected by this tie are inseparable. They go
together to war, they live in the same tent, and are allowed to see each
other's wives. They become, indeed, more than brothers. Khoraif was of the
tribe of the Aneyza, who have a deadly feud with the Shammar, and was
consequently able to render equal services to any of his old or new
friends, who might fall into each other's hands. It is on this account
that a warrior generally chooses his rediff from a warlike tribe with
which he is at enmity, for if taken in war, he would then be _dakheel_,
that is, protected, by the family, or rather particular sept, of his
companion. On the other hand, should one of the rediff's friends become
the prisoner of the sub-tribe into which his kinsman has been adopted, he
would be under its protection, and could not be molested. He rides, when
travelling, on the naked back of the animal, clinging to the hinder part
of the saddle, his legs crouched up almost to his chin--a very
uncomfortable position for one not accustomed from childhood to a hard
seat and a rough motion.
As our desert trip would probably last for more than two months, during
which time we should meet with no villages, or permanent settlements, we
were obliged to take with us supplies of all kinds, both for ourselves and
the workmen; consequently, flour, rice, burghoul (prepared wheat, to be
used as a substitute for rice), and biscuits, formed a large portion of
our baggage. Various luxuries, such as sugar, coffee, tea, and spices,
with robes of silk and cotton, and red and yellow boots, together with
baskets, tools for excavating, tents, and working utensils, formed the
rest of our baggage.
As it was my intention to explore any ruins of importance that we might
see on our way, I chose about fifty of my best Arab excavators, and twelve
Tiyari, or Nestorians, to accompany us. They were to follow on foot, but
one or two extra camels were provided in case any were unable from fatigue
to keep up with the caravan. After the usual noise and confusion in
settling the loads on the camels, and such matters, about mid-day the
caravan got ready to set out.
I did not leave the town until nearly an hour and a half after the
caravan, to give time for the loads to be finally adjusted, and the line
of march to be formed. When we had all assembled outside the Sinjar gate,
our party had swollen into a little army. The Doctor, Mr. Cooper, and Mr.
Hormuzd Rassam, of course, with other friends, accompanied me. Thirteen or
fourteen Bedouins had charge of the camels, so that, with the workmen and
servants, our caravan consisted of nearly one hundred well-armed men; a
force sufficient to defy almost any hostile party with which we were
likely to fall in during our journey. Hussein Bey, the Yezidi chief, and
many of our friends, as it is customary in the East, rode with us during
part of our first stage; and my excellent friend, the Rev. Mr. Ford, an
American missionary, then resident in Mosul, passed the first evening
under our tents in the desert.
Suttum, with his rediff, rode a light fleet dromedary, which had been
taken in a plundering expedition from the Aneyza. Its name was Dhwaila.
Its high and picturesque saddle was profusely ornamented with brass bosses
and nails; over the seat was thrown the Baghdad double bags adorned with
long tassels and fringes of many-colored wools, so much coveted by the
Bedouin. The Sheikh had the general direction and superintendence of our
march. The Mesopotamian desert had been his home from his birth, and he
knew every spring and pasture. He was of the Saadi, one of the most
illustrious families of the Shammar, and he possessed great personal
influence in the tribe. His intelligence was of a very high order, and he
was as well known for his skill in Bedouin intrigue, as for his courage
and daring in war. In person he was of middle height, of spare habit, but
well made, and of noble and dignified carriage; although a musket wound in
the thigh, from which the ball had not been extracted, gave him a slight
lameness in his gait. His features were regular and well proportioned, and
of that delicate character so frequently found amongst the nomades of the
desert. A restless and sparkling eye of the deepest black spoke the inner
man, and seemed to scan and penetrate everything within its ken. His dark
hair was platted into many long tails; his beard, like that of the Arabs
in general, was scanty. He wore the usual Arab shirt, and over it a cloak
of blue cloth, trimmed with red silk and lined with fur, a present from
some Pasha as he pretended, but more probably a part of some great man's
wardrobe that had been appropriated without its owner's consent. He was
the very picture of a true Bedouin Sheikh, and his liveliness, his wit,
and his singular powers of conversation, which made him the most agreeable
of companions, did not belie his race.[106] The Bairakdar had the general
management of the caravan, superintending, with untiring zeal and
activity, the loading and unloading of the animals, the pitching of the
tents, and the night watches, which are highly necessary in the desert.
As we wound slowly over the low rocky hills to the west of the town of
Mosul, in a long straggling line, our caravan had a strange and motley
appearance; Europeans, Turks, Bedouins, town-Arabs, Tiyari, and Yezidis,
were mingled in singular confusion; each adding, by difference of costume
and a profusion of bright colors, to the general picturesqueness and
gaiety of the scene.
The Tigris, from its entrance into the low country at the foot of the
Kurdish mountains near Jezireh, to the ruined town of Tekrit, is separated
from the Mesopotamian plains by a range of low limestone hills. We rode
over this undulating ground for about an hour and a half, and then
descended into the plain of Zerga, encamping for the night near the ruins
of a small village. There is now scarcely one permanent settlement on the
banks of the Tigris from Jezireh to the immediate vicinity of Baghdad,
with the exception of Mosul and Tekrit. One of the most fertile countries
in the world, watered by a river navigable for nearly six hundred miles,
has been turned into a desert and a wilderness, by continued
misgovernment, oppression, and neglect.
The loads had not yet been fairly divided amongst the camels, and the sun
had risen above the horizon, before the Bedouins had arranged them to
their satisfaction, and were ready to depart. The plain of Zerga was
carpeted with tender grass, scarcely yet forward enough to afford pasture
for our animals. Scattered here and there were tulips of a bright scarlet
hue, the earliest flower of the spring.
A ride of three hours and a quarter brought us to a second line of
limestone hills, the continuation of the Tel Afer and Sinjar range,
dividing the small plain of Zerga from the true Mesopotamian desert. From
a peak which I ascended to take bearings, the vast level country,
stretching to the Euphrates, lay a map beneath me, dotted with mounds, but
otherwise unbroken by a single eminence. The nearest and most remarkable
group of ruins was called Abou Khameera, and consisted of a lofty, conical
mound surrounded by a square inclosure, or ridge of earth, marking, as at
Kouyunjik and Nimroud, the remains of ancient walls.
Eight or ten of my workmen, under a Christian superintendent, had been for
some days excavating in the ruins of Abou Khameera. I therefore ordered
the tents to be pitched near the reedy stream, and galloped to the mounds,
which were rather more than a mile distant. In general plan the ruins
closely resemble those of Mokhamour in the Tai country.[107] The workmen
had opened deep trenches and tunnels in several parts of the principal
ruin, and had found walls of sun-dried brick, unsculptured alabaster
slabs, and some circular stone sockets for the hinges of gates, similar to
those discovered at Nimroud. The baked bricks and the pieces of gypsum and
pottery scattered amongst the rubbish bore no inscriptions, nor could I,
after the most careful search, find the smallest fragment of sculpture. I
have no hesitation, however, in assigning the ruins to the Assyrian
period.
One of those furious and sudden storms, which frequently sweep over the
plains of Mesopotamia during the spring season, burst over us in the
night. Whilst incessant lightnings broke the gloom, a raging wind almost
drowned the deep roll of the thunder. The united strength of the Arabs
could scarcely hold the flapping canvass of the tents. Rain descended in
torrents, sparing us no place of shelter. Towards dawn the hurricane had
passed away, leaving a still and cloudless sky. When the round clear sun
rose from the broad expanse of the desert, a delightful calm and freshness
pervaded the air, producing mingled sensations of pleasure and repose.
The vegetation was far more forward in that part of the desert traversed
during the day's journey than in the plain of Zerga. We trod on a carpet
of the brightest verdure, mingled with gaudy flowers. On all sides of us
rose lofty Assyrian mounds, now covered with soft herbage. These, seen
from a great distance, and the best of landmarks in a vast plain, guide
the Bedouin in his yearly wanderings.[108]
Tel Ermah, "the mound of the spears," had been visible from our tents,
rising far above the surrounding ruins. As it was a little out of the
direct line of march, Suttum mounted one of our led horses, and leaving
Khoraif to protect the caravan, rode with me to the spot. The mound is
precisely similar in character to Abou Khameera and Mokhamour, and, like
them, stands within a quadrangle of earthen walls. I was unable to find
any inscribed fragments of stone or brick.
Whilst I was examining the ruins, Suttum, from the highest mound, had been
scanning the plain with his eagle eye. At length it rested upon a distant
moving object. Although with a telescope I could scarcely distinguish
that to which he pointed, the Sheikh saw that it was a rider on a
dromedary. He now, therefore, began to watch the stranger with that eager
curiosity and suspicion always shown by a Bedouin, when the solitude of
the desert is broken by a human being of whose condition and business he
is ignorant. Suttum soon satisfied himself as to the character of the
solitary wanderer. He declared him to be a messenger from his own tribe,
who had been sent to lead us to his father's tents. Mounting his horse, he
galloped towards him. The Arab soon perceived the approaching horseman,
and then commenced on both sides a series of manoeuvres practised by those
who meet in the desert, and are as yet distrustful of each other. I marked
them from the ruin as they cautiously approached, now halting, now drawing
nigh, and then pretending to ride away in an opposite direction. At
length, recognising one another, they met, and, having first dismounted to
embrace, came together towards us. As Suttum had conjectured, a messenger
had been sent to him from his father's tribe, to say that their tents
would be pitched in three or four days beneath the Sinjar hill.
From this spot the old castle of Tel Afer, standing boldly on an eminence
about ten miles distant, was plainly visible. Continuing our march we
reached, towards evening, a group of mounds known as Tel Jemal, and
pitched in the midst of them on a green lawn, enamelled with flowers, that
furnished a carpet for our tents unequalled in softness of texture, or in
richness of color, by the looms of Cashmere.
The tents had scarcely been raised when a party of horsemen were seen
coming towards us. As they approached our encampment they played the Jerid
with their long spears, galloping to and fro on their well-trained mares.
They were the principal inhabitants of Tel Afer with Ozair Agha, their
chief, who brought us a present of lambs, flour, and fresh vegetables. The
Agha rode on a light chestnut mare of beautiful proportions and rare
breed. His dress, as well as that of his followers, was singularly
picturesque. His people are Turcomans, a solitary colony in the midst of
the desert; and although their connection with the Bedouins has taught
them the tongue and the habits of the wandering tribes, yet they still
wear the turban of many folds, and the gay flowing robes of their
ancestors. They allow their hair to grow long, and to fall in curls on
their shoulders.
As the evening crept on, I watched from the highest mound the sun as it
gradually sank in unclouded splendor below the sea-like expanse before me.
On all sides, as far as the eye could reach, rose the grass-covered heaps
marking the site of ancient habitations. The great tide of civilisation
had long since ebbed, leaving these scattered wrecks on the solitary
shore. Are those waters to flow again, bearing back the seeds of knowledge
and of wealth that they have wafted to the West? We wanderers were seeking
what they had left behind, as children gather up the colored shells on the
deserted sands. At my feet there was a busy scene, making more lonely the
unbroken solitude which reigned in the vast plain around, where the only
thing having life or motion were the shadows of the lofty mounds as they
lengthened before the declining sun. Above three years before, when,
watching the approach of night from the old castle of Tel Afer, I had
counted nearly one hundred ruins[109], now, when in the midst of them, no
less than double that number were seen from Tel Jemal. Our tents crowning
the lip of a natural amphitheatre bright with flowers, Ozair Agha and his
Turcomans seated on the greensward in earnest talk with the Arab chief,
the horses picketed in the long grass, the Bedouins driving home their
camels for the night's rest, the servants and grooms busied with their
various labors; such was the foreground to a picture of perfect calm and
stillness. In the distance was the long range of the Sinjar hills,
furrowed with countless ravines, each marked by a dark purple shadow,
gradually melting into the evening haze.
We had a long day's march before us to the village of Sinjar. The
wilderness appeared still more beautiful than it had done the day before.
The recent storm had given new life to a vegetation which, concealed
beneath a crust of apparently fruitful earth, only waits for a spring
shower to burst, as if by enchantment, through the thirsty soil. Here and
there grew patches of a shrub-like plant with an edible root, having a
sharp pungent taste like mustard, eaten raw and much relished by the
Bedouins. Among them lurked game of various kinds. Troops of gazelles
sprang from the low cover, and bounded over the plain. The greyhounds
coursed hares; the horsemen followed a wild boar of enormous size, and
nearly white from age; and the Doctor, who was the sportsman of the party,
shot a bustard, with a beautiful speckled plumage, and a ruff of long
feathers round its neck.
We rode in a direct line to the Belled Sinjar, the residence of the
governor of the district. There was no beaten track, and the camels
wandered along as they listed, cropping as they went the young grass. The
horsemen and footmen, too, scattered themselves over the plain in search
of game. War-songs were chanted, and general hilarity prevailed. The more
sedate Bedouins smiled in contempt at these noisy effusions of joy, only
worthy of tribes who have touched the plough; but they indulged in no
less keen, though more suppressed, emotions of delight. Even the Tiyari
caught the general enthusiasm, and sung their mountain songs as they
walked along.
As we drew near to the foot of the hills we found a large encampment,
formed partly by Jebours belonging to Sheikh Abdul-Azeez, and partly by a
Sinjar tribe called Mendka, under a chief known as the "Effendi," who
enjoys considerable influence in this district.
I dismounted at a short distance from the encampment, to avoid a breach of
good manners, as to refuse to eat bread, or to spend the night, after
alighting near a tent, would be thought a grave slight upon its owner. The
caravan continued its journey towards the village. I was soon surrounded
by the principal people of the camp; amongst them was one of my old
workmen, Khuther, who now cultivated a small plot of ground in the desert.
It was with difficulty that I resisted the entreaties of the Effendi to
partake of his hospitality, and we did not reach the Belled until after
the sun had gone down, the caravan having been ten hours in unceasing
march.
I had scarcely entered my tent when the governor of the district, who
resides in a small modern castle built on the hill-side, came to see me.
He was a Turkish officer belonging to the household of Kiamil Pasha, and
complained bitterly of his solitude, of the difficulties of collecting the
taxes, and of dealing with the Bedouins who haunted the plains. He was
almost shut up within the walls of his wretched fort, in company with a
garrison of a score of half-starved Albanians. This state of things was
chiefly owing to the misconduct of his predecessor, who, when the
inhabitants of the Sinjar were quiet and obedient, had treacherously
seized two of their principal chiefs, Mahmoud and Murad, and had carried
them in chains to Mosul, where they had been thrown into prison. A
deputation having been sent to obtain their release, I had been able to
intercede with Kiamil Pasha in their behalf, and now bore to their
followers the welcome news of their speedy return to their homes.
Early on the following morning, I returned the visit of the governor, and,
from the tower of the small castle, took bearings of the principal objects
in the plain. The three remarkable peaks rising in the low range of
Kebriteeyah, behind Abou Khameera, were still visible in the extreme
distance, and enabled me to fix with some accuracy the position of many
ruins. About four or five miles distant from the Belled, is another large
group of mounds, resembling that of Abou Khameera, called by the Bedouins
simply the "Hosh," the courtyard or inclosure.
The ruins of the ancient town, known to the Arabs as "El Belled," or _the_
city, are divided into two distinct parts by a range of rocky hills,
which, however, are cleft in the centre by the bed of a torrent, forming a
narrow ravine between them. The ruins are, undoubtedly, those of the town
of Sinjar, the capital of an Arab principality in the time of the Caliphs.
Its princes frequently asserted their independence, coined money, and
ruled from the Khabour and Euphrates to the neighbourhood of Mosul. The
province was included within the dominions of the celebrated Saleh-ed-din
(the Saladin of the Crusades), and was more than once visited by him. The
ruins of Sinjar are also believed to represent the Singara of the Romans.
On coins struck under the Emperor Gordian, and bearing his effigy with
that of the empress Tranquillina, this city is represented by a female
wearing a mural crown surmounted by a centaur, seated on a hill _with a
river at her feet_ (?). According to the Arab geographers, the Sinjar was
celebrated for its palms. This tree is no longer found there, nor does it
bear fruit, I believe, anywhere to the north of Tekrit in Mesopotamia.
Wishing to visit the villages of the _Shomal_, or northern side of the
mountain, and at the same time to put an end, if possible, to the
bloodshed between their inhabitants, and to induce them to submit to the
governor, I quitted the Belled in the afternoon, accompanied by Cawal
Yusuf and his Yezidi companions, Mr. and Mrs. R., the Doctor, and Mr.
Cooper. We followed a precipitous pathway along the hill-side to Mirkan,
the village destroyed by Tahyar Pasha on my first visit to the
Sinjar.[110] Mirkan was in open rebellion, and had refused both to pay
taxes and to receive the officer of the Pasha of Mosul. I was, at first,
somewhat doubtful of our reception. Esau, the chief, came out, however, to
meet me, and led us to his house. We were soon surrounded by the principal
men of the village. They were also at war with the tribes of the "Shomal."
Seconded by Cawal Yusuf, I endeavored to make them feel that peace and
union amongst themselves was essential to their welfare; and after a
lengthened discussion the chief consented to accompany me to the
neighbouring village of Bukra, with whose inhabitants his people had been
for some time at war.
Mirkan had been partly rebuilt since its destruction three years before;
but the ruins and charred timbers of houses still occupied much of its
former site. There are two pathways from Mirkan to the "Shomal," one
winding through narrow valleys, the other crossing the shoulder of the
mountain. I chose the latter, as it enabled me to obtain an extensive view
of the surrounding country, and to take bearings of many points of
interest. Near the crest of the hill we passed a white conical building,
shaded by a grove of trees. It was the tomb of the father of Murad, one of
Yusuf s companions, a Cawal of note, who had died near the spot of the
plague some years before. The walls were hung with the horns of sheep,
slain in sacrifice, by occasional pilgrims.
I had little anticipated the beauty and extent of the view which opened
round us on the top of the pass. The Sinjar hill is a solitary ridge
rising abruptly in the midst of the desert; from its summit, therefore,
the eye ranges on one side over the vast level wilderness stretching to
the Euphrates, and on the other over the plain bounded by the Tigris and
the lofty mountains of Kurdistan. Nisibin and Mardin were both visible in
the distance. I could distinguish the hills of Baadri and Sheikh Adi, and
many well-known peaks of the Kurdish Alps. Behind the lower ranges, each
distinctly marked by its sharp, serrated outline, were the snow-covered
heights of Tiyari and Bohtan. Whilst to the south of the Sinjar artificial
mounds appeared to abound, to the north I could distinguish but few such
remains. We dismounted to gaze upon this truly magnificent scene lighted
up by the setting sun. I have rarely seen any prospect more impressive
than these boundless plains viewed from a considerable elevation. Besides
the idea of vastness they convey, the light and shade of passing clouds
flitting over the face of the land, and the shadows as they lengthen
towards the close of day, produce constantly changing effects of singular
variety and beauty.[111]
It was night before we reached Bukra, where we were welcomed with great
hospitality. The best house in the village had been made ready for us, and
was scrupulously neat and clean, as the houses of the Yezidis usually
are. The elders of Bukra came to me after we had dined, and seated
themselves respectfully and decorously round the room. They were not
averse to the reconciliation I proposed, received the hostile chief
without hesitation, and promised to accompany me on the morrow to the
adjoining village of Ossofa, with which they were also at war. In the
morning we visited several houses in the village. They were all neat and
clean. The women received us without concealing their faces, which are,
however, far from pleasing, their features being irregular, and their
complexion sallow. Those who are married dress entirely in white, with a
white kerchief under their chins, and another over their heads held by the
_agal_, or woollen cord, of the Bedouins. The girls wear white shirts and
drawers, but over them colored _zabouns_, or long silk dresses, open in
front, and confined at the waist by a girdle ornamented with pieces of
silver. They twist gay kerchiefs round their heads, and adorn themselves
with coins, and glass and amber beads, when their parents are able to
procure them. But the Yezidis of the Sinjar are now very poor, and nearly
all the trinkets of the women have long since fallen into the hands of the
Turkish soldiery, or have been sold to pay taxes and arbitrary fines. The
men have a dark complexion, black and piercing eyes, and frequently a
fierce and forbidding countenance. They are of small stature, but have
well proportioned limbs strongly knit together, and are muscular, active,
and capable of bearing great fatigue. Their dress consists of a shirt,
loose trowsers and cloak, all white, and a black turban, from beneath
which their hair falls in ringlets.
The Yezidis are, by one of their religious laws, forbidden to wear the
common Eastern shirt open in front, and this article of their dress is
always closed up to the neck. This is a distinctive mark of the sect, by
which its members may be recognised at a glance. The language of the
people of Sinjar is Kurdish, and few speak Arabic.
As the people of Ossofa, or Usifa, were at war with their neighbours, and
as this was one of the principal seats of rebellion and discontent, I was
anxious to have an interview with its chief. The position of Ossofa is
very picturesque. It stands on the edge of a deep ravine; behind it are
lofty crags and narrow gorges, whose sides are filled with natural
caverns. On overhanging rocks, towering above the village, are two
_ziarehs_, or holy places, of the Yezidis, distinguished from afar by
their white fluted spires. Pulo, the chief, met us at the head of the
principal inhabitants and led me to his house, where a large assembly was
soon collected to discuss the principal object of my visit. The chiefs of
Mirkan and Bukra were induced to make offers of peace, which were
accepted, and, after much discussion, the terms of an amicable arrangement
were agreed to and ratified by general consent. Sheep were slain to
celebrate the event.
We passed the night at Aldina, in the house of Murad, one of the
imprisoned chiefs, whose release I had obtained before leaving Mosul. I
was able to announce the good tidings of his approaching return to his
wife, to whom he had been lately married, and who had given birth to a
child during his absence.
Below Aldina stands a remarkable _ziareh_, inclosed by a wall of cyclopean
dimensions. In the plain beneath, in the midst of a grove of trees, is the
tomb of Cawal Hussein, the father of Cawal Yusuf, who died in the Sinjar
during one of his periodical visitations. He was a priest of sanctity and
influence, and his grave is still visited as a place of pilgrimage.
Sacrifices of sheep are made there, but they are merely in remembrance of
the deceased, and have no particular religious meaning attached to them.
The flesh is distributed amongst the poor, and a sum of money is
frequently added. Approving the ceremony as one tending to promote charity
and kindly feeling, I gave a sheep to be sacrificed at the tomb of the
Cawal, and one of my fellow travellers added a second, the carcases being
afterwards divided among the needy.
A messenger brought me word during the night that Suttum had returned from
his tribe, and was waiting with a party of horsemen to escort us to his
tents. I determined, therefore, to cross at once to the Belled by a direct
though difficult pass. We visited Nogray and Ameera, before entering the
gorge leading to the pass. Only two other villages of any importance,
Semoka and Jafri, were left unseen. The ascent of the mountain was
extremely precipitous, and we were nearly two hours in reaching the
summit. We then found ourselves on a broad green platform, thickly wooded
with dwarf oak. I was surprised to see snow still lying in the sheltered
nooks. On both sides of us stretched the great Mesopotamian plains. To the
south, glittering in the sun, was a small salt lake about fifteen miles
distant from the Sinjar, called by the Arabs, Munaif. From it the
Bedouins, when in their northern pastures, obtain their supplies of salt.
We descended to the Belled through a narrow valley, thick with oak and
various shrubs, and were nearly five hours in crossing the mountain.
Suttum and his Bedouin companions were waiting for us, but were not
anxious to start before the following morning. A Yezidi snake-charmer,
with his son, a boy of seven or eight years old, came to my tents in the
afternoon, and exhibited his tricks in the midst of a circle of astonished
beholders. He first pulled from a bag a number of snakes knotted together,
which the bystanders declared to be of the most venomous kind. The child
took the reptiles fearlessly from his father, and placing them in his
bosom allowed them to twine themselves round his neck and arms. The
Bedouins gazed in mute wonder at these proceedings, but when the Sheikh,
feigning rage against one of the snakes which had drawn blood from his
son, seized it, and biting off its head with his teeth threw the writhing
body amongst them, they could no longer restrain their horror and
indignation. They uttered loud curses on the infidel snake-charmer and his
kindred to the remotest generations. Suttum did not regain his composure
during the whole evening, frequently relapsing into profound thought, then
suddenly breaking out in a fresh curse upon the Sheikh, who, he declared,
had a very close and unholy connection with the evil one. Many days passed
before he had completely got over the horror the poor Yezidi's feats had
caused him.
Suttum had changed his deloul for a white mare of great beauty, named
Athaiba. She was of the race of Kohaila, of exquisite symmetry, in temper
docile as a lamb, yet with an eye of fire, and of a proud and noble
carriage when excited in war or in the chase. His saddle was the simple
stuffed pad generally used by the Bedouins, without stirrups. A halter
alone served to guide the gentle animal.
We followed a pathway over the broken ground at the foot of the Sinjar,
crossing deep watercourses worn by the small streams, which lose
themselves in the desert. The villages, as on the opposite slope, or
"Shomal," are high up on the hill-side. We encamped, after a short ride,
upon a pleasant stream beneath the village of Jedaila. We remained here a
whole day in order to visit Suttum's tribe, which was now migrating
towards the Sinjar. Early in the morning a vast crowd of moving objects
could be faintly perceived on the horizon. These were the camels and
sheep of the Boraij, followed by the usual crowd of men, women, children,
and beasts of burden. We watched them as they scattered themselves over
the plain, and gradually settled in different pastures. By midday the
encampment had been formed, and all the stragglers collected. We could
scarcely distinguish the black tents, and their site was only marked by
curling wreaths of white smoke.
In the afternoon Suttum's father, Rishwan, came to us, accompanied by
several Sheikhs of the Boraij. He rode on a white deloul, celebrated for
her beauty and swiftness. His saddle and the neck of the animal were
profusely adorned with woollen tassels of many colors, glass beads, and
small shells, after the manner of the Arabs of Nejd. The well-trained
dromedary having knelt at the door of my tent, the old man alighted, and
throwing his arms round my neck kissed me on both shoulders. He was tall,
and of noble carriage. His beard was white with age, but his form was
still erect and his footsteps firm. Rishwan was one of the bravest
warriors of the Shammar. He was a noble specimen of the true Bedouin, both
in character and appearance. With the skill and daring of the Arab
warrior, he united the hospitality, generosity, and good faith of a hero
of Arab romance.
The Yezidi chiefs of Kerraniyah or Sekkiniyah (the village is known by
both names) came to our encampment soon after Rishwan's arrival. As they
had a feud with the Bedouins, I took advantage of their visit to effect a
reconciliation, both parties swearing on my hospitality to abstain from
plundering one another hereafter. Being anxious to reach the end of our
journey I declined Suttum's invitation to sleep in his tent, but sending
the caravan to the place appointed for our night's encampment, I made a
detour to visit his father, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. R., the Doctor,
Mr. C., and Hormuzd. Although the Boraij were above six miles from the
small rivulet of Jedaila, they were obliged to send to it for water.[112]
As we rode towards their tents we passed their camels and sheep slowly
wandering towards the stream. In the throng we met Sahiman, the elder
brother of Suttum. He was riding on a bay horse, whose fame had spread far
and wide amongst the tribes, and whose exploits were a constant theme of
praise and wonder with the Shammar. He was of the race of Obeyan Sherakh,
a breed now almost extinct, and perhaps more highly prized than any other
of the Desert. He had established his fame when but two years old. Ferhan,
with the principal warriors of the Khurusseh, had crossed the Euphrates to
plunder the Aneyza. They were met by a superior force, and were completely
defeated. The best mares of the tribe fell into the hands of the enemy,
and the bay colt alone, although followed by the fleetest horses of the
Aneyza, distanced his pursuers.[113] Such noble qualities, united with the
purest blood, rendered him worthy to be looked upon as the public property
of the Shammar, and no sum of money would induce his owner to part with
him.
Near the encampment of the Boraij was a group of mounds resembling in
every respect those I have already described. The Bedouins call them
Abou-Khaima. Are these singular ruins those of towns or of temples? Their
similarity of form,--a centre mound divided into a series of terraces,
ascended by an inclined way or steps, and surrounded by equilateral
walls,--would lead to the conjecture that they were fire temples, or vast
altars, destined for Astral worship. It will be seen hereafter that the
well-known ruin of the Birs Nimroud, on or near the site of ancient
Babylon, is very nearly the same in shape. When I come to describe those
remarkable remains, I will add some further observations upon their
original form.
The Bedouins who accompanied us galloped to and fro, engaging in mimic war
with their long quivering spears, until we reached the encampment of the
Boraij. Rishwan, Suttum, Mijwell his younger brother, and the elders of
the tribe, were standing before the tent ready to receive us. All the old
carpets and coverlets of the family, and ragged enough they were, had been
spread out for their guests. As we seated ourselves two sheep were slain
before us for the feast; a ceremony it would not have been considered
sufficiently hospitable to perform previous to our arrival, as it might
have been doubtful whether the animals had been slain wholly for us. The
chief men of the encampment collected round us, crouching in a wide circle
on the grass. We talked of Arab politics and Arab war, _ghazous_ (or party
for plundering), and Aneyza mares stolen or carried off in battle by the
Shammar. Huge wooden platters, heavy with the steaming messes of rice and
boiled meat, were soon brought in and placed on the ground before us.
Immense lumps of fresh butter were then heaped upon them, and allowed to
melt, the chief occasionally mixing and kneading the whole up together
with his hands. When the dishes had cooled[114] the venerable Rishwan
stood up in the centre of the tent, and called in a loud voice upon each
person by name and in his turn to come to the feast. We fared first with a
few of the principal Sheikhs. The most influential men were next summoned,
each however resisting the honor, and allowing himself to be dragged by
Suttum and Mijwell to his place. The children, as is usual, were admitted
last, and wound up the entertainment by a general scramble for the
fragments and the bones. Neither Rishwan nor his sons would eat of the
repast they had prepared, the laws of hospitality requiring that it should
be left entirely to their guests.
After we had eaten I accompanied Mrs. R. to the harem, where we found
assembled the wives and daughters of Rishwan, of his sons, and of the
elders of the tribe, who had met together to see the Frank lady. Amongst
them were several of considerable beauty. The wife of Sahiman, the eldest
of the three brothers, was most distinguished for her good looks. They
were all dressed in the usual long blue shirt, and striped, or black,
abba, with a black headkerchief, or keffieh, confined by a band of spun
camel's wool. Massive rings of silver, adorned with gems and coral, hung
from their noses[115], and bracelets in the same metal, and also set with
precious stones, encircled their wrists and ankles.
Their eyes are large, almond-shaped, expressive, and of extraordinary
brilliancy and fire. They suffer their black, and luxuriant hair to fall
in clusters of curls. Their carriage in youth is erect and graceful. They
are able to bear much fatigue, and show great courage and spirit in
moments of difficulty and danger. But their beauty is only the companion
of extreme youth. With few exceptions, soon after twenty, and the birth of
one or two children, they rapidly change into the most hideous of old
hags, the lightning-like brightness of the eye alone surviving the general
wreck. When young, the daughters and wives of the chiefs are well cared
for; they move with the tribe in the covered camel-saddle, shaded by
carpets from the rays of the sun. Daughters are looked upon in the Desert
as a source of strength and advantage, from the alliances they enable the
father to make with powerful and influential chiefs, being frequently the
means of healing feuds which have existed for many years.
Before we left the encampment Suttum led before me as a present a handsome
grey colt, which was as usual returned with a request to take care of it
until it was required, the polite way to decline a gift of this
nature.[116]
Suttum having saddled his deloul was ready to accompany us on our journey.
As he was to be for some time absent from his tents, he asked to take his
wife with him, and I willingly consented. Rathaiyah was the sister of
Suttam el Meekh, the chief of the powerful tribe of the Abde, one of the
principal divisions of the Shammar. She was a lady of a very haughty and
imperious temper, as poor Suttum had found to his cost, for she carried
matters with so high a hand that he had been compelled, almost immediately
after his marriage, to send back a young and beautiful wife to her
father's tent. She rode on the dromedary behind her lord, a comfortable
seat having been made for her with a rug and a coverlet.
The true Sinjar mountain ends about nine miles from Jedaila, the high
ridge suddenly subsiding into low broken hills. From all parts of the
plain it is a very beautiful object. Its limestone rocks, wooded here and
there with dwarf oak, are of a rich golden color; and the numberless
ravines, which furrow its sides, form ribs of deep purple shadow. The
western part of the Sinjar is inhabited by the Yezidi tribe of
Kherraniyah. We rode over the plain in a parallel line to the mountain,
and about seven or eight miles from it. Towards nightfall we skirted a
ridge of very low hills rising to our left: but night set in before we
could see the tents. No sound except the mournful note of the small desert
owl, which has often misled the weary wanderer,[117] broke the deep
silence, nor could we distinguish the distant fires usually marking the
site of an encampment. Suttum, however, well knew where the Bedouins would
halt, and about an hour after dark we heard the well-known voice of
Dervish, and others of my workmen, who, anxious at our delay, had come out
to seek us.
Our encampment was full of Yezidis of the Kherraniyah tribe, who had
ridden from the tents to see me, bringing presents of sheep, flour, and
figs. They were at war, both with the Bedouins and the inhabitants of the
northern side of the mountain. My large tent was soon crowded with guests.
They squatted down on the ground in double ranks. For the last time I
spoke on the advantage of peace and union amongst themselves, and I
exacted from them a solemn promise that they would meet the assembled
tribes at the next great festival in the valley of Sheikh Adi, referring
their differences in future to the decision of Hussein Bey, Sheikh Nasr,
and the Cawals, instead of appealing to arms. I also reconciled them with
the Bedouins, Suttum entering into an engagement for his tribe, and both
parties agreeing to abstain from lifting each other's flocks when they
should again meet in the pastures at the foot of the hills. The
inhabitants of the Sinjar are too powerful and independent to pay
_kowee_,[118] or black mail, to the Shammar, who, indeed, stand in much
awe of their Yezidi enemies.
The Yezidis returned to their encampment late at night, but about a
hundred of their horsemen were again with me before the tents were struck
in the morning. They promised to fulfil the engagements entered into on
the previous evening, and accompanied me for some miles on our day's
journey. Cawal Yusuf returned with them on his way back to Mosul. It was
agreed that he should buy, at the annual auction, the Mokhatta, or
revenues of the Sinjar,[119] and save the inhabitants from the tyranny and
exactions of the Turkish tax-gatherer. I wrote letters for him to the
authorities of Mosul, recommending such an arrangement, as equally
beneficial to the tranquillity of the mountain and the treasury of the
Pasha.
After leaving Om-el-Dhiban we entered an undulating country crossed by
deep ravines, worn by the winter torrents. Four hours' ride brought us to
a scanty spring; half an hour beyond we passed a second; and in five and a
half hours pitched the tents, for the rest of the day, near a small
stream. All these springs are called Maalaga, and rising in the gypsum or
Mosul marble, have a brackish and disagreeable taste. The Bedouins
declare, that, although unpalatable, they are exceedingly wholesome, and
that even their mares fatten on the waters of Jeraiba.
Suttum came to me before nightfall, somewhat downcast in look, as if a
heavy weight were on his mind. At length, after various circumlocutions,
he said that his wife would not sleep under the white tent which I had
lent her, such luxuries being, as she declared, only worthy of city
ladies, and altogether unbecoming the wife and daughter of a Bedouin. "So
determined is she," said Suttum, "in the matter, that, Billah! she
deserted my bed last night and slept on the grass in the open air; and now
she swears she will leave me and return on foot to her kindred, unless I
save her from the indignity of sleeping under a white tent." It was
inconvenient to humor the fancies of the Arab lady, but as she was
inexorable, I gave her a black Arab tent, used by the servants for a
kitchen. Under this sheet of goat-hair canvass, open on all sides to the
air, she said she could breathe freely, and feel again that she was a
Bedouin.
We crossed, during the following evening, a beautiful plain covered with
sweet smelling flowers and aromatic herbs, and abounding in gazelles,
hares, and bustards. We reached in about two hours the encampments, whose
smoke we had seen during the preceding evening. They belonged to Bedouins
of the Hamoud branch of the Shammar, and had recently been plundering a
government caravan and slaughtering the soldiers guarding it. They are
notorious for treachery and cruelty, and certainly the looks of those who
gathered around us, many of them grotesquely attired in the plundered
garments of the slaughtered Turkish soldiery, did not belie their
reputation. They fingered every article of dress we had on, to learn its
texture and value.
Leaving their encampments, we rode through vast herds of camels and flocks
of sheep belonging to the tribe, and at length came in sight of the river.
The Khabour flows through the richest pastures and meadows. Its banks were
now covered with flowers of every hue, and its windings through the green
plain were like the coils of a mighty serpent. I never beheld a more
lovely scene. An uncontrollable emotion of joy seized all our party when
they saw the end of their journey before them. The horsemen urged their
horses to full speed; the Jebours dancing in a circle, raised their
colored kerchiefs on their spears, and shouted their war cry, Hormuzd
leading the chorus; the Tiyari sang their mountain songs and fired their
muskets into the air.
The tents of Mohammed Emin, the Jebour Sheikh, were pitched under the
ruins of Arban, and on the right or northern bank of the river, which was
not at this time fordable. As we drew near to them, after a ride of nearly
two hours, the Sheikh pointed in triumph to the sculptures, which were the
principal objects of my visit. They stood a little above the water's edge,
at the base of a mound of considerable size. We had passed several tels
and the double banks of ancient canals, showing that we were still amidst
the remains of ancient civilisation.
At length we stopped opposite to the encampment of the Jebour Sheikh, but
it was too late to cross the river, some time being required to make ready
the rafts. We raised our tents, therefore, for the night on the southern
bank. They were soon filled by a motley group of Boraij, Hamoud, Assaiyah,
and Jebour Arabs. Moghamis, Suttum's uncle, came shortly after our
arrival, bringing me as a present a well-trained hawk and some bustards,
the fruits of his morning's sport. The falcon was duly placed on his stand
in the centre of the spacious tent, and remained during the rest of my
sojourn in the East a member of my establishment. His name was Fawaz, and
he was a native of the hills of Makhhoul, near Tekrit, celebrated for
their breed of hawks. He was of the species called "chark," and had been
given by Sadoun-el-Mustafa, the chief of the great tribe of Obeid, to
Ferhan, the Sheikh of the Shammar, who had bestowed him in token of
friendship on Moghamis.
A Sheikh of the Hamoud also brought us a wild ass-colt, scarcely two
months old, which had been caught whilst following its dam, and had been
since fed upon camel's milk. Indeed, nearly all those who came to my tent
had some offering, either sheep, milk, curds, or butter; even the Arab
boys had caught for us the elegant jerboa, which burrows in vast numbers
on the banks of the river. Suitable presents were made in return. Dinner
was cooked for all our guests, and we celebrated our first night on the
Khabour by general festivities.