Bedouins and the Desert Aspects of Nomadic Life in the Arab East
Product details
Biographical note
Jibrail Jabbur (1900-1991) was Professor of Arabic literature and Semitic Studies at the American University of Beirut. He was a renowned historian of Arabic literature, a leading figure in modern Arab education, and chair of the committee responsible for the modern Arabic translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. His many publications include editions of several medieval Arabic texts, a three-volume study of the early Arab poet 'Umar inb Abi Rabi'a, and numerous monographs on historical and cultural topics. His memoirs were published in Beirut only days before his death. Lawrence I. Conrad is Historian of Near Eastern Medicine at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine in London and the author of numerous studies on medical history and medieval Arab history and historiography. Suhayl J. Jabbur , Jibrail Jabbur's son, is a neurophysiologist and Professor of Physiology at the American University of Beirut.
<p>"I need scarcely say how important this book's subject is for anyone who wishes to understand the society and culture of the Arab peoples. There have been a number of important studies in European languages about aspects of this subject, and some valuable reports by western travelers, but in my opinion Jibrail Jabbur's book goes beyond them. It is based on a unique variety of sources: the works of Arab historians as well as European scholars and travelers; Arabic poems (of which Professor Jabbur had a remarkable knowledge), and his own personal observations during a long life which began on the edge of the Syrian desert." — Albert Hourani, author of A History of the Arab Peoples</p><p>"This book is above all a mine of detailed information about many aspects of bedouin life and about the physical environment in which the bedouin live....The interplay of recent/ethnographic detail and information drawn from ancient Arabic poetry and other literary sources is remarkable....All in all, it is an invaluable compilation and synthesis of material on a rapidly vanishing way of life." — Fred Donner, The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago</p>
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Translator's Note
Preface
Introduction
The Desert and Bedouin Life: a Personal Perspective
Books and Studies on Desert Affairs
The Meaning and Character of Nomadism
Types of Nomadism
The Ethnic and Social Significance of Nomadism
The Economic Significance of Nomadism
The Military and Political Significance of Nomadism
The Pillars of Bedouin Life
The First Pillar: The Desert
I. The Desert Homeland
Defining and Describing the Desert
Deserts and Sand-Deserts of Arabia
II. Trees and Plants of the Desert
Fruit-Bearing Trees
Non-Fruit-Bearing Trees
Desert Grasses and Shrubs
Fungal Plants
Desert Flowers
III. Carnivorous Desert Animals
The Lion
The Wolf
The Hyena
The Shib
The Badger
The Fox and Jackal
The Qurayta (Wildcat)
The Panther
IV. Herbivorous Desert Animals
The Gazelle
The Ibex
The Onager (Wild Ass)
The Oryx, or "Wild Cow" (Wudayhi)
The Roebuck
The Wild Boa
The Porcupine
The Marmot
The Hedgehog
The Jerboa
The Rabbit
V. Desert Birds
The Sand Grouse
The Ostrich
The Falcon
Acquisition and Training of Falcons
The Eagle and Vulture
The Bustard
The Francolin
Cranes and Herons
The Stork
Other Birds
VI. Desert Reptiles and Insects
The Dhabb
The Locust
VII. Domesticated Animals in the Desert
The Horse
The Origins of the Horse
Characteristics of the Horse
The Donkey
The Guard Dog
The Saluki
Sheep, Goats, and Cattle
The Second Pillar: The Camel
VIII. The Camel
The Origins and Habitats of the Camel
Domestication and References in Ancient Records
The Camel as an Important Pillar of Bedouin Life
Types of Camels
Attributes of the Camel
The Diet of the Camel
Its Endurance and Strength on the March
Thoroughbreds
Traits of Thoroughbred Camels
Benefits of then Camel
Disadvantages of the Camel
The Temperament of the Camel
The Breeding of She-Camels
Stages in a Young Camel's Life
The Third Pillar: The Tent
IX. The Bedouin's Tent
The Bedouin Tent
Tent Fabric
The Bedouin Camp
The Fourth Pillar: The Arab Bedouin
X. The Arab Bedouin and His Tribes
Who is the Arab Bedouin?
The Origin of the Arab Bedouin
Bedouin Solidarity and Pride in Descent
Some of the Best-Known Tribes
The 'Imarat (from Dana Bishr)
The Sba'a (from Dana 'Ubayd ibn Bishr)
The Fid'an (from Dana 'Ubayd ibn Bishr)
Dana Muslim
The Hsana
The Rwala (from the al-Jlas branch of Muslim)
The Hadidiyin
Banu Khalid
The Fawa'ira
The Mawali
Banu Sakhr
Shammar
The 'Aqaydat
The Wild 'Ali
XI. The Tribal Order
The Family: the Foundation of the Tribal Order
Descent-Group Solidarity
Tribal Territories in the Tribal Order
The Master of the Household
The Mistress of the Household
Marriage
Boys and Girls
Bedouin Justice
The Office of Shaykh among the Bedouins
The Search for Water and Pasturage
XII. The Bedouin Character
Endurance and Patience
Courage and Combat
Individuality
Generosity
Solicitude for Kin and Protégés
Bedouin Eloquence
Loyalty
Circumspection
The Bedouin's Zeal for Vengeance
Morality
His Ability to Interpret Physical Signs
XIII. Bedouin Appearance, Dress, and Adornment
Bedouin Appearance
Bedouin Dress and Adornment
Women's Dress
XIV. Raiding and the Brother-Right
Raiding
The ''Brother-Right"
XV. The Bedouins and the Hunt
Gazelle-Hunting with the Trap Method
Gazelle-Hunting without Recourse to Dogs
Gazelle-Hunting with Dogs and Falcons
Gazelle-Hunting with the Automobile
Gazelle-Hunting from a Blind
Hunting the Ibex
Rabbit Hunting
Bustard Hunting
Hunting the Sand Grouse
Hunting the Ostrich and Oryx
XVI. The Bedouins and Religion
The Bedouin's Profession of Islam
Sacrifices among the Rwala
The Markab, or Sacred Litter
XVII. Education and Cultural Life
Education and Instruction
The Majalis as Centers of Education
Cultural Life in the Desert
Literary Genres—the Bedouin Qasid
Bedouin Folk-Tales
The Subject Matter of the Stories
The Aim of the Story
The Bond between Story and Qasid
Genuine Historical Events
Examples of Such Lore
Other Bedouin Genres
XVIII. Nomads of the Nomads: the Slayb
A Curious Tribe
Modern Scholarship on the Slayb
The Views of al-Bustani
Objections to the Views of al-Karmali
Views of Other Scholars
Later Europeans Who Wrote on the Slayb
The Emergence of the Slayb
The Donkeys of Slayb
The Slayb and Hunting
The Slayb and Handicrafts
The Slayb and Their Knowledge of the Desert
Poetry and Music
The Slaybi Woman
Slayb Origins: a View in Critique of al-Bustani
A Theory on Their Origins
The Clans of Slayb
Changes in Their Way of Life
XIX. The History of the Bedouins in Northern Arabia
In Ancient Times
In Pre-Islamic Times
In Early Islamic Times up to the 'Abbasid Era
In the Era of the Declining 'Abbasid Caliphate
In the Era of the Crusaders and Mongols
In the Mamluk Period
In Ottoman Times
XX. The Transformation of Bedouin Life
Appendices
Appendix I. Egyptian Archival Documents
Appendix II. British Foreign Office Documents
Appendix III. Plants and Shrubs in Arab Desert Lands
Bibliography of Works Cited
Index
An extensively illustrated account of traditional bedouin life in the Arab east that extends from desert wildlife and lore on the camel to marriage customs and the history of the enigmatic tribe of Slayb.
Product details
Biographical note
Jibrail Jabbur (1900-1991) was Professor of Arabic literature and Semitic Studies at the American University of Beirut. He was a renowned historian of Arabic literature, a leading figure in modern Arab education, and chair of the committee responsible for the modern Arabic translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. His many publications include editions of several medieval Arabic texts, a three-volume study of the early Arab poet 'Umar inb Abi Rabi'a, and numerous monographs on historical and cultural topics. His memoirs were published in Beirut only days before his death. Lawrence I. Conrad is Historian of Near Eastern Medicine at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine in London and the author of numerous studies on medical history and medieval Arab history and historiography. Suhayl J. Jabbur , Jibrail Jabbur's son, is a neurophysiologist and Professor of Physiology at the American University of Beirut.