their ancestor being by origin and language an Hebrew, but having made an alliance with the Jorhamites, by marrying a daughter of Modad, and accustomed himself to their manner of living and language, his descendants became blended with them into one nation. The uncertainty of the descents between Ismael and Adnân, is the reason why they seldom trace their genealogies higher than the latter, whom they acknowledge as father of their tribes; the descents from him downwards being pretty certain and uncontroverted.s The genealogy of these tribes being of great use to illustrate the Arabian history, I have taken the pains to form a genealogical table from their most approved authors; to which I refer the curious. Besides these tribes of Arabs, mentioned by their own authors, who were all descended from the race of Sem, others of them were the posterity of Ham by his son Cush, which name is in scripture constantly given to the Arabs and their country, though our version renders it Ethiopia; but strictly speaking, the Cushites did not inhabit Arabia properly so called, but the banks of the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf, whither they came from Chuzestân or Susiana, the original settlement of their father. They might probably mix themselves in process of time with the Arabs of the other race, but the eastern writers take little or no notice of them. The Arabians were for some centuries under the government of the descendants of Kâhtan; Yárab, one of his sons, founding the kingdom of Yaman, and Jorham, another of them, that of Hejâz. The province of Yaman, or the better part of it, particularly the provinces of Saba and Hadramaut, was governed by princes of the tribe of Hamyar, though at length the kingdom was translated to the descendants of Cahlân his brother, who yet retained the title of king of Hamyar, and had all of them the general title of Tobba, which signifies successor, and was affected to this race of princes, as that of Cæsar was to the Roman emperors, and Khalif to the successors of Mohammed. There were se veral lesser princes who reigned in other parts of Yaman, and were mostly, if not altogether, subject to the king of Hamyar, whom they called the great king, but of these history has recorded nothing remarkable or that may be depended upon.' The first great calamity that befell the tribes settled in Yaman was the 'nundation of Aram, which happened soon after the time of Alexander the Great, and is famous in the Arabian history. No less than eight tribes were forced to abandon their dwellings upon this occasion, some of which gave rise to the two kingdoms of Ghassan and Hira. And this was probably the time of the migration of those tribes or colonies which were led into Mesopotamia by three chiefs, Becr, Modar, and Rabîa, from whom the three provinces of that country are still named Diyar Becr, Diyar Modar, and Diyar Rabia. Abdshems, surnamed Saba, having built the city from him called Saba, and afterwards Mareb, made a vast mound or dam3 to serve as a basin or reservoir to receive the water which came down from the mountains, not only for the use of the inhabitants, and watering their lands, but also to keep the country they had subjected in greater awe by being masters of the water. This building stood like a mountain above their city, and was by them esteemed so strong, that they were in no apprehension of its ever failing. The water rose to the height of almost twenty fathoms, and was kept in on every side by a work so solid, that many of the inhabitants had their houses built upon it. Every family had a certain portion of this Vide Hyde Hist. Rel. veter. Persar. p. 37, &c. Vide Gol. ad Alfrag. p. 232. Poc. Spec. p. 57. Poc. Spec p. 40. Spec. p. 65, 66. water distributed by aqueducts. But at length God being highly dis pleased at their great pride and insolence, and resolving to humble and disperse them, sent a mighty flood, which broke down the mound at night while the inhabitants were asleep, and carried away the whole city with the neighbouring towns and people." The tribes which remained in Yaman after this terrible devastation still continued under the obedience of the former princes, till about 70 years before Mohammed, when the king of Ethiopia sent over forces to assist the Christians of Yaman against the cruel persecution of their king Dhu Nowâs, a bigoted Jew, whom they drove to that extremity, that he forced his horse into the sea, and so lost his life and crown; after which the country was governed by four Ethiopian princes successively, till Seif the son of Dhu Yazan of the tribe of Hamyar, obtaining succours from Khosru Anushirwân king of Persia, which had been denied him by the empe ror Heraclius, recovered the throne and drove out the Ethiopians, but was himself slain by some of them who were left behind. The Persians appointed the succeeding princes till Yamah fell into the hands of Mohammed, to whom Bazan, or rather Badhân, the last of them, submitted, and embraced his new religion. This kingdom of the Hamyarites is said to have lasted 2020 years,” or as others say above 3000; the length of the reign of each prince being very uncertain. It has been already observed that two kingdoms were founded by those who left their country on occasion of the inundation of Aram; they were both out of the proper limits of Arabia. One of them was the kingdom of Ghassân. The founders of this kingdom were of the tribe of Azd, who settling in Syria Damascena near a water called Ghassân, thence took their name, and drove out the Dejaamian Arabs of the tribe of Salih, who before possessed the country; where they maintained their kingdom 400 years, as others say 600, or as Abulfeda more exactly computes 616. Five of these princes were named Hâreth, which the Greeks write Aretas: and one of them it was whose governor ordered the gates of Damascus to be watched to take St. Paul This tribe were Christians, their last king being Jabalah the son of al Ayham, who on the Arabs' successes in Syria professed Mohammedism under the Khalif Omar; but receiving a disgust from him, returned to his former faith, and retired to Constantinople. The other kingdom was that of Hira, which was founded by Malec of the descendants of Cahlân3 in Chaldea or Irâk; but after three descents the throne came by marriage to the Lakhmians, called also the Mondars (the general name of those princes), who preserved their dominion, notwithstanding some small interruption by the Persians, till the Khalifat of Abubecr, when al Mondar al Maghrûr, the last of them, lost his life and crown by the arms of Khaled Ebn al Walîd. This kingdom lasted 622 years eight months. Its princes were under the protection of the kings of Persia, whose lieutenants they were over the Arabs of Irak, as the kings of Ghassan were for the Roman emperors over those of Syria." Jorham the son of Kahtân reigned in Hejâz, where his posterity kept the throne till the time of Ismael, but on his marrying the daughter of Modad, by whom he had twelve sons, Kidar, one of them, had the crown Geogr. Nubiens. p. 52. 2 Cor. xi. 32. See Prideaux's life of Moham. p. 61. • Poc. Spec. 'Al Jannâbi and Ahmed Ebn Yusef. • Poc. Spec. p. 76. "Vide Ockley's History of the Saracens, vol i. p. 174. Ib. and Procop. in Pers. apud. Photium. p. 71. &c ⚫ Ib. p. 74. water distributed by aqueducts. But at length God being highly dis. pleased at their great pride and insolence, and resolving to humble and disperse them, sent a mighty flood, which broke down the mound at night while the inhabitants were asleep, and carried away the whole city with the neighbouring towns and people. The tribes which remained in Yaman after this terrible devastation still continued under the obedience of the former princes, till about 70 years before Mohammed, when the king of Ethiopia sent over forces to assist the Christians of Yaman against the cruel persecution of their king Dhu Nowâs, a bigoted Jew, whom they drove to that extremity, that he forced his horse into the sea, and so lost his life and crown; after which the country was governed by four Ethiopian princes successively, till Seif the son of Dhu Yazan of the tribe of Hamyar, obtaining succours from Khos rû Anushirwân king of Persia, which had been denied him by the emperor Heraclius, recovered the throne and drove out the Ethiopians, but was himself slain by some of them who were left behind. The Persians appointed the succeeding princes till Yamah fell into the hands of Mohammed, to whom Bazan, or rather Badhân, the last of them, submitted, and embraced his new religion. This kingdom of the Hamyarites is said to have lasted 2020 years,” or as others say above 3000; the length of the reign of each prince being very uncertain. It has been already observed that two kingdoms were founded by those who left their country on occasion of the inundation of Aram; they were both out of the proper limits of Arabia. One of them was the kingdom of Ghassan. The founders of this kingdom were of the tribe of Azd, who settling in Syria Damascena near a water called Ghassân, thence took their name, and drove out the Dejaamian Arabs of the tribe of Salih, who before possessed the country; where they maintained their kingdom 400 years, as others say 600, or as Abulfeda more exactly computes 616. Five of these princes were named Hâreth, which the Greeks write Aretas: and one of them it was whose governor ordered the gates of Damascus to be watched to take St. Paul This tribe were Christians, their last king being Jabalah the son of al Ayham, who on the Arabs' successes in Syria professed Mohammedism under the Khalif Omar; but receiving a disgust from him, returned to his former faith, and retired to Constantinople.❜ The other kingdom was that of Hira, which was founded by Malec of the descendants of Cahlân3 in Chaldea or Irâk; but after three descents the throne came by marriage to the Lakhmians, called also the Mondars (the general name of those princes), who preserved their dominion, notwithstanding some small interruption by the Persians, till the Khalifat of Abubeer, when al Mondar al Maghrûr, the last of them, lost his life and crown by the arms of Khaled Ebn al Walid. This kingdom lasted 622 years eight months. Its princes were under the protection of the kings of Persia, whose lieutenants they were over the Arabs of Irak, as the kings of Ghassân were for the Roman emperors over those of Syria.5 Jorham the son of Kahtân reigned in Hejâz, where his posterity kept the throne till the time of Ismael, but on his marrying the daughter of Modad, by whom he had twelve sons, Kidar, one of them, had the crown 'See Prideaux's life of Moham. p. 61. • Poc. Spec. Poc. Spec. p. 76. • Al Jannâbi and Ahmed Ebn Yusef. Geogr. Nubiens. p. 52. p. 63, 64. 'Abulfeda. 2 Cor. xi. 32. Acts ix. 24. Poc. Spec. p. 66. ⚫ Ib. p. 74. "Vide Ockley's History of the Saracens, vol i. p. 174. Ib. and Procop. in Pers. apud. Photium. D. 71. &c |