HLEEDE }umRxaB!rsmmcamr^~ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GALIGNJNl UBF.ARV THE j Engl & Americ. Books Rivolt PARIS, 224, r. de jf m••-o THE DESERT GATEWAY J ") THE DESERT GATEWAY BISKRA AND THEREABOUTS BY S. H. LEEDER Illustrated with 16 Plates from Photographs by the Author and by A. Bougault CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne 1910 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED B52.H1 TO MY WIFE WITHOUT WHOSE UNFAILING HELP THIS BOOK COULD NOT HAVE BEHN WRITTEN pQPQQoq PREFACE This book is an attempt to supply a need I was keenly conscious of during a long visit to North Africa last winter. Falling at once under the fas- cinating spell of the Arab people, whose life and religion excited in me the greatest interest and curiosity, I, with many other visitors to Biskra, sought almost in vain for answers to the many questions which daily presented themselves. And if books fail, what resource is there ? The ordinary tourist, who is making a short visit, finds the Arab himself, when questioned, blank. Indeed, I doubt if there are any people under the sun who can, while preserving a charming courtesy, oppose to the curious such an impenetrable reticence as the Arab is capable of. I have tried to write the book I should have been glad to find already in existence at the beginning of my stay. My only claims to attempt it are the unusual length of my visit; my extreme good fortune in winning a measure of friendly con- fidence, by which I got past— if ever so short a distance—the barrier the Arab sets up ; and the fact that since my return home I have been able to follow up these advantages by a study of such works as throw light on some of the mysterious problems one could not otherwise have solved. I trust no one, especially of those who know any- thing of the depth and subtlety of the Arab mind ; viii PREFACE and character, will imagine for a moment that I am claiming to have found all, or nearly all, the keys to those secret recesses which have never before yielded to European hands. Of all the keys I did not find more than one—the key of sympathy and respect. And if with that I opened certain chambers of deep human interest, even then I am aware that the light I had was scarcely enough to explore by and I came away, with the spell unbroken, it is true, but with curiosity only partially abated and inter- est only partly satisfied. Like Cleopatra, the East makes hungry where most it satisfies. It is this insatiable hunger, I believe, that constitutes its ever- lasting fascination, and that draws so irresistibly those who have once entertained the illusion that the hunger could ever be appeased. As to the two chapters on the religion of Islam and the life of its Prophet, I cannot, of course, claim to have added anything to the knowledge of that subject; but I shall count my book to have failed if in the earlier chapters I have not excited in my readers enough interest in the Arab people to carry them on quite naturally to a brief consideration of the religion of the race. This I have written in the light of my own affection for them, and with my own desire to understand the origin of their marvellous history and the forces which have made them what they are. The Arab religion is the Arab life. It is in the example and teaching of their Prophet that the inspiration which makes them so different from other men is to be found. Unfortunately, most English writers on this subject have brought to it a strong prejudice. Often, from the point of view of the ardent Christian advocate, it has been sought to demolish the teaching of the Koran ; or a PREFACE ix writer like Prof. Margoliouth has written of Moham- met as pretty much of a charlatan, distinguished chiefly by his success in hoodwinking mankind; while at the other extreme we have the glowing rhapsody of Carlyle, as he places him for hero-worship on one of the rare pinnacles he erects for his "great men." It is between these opinions that I seem to find the truth ; and my natural Christian bias leads me to believe that to help the millions of Islam no man should contemplate the destruction of the Koran, but should seek rather to supplement it with the Gospel. I gratefully acknowledge the help of Mr. Percy Hasluck, of Southgate, on many points where a knowledge of Arabic was invaluable. To Dr. Lang- don Brown, F.R.C.P., of Harley Street, London, I am indebted for his opinion of the dervish perform- ances, especially valuable as being the outcome of the close observation of an eminent physician. To my numerous Arab friends I owe more than I can say. As the opinions of a cultured Moslem on his religion, the various utterances of Syed Ahmed are deeply interesting. As Algeria is held by France, it was always in- teresting to hear the opinion of Frenchmen who, from their official positions, had great opportunities of observing the country and its native people. In very many ways M. Francois Sicot, of Oran, gave me the advantage of his experience. I gladly acknowledge indebtedness to Lieut.-Col. Villot's "Moeurs, Coutumes et Institutions des In- digenes de I'Alg^rie"; to Sale's translation of the Koran and Notes; to the Rev. J. M. Rodwell's trans- " lation of the Koran ; and to the Dictionary of Islam," by T. P. Hughes (out of print). Prof. Margoliouth's X PREFACE "Mohammed and the Rise of Islam " is an invaluable storehouse of facts, antagonistic to what may be called the Carlyle theory of the Prophet. I have used both the translations of the Koran mentioned, in every case comparing them, and some- times transplanting a word from one to the other, as the better translation of the Arabic seems some- times to lie between the two versions. Rodwell's translation is by far the better for the casual reader; the Suras, for one thing, appear in proper historical order, and the poetic form is better preserved by the versification. In the footnotes "Sura" always means a chapter of the Koran. S. H. L. Inverldne, Lancaster, October, 1910. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. First Impressions of Biskra I 2. A Little Pageant of Eastern Life 21 3. Fast, Feast, and a Great Prayer 44 4. We Visit our Arab Friends, and See the Famous Jardin Landon 67 5. A Day at Sidi Okba . 94 6. About Mortality and Immortality in the Mohammedan Faith 117 7. About Islam and its Prophet 141 8. What is the Religion of Islam ? 179 q. Arab Betrothal and Marriage, and the Position of the Women of Islam. The Ouled NAiL Question 196 10. The Dancing Dervish and the Marabout . 220 11. Many Smaller Matters. Last Days, and a Sad Farewell .... 236 Appendix ..... 265 Index ...... 269 . LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Vast Ocean of the Sahara Desert : The Hour of Prayer Frontispiece FACING PAGE A Nomad Tent in the Desert. Dominoes Outside A Biskra Cafe . 6 A Corner of the Market at Biskra 8 One Side of the Market at Biskra 10 " Un Sou, M'sieur ? " A Beautiful Little Beggar Girl 24 Bendriss, the Schoolboy, Son of a Rich Arab in An Arab Friend Gala Attire . 42 The Great Prayer : First Attitude 48 The Great Prayer : Second Attitude . 50 The Great Prayer : Third Attitude . 52 The Great Prayer : Sermon and Collection 54 The Pretty Road FROM Biskra to Ras-el- Guerria 68 Beni-Mora, near Biskra, the Fragrant Mimosa Grove. Taib, our Guide, Breakfasting in his Sister's House 92 Minaret of a Village Mosque. An Arab Funeral . 122 OuLED Nail Dancing Girls 214 Arriving at the Dervish Fete in the River- Bed, with Native Soldier Carrying the Sacred Flag. Preparing Coffee at the Dervish Fete 222 The Falconer . 356 THE DESERT GATEWAY CHAPTER I FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BISKRA It was on a day brilliant with sunshine that we arrived at Biskra in early November, 1909. I suppose the arrival at that little railway station after the long journey from Algiers is always memorable to the "tourist" from the ardour with which he is welcomed by the medley of Arabs, who crowd round the station eager to see if any familiar European face will reappear, or to press their offices, as servant, guide, or porter, upon new-comers ; whom they greet with smiles, and cling to with a persistency which to those who do not yet know how to deal with Arab importunities is a little embarrassing, if not vexatious. It is at the beginning of the winter season, however, that the visitor has a welcome of double enthusiasm. After the long and sweltering summer in the oasis, when work has been almost impossible, and food very scarce, it can be imagined how hope revives in October when the climate becomes agree- able, and the memory of past seasons has taught the Arab lads how much there is to hope for from the daily unloading of the one train, in the early after- noon, which connects the gateway of the great desert THE DESERT GATEWAY with that wonderful world from which come so many rich and pleasant people. The station is situated about half a mile from the village, and although it is an attractive idea that one will scorn the 'bus and walk to the hotel, I do not advise this, for whether you elect to take the main road, or to seek the shade of the mimosa avenue through the beautiful public gardens, you cannot escape, in walking, the insistent attentions of the numerous boys and men, each one of whom hopes to become attached to you by reason of much asking.