The Coolidge examiner., 1937-09-09
n the
Wells ond Heir Houses" Of
the Bedouins Of Truns-J -Jordun

very deep. They kept filling a bas-
ket with the dirt they excavated. A
camel, hitched to rope and pulley
and driven by a frail, over-grown
boy, pulled the basket out of the
wellhole., Each time a load of dirt
reached the top. the old man seized
1t, swung it to the surface, and
dumped it, while the camel walked
back for another haul
Work ceased while the traveller
stopped to chat. Bedouins never
hurry. With pride the old man sur
veyed his three sons and the new
wellhole. They "digged the we'll on
ly that man and beast might drink"
The traveller asked whether he
would charge for the right of water
ing to repay him for his labors. His
slight form unbent. Lifting his head.
he pointed to his sons with a ma
jestic sweep of his hand.
He said, Allah has requited me
mercifully. In addition to these, l
have other children and from His
bounty we have yearly a sufficiency
in our tents, besides flocks and cam
els. Should I pile up gold like yon-
der hill? What would it satisfy?
Better we leave behind something
whereby our fellows are benefited"
Bedouin's House of Hair.
The black goats-hair tent is the
Bedouin's home, but he never speaks
of it as tent. To him, it is the
belt sha'ar (house of hair). Most
flexible of all abodes, it keeps out
sun, sands, and winter winds. Dur
ing hot days the sides can be lifted
or removed at will. Then the tent
is little more than a sunshade. In
winter the coarse, heavy fabric cuts
off icy blasts.
With few exceptions, the goats of
these lands are black From their
shearings the Bedouin makes his
tents. Thousands of years have
brought little change in their con-
Struction.
The house of hair is oblong and
has long pitched roof with droop-
ing ends. The smallest tents have
nine poles altogether, with a row
running lengthwise down the cen
ter, and shorter, lighter rows in
front and back. Guy ropes extend
outward from both sides and from
the center of each end.
Detachable goat's-hair curtains
form the sides and ends Of the tent.
They are fastened to the edge of the
roof with wooden pins and fixed to
the ground with pegs driven through
rope loops.
The tent is pitched with its back
to prevailing winds and storms. A
curtain at the central pole usually
divides it into two parts. One end
is called the mahram section (be-
longing to the harem). Here lives
the family, and here are stored bed
ding, rugs, copper cooking pots, and
saddlery.
The other end, usually left more
open, is called es-shigg and is the
guest section where male visitors
are received.
Sheik's Tent Often Large.
The average Bedouin tent is or
10 yards long and half as wide.
But there is extreme variation in
size. Poor herdsmen's tents are fire.
quently much smaller, while those
of sheiks and richer tribesmen may
be as much as 100 or 120 feet long.
In more elaborate tents, addition
al tent poles support the center.
These tents are referred to by the
number of central Cor wasiD poles.
A f., g., or 10-wasit house of hair
means the same to Bedouin as a
f., g., or 10-room house to us.
There are sheik'S tents that nave
nine waists, or ten sections. Three
SSCIlOllS dl OIlc SIIO dIS CUIldul6Q
off with sahas for wives and their
families.
The chief wife has a double Sec
ton to herself. But her apartment
is also the storehouse for rugs, bed
ding, and food supplies for guests.
Half the tent forms the shigg, or
guest section.
If Bedouin keeps no goats, he
buys his goat's-hair cloth. But
most families can provide their own
goats hair, and the women spin
the yarn, weave the cloth, and sew
the tent together. Pitching and strik-
ing the tents are also women's
work.
The only time a new tent IS made
is when a youth leaves his parents
home and sets up housekeeping by
usually with wife or two
to do the Work