CARAVAN, in the East, signifies a company or assembly of travellers and pilgrims, and more particularly of mer chants, who, for their greater security, and in order to assist each other, march in a body through the deserts, and other dan gerous places, which are infested with Arabs or robbers. There is a chief, or aga, who commands the caravan, and is attended by a certain number of janiza ries, or other militia, according to the •;ountries from whence the caravans set out ; which number of soldiers must be sufficient to defend them, and conduct them with safety to the places for which they are designed, and on a day appoint ed. The caravan encamps every evening near such wells or brooks as their guides are acquainted with ; and there is as strict discipline observed upon this occa sion, as in armies in time of war. Their beasts of burden are partly horses, but most commonly camels, who are capable of undergoing very great fatigue. The
Grand Signior gives one-fourth of the revenues of Egypt to defray the expense of the caravan that goes yearly to Mecca, to visit Mahomet's tomb : the devotees in this caravan are from forty to seventy thousand, accompanied with soldiers, to protect them from the pillage of the Arabs, and followed by eight or nine thousand camels, laden with all necessa ry provisions for so long a passage across deserts.
is also used for the voyages or campaigns which the knights of Malta are oblige,I to make at sea against the Turks and Corsairs, that they may arrive at the commendaries or dignities of the order. The reason of their being thus called is, because the knights have often seized the caravans going from Alexan dria to Constantinople.