ARAB TRIBES.—The Cha'ab Arabs are a tall, martial race, strong-limbed and muscular, active and healthy. They occupy the lower part of Mesopotamia, the southern portion of the plain of Khuzistan, in Persia, with the Hindiyan river on the east and the Karun river on the west, extending along the banks from Ahwaz till its junction with the Shat-ul-Arab. Their divisions are the Ali Bu Nadir, the Idris, Nasara, Mohaisen, Bawi, Beni Jemim, and Haidari Haidar, with about 50 subdivisions. Their adults are stated at 68,000, but about 10,000 are supposed to be fighting men. They are agricultural, and have irrigating canals. They protect trade. They are Shiah Muhammadans. They are tributary to Persia.
Albu All is a tribe of the Cha'ab Arabs, residing in Khuzistan. They number 2500 adult males.
Abu Ghesh, a tribe of the Cha'ab Arabs, residing at Buziah, in the province of Khuzistan. They have 6000 adult men.
All Bakard is an Arab tribe settled in the plain of Ram Hormuz, iu Khuzistan. They have good matchlockmen, and a few expert horsemen.
Ali Kathir, a large Arab tribe in the Dizful district of Khuzistan. They have 19 branches, of about 14,000 to 15,000 families, and can furnish a good body of cavalry.
All Khamis, a nomade tribe of Arabs, a branch of the Maedan, inhabiting the plain of Ram Hormuz, in Khuzistan.
Al Kuniferah, a clan of the Cha'ab, are located on the road from Mohamra to Dorak, in Khuzistan.
Al Mukadam, a tribe of Cha'ab Arabs, near Dorak, in Khuzistan.
The Amur clan wander about in the southern parts of Khuzistan. They number 10,000 adult males.
Anafijah, a nomade clan of the Maedan Khuzis tan tribe of Arabs, are a powerful tribe under the authority of a shaikh, who retains 300 horse and 400 foot. They occupy in Khuzistan the right bank of the Karun below Band-i-Kir. They possess large flocks of camels and sheep.
The Asar Kirah clan reside near Oushar, near Buziah, in the Falahiyah district of Khuzistan.
The Bawi are a large and powerful tribe of Arabs, who can turn out about 1000 horsemen and about 2000 footmen. They inhabit both banks of the river Karun, and are tributary to the Cha'ab shaikh, though its chief considers him self more under the protection than under the absolute authority of the shaikh of the Cha'ab Arabs, against whom they frequently appear in arms. They are notoriously treacherous.
Dinaruni, a predatory, barbarous, and ignorant tribe of the mountains of Khuzistan. They can muster 3000 men. They are overawed by the Bakhtiari. The Ali Mahamdi in Khuzistau is one of the largest subdivisions of the Dinaruni.
The Sadat and Sadir and Saki tribes dwell near Hawizah in Khuzistan, and numbers of the Saki are in Luristan.
The Sharifat tribe has about 10,000 families. They occupy the vicinity of the right bank of the Hindian river in Khuzistan and the Zaitun This tribe has 2000 foot and 700 horse, and has frequently opposed the Cha'ab shaikh.
Teheran, the capital of Persia, is built in the very lowest part of an immense desert plain. It has 100,000 inhabitants. Colonel Shiel gave the following tribes of the neighbourhood and district of Teheran.
Turk, viz. Shah Seven, 9000 tents ; nomade in Kum, Teheran, Kasvin, and Zanjan.
Kharekaulu, Bajmanlu, Kundeshlu, Khellij, Khoda Bandehlu, 400 houses in Teheran city.
Afshari, 900 houses and tents, between Teheran and Kasvin.
Usanlu, 1000 tents at Demavand, Kehleku, and Gavbaz, 150 houses.
Abul IIasani, Jahan Begin, and Shadlu, 320 tents and houses.
Tuyuj, a base tribe, dwelling in 300 tents near Teheran. They are very poor, are thieves and fortune-tellers.
Turk and Lek, viz. Turk-i-Mafi, 100 houses ; Pazeki, 2000 tents and houses ; Keugerlu, Kara Churlu.
Lek, viz. Nine tribes near Kasvin, 1500 tents ; Hedawand, Burbur, and Sylsipur, 1000 tents and houses.
Zargar, thieves and coiners.
• Khurd Bacheli, 400 tents.
Shah Sarwari, 250 tents, and Nana Kelli, 650 tents, S. of Teheran.
Kurdistan lies between lat. 34° to 39° 30' N., and long. 40° 48' E. ; 500 miles long, and 150 miles broad ; but near "Van its breadth is about 300 miles. The Kurds inhabit the whole of both sides of the main range, which, running out south from Mount Ararat, divides Asiatic Turkey from Persia from Bayazid to near Hamadan. The limits comprise 'portions of the provinces of Bayazid, Arzrum, Mush, Van, Diar bakr, Masai, and Turkish Kurdistan in Asiatic Turkey, and of Ardelan or Persian Kurdistan, Azarbijan, and Kirmanshab in Persia. It is a succession of steep and rugged mountains, with fertile but narrow strips of valleys at their base. The mountain system consists of the great southern spur of Mount Ararat, which divides the drainage of the Tigris from that of Persia, and from which several spurs project. The western part of Kurdistan gives rise to the Bat man Su, Bitlis Chai, Diala, Khabur, Sert Chai, Tigris, Yezdikhaneh Su, Zab greater and lesser, and Lake Van is in Kurdistan. The people are greatly nomade, with large flocks of sheep and goats. Their horses are good, and 60,000 to 80,000 could be annually supplied.