In the intercalated years, Dhu'lhajja has thirty 'days. kl Rajeb, Dhu'lkaada, and Dhu'lhajja, were termed the four sacred months ; because in them, it was held unlawful by the Arabs to wage war, or even to prosecute any private animosity. The most inveterate enemies lived in full security. The heads were taken from their spears, and they ceased from every kind of hostility.
The Arabs reckon their day from sun-set to sun-set, and divide it into 24 hours; their hours, consequently, arc of uncertain duration, and must vary according to the length of time the sun is above the horizon. They arc strangers to the use of watches, and, like the pea sants of Europe, distinguish the different parts of the day by vague and indeterminate denominations.
Little is known of the ancient history of Arabia. The partial information which we receive respecting the early transactions of its inhabitants, is derived chiefly from their own historians, whose disagreement, in many important points, renders their authenticity very ques tionable. Indeed, until the time of Mahomet, their his tory seems to be completely involved in obscurity.
From its proximity to the original station assigned to man by his Creator, Arabia must have been peopled at a very early period of the world. We are told, that soon after the deluge, the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah, leaving the banks of the Euphrates and the Tigris, and proceeding along the western coasts of the Persian Gulf, in the course of time founded several small king doms in the southern parts of this peninsula ; and Kahtan, or Joktan, the fifth in descent from Shem, is mentioned by the Arabs as the original founder of their nation. The Benz-Cush, the grand-children of Ham, emigrating also southward from Babylon, where Nimrod, a chief of the same family aspired to sovereignty, settled along the interior of the Persian Gulf. Intermingling afterwards with the tribe of Beni-Joktan, they formed a powerful nation in the south of Arabia, and diligently applied themselves to commerce. The western parts were first peopled by the Casluhim, a branch of the descendants of Mezraim. But these, it is supposed, did not long continue in this country ; the greater part of them, either passing through Egypt, or over the streights of Babel-Mandeb, planted settlements in Ethiopia. The Casluhim, many ages afterwards, were succeeded by Ishmael and his family, whose posterity penetrating towards the east, spread themselves over the greater part of the peninsula, and introduced their peculiar manners and customs among its inhabitants.
The oriental historians deduce the origin of the Arabs from Kohtan, or Joktan, a descendant of Shem; and Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. The posterity of the former they denominate, al Arab of Ariba, " the genuine Arabs ;" but the Ishmaelites they call, al Arab of Mostareba," insititious Arabs ;" because the Ishmae lites settled in Arabia many centuries after the Beni Joktan had possession of that country, and, consequently, must have been 'considered as strangers, until they had become naturalized by intermarrying with the original inhabitants. Besides these, some writers, supported by the Koran, mention several other tribes who inhabited this peninsula at a very early period. The most consi derable of these were, the tribes of Ad, Tbamud, Tasm, Jades, the first Jorham, and Amalek ; who, we are told, either fell victims to the divine vengeance, for their impiety and infidelity, or were lost, and swallowed up among the other tribes.
liahtan, the father of the Arabians, was succeeded by Yarab in the government of 1 ; and Jorham, another of his sons, founded the kingdom of Hedjas. But to follow the transactions and revolutions of these kingdoms, from their first institution to their extinc tion, would involve us in a labyrinth of darkness, and lead us into discussions incompatible with the limits of this work. A few of the most prominent occurrences, however, that mark their history, may not only be in teresting, but may serve to illustrate sonic of the pecu liar manners of this people ; and enable us to trace the progress of science and civilization in the early ages of the world.
Saba, the fourth king of Yemen, deploring the dis tresses to which his subjects were exposed by the re peated droughts of this parched country, built a stu pendous mound between two hills, for receiving and preserving the waters which descended from the moun tains. This building stood, like a mountain, above the city of Mareb, or Saba ; and was composed of such strong and solid materials, that many of the inhabitants built their houses upon the top of it. The water was carried by aquxducts into the city, and distributed among the inhabitants. But a more important and political purpose, it would seem, was intended by this capacious reservoir. Saba was a great warrior, and had subdued in battle many of the neighbouring tribes. By making himself master of the water, he ensured their submis sion ; as he could at pleasure greatly distress them by cutting off all communication with it. This prince is also said to have been the first who introduced into Ara bia the worship of the heavenly luminaries ; whence, as we before intimated, he received the surname of Abd. Shems, i. e. " Servant of the Sun." Saba was succeeded by his son Hamyar, who gave his name to the kingdom of Hamyar ; and whose de scendants were called Hamyarites, the same with the Homerites of Ptolemy and other Greek authors. After Hamyar, we have a series of 20 princes of the same family ; but of whom nothing remarkable is recorded. The last of these was succeeded by Amran, of the pos terity of Cahlan, the brother of Hamyar, to whose fa mily the throne of Hymar was now translated, and whose descendants continued to sway the sceptre, in an unin terrupted succession, till about 44 years before Maho met. It was during the reigns of some of these mo narchs, that the famous reservoir of Saba was broken down by a mighty flood, which swept away the whole city, with the neighbouring towns. This terrible inun dation is stiled, in the Koran, " the inundation of Al Arem," and is supposed to have happened about the time of Alexander the Great. The destruction occa sioned by the flood was so dreadful, that no less than eight tribes were compelled to abandon their habitations, and seek for other settlements; and it became a prover bial saying among the Arabs, to express a total disper sion, that " they were scattered like Saba." Some of these tribes, under the conduct of Malec, a descendant of Cahlan, removed into Chaldea, or Trak, and founded the kingdom of Hira ; which continued to flourish till the caliphate of Abu-Bekr, when Al Mondar, the last of its princes, lost his life and crown, by the arms of Khaled Ebn-Al-Walid. The other tribe of Azd settled in Syria Damascena, after expelling the original inhabitants, and gave rise to the kingdom, of Ghassan.