First Footsteps in East AfricaBurton, Richard Francis, Sir
History
First Footsteps in East Africa
Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Harar -- Description and travel; Harari language; Horn of Africa -- Description and travel
_Eastward._ Argob Bari (Bar in Amharic is a gate, _e.g._ Ankobar, the gate
of Anko, a Galla Queen, and Argob is the name of a Galla clan living in
this quarter), by the Somal called Erar.
_North._ Asum Bari (the gate of Axum), in Somali, Faldano or the Zayla
entrance.
_West._ Asmadim Bari or Hamaraisa.
_South._ Badro Bari or Bab Bida.
_South East._ Sukutal Bari or Bisidimo.
At all times these gates are carefully guarded; in the evening the keys
are taken to the Amir, after which no one can leave the city till dawn.
[23] Kabir in Arabic means great, and is usually applied to the Almighty;
here it is a title given to the principal professors of religious science.
[24] This is equivalent to saying that the language of the Basque
provinces is French with an affinity to English.
[25] When ladies are bastinadoed in more modest Persia, their hands are
passed through a hole in a tent wall, and fastened for the infliction to a
Falakah or pole outside.
[26] The hate dates from old times. Abd el Karim, uncle to the late Amir
Abubakr, sent for sixty or seventy Arab mercenaries under Haydar Assal the
Auliki, to save him against the Gallas. The matchlockmen failing in
ammunition, lost twenty of their number in battle and retired to the town,
where the Gallas, after capturing Abd el Karim, and his brother Abd el
Rahman, seized the throne, and, aided by the citizens, attempted to
massacre the strangers. These, however, defended themselves gallantly, and
would have crowned the son of Abd el Rahman, had he not in fear declined
the dignity; they then drew their pay, and marched with all the honors of
war to Zayla.
Shortly before our arrival, the dozen of petty Arab pedlars at Harar,
treacherous intriguers, like all their dangerous race, had been plotting
against the Amir. One morning when they least expected it, their chief was
thrown into a prison which proved his grave, and the rest were informed
that any stranger found in the city should lose his head. After wandering
some months among the neighbouring villages, they were allowed to return
and live under surveillance. No one at Harar dared to speak of this event,
and we were cautioned not to indulge our curiosity.
[27] This agrees with the Hon. R. Curzon's belief in Central African
"diggings." The traveller once saw an individual descending the Nile with
a store of nuggets, bracelets, and gold rings similar to those used as
money by the ancient Egyptians.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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