After the Moslem conquest of the countries of the Eastern great monarchies, the 25·26 inch standard of the Persian cubit was raised to 25·56 inches. This is the Hashími, or Hashemic cubit, named after Hashim, the chief of the Arab tribe to which the prophet Mahomed belonged. It is the cubit mentioned in the ‘Arabian Nights’ (524th night). But the cubit or the foot of the Nights, when not specified, is usually either of the Olympic or of Al-Mamūn’s standard. The increase of the Persian cubit was probably to bring it, together with the Beládi cubit and the Arshīn (to be described presently), into simple relation with a Qasáb of length slightly increased so that this should, for building and land measurement, be a common multiple of the three cubits. This is the Turkish qasáb, the qasáb qabáni = 153·45 inches. 7 Beládi cubits at 21·888 inches = 153·216 inches. 6 Hashími „ „ 25·56 „ = 153·36 „ 5-1/2 Arshīns „ 27·9 „ = 153·45 „ By taking the 7 Beládi cubits at the equatorial standard of the Jewish cubit, 21·914 inches, they would give 153·34 inches, and taking 5-1/2 arshīns at the slightly diminished length of 27·88 inches, the qasáb would be an exact common multiple of them at 153·36 inches. This qasáb can be divided into 6 Hashími cubits, or 12 feet, or 24 kubdehs (handshafts), or sexdecimally into 2 fathoms, 4 guz, 8 cubits, 16 spans. It is a mere coincidence that the old French foot, = 12·789 inches, was very approximately half a Hashími cubit. 5. THE HALEBI PÍK OR ARSHĪN The date of this measure is as uncertain as its source. It is a Turkish measure = 27·9 inches or thereabouts, divided into 16 qirát. This division points to it being 2/3 of a Persian guz of 24 qirát. Among the guz of Persia there is one = 1-2/3 Hashími cubits = 42 inches, of which 16/24 = 28 inches. If this length were taken, it might have been somewhat lessened to make it an aliquot part of the Turkish reed or qasáb, 6 Hashími cubits = 153·36 inches. At the length of 27·9 inches, 5-1/2 arshīn = 153·45 inches or within 1/10 inch of the qasáb. It is curious that the Reed should be 5-1/2 arshīns, as our Rod is 5-1/2 yards. While the Turkish qasáb is— 7 Beládi cubits, 6 Hashími cubits = 5-1/2 arshīns, the Egyptian qasáb, somewhat less, is— 6 Assyrian cubits of 25·26 inches = 151·56 inches, or 5-1/2 double royal feet of 13·76 = 151·36 inches, and is divided into 10 ‘belendi’ feet of 15·156 inches. There is a lesser Egyptian qasáb of 5 arshīns = 139·65 inches and a third still less, of 4 Assyrian cubits = 101 inches. With each of these qasáb 20 × 20 make a Feddan of land. The word Pík is the Greek pichūs, a cubit. _Note of Acknowledgment_ In this and the next two chapters I have necessarily had to work largely on materials gathered by others. The equivalents of foreign measures and weights are in many cases taken from— Kelly’s ‘Cambist,’ 1816.