ress of abba and kefiyeh, even the
Prince himself, standing in this strikingly in contrast with the Hejazi
citizens, who affect the turban and gombaz.

The district of Medina is occupied by the Harb Bedouins, a larger and
more powerful tribe than the Koreysh, who also recognize the Sherif, but
their allegiance is precarious; while to the east and south of Mecca the
Ateybeh and Assir, more powerful still, are wholly independent. It has
always been a difficult matter to keep these unruly elements at peace
with each other and with the citizens, nor could the Sherif hope to
effect it were he not himself of Bedouin and noble blood.

The early history of the Sherifate is exceedingly obscure. When the
Caliphs definitely abandoned Medina as their capital in the fortieth
year of Islam (A.D. 662), they for a time left deputies of the Sherifal
family behind them to govern in their name, and, as long as the Ommiad
and Abbaside dynasties continued at Damascus and Bagdad, their
sovereignty was acknowledged in Hejaz. But on the destruction of the
Arabian Caliphate in 1259, the Sherifal family seems to have set itself
up independently, relying only on the casual help of the Egyptian
Sultans and the Imams of Sana to protect them against the Bedouins of
Nejd and Assir, now hardly any longer, even in name, Mohammedans. The
Egyptian Sultan, however, was the titular protector of the Holy Places,
and it was he who transmitted the Surrah, or religious contributions
made by the Faithful, and provided escort for the yearly pilgrimage made
to the shrines. Thus we read of Kaid Beg having rebuilt the Mosque of
Medina in 1476, and having sent a yearly subsidy of 7500 ardebs of corn
for the townspeople. Other princes, however, contributed their offerings
too, and received titles of honour connected with the Holy Land, the
Shahs of Persia, the Moguls, and the Ottomans. The first connection of
the latter with Mecca that I can find was in 1413, when the Padishah
Mohammed Khan I., having sent a surrah, or bag of gold, to the Sherif to
be distributed in alms, received from him the title of Khaddam el
Harameyn, servant of the two shrines; and the gift being continued
annually by the Ottoman Padishahs may very likely have paved the way to
their recognition later as Caliphs.

It would seem singular at first sight that the Sherifs, being
themselves of the sacred family whose special inheritance the Caliphate
was, should ever thus have recognized a stranger