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Materials for South Arabian History Notes on new MSS from Hadramawt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Extract

The basis of the list of biographical works in this part is the material in two articles from al-Rābitat al-‘Alawīya, a rare but learned journal published by the ‘Alawl saiyids for about four years at Batavia. This journal is unlikely to be found in Europe, unless indeed a set exists in Holland, but it is a source of major importance for the student of Hadramī history, as he will find material there not available elsewhere. I have not seen a complete set even in Hadramawt, though individual issues are to be found in various libraries.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1950

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References

page 581 note 1 See the bibliography supra. In the later of the two articles the az¯nat Ta'izz is reported to have many MSS., and a copy of al-anadā's history is reported at Ibb. Dr. Hamidullah will, however, doubtless enlighten us on these matters in due course.

page 582 note 1 Rābita, ii, viii, pp. 321–8, notes a work al-Mi'atān al-IIikāya fī Manūkib al-'Aidar¯s, by “the author of the awhar” presumably ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-atīb.

page 582 note 2 I was informed that this name should be vocalized irid, but Muhibbī, ulāsat al-A ar (Cairo, 1869), i, p. 89, notes that it should be vocalized arid. Cf. Wüstenfeld, F., Die çufiten in Süd-Arabien (Göttingen, 1883), p. 131.Google Scholar

page 583 note 1 This is evidently shortened from al-āfī to make a rhyming title; I have seen a title al-Wāf for al-Wāfi in Tar. Sh. Had.

page 584 note 1 The author is ‘Alī b. Hasan b. ‘Abdullāh b. Husain b. ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-'Attās (ob. 1172/1758–9), the saint of Mahad, and the author of K. al-Riyād al-Mu'nika fi ‘l-Alfāz al-Mutafarraka, a copy of which is in the Mosque Library at Huraida. I have transcribed the main portions relating to Hadramī medical lore and beliefs, but it also contains information on a variety of other subjects. For Saiyid ‘Alī cf. Rihlat, pp. 121 ff. Tar. Sh. Had., ii, pp. 58.

page 591 note 1 The work is not known to Brock.

page 591 note 2 Since this description was written, Rossi's, E. “II diritto consnetudinario delle tribù arabe del Yemen”, Rivista degli Studi Orientali (Roma, 1948), xxiii, 36Google Scholar pp., has appeared, dealing with MSS. of tribal law more or less contemporary.

page 591 note 3 For this term, see al-awkānī, al-Badr al-Tāli’ (Cairo, 1348), ii, p. 136.

page 592 note 1 A nice problem was set the administration in Hadramawt recently as a result of the appreciation of the Maria Theresa dollar (always a fluctuating monetary unit), in terms of rupees, from 1 rupee in 1940 to 2 rupees 4–8 annas in 1947. Much land and property had been pledged during the famine years of the war, the loans being made in riyāls, then the customary tender. When the rupee backed by the British Government replaced the riyāl in most of the territory, the question arose as to what rate of exchange should be adopted when property was being redeemed. This problem was ultimately solved by making the exchange-rate current at the time of pledging the land the basis for repayment.

page 592 note 2 It will be remarked that Hadramawt, i.e. the Wādā, is distinguished from ihr. the coastal area.

page 594 note 1 For this author see Wüstenfeld, F., Die Çufiten (Gottingen, 1883), p. 64.Google Scholar

page 594 note 2 “Tunes,” or with the sense of nashid.

page 594 note 3 For the Dān, see Landberg, C. V., Glossaire Datînois (Leiden, 19201942), p. 681.Google Scholar

page 596 note 1 Rossi, E., L’ Arabo Parlato a San'á' (Roma, 1939), p. 102Google Scholar, describes Humainī as “denominazione generale della poesia che sta tra il letterario (bikamī [in Hdr., hakamī. R. B. S.]) e il popolare”. My impression is that the term applies to all poetry ignoring the i'rāb. Tādj. al-'Arūs, ix, 184, says,