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555
K i n g ’ s
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December 1930
fVUSS iOKi S W a m LU 4 ^ ^ ^ " Living In Tents Among the Arabs B y J. A. J J uffman {Marion, Indiana )
HE term “ Arab” is used to designate the con glomerate peoples of the Near East who speak the Arabic language. It includes the natives of Syria, Palestine, the Sinaitic Peninsula, and Arabia. The Arabs among whom our tents were pitched at Kirjath-Sepher (about forty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem and twenty miles northeast of Beersheba) were those of southern Palestine. They are mentioned in Judges, the first chapter, and in Joshua, chapter fifteen. Our party was composed of members of an archaeo logical expedition sent out jointly by the Pittsburgh- Xenia Theological Seminary and the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem. The members
before noon, and which continued throughout the rest of the day. Our camp life was not one of hardship. We did have to contend with fleas, mosquitoes, and sand flies, and we were warned to be constantly on the lookout lest scorpions should find their way into our beds or-take refuge in our clothing or shoes at night; but there were no serious ac cidents. The management of the expedition provided us with wholesome food, and also did its best to make us comfortable. Since the Arab goes by the sun rather than by the clock, we arose early, set the men to work at five o ’clock, and ate our breakfast at six. We usually retired at a
reasonably early hour, after a season of devotion and a conference around the din ner table. I nteresting N ative D wellings The homes of dur Arab neighbors were more inter esting to us—at least more novel— than was our camp. Hundreds of people lived round about us. The vil lage of Beit Mersim was just opposite the entrance of our encampment, but there was not a house nor even a Bedou in tent in sight. The families live in
of the staff were Dr. Mel vin Grove Kyle, President; Dr. W . F. Albright, of Johns Hopkins University, field director; Dr. O. R. Sellers,,, o f the Presbyterian Seminary of Chicago; Dr. Nelson Glueck, a Jewish rabbi from Cincinnati; Dr. Abel Saarisalo, of Finland; Dr. Aage Schmidt, of Den mark, and the writer. As is readily seen, our staff represented several nation alities and a variety of re ligious groups. Because there was a
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KIRJATH-SEPHER TENT CITY
caves on the sloping hillside. These caves are natural cav erns in the limestone rock, and have been used from early times as dwellings and tombs. If one approaches the cave from the proper direction, he can see the opening; but even when the entrance is not .visible, it is usually marked by children playing around it, by a dog or dogs keeping watch, by chickens straying about, or by a donkey or cam el tied near it. In making a stroll through this troglodyte village, as the homes of cave-dwellers are called, I asked one of the workmen who lived there to accompany me. There was no possibility of getting lost and no need to fear the inhabitants; but the presence of a native guide would make one’s mission better understood by the people and would remove the danger arising from the canine popula tion. The people live in caves eight or nine months in the year, during the farming season, and then go back to their winter villages. Somewhat like the colored people of the southland, the Arabs possess a surprising optimism. Far across the valley may be heard the song of the camel driver as he rides or follows the animal which, to us, appears like a relic of past ages. As the Arabs draw water from the deep wells to supply their flocks and herds, taking turns in pulling the rope which lifts the goat skin, filled with {Continued on page 562)
common objective on the part of all the members of the group, a fine spirit of fellowship prevailed. Our task was to discover what testimony this ancient mound could give Concerning the Canaanites and the Israelites who had once lived here, protected by strong fortifications., The city has been in ruins since the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and it is, therefore, a fruitful field for archaeological re search. The Arabs among whom we dwelt sustained more than a casual, neighborly relation to us. We employed from fifty to one hundred o f them in the work of excavation. Two Arabs cooked our food and performed the servant work of our tents, and another watched over our encamp ment at night while we slept. Our camp was composed of a cooking tent, a large dining tent, a tool tent, a large matting-covered building which served as a work house, and seven or eight small living tents. All together our outfit had something of the appearance of a small camp meeting. Because there were no trees, we were favored ( ? ) with the warmth of the sun which occasionally made the mercury register between 110 and 116 degrees Fahrenheit. In the shade, however, it was almost always comparatively cool. Then, too, the nights were usually comfortable. This was due to the Mediterranean breezes which almost always began to blow
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