The cloak (or hyke) is almost universally decorated with black and white stripes, passing vertically down the back. The head dress is a small turban, resembling a coarse handkerchief bound across the temples, one corner of which generally hangs down, and is often fringed with strings in knots, by way of ornament. The usual weapons of the Arab are, a lance, a poniard, an iron mace, a battle axe, and, sometimes, a matchlock gun. The usual veil worn by all the females in Syria, except the Jewesses, is a large white handkerchief or shawl, which covers the head and face, and falls over the shoulders. It is astonishing, remarks Dr. Richardson, what a light and cheerful air this costume imparts, compared with the dull funereal drapery of the Egyptian dames. In the dress of the pastoral Arabs, we probably have preserved the most faithful representation of the ancient Jewish costume. The tunic is evidently the inner garment of the New Testament, while the hyke, or cloak, corresponds to the outer garment.

The usual size of the hyke is six yards long, and from five to six broad; and, as the Arabs sleep in their raiment, as the Israelites did of old, it serves as a bed or blanket at night. The toga of the Romans, and the plaid of the Highlanders of Scotland, are garments of the same kind. The habits of the Bedouin natives have, probably, undergone as little change as their costume. "Abraham," remarks Dr. Richardson, "was a Bedouin, and I never saw a fine venerable looking sheikh, busied among his flocks and herds, that it did not remind me of the holy patriarch himself."

The Turks wear what we consider as the women's dress, except that both sexes wear large drawers made of fine linen or stuff. They, in return, say that the Franks go naked,-referring to our tight clothes, fitted to the shape. This is an ancient prejudice in the East, and the manner of speaking throws light on many passages in the New Testament, in which, being naked means nothing more than stripped to the tunic. The Turkish dress, though a restraint on activity, is, however, so much more seemly and becoming to the figure than the European habit, that English travellers have confessed that they felt half naked when mixing with Orientals, before they had assumed the dress of the country; or, as one gentleman expressed it, like a monkey among men. Under the tunic is worn a shift of linen, cotton, or gauze. The turban is much more becoming than the hat, which,

as the mark of a Frank, is the abhorrence of the Turk. Blue is the colour appointed for the turban of a Christian, white is the privilege of a Moslem; green is the distinguishing badge of the descendants of the prophet. For a Christian to assume the white turban would, in many places, endanger his life; and were any one to presume to wear a green turban without being able to prove his title to it, he would be put to death. Lady Hester Stanhope, however, whose usual residence is at Mar Elias, in Mount Lebanon, is said to have assumed with impunity the sacred and forbidden colour.

Mr. Jolliffe gives the following minute description of his Turkish equipment. "The most important part of the dress resembles very large trowsers, tied round the waist with a running girdle; the texture is of cloth, linen, or silk, agreeably to the fancy of the wearer. Next to these is the kombos, a sort of tunic with long sleeves, and descending almost to the ancles; it is fastened by a rich belt or sash, called zennar, in which pistols and other weapons, gaily ornamented, are carried. The daralen is a short riding vest, worn occasionally over the tunic, instead of the cloak, called beniss, which is commonly of some light fabric, and of a lively colour. But by far the most graceful ornament is the bornos, (or burnoose,) a long, white, flowing robe, composed of silk and camel's hair, and bordered with silk fringe. Nothing can exceed the lightness and elegance of its texture; its shape is not unlike the ancient pallium, one extremity being usually thrown over the left shoulder. The turban is extremely simple, consisting of a red cap, decorated in the crown with a tassel of blue silk, and having a shawl wound round the circumference. The shawl may be of any colour, except green; plain white is generally preferred; but pink and light blue are occasionally worn." The expense of a handsome suit, and the usual accoutrements, exclusive of pistols, &c., is about fifty pounds sterling.

PARAN, EL-PARAN, or PHARAN, (lat. 30o. 50'.-long. 35°. 5′) a desert of Arabia Petræa, south of the land of promise, and north-east of the gulf Elanitis. Chedorlaomer, and his allies, ravaged the country, to the plains of Paran. (Gen. xiv. 6.) Hagar, being sent from Abraham, retired into the wilderness of Paran, where she lived with her son Ishmael. (Gen. xxi. 21.) The Israelites having decamped from Sinai, came into the desert of Paran. (Numb. x. 12.) From hence Moses sent out spies to

inspect the land of promise, (Numb. xiii. 3,) and consequently Kadesh is in the wilderness of Paran, since these men were sent from Kadesh. (verse 26.) Moses seems to place Mount Sinai in Paran, when he says, that the Lord appeared to the Israelites on the mount of Paran. (Deut. xxxiii. 2.) Habakkuk iii. 3, seems to say the same. When David was persecuted by Saul, he withdrew into the wilderness of Paran, near Maon and Carmel. (1 Sam. xxv. 1, 2.) Hadad, son of the king of Edom, was carried when a child into Egypt. (1 Kings xi. 18.) Those who conducted him came from the eastern parts of Idumea, or Edom, into the country of Midian, from thence into the country of Paran, and so into Egypt. The greater part of the habitations of this country were dug in the rocks, and here Simon of Gerasa gathered together all that he took from his enemies.

PETRA. (lat. 30o. 11'. 30'.-long. 35°. 35'.) It is the general opinion, Burckhardt says, among the clergy of Jerusalem, that the ancient Petra was at Kerek, two days' journey south of Szalt. This place is, accordingly, the see of the Greek Bishop of Battra, who generally resides at Jerusalem; a proof how little stress is to be laid on the traditional information to be derived from such quarters. Kerek may perhaps be considered as at present the frontier town of Syria and Arabia in this direction. Its inhabitants consisted, at the time of Burckhardt's visit, in 1812, of about 400 Turkish, and 150 Christian families the latter are chiefly descendants of refugees from Jerusalem, Bethlem, and Beit Djade. Four years before, the people of Kerek had, nominally, become Wahhabees, but they had never paid full tribute to Ibn Saoud: and his sovereignty in this direction was little more than nominal.

He had conferred on the Sheikh of Kerek the title of Emir of all the Bedoweens, south of Damascus, to the Red Sea; but the Howeytat Arabs are in possession of the country south of Kerek, and the "Kerokein" themselves deem it expedient to pay tribute to them. Tafyle, in the district of Djebal, (Gebalene,) about four days' further south, has, indeed, the character of a Syrian town, but the Howeytat govern the whole of this district. At the village Beszeyra, two hours and three quarters further south, the women are seen wearing the bukoa, or Egyptian veil; and this change of costume is not the only indication that the traveller is entering upon the territory of a different race from the Syrian Bedoweens. The Howeytat,

who occupy the whole of Djebel Shera from Wady Ghoeyr to Akaba el Masri, and the carriers of the Egyptian hadji caravan, as the Aenese Bedoweens are of the Syrian hadji. They resemble the Egyptians in their features, which are much less regular than those of the northern Bedoweens, especially the Aenesi: they are much leaner and taller also than the northern Arabs; the skin of many of them is almost black, and their women, though tall and well made, are disfigured by broad cheek bones.

The principal place in Djebel Shera is Shobek, (Neh. x. 24,) called also Korek el Shobek, which has been a considerable town. It is situated about an hour to the south of the Ghoyer, upon the top of a hill in the midst of low mountains. At the foot of the hill are two springs, surrounded by gardens and olive plantations.

The castle, of Saracen construction, is one of the largest to the south of Damascus, but is not so solidly built as that of Kerek. The greater part of the wall and several of the bastions and towers are still entire. The ruins of a well-built vaulted church are now transformed into a medhaf, or public inn. Upon the architraves of several gates Burckhardt noticed mystical symbols, characteristic of the ecclesiastical architecture of the lower empire; and the tower of the castle has several Arabic inscriptions, in which may be distinguished the name of Melek el Dhahu. Mr. Bankes found, in the architrave of the principal door, an imperfect Latin inscription, of which he made so much out as to leave no doubt that it was a work of one of the Frank kings of Jerusalem; and it is suggested that this might be Mons Regalis, one of their strong holds in this direction. Within the area of the castle, about one hundred of the Mellahein Arabs had built their huts or pitched their tents; they cultivate the neighbouring grounds under the protection of the Howeytat. From the summit is a boundless view, comprising "three dark volcanic eminences," from which lava has evidently streamed, and formed a sort of island in the plain. The road from Shobek to Akaba is tolerably good, and might, Burckhardt says, be rendered practicable even for artillery; but he struck out of this road to the westward, to visit Wady Mousa, and the tomb of Aaron on Mount Hor. Upon the summit of the mountain, over which the road from Shobek passes, near the spot where it diverges from the great road to Akaba, are numerous small