File:The gateway to the Sahara; observations and experiences in Tripoli (1909) (14598164330).jpg

Identifier: gatewaytosaharao00furl (find matches)
Title: The gateway to the Sahara; observations and experiences in Tripoli
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Furlong, Charles Wellington, 1874-
Subjects: Tripoli (Libya) -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ot ex-ported to Italy to adulterate coffee, are made intoa paste fodder for animals. No less than twomillions of these regal beauties are grown by theArabs in the vilayet of Tripoli, and great quanti-ties of the fruit finds its way to the arid plateaulands of the Fezzan, whose inhabitants make ittheir principal diet. Outside the town walls, or at established spotswithin the oasis, suks are held on certain days ofthe week. To these, over the sandy highwaysthrough the palm groves, passes the nativetraffic—small caravans of donkeys and camelsloaded with the products of agriculturists, andshepherds with their flocks of sheep, which patteralong in a cloud of sand dust. I once saw a little donkey on the way to marketsupporting a corpulent Arab, a bag of corn, anda live sheep. Now and again the little burdenbearer showed its fatigue and disgust by lyingdown in the road. Nothing of that nature,though, could disturb the imperturbable son ofAllah, who held in place the corn and the sheep (42)
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OUTSIDE THE WALLS and stood astride the ass, forcing it to lift him asit regained its feet. The horse is used only for riding. Some finebreeds are found among certain tribes of theTuaregs and others in the extreme south, or areowned by the wealthy Arabs of Barbary. Thoseseen about the towns and oases are ordinaryspecimens and are abominably treated. TheArab generally uses a cruel bit, goads his horseunmercifully with the sharp corners of his broad,scoop-like stirrups of steel, and has a bad habitof drawing it up sharply out of a full run. Heis greatly aided in this feat by the character of theArab saddle, which is undoubtedly the modelfrom which our Western stock saddle originated.The horse-riding Tuaregs have a stirrup whichin size is the other extreme of that used by theArabs, it being just large enough to admit thebig toe. Those Tuaregs who infest the northerndeserts and the Asgar and Kelowis Tuaregs whocontrol the Tripoli-Sudan trade routes, use theriding camel. The Suk-el-Thalat

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