'Personalities, Arabia' [‎266] (270/374)

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of invasion. He was still holding out in March 1916, but his nephew
had been to Lahej to treat and temporize with the Turks.
18. Mdwiyah.
1 he Sheikh of Mawlyah, Qa'tabah, and Shurman is Mohammed Nasir
Muqbil, a powerful chief on the Yemen boundary, whose influence
extends Irom Qa'tabah to Sheikh Sa'Id on the west, and south-east to the
Haushabi country. He was originally a tax-farmer, whom the Turks
made Kaimmakam of Shuiman and Ivama Ira. He opposed us in 1901
and, after an initial success against the Haushabi, was defeated by
a British column which blew up his fortified tower at Dareijah. On our
protest to the Ottoman Government he was officially degraded as scape
goat, but was promoted later.
In February 1915 he signed an agreement with the Resident at Aden,
agieeing in return for a subsidy to expel the Turks and recalcitrant chiefs
from the Liwa of Ta'izz. Subsequently he joined the Turkish advance,
bringing with him his permanent levy of 500 Feidis and some fighting
men from the neighbouring tribes. Latterly he has been reported as
being at Lahej with the Haushabi.
19. Musahein.
A wild semi-nomad tribe between the country of the Sherif of Beihan
who has no influence over them, and the Bal Harith tribe. Their head
quarters are at Hajarah and they range east to the Ahl Karab country.
1 hey are nominally vassals of the Upper 'Aulaqi tribe, but are on bad
terms with the Ahl Hammam, who frequently send small raiding parties
against them through the difficult sand dune country which surrounds
them. They are said to have 4,000 men.
20. Oleh.
The Oleh are a powerful confederation of tribes, descended from
a chief of that name, in a district known as Dathinah, which, however,
only occupies the centre of the confederation. Its limits are rather vague.
The boundaries of the confederation are, on the north Upper 'Aulaqi
on the south the Marqushi (Markashi) section of the Fadhli Confederation
on the east Lower 'Aulaqi, and on the west and north-west the 'Audillah,'
with whom they have an hereditary feud.
The y number about 3,000 fighting men of good material, but undis-
cu -f! . lacklng cohesion - They have no paramount chief, but
Sheikh Ah ibn 'Alawi of the Elhin, who claims descent from the common
ancestor, Oleh, influences tribal policy to a certain extent. He has the
right to adjust disputes between any tribes of the confederation
There are three main family divisions of the Oleh, their family names
being at the present time merely abstract titles denoting the branch
Irom which each tribe was originally descended. They are the Ahl Ba
the Ahl Arman . an d the Ahl Sa'id. The Ahl Ba Leil are the most