"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎١‎١‎٨] (٧٣٨/٢٤٠)

DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
229
carried up two or three courses above the spring of the dome,
the corners being filled with masonry and the roof covered
with earth ; in lieu of which a kind of rubble is sometimes
used.
East of Jordan, where there is a greater supply of suitable
timber, the roofs are made of beams across which lighter
rafters are laid ; these are covered with reeds, and on these
quantities of a local bush are laid ; over all earth to the depth
of a foot or eighteen inches is then piled and rolled till it
hardens.
The larger houses are built round courts, which correspond
to the lower part of the interior of smaller dwellings. Damas
cus is famous for magnificent houses of an old style, built
round courts with a fountain in the middle, and having
staircases leading to the upper story. It is observable
that in the Oriental house an absolute distinction between
sitting-room and bed-room rarely exists.
In the larger towns the European style of architecture is
fast gaining ground.
The mode of life which exhibits the most striking peculiarities
is that of the Bedouin. This in many ways retains usages that
are at variance with the codes of Islam, though the greater
number of the tribes nominally profess adherence to that
system. The Ottoman Government in the years immediately
preceding the war, had been doing much to introduce Islamic
uniformity, though in some cases manifesting a certain amount
of respect for local usage. Bedouin law appears to differ from
that of the Koran chiefly as follows. It excludes women from
inheritance, whereas in the system of the Koran they have
shares, though on the general principle that a woman’s share
is half that of the corresponding male. Further it gives the
owner of property the right to dispose of it at death as he
chooses, whereas the Koranic law limits his liberty in this
matter to one-third. Besides, it recognizes adoption, which the
Koran expressly rejects.
The raiding, which is a characteristic feature of Bedouin
life, seems rarely, if ever, to involve the displacement of one