"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎٣‎٠‎٩] (٧٣٨/٦٢٢)

POPULATION
611
as those of ‘Amman and Jerash, are able to protect themselves.
The Beni Sakhr regard themselves as overlords of the half-
nomadic Belqawlyeh tribes. It is noted elsewhere that
farther south they own corn lands in the most fertile parts of
the plateau, tilled for them by cultivators not of their tribe
(see p. 634).
Dwellings .—The houses of the fellahin usually consist of
one or two small rooms built of hewn stones selected from
among the ruins of ancient buildings. The roof is formed
of oak branches plastered over with white clay, renewed
every year. A yard added for cattle, goats, and sheep com
pletes the premises. A sheikh’s house with all its depen
dencies will be entirely enclosed in a large yard surrounded
by a wall perhaps 6 ft. high, and entered by a heavy gate,
barred at night. The dwelling will here have additional
rooms for guests, while each wife will have her own room.
There is a large chamber for entertaining travellers (manzil),
one half covered with mats and carpets. Often semicircular
additions project from the side of the house ; these have raised
floors and temporary roofs of branches, and are occupied in
hot weather. In the middle of the court there will usually be
a cistern.
A house described by Oliphant at Kefr Asad had a circular
enclosing yard with a high wall, round which were disposed
the dwelling of the owner, a cattle-shed, a donkey-pen, and
a large oven-building with domed roof and hole for fire in the
floor : such a nuqrah, or depression, is the normal place for the
fire in any room, the smoke escaping as best it may. Mortar
is not always used in construction, but the stone of the country
is a crumbling limestone which can be readily burned for lime.
In Circassian villages the house is of better construction,
though generally in like manner built with hewn stones taken
from ruins; the village of W. es-Sir has been described as
built of brick-like slabs of dried earth, whitewashed. Each
house is a unit, with its ovmyard, and all are regularly aligned
to form village streets.