Africa by Élisée Reclus/Volume 2/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
RHÂT.
HÂT (Ghât), a trading place like Ghadames, also forms a Berber community, which since 1874 has been officially brought under Turkish rule, so that any European power occupying Tripoli would doubtless claim this district as an integral part of the conquest. Lying much farther from the coast than Ghadames, 540 miles in a straight line from the Tripoli seaboard, it is also separated from the coastlands by the Red and Tinghert ("Limestone") hamdàs and by other plateaux, as well as by the region of lofty dunes.
But even more than by nature, Rhât was defended from the prying curiosity of the whites by the fanaticism and commercial jealousy of its inhabitants. Ismail Bu-Derba, the first explorer who visited it in 1858, was chosen for this mission because of his Arab nationality; but since then the mysterious land has been reached by Richardson, Overweg, Barth, Duveyrier, Von Bary, and Csillagh; the two last named here died. In 1869 Miss Tinné was assassinated on the route thither, and in 1874 Dournaux-Duperre and Joubert met the same fate within one or two days' march of the En-Azhàr wells, between Ghadames and Rhat. In 1881 also the three French missionaries, Richard, Morat, and Pouplard, were murdered by the Tuaregs and Shaambas, a day's journey south of Ghadames, while attempting to reach the same place. Duveyrier was compelled to stop within half a mile of Rhât, the inhabitants having threatened him with death if he attempted to penetrate into the town. From this distance, however, he contrived to make a sketch of the place from his own observations, supplemented with data supplied by some of the natives.
Standing at an approximate altitude of 1,300 feet above the sea, Rhât lies, like Ghadames, on the slope of the basin formerly watered by the great River Igharghar; but the valley occupied by it is now choked by sands, and the rare flood-waters are soon lost amid the northern dunes. Like Ghadames, Rhât also is indebted to its geographical position for its commercial prosperity. Its narrow valley affords the most convenient route between the highlands and plateaux, which in this part of the continent form the waterparting between the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins. Westwards rise the volcanic heights of Tasili, at whose foot winds the Aghelåd, or "Passage," followed by the main caravan route from Rhât to Ghadames, and continued northwards by the Wadies Titerhsîn and Ighargharen, the latter a tributary of the Igharghar. To the east stands the almost inaccessible schist and sandstone Akakus range, which in a whole generation has scarcely been Fig. 25. — Rhât.
scaled by more than two or three venturesome Tuareg mountaineers. At its northern extremity this rugged chain is skirted by the path leading to Fezzan, which through the arid Tanezzuft valley reaches the Murzuk plateuu by the Rhallé pass and the stony Taita wastes.
Southwards the Rhât valley rises gradually in the direction of a hill about 4,000 feet high, which marks the northern verge of the Sahara. Here, amid huge blocks and pillars of sandstone, and within sight of granitic domes and pyramids, ends the long narrow defile, where the traders have established their chief depôt between Ghadames and the Sudan. Barth, who has named this section of the waterparting the "Adzjar Uplands," identifies them with the Jebel Tantana of mediæval Arab writers.
Rhất stands on a slight eminence at the north-west foot of a rocky hill. Within the ramparts it is almost geometrically divided into six quarters by streets terminating at as many gates. The houses are in the same style, but generally smaller and less numerous, than those of Ghadames. Within the enclosures the population scarcely exceeds four thousand; but outside are a number of villages, and in the intervening space is held the annual fair, on which the prosperity of the plain largely depends. The surrounding plain is here and there dotted over with clumps of palms and other trees; but the oasis nowhere presents the continuous stretches of verdure seen at Ghadames. Yet it would be easy to extend the area of 92 NORTH-WEST AFRICA. vation, abundance of water lying at a slight distance below the surface. Artesian wells sunk at several points yield a copious supply for irrigating the surrounding tracts. Topography. According to the local tradition, Rhat is a relatively modern town, having been founded some twelve or fifteen generations ago by the Ihajenen Berbers, jointly with a few neighbouring tribes. Amongst these were the Kel-Rhafsas, in whom Duveyrier recognises the descendants of those who in Roman times occupied the town of liapm. This military and trading station must doubtless have stood some- where in the vicinity at the entrance of the defile connecting the two slopes of the Sahara. But in any case the Ihajenens and other neighbouring Tuaregs have long been the masters, or at least the protectors, of the district. In the town, however, the nomads have gradually l)een replaced by the descendants of traders from other parts of North Africa. Nevertheless the family is still regarded as belonging to the old stock, so long as the descent is maintained through the female line ; for the Ihajenens are Bcni-Ummia, or " Children of the Mother," amongst whom rank and property are transmitted not from father to son, but from uncle to nephew. Hence at Rhat the Berber law reserves to the women, representing the old rulers of the land, the administration of the inheritancy. They alone dispose of dwell- ings, springs, and gardens, in administrative capacity and commercial enterprise showing themselves in no respects inferior to the men. In some families the children succeed to the movable and real property ; but the eldest son of the sister alone can claim the seignorial rights over the serfs, and the traditional dues levied on travellers. Most of the non-Tuareg inhabitants come from Ghadamos and Tw^t, or else are of the hartoies class — that is, the children of Negro women abandoned on the route by their husbands. But all these various ethnical elements, recently increased by the Turkish garrison troops, are sufficiently subject to the local traditions to adopt the native Berber dialect. Most of the inhabitants also wear the Tuareg costume — pantaloons, blouse, and veil — and still adhere to the old trading tradi- tions of the place. For centuries the same routes are followed, fixed by custom and the exigencies of the tribes claiming transit dues in return for their protec- tion. Thus in order to reach Timbuktu, the caravans from Rhat have to make an enormous detour by the Twat oasis. Direct intercourse with the French Algerian possessions is also interdicted by the Turks and the fanatic Seniisiya brotherhood, which has been very powerful in the oasis since the middle of the century. For its support the town is thus reduced to the profits of its trade with the distant Sudanese markets between the Niger and Lake Tsad. The produce of the local industries and agriculture is even less important than that of Ghadames. The surrounding district nourishes scarcely three thousand date-palms, amid which the Tuaregs have set up their stone or earthen houses, their huts of branches, and skin tents. In the oasis the only other centre of population is Al-Barkat {Barakmt, Iberke), GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF TRIPOLITANA. 98 u smull Tuareg village lying some 6 miles farther south. The ck-an and pleasant spot, better watered and more fertile than llbftt, presents an agreeable picture to the traveller, such as he will not again meet for hundreds of miles along his southern route. Yet the ruins occurring here and there in the surrounding districts show that these now arid and almost inaccessible uplands were also at one time inhabited. Even in the Jebel Akakus the natives point to the site of the ancient city of Tenderarf, where are seen the myrtle, necessarily introduced by a civilised people, and sculptures carved on the face of the rock. * A few domestic zebus in the Rh&t oasis are all that now survive of a species formerly abounding in the whole of Tripolitana, at a time when the rains were more abundant, and the now dried-up wadies veritable rivers. North of Rhat the isolated crescent-shaped Idenen range raises its jagged crest between the narrow Aghelad deHle and the valley skirting the western foot of the Akakus highlands. Idenen is known also as Kasr Jenun, or " Castle of the Jins," the evil spirits for thousands of miles round about being supposed to assemble here for the concoction of their maleficent spells. Richardson nearly lost his life when scaling these rugged heights, and.Rarth failed to reach the summit. Worn out by fatigue and devoured with fever, the daring explorer fell at the foot of a tree, where he remained sevcu-and-twenty hours before he was discovered by his attendants. His failure naturally confirmed the dread felt by the natives in approaching these dangerous mountains. Yet their mean altitude seems to be little over 2,'iOO feet, above which rise, 200 or 300 feet higher, sandstone towers isolated or grouped in frowning citadels. Government and Administration of Tripolitana. The portion of Tripolitana annexed to the Turkish empire constitutes a vilayet, like the other Ottoman provinces in Europe and Asia. The authority of the Sultan is, therefore, exercised directly, not through a vassal sovereign, as was till recently the case in Tunis, and is still in Egypt. The vali, or governor, is usually chosen among the superior officers of the army, generally ranking as a nnis/ih; or marshal, and commanding a body of troops which at times scarcely exceed five thousand, but which are at present estimated at about three times that number. Under this pasha, who disposes at once of the civil and military authority, are the mutaserifs and kaimakans, administrators of the secondary provinces, while the kazas or cantons are ruled by mudirs, who have replaced the former kaids. Hut each tribe and Arab commune still retains its own headman, who in towns and villages takes the title of sheikh-el-beled. Their functions, supposed to be exercised gratuitously, are . in reality the most burdensome to the unfortunate people, for justice is dispensed, for the most part venally, by the sheikhs. While the revenue of the vilayet is estimated by the Minister of Finance in Constantinople at from £120,000 to £160,000, probably ten times that amount is actually raised in the form of taxes and fines. In the Berber communities, where the democratic instinct is much more 94 NOETH-WEST AFEICA. developed than amongst the Arabs, the general interests are in the hands of the jemaa, or assembly, at whose deliberations all take part freely. By it taxes are imposed, criminal charges heard, fines regulated, and in serious cases sentence of banishment pronounced. But in important places, such as Ghadames and Eh&t, the local constitutions have been modified to the profit of the Government, which appoints a mudir, whose almost exclusive mission is to look after the revenue. In this he is assisted by a mejeles, or council, consisting of a mufti, the sheikh-el- beled, and four notables chosen by their peers and confirmed by the pasha, on the recommendation of the mudir. The assembly occupies itself chiefly with com- mercial matters, while the special communal interests are managed by a jemaa elected by the inhabitants of the different quarters. A cadi, or rather a naib, or lieutenant of the cadi of Tripoli, decides all cases of inheritance, marriage, and divorce. The zaptiehs, or police, armed with staffs, are responsible for the maintenance of order in the towns, although they are them- selves usually convicts condemned to exile by the tribunals of Constantinople. At the same time most of the higher officials in Tripoli and the provinces are banished to this African region mainly at the pleasure of the Sultan. In east Tripolitana nearly all the populations are governed by chiefs belonging to the religious order of the Senusiya. They are the real rulers, administering all affairs either directly, as in the Kufra oases still independent of Turkish authority, or through the medium of officials, whose functions are mainly limited to receiving their share of the local revenues. In Fezzan the chief functionaries, as well as the garrison officers, are all of Turkish nationality, the shcikh-el-beled alone excepted, who is always chosen in the same clan. The ancient royal family, which comprised about two hundred members, has been completely exterminated.