DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49271#0216
154
C. G. and B. Z. Seligman
The new moon is saluted by the beating of drums and the cry commonly called korik,
i. e. a loud and prolonged expiratory effort while the distended cheeks are tapped with
the fingers. The women greet each other, saying, sahr mubarka, “a happy month”; but
apparently they do not dance (this applies to the Nurab), though the slaves may do so.
XII. Shrines and oaths. Three shrines are regarded as specially sacred by the
Kababish. The shrine at Bara called by the Kababish Surrat el-Hasan (lit. “navel” or
“ umbilical cord” of Hasan) is not specially a Kababish shrine, nor is it within their terri-
tory; but it is of great repute,80 and well known to the tribesmen who pass through Bara
in the carrying trade that they practise. The other two shrines are the graves of Kababish
saints or fekis over which chambers of the usual form have been built, known as kubba.
That of El-Hagg el-Layn is about 30 or 40 miles W. N. W. of Bara. This saint appeared
to be feared as much as reverenced, and oaths taken in his name are considered particularly
binding. That of Ibrahim el-Kabashi is in the neighbourhood of Omdurman. It is
visited by women who wish to bear children, and by men and women to be cured of sick-
ness. The lady Sakina, the wife of Muhammad et-T6m, travelled all the way from Showa
to visit this tomb in order to pray for a son. Ibrahim el-Kabashi died during the Turkish
rule, and the shrine is looked after by his son Bashir. The lady Sakina dispensed about
£5 in money or gifts at the tomb and received a hegab written by Bashir, after whom she
intends to call her son if she is blessed with one. She lived in the neighbourhood of the
shrine for about a month, visiting the kubba, in which she stayed a couple of hours,
every Monday and Friday, reciting the confession of faith and the following formula:—
Yd Kabbdshi el-'azim haliya dbuya wa haltyi akhwdni wa 'iddtni walid!
“ O glorious Kabbashi, protect my father, protect my brethren, and grant me a child! ”
This saint might be invoked by name in battle, as might also the Sheykh el-Abayt,
whose kubba is at Um Debban near Kamlin in the Blue Nile Province. An oath on the
Koran is officially considered the most binding, but oaths are taken at the shrines as well.
Some men consider that to swear by the life of their fathers is binding.
When camels are lost, owners sometimes consult a feki who is said to be able to
enchant (Jiawwdf) the camel, and so to compel it to return. If theft is suspected, by
a silently muttered spell the feki is thought to deprive the thief of sleep until he returns
the stolen beast. Fekis are paid for their work, and when successful they usually receive
an extra reward. We did not hear of any form of scrying being practised.
Another thing to be noted is baraka. This literally means “blessing”, but as pointed
80 For some account of this shrine see C. G. Seligman ‘Ancient Egyptian beliefs in modern Egypt’ (Essays
and studies presented to William Ridgeway on his sixtieth birthday, Cambridge, 1913, p. 451).
C. G. and B. Z. Seligman
The new moon is saluted by the beating of drums and the cry commonly called korik,
i. e. a loud and prolonged expiratory effort while the distended cheeks are tapped with
the fingers. The women greet each other, saying, sahr mubarka, “a happy month”; but
apparently they do not dance (this applies to the Nurab), though the slaves may do so.
XII. Shrines and oaths. Three shrines are regarded as specially sacred by the
Kababish. The shrine at Bara called by the Kababish Surrat el-Hasan (lit. “navel” or
“ umbilical cord” of Hasan) is not specially a Kababish shrine, nor is it within their terri-
tory; but it is of great repute,80 and well known to the tribesmen who pass through Bara
in the carrying trade that they practise. The other two shrines are the graves of Kababish
saints or fekis over which chambers of the usual form have been built, known as kubba.
That of El-Hagg el-Layn is about 30 or 40 miles W. N. W. of Bara. This saint appeared
to be feared as much as reverenced, and oaths taken in his name are considered particularly
binding. That of Ibrahim el-Kabashi is in the neighbourhood of Omdurman. It is
visited by women who wish to bear children, and by men and women to be cured of sick-
ness. The lady Sakina, the wife of Muhammad et-T6m, travelled all the way from Showa
to visit this tomb in order to pray for a son. Ibrahim el-Kabashi died during the Turkish
rule, and the shrine is looked after by his son Bashir. The lady Sakina dispensed about
£5 in money or gifts at the tomb and received a hegab written by Bashir, after whom she
intends to call her son if she is blessed with one. She lived in the neighbourhood of the
shrine for about a month, visiting the kubba, in which she stayed a couple of hours,
every Monday and Friday, reciting the confession of faith and the following formula:—
Yd Kabbdshi el-'azim haliya dbuya wa haltyi akhwdni wa 'iddtni walid!
“ O glorious Kabbashi, protect my father, protect my brethren, and grant me a child! ”
This saint might be invoked by name in battle, as might also the Sheykh el-Abayt,
whose kubba is at Um Debban near Kamlin in the Blue Nile Province. An oath on the
Koran is officially considered the most binding, but oaths are taken at the shrines as well.
Some men consider that to swear by the life of their fathers is binding.
When camels are lost, owners sometimes consult a feki who is said to be able to
enchant (Jiawwdf) the camel, and so to compel it to return. If theft is suspected, by
a silently muttered spell the feki is thought to deprive the thief of sleep until he returns
the stolen beast. Fekis are paid for their work, and when successful they usually receive
an extra reward. We did not hear of any form of scrying being practised.
Another thing to be noted is baraka. This literally means “blessing”, but as pointed
80 For some account of this shrine see C. G. Seligman ‘Ancient Egyptian beliefs in modern Egypt’ (Essays
and studies presented to William Ridgeway on his sixtieth birthday, Cambridge, 1913, p. 451).