Arabs

Race claiming descent from Joktan, grandson of Shem, and from Ishmael. Those of Yemen and some others dwelt in towns, carried on commerce and agriculture; the rest were nomadic. Trajan invaded Arabia A.D. 107. Society became disorganized; feuds and internal warfare prevailed. After their conversion to Mohammedanism the Arabs became a united and powerful people, extended their sway over a great part of w. Asia and n. Africa, and founded an empire in Spain. Their dominion lasted for more than 600 years. The Califat of Bag IMG:content-0219.jpg:[graphic] IMG:content-0220.jpg:[graphic] non-metrical writing, and a host of writers arose upon all sortsdad fell 1258. The Turks conquered Yemen in the 16th century, of subjects, religious, philosophical, and scientific. This was especially the case after the seat of Arab power was transferred to Bagdad, where literature flourished, when Arabia and Damascus had succe ively declined in power and influence. We may thus divide the literature into Pre-Islamite, previous to 622, and Islamite, the latter falling under the subdivisions but were expelled in the 17th. The Portuguese held Muscat 1509-1659, and the Persians gained some victories in the 16th century. In 1770 Ibn-abd-ul-Wahab undertook to revive pure Mohammedanism. His followers, the Wahabis, propagated their doctrines by the sword, and extended their influence over a great part of the peninsula. Their piracies in the Persian IMG:content-0221.jpg:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0222.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0223.png:[graphic] IMG:content-0224.png:[graphic] Arago's Disc. Arago observed in 1825 that by rotating a copper disc near a freely suspended magnet, so that the plane of the disc was parallel to the plane of motion of the magnet, the latter would be rotated in a similar direction. The effect decreases with distance and varies with the nature of the disc. | system of absolutism. They number ab. 30,000. IMG:content-0225.png:[blocks in formation] quemada; killed in revenge by relatives of his victims; beati- fied 1661, canonized 1867. IMG:content-0226.jpg:[graphic] IMG:content-0227.png:[graphic] IMG:content-0228.jpg:[graphic][merged small] Arcadius, b. 377. Son of Theodosius; emperor of the East