A traveller’s note on the people of the Arab lands, salam

Salam - I found an old travel account by Hyech’o, a monk who visited many lands. Here’s a short, casual retelling of what he observed about the Arabs, keeping his main points but phrased differently. - In that place the ruler and ordinary people dressed no differently; the same simple garments for all. - When they ate, everyone shared from the same dish - nobles and commoners ate together with their hands, and also used spoons and skewers. - Their law did not include prostration as a form of greeting. - People preferred to eat animals they themselves had slaughtered; they valued doing the slaughter themselves and were fond of it. A bit more detail: Hyech’o wrote that after leaving Persia he reached the Arab country in about ten days. The king did not always live in his homeland; at the time he stayed in a strongly fortified place in what we’d call Syria, since he had conquered it. The land produced camels, mules, sheep, horses, cotton, woollen carpets and other valuables. Men wore loose cotton shirts with another cotton layer over them; women also wore wide shirts. Men trimmed their hair but kept beards, while women kept their hair long. Religiously, Hyech’o noted they worship Heaven and were not familiar with Buddhism, and their local law did not include prostrating as a customary greeting. Just a humble summary from an old travel diary - thought it was interesting how ordinary life and leadership looked much the same there. Salaam.