136 THE PROGRESS THROUGH EGYPT 11. 1. vii.

out, for we read of a sanguinary encounter between the Tha'aliba and the GudhAm in Sharki'a Province about 1237 a.d., and this battle was only the culminating point of a long series of attacks and counter-

attacks which had been taking place for years. The GudhAm, it

appears, were partizans of the Governor of Syria and in league with

the MezAta and ZenAta Berbers of Bahira Province, while the Tha'aliba supported the Sultan of Egypt. After the fight in 1237

a treaty of peace was arranged ^

An attempt by Saladin in the first year of his reign to reduce the number of Tai horsemen caused such resentment that it was aban-

doned. The cavalry of GudhAm, however, were reduced from 7000

to 300^.

When Mu'izz 'Izz el Din^, the first of the Bahrite Mamluks,

supplanted the 'AjT^ubites, many of the Arabs at once rose in resent- ment against the rule of a barbarian "slave," and in 1251 formed a

league of rebellion^.

The Beni Tai took a prominent part in this revolt, and they were

joined by some AwlAd 'Udhra, who were also Kahtanites^, and many KenAna, including such branches of that great tribe as the AwlAd Mudlag and the descendants of 'Adi ibn Ka'ab ^. The rebels

were, however, signally defeated, and compelled to scatter into Gharbia Province'^.

The Tha'aliba branch appear to have been powerful in Morocco

in 1360^. Several tribes in the Sudan are descended, according to

tradition, from them ; and some of the BakkAra may claim a certain

degree of probability for the pretension.

Two other large Kahtanite tribes represented at the conquest of

Egypt are the Beli and the Guhayna. Both were main branches of

KudA'a^, that is descended from Himyar, whereas the Tax were

descended from Kahlan the brother of Himyar.

^ Makrizi, Seluk..., p. 443.

- Makrizi, loc. cit. p. 106. Blochet reads " Djoudamis," but I assume this to be a misreading of the Arabic text, viz. j_,«.*.«J^, or j_;«-*^ijj^, instead of

^ Muir's "Emir Eibek," "Ai-beg," etc. * Quatrem^re, 11, 192

* Quatrem^re, "Adhrah"; Wiistenfeld, " 'Odsra." Wiistenfeld gives four " 'Odsras," all ICahtanite tribes.

* From Makrizi {q.v. ap. Quatremere) one might suppose the Awlad 'Adi and the Kenana and the Mudlag were separate tribes. Reference to Wiistenfeld {q.v. N and P) shews they were all of the same great Isma'flitic family, though no doubt,

as often happens, a certain portion of it had the right par excellence to the use of

the name Kenana.

' Makrfzi, Khetdt, I, 210. ^ Ibn Khaldun, i, 147.

* The Kuda'a succeeded the ancient Gurhumite dynasty in the Hegaz and were the guardians of the Ka'aba until they were replaced about 406 a.d. by the Kusai

section of Kuraysh (Van Dyck, pp. 34, 35).