148 THE PROGRESS THROUGH EGYPT 11. 1. xiv.
Leo Africanus (c. 1 495-1 552) gives us details concerning the Beni Hilal in the north. "The Arabians which inhabit Africa^,"
he says, "are diuided into three parts, one part whereof are called
Cachin-, the second Hilell, and the third Machill^." Of the
"Hilell," or Beni Hilal, he tells us that they were a rich powerful
tribe with 6000 horsemen dwelling "upon the frontiers of the king- dom of Tremizen and Oran*."
The AwLAD Ukba section lived on the borders of Meliana in
Algeria^ and were in receipt of allowances from the ruler of Tunis: "they are a rude and wild people, and in very deade estranged from
all humanitie: they have (as it is reported) about 1500 horsemen."
XV Rabi'A and Beni Kanz. One of the largest divisions of the
Isma'ilitic stock in Arabia was that of Rabi'a, who included the
great Bukr and Taghlib sections, known together as Wail, the 'Abd el Kays and many others^.
The early home of the Rabi'a was in the Hegaz, the Negd high-
lands and Tihama, but towards the end of the fifth century a.d.
violent internal dissensions broke out and in the sixth most of the
tribe migrated, the Taghlib from Negd north-westwards to Meso-
potamia and the 'Abd el Kays from Tihama eastwards with the Bukr to Bahrayn'. Early in the seventh century a great part of the
Rabi'a accepted Christianity^.
In 854 A.D. occurred an extensive migration of Rabi'a to Egypt^. They dispersed into the various cantons, but chiefly, it would appear,
to the Aswan district and northern Nubia. Thence, in 869, in com- pany with many Kahtanite Guhayna and others the Rabi'a poured
^ Meaning the country west of Egypt and the Nile.
* "Cachin," or "Schachin" (Leo, p. 150), are called "Esquequin" by Marmol
(p. 76). They were of Isma'ilitic origin according to both authors.
^ Leo, trans. Pory, pp. 142 and 150. Both Leo and Marmol Caravajal (c. 1520) derive their information as to the past history of the tribe of Beni Hildl from Ibn
el Rakfk (see Leo, ed. Brown, p. 211 note). By "Machill" are probably intended the Ma'akl (or Ma'dkla) mentioned (see p. 146) by Ibn Khaldun as a branch of Beni Hildl and represented at the present among the Beli sub-tribes (see p. 137, 7Wte). Marmol (p. 76) calls them Mahequil. Both he and Leo attribute to them a liimyaritic origin.
* Leo, p. 144.
^ "The kingdom of Hucban are next neighbours unto the region of Melian"
{ibid. loc. cit.).
* Including the 'Anaza, the great tribe which lived at first in Tehdma and now between the Euphrates and the Syrian mountains (Caussin de Perceval, I, 191). There was also a section of Kays called Rabi'a.
' C. de Perceval, loc. cit. The settlements of Bukr were known as Didr Bukr,
the modern " Diarbekir." Cp. Wiistenfeld, 1, 378, sub "Rabi'a ben NizSr," quoting Ydkutand el Bekri. * Ibid, i, 348; 11, 392-3.
* Quatremfere, 11, 84-85, quoting Malcrfzi's treatise on the Arab tribes settled
in Egypt. Cp. Lane-Poole, Hist. p. 29.