Perfumes of Araby: Silhouettes of Al Yemen

Lieutenant Colonel Harold Fenton Jacob (1866-1936) was an officer in the British army who spent the majority of his time in service in Yemen. Perfumes of Araby - written by Jacob and first published in 1915 - is a collection of 13 vignettes of tribal life in the first decades of the 20th century, or as the author himself describes them, "silhouettes.of Arab character, their life, thoughts, feelings and wayward moods." Topics covered include: Arab attitudes to alcohol, coffee, and qat; family life including marriage and children; warfare; religion; folklore and superstitions; local politics; and attitudes towards the British. Throughout, each account shines with the Jacob's obvious affection for the tribesmen and women with whom he lived and worked for the best part of 10 years. The result makes for a fascinating insight into what was, and still remains, a little-known Arabian society.