al-Himyari on the Sabians (1)

Text
al-Himyari, The Scented Gardens of the History of Countries 191:
In the city of Harran there is a congregation of the Sabians. Most of them have vanished, but until today a remainder of them is left in Harran. An eye-witness made a report about those who still remained and mentioned that they turn their face to the Kaaba in their prayers like the Muslims do. He mentioned that they belonged to the descendents of Ṣāb b. Tāṭ b. Hunūh, who was a wise man, a philosopher and astronomer, and he was the first who settled in Babil and founded a temple there. In this (temple) there was a priest (diviner) called Karman and the meaning of this (name) in their tongue was ‘the great scholar’. He wrote down the laws for the people of that epoch, in compliance with which they acted, and a number of verdicts they had reached. He had firmly constructed, in the area of the Land of Babil in which he was living, a building on an elevation under an (auspicious) rising star that he had astrologically determined and on a (favourable) moment that he had chosen. There he made a thorough study of the scientific enigmas, vestiges of which still remain among the Sabians. He carved out tiles of the temple (representations of) all sorts of crafts and depicted on them all the professions and pictures of their people. He introduced a law to the Sabians that when someone’s son had reached the age of sexual maturity, and it became proper (for him) to act independently, his parents went to the temple and offered in this temple a sacrifice as a substitute for him, while the youth walked about inside the temple. When morning had broken, and the people of the temple were ready with their prescribed acts the custodian brought him straightaway to those tiles on which all the professions were inscribed and made him look at them. He then ordered his parents to leave the youth to the craft or profession to which his soul was inclined, so that he would be skilled in this profession.

Source (list of abbreviations)
al-Himyari, The Scented Gardens of the History of Countries 191

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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