Collier's New Encyclopedia

A complete general encyclopedia of 1921 — the world as it was understood just after the Great War, from Aachen to Zwingli, across twelve volumes and six thousand pages.

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Arabah

a deep, rocky valley or debrought into connection with England by the marriage of Henry II. with Eleanor, daughter of the last Duke of Aquitaine. ARABAH, a deep, rocky valley or detween the Dead Sea and Gulf of Akabah, a sort of continuation of the Jordan Valley.

ARABESQUE (ar-a-besk'), a style of ornamentation in which are represented men, animals (the latter consisting of mythic as well as actual forms); plants, with leaves, flowers, and fruit; mathematical figures, etc.; the whole put towith leaves, flowers, and fruit; matheinstance, the animals not merely rest upon the plants, but grow out of them like blossoms. There are three kinds of arabesque: (1) (and oldest), that of imals. They the Romans, without the animals. The occur in the mural paintings at Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other places. (2) That of the Arabs, also without the animals. This is well seen in the Alhambra. (3) The Christian arabesque, with the figures introduced. It appears in illuminated medieval manuscripts and elsewhere.

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