FELLAH (pl. Fellahin)  , Arabic for " ploughman " or " tiller," the word used in Arabic-speaking countries to designate peasantry . It is employed especially of the peasantry of Egypt, " Fellahin " in modern English usage being almost equivalent to " Egyptians." In Egypt the name is applied to the peasantry as opposed to the Arabs of the desert (and even those who have settled on the land), the Turks and the townsfolk . Fellah is used by the Arabs as a term of reproach, somewhat like the English " boor," but rather implying a slavish disposition; the fellahin, however, are not ashamed of the name and may pride themselves on being of good fellah descent, as a "fellah of a fellah." They may be classified as Hamito-Semites, and preserve to some extent the blood of the ancient Egyptians . They form the bulk of the population of Egypt and are mainly Mahommedan, though some villages in Upper Egypt are almost exclusively Copt (Christian) . Their hybridism is well shown by their great divergence of colour, fellahin in the Delta being sometimes lighter than Arabs, while in Upper Egypt the prevailing complexion is dark brown . The average fellah is some-what above medium height, big-boned, of clumsy but powerful build, with head and face of fine oval shape, cheek-bones high, forehead broad, short flattish nose with wide nostrils, and black but not woolly hair . The eyebrows are always straight and smooth, never bushy . The mouth is thick-lipped and large but well formed . The eyes are large and black, and are remarkable for the closeness of the eyelashes . The women and girls are particularly noted for their graceful and slender figures and their fine carriage, due to the custom of carrying burdens, especially water-jars, on their heads . The men's heads are usually shaved . The women are not as a rule closely veiled: they generally paint the lips a deep blue, and tattoo a floral device on the chin, sometimes on the forehead and other parts of the body .

All but the poorest

wear necklaces of cheap pearls, coins or gilt disks . The men wear a blue or brown cotton shirt, linen drawers and a plain skull-cap, or on occasion the tarbush or fez, round which sometimes a turban is wound; the women wear a single cotton smock . The common fellah's home is a mere mud hut, roofed with durra straw . Inside are a few mats, a sheepskin, baskets and some earthenware and wooden vessels . He lives almost entirely on vegetables, millet bread, beans, lentils, dates and onions . But some of the sheikhs are wealthy, and have large houses built of crude brick and whitewashed with lime, with courtyard, many apartments and good furniture . The fellah is laborious in the fields, and abominates absence from his occupations, which generally means loss of money to him . Military service on the old oriental plan was both ruinous and distasteful to him; hence voluntary mutilations to avoid conscription were formerly common and the ingrained prejudice against military service remains . Trained by British officers the fellahin make, however, excellent soldiers, as was proved inthe Sudan campaigns of 1896-98 . The fellah is intelligent, cheerful and sober, and as hospitable as his poverty allows .