Translations:Observances, Festivals, and Holy Months/2/en

In west and central Arabia they also had pilgrim fairs, which took place in months that were designated as holy and violence-free. According to Nonnosus as summarized by Byzantine patriarch Photius in Codex 3 of his Bibliotheca: "Most of the Saracens, both those in the Palm Grove and those beyond it and the so-called Taurenian mountains, consider as sacred a spot dedicated to one of the gods, gathering there twice each year. The first of these assemblies extends over a whole month and takes place about the middle of the spring, when the sun passes through the sign of Aries, while the other assembly lasts two months; this they celebrate after the summer solstice. In these assemblies they observe a complete peace, not only towards each other, but also towards all men living in their country. They claim that wild animals are at peace with man, and not only this, but that they are at peace with each other."