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I
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1
•J
THE GLORY
OF THE SHIA WORLD
• • _ • • • •
• ••«•• • •
• • • • • •
••• ;
• • • • (
•• • • •
•«• • • •
• •••••
•••• !•,
• • •
• • ••
• •••••••
BijEN IN THE Well.
{See p. lO.I
THE GLORY
OF THE SHI A WOia i)
TflE TALK OP^ \ PIL(,k(\ \' ,\-
TRANSLATED .'t EDITED FROM A HhR'-^.VN M W
BY
MAJOR P. M. SYKES, C.^^^i.
.!!<> «i*f(.»iNNlC MAJFaTv's CO.NJ LI -O^ NT R A I
ANr> Ai.t.NT JO I HK (.(>% tRNMI- M OF INPM IN K:<ORa'<X
ROYAL COLD MKD'\rilSr OF THK RO\ AL T.EOr.R AVHi. Ai. 5o(l»i »
Al'IHOR OK *rFN THolJSANT MII.FS IN »>»RMA'
ASSISTED BY
KHAN BAHADUR AHMAD DIN KHAN
Al TACHE TO THF BRITISH CONSILAT » -f.I NFR "^ '.
WriH MAKY ILLISTRATIONS IN THK TEXT AND
FOl R COLOURKD REPRODl CTIOXS FROM PERSIAN PAIXTINCiS
MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITEO
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
1910
THE CIak:\
OF THE SH!A Ur;:i i)
THE TALE OF \ Vi\
TRANSLATED & EDITED FROM K i ,' i'
iiv
MAJOR P. M. SYKI
< {
ri'S BKI'ANVIC MAJF.3T^ S CON! I I '.■' ''t ■ '.
ANr> Af.S.NT TO THE GO". KR SMI* NT {)F IM M ^ » »• j
Rt»YAL GOLD MEPALnST OF THE k<'.^ M. r,F.O<.. ^
ATIHOR or *'IFX THOUSANP MT.FS !n •" «-
AS;>ISTED DY
KHAN BAHADUR AHMAD l)}\ .-. ; . \
AlTACHi TO THE BRITISH CONSII All '.INHK'
WITH MANX ILLl'STRATIONS I\ THK TKXT AND
FOIR COLOURED REPRODUCTIOXS FROM PIJ-.SIAN TAlNi INXrS
• •
MACM[LLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
I 9 lo
• •'
• • •
THE SHIA WORLD
the Meshed Shrine to me and brought me many
of the quotations and aphorisms which are
scattered about in the book.
I can guarantee the accuracy of the various
customs which are described, and my familiarity
with the life has helped me to give the standpoint
of the Persian, which is so different from our
own.
Finally, I did not intend to deceive the
reviewers or the reading public any more than
Morier did ; and I imagined that as the hero
proclaimed himself the grandson of " Haji Baba "
no further clue was needed. At the same time,
for high authorities to consider that my work
must have been written by a Persian constitutes
high praise.
P. M. SYKES, Major.
H.M,'s Consul-Genera l.
Meshed^ 7tk Janfiary 191 1.
IV
CONTENTS
(Persian and English)
CHAPTER I
Mv Parentage and Birth ....
CHAPTER II
A Campaign in Baluchistan ....
CHAPTER III
A Persian Entertainment ...
CHAPTER IV
An Awful Tbagcry ......
CHAPTER V
Mv Betrothal and Marriage ....
CHAPTER VI
Kerman, the Heart op the World
CHAPTER VII
The Death of Mirza Hasan Khan, Mustaufi
THE SHIA WORLD
CHAPTER VIII
PAGE
My First Mamuriat 11.9
CHAPTER IX
The Persian New Year 138
CHAPTER X
The Pilgrimage is Vowed . . . . l6l
CHAPTER XI
Yezd, the Prison of Alexander . . .177
CHAPTER XII
Robbed in the Lut . . . . ipi
CHAPTER XIII
The Arrival at the Sacred Threshold . 214«
CHAPTER XIV
The Sacred Shrine of the Imam Riza . 234
CHAPTER XV
The Pilgrimage is accepted . . .258
Epilogue 279
VI
ILLUSTRATIONS
IN COLOUR
Bijen in the Well . . . - ■ Frontispiece
Hazrat All slays Marhab .... Face page 1 5
Laila and Majnun ....... 34
Skm/ih Sinan meets the Christian Maiden . „ 42
IN BLACK AND WHITE
From a Kernian Carpet (Headpiece) .
From a Kerman Shawl (Headpiece)
From an Earthenware Water Pipe (Tailpiece)
From an Old Ivory Dagger-Hilt (Headpiece)
From a Copper Lantern (Headpiece) .
(Tailpiece) .
From Lustred Pottery (Headpiece)
Mohamad Ismail Khan, the Vakil-ul-Mulk
The Mahiin Shrine .....
A Design from Old Pottery (Tailpiece)
From a Carpet (Headpiece)
Sirdar Husein Khan and his Family .
The Fort of the Rebel Baluch
THE SHIA WORLD
Head, from a Birjand Carpet (Tailpiece)
From a Tile of the Fourteenth Century (Headpiece)
The Garden at Mahun
Skaykh Ahmad ....
From an Old Tile (Tailpiece)
From a Bronze Mirror (Headpiece)
The Governor's Falcons . . •
The ^^ White Fort" .
The Stone Pulpit of the '' White Fort
A Persian Salt Swamp
From an Old Vase (Tailpiece)
From Old Needlework (Headpiece)
A Persian Wedding ....
From a Sasanian Brass Bowl (Tailpiece)
From an Old Brass Tray (Headpiece)
The Fort of Ardeshir
A Parsi Gardener ....
A Persian Band ....
A Kerman Carpet and its Owner
Plan of the Meshed Shrine ...
Design from an Old Brass Tray (Tailpiece)
From an Earthenware Water Pipe (Headpiece)
Mirza Hasan Khan, Mustaufi
The Mullah . . . • .
From the Sheath of a Dagger (Tailpiece)
From an Enamelled Box (Headpiece)
In the Jabal Bariz ....
Gipsy Musicians ....
From an Old Brass Tray (Tailpiece) .
From a Carpet (Headpiece)
PAGE
SS
34
35
45
49
50
52
55
56
60
64
65
73
82
83
86
87
89
91
Face page 101
101
102
109
112
118
119
125
133
137
138
vni
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Dervish at No Ruz ....
The Shah*s Wrestler .....
Detail from a Kerman Carpet (Tailpiece)
Quotation from Hafiz (Headpiece)
Mahmud Khan ......
Detail from a Kerman Carpet (Tailpiece)
From a Nomad Carpet (Headpiece) .
The Koran Stand at Anar ....
Yezd and its Wind Towers
From an enamelled Box (Headpiece) .
Leaders of the Muharram Procession .
The Muharram at Yezd ....
The Caravanserai at Rizab ....
Gholam Ali, " Cut Hand " .
A Meshed Banker .....
From Lustred Pottery (Headpiece)
Baluch Nomads ......
Turbat-i-Heideri .....
The " Lower Avenue/* Meshed .
From a Turkoman Carpet (Headpiece)
The Imam taking the Poisoned Grapes from the
Caliph ......
The ^^Old Court," showing Nadir's Fountain in the
foreground ......
The Golden Porch of Nadir Shah
The Tomb Chamber .....
The Golden Door at the Foot of the Tomb
From a Metal Lantern (Headpiece) .
Mirza Hasan Ali, the Poet
The Mosque of Gauhar Shad Aga
PAGE
140
153
160
161
167
176
177
182
186
191
195
199
208
209
211
214
222
225
231
234
235
241
245
251
255
258
259
263
IX
THE SJIIA WORLD
In the Kuhpaia District ....
From an Earthenware Water Pipe (Tailpiece)
The Seal of the Imain Riza
From a Lacquered Pen Box (Headpiece) .
PAGE
273
277
278
279
Note. — The headpieces and other designs are drawn hy Miss
E. R. Sykbs, from objects in Major Sykes's collection.
FROM AN EARTHENWARE WATER PIPE
.... ... ^''^''"1^
:'^''4' Y''^-V>|^' ''''k'^'fl/' 'J'M'^^'''^-
PROLOGUE
In tlie name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful.
Boundless praise and countless expressions of
gratitude are due and befitting to tfiat Lord of
the Universe, in the understanding of the sub-
stance of whose nature the intelligence of the
Wise and the deep thoughts of tlie Philosophers
are coifounded and stupefied.
If dried grass can Teach the boUom of the Sea ;
Then huviaa intelligeitce can comprehend the imhslance
of His nature.
Salutations and praise be a sacrifice to tlie
feet of the Presence of t/te noblest of tlie Uni-
verse and tfie Epitome of all that exists: the
Sovereign who wears the ring, by which he is
ordained to be the last Prophet,^ and who bears
the Seal of Prophecy on his back.
' Thh refers to Mohamed.
B^-™^P^W
THE SHIA WORLD
Thou werl created before all the Mighty Sovereigns :
Although Thou hast appeared the last,
the last of the prophets, I know thy nearness to Allah :
Thou hast come late, because thou hast come from a great distance.
Boundless praise and peace be on his innocent
descendants and his crowned Vice-regents^ who
are the Kings of all the worlds and of what it
contains: especially on His Cousin^ Son-in-law^
Vice-regent and incomparable Vizier^ the Chief
of the Mohamedans^ the Leader of the Pious,
tlie Victorious Lion of Allah, Ali, son of Abu
Talib, on him be Peace! He whose birth-place
was the House of Allah^ and whose resting-place
was the shoulders of the Prophet.^
The " Lion of Allah " ha^ been horn,
Whatever there was behind the curtain has appeared.
And thousands of praises be on the eleven
descendants, who are the Signs of the Zodiac
in the heaven of the Imamate ; and mm*e especi-
ally upon Ali Ibn Mu^a, Al-Riza, who is tlie
eighth Imam ^ and the seventh Kibla or point of
adoration^
• • • • •
1 This refers to the fact that Alt was actually horn inside the haram
at Mecca.
2 The Prophet wished to destroy the idols at Mecca ; and, to reach
them, Ali mounted on his shoulders.
3 According to Shia tenets, the Imams were spiritual and temporal
successors of the Prophet by divine right.
* Mecca, Medina, Najaf, Kerbela, Samira, and Kazimain are the
other six Kibla.
• • ■
Xlll
PROLOGUE
Nundlah Khan, son of Mohmned Hvsein
Khan, of Isfahan by descent, has written these
few lines, describiTig his life and his pilgrimage
to the Glory of tfte Shia World, the Shniie of
tfie holy Imam Riza, on Him be Peace, for the
information of the inhabitants of the Seven
CUviates.
In short this is composed
That our memory may remain.
From my readers, I beseech their prayeis and
beg tJiat, if they perceive any error or mistake,
they will cover it with the eye of forgiveness and
overlook it because.
No hutnan being in free Jrom error.
CHAPTER I
MV PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
In the year of the separation 1276,' a poet and
a historian, if not the first poet of modern Iran,
in the form of the narrator of the following
events, or, in other words, I, Nurullah Khan,
emerged from the plain of Nothingness into the
atmosphere of Being. But before introducing
myself to tlie Possessors of Wisdom of the
inhabited quarter of the world I will, in the first
place, narrate from what family I am sprung.
The poet says
Supposing your father was a learned man ;
What amount of liis learning has descended to you ?
Whether this verse applies to me or not I
will leave to the decision of the reader who
' The Mohaniedaii era eommeiii.'es fi-vni tlie day on ivhich the
Prophet fled from hostile Mecca to friendly Medina, a.h. 1276 =
• • • •
■* T * * • • » -
» _ • •
*•• »• •*.*
THE SHIA WORLD
reads this narrative to the end ; but my present
object is simply to show that my father was
somebody, and that I am not of those who have
not seen their fathers' tablecloth spread.^
My paternal grandfather was Haji Abul
Hasan Khan ^ who first discovered London ^ to
us Persians. He it was, who was instructed by
Fath Ali Shah, may Allah forgive Him ! to
appear at the Court of the English monarch,
where he lost no opportunity of increasing the
fame of Persia. In short, thanks to my glorious
ancestor, the English believe that Persia is
covered with rose gardens where, as world-
renowned Hafiz wrote.
The bulbul at dawn laments to the East wind :
Of the havoc that the rose and its scent made.
Indeed, such honours were paid to my ancestor
of auspicious fortune, that I have been informed
that he was offered the Order of the Jarreti^re,^
but declined it — at least he never appears to
have brought the insignia of the Order back with
him to Iran.
Upon the death of my honoured ancestor,
^ i.e. of low extraction.
2 This individual was the original of Morier's ever famous '^ Haji
Baba." Haji is the title of honour given to those who have per-
formed the pilgrimage to Mecca.
2 Persians invariably speak of England by the name of its
capital.
* Under this name the Order of the Garter is well known in
Persia, and is held to be the highest in the world.
2
m
MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
may Allah pardon him ! my father and his
brother found that they had only inherited debts,
as the deceased Hqji had always been a lover of
generosity, and had spent everything he possessed,
and had even incurred debts during his famous
embassy, in order that the name of Persia should
be exalted, which object can only be attained by
spending money freely. Truly has it been said,
" Give money and beat the drum, mounted on
the moustachios of a monarch."
However, generosity in every form is one of
the greatest of virtues, as a tradition from the
Prophet, on Him be Peace ! runs :
" A generous man will not be thrown into
hell, although he be a libertine ; and a miser
will not enter paradise, although he be a saint."
Nor was it long before the two orphans found
that friendship is of greater value than pearls of
the Sea of Oman, as Path Ali Khan, Nuri, who
was a distant relation of my grandfather and
indebted to him for having solved many political
puzzles for his benefit, came to our aid. Indeed,
he no sooner heard of the sad event than he
took both my father and my uncle into the kind
lap of his family and treated them as his own
sons. As Maulavi says with truth :
Whatever atoms of one stock exist
In heaven or on the earth.
They attract one another like straw and amber.
3
■*4M
THE SHIA WORLD
Fath Ali Khan, Niiri, was, my father always
declared, of so noble a character, of such pre-
possessing appearance and of such manly bearing,
that the Shah-in-Shah occasionally condescended
to term him Darya-i-Nur^ or "Sea of Light."
By such acts did the Kajar Shahs bind their
subjects to them with chains of kindness, which
are stronger than steel. As the poet says :
My friend has put a cord round my neck, and takes me
wherever he wills.
Upon the death of Fath Ali Khan, may Allah
forgive him ! his son, Mohamed Ismail Khan,
continued to show kindness to the two orphans,
and when he was appointed the Vizier of
Kiumarz Mirza^ the Governor-General of Ker-
man and Baluchistan, my father and uncle
accompanied him to that distant province.
Mohamed Ismail Khan was so capable that
he soon became Governor-General himself, and,
in time, appointed my father, Mohamed Husein
Khan, to the Governorship of Mahun ; and here,
as I have already related, I came out from the
world of ease and pleasure into that of pain and
pride.
^ The Darya-i-Xur is the name of cue of the most celebrated
diamonds in the Persian regalia. Persian monarchs are addicted
to mild puns, in which connection Nasir-u-Din Shah wrote that
Ballater was well named, being balatur or higher than Aberdeen.
- Mirza after a name signifies a prince ; before a name it means
a man who can read and write.
4
MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
My mother, may Allah forgive lier ! was the
daughter of a Kajar nobleman whose father,
after the capture of Kennan by Aga Mohamed
Shah, had been given a property belonging to a
rebel Khan and had settled down in the province.
She was very fond of me and saved me many a
castigation at the hands of my father for boyish
freaks. Show every reverence to your mothers.
1?
I
i
THE SHIA WORLD
O my readers, for, as the Prophet says, "Paradise
is at the feet of the mothers.
Now, as I hope to act as an interpreter of the
customs of Iran, I will tell you what rules are
observed when a woman is on the road to reach
her desire. These rules may appear to the
ignorant strange ; but he should remember that
they all are based on experience. As we say :
If the bat cannot see in the daylight,
It is not the fault of the sun.
In the first place, she shows an extraordinary
craving to eat charcoal or Armenian earth. ^ Of
course, no exertion is allowed, nor may a grave-
yard be crossed ; indeed, it is against the custom
for her to enter the kitchen at night, for it is
then haunted by Jinns. If, however, a woman
in this condition falls into cold water, the eyes
of her child will be big arid lustrous. Again,
should an eclipse of the moon occur during this
period, the woman must not look at it ; also if,
by any mishap, her hands touch her body while
the eclipse is on, a black mark is sure to appear
on the body of the child.
When seven months are passed, a feast is
held on an auspicious day. Three basins, con-
taining flour, butter, and sugar respectively, are
prepared ; on these the woman places her hands,
^ Tills habit of earth eating is widely spread in Asia.
6
MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
and their contents are distributed, with nuts, to
the poor. On this day too the woman is placed
facing Mecca, is anointed with rose-water, and
blessings are invoked.
After this auspicious ceremony has been con-
cluded, the child's clothes are commenced and,
when the confinement is at hand, clods of earth
are procured, the opening chapter of the Koran is
breathed on to them, and they are then thrown
into a well to ensure an easy delivery. A plant,
termed " Miriam's hand," ^ is also thrown into a
basin, together with an iron ring, and the patient
drinks this efficacious draught. Frequently, too,
a woman is asked to forego a portion of her
dowry.
When the happy event has taken place, no
glass may be brought into the room from fear
that its rays might make the child squint ; indeed
the very word may not be mentioned. More-
over, no one wearing black clothes is allowed to
enter.
One very important secret I have kept to the
last, and that is that Persian children are finer
and fairer than any others, because pomegranate
juice is freely imbibed by their mothers, and its
wonderful colour is reproduced in the rich blood
of their offspring.
On the seventh night the joints of the child
^ This plant is commonly known as ^^The rose of Jericho."
7
rwy
THE SHIA WORLD
are smeared with antimony, and the " Yasin "
chapter of the holy Koran is specially written
on a scroll with its ends joined. Every one sits
in a circle, and the child is passed three times
through this scroll which we term '' the circle of
Yasin." Thus early is an infant imbued with
the tenets of our holy religion. Indeed, our
customs, of which I have given examples only,
are really wonderful in their completeness ; and
it is, in part, thanks to them that we Iranis need
fear no comparison with any other race of people
in the world.
My earliest recollections of Mahun relate to
its wonderful shrine, and, in my own mind, I
think that perhaps its beauty affected my dis-
position, and helped me to write verses which
are considered by the experts of this fine art to
be as sweet as sugar and as pleasant as a nightin-
gale. The shrine, you must know, was built in
honour of Sayyid^ Nur-u-Din, Shah Namat
UUah, may Allah enlighten his grave, and it is
necessary that I should represent to you who he
was. Sayyid Nur-u-Din was a descendant of
the holy Imam Bakir, and was born at Aleppo.
In his extreme youth he began a series of travels,
which would alone have made him famous.
Indeed, His Holiness not only visited the Shrine
^ A Sayyid is a descendant of the Prophet by his daugliter
Fatima, who was married to Ali.
8
MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
of the Commander of the Faithful at Najaf, and
of the Prince of the Martyrs, Husein, at Kerbela,
but on foot he performed a pilgrimage to the
House of Allah at Mecca.
Some years later he travelled to Samarcand,
at that time the capital of Amir Timur,^' who
treated the Saint with great distinction, wel-
coming him in these words :
May the sockets of my eyes be thy nest ! Be gracious and
dismount^ because the house is Thine.
Finally, the Saint condescended to choose
Mahun as a place of rest, and, although he
honoured distant India by travelling thither to
the Court of Ahmad Shah, Bahmani, who prided
himself on being the meanest of his disciples,
yet, for him, Mahun became his native place,
and there he lived many years benefiting the
people with his manifold virtues.
Not that he was alone as, apart from his
numerous disciples, from the Seven Climates
came envoys bearing the presents of mighty
sovereigns who thirsted for his prayers and wise
advice. Indeed, from India alone, the value of
the gifts received by the Saint was so great, and
the circle of his disciples had become so extensive,
that the jealousy of Shah Rukh, son of Amir
Timur, was excited ; and, but for the prayers of
^ Sc. Tamerlane.
11
THE SHIA WORLD
the pious lady, Gauhar Shad Aga, sacrilegious
hands would have taxed the property of His
Holiness ; but, thanks be to Allah, this disgrace
was averted.
A short story about Shah Rukh may not be
out of place here. He had ordered an ancient
mosque to be pulled down, and was superin-
tending the operation of demolition, when he
heard a Darwesh, who was standing close by,
laugh loudly.
On inquiring the cause of this hilarity, the
holy man replied :
The father used to demolish
The dwelHngs of the people of Allah :
And the son has not spared
Even the house of Allah.
Such were the descendants of the great Amir
Timur ; and the intercession of the lady was
due to the fear of the bad consequences which
must follow such insolence, for she knew very
well that :
The rod of Allah makes no noise ;
But that if it once strikes.
There is no remedy against it.
Shah Namat UUah, may Allah keep his grave
fragrant ! was indeed a great Sufi Saint ; but, as
it is possible that even some of the wise men of
Farangistan do not know exactly what the Sufi
system is, I will give some account of it, although
orthodox Shias consider it heretical.
12
MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
Yet Allah knows how many thousands of
them, although holding different convictions,
are drawn to it :
He said that I am like a mirror
Palished by my friend. A Turk
Or a Hindu will see in it
What he himself is.
Now a Sufi believes that not only True Being
but all Beauty and all Goodness belong to Allah
alone ; as they say :
Allah was and there was
Naught beside Him.
In short, Allah is Pure Being, and all else
only exists in so far as the Being of Allah is
infused into it. Indeed the heavens and earth,
with all they contain, are a manifestation of
Him. All pious Mussulmans pray daily and say
that there is no God but Allah ; but the Sufi
holds that there is nothing but Allah. Higher
than this no human brain can soar ; and, to
illustrate the nobility of a Sufi's thoughts, I will
quote a few lines from Jami, who is considered
to be a great exponent of the Sufi system. He
wrote :
Whatever heart
Doth yield to Love, He charms it. In His love
The heart hath life. Longing for Him, the soul
Hath victory. That heart which seems to love
The fair ones of this world, loves Him alone.
Beware ! Say not, ^^ He is All-Beautiful,
And we His lovers ! " Thou art but the glass,
13
- . "-L ~ ?^ - ^''"^' -'■'♦TB^'^ \^.. mniimi I ■ eaBiBg'^'^:s'*^»^p—^*^p"^BBH
THE SHIA WORLD
And He the Face confronting it which casts
Its image in the mirror. He alone
Is manifest^ and thou in truth art hid.^
As to the Saint's prophetic greatness, I will
merely mention that, some years ago, it was one
of his prophecies which caused a revolt of the
Indians against the English in Hindustan. This
potent prophecy ran as follows :
Fire-worship for a hundred years/
A century of Christ and tears ;
Then the true God shall come again,
And every infidel be slain.
The path of Allah is concealed, and it is not
possible to say why He decreed that the English
should have prevailed ; but one thing I have
heard, which is that the Sikhs, who were very
warlike, aided the English because of a prophecy
of their great GhirUy Tig Bahadur.
This spiritual teacher was imprisoned by the
Moghul Emperor Aurungzeb, and was con-
demned to death for daring to gaze at the walls
of the women's apartments of that bigot.
When summoned to receive his doom, the
Guru — by Allah, although a Kafir, he was a
brave man ! — said, " O King, I looked not at the
walls of thy women's apartments ; but beyond,
across the great sea to a distant land in the west,
^ I would take this opportunity to acknowledge my deep in-
debtedness to the works of Professor E. G. Browne.
14
•• •
• •
• ••
• • • •
• •
• • •
■z:
Mai
fUfc... «■ ■*
'', fair-hairet.
.' '. \ J ur 5 1
(••*»%** 1(
Allah the AH-N'- •
i' the pr(>])hecy of '^s - .
the tvninnv (»!' \'
.iy without jastifi( i*
H' Iran this s-t^i* i -'i: •»• •
Ny a!J Sliias, for not .. '
•:tN Shias an<l tin' Stol-
k of upward li'ijl •; ••
rd must lie liave l)t« •. 't
t: t
w
it
.» \. anuv in* k, whalt.'ver i i>'»'. ••
' I'hou art an i?i?j.i'l,.i lir* -v.; » ; ..
.•u»l(l of Our*^
•Oj I I J
* l)'X»kt'n th\ M r I' V \ . r. . ..../;
: .»■'
I i '
• . ' ' V I
' -^ ,1 I' •'• irateway, sii]>]».jj ..: »•%
i n:** t. ''>!i.:. 1 <*ourt, built K«. '•. !
I*ersia, a suvtJ'd (otirt lead> -.j r* tj/^-
. which is surroun<N d hv a eovciv d l-' :'rv
surmounted by a blue d ^ne.
• '^ Abbas constructed l':e western uallo! \ ;
'"• Saint is buried beneath the dome, and
Aiunad Ixdunani honoured liimstlf l)\
.•rating this buildinjr. The doors are of
'•rly carved sandal-wood, and open on to
. »*ourt with cypresses and flowers planted
•I vast double tank of limpid water.
1 .0
MY PARENTAGE AND lUKTll
^^ence a white, fair-haired race will <oinc ^o
c-nt^e me."
Perhaps Allah the All-Wise hiiidcrtd ti^*
. rihnent of the prophecy of Shah Naniat I !;:i:-.
^%!nir to the tvrannv of Aurunuzeb, \\Li •.
.lA wholly without justificatioiu Indeed. «.\« ^
i-day, in Iran this stony-hearted s()vcHi.^:i -
;rsed by all Shias, for not only thr Sikhs, h..-
•o pious Shias and the Sufis, all sulfcreci tru.M
♦ lack of inward light in matters div^j*
• M '^nt must he have been of the heuul.itul
p-.s :
■ .:(' bat-k. c*m\v. back, whatever Thou inavrsl \k
'•<ther Thou .iit an infidel, a fire-worshipper, or aii ^h.!it< t.
- .V Threshold ot" ( hjrs is not a Threshold of D(..-)»'ir.
' \U)u hast l)roken i Sy oath even a hundred iiuH-s, r tnii' li-uk,
I will now describe to you the shrine, whirli
^ «^Mitered by a fine gateway, supported by two
• inrets. TraA'ersingacourt, built by M(>hain< d,
:* :»h of Persia, a second cojuI leads up to tijc
nt), which is surrounded bv a covered ij-allerv
• surmounted by a blue dome.
Shah Abbas constructed the western ijjallerv ;
.! the Saint is buried beneath the dome, and
' ah Ahmad Bahmani honoured hnnself bv
M^tructing this building. The doors are of
'juisitely carved sandal-wood, and open on to
'\ ely court with cypresses and flowers planted
' ::'.l a vast double tank of limpid water.
15
r
THE SHIA WORLD
Here, every evening, the learned Custodian
of the shrine loved to receive visitors from every
Mussulman land, and here, from my earliest
boyhood, I came to drink in the pearls of dis-
course, and to gaze on the beauty of the tiles,
the greenery, and the running water. At that
time, Allah knows, I understood not why the
spot was so dear to me ; but, in later days, when
I travelled, I always felt that there was some
perfection in Malum which cannot be equalled
elsewhere in Iran.
CHAPTER II
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
I HAD just reached my fourteenth year when
my father was summoned to Kerman, where he
remained for several days. Upon his return he
informed us that he had been appointed as Com-
missioner to settle the affairs of Baluchistan,
which were in a most disordered condition.
Now perhaps you do not know that, owing
to its deserts, its savage people, and its remote-
ness, Baluchistan had only recently been subdued
by the victorious Shah, Nasir-u-Din. In conse-
quence, the Baluchis, hating Persians both as
their conquerors and the introducers of civilisa-
tion, had rebelled and were besieging the Persian
Governor in the fort of Bampur.
Fortunately Bampur was strong, well provided
with supplies, and occupied by a considerable
garrison ; but, as the wild Baluchis had assembled
THE SHIA WORLD
in their thousands, and had beaten back army
after army sent to relieve the fort, the garrison
began to lose heart, praying "for a hand to
appear from the Unseen."
The Governor - General wisely decided to
send a strong force, with many guns, which the
Baluchis especially fear ; and, even more wisely,
he appointed my father to command it. For,
during the years that he was Governor at
Mahun, my father, who was of immense stature,
by his activity, his faultless marksmanship in
hitting an egg while at full gallop, and, above
all, by his courage, had made such a reputation
for himself that men compared him to Kustam,
and sivore that he too would have rescued Bijen
out of a well, or performed any other of those
great feats that have made Rustam's name
famous throughout the Seven Climates.
A Kfian once asked my father how it was
that he who was the son of a man of letters
always displayed such extraordinary bravery and
all other qualities of the men of the sword. He
replied, " One day, when I was sixteen years old,
I was reading poetry, and by chance I read
these lines :
If lordship lies within the lion's jaws,
Go, risk it, and from those dread portals seize
Such straight-confronting death as men desire.
Or riches, greatness, rank, and lasting ease.
18
■ ^, f. w — ■ — ^"l^"
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
He added, "I was so fired by these verses,
which I kept repeating hourly to myself, that
ever since I have been proof against all fear."
By Allah ! few men had such a father as I
have had ! As the poet says :
If you want to succeed to the inheritance of your father,
Acquire your father s attainments.
A week was spent in making arrangements
for transport, in arming and clothing the whole
party, and also in packing up large supplies, not
only of cartridges, but also of tea, sugar, and
other stores, for, in Baluchistan, not even a
packet of candles can be purchased. During all
this time I had been begging my father's chief
servants to intercede for me to be allowed to go
in his service, and, at last, to my joy, my father,
who rarely spoke to me, said, " Dost thou wish
to see the deserts of Baluchistan ? " I replied,
" Whatever Your Excellency orders I obey."
My father thought for a while and then said,
" How can I expose a raw youth like thou art
to the hardships of such a journey ?
If thou art not a lion, do not pass through a lion-infested
jungle,
For many a brave man is sweltering in his own blood there.*'
Whereupon I made bold to quote the following
verse :
Much travelling is needed to season rawness. .
19
THE SHIA WORLD
I could have quoted more fine verses but was
overcome with shame. My father, however,
seemed pleased and remarked, "Thou, my son,
art indeed raw; but Inshallah^ the sun, the
desert, and the hardships will season thee."
Thus my father ordered, and, although my
mother wept continuously for three days, it was
all in vain ; indeed it only made my father
angry.
We quitted Mahun before the winter set in,
and, consequently, we felt it quite hot when we
reached Bam, where I saw date-palms and orange
trees for the first time in my life. Our party
was met by the general of the troops and one
hundred sowars ; and two infantry regiments
lined the river-bed which divides the town into
two quarters.
For some days we halted to make final
arrangements for the large force, of which my
father had now assumed the supreme command,
and, as I was without work, I spent the time in
studying the history of Bam and visiting its
famous buildings, for thus early did my love of
historv show itself.
Chief among the sights of Bam is the famous
fort, which is considered to be the strongest and
the loftiest in the world, and, indeed, after care-
fully examining it, I think that this is proved.
In short, as the verse runs :
20
■ff"
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
A fort so high that if the sky should try to have a look at
its towers, the golden crown will fall from its head.
I accompanied my father when he inspected
it, and, even before the outer gate was entered, a
steep ascent cut in the rock had to be traversed.
The outside wall, which rose above us to a great
height, was passed by means of a gate fit for
Rustam's house; but, to my surprise, we only
entered a narrow lane, and saw a second wall
even higher than the first, rising up almost out
of sight.
After proceeding for some distance we saw
vast stables, and then entered the main part of
the fort by an equally formidable gate up a still
steeper incline. Passing the rows of great
cannon, we had yet a still harder climb through
a subterranean passage to the summit of the
fort, where the sleepless commander kept watch
and ward.
Here we were shown a well, dug by the king
of the Divs at the order of the great Rustam,
who vanquished them. Close by was a set of
rooms, opening in every direction, and known as
a Chahar Fasl or " Four Seasons," where break-
fast was served.
I rejoiced at seeing this, as I had been
frightened and my head had turned round from
awe of this stronghold ; but soon 1 felt happy
and proud that the Shah, may Allah make his
21
THE SHIA WORLD
reign eternal ! possessed such a fort, which the
savage Baluchis see from their lairs in their
naked deserts, and tremble at the majesty and
might of Nasir-u-Din Shah, the Sun of Kings,
the Ornament of the Country, and the Pride of
the Crown and Throne.
My father, who had twice before travelled
in Baluchistan, pointed out the peak of Kuh-i-
Bazman, distant some forty farsakhs;^ but so
high is it, and withal of so elegant a shape, that
there is no mountain in Persia to equal it in
beauty. They say that, on its summit, is a
shrine to Khedr or Khizr,^ he who guides the
steps of the wayfarer ; but few among mortals
have ascended there. Indeed, as only Baluchis,
who climb like goats, could scale the peak, which
resembles a sugar loaf, I cannot vouch for the
accuracy of this statement ; but, at any rate, by
them the peerless mountain is termed Kuh-i-
Khedr-i-Zinda, or "The hill of the Living
Khedr."
Perhaps, O my readers, you are not acquainted
with the story of how Khizr was deputed by
Allah the Omnipotent to instruct the prophet
Musa or Moses. For he, being lifted up with
pride at his own knowledge and wisdom, asked
of Allah whether there was any one in the world
^ A/arsakh is about four miles.
2 Khedr is the Arabic, and Khizr the Persian form.
22
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
wiser than himself. Allah reprehended him
for his vanity, and acquainted him with the fact
that Khizr was wiser than he was ; and bade him
to go to a place where the two seas meet.
There he found Khizr and said unto him,
"Shall I follow thee, that thou may est teach
me part of that which thou hast been taught?"
But Khizr replied, "Verily thou canst not bear
with me: for how canst thou patiently suffer
those things, the meaning whereof thou dost not
comprehend ? "
However, Musa begged him and Khizr
agreed, on the condition that no questions
should be asked until he himself explained his
reasons.
So they both went to the sea shore and
entered into a ship, in which Khizr made a hole.
To this Musa objected, saying, " Hast thou made
a hole therein to drown those on board ? " Khizr
rebuked Musa, who excused himself for breaking
the agreement.
They then left the ship and proceeded by
land until they met a youth, whom Khizr
immediately slew. This again aroused Musa
to remonstrate, and Khizr answered that they
must separate, but that first he would explain
his acts.
The vessel, he said, belonged to certain poor
men who gained their living by the sea ; and he
23
THE SHIA WORLD
had made it unserviceable because there was a
king behind them, whose emissaries were seizing
every sound ship. As to the youth, his parents
were true believers, whereas he was an un-
believer ; and so he was killed to save his parents
suffering from his perverseness and ingratitude.
' Finally, he said, " 1 did not what thou hast
seen of mine own will, but by the direction of
Allah."
We left Bam early one morning and the
whole town accompanied us for Sifarsakh on the
road, many of the women weeping as if their
husbands were already dead, so evil a reputation
does Baluchistan bear. As the Arab poet
wrote :
O Allah, seeing Thou hast created Baluchistan,
What need was there of conceiving Hell ?
For two stages, however, we travelled through
delightful jungles full of game, and how I
enjoyed being allowed to ride near my father,
and to shoot at the francolin as they rose out
of the thickets. Indeed I thought that if
Baluchistan was at all like Narmashir, it was a
delightful country.
However, on the fourth day after leaving
Bam, the jungle suddenly ended, and we looked
across such a sterile, naked desert that my gall-
bladder felt as if it had burst. Indeed, even at
the first stage the supply of water was the greatest
24
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
difficulty, as my father had arranged for 700
camels to carry forage and provisions ; but to
cross fiSiy farsakhs of desert where there is only
a small well at each stage is very difficult.
In fact, that night there was a quarrel
between the Narmashir sowars and my father's
servants, which nearly became serious ; but His
Excellency heard of it and, when he came up,
every one stopped fighting. As they say :
When the lion appears, the jackal is silent.
For ten days we crossed the dry, empty
desert, and although we never saw a human
being, there was no fear of our losing the way, as
every mile we rode we passed the dead body of
a camel or of a donkey. Occasionally, too, we
saw the corpses of men whose strength had
failed them between the wells.
However, everything at last comes to an end,
and, when we sighted in the distance the thick
jungle which grows on the banks of the Bampur
river, we forgot all about the Baluchis and
thought that we had reached the garden of
Shaddad.^
My father, like the man of experience he
was, gave orders that a strong party of sowars
should go ahead at early dawn in three parallel
bodies, as he feared an ambush ; and this was
^ A legendary garden lost to human gaze.
25
THE SHIA WORLD
very fortunate, as one of the parties of sowars
under Colonel Mohamed Ali Khan, seeing no
signs of the enemy, went down to the river
and watered their horses without taking any
precautions.
The Baluchis, however, were in ambush, and
fired on them, killing and wounding twenty men,
and had not the other two parties come to the
rescue there would have been a disaster. My
father was so angry with the colonel that that
night he ate ^ five hundred sticks and was ill for
weeks afterwards.
We halted for some days at Kuchgardan to
rest the troops, whom my father encouraged
daily to distinguish themselves by addressing
them, and by having passages read from the
Shah Nama^ in which the exploits of all the
heroes of Iran are recounted ; and, by Allah !
were all Persian generals like His Excellency,
no army would ever stand before the victorious
troops of the Shah.
While we were halting at this stage, Nawab
Khan, Bamari, and his tribe, who alone of
Baluchis are Shias, and who are thus loyal to
the Shah, joined our camp, and informed His
Excellency that Sirdar ^ Husein Khan, Nahrui,
who was the leader of the Baluchis, was camped
^ To '^eat sticks" is to receive the bastinado.
^ Sirdar is a title signifying a high chief in Baluchistan.
26
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
a farsakh from Bampur fort, and was, like all
Baluchis, quite careless at night He thus
advised that he should be surprised in the dark.
My father, however, like Iskandar Zulkarnain,^
' Sc. Alexander the Great. Zuikamain siguifiea " Lord of two
horns," an epithet implyiug might.
THE SHIA WORLD
replied that he would not steal a victory ; and
indeed he sent Sirdar Husein Khan a stern
message, to the effect that either he and his men
must come immediately with their hands bound
and throw themselves at his feet, or else, within
three days, their bodies would become food for
the crows and kites. Within a few hours came
back the reply that the Sirdar was awaiting the
honour of receiving a guest !
My father, who knew that the Baluchis
would try to ambush his army, as they had
done successfully before in the case of two
Persian forces, decided to ambush the ambus-
caders.
He therefore arranged that the infantry and
artillery with the baggage should march along
the main road through the jungle under Suliman
Khan, while he himself with the sowars left the
camp at night, and, after marching towards Bam
for a short distance, took a wide detour and
formed an ambush close to where the main body
would pass.
In the morning his spies reported that the
whole force of the Baluchis was in ambush,
exactly las he had anticipated ; and very soon
shooting was heard and cries of alarm from the
main body, which was being attacked.
My father then mounted Raksh,^ his great
^ The name of Rustam's famous charger.
28
» »
. • •
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
war-horse, and, turning round, his face was so
terrible with his eyes blood-red, that I felt that
to be killed by Baluehis was nothing to arousing
my father's wrath. In short, that face inspired
us all to become devotees of death, and, charging
through the jungle, we fell on the Baluehis, who
felt sure that this, the third Persian army, was
already their prey.
I followed behind my father, and saw him
with one stroke cut the son of the Sirdar into
two pieces, just as Amir,^ on him be peace ! cleft
Marhab of Khaybar with his famous sword,
Zulfikar.
This sight threw the enemy into a panic and
they all rushed to their riding camels, for Baluehis
always fight on foot. Nawab Khan, however,
had already seized the camels, and so their only
hope was to scatter and hide like rats ; and this
they did, being chased by the victorious Persians,
who did not slacken the pursuit until their horses
fell from fatigue and their sword-hilts stuck to
their hands.
My father offered ten thousand tomans for
the head of the rebellious Sirdar ; but he escaped
towards Rudbar, and it was not until a month
later that it was reported that he had died of
his wounds in the desert. Thus may Allah
^ Amir is the title by which Ali is referred to by Shias^ signifyiDg
thereby that he is the commander of the Faithful.
31
THE SHIA WORLD
destroy all rebels against the ever -victorious
Shah!
In the evening we rode on to Bampur, but
it was not until we drew quite close that the
gates were opened and a handful of fever-stricken
shadows tottered out to welcome us. One of
these was Haji Sohrab Khan, the lion-hearted
defender, whom my father at first did not
recognise. When he knew who he was he
threw himself off his horse and embraced him,
and all of us wept to hear that only fifty men
of the garrison of six hundred were alive, and
that, had the dogs of Baluchis assaulted the fort,
instead of merely blockading it, a calamity would
have occurred.
My father ordered the camp to be pitched
outside the fort ; and I remember with dread
how, without even washing his hands, which
were reeking with blood, he ordered food to be
served without delay.
In a month the justice of my father had
drawn the Baluch Sirdars to his footstool, and
they represented that they had been led astray
and now repented deeply. His Excellency
replied, " Allah forgives the repentant sinners " ;
and as he saw that their hearts were as water,
and that they would not rebel again, he showed
32
A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN
condescension to tliem and forgave them their
wickedness.
At the same time he took hostages from
every tribe, and thus, with increased dignity,
enhanced reputation, and great honour, he
returned to Kernian, where the Vakil-ul-Mulk
treated him as his son, and the Shah lionoured
him with the high title of Shuja-u-Saltana or
"The Champion of the State"; and Allah
knows that this title was befitting, and its
bestowal proved that the Shah was ever on the
look-out to reward valour and zeal displayed in
the royal service.
CHAPTER III
A PEKSIAX ENTERTAINMENT
Brinic wine ! let first the hand of Hafiz
'ITie cheery cup embrace !
Yet only upon one condition-
No word beyond this place !
About a month after our return from the war
in Balucliistan, His Excellency the Vakil -ul-
Mulk informed my father that he would honour
him by being his guest at luncheon on the
following Friday.
This information threw the entire household
into a state of great excitement ; and when it
is remembered that the Vakil-ul-Mulk never
honoured a Khan with an escort of less than
three hundred sowars, apart from the nobles of
the province who were in attendance, and who
also had their retinues, it may be understood
that even to provide accommodation for so
:FK III
.■! 1.1'IAINMENT
■r -1 ,- IimikI oC Hati/
.\ ■, . - /, . ■.':\ iill'T in:r return fnnii tlie wur
:■ ;■..■.■,,^^!.■nl. IIi^ K^o-ilcncy tlie Viikil-ul-
■'! ■!■. ■■'■'inifii ii(\ l:iTlicr Lli;it he would lionour
l.iiii !)v Itcing his g-iicst at luiK-lnrir! on the
toliiiwiiig Frkhiy.
This iiiturniiitioii tlirew tht- etHi ■■ limisehiild
iiiti) a state of f^reat cx(il(.-!''c..t , ami wlien it
is rememberecl that thi: \ ■'■■■\ -r' MiMk iievor
honoured a Klia.-i ivi'h :>■! ■ ■ ■ ; !'-,s tliaii
tliree liundred si.uar--. : ■■ -■ ' ■ .' i:.!l)les of
tlie provitice «hi' v-'-r ■. ■ ■ and ivlio
also had tlieir h ;.■■■ * ; ■■ '<;n'i;slood
tliat even tu jircv,!- ;■■ ■•■ ■■ fnr so
• • •
• • ^"« •
• • • S" • •
• • • • • • •
• • •
•• • •
>• • •
• • • • • •
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
many people and forage for so many horses was,
in itself, a heavy task ; and that heavy task was
■laid on me.
However, thanks be to Allah, the garden at
Mahun was fitted to receive even such a distin-
guished guest as the Vakil-ul^Mulk ; and, since
it is one of the famous gardens of Persia, itself a
land most famous for gardens, it is right that I
should describe its beauties to you.
We Persians, whenever possible, build our
gardens on a gentle slope ; and the garden I am
describing was so constructed that two streams
of crystal-like water met in front of the building
and formed an immense lake, on the surface of
THE SHIA WORLD
which numerous swans, geese, and ducks dis-
ported themselves.
Below this lake there were seven waterfalls, just
as there are seven planets ; and below these again
there was a second lake of smaller dimensions,
and a superb gateway decorated with blue tiles.
Perhaps the reader may think that this was
all ; but no, not only in the lakes, but also be-
tween the waterfalls, jets of water spouted up
into the air so high that the falling spray re-
sembled masses of diamonds. And often, when
reclining in the beautiful tiled room, the plash
of the jets of water and the murmur of the
stream hurrying down the terraced garden be-
tween rose bushes, backed by weeping willows,
planes, acacias, cypresses, and every other de-
scription of tree, have moved me strangely ; and
I have wept from pure joy, imd have then been
lulled to sleep by the overpowering sense of
beauty and the murmur of the running water.
By Allah ! I think, indeed, that this garden is not
surpassed in beauty by even that famous garden
mentioned in the Koran : *
The garden of Iram, adorned with lofty pillars :
The like of which had not been created in the world.
On the appointed day, one hour before noon,
my father, his chief officers and myself, duly
met the Vakil-ul-Mulk at the main gate. His
Excellency was in a truly good humour, and, in
36
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
reply to my father's welcome and assurance that
'* the garden was a gift to him," replied that he
regarded him as his own son. To this my father,
with proud humility, answered " I am a slave
born in your family." His Excellency next said
that he had heard a good report of me, which
made me hang my head from modesty.
Accompanied by the nobles, the Vakil-ul-
Mulk walked along the edge of the lake with
great dignity and very slowly, for, in Persia, only
Europeans and men of low extraction walk
quickly. He then ordered some bread to be
brought, and fed the swans for quite a long time,
while we stood waiting in attendance.
At length His Excellency entered the chief
room alone, and we all stood respectfully outside
by the open windows.
Opposite the cushions, on which the Vakil-ul-
Mulk reclined, were two large trays full of
sweetmeats prepared in the women's apart-
ments. Among these were toffee, almond paste,
" elephant's ears " in pastry, burnt almonds, sugar
drawn as fine as hair, and many other delicious
sweetmeats which are only made in Iran.
There was also a box of manna from Isfahan.
Between the trays of sweetmeats was a silver tray,
on which was spread an exquisitely fine shawl,
worth at least two hundred tomans* ^ ; and on
1 A toman is worth four shillings and a kran is one-tenth of a toman.
SI
THE SHIA WORLD
the shawl was a sealed packet, containing two
hundred ashrajis or gold pieces.
The Vakil-ul-Mulk tasted the sweetmeats,
and, looking at the jets of water shining in the
sun and the lovely garden, repeated :
If there is a Paradise on the face of the earth :
It is this, it is this, it is this.
His Excellency then invited his Vizier and
my father to enter by a nod of the head ;
and, in the same manner, he dismissed the
nobles and his attendants, who were shown
by me to the different rooms prepared for them,
as the chief servants all have their separate staffs,
and so have to sit in separate rooms.
The Vakil-ul-Mulk again tasted the sweet-
meats, and especially praised the toffee and also
the manna which, with quails, formed the food
of the Beni Israel ^ during the forty years they
wandered in the deserts ; and my father bowed
low to express his gratitude.
Tea was then served, and the special water
pipe of the Vakil-ul-Mulk, of beaten gold studded
with turquoises, for which Iran is famous, was
brought in.
After pulling at it in silence for a minute.
His Excellency inquired from his chief waiter
where he had procured such excellent tobacco ;
and that official replied that it was given by my
^ Sc, the children of Israel.
38
mm
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
father who, to grace the auspicious occasion, had
bought up a stock that had reached Kerman on
the previous day from Shiraz. He added that
my father had suppUed a large quantity of this
tobacco if he might accept it. His Excellency
said it was not needed ; but finally accepted the
gift, and my father afterwards gave the servant
a handsome sum of money for his friendly
behaviour.
After a while, my father represented that
luncheon was ready to be served, and went into
the adjoining room to superintend the spreading
of the table-cloth, which is made of red Hamadan
leather and covered with chintz.
The waiters of the Vakil -ul-Mulk, however,
declined to spread the cloth without orders from
the chief of the Private Apartments, who equally
declined to pay any attention until the whispered
promise of a gift made him energy personified.
On the edge of the cloth twelve flat loaves of
very white flour were placed ; and there were
huge trays of plain rice boiled as only it is boiled
in Persia, with the savoury browned parts, flanked
by other mounds of rice, in which the flesh of
lambs and chickens with raisins, almonds, and
saffron were all skilfully blended.
The bowls of broth, the dishes of meat
cooked in pomegranate or lime juice, or with
walnuts, were smaller, and were placed in an
39
THE SHIA WORLD
outer line, together with cheese, curds, vege-
tables, and preserved fruits.
At length all was ready, down to the price-
less china bowls of sherbet, in which floated the
translucent spoons of Abadeh in a mass of
crushed ice, sherbet alone being drunk in public ;
and the Vakil- ul-Mulk, on being informed that
the luncheon was served, rose from his cushion
and, walking to the next room,' seated himself in
the place of honour.
After having partaken of some food with a
good appetite. His Excellency gave orders that
the Vizier and my father should be sent for.
They appeared, bowed low, and were honoured
by being invited to join the Governor- General,
whereupon they sat down very respectfully in
the lowest place. This was, in truth, a great
distinction for my father, as His Excellency
always sat down alone to meals, not even per-
mitting his sons to partake of food in his
presence.
Kabobs of gazelle were brought in, wrapped
up in a piece of bread to keep them hot ; and
His Excellency said that it was not necessary to
ask who had shot it.
The repast was eaten almost in silence ; and
so large were the mounds of food that they
seemed almost intact when, after tasting a
Natanz pear preserved in syrup, and praising its
40
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
flavour, the Vakil-ul-Mulk called for the jug and
basin, with which he washed his hands and beard,
for you must know that we Persians not only
sit on our knees, but, like the Prophet, on Him
be Peace, eat with our fingers, rolling together
our rice into balls and then inserting them with
our thumbs into the mouth.
In later years I once saw an English officer
try to do this, but we all agreed that he ate just
like a tiger, and that only Persians could eat, in
this fashion, in a refined manner ; also we know
by experience that food eaten with the hand is
of a better flavour, and that it is impossible to
satisfy the appetite if knife and fork be used.
After this the Vakil-ul-Mulk retired with his
most confidential servant for a siesta, and then,
and not until then, was the sealed packet of gold
coins opened and the shawl examined. His
Excellency reclined on a cushion embroidered
with pearls, on which was placed a large pillow
and a second very small one, stuff*ed with swan's
down, brought from the province of Sistan. A
thin silk coverlet kept off* the flies.
The confidential servant, when his master had
composed himself to sleep, went out, gently
closed the door, and lay down outside ready to
be in attendance when summoned.
In less than an hour a cough announced the
awakening of the Governor-General, who again
41
f -«o-m.^vi«i m, I
THE SHIA WORLD
washed his hands and face, and carefully combed
his majestic beard, his moustaches, his eyebrows,
and even his black eyelashes. He then arose,
proceeded to the chief room, and, sending for
the Khans and his attendants, said that, as it was
too hot to go outside, he wished every one to sit
down. After this he ordered tea to be served.
The conversation turned on allusion, in which
Persians excel, and the Vakil- ul-Mulk himself,
who was in a remarkably good humour, and did
not order a single servant to eat sticks that day,
told us of how Mahmud of Ghazni requited
Firdausi, the author of the greatest poem in the
world, so inadequately, that the poet wrote a
famous satire on him which runs :
Long years this Shahnatna I toiled to complete,
That the King might award me some recompense meet.
But naught save a heart wrung with grief and despair
Did I get from those promises empty as air !
Had the sire of the King been some Prince of renown.
My forehead had surely been graced by a crown !
Were his mother a lady of high pedigree.
In silver and gold had I stood to the knee !
But, being by birth not a prince but a boor.
The praise of the noble he could not endure !
Fearing retribution, Firdausi wisely fled some
days before the satire was delivered, and ulti-
mately took refuge with the Sipahbud of Tabari-
stan, who was the only prince of Persian descent
reigning in Persia, which was then unhappily
divided into separate principalities.
42
: •••
* •
• •
•
•
? •:
• •
• •
• •
• •
•
•
• •
• •
• •
•*• ••.•*•/:
•••••*
•
•
. •••
••• • *c* • >i
. . ••
•
•
•* •
• • • » •• •
••• :
•
•
• • • *
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
Sultan Mahmud was so furious when he read
the satire that he fainted from excess of anger.
He then sent messengers with copies of the
poet's portrait to every court to inquire whether
Firdausi was there, and on finding that he had
taken refuge in Tabaristan, he wrote to the
Sipahbud demanding the surrender of the poet,
and ended his letter by threatening that, if his
desire were not complied with, he would come
with his war elephants and trample the country
beneath their feet.
The Sipahbud^ who was prepared to defend
his guest to the death, sent back the Sultan's
letter and merely wrote "Aim" on the back.
Mahmud was too ignorant to understand
what this meant and was utterly amazed ; but
one of his Persian courtiers at once explained
that by " Aim " the Sipahbud intended to remind
the Sultan of the fate of Abraha the Abyssinian,
who, also relying on war elephants, invaded
Mecca in the very year of the Prophet's birth ;
but Allah the All-wise did he not cause flocks
of birds to pelt them with pellets of baked clay
so that they were discomforted ? He added
that the " Chapter of the Elephant " began with
"Aim." When Sultan Mahmud understood
this matter he trembled, and his threat remained
unfulfilled.
For a long while every one was silent, and
43
THE SHIA WORLD
then the conversation turned to the politeness of
Persians, and Husein Ali Khan said that when
he was an attendant at the foot of the throne of
Mohamed Shah there was a great dispute with
the Minister of France because the Governor of
Shiraz had, so he averred, seized a large sum of
money, twenty thousand tomans, belonging to a
French merchant, whereas that trustworthy
official explained that he had merely taken
charge of it to save it from Kashgai robbers.
In any case, at the fete hi honour of the birth
of the Shah, when the Chief Vizier gave a
banquet, the Minister refused to be among
the guests unless this sum were paid ; and this
abstention being reported to Mohamed Shah,
that exalted monarch was displeased.
Finally, the noble Vizier not only paid the
money from his private purse, but, greeting the
Minister of France with exquisite urbanity, he
said: "Your Excellency, this banquet has cost
me twenty thousand tomans ; but I would gladly
have paid double the sum for the pleasure of
entertaining the Minister of France." Hearing
this, we felt that it was in Persia alone that
such noble, high-souled ministers were born ;
and we all thanked Allah that we were Iranis.
The Commander-in-Chief then said that, not
only in allusion and in politeness were Persians
far ahead of all other nations, but that in
44
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
astuteness there was no other people even
second to them.
In proof of this, he told us that on one occa-
sion he had to pay his regiment about ten tomans a
man ; but, owing to his misfortunes, he had only
a hundred tomans instead of the necessary five
thousand. However, astuteness came to his
aid, and he paid every man his due, made him
seal his receipt, and then, as he passed into an
outer room, the money was taken from him and
returned. In short, after paying away five
thousand tomans^ he had still a hundred tomans
left. At hearing this every one laughed, and the
Vakil-ul-Mulk called the Commander-in-Chief a
blackguard ; but only in jest.
Shaykh Ahmad then said that he knew
of yet another story connected with Sultan
Mahmud, who, the son of a slave, rose to be a
mighty monarch and thirsted for a title from the
Caliph. He sent a large gift to the Caliph,
but nothing for his Vizier, who was, of course, a
Persian, and who, in drawing up the order, gave
instructions that Mir should be written instead
of Amir.
Now Mir means a chief, but also a slave ; so
Mahmud was furious at this insult, until a
Persian courtier explained to him that the
"A"^ which was omitted conveyed a delicate
^ AH/ or A siguifies one thousand.
47
THE SHIA WORLD
hint that he had not sent one tho.usand gold
coins to the Vizier ; but that, if the order were
returned with that sum, no doubt apologies
would be made and a fresh order, written as
His Majesty desired, would be sent. And so,
by Allah, it turned out ; and thus was Sultan
Mahmud educated by clever Iranis.
Abu Turab Khan represented that he could
give a case which had happened only a few years
ago at the court of the Vakil-ul-Mulk, but that he
would not dare to mention it without permission.
His Excellency was very curious to hear the
story, and agreed to pardon the Klmn^ who said
that, three years ago, a Tehran merchant came
down to examine into the accounts of his agent,
who had been in charge of his land for ten years
and who had embezzled thousands of tomans.
But this agent was very clever, and so he
paid the chief executioner two hundred tomans
to come secretly to the Tehrani the morning
after his arrival, and whisper in his ear that
orders had just come by telegram to the Vakil-
ul-Mulk for him to be thrown into chains and
sent back to Tehran.
This so alarmed Aga Hadi that he too paid
the chief executioner two hundred tomans and,
mounting his horse, he rode off and never returned
to Kerman !
Hearing this, the Vakil-ul-Mulk rolled on the
48
A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT
ground, helpless with laughter. He then called
for the chief executioner and asked him if this
were true, and finally it was acknowledged.
"Blackguard," screamed the Vakil- ul-Mulk, and
again rolled over.
" By Allah ! " quoth he, " how fast Aga Hadi
must have ridden, and how tired such a fat man
as he is must have been I "
It was now two hours to sunset, and His
Excellency exclaimed, "Bismillah! let us go."
Everything was in a tumult, all the chief servants
shouting out their orders ; but by the time His
Excellency had walked slowly past the lake to
the great gate, his carriage was ready, guarded
by three hundred sowars ; and, preceded by
mounted attendants bearing silver maces, who
shouted out to clear the road, the stately cortdge
disappeared in a cloud of dust on the road to
Kerman.
FROM A BRONZE MIRROR
CHAPTER IV
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
And Bahrain, that great Hunter — the wild Ass
Stamps o*er his Head, but cannot break his Sleep.
Omar Khayyam.
My father was renowned as a hunter even in
Iran, where hunting has been the chief pastime
of its monarchs and nobles from the days of Kei
Khusru^ down to the present day. In this
connection it is well known that courtiers who
exhibited special courage and skill in the chase
were always sure to attract the eye of favour of
their monarch. I have heard it stated that
" hunting is a business for the idle " ; but those
who really understand are aware that hundreds
of secrets for the government of kingdoms are
hidden in this art.
After having ruled Mahun for many years,
my father was very glad to be appointed
Governor of Sirjan. This district, apart from
^ Persians, quite incorrectly, believe that Kei Khusru was Cyrus
the Great. Actually he belongs to Indo-Persian legend.
50
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
its great extent, is always entrusted to a most
capable official, owing to its ' situation on the
borders of Fars, where the tribesmen are raiders
by nature and require watching by day and
night.
Dividing Sirjan from Fars is a great salt
swamp which is very dangerous, except to those
who know it well ; but as it is also a favourite
haunt of the gazelle and of the wild ass, my
father was perhaps more pleased at that fact
than at anything else, little knowing that Hafiz
prophesied truly in his case when he wrote :
This far-off desert is the stage.
In which the armies of Salm and Tur disappeared.
I well recollect the journey to Saiidabad, the
capital, over a high range where we rode in every
direction in search of partridges. Our sowars
spread out on each side of the track for a /ar^aM,
and, as partridges only fly a short distance, they
were shot in large numbers or seized by falcons,
of which His Excellency kept a large number.
To see the intrepidity with which the sowars
galloped up and down steep mountains and
shot hares and even partridges at full speed
would prove to any one that the Persian sowar
has no equal.
On the borders of Sirjan, many of the leading
Khans met us, and at Saiidabad the reception
party included every one in the capital, from the
51
THE SHIA WORLD
great landowners and merchants to the beggars
and little children.
The house of the Governor was very large
with a fine garden ; but it was in such a
dilapidated condition that, at first, we lived in
tents in the garden while it was being prepared
for our reception : indeed, I recollect my father
stating that he had to spend a large sum on
repairing it.
A few weeks after our arrival it was decided
to go on a shooting expedition ; and I was
allowed to join the party on a well-trained horse.
As soon as we were clear of the town and had
reached the open country, our sowars spread out,
two and two, leaving an interval of about five
hundred yards between each couple, until the
■4 1. ^ f" ■ ■ ■ I.
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
whole plain was covered. In the centre my
father, Aga Ali, his chief gunbearer, and myself
rode, and, on both sides of us, the line of sowars
was slightly thrown forward like a crescent
moon.
We proceeded slowly in this manner for
perhaps a farsakh, when suddenly Aga Ali
whose eyes were like those of a hawk, espied a
herd of seven gazelles which were grazing a long
way ahead of us. When they, in time, sighted
us they threw up their heads and galloped off,
while we continued on exactly as before.
This went on for half a hour when, suddenly,
the gazelles, which do not like leaving their
grazing ground, stopped, turned round, and
galloped between my father and Mohamed
Mehdi Khan, who was on his left. At first the
two groups moved slowly on inclining inwards ;
but, when it was clear that the gazelles had made
up their minds and were flying like the wind,
both parties galloped to cut them off. So
successful were they that the gazelles passed
within fifteen yards of my father who, with his
number ten gun, loaded with slugs, shot two of
them.
Imitating him, by throwing my reins on to
the neck of my horse, I also shot a gazelle, which
much pleased my father, who shouted, '' Thanks
be to Allah ! The lion's whelp will be like its
5S
THE SHIA WORLD
sire." I was so elated at hearing this from my
father, who scarcely ever spoke to me, that my
head turned round. Aga Ali, too, who had
taught me to throw down my reins and to
always turn in the saddle when shooting, a feat
no European has ever learned, paid my father
many compliments, and was promised a gift of a
hundred tomans. Such a Hatim Tai^ was my
sire !
That night we camped near the swamp, and as
sixteen gazelles had been shot, every one was
much elated, and, round the fires, the ramrods
of the rifles were covered with meat : indeed,
Allah knows, I never tasted such delicious meat
as that of the gazelle roasted in this fashion.
Early next morning we started off to hunt the
wild ass along the swamp, and both my father
and myself took our rifles instead of our number
ten guns. Now, you must know that the wild
ass is easier to approach than the gazelle, if the
swamp is hard enough for a horse to gallop on
it, but yet soft enough for the hoofs of the wild
ass, which are much smaller, to break through.
We rode along as on the previous day, and,
very soon after leaving camp, Aga Ali was the
first to sight a large herd of wild asses, who
^ Hatim Tai is the example in the East of a generous Arab
chieftain. On one occasion having no food, he slew his famous mare
to satisfy the hunger of a guest.
54
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
galloped oft' and then circled back to look at
us, so curious are they. This they did three
times and then tried to break through ; but they
were turned towards the swamp, and soon sank
in so much that we were able to ride up along-
side them and shoot them quite easily ; in fact
our rifles nearly touched them as we fired.
Tliat night again every one was very happy, as
the flesh of the wild ass is esteemed a great
delicacy ; but, in my opinion, nothing is more
delicate than the flesh of the gazelle.
On another occasion we set out hawking, and
when riding along, we saw an extraordinary
white rock, shaped like an egg, rise out of
THE SHIA WORLD
the plain. My father asked Mohamed Mehdi
-Khan what it was, as he was learned in these
questions ; and he replied that, on this rock,
known as "White Fort," were the ruins of
a famous fortress, which was once the capital
(DaUd A.D. 1387)
of the province of Kerman. He added that it
was a great show place and that there were many-
sand partridges there. Moved by the hope of
shikar my father said, " Bismillah, let us see
this wonderful place."
We rode to the rock and found the whole
plain covered with the ruins of a mighty city.
In one place was a beautiful pulpit of white
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
stone; but everything else was in ruins.
Riding up the steep white rock we found the
remains of palaces, and also visited a great
cave on _ the north side where the women,
according to tradition, spent the heat of the day.
Mohamed Mehdi Khan showed us every
eorner, and said that Amir Timur's troops
besieged the fort for three years, and then
only captured it because the garrison had no
supplies left, so strong was this fort. He
added that, in memory of this siege, one of
the hills, which he pointed out, is termed
« The Throne of Timur " to this day.
Two years were spent at Saiidabad in this
fashion, hunting parties being so frequent that at
last the game was almost all killed. During this
period the robbers from Fars never raided into
Sirjan from fear of my father, and also because
they were ruled by a stern Governor-General,
who, whenever he caught a brigand, ** plastered "^
him up as a terrible warning to his fellows.
However, this stern ruler was dismissed, and
his successor was so noted for his kindness of
disposition, that, even before he reached Shiraz,
the Lashanis prepared to raid Sirjan.
Owing to the fact that there had been no
^ Robbers are embedded in plaster up to their shoulders. Wheu
it dries up^ it contracts^ and their sufferings are terrible ; but^ if
l^iven food and water^ they frequently linger on for three or
four days.
57
THE SHIA WORLD
trouble for so many years, there was no watch
kept, and we first realised what was occurring
by seeing villages burning in the hills to the
north of the capital just before sunset. As
soon as this was noticed my father's face became
terrible, and he swore that he would cut off
the robbers and deal with them as the Governor-
General of Fars had done.
Well do I recollect the excitement and
confusion which first occurred ; but yet, within
half-an-hour, the whole party of two hundred
sowars was ready to start. We moved at an
amble, which pace is best for horses going
a long distance, and when dawn broke we
were approaching the main route across the
morass. Upon reaching it, Aga Ali, who was
famous for tracking, pointed out that about
sixty horsemen had passed eastwards just a
day before, but that there were no return tracks.
However, he also pointed out that, as the swamp
was dry at this season of the year, a second
track across it to the north might well be used
by the Lashanis on their return.
This much disturbed my father, who had felt
sure of cutting off the raiders ; and so he con-
sulted for an hour while the horses were being
fed, and we all lay in ambush in a grove of
tamarisks, hoping for the return of the raiders
who, however, never came.
58
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
It was finally settled by His Excellency, that
he would take eighty of the best men and ride
north so as to hold the second track ; and I was
left with Aga Ali in charge of the main body.
For the remainder of that day and the next
we watched all in vain, until Aga Ali swore that
the Lashanis had escaped, when, in the distance,
we sighted one of our sowars, who rode up to me
like a whirlwind, crying
Dust on my head^
The Master is dead.
He then fell off his horse in a faint
At last he was able to tell his mournful tale,
which was that my father and his party were
approaching the northern track across the swamp,
when they saw the Lashanis already on it,
driving away cattle, sheep, and other plunder.
Furious at this, and throwing prudence to
the winds, my father rode straight across the
morass to cut them off. One by one his sowars
were left behind ; but my father pressed on
until, just as he was near the track, his horse
was engulfed in the bog.
He made every effort to escape; but, mad
with fear, the brute seized him with its teeth,
tore him from the saddle, and threw him under
its hoofs ; so that when, at last, two of the sowars
came up, ready to help, there was only one arm
59
THE SHIA WORLD
of my father remaining above the ooze, and the
mad horse's head was sinking out of sight I
A thousand boats have gone down into this whirlpool :
And not a plank from them has reached the shore.
Allah knows that I shall never forget the misery
of that period, nor how my mother beat her head
until she fell senseless, lamenting :
As man in this land of thorns
Reaps nothing but trouble and anxiety :
Happy is he who leaves this world quickly.
Or he who never enters it at all.
Time, however, is the great teacher, and after a
few days it was possible to look at the matter
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
more calmly, and to feel some comfort and even
pride in the thought that my father, a great
hunter, when pursuing a nobler quarry than the
wild ass, had met the same fate as the great
hunter King, of whom Omar Khayyam wrote :
Bahrain^ who, all his life, was capturing wild asses (Gur) :
See how the grave (^Gur) has captured Bahrain.^
I have not hitherto referred to my uncle,
Mirza Hasan Khan, who, by the kindness of
the Vakil-ul-Mulk, may Allah keep cool his
grave, was made a Mustavfi or Revenue Official
in the Kerman province. Now my uncle was
married, but Allah had not blessed his tree of
hope with fruit; and perhaps it was on this
account that he showed such kindness to the
orphan, whose lot is frequently a hard one, as
Shaykh Sadi writes : —
Protect thou the orphan whose father is dead ;
Brush the mud from his dress, ward all hurt from his head ;
Thou know'st not how hard his condition must be ;
When the root has been cut, is there life in the tree ?
O see that he weep not, for surely God's throne
Doth quake at the orphan's most pitiful moan I
In short, my uncle was like an angel of
benevolence to me, and, as soon as the heart-
rending news reached Kerman, heedless of
^ This is the literal translation of FitzGerald's lines as given in
the heading to this chapter. There is a play on Gur, which signifies
a wild ass and also the grave. The monarch was kuown as
Bahrain Gur.
61
THE SHIA WORLD
hunger and sleep, he rode down post to Saiidabad,
and thereby ensured that the revenue my father
had to collect was duly paid in.
Moreover, he discharged all our debts and
brought us to Kerman to his own house, and
placed us under the shadow of his kindness.
Do thou a kind act and throw it in the Tigris,
And Allah will return it to thee in the desert.
Like our illustrious ancestor, Haji Abul
Hasan Khan, my father had always displayed
liberality and generosity ; and my uncle found
that, after paying up all we owed, nothing was
left for me :
It is better that a man leave a good name behind :
Than to bequeath a decorated house.
Fortunately, my mother had received as a
dowry one- third of the village of Sar Asiab,
which sufficed for her wants, and I felt that I was
quite able to earn my living ; but exactly, in
what manner, I did not know, as you cannot
turn a knowledge of history and the capacity of
a poet into a shoe and a hat.
However, the day after our arrival at Kerman,
my uncle spoke very kindly to me, and said that
he regarded me as his son, and had decided to
make me his assistant in the revenue department,*
and, on the following day, I accompanied him to
the Revenue Office of Kerman.
62
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
This most important department, on which
the whole Government depends, was brought to
the greatest perfection in Persia nearly a thousand
years ago, by that great man, the Nizam- ul-Mulk,
Vizier of Malik Shah, whose system is still in
force to-day. Indeed, it is so perfect that no
one except a Mustauji can fully understand it :
and, as a result, the power and wealth of revenue
officials is very gfeat. Indeed their power is, in
some respects, above that of the local Governors,
for when these latter came to Kerman to settle
their revenue accounts, the Mustaufi in charge
of each district was able to make all sorts of
claims, and, as he had to give a certificate that
the revenue had been paid in full, much bargain-
ing went on until a sum was agreed upon, and
then only was the certificate granted.
To resume, I found the office to consist of a
large room with beautiful carpets, where all the
Mustaufis sat together, and apparently drank tea,
smoked, and did nothing else. However, in this
I was mistaken, for every now and then a youth
whispered into the ear of one of them, who
thereupon gave a whispered reply. This, as I
soon found out, meant that a local Governor
had made an offer to the Miistauji through his
assistant, who had come to report.
Shortly after I had taken up my post, I was
approached by the confidential servant of the
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Governor of Jiruft, who offered six hundred
tomans for his certificate, accompanied by many
compliments to myself. This I reported to my
uncle, who remarked smilingly, " Lessen the
compliments and increase the money," and said
that I was to reply that one thousand tomans
was the lowest sum he would accept. For a
week this bargaining went on and, at last, eight
hundred tomans were paid, and also a present of
fifty tomans to myself, about which I did not say
anything to my uncle, as that was my perquisite.
As I found that the revenue otiicials were
all people of a noble disposition, who evinced
much respect for my uncle, I soon became very
happy at Kerman. Indeed, I found that I was
able not only to master all the intricacies of the
revenue system of Persia, but also to continue
to study poetry, history, and geography. In
short, I attained contentment, and as Shaykh
Sadi writes :
O soul ! if thou acquirest contentment,
Thou wilt exercise sway in the kingdom of repose.
CHAPTER V
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
Now when once more the Night's smbrosiai dusk
Upon the skirts of Day had poured its musk.
In sleep an an^e) caused him to behold
The heavenly gardens' radiancy untold.
Whose wide expanse, shadowed by lofty trees.
Was cheerful as the heart fulfilled of ease.
Each flow' ret in itself a ((arden seemed.
Each rosy petal like a lantern gleamed.
Each glade reflects, like some sky. scanning eye,
A heavenly mansion from the azure sky.
like brightest emeralds its grasses grow,
While its efl'ulgence doth no limit know.
Goblet in hand, each blossom of the dale
Drinks to the music of the nightingaie.
Celestial harps melodious songs upraise,
\Vhile cooing ring-doves utter hymns of praise.
NizAtii's Laila and Majnun
One day my uncle spoke to me with great kind-
ness, and said that, as I was fully eighteen years
of age, it was time that I thought of marriage.
He then advised me not to prize beauty alone ;
but rather to hope for a modest, pious, capable
woman, who would speak little, but who would
be economical, discreet, and prudent. "If thou
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marriest such a woman," he cried, ** she will be
the prop and stay of thy existence."
On the other hand, said he, as Sliaykh Sadi
wrote :
A bad woman in the liouse of a virtuous man is his hell, even
in this world.
Save us, O Lord, from this fiery trial !
My uncle finally quoted from the Sayings of
the Prophet, "Second only to the benefit of
believing the faith of Islam, is that of marrying
a Mussulman wife, who rejoices the eyes of a
man, obeys his wishes, and, during his absence,
watches faithfully over his house and possessions."
Upon hearing these words I was deeply
moved, and was only able to reply :
What objection can a servant raise ?
It is for the Master to command.
I then went off to the women's apartments, where
my mother greeted me with a significant smile ;
and I soon understood that she had been the
instigator in this plot and that she had already
been busy for some time in arranging a marriage
for me.
You do not perhaps know that, when a
mother considers it time for her son to marry,
she makes inquiries in every direction, by means
of special agents who are generally old women,
and when they hear of a girl who is handsome,
6Q
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
of a docile disposition, and of suitable family,
she and a friend call upon her mother, who, when
the subject is first broached, makes excuses, such
as that the girl has been dedicated to a Sayyid}
This, however, is merely to show that there
is no undue haste, and, when the girl is asked to
bring sugar and water, the object of the visit is
formally announced. The girl retires, adorns
herself, and then brings in water, which she
presents to the visitors, who embrace her and
examine her very closely.
A long consultation, in which the girl has no
part, now takes place, and all details are given
on both sides, with much exaggeration, as to the
character, qualities, and position of both the
young people ; and the meeting is finally brought
to a close by sweetmeats being handed round.
After this, ingenuity is exercised by the
women to gain a view of the proposed bride-
groom, which is not difficult, as he can easily be
seen riding or walking. For the youth to see
his future bride is, however, quite incorrect ;
but yet my mother had even arranged this.
She had, after the first meeting, discussed the
matter with her relations and friends, who knew
both families and had again visited the house,
^ If a girl be dangerously ill, her parents frequently vow that^
should she recover^ they will marry her to a Sayyid ; or if, at first
they have been disappointed in their hopes of children, a similar
vow is made.
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and asked for sweetmeats, which is tantamount
to stating that her side had agreed to the match.
She also had arranged for a return visit to be
paid by the girl's mother and my future bride,
whose very name Shirin expressed sweetness, but
who was ignorant of what was being settled.
One day my mother informed me that they
would pay their visit that afternoon, and that
the girl would be seated in the lowest place in
the party opposite the door. She added, "If
you were to look into the room through a chink
at that time, remember it would be most im-
proper, and I should speak severely to you if I
saw you." My mother again smiled and, as I
understood her meaning, my emotions were so
overpowering that I almost fainted.
Allah knows what trouble I gave at the bath
that day and how carefully I donned my best
clothes, and how rakishly I placed a new kolah ^
on my head ; but, even so, I was ready long
before the ladies came, and in my lovesick
condition I kept repeating " Shirin ! Shirin ! "
Say nought of the lusciousness candy contains, e'en sugar
unmentioned may be ;
For all, save the sugar possessed by thy lips, is wanting in
savour to me.
At last, two hours before sunset, I saw from
^ The becoming head-gear of Persia is made of tlie skin of the
unborn lamb, and costs about £4 if of good quality.
68
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
my hiding-place five ladies ^.rrive. The leading
one was, I felt sure, my future mother-in-law,
who, I had been told, would be accompanied by
her sister. Then came a form which, in spite of
the dark blue outer robe and white veil, I saw
was like a cypress, with the gait of a pheasant ;
and my heart revealed to me that it was my
beloved. Two confidential female servants
completed the party.
I knew that if I looked into the room too
soon the ladies would not have removed their
outer robes or veils ; so I contained myself for a
quarter of an hour, although it seemed to me
like a year.
At last, trembling like a willow branch, I
quickly entered the women's apartments, and,
hardly knowing what I did, instead of looking
through the chink, I opened the door. As I did
so, I met for one second the gaze of a houri with
eyes like those of a gazelle, under eyebrows
resembling a crescent moon. More than this I
saw not, as a cry was raised and my beloved
wrapped her robe round her and fled out of the
room.
My mother and the other ladies then asked
me how I dared to enter an assembly of women,
and I stood abashed for a minute and then shut
the door, and as if in a dream retired to my room
where my heart, wounded by the darts from
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THE SHIA WORLD
those eyes, kept me awake for the whole night,
crying and tossing from side to side.
Tell sleep not to enter my eyes any more.
Because the island which was thy abode has been submerged
in water.
However, my mother and uncle were, all the
time, working in my interests, and informed me
that they had agreed that the bride should be
given one-sixth of the village of Sar Asiab and
one thousand tomans as a dowry, half of which
was to be paid in cash before and half after the
marriage ; also an agreement was made that the
bride should never leave Kerman against her
will. Indeed, the details of the agreement were
so numerous that I cannot describe them.
A few weeks later the betrothal took place.
In the morning six large trays containing a fine
Kerman shawl, a ring set with diamonds, a pair
of gold earrings and much sugar, tea, and sweet-
meats were sent to the bride's house. My
Shirin was then adorned and the earrings were
placed in her ears by a lady of distinction, who
was blessed with a family of eighteen children,
of whom fourteen were sons. General rejoicings
then ensued, which, however, only the ladies of
both families attended; and it may be understood
how I yearned for the marriage to take place,
although I now understand fully that such an
important event should be carried out with due
70
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
delay so as to enhance the dignity of the pro-
ceedings.
Then, however, I was, I fear, Ul-tempered and
peevish, and could only compose verses which I
thought poor, but which are now held to be
worth ten gold pieces a line, such as
O Spring Cloud, discharge abundantly in the vineyard ;
If a drop of rain become wine why should it be . wasted in
forming a pearl ? ^
Or again my famous verse, in which the four
elements are mentioned :
^Vhen the morning breeze lifted the veil from thy face.
It smote to the earth the honour possessed by the fire of
, Zoroaster. 2
Two months after the engagement the chief
astrologer was called into consultation as to the
auspicious day for the performance of the
marriage ceremony ; and, having fixed upon three
hours to sunset on the following Wednesday,
intimation to this effect was sent to the father
of the bride.
On the day, a tray containing one hundred
^ The Oriental believes that pearls are formed by the crystalliza-
tion of drops of rain falling on the oyster.
2 Ahru is literally " water of the face/' and thus the wind, the
earth, water, and fire are all included.
The first verse is by Danish, Meshedi, who received 100,000
rupees as a reward from the son of Shah Jahan, the Moghul
Emperor. Our author would reply to a charge of plagiarism that
both he and Danish, by chance, had the same beautiful idea. This
is termed Tmmrud or coincidence.
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different varieties of drugs and herbs, with a
mirror and ten yards of white sheeting to cover
the bride during the ceremony, was sent to her
home. The other gifts were two candlesticks,
twenty pairs of shoes, and several trays contain-
ing sweetmeats. All these matters are regulated
by etiquette, so polished and civilised a people
are we Persians.
Four hours before sunset, after spending the
day at the hammain^ during which time my hair
and nails were beautifully dyed, we assembled in
the great hall at the house of Ali Naki Khan,
my future father-in-law, and were greeted by the
relations of both families, the ladies, meanwhile,
assembling in the women's apartments.
Shirin, who on the previous day had visited
the bath, had been, as she afterwards told me,
placed on a saddle facing towards Mecca^ with
all her garments untied, until the ceremony was
completed Opposite my beloved were the
mirror and the comb ; and, in front of the mirror,
the two candlesticks were placed and lighted.
The white sheet was draped over her head, and,
when she was arrayed in all her wedding
garments, my mother said that she resembled
Bilkis, that queen of Sheba who visited Solomon
the son of David.
Meanwhile her mouth was filled with sweet-
meats, and sugar dust was sprinkled over her head
72
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
by rubbing two pieces together. To increase
her good fortune, a lady took a needle, threaded
it with a thread made of seven coloured strands,
and passed and repassed it through the white
sheet which was draped over the head of the
bride. This very ancient custom is never
omitted. Finally, drugs were thrown into the
fire until the atmosphere itself became amorous.
The chief priest of Kerman, Aga Mohamed,
who was related to my mother, performed the
ceremony. When he took his seat among us,
he called me to his presence and asked me if I
authorised him to act as my agent. On receiv-
ing my reply in the affirmative, he inquired who
was the agent on behalf of Shirin, and on hearing
that it was Shaykh AbduUa he had the d^-aft of
the marriage deed, containing all the conditions,
read out three times.
Shaykh AbduUa thereupon proceeded to the
curtained door of the women's apartments when,
on his announcing his errand, Shirin, who re-
quired much encouragement before she would
speak, stated three times that she agreed to the
marriage. After this, he returned and informed
Aga Mohamed that Shirin had agreed to the
marriage. Upon hearing this, the marriage was
declared to have taken place; and congratula-
tions were offered by all those present.
At the termination of this ceremony I was
75
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taken to the women's apartments, into the room
where Shirin was sitting. She rose up to receive
me and, as soon as I had placed my hand on her
head as a token of my protection to her in the
future, she tried to place her foot on mine ; but
I, dexterously avoiding it, gently placed my
foot on her foot. This ceremony is necessary,
and whoever of the two places his or her foot on
the foot of the other, will, we believe, continue
to rule for life.
We both saw the faces of each other reflected
in the mirror, which had been placed in front of
Shirin ; but I had to give her a handsome
present in the shape of a pearl ring before I
could secure to myself the pleasure of seeing her
face in the mirror. It may be mentioned that,
during the performance of this ceremony, all
widows or twice married women, and all un-
married girls, are rigidly excluded from among
the ladies sitting round the bride, as their
presence is sure to bring bad luck to her.
Soon after the conclusion of the marriage
ceremony I grew impatient, and began to trouble
my mother with hints that the wedding should
take place without delay ; but she put me off by
saying that the ornaments and other wedding
furniture had not yet been completed by the
bride's parents, who had asked for a period of at
least two months for these preparations.
76
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
Allah knows how 1 counted the days and
nights ; and the moment that this period had
elapsed, I again had it conveyed to my mother
that she should hasten on the wedding ; and I
represented that, unless she wished me to be-
come as thin as Majnun,^ the famous lover, whom
even the wild beasts pitied, she must use all her
influence and not allow unnecessary delay :
The nearer the time of meeting with the beloved approaches.
The fiercer burns the flame of love.
After declaring, for some days, that such
haste was not correct, my mother understood
that I was really beginning to waste away ; and,
fortunately, just about this time, intimation was
received from Shirin's mother that all the
wedding furniture had been completed. My
mother at once sent again for the chief astro-
loger, and he fixed on the Friday night ^ as the
most auspicious of auspicious times for the con-
summation of the marriage.
On the afternoon of that day the wedding
gifts were sent from the bride's to my uncle's
house, passing through the principal streets of
the city ; and men and women thronged in
hundreds in the streets and on their roofs to see
and admire them.
^ Majnun wasted away for the love of the famous Laila.
2 According to lunar months the day begins at sunset. Thus
Friday nighty by European calculation, would be Thursday night.
77
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All the household furniture, such as cushions,
pillows, velvet curtains embroidered in gold,
lamps, candlesticks, copper and porcelain utensils,
tea and coffee services, and other articles too
numerous to mention, were carried on trays ;
and carpets and boxes of clothes belonging to
the bride were borne on gaily caparisoned mules,
with bells round their necks and also swinging
at their sides ; and, with all these things, the
rooms set apart for the use of the bride were
prepared for her reception.
Feasting had been the order of the day both
at my uncle's house and at the house of Ali
Naki Khan for several days ; and I had spent
part of the Thursday entertaining my friends at
a hammam, which had been specially reserved for
this purpose ; and, after giving gifts to the bath
attendants who had shampooed me and dyed my
hair and nails, I stepped forth, clad in a suit
which my father-in-law had presented to me.
This suit included a shirt made by the hand of
Shirin from the white sheet which was draped
over her head when the marriage ceremony was
performed.
At four hours after sunset, my uncle with
our male relations and friends, proceeded to
the bride's house, followed at a very short dis-
tance by all our female relations, including mv
mother, and preceded by lighted candles, lamps,
78
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
torches, and musicians ; fireworks too were
let off.
The men assembled in the hall, and the ladies
were seated in the women's apartments, and
sherbet was served, followed by tea and water
pipes. My uncle then presented the completed
marriage deed, which had been written out on
paper, most beautifully decorated with gold and
other colours, to the bride's father who took it
to show to Shirin's mother.
Meanwhile Shirin, too, had been to the
harnmam^ where her hair and hands and feet were
dyed, and her back carefully depilated to remove
all traces of hair, as it is believed that there is a
hair of the Angel of Death on a woman's back
which, if allowed to remain, would bring ill luck
to the family. After her return to the house,
she was taken to a special room where her
relations dressed her in her bridal clothes and
ornaments.
When the bride was ready to start, the men
formed themselves into a procession which was
followed by a second procession, in which was
Shirin, riding on a richly caparisoned Bahrein
donkey, and surrounded by ladies of both families,
with the exception of her own mother, who
remained behind, as also her father. The bride
who, at the moment of departure from her home,
received some bread, salt, and cheese in a hand-
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THE SHIA WORLD
kerchief handed to her by her youngest brother,
was preceded by a man who carried a mirror
with its face towards her. On the way she was
stopped several times by the ladies of her family
demanding gifts, which had to be presented by
some prominent members of my uncle's family.
When the bride approached our house she
was made to stop, and the ladies declared that
she would not move forward until I myself had
appeared. In the meantime I had gone to meet
her, and I soon heard the clang of instruments,
the noise made by the fireworks, and the hum
of many excited voices.
The ladies, upon seeing me, cried out, "We
have accepted you ! " They added, " You have
taken great trouble." I then turned back ahead
of the procession.
When the bridal party reached the entrance
of the street, in order to avert the evil eye, five
sheep were sacrificed by order of my uncle, and
the procession passed between the carcases and
the severed heads, the meat being divided
between the policemen, musicians, and others.
By this time I had climbed up to the gate-
way, and from it 1 caught sight of hundreds of
men bearing lamps, and finally saw my beloved
pass under where I was standing into the outer
court of the house. Here my uncle, welcoming
her, took her hand and led her to the chamber
80
MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE
prepared for her. Rue was burnt in front of her,
and Shirin threw a gold piece into the brazier.
This too is a very ancient custom for averting
the evil eye.
Shirin was then kissed by my mother, and I
was conducted into the chamber, and a jug and
basin were prepared when 1 removed the Dolagh ^
of Shirin and she removed the socks from my
feet. One of the women servants poured out
water and I washed the big toe of her right foot
and then of her left, Shirin doing the same for
me ; and, when this was done, we both threw a
gold piece into the basin.
After this I tried to remove the veil to see
her face, but I only succeeded after making her
a present of a pair of golden bracelets studded
with turquoises. We gazed intently at each
other's face in the great mirror, and I nearly
swooned with joy to feel that, at last, Shirin was
in my home.
I next started conversation by inquiring after
her health, and before she uttered a word in
reply I had to put a few gold coins into her
mouth.
The tablecloth was then spread, and we both
partook of some of the bread, cheese, and salt
brought by the bride ; and put mouthfuls of rice
* Dolagh is the garment worn out of doors, combining stockings
and trousers.
81 G
THE SHIA WORLD
into each other's mouths. At this point I pre-
sented Shirin with a necklace of Bahrein pearls,
an heb-loom of my great ancestor ; and this gift
made my bride speak freely at last, as the other
ladies examined it with envy :
The beauty of my beloved is independent of my incomplete
Her beautiful face is not in need of rouge, colour, tattooing.
At length our lady friends and relations all
departed, and as the argent moon soared through
the star-spangled sky I murmured :
'Tis a deep charm which makes the lover's flame.
Not ruby lip, nor verdant down its name :
Beauty is not the eye, look, cheek, and mole,
A thousand subtle points the heart control.
At that moment the bulbul in tlie rose-bushes
broke out into an ecstasy of song, and its notes
and the intoxicating smell of the jasmine made
an earthly paradise of what was now the home
of Shirin.
CHAPTER VI
KERMAN, THE HEART OF THE WORLD
On the fuce of the earth, there is no place like Kerman ;
Kennaa is the heart of the world, and we are men of heart.
Shah Nahat Uu^h.
The origin of Kermaii is famous throughout the
Seven Climates, if only on account of the world-
renowned legend connected with it, which I will
here repeat.
In the days of Ardeshir, son of Babek, who
lived many centuries before our Prophet, on
him and on his descendants be peace, a maiden
was spinning with her companions in a garden
when she picked up an apple, within which she
found a kerm or worm.
She, half in jest, vowed that if she completed
her allotted task before her companions, she
woidd cherish the worm and feed it daily.
Almost at once her spinning was completed, and
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from that day her father's family increased in
prosperity until they conquered the province,
which was thenceforward known by its name of
Kerman or the " Worm Province."
Ardeshir, monarch of Iran, suffered defeat
after defeat at the hands of Haftan Bokht, the
father of the girl, until he realised that So long
as the Worm was alive he was powerless.
Consequently he resolved on a daring strata-
gem, and, disguising himself as a merchant
prince, he presented himself before Haftan Bokht
and said, that as he owed all his success in trade
to the good fortune of the Worm, he requested
the honour of feeding it for three days. This
petition was readily granted, and as Firdausi,
the greatest epic poet of all the cycles of time,
writes :
When their souls were deep steeped in the wine-cup ;
Forth fared the Prince with his hosts of the hamlet,
Brought with him copper and brazen cauldron.
Kindled a flaming fire in the white daylight.
So to the Worm at its meal-time was measured
In place of milk and rice much molten metal.
Unto its trench he brought that liquid copper ;
Soft from the trench its head the Worm upraised.
Then they beheld its tongue, like brazen cymbal.
Thrust forth to take its food as was its custom.
Into its open jaws that molten metal
Poured he, while, in the trench, helpless the Worm writhed ;
Crashed from its throat the sound of fierce explosion.
Such that the trench and whole fort fell a-quaking.
Swift as the wind Ardeshir and his comrades
84
KERMAN
Hastened with drawn swords, arrows, and maces.
Of the Worm's warders, wrapped in their wine-sleep.
Not one escaped alive from their fierce onslaught.
Then from the Castle-keep raised he the smoke-wreaths
Which his success should tell to his captains.
Hasting to Shahr-gir swift came the sentry,
Crjdng, " King Ardeshir his task hath finished ! "
Quickly the captain then came with his squadrons.
Leading his mail-clad men unto the King's aid.
r think, O wise men of the Seven Climates,
that you will agree that the origin of Kerman is
out of the common, and that the city founded
by Ardeshir is no ordinary city. He it was who
constructed the great ditch and also the two
awesome forts, reaching to the clouds, and the
stronger and higher of these great fortresses still
bears his name ; the other is known as the
'* Virgin's Fort," and has never been polluted by
a conqueror's triumph.
But to-day, thanks to the might of the Kajar
dynasty, these forts are in ruins, as peace reigns
everywhere, and the city of Kerman, which bears
the illustrious title of " Abode of Safety,"
stretches far and wide at their feet. Not that
there are no walls round the city, that would be
folly ; but Kerman is built on a perfect plan and
has great squares, peerless mosques, and superb
colleges, that make it the envy of all other cities
in Persia.
The palace, too, is so magnificent that
travellers consider its " Hall of Audience " to
85
THE SHIA WORLD
be a rival to that at the capital, but Allah knows
if this be true.
No account, however, of the residence of the
Governor-General would be complete without a
reference to the Drum House. From the days
of Jamshid.' who built the palaces still called by
his name near Shiraz, every great city has
enjoyed the privilege of hearing music, which
is played from a gateway to usher in the rising
sun and to play out the setting sun. Indeed, it
is evident that this music is of great antiquity.
The instruments consist of kettledrums of a
large size, pipes, and long trumpets quite six
' Penepolis ia termed " T lie Throne of Jamshid " by the
I PAR5I OABDBNER
• • •
• ' if
HERMAN
feet long. Whenever I hear the music I feel
proud that I am an Irani, whose history goes back
to the days when the sun was worshipped ; and
even Farangis acknowledge that they have never
heard any music Uke that of the Drum House.
Our city, compared to which Shiraz is little
more than a village, is surrounded by lovely
gardens, many of which are owned by the Gabrs,'
' Tbe Gabrs, or P.irsis, as we term them, .sometimes identify
Zoroaster with Abraham. As a matter of fact, when fciven a chonve,
as in India, they prove themselves to be a very tine race. In
Persia, too, they are noted for their integrity.
THE SHIA WORLD
who, although despised by all Mussulmans, are
yet the best gardeners in Persia ; and, after all,
they are our own stock and they swear that
Hazrat Ibrahim was their Prophet.
Kerman is famous for its shawls, which rival
those of Kashmir, and for its carpets, which are
unrivalled in the world. They say that it is the
wonderful climate of the province which produces
wool of such exquisite fineness ; and yet, without
the hereditary skill of the Kermanis, of what use
would these advantages prove? Indeed, kings
prize the output of the Kerman looms; and
whenever a robe of honour is bestowed by the
Shah, may Allah protect him 1 it is always a
Kerman shawl of exquisite beauty and fineness.
Indeed, the shawls of Kashmir, which also are
very fine, are partly manufactured from Kerman
wool, and so, in praising them, I also laud
Kerman.
Not that the province is without natural
products, as, among many other things which
grow wild for any one to collect, are the
delicious caraway seeds. Indeed, so famous
are they that "To take caraway seeds to
Kerman " has become a proverb.
The inhabitants of my city are noted for their
hospitality, and there were frequent parties in
the gardens with their red roses, leafy glades,
and running streams ; and we spent the summer
90
KERMAN
day in reciting verses or discussing the history
of glorious Iran. In the winter, too, the long
evenings were spent most pleasantly, as Persians,
and especially the Kermanis, have so keen a wit
that it is impossible to tire of listening to its
sallies. In short, I thanked Allah that I had
become an inhabitant of such a famous city,
where my learning and wit were so fully
appreciated.
Owing to the fact that the Governor-General,
the Vakil-ul-Mulk, may Allah keep cool his
grave! had always considered my father as one of
his own family, his son, who had now succeeded
him, continued to treat me with equal kindness,
and I gradually became his chief courtier, and so
fond was he of history and poetry that, when he
went into the mountains during the "Forty
days of Heat," he always took me in his service ;
and thus my position and wealth were increased.
Indeed, I soon began to be employed on matters
of importance, as will be shown later on.
I have not hitherto mentioned that in
Kerman there lived an English doctor who,
when he first came, was looked upon as a
stranger; but, Allah knows, in surgery the
English surpass even our best hakims^ and, as
Allah the Omnipotent used the Sahib as a
medium to restore the sight of my uncle, who
had a cataract in his left eye, I became a great
9S
THE SHIA WORLD
friend of his ; and indeed it was he who suggested
that the inhabitants of London and of the New
World would like to read the story which is now
being written.
In addition to a hospital, a school was opened
by the English, and to it a few of the sons of
the Khans were sent The Vakil-ul-Mulk, whose
grandfather had been the official entertainer of
Sir John Malcolm, when that illustrious English-
man was appointed ambassador at the foot of the
throne of Fath Ali Shah, was most kind to the
English ; and perhaps it is not known that once
when a high official asked him to name what gift
the British Government should offer him, he
replied that he wished a Persian translation of
the ambassador's History of Persia to be made
and presented to him.
I always consider that this action showed how
noble was the character of the Vakil-ul-Mulk,
and I shall never forget his reply to his Vizier
who had represented that, in his opinion, a
hundred rifles would have been a more useful
gift. The Vakil-ul-Mulk simply replied, " Listen
what Shaykh Sadi says :
^^ Sons of Adam from learning will find perfection.
Not from dignity, and rank, and wealth, and property ;
Like a taper one must melt in pursuit of learning.
Since without learning one cannot know God."
Now I do not want it thought that I who am,
94
KERMAN
Allah be praised, a pious Mussulman, am a lover
of European ways. Far from it, I am no fool,
and what I know, I know.
Once, our Governor-General sent one of his
sons to Europe with plenty of money, and with
instructions to study history, law, geography, all
sciences and languages, and above all. Parlia-
ment^ Well, Fazal Ullah Khan spent several
years and much money in London, and wrote to
his father such accounts of his learning and of the
attentions paid to him by its Viziers, who, accord-
ing to him, vied with one another in honouring
him, that the Governor-General was transported
with delight, and frequently exclaimed in Durbar
that, without the slightest doubt, Fazal Ullah
Khan would, one day, be Grand Vizier of Persia,
or, if not that, he would certainly become Vizier
for Foreign Affairs.
At length Fazal Ullah Khan wrote to his
father that he was returning to his service, and
His Excellency, who was camping in the hills
during the *' Forty days of Heat," gave orders
for him to be met with the highest honours
by all his servants, of whom I was one of the
chief.
The reception party consisted of three
hundred sowars under a general, but with the
^ The strength of the British nation is held to be derived from
this word, which was formerly believed to be magical.
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THE SHIA WORLD
Governor's chief officer in supreme charge.
There were also twenty mounted servants
leading superb horses with collars of gold round
their necks and gorgeous Resht saddle-cloths;
and the Governor s favourite horse was sent for
Fazal UUah Khan to ride upon. In truth, had
he been a prince more honour would not have
been shown him.
Near the camp, ten servants with silver maces
and sixty farrashes led the future Vizier to where
His Excellency awaited him alone. Fazal UUah
Khan flung himself off his horse and wished to
do obeisance to his father ; but the latter, kissing
him on the mouth, led him by the hand to a tent
which they entered alone.
After a short silence His Excellency said,
" My son, during the course of your many years
of travel, tell me what is the most extra-
ordinary thing thou hast observed." "Lord of
my life," was the reply, " may I be thy ransom ;
but, in London, even the little boys spoke the
English tongue."
The Governor made no reply, but rose and
left the tent. He was immediately surrounded
by the nobles of the province, who expressed
hopes that he was satisfied with his son. The
only reply I heard was, "My money has been
burnt."
That night this matter and nothing else was
96
KERMAN
under discussion, and I quoted the following
verse : —
From the miracles of our spiritual Leader what a wonder I
The snow fell, and he stated ^^the snow is falling.**
Needless to say, none of us Kermanis have,
since that date, thought of educating our sons
in Europe ; and surely we are wiser than the
Tehranis, who are now constantly sending their
sons to Paris and London. Thera is also the
fear lest our youths might become enamoured of
a Christian maiden and follow the evil example
of Shaykh Sinan, who, in like case, deserted his
band of disciples and grazed a herd of swine.
As Sadi wrote :
I saw a holy man in a mountain.
Who, abandoning the world, took up his abode in a cave ;
I asked him, *' Why dost thou not visit the city
So that thou mightest distract thyself somewhat ? **
He replied, " There are beauteous fairies there ;
When there is much mud, the elephants slip.**
In short, whenever I pass the school which is
held near my house and hear all the boys learn-
ing to recite our holy Koran, I exclaim, " Praise
be to Allah, this is true education." Moreover,
if a boy complains to me of the severity of the
teacher and the frequency with which punish-
ment is inflicted, I reply, " Know, ' O son,' that
a blow from the teacher's rod is like a rose leaf."
Thus do I comfort scholars.
T have not hitherto referred fully to the
97 H
THE SHIA WORLD
question of religion, and I do not expect that
this work will move Christians to become true
believers ; but yet I know that there is much
ignorance among them ; and so it is right that I
should lessen this by giving some account of our
religion, and, to begin with, it is impossible to do
better than to narrate the interview between the
early refugees from Mecca and the Negus of
Abyssinia.
Then the Negus sent unto the followers of the Apostle
of Allah. So when they came to him, he inquired of
them saying, " What is this religion, by reason of which
ye have separated from your people, yet enter not withal
into my religion, nor into the religion of any other of
these churches ? ''
Then answered him Jafar, the son of Abu Talib (may
the approval of Allah rest upon him !), saying, " O King !
We were a barbarous folk, worshipping idols, eating
carrion, committing shameful deeds, violating the ties of
consanguinity, and evilly entreating our neighbours, the
strong amongst us consuming the weak; and thus we
continued until Allah sent unto us an Apostle from our
midst, whose pedigree, and integrity, and faithfulness, and
purity of life we knew, to summon us to Allah, that we
should declare His unity, and worship Him, and put away
the stones and idols which we and our fathers used to
worship in His stead ; and he bade us be truthful in
speech, and faithful in the fulfilment of our trusts, and
observing of the ties of consanguinity and the duties of
neighbours, and to refrain from forbidden things and from
blood ; and he forbade us from immoral acts and deceitful
words, and from consuming the property of orphans, and
from slandering virtuous women ; and he commanded us
to worship Allah, and to associate naught else with Him,
98
KERMAN
and to pray, and give alms and fast/' Then the Negus
wept and said to them, " Verily this and that which Moses
brought emanate from one lamp.'"
O men of Europe, surely it is wiser for us
who are "People who possess a revealed
Scripture" to agree with the Negus than to
remain divided as if by a bottomless gulf.
To resume, it is, of course, known to the in-
structed that the Mussulmans in the world are
divided into two great divisions and seventy-
two subdivisions. The Persians term themselves
Shias or "Separatists," and the rest of the
Mussulmans are, generally speaking, Sunnis or
"Followers of the Traditions," although there
are many Shias in Hindustan and elsewhere.
We Shias consider that Hazrat Ali, on Him
and on his family be Peace, was the true
successor of the Prophet.
Ali is the pearl of the ocean of eternity ;
Ali is the successor of Mohamed.
Consequently, the three caliphs who ruled be-
fore Ali came to his rights are considered to be
usurpers by us ; Omar, in particular, who con-
quered Persia, being especially accursed. It is
also firmly believed that the last Imam is not
dead, but hidden. Inshallah! I shall refer to
this question again.
Apart from the great division between the
Shias and Sunnis there are also minor divisions,
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THE SHIA WORLD
and, in Kerman, almost all the Klians belonged
to the Shaykhi sect, and believed that at the
resurrection men would only arise in the spirit
and not in the flesh. Moreover, it was believed
that there must always be a special channel of
grace between the hidden Imam and his church.
Hqji Mohamed Kerim Khan of the Kajar family
was the head of the Shaykhis when I first lived
at Kerman ; and, as my mother also belonged to
the Kajar family, I was brought up to respect
them.
Yet it is the Sufi creed which really attracted
me, and which I have already referred to.
Many are the hours I spent listening to the
Murshid or Spiritual Head of the Mahun Shrine^
and my heart approved when he repeated again
and again that all religious fanaticism was the
result of ignorance, and that it must be swept
away to make place for universal love.
Do not listen to the strife amongst the seventy-two religions :
Not seeing the way of reality they have strayed into romance-
During the whole of his life he slept but four
hours in the night, merely wrapping himself in
his brown cloak, and lying down on the bare
floor. Moreover, he strictly limited himself to
the number of mouthfuls of food which he
deemed actually necessary to sustain his slender
frame.
He died while giving a lecture to his eager
100
I
KERMAN
disciples on tlie love of Allah, murmuring ' Hu,
Hu, Hu.' ' In truth he was a holy man. May
Allah forgive him I
I have referred to this question, for Allah
knows there be enough sinners among the
Mussulmans ; but they alone will travel for
months across deserts, and bear heat and cold,
hunger and thirst, which kills many among them.
Yet on they press in thousands, and all in the
hope that they may gaze on the tomb of the
martyred Imam, the innocent Riza. On Him
and on his family be Peace ! To make this
pilgrimage one day became, from this period,
my fixed desire.
To conclude this chapter what better can I
say than that —
Kerman is the heart of the world, and we are men of heart.
' Sc. He, meaning thereby God.
CHAPTER VII
THE DEATH OF MIBZA HASAN KHAN, MUSTAUFl
Manv are the famous and many nre the fortunate,
Who have rent the garmeot of life.
Who have drawn the head within the wall of the ^rave.
It was about three years after my marriage when
my uncle addressed me with much solemnity
and said, "Oh my son, up to the age of forty
years a man develops ; but after this he remains
stationary, just as the sun when it has reached the
meridian seems to stop, and then to move more
slowly until it begins to set.
" From forty to fifty years a man feels that he
is failing every year, but after reaching this age he
feels it every month until he is sixty, when he
feels it every week. Now I, my son, have passed
seventy years, and, as the poet writes :
" Hast thou won a throne higher than the Moon ;
Hast thou the power and the wealth of Solomon !
When the fruit is ripe, it falls from the tree ;
When Thou hast attained thy limit, it is time to depart."
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
A few days after speaking these words, Mirza
Hasan Khan fell ill with fever, and so Haji
Mohamed Khan, the Chief Physician of the
quarter, was summoned. At first he encouraged
us by giving proofs of his perception, as he said
to my uncle that he knew that he had partaken
of fowl that day, which happened to be true ;
and Allah alone knows how he was aware of
this, unless indeed he saw its feathers lying
outside the kitchen.
The Chief Physician, after making the most
minute inquiries, ordered that all pickles and all
white foods, such as milk, cheese, or curds,
should be given up ; and he prescribed a broth
of meat, vegetables, and rice all boiled to-
gether.
He added that it was most important that
the meat should be cut from the neck of the
sheep. Moreover, as the disease was pronounced
to be of a cold type, castor oil, which is a warm
drug, was administered as a purgative, followed
by boiling water containing sugar.
It was expected that, on the seventh night,
perspiration would set in ; but as the fever was
still strong, the legs of the patient were fumi-
gated and mustard was rubbed in. Perspiration
was again expected on the ninth night ; but as
there was no abatement in the fever a family
council was held, and it was decided to call in
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THE SHIA WORLD
Mirza Sadik Khan, the Chief Physician of the
Vakil-ul-Mulk.
This physician was famous throughout the
province for having cured a man who was at the
point of death from a bone sticking in his throat,
and as, perhaps, some European doctor may read
this story, I advise him to note how this suc-
cessor of Avicenna added lustre to the glories of
Persian science.
The patient was brought in on the verge of
death, and when his condition had been described,
the learned physician stroked his long beard and
exclaimed, " By Allah ! this case would be hope-
less except for me, whose perception is pheno-
menal. The cause of this man's state is a bone
lodged in the throat so firmly that no efforts
avail to dislodge it Therefore either the man
must quickly die or the bone must be dissolved,
and by what agency ?
'' Thanks be to Allah I I am a physician and
a Kermani, and have observed that wolves, who
live on raw meat and bones, never suffer any
calamity such as that of the patient. There-
fore it is clear to me that the breath of a wolf
dissolves bones, and that, if one breathes down
the throat of the patient, the bone will be
dissolved."
Infinite are the marvels of Allah I for when a
wolf, belonging to a buffoon, was brought in and
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THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
breathed on the patient, suddenly a fit of choking
ensued, and the bone, dissolved without doubt
by the breath of the wolf, was loosened and
extracted.
Since that date the Vakil -ul-Mulk would
consult no other physician, and occasionally con-
descended to remark that his physician was fit
to rank with Plato.
However, the arrival of the Governor-General's
doctor much displeased Haji Mohamed Khan,
and when Mirza Sadik Khan declared the disease
to be of a hot type and prescribed broth com-
posed of the flesh of cocks which are cold, as
opposed to hens which are hot, in addition to a
draught of water-melon juice with melon seeds ;
and, finally, when he entirely forbade the use of
salt, there was a great quarrel, so much so that
my uncle bade them, in Allah's name, to leave
him to die hi peace, and to allow him to follow
the path of her who is forgiven, meaning thereby
his deceased wife.
He also quoted from the Koran, " Where-
soever ye be death will overtake you, although
ye be in lofty towers."
At this time Izrail, the Angel of Death,
was, in truth, knocking at the door ; and that
no one can stay his entrance, is shown by what
happened in the case of the Prophet, on Him be
peace !
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It is recorded in the Book of Calamity^ and
runs as follows ^ : —
Izrail — Here is one of the least servants of Mohamed,
the King of the Faithful. Let some one be kind enough
to come to the door, for I have a message to deliver.
Fatima (at the door). — Who is that knocking at the
door ? And what can have induced him so to do ? Is his
thunder-like voice going to strike my soul dead ?
Izrail, — Know thou, O daughter of the Prophet, that
I am a stranger come from a distant country to receive
light from Mount Sinai of Arabia. Be pleased to open
the door and allow me to enter, for I have a knot to be
untied inside.
The Prophet. — Dost thou not know, Fatima, who is he
that knocks at the door ?
Fatima. — No, father, I am unable to tell who that
rough-spoken man is. I can only say that his dreadful
voice has made me quite restless.
The Prophet. — It is he who continually grieves the heart
of men ; he who casts the dust of misery on the heads of
poor widows. It is he, even the snatcher of the souls of
men, Jinns, beasts, and birds ; he can command a full
view of the east and west at the same time.
Fatima. — Oh ! what shall I do ? The time of trouble
has, after all, arrived, the hour of affliction approacheth.
Come in, O thou Snatcher of Souls, and say what thou
wishest to do, for thou art permitted by the Prophet to
enter.
Izrail. — Peace be unto thee, O Mighty Sovereign !
Peace be unto thee, O Sun of the World !
The Prophet. — On thee be both peace and honour !
Thou art altogether welcome. What may thy object or
message be ? Tell us.
^ The translation is taken from Sir L. Felly's The Miracle Play
of Hasan and Husein, p. 83.
106
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
IzraiL — May I be offered unto thee, O thou King of
Freedom and Liberty! The Creator of the World has
sent me to the earth to thee, to know whether it be thy
pleasure that I should transport thy soul from thy body
to a garden of roses and jasmines, or whether thou
preferest rather to live eternally on the earth. Thou
mayest choose which thou likest best.
The Prophet. — In the pleasure-garden of this life every
beautiful rose is attended with several piercing thorns,
and the treasure of this world has many venomous serpents
accompanying it. Thus thou mayest take my life if thou
pleasest.
To return to the state of Mirza Hasan Khan,
in despair a soothsayer was now called in. This
individual, after repeating some cabalistic phrases,
remarked that, the patient had evidently been
attacked by Jinns, either from passing along a
canal at night without repeating the name of
Allah, or else from putting his hand into hot
ashes, which disturbs the young Jinns.
Neither of these things had Mirza Hasan
Khan done ; but still we felt that something
might be effected by the soothsayer ; and so,
when he proposed to summon the king of the
Jinns in order to inquire, we agreed.
Thereupon he asked for a basin of water ;
and we were all instructed to put money into
it, in accordance with the love and regard we
had for the patient. When I threw in a gold
piece the soothsayer, with extraordinary gestures,
chanted the following verse :
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THE SHI A WORLD
I adjure you, by the names of Allah, those of you who
live in buildings and those who reside in deserts and un-
inhabited places, that you present yourselves before me to
listen to my order and to execute it. All of you who are
riding horses should appear, accompanied by your kings
and princes ; and all who are present or who are absent
should appear, so that I may see you and speak to you in
your oWn language, and obtain replies from you to the
inquiries made from you as regards the treatment of this
patient. Help, O Angels Rakyail, Jibrail,^ Mekiail,
Sarfiail, Ainail, Kamsail, in producing these Jinns.
Suddenly the soothsayer foamed at the mouth
to make us believe that Shamhurasb, the King
of the Jinns, had entered him, and a dialogue
ensued, during the course of which Mirza
Hasan Khan was accused of various offences
against the Jinns, such as sitting at night under
a green tree without repeating the name of
Allah ; throwing stones at the heaps of house-
sweepings, the usual place of rest at night of
Jinns and their children ; throwing a bone,
and thereby hurting the Jinns ; finishing his
meals without leaving anything ; or throwing
a half-burnt piece of wood without uttering
Allah's name.
At length it was decided that a black cock
should be sacrificed, and a charm written with
its blood and placed underneath the pillow of
the patient, who also was ordered to eat its
liver raw ; but, alas I my dear uncle was dying,
^ The Arabic form of Gabriel.
108
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHaN
and, after mourners' tears had been administered
in vain,^ he was gently laid with his face turned
towards Mecca, while the " Yasin " chapter of
the Koran was recited.
After this the dying man was called upon
to make his will in the presence of witnesses ;
and he bequeathed one-third of his property
for services in connection with his funeral, a
pilgrimage by proxy to Mecca, and the reading
of a special series of prayers at the shrine of
' Mourners' tears are collected duriug the ''Passion Play"de-
scribed in chapter xii., and are cousidered to be a sovereif^n remedy
for all diseases. The clean handkerchief, in which the tears are
gathered, is dried and placed in the shroud uf tlie dead man.
109
THE SHIA WORLD
the Imam Riza. The other two-thirds of his
property, consisting of a house, a garden, and
four parts of a village, were bequeathed to me.
The document was first sealed by the dying
man, then by Aga Mohamed and other
witnesses.
When the will was drawn up and thus
completed, my uncle's seal was broken and
placed at his right side ; and his shroud was
prepared, covered with the various prayers
written by forty-one different individuals :
O Allah ! we know certainly nothing but good about this
person ; but Thou knowest his condition better.
This is a testimony in favour of the deceased.
And, as one of our deep-thinkers in utter
humility and self-abasement wrote : —
We are ashamed to find on the Day of Judgment
That Thy forgiveness was too great to allow us to commit
any sin.
When the death agony was passed my
uncle's eyes were closed, and, after his limbs
were stretched, the great toes of both feet
were tied together and a scarf was bound
round the head under the chin. The corpse
was next placed on a bier, and after being
carried round the court of the house, was taken
to the Washing Place, preceded by Allah
Mughari^ termed the "Ministers of Death,"
whose duty it is, the moment a death has
110
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
occurred, to ascend to the roof of the house
and to chant in Persian :
Whosoever has come into this world is mortal ;
The one who alone remains alive and everlasting is Allah.
Moreover, they chant the names and attributes
of Allah in Arabic, whereby the fact of the
decease is notified.
The corpse at the Washing Place was laid
on a flat stone. The clothes were first removed,
and it was washed with pure water, with water
and soap, with water in which leaves of the lote
tree had been mixed, and, finally, with camphor
water. It was then wrapped in the shroud,
which was fitted by tearing off' suitable lengths,
no thread or needle being allowed to touch it.
Two green willow sticks were placed under
the arms, on which were traced, by the finger
alone, the following words :
Certainly we know nothing but good of this person.
It is believed that so long as the sticks are
left in the tomb, so long the corpse remains
untouched by time.
When the corpse had been duly prepared,
it was replaced on the bier and the funeral
procession started for the cemetery. First came
the relations, then the dead man carried by
relays of voluntary bearers, and followed by
a mullah on horseback, who recited the Al
111
THE SHIA WORLD
Rahman chapter of the Koran. Behind came
numerous friends, and the procession was
lengthened by led horses, sent as a mark of
respect to the late Mustaufi ; there was also a
catafalque draped with black cloth, and numbers
of people bearing unlighted candlesticks. In
short, before the sad procession reached the
cemetery at least a thousand people had
joined it.
There the funeral prayer was recited by
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
the mullah^ and the bier was removed to the
foot of the grave. Three times was it lifted
from the ground and three times was it replaced.
At the fourth time the corpse was gently-
lowered head-foremost into the grave.
Earth from the tomb of the Imam Husein at
Kerbela was lightly thrown inside the shroud, the
face of the corpse was uncovered and the right
cheek laid on the bare ground, with a little of the
sacred earth under it, the face itself being turned
towards Mecca. The grave was first covered
with bricks sufficiently high to allow the dead
man to sit up and reply to the dread questions
of Munkir and Nakir. Earth was then piled
up and the mullah recited :
O Allah ! this person is Thy slave, son of Thy man-slave and
woman-slave.
He is going to Thee and Thou art the best receiver of him.
Finally, water was sprinkled on the earth,
and all present, opening their hands, buried their
fingers in the soil in such a manner as to leave
marks, reciting meanwhile the opening chapter
of the Koran. As long as the finger-marks
remain there the corpse will not, we believe, be
subjected to any trouble. This concluded the
burial ceremony.
But perhaps I ought to explain why these
willow sticks are placed under the arms of the
dead man, as otherwise the custom might
113 I
THE SHIA WORLD
appear to be without meaning, whereas the
contrary is the ease.
When the burial is completed and the
mourners have dispersed, the mullah stays behind
and, standing with his face turned towards
Mecca, he solemnly adjures the dead man thrice
in the following words : " Hear and understand 1
When the two angels visit thee and question
thee, fear not ; but reply by the confession of
faith. Hast thou understood ? " He then
concludes, "May Allah keep thee firm in thy
belief and guide thee ! "
When the angels, Munkir and Nakir, visit
the dead man, he raises himself into a sitting
position on the two willow props. Standing
one on each side, they straitly examine him, and,
if the replies be satisfactory, they depart ; but,
if not, the corpse is beaten into dust by terrible
fiery maces, and then again restored to its
original shape.
If the deceased be a true Shia, whose replies
have been found satisfactory, his spirit is taken
to the " Abode of Peace " near Najaf to await
the Day of Judgment ; otherwise his soul is
taken to the Sahra-i-Barahut, near Babylon,
where it undergoes penance, and is purified
against the same awful day.
The three following days were days of
mourning. On the first day forty-one men were
114
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
engaged to recite short prayers for the dead, to
strengthen him in facing Munkir and Nakir;
these are called the " Prayers of Alarm."
On the second day the grave was visited by
relations and friends, and as the latter arrived
they recited fatifiaSy or the opening chapter of
the Koran, and ikhlaSy or the last chapter but
one of the Koran.
They then said, " May Allah give you patience
and forgive the deceased, and may He make his
position in heaven exalted ! " After this they sat
down with us and repeated fatihas and ikhlaSy
placing their hands on the grave.
Then we all stood in a circle, and the Reciter
recited a prayer for the forgiveness of all the
prophets and saints, and, last of all, for the
forgiveness of the dead man.
We finally formed two rows, and thanked
our numerous friends as they departed, saying,
" Forgive the trouble," " You have taken infinite
trouble." To this the reply was made, '^May
Allah show you his kindness, grant you patience,
and reward you for your goodness ! "
During the three days of mourning all our
friends came to offer condolences. When they
entered the house they sat down and softly
recited Sifatiha.
Sarsalamatiy they then said, ** May your
life be safe ! " Rose water was poured on the
115
THE SHIA WORLD
palms of their right hands, with which they
sprinkled their faces ; and, after drinking coffee,
they picked up a portion of the Koran and read,
or listened to the professional reciters, who
recited chapters in a high-pitched tone. Finally,
after partaking of tea and the water pipe, they
withdrew to make room for fresh arrivals.
On the third day, the leading mujtahidy Aga
Mohamed, came to bring the mourning to an
end. He entered, observing the same ceremonial
as the other visitors ; and, after partaking of tea
and a water pipe, he asked the relations of the
dead man to fasten up the openings of their
shirts which had been torn open as a sign of
mourning, and to take off the shawl which the
mourners, removing it from their waists, had
wound round their necks. The Korans were
then collected and a Sacred Recitation was held,
at the termination of which all retired and the
special part of the mourning came to an end.
Again, on the fourth morning, people
assembled at our house, and listened to the
Koran being recited. We were then taken to
the cemetery, and after saying 2i fatihay I was
escorted back to the Mustaiijis office, where
I was welcomed, no longer as a mere assistant,
but as the successor to the deceased Mirza Hasan
Khan.
In order to show befitting respect for my late
116
THE DEATH OF HASAN KHAN
uncle, reciters remained for seven days reading
the Koran over the grave. On the seventh day
lamps and candles were placed on it; and had
the deceased been prematurely cut off there
would have been a larger number.
The ladies of the family lamented for the
first three days with their friends, the same
ceremonial being observed as in the assembly
of the men ; and, on the seventh day, they held
a recitation on the grave and then retired. On
Friday evenings, on the fortieth day, and again
at the end of the year, similar ceremonies were
performed. This was, of course, in addition to
the festival of the Id-i-Barat. On this day, in
honour of the birth of the twelfth Imam^ all the
souls of the dead receive a barat or bill of
freedom for three days ; and services are held,
and food and sweetmeats distributed to the poor
at the graves, which are adorned with flowers.
And thus, O my readers in Europe, respect us
for the manner in which we reverence the dead,
for whom we wear black clothes for forty days,
during which period it is not permitted to use
henna or to shave the head. Moreover, mourners
do not attend any marriage ceremonies or parties
of pleasure until the oldest member of the family
takes them to the bath, where they have their
hair cut and dyed and their beards trimmed.
Meanwhile a slab of stone had been ordered,
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bearing an inscription giving the name, family,
and age of the late Mirza Hasan Klian, together
with the date of his decease. Verses from the
Koran and the names of the twelve Imams were
also inscribed on it, and when we all visited the
grave on the fortieth day, the slab was inspected
and then erected over the grave.
Now I have finished this very sad chapter,
and, as the poet writes :
Whosoever is bom must depart from this world.
As annihilation must overtake every one.
CHAPTER Vlll
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
A MamiiT should be wise,
A ready talker, sharp witted.
And of independent disposition.
PlRDAUSI.
Towards the end of the winter the Vakil-ul-
Mulk, who had been Governor-General for some
years, was summoned three or four times to the
Telegraph Office, and there were rumours in the
bazaar that he was to be dismissed. However,
one day there came a private telegram from the
Minister of the Interior, which ran as follows :
" AlhamduUUah, after much trouble and dis-
cussion, your aifair has been arranged. The
Sovereign, may our souls be his sacrifice, con-
descends, in consideration of your capacity and
efficiency, to order that you remain Governor-
General of Herman and Baluchistan."
The Vakil- ul-Mulk, who was much pleased,
THE SHIA WORLD
at once gave the Telegraph Master, who brought
the auspicious message in person, five hundred
tomcuiSy and the following reply was despatched :
"The kindness of the Sovereign has exalted the
head of this lowly one, who ever prays that the
shadow of His Majesty may eternally protect us.
Ten thousand tomans^ although not a fit present
for the royal establishment, are offered by a
bill on Aga Faraj UUah."
Shortly after this it was decided to send
a robe of honour of .Kerman shawl to those
governors who, by their efficiency and' capacity,
had been deemed fit to remain in office ; for,
praise be to Allah, the Vakil-ul-Mulk was not
like one of his predecessors, who used to take a
present from one man, appoint him to a governor-
ship, and then almost immediately accept a
present from a second man, and send him after
the first with an order of dismissal.
About this former ruler there is a story which
runs that he once appointed a man to a governor-
ship, and this individual, knowing what to expect,
bethought him of a plan by which he might be
secured in his post. So one day, when the
Governor-General was sitting at the window of
the Hall of Audience, he saw such a one riding
on a horse with his face to its tail and holding
a paper in his hand. On seeing this, His
Excellency remarked, " What animal is this ? "
120
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
and immediately ordered the individual to be
brought to his presence and asked him what
was the meaning of such behaviour. Such a
one replied, " May I be your Sacrifice ! This
slave was appointed Governor of Bam ; but,
knowing that a second Governor would soon be
appointed, he sat on his horse looking back
towards Kerman and holding the order of
appointment all ready for his successor ! *'
The Governor- General, upon hearing this,
rolled over with inextinguishable laughter ; and,
when he was able to speak, he shouted, "Go,
mount thy horse with thy head towards its
head. I grant thee Bam for five years."
To resume, I was appointed Mamur to bear
the robe of honour to Hidayat Khan, Governor
of Jiruft. This official, who was thus honoured,
had recently represented to the Governor-General
that, owing to the lack of careful supervision,
the Government land at Dosari had become
worthless ; but that he, to render a service to the
State, was prepared to pay one thousand tomans
for the property, although he knew that he
would lose heavily by it. The Vakil-ul-Mulk,
therefore, instructed me to also inquire into this
question ; and thus I felt that I was indeed a
person of consequence when I started on my
journey, with a well-equipped abdari on a stout
pony, and three servants, one of whom, Rustam
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Beg, had served the deceased Mirza Hasan
Khan as steward for many years.
But perhaps, O my readers in London, there
are no abdaris in your country, and it is there-
fore necessary for me to explain their immense
utility. The abdaH consists of a pair of large
leather saddle bags, faced with carpet, and in
these are placed a samovar, a box of sundries, a
set of round copper dishes with lids, in which
food is carried, a tray, candlesticks, and many
other things.
On the saddle bags the servant rides, sitting
on a carpet or a Kerman felt of fawn colour,
which, when needed, is spread for the meals or
repose of the master. Behind is fastened a
round leather case, in which all light articles,
such as the water pipe, plates, spoons,' etc., are
carried. Add a charcoal brazier for lighting
purposes, which swings on one side, a set of
spits, and an umbrella, and you will agree that
nothing more is needed than a mule laden with
clothes and bedding for even such luxurious
travellers as we Iranis, from whom you can learn
something in the way of comfort.
Do not enter the tavern without the guide,
Although you may be the Alexander of your time.
The first town we reached was Mahun, where
I stopped for a day to see my old friends, who
all complimented me on my high position, and
122
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
begged me to help them in their various cases.
From Mahun we rode over a very lofty lange,
and spent the night close to its highest point in
the caravanserai just completed by the noble
Vakil-ul-Mulk. The building was of stone, and
consisted of a splendid courtyard, round which
were many small chambers, and behind were
stables for five hundred horses or mules. In
short, thanks to the generosity of the Vakil-ul-
Mulk, we all passed an agreeable night, whereas,
otherwise, it would have been too cold at this
season of the year for sleep. Listen to what
Omar Khayyam writes :
Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai
Whose Portals are alternate Night and Day,
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
Abode his destined Hour, and went his way.
We next halted at Rain, where a mullah in-
sisted on entertaining me, although Rustam Beg
warned me that the Aga was very avaricious.
Indeed he spoke the truth, for, just as we were
leaving on the following morning, his head
servant came to tell me very confidentially that
his master much admired my pistol.
I should have replied, " A gift " ; but Rustam
Beg interrupted me and said that the pistol was
only lent me for the journey, and that it would
not be right for me to part with it, even as a
gift, to the Aga. He added that he himself was
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responsible for the return of the pistol to its
owner. When the Agas servant understood
that he had failed he was very angry, so Rustam
Beg said, " Bismillah ! let us start quickly " ; and
when we had left the village behind he exclaimed,
" By Allah ! true is the proverb, ' None hath
seen a snake's foot, an ant's eye, or a mullaKs
bread.' Praise be to Allah that I did not allow
him to flay you ! "
From Rain we travelled down a wide valley
to Sarvistan, which is noted as being one of the
windiest spots in Iran, the saying running as
follows :
They asked the Wmd " Where is thy home ? " It replied,
" My poor home is in Tahrud ; but I occasionally visit Abarik
and Sarvistan." ^
Well do I recollect that it was necessary to
order the luggage to be piled against the door
that night, and, although this precaution pre-
vented it flying open, it was impossible to sleep ;
and yet the villagers did not consider this gale
more than a light breeze ! May Allah take pity
on them !
Separating us from Jiruft was the very high
range of the Jabal Bariz, well termed " the Cold
Range," as, although it wanted but twenty days
to No Ruz^ it was very difficult for our party to
cross it owing to the deep snow.
' 'ITiese places are close to one another.
124
» • •
V •
.' .•
• '.
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
We stopped for the night at Maskun ; about
a farsakh off is a famous cave, said to contain
gas which kills all living things. Allah knows
if this be true, but many witnesses agreed to its
being so.
As a mamur from the Vakil-ul-Mulk, I was
entertained by the head of the Jabalbarizis. He
was evidently of a very great age — more than one
hundred years, he said — and his face was like wax ;
but yet his eye resembled that of a hawk, and, in
spite of his poor clothes, he bore himself like a
king, and his long white beard was most inajestic.
I asked him whether he had visited Kerman
recently, as I found his features familiar ; but he
said that it was more than twenty years since
he had left his district. That night, however,
he narrated to me that he was a lineal descendant
of Sultan Sanjar, from whom he was the thirty-
fifth generation in descent ; and suddenly I
recollected that I had recently been reading a
history of that great Seljuk monarch, who, once
the Lord of half Asia, was defeated and taken
prisoner by the vile tribe of the Ghazz. I also
remembered that, in the history, was a portrait of
the Sultan, and that that portrait resembled my
host closely. The ways of Allah are concealed ;
but surely there is no other country in which its
poor men can claim and prove that they are
descended from Sultans.
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The world is nothing,
And the work of the world is nothing.
There was deep snow at Maskun ; but yet, a
few hours after leaving it, we descended into
the valley of Jiruft, where it was already late
spring, and it was delightful to see the green
crops growing luxuriantly all round the groves of
date palms. There were also large numbers of
lambs and kids.
We were received by the confidential servant
of the Governor, and entertained at a village
situated on the right bank of the Halil Rud, the
chief river of the Kerman province, which, from
its violence, is also known as the Div Rud or
*' Demon River."
Close by stretched the ruins of the " City of
Dakianus,"^ covering many farsakhs. Now
several ruined cities are termed by this name
after a Sovereign, to escape whose persecutions
seven Christian youths took refuge in a cave
with a faithful dog, and there slept for three
hundred and nine years, as recounted in the
Koran, '^v^o farsakhs to the west is said to be
the cave in which they slept ; but I knew that
this event took place in Asia Minor, and that
this city was, in reality, the ruins of Komadin,
which, so I have read, was the storehouse of the
valuables of China and Cathay, and of Hindustan,
* Dakiauus is the Roman Emperor Decius.
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MY FIRST MAMURIAT
Abyssinia, Zanzibar, and Egypt. By Allah, I
felt sad when I thought of, the fate of Komadin,
sacked by the accursed Ghazz, who tortured its
wretched inhabitants by pouring down their
throats hot ashes known as "Ghazz coffee."
May the curse of Allah be upon them !
Three days later, escorted by his staff and
attendants, Hidayat Khan came out two far sakhs
from Dosari to a spot fixed by long custom for
these important ceremonies. There I invested
him with the robe of honour which had been,
I assured him, worn by His Excellency the
Governor-General, and was therefore, in truth,
tanpush or " worn on the body," an especial
honour. I also presented him with the order,
by which he was reappointed Governor of Jiruft
for the following year. Hidayat Khan was
much pleased, and put on the robe of honour
before the whole of the assembled Klians and
people. He also placed the order on his head and
eyes, and reverently kissed it before opening it.
To me he showed great kindness, not only on
account of the deceased Mirza Hasan Khan,
but also perhaps because I was now miistauji in
his place, and had charge of the revenue of the
district. That night I was presented with a
beautiful horse of Nejd race ; and it was ex-
plained to me that an ordinary mamur would
only have been given fifty tomans \ but that I
129 K
THE SHIA WORLD
was to be considered an honoured friend and
kinsman, as I was connected with Hidayat Khan
through my mother.
Rustam Beg told me, with reference to the
gift, that, before the just rule of the Vakil-ul-
Mulk, a tyrant iiad been Governor -General of
Kerman, who heard that Hidayat Khan possessed
a Nejd mare of pure race. He tried to secure
this by sending his Master of Horse to stay with
the Klian^ with orders to obtain it as a gift ; but
this plan the latter rendered worthless by giving
him butter which had been poisoned with copper,
from which he nearly died. Indeed mamufs
butter has become a proverb in the province.
Knowing, however, that the matter would
have a sequel, the Khan sent off his family to
Shiraz with the famous mare, and never slept in
his house at night. By Allah 1 he was astute, as,
a month later, fifty sowars suddenly surrounded
his house at night, and, when they found neither
the mare nor its master, they tied up and flogged
all the servants, sacked the place, and then
burned it. This Hidayat Khan saw from where
he was living in a nomad tent difarsakh off; and
he rode away to Shiraz, and thence went to
Tehran, to prostrate himself at the foot of the
Throne. But the tyrant was too powerful, and
so he lived at Tehran for some years until that
wicked Governor died, and he was free to return
130
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
to Jiruft. My old servant concluded by telling
me that the horse presented to me was of that
same famous race.
The following morning I inspected the
Government property, which, to judge from the
quantity of weeds, was not well cultivated ; but
yet it appeared to be worth at least five thousand
tomans \ and I was informed that, if properly
managed, it would yield crops worth two
thousand tomans every year. For a day or two
Rustam Beg was constantly visiting the Khan ;
and, finally, after much hard bargaining, and a
threat to return to Kerman, it was arranged that
I should receive two hundred tomans for my
trouble, and that eight hundred tomans should be
offered as a present to the Governor-General, if
the Government agreed to the sale of the land
at the price suggested.
In the meanwhile the Khan had paid me
three hundred tomans which were due to the
secretary of His Excellency for the cost of the
robe of honour, the pay of the tailor, and the
customary gift for the keeper of robes.
As it was very important to reach Kerman
before the festival of No Buz, because to travel
during that period, according to our ideas, is
inauspicious, I asked the Khan to allow me to
leave and said good-bye to him.
Two of my horses having died from eating
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oleander, which is a terrible poison growing at
the first stage, it was decided to make a double
march, and so Dosari was left in the middle of
the night, and we rode through the pass with the
oleander bushes without stopping, and finally
halted at the hamlet of Saghdar. At this stage
there was no snow left ; but, on the contrary,
even the camel thorn was beginning to show
great buds.
Close to the hamlet was a party of gipsies ;
and Rustam Beg warned every one to be careful
to see that they did not steal anything, when
they came round playing their instruments and
offering their pipe-stems for sale. These gipsies
are the descendants of a band of twelve thousand
Indian musicians and jugglers who were brought
from India by Bahram Gur to amuse us Iranis ;
and, even to-day, they alone are the public
musicians in most parts of Persia, although I
have heard that, in Shiraz, Jews engage in this
low profession. However, they are good iron-
workers, and also they are experts at bleeding.
Now we Iranis know that, unless we are cupped
every spring and thereby purify our blood, we
shall not retain good health during the summer ;
and thus their services are much in request for
this purpose. In short, they are a vile race, but
yet useful to us.
When we had recrossed the Jabal Bariz, we
132
* •
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
found that everywhere spring was coming ; and
we decided to march without any halts so as to
reach Kerman some days before No Ruz. At
Sarvistan, however, we met some men who had
been robbed of everything except their trousers
by a party of twenty-five Afshar bandits ; and
«
so, that night, it was decided to take an Istakhara^
or beads, as to whether we should march the
following day or wait for further news.
Now every Mussulman carries a rosary with
one hundred beads, the origin of which is con-
nected with the marriage of Her Highness the
Princess Fatima.
The Prophet, on Him be Peace ! declared that
he would only give her in marriage to him on to
whose house the planet Venus descended. That
night all the suitors to her hand were watching
the heavens from the roofs of their houses, when
the planet moved from its place and descended
to above Medina. The white Fatima, too, was
watching ; and, on seeing this marvel, she called
out Allah ho Akbar^ or ** Allah is Great." When
this exclamation had been repeated thirty-four
times the planet began to circle round Medina,
whereupon she exclaimed Subhan Ullah^ or
"Glory be to Allah." This she had repeated
thirty -three times when the planet moved
towards the house of Ali, and, finally, she broke
into Alhanidulillahy or "Thanks be to Allah,"
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THE SHIA WORLD
which she repeated thirty-three times, while the
planet stopped over the house of Ali, con-
gratulated him on his good fortune, and re-
ascended to its place in the firmament.
These rosaries are consulted in case of danger,
and indeed on every occasion. So the opening
chapter of the Koran was first solemnly recited,
after which I shut my eyes and, thinking intently
about the dangers of the road, I took an un-
known number of beads in my hand ; and then
counted them three at a time.
Every one was delighted when it was seen that
there were ten beads, as one over, termed Subltan
Ullahy is deemed to be most auspicious ; and
we immediately determined to proceed on the
following day. Of course we kept our pistols
and rifles all ready, but the route was deserted,
although we saw where the Afshars had thrown
away part of the loot which was useless to
them ; and, that night, we all felt very happy
that we had been able to prove the truth of our
proverb that **a road attacked by thieves is safe,"
which means that, after attacking a caravan, the
robbers hasten away with their loot, knowing
that they will be pursued.
In fact, that night a Captain with thirty
sowars arrived, and, a week after our return to
Kerman, they brought in seven of the thieves,
who were publicly executed in the great square
136
MY FIRST MAMURIAT
of Kerman, after which the executioner was
given a present by all the shopkeepers, this being
his perquisite.
During the last stage, the horses and mules
understood that they were approaching their
home, and moved quite ajiirsakk an hour ; and,
in time, the walls of beloved Kerman appeared,
and this my first mamurtat was successfully
accomplished. Not only was the private secre-
tary pleased with what I had brought him ; but
even His Excellency, after listening to the de-
tails of what I had done, condescended to praise
my diligence and capacity, and remarked to the
above official that such a one was a good servant.
CHAPTER IX
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAH
Yet Ah, tliat Spring should vanish with the Rose !
That Youth's sweet-scented manuscript should cloee !
The Nightingale that in the branches sang.
Ah whence, and whither flown again, who knows !
Omar Khavvam.
It is one of the chief glories of Iran that it
has been ruled by monarchs who have become
renowned throughout the Seven Climates.
Perhaps the greatest among our many famous
rulers was Jamshid, who introduced the use of
iron, the art of weaving, the art of healing, and
indeed many other arts, on which the happiness
not only of Persia but of the entire world is based.
Among his inventions was that of wine, which
was discovered in the following manner : — The
King, who was immoderately fond of grapes,
stored a quantity which fermented. Seeing
this, he placed them in jars and had the word
" poison " written on them. It happened that
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
one of his wives, who was suffering from a
torturing ailment, decided to commit suicide,
and so drank of the contents of the jars, which
immediately cured her. Jamshid and his
courtiers thenceforward became addicted to the
use of wine, which has, since that date, been
known as ** Sweet Poison."
By the orders of the Koran the drinking of
wine is forbidden ; but yet the habit has always
been so strong among Persians that many of
them still drink it, but always in private, and,
generally, having the desire to give up the bad
practice ; also they repent when they yield to
this weakness, and pray to Allah to grant them
grace. By thus repenting, their prayers are
perhaps accepted, for sincere repentance wins
the favour of Heaven.
In truth, many Mussulmans would not approve
of Hafiz when he writes :
Sakiy come ! my bowl rekindle with the light of lustrous wine ;
but they understand that the poet means by the
Saki or Cupbearer the Spiritual Instructor, who
hands a cup of celestial love, which is typified
by wine.
However, in discussing this important question,
Jamshid has been forgotten. He, apart from the
wonderful discoveries made by him, was able, by
means of his seven -ringed cup, not only to
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THE SHIA WORLD
predict tlie future, but also to survey the entire
world. In short, Jamshid ranks with Suliman or
Solomon, son of David, as the lord of the Divs ;
and to-day there is the Takht-i- Suliman and also
the Takht-i-Jamshid close together in Fars ; and
they say that there is no doubt whatever that
the latter is much finer than the former.
Among the benefits conferred on the people
of Iran by this mighty monarch, I will now refer
to the institution of iVb Ruz or New Year's Day,
which, by his decree, was fixed at the Vernal
Equinox.
I marvel when I read that, in Farangistan,
the year begins in the " Forty days of Cold."
Praise be to Allah, Jamshid decreed our New
Year, both in accordance with nature and science.
!■■■» ■ ^^^■•■^^^iP«s^»»»i^»B»^»^BB
w-"" jy
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
With us the " Forty days of Cold " commence
on the shortest day of the year, as is meet and be-
fitting ; and are succeeded by the ** Small Forty
Days," which are only, in reality, twenty days.
Now, seven days before the end of the great
cold period we say that the earth breathes
secretly, and that, twelve days later, it breathes
openly.
When the " Small Forty Days '' are ended
there are two periods of ten days, known as
Ahman and Bahman, as the old verse runs :
Ahman has passed and Bahman has passed^
With whom should I please my heart ?
I will take up a half-burnt piece of wood
And kindle flames throughout the world.
This signifies that now there is no more fear of
cold, albeit ten days before the festival is the
*' Season of the Old Woman," which, as its
name implies, is sometimes very unpleasant and
disagreeable.
Meanwhile, however, the desert is becoming
green and the blossom has begun to appear on
the trees, and, as Omar Khayyam sings :
Tram indeed is gone with all his Rose,
And Jamshid's Sev'n-ring*d Cup where no one knows ;
But still a Ruby kindles in the Vine,
And many a Garden by the Water blows.
And David's lips are lockt ; but in divine
High-piping Pehlevi, with '' Wine ! Wine ! Wine !
Red Wine ! " — the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That sallow cheek of hers to' incarnadine.
141
THE SHI A WORLD
Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling ;
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter — and the Bird is on the Wing.
At this period, just before the " Season of the
Old Woman," dervishes pitch tents outside the
houses of the great and recite prayers for their
prosperity. It is customary to make them a
handsome gift ; but if this be not done quickly,
they blow their horns at intervals during the
night and, by rendering sleep impossible, loosen
the purse-strings of the rich Khan or merchant.
Indeed I have never forgotten the awe with
which I regarded a dervish at Mahun, who
possessed a beautifully inlaid axe of a great age,
a begging bowl, on which the combat of Rustam
with the White Div was carved, and a very fine
lion's skin. While I was gazing in wonder at
these articles, Ya Hu was pronounced like a
lion's roar and my heart became like water.
Ever since that date I have reverenced dervishes,
as is but right and befitting.
I now come to the preparations for this our
greatest festival. Some ten days before it,
" House Shaking " is performed, every room
being carefully swept and the carpets taken out
and beaten. New clothes, too, are made for
every member of the household. Already some
wheat has been prepared by being wetted so that
142
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
it sprouts by the great day. Special cakes of
fine wheat-flour, with butter and sugar, are also
baked ; and the innumerable varieties of sweet-
meats for which Yezd is especially famous :
dried fruits and nuts are also provided.
On the last Wednesday before the f§te, just
before sunset, three fires of bushes are lighted in
the courtyard, and every member of the house-
hold jumps over them, reciting " Paleness yours
and redness ours," signifying thereby that all ill-
health is left behind and ruddy cheeks will alone
be seen in the future. Rue and mastich are
mixed and held in the hands while jumping
over the fires, and are thrown on them to avert
misfortune.
At night pilao, in which slices of paste are
mixed, is eaten ; and an earthenware jar of
water, in which some copper coins have been
thrown, is hurled into the street from the housetop.
It is considered to be auspicious to keep all
doors open ; and it is the custom to take a good
or bad omen from any conversation that may be
overheard, the listeners standing on a key, the
symbol of opening, and listening with bated
breath.
If they hear such conversation as "Your
place was. empty. We spent a happy night,"
they creep away highly pleased ; but, on the
other hand, if they hear '* Allah forgive the
143
THE SHIA WORLD
deceased, he was a good companion," or "His
disease has become so serious that neither
medicine nor prayer has any effect," they feel
that the New Year will be inauspicious.
Girls, too, who hope for marriage, are taken
by a woman viullah to a place where four roads
meet. There they sit with a lock fastened on to
their dress and offer sweetmeats to passers-by.
This is termed "Luck Opening," as every one who
partakes of the sweetmeats first turns the key
in the lock and thereby opens the way to good
fortune for the damsel.
The night before the f^te gifts of money are
sewn up in small bags or wrapped in paper and
presented on the fete day to each member of the
family, and the poor are not forgotten. The
bath is then visited and, after careful dyeing of
the hair, the new clothes are donned. On this
occasion every one cuts his nails and throws the
parings into running water, thereby losing all
bad luck.
Upon returning home, two hours before the
equinox, a white cloth is spread with seven
articles, all of which commence with the letter
" S," such as sirka or vinegar, sib or apple, etc.
etc. All fruits, and more especially melons,
which have been carefully preserved throughout
the winter, are also set on the table, with sweet-
meats and dried fruits.
144
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
Eggs dyed red are also baked and eaten by
all, the mother eating one for each of her
offspring. Candles, to the number of the children
in the house, are lighted, and, above all, a live
fish is placed in a bowl which, when the new
year begins, instinctively turns towards Mecca.
Milk is kept boiling as a sign of abundance,
a prayer carpet is spread, and the following
prayer is repeated three hundred and sixty-six
times :
O the Turner of the hearts and eyes !
O the Lord of night and day !
O the Changer of conditions and dispositions^
Turn Thou our condition and better it.
Gold coins and wheat are now held in the
palm of the hand, as also the woodlouse, an
insect which brings good luck ; and as the New
Year commences, the sweetmeats and fruit are
distributed, and every one gazes at the wood-
louse for choice ; or, if not, at a narcissus, at
water, or at red clothes.
The gate of the house is shut an hour before
the equinox, and no one is allowed to enter from
outside ; but, as soon as the new year commences,
the master of the house goes out into the street
with some sweetmeats, and after having dis-
tributed thena and walked about, he re-enters
his house.
Visiting and feasting are then the order of the
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day ; and every woman who enters a house from
outside must do so with her veil half-lifted, so
that her eyes and eyebrows are visible ; only
women who have come to wash a dead body
enter closely veiled.
People known to be unlucky, or those who
bring ill luck to others, such as executioners or
members of their families, are rigidly excluded on
this day. In this connection there is the story
told of Shah Abbas who, when starting on a
hunting expedition which proved to be a failure,
first looked at an ugly old man.
Upon his return he sent for him, intending
to kill him. The man asked why he should be
doomed to die ; and the Shah said, " Because thy
ill-omened visage has spoilt my hunting." The
intended victim retorted, '*May I be thy Sacrifice!
but thy visage will be still more ill-omened if it
brings death with it." Upon hearing this. Shah
Abbas laughed and dismissed the man with
a gift.
For twelve days no work is done, nor can any
enterprise or journey be undertaken. On the
thirteenth day the house is unswept, and every
one goes outside and sits in the green wheat. If
the house be not left absolutely empty, misfortune
will take up its abode there.
Before the day has set, it is most auspicious
for ladies to pound up three peas' weight of
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THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
pearls with sugar and swallow the mixture ; and
every one who can afford it performs this rite.
AUiamdulillah ! pearls are abundant in Persia, as
they are found mainly in the Sea of Fars.
I think that, in this brief account of No Ruz^
I have explained how every one, whether rich
or poor, rejoices that the winter has passed, and
that the time of flowers, of the glory of the
gardens, and of the sweet song of the bulbul is
approaching. As the poet Kaani wrote most
beautifully :
It is the New Year s Day. O SaJciy hand the cup round ;
Do not heed the turn of the wheel and the revolution of the
heavens.
Turk, the sin ^ of the cup is enough for me on the New
Year's day :
1 do not care for the seven sin, as the dregs of ivine suffice
for me.
The people are talking of new clothes ;
But I am longing for a cup of wine filled to the brim.
Every one places sweetmeats on his tablecloth and utters
prayers ;
But I wish for abuse from thy sweet ruby lips.
Every one holds silver and grains of wheat in his hands ;
But I prefer the grain of the mole on thy silvery face.
Pistachios and almonds are the relish of the festival for
others :
But, with thy lips and eyes, I do not want pistachios and
almonds.
Men bum Ud 2 on New Year's day, and I am lamenting like
an Ud
^ Sin is the letter *^S" as previously explained.
^ Ud is aloes wood ; and the word also means a musical
instrument.
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For one who, with her black mole, will spoil Islam.
People kiss each other and I am dying of grief ;
Why should another kiss that sweet-lipped one ?
Vinegar is placed on the tablecloth by every one ;
And my beloved wrinkles her rosy face into vinegar with
anger.
At this season, too, it is customary to play
games ; and, in every open space, both men and
boys play leap-frog, rounders, tip-cat, and other
games, while, outside the city, the sons of our
Khans throw the javelin at full gallop, and then
catch it as it rebounds from the ground.
They also practise galloping past an egg
placed on a little mound of earth ; and so perfect
is the marksmanship of our best sowars that, with
a single shot, they break this egg ; and it always
makes me proud to think that the hearts of our
enemies would be bigger than eggs, and that
none of them could escape from the unerring
bullets of the sowars of the victorious Shah.
Now we also practise marksmanship on foot ;
and one of the high officials of His Excellency
used to throw up copper coins into the air,
which were almost always hit by our Governor-
General with his rifle. This official used to ask
us courtiers to give two kran pieces for His
Excellency to shoot at ; but we only saw copper
coins used, and when we remonstrated, this
astute individual always replied that it was his
perquisite, and after all, he underwent much
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THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
trouble in this business, as if the Governor-
General were unsuccessful he always abused the
official for throwing up the coins in a stupid
fashion ; also, once or twice, the bullet passed
just over his head ; and so there was danger in
what he did.
But, in my opinion, nothing that is done in
the way of exercises at iVb Ruz is so important
as the science of wrestling, in which we Kermanis
surpass all Persians, just as Persians excel all
other nations. Now I propose to give you some
details about wrestling.
The patron saint of pahlawans or wrestlers is
Puriavali, who was a famous champion. He
was, on one occasion, travelling to the capital
to wrestle with the chief wrestler of the Shah,
when, near the City Gate, he saw an old woman
distributing sweetmeats. Inquiring the reason
of this charity, the old woman replied that she
was doing this to invoke the aid of the Imams to
give her son, who was to wrestle with Puriavali
on the morrow, victory over the latter, as she
depended on him for her daily bread.
On hearing this, Puriavali was so moved that
he made a vow that he would constrain himself
to be beaten by the son. Indeed, his inward
eyes were opened, and he, at that instant,
miraculously attained sanctity.
On the morrow, when he closed with his rival,
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he allowed himself to be thrown on his back in
the first bout, to the great surprise of the
spectators and to the intense indignation of his
forty followers. When the contest was over, he
informed the latter that they should leave him
and go their ways, as his soul had attained a
state of rest which he could not obtain by mere
brute force ; and, from that day until he died, he
led the life of a saint.
The " House of Force " is a room with sitting
places all round lighted by skylights. In the
middle a six-sided pit is dug about seven feet
deep. Dry bushes are brought and packed
closely together, with their roots in the ground.
A mat is spread over them, and soft earth or
horse litter is heaped on to a height of a foot
and a half. The surface is then trampled upon
until it becomes soft and smooth.
To the west of the pit the Murshid!s raised
dais is set next to the entrance to the arena,
which is purposely built so that persons entering
it should be obliged to bend very low as a sign
of humility.
The Murshid sits on the dais and a bell
attached to a chain hangs over his head. A
feather is fastened to the bell in memory of any
champion who learned his profession and attained
fame in the school, just as Nadir Shah wore four
feathers in his crown to show that he was
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THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
monarch of Persia, India, Afghanistan, and
Bokhara. A drum and a samovar are also placed
on the dais.
The Murshid is generally a dervish, who has
devoted himself to the theoretical and spiritual
side of wrestling, although sometimes he is a
retired champion. He plays on the drum and
recites verses while the pahlawaiis are exercising
or wrestling, and at the end of the performance
he distributes hot water and sugar.
When a wrestler is about to enter the arena
he kisses the threshold and salutes the Murshid^
** Peace be on thee, O Murshid'' The latter
replies "Peace be on thee, O pahlawan^ Thou
bringest blessing." The Murshid also swings
the bell when the chief wrestler enters the arena.
The pahlawan kisses the edge of the Murshid s
dais and passes into the arena. He then puts on
the wrestler's drawers, which he first kisses.
They are made of stout cloth, and descend to
below the knees, with leather knee-caps and a
leather thong round the waist.
The first exercise generally consists in passing
the arms through two slabs of stone, each weigh-
ing about 90 lbs. ; and, lying on the back, each
slab is alternately raised by rolling the body
to one side and then to the other. This is to
strengthen the shoulders.
Another exercise consists in " swimming " on
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a board, during which the Murshid recites the
poem beginning with :
The Emperor of China had a daughter like a moon ;
But who has seen a moon with two raven tresses ?
After that clubs are brought in and the Murshid
recites :
The rose trees are in bud and the nightingales are intoxicated ;
The world has attained its majority ; and lovers sit down to a
feast.
To conclude these preliminary exercises, each
pahlawan in turns whirls round the pit
I hope that by the above description I have
explained how very perfect and complete are the
exercises for wrestling in Persia ; and I now ask
you to accompany me to see the match which
had been the theme of conversation in Kerman
since the autumn, for it then became known that
the chief wrestler of the Shah, Isfandiar Beg,
who was a Kermani, had, upon visiting his home,
been challenged by the chief of the Kerman
pahlawans^ AbduUa Beg, who had never been
defeated.
Three days before the match took place, a
notice was posted up that there would be
" Strewing of Roses " ; and, in honour of the
announcement, all'the coffee houses and shops in
the vicinity were gaily decorated, as indeed was
the wrestling school, the pillars of which were
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iiM" ^^ ^'atafPi^S'SSMBBfc
* » »
> * •
THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
draped with valuable Kerman shawls. Flowers,
too, were profusely displayed; but, on the
MursMds dais, there was only the battle-axe,
the horn and the begging bowl of the dervish,
arranged on a lion's skin. Two peacocks' feathers,
one in honour of each champion, were suspended
over the bell.
On the day of the match the ''House of Force"
was filled from early dawn ; but it was not until
two hours before sunset that His Excellency
the Governor-General arrived and the Murshid
asked permission to begin the contest. This
being granted the two wrestlers were intro-
duced ; and, by Allah, perhaps they were the two
strongest men in the world.
The Shah's wrestler, who was several years
the older, appeared to be like a massive tower,
in fact if anything too heavy. He had, however,
the reputation of being very alert and quick of
eye, and full of tricks. Indeed he was known by
the sobriquet of " Tricky."
Abdulla Beg, on the other hand, was as
perfect as a picture and well proportioned. His
head round and of medium size, his ears small,
his eyes big, his nose straight, his face dry and
fleshless, his neck long and thick, his chest
broad and deep, showing his capacity to hold
his breath. His arms were long, and, in the
upper part, were three muscles termed ''little
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fish " ; his forearms full, his wrists hard and
fleshless, his fingers drawn and straight, his waist
small, his thighs full, the calves of his legs
muscular and showing great development, and
his feet arched. Indeed, he was so perfect a
man that every one burst into acclamations of
surprise and praise.
The respected head of the quarter, who was
a Sayyid^ and himself an old wrestler, first
addressed the champions, and warned them not
to bear malice against one another ; he then
joined their hands and the wrestling began, after
the permission of the Murshid had been received,
and the latter then recited :
ft
Puriavali said that the quarry is in my lasso.
And that by the help of David my fortmie is high.
If however thou thirstest for grace, learn humility.
Because land which is high can never receive water. ^
Then he broke into reciting the "Flower of
Wrestling," beginning,
In valour and bravery thou art the bravest in the world :
In the presence of thy cypress-like body, the cypress itself
has no worth.
The moment the hands of these two pahlawans
had touched one another, they sprang in opposite
directions, each taking up a position. Abdulla
Beg, full of pride, would stand erect whilst his
opponent was bending his body and was looking
^ This refers to land cultivated by means of irrigation.
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THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
exactly like a fighting cock. Then they began
to move round and round, always on the look-out
to secure an advantage over the other. Now
they closed and again they separated. Then
they put one hand on the back of the neck of
the other.
The Shalis pahlawan at this point being more
alert than AbduUa Beg, bent down and, dodging
his head under AbduUa Beg's left arm, was, in the
twinkling of an eye, behind his back; but the
latter finally shook him off. Both men received
applause for the skill and strength shown in
this bout.
Again they closed and again they separated.
The fourth time, Abdulla Beg got behind his
opponent, and seizing the leather belt, tried to
roll him on his back. The Shah's wrestler, in
turning suddenly, thrust his fingers into the eyes
of Abdulla Beg, whereupon the latter throwing
him on the ground, pressed with his chest on
Isfandiar Beg's back and head so furiously that,
in two or three places, his adversary's skin was
rubbed off. The Shah's wrestler then bit
Abdulla Beg's hand ; and the latter bit the
other's ears.
Blood began to flow and the spectators became
excited, and the Governor-General, seeing that
it was not fair play, ordered his head farrash to
separate the combatants. They would, however,
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not separate ; so other farrashes were called in,
and, by dint of beating both the men, they
separated them.
The spectators were now thoroughly excited,
some taking the side of the one and some of
the other ; and a wealthy young merchant from
Tehran, who was backing Isfandiar Beg for a
large sum, became so furious that he drew his
revolver. The Governor-General abused him
and told his men to take it away, which was
done.
After some words of advice from the Governor-
General and the old Sayyicl^ the two pahlawans
took up exactly the same position as at first, and
a really fine display of wrestling now commenced.
It was evident to every one that AbduUa Beg
was gradually getting the better of his opponent,
who had lost his wind. He was, in fact, turning
him by sheer force on to his back, and the
onlookers believed that he had won when a
miracle happened ; and, before we could collect
our senses, we saw Abdulla Beg lying flat on
his back.
It happened in this way. When Abdulla
Beg was attempting to overturn his adversary,
the Shah's pahlawan got hold of one of his legs
with his locked hands and began to turn round
and round, when, all of a sudden, pulling the leg
inwards and throwing his weight against Abdulla
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THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR
Beg, he overturned him. This was one of those
tricks which wrestlers are encouraged to practise
in the great cities.
The spectators now got up and all was
confusion, some crying that the pahlawans must
wrestle again, others shouting that the match
was over, until the Governor-General threatened
to take strong measures, when comparative calm
was restored.
His Excellency then summoned the two
pahlawans to his presence, and remarked that
both had done very well ; he presented a shawl
to each man, and, as Abdulla Eeg's arms had not
been tattooed, he ordered that a lion should be
tattooed on his right arm in memory of this
great contest.
The spectators, too, gave gifts of money, and
the merchant from Tehran made peace between
the two champions and invited them both to a
feast, where he compared the Shah's wrestler to
Rustam, and Abdulla Beg to Sohrab, and pleased
them both by quoting :
Two Forces, two Arms, and two bold heroes ;
One a dragon and the other a lion.
Two fierce tigers or two colossal elephants ;
Or two skilful wrestlers.
They began to wrestle,
Holding each other by the waist.
They pressed each other so hard
That breathing became difficult for them.
Several blows were exchanged with such vindictiveness :
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That the earth quaked beneath their feet.
Each again caught hold of the other.
The one like a lion and the other like a leopard ;
Both tried their best.
But neither would own defeat.
Each one attempted to overpower the other.
And the desert became muddy with blood.
The wrestUng of these two heroes was such
That the names of Kustam and Sohrab were forgotten.
t <l^l> OYh ^^ '
CHAPTER X
Hafiz.
THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
From thy soul, kiss the grave of the
Eighth Imam, Riza, the Sultan
Of the Religion ; and remain
At the Gate of that Court.
Hafiz.
Many years had elapsed since the events narrated
in the last two chapters. Among other things,
the second Vakil-ul-Mulk, may Allah forgive
him ! had died, and a Governor-General, who was
a stranger to Kerman, had been appointed.
During the previous winter a comet, which
always portends calamity, had appeared. There
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had been very little snow or rain, and in the
spring the scanty crops were eaten up by
locusts. The result was that wheat which, the
year before, had been sold for four tomans a
kharwar^ now fetched eighteen tomans. In
short, famine had fallen on the province.
Had the Vakil-ul-Mulk been alive, he would
have sent a thousand camels to Sistan at his own
expense to bring wheat to the city ; but the new
Govern or- General only cut off the ears of the
bakers when they sold their bread, made chiefly
from millet, dear, and finally baked the chief
baker alive in his own oven.
Allah knows that bakers in Persia are scamps,
but this action produced no good result, as all
the merchants who would have sent money to
buy wheat from the other provinces were afraid
that it would be seized by the mamurs, whom the
Governor-General placed on every road, and who
made matters worse, as they beat the camel-
drivers and stopped the caravans until they
received money ; and so even dates and rice
were not sent to Kerman, which was like a city
besieged by enemies.
At last, however. His Excellency removed
the mamurs^ and then rice and dates reached the
bazaar ; but during that summer people mainly
lived on fruit, which is a most unwholesome diet.
To add to our calamities cholera broke out
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THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
in the province. In the spring travellers had
brought it from Baghdad to Tehran, whence it
had reached holy Meshed. However, owing to
the healthiness of Kerman and its distance from
Meshed, it seemed probable that it would escape
this calamity ; but Allah, the Omnipotent, no
doubt wished to punish us for our sins ; and a
returning pilgrim died of cholera at a village
only one stage from Kerman.
This, too, need not have infected our beloved
city, but his clothes were brought in and washed
in a stream which passes through the gardens
inhabited by the Gabrs.
It happened that there was a wedding that
night at the house of Arbab Shahriar, the chief
of the tribe ; and before morning, the bridegroom,
the bride, and seventeen of the guests were
infected, all of whom died.
There is no place for pleasure between the Earth and the
Heaven ;
How can a grain escape from between two mill-stones ?
When this calamity was known in the city, it
became a Day of Judgment ; and everybody fled
who could. Now, although we Iranis are noted
for our bravery in battle, I must confess that all
of us, owing to our highly-strung nerves, which
are the result of living in a very dry climate, fear
the cholera, as if an attack of it were tantamount
to the Angel of Death knocking at the door.
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Even our noble Governor-General fled to a
valley, where he posted his troops down below,
to prevent any one from passing them ; and he
himself, with one servant, camped above near a
tiny spring, and threatened to shoot any one who,
on any pretence whatever, approached him.
The Vizier, too, was equally afraid ; and, as
he had heard that cholera never attacked people
underground, he took refuge in a disused well
and remained there for forty days. Since the
Doctor Sahib y who laughed at us for being
afraid without reason, and attended the sick
throughout, informed me that by boiling all
water and only eating cooked food, all cause of
fear would be removed, I remained at Kerman
with my family. Another reason for this was
that my garden in the Bagh-i-Zirisf was watered
by its own water channel.
However, many of my servants, acting against
the Prophet's tradition, which runs, " At the out-
break of an epidemic abide where ye are, as
fleeing from a place is to escape from death to
death," fled to their homes and, later, I heard
that all had died on the road, whereas, praise be
to Allah, no one in my family, or indeed in the
Bagh-i-Zirisf, was attacked.
After a month the cholera ceased in Kerman,
but was raging in the adjoining villages ; so the
Governor-General, who had been sternly ordered
164
THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
by the Shah to return to his post, and had been
informed that he was considered to be the
shepherd of the people, now gave orders that no
one should enter Kerman without undergoing
quarantine.
This, by Allah ! was very astute, as the winter
was setting in, and all the muUahSy Khans^ and
merchants gladly paid large sums of money to be
allowed to return to their homes.
The English laughed at them ; but, in truth,
it is not that the English are braver than we
Iranis. Allah forbid ! I have read that their
country is so wet and so foggy that their ideas
come very slowly in consequence ; and so they
do not realise dangers as quickly as we Iranis.
I represented this to the Doctor Sahib^ who
laughed immoderately, and said, " By Allah, that
is the reason the French give for our defeating
Napoleon I "
Now I had vowed a solemn vow that if the
Imam^ on Him be Peace ! protected me and my
family during this awful calamity, I would hasten
to prostrate myself at his threshold. Con-
sequently, when every one had returned and had
congratulated me on my phenomenal courage, I
explained the matter to them, and more especially
to Mahmud Khan, who had occasionally stated
that he too wished to participate in this grace.
Now I have not hitherto mentioned Mahmud
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Khan, who was among the great people of
Kerman, and who was a relation of my family.
When a youth he had entered the college which
Nasir-u-Din Shah, may Allah keep cool his
Grave! had, at that time, recently opened in
order to teach the young princes and Khans all
European learning.
Mahmud Khan, however, so they say, was
very stupid, and, after six months, the professors
represented to the Shah that they had beaten
him daily, imprisoned him, and indeed tried to
teach him by every possible means, but in vain ;
and they had all sealed a declaration to the effect
that he was incapable of receiving instruction.
The Shah,'^upon hearing this, reflected for a
while and then said, " As thou art proved to be
incapable of receiving instruction, it is better that
thou returnest to thy home. Perhaps there
thou wilt learn to distinguish between wheat
and barley. Thou art dismissed."
This happened many years ago ; and as
Mahmud Khan inherited twenty villages in
the districts of Bardsir and Rafsinjan, and spent
his whole time in looking after them, he became
very rich.
Another thing aided this, namely, that he
was miserly and would not have thrown a bone
to the dog of the Seven Sleepers. Thanks be
to Allah, we Iranis are, as a rule, very liberal,
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THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
and we fully agree with Shaykh Sadi who
wrote :
Generosity will be the harvest of life.
Freshen the heart of the world by generosity ;
For ever be steadfast in generosity ;
Since the Creator of the soul is beneficent.
But Mahmud Khan was so miserly that his
horses were always hungry, so much so that one
of them once attacked a man dressed in a green
coat, thinking it was fodder ! Also he kept the
key of the storeroom himself, and every day
gave out a very little butter and a very little
rice for the daily food of himself and servants.
Indeed, had he not been very stupid, no servant
would have remained in his service.
Yet he was most fond of Europeans, and was
the first Khan to be friendly to the Doctor
Sahib. Indeed, he promised to give him land
on which to build a hospital, and for three days
he rode to his numerous gardens with the Sahib^
and asked him to decide which one he considered
to possess the most suitable air for the purpose.
However, he finally settled that he could not
give any of his land, and so the matter remained,
although occasionally His Excellency the
Governor-General used to say in jest, " Well,
Mahmud Khan, when is the hospital going to
be built ? " And he replied, " I beg to represent
that I am busy with the matter."
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One day His Excellency informed the Khan
that he wished to be his guest in his garden, and,
although Mahmud Khan knew exactly what was
right to do in such cases, he was too avaricious
to incur the necessary expenditure. His Excel-
lency was not pleased, and when in the after-
noon he called together all the Khans^ he turned
the conversation on to the subject of avarice
and miserliness, by saying that he had recently
heard of a merchant of Isfahan, who was so
mean that he ate his bread dry, and only took
enough butter to cover the tip of a needle with
the last mouthful. He added that he doubted
whether any one could be more miserly than
that.
Shaykh Ahmad, however, represented that
he knew of a man who, every day, took a
handkerchief to the grocer and bought a little
flour, which he afterwards returned, complaining
that it was mouldy. At the same time some
flour stuck to the handkerchief, which he was
careful not to shake ; and, by doing this at
several shops, he collected enough flour for a
loaf of bread, and this he cooked himself
with bits of bushes which dropped off the
donkey-loads as they passed through the bazaars.
For relish, he went about and sat down where
he could smell the cooking of the kabobs in the
coffee - houses. His Excellency agreed that
170
'i*^tmmmBmm9Bf^?'ie?^r^SSSm
THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
Shaykh Ahmad had given even a better example
than his own.
Abu Turab Khan then represented that he
had heard of a still worse case of a rich merchant
of Yezd, who only allowed each member of his
family a piece of dry bread to eat. One day
his daughter, who was very beautiful, but whom
no one would marry on account of the father s
evil reputation, took compassion on a poor old
beggar and gave him her piece of bread.
Her mother, in the kindness of her heart,
recommended that the girl should be given
another piece, but the father, hearing what had
happened, became like a madman, and not only
cut off his daughter's right hand, but turned her
out of the house into the streets of the town.
The poor girl wandered about, not knowing
where to go, when she was seen by the Governor-
General, who was returning from a hunting ex-
pedition. Moved by her beauty and innocence,
he took her to his women's apartments and,
seeing the nobility of her disposition, finally
married her to his son.
On the wedding night the bride placed a
bowl of sherbet before her husband with her
left hand, and he, feeling shocked at- this lack
of good manners, quitted the room to complain
to his mother. Meanwhile the girl prostrated
herself on the ground, crying out, ** O Allah !
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why dost Thou suffer a creature to be
humiliated for want of a hand which performed
a good deed for Thy sake ? Either restore my
hand or strike me dead."
The bridegroom, who had now for the first
time heard from his mother of the noble act of
the girl, returned, when the bowl of sherbet was
again set before him by the bride, and this time
with her right hand, which Allah the Omnipotent
had restored. The youth was amazed, and
prostrated himself to thank Allah for giving him
as a wife a maiden who had received such a
signal favour from heaven.
The next day the miserly merchant was
summoned, and, as he could offer no excuse
for his barbarous conduct, he was sentenced
to have both his hands cut off and to be killed
by having food rammed down his throat. His
daughter, however, interceded for him and he
was pardoned, and it is stated that he repented,
and, proceeding on a pilgrimage, died on the
way.
After this His Excellency said nothing, and
when he rose up to leave, it was evident that
he was displeased with his host to whom he
showed no kindness. The result was bad for
Mahmud Khan, as, after His Excellency had
finished his repast, his servants broke all the
dishes, including four china sherbet bowls
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THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
which had been in the Khans family for many
generations. As Naushirwan the Just truly
said :
The slave who is bought and sold is freer than the miser :
For the slave may one day be free, but the miser never.
Mahmud Khan was of a very powerful build
and wore long moustaches, which, when he
twisted them, made him look very fierce ; and
indeed he was noted for his bravery, as, on one
occasion, he rode alone after a band of seven
Afshar robbers and killed three of them.
Another story, too, he used to tell, which
was that, one evening, he was in the mountains
and just finishing his prayers, when a leopard
attacked him, but with one blow from his sword
he cut off its head, which he nailed up over his
gate, just as lovers of sport fasten the skulls
and horns of wild sheep.
The Khan informed me that he had decided
to take Ali Khan, his son-in-law, with him.
Now this youth, unlike his father-in-law, was
very small and slight, so that he was sometimes
compared to a sparrow. He was one of the
Khans of Bam, and his ancestor rendered a
great service to the Kajar dynasty by seizing
Lutf Ali Khan, Zand. This proud warrior
held Kerman for many months against the
might of Aga Mohamed Shah, whose entrench-
ments are still standing ; biit, seeing that there
173
THE SHIA WORLD
was no hope except in flight, he escaped from
the city and fled to Bam, where he was seized
and thrown into chains.
Ali Khan, on this account, and also because
he owned much property in Narmashir, where
the best henna in the world grows, was very
proud and quick-tempered, but yet the Khans
of Kerman, if not as rich as those of Bam,
always consider themselves .nobler and higher,
and it was deemed a great honour for Ali
Khan to become the son-in-law of Mahmud
Khan.
When this important question had been
decided, we had many meetings and discussions
as to what date we should start on, and what
route would be the best to follow. We soon
agreed that a few days after the festival of
JVo Ru% would be a suitable date, but it was
very difficult to fix on the route.
The direct track lies across the Great Desert
for half the distance, and Mahmud Khan said
that he wished to travel that way because he
hoped one day to construct a road by which
pilgrims could drive to the Sacred Gity. At
this, Ali Khan, who was, in truth, a light youth,
laughed behind Mahmud Khan's back, and
whispered that he was not likely to have leisure
from building the hospital to devote to con-
structing a road.
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THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED
We finally persuaded Mahmud Khan to
travel by Yezd, as to that important city the
road is good, and the desert is only fifty farsakhs
wide at this point. Moreover, I represented
to him that by travelling this way he would
be able to visit his villages in Rafsinjan ; but
what made him finally agree was that I said
forage and food were much cheaper by the
Yezd route, and tjiat in Rafsinjan he would
obtain everything free of cost.
Thus he agreed, and for the next four months
we were buSy making all the necessary arrange-
ments, buying mules and horses, and also the
necessary outfit. The most difficult point was
to settle which servants to take and which to
leave behind, as they represented that it would
be an act of merit on my part to arrange for
them all to go.
However, that too was ultimately arranged
by Rustam Beg stating that he had already been
twice to Meshed, and that he would not feel
happy if any one but himself was left in charge
of the house and property, but that he did not
require any other personal servant to stay behind
with him.
It remains to refer to the religious exercises
to which we delivered ourselves before starting
on this solemn pilgrimage. Each of us, in turn,
held a meeting at which the calamities ex-
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perienced by Ali, Husein, and the other holy
Imams were recited.
The black-hearted people who slew the offspring of the
Prophet with malice ;
They claim to belong to the religion but murder the Lord
of the Religion ;
They commit to memory the Koran and draw the sword,
reciting the chapter Taha ;
They wear the Yasin chapter as an amulet ; but murder the
acknowledged Imam.
Afterwards, we entertained our relatives and
friends at luncheon and received gifts for the
road, such as tea cups, tea, and other such useful
presents.
In short, owing to the arrangements which
had to be made and these meetings, the winter
passed very quickly, after which there was very
little leisure left before the actual day of
starting.
CHAPTER XI
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
1 was afraid of the Prison of Alexander ;
And fled to the Country of Solomon.'
Again the joyous festival of No Ruz came
round, and when its thirteen days were passed
it was high time to beat the drum of departure.
At last the Chief Astrologer pronounced a cer-
tain Thursday to be a propitious date, and that
evening, accompanied by hundreds of relatives
and friends, we started for a garden which is
situated about a,farsakh from beautiful Kerman.
It may be thought that this was a very short
stage for travellers who had such a long journey
before them ; but the fact is that we Persians
have more experience of travelling than any
other nation, and so we understand that on such
occasions much is invariably left behind. In
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truth, upon reaching the garden every servant
found that he had forgotten something; and,
but for this custom of ours, termed "Change of
Place," our position would have been difficult.
I have not mentioned that, as soon as it was
known that some of the leading inhabitants of
Kerman were about to undertake the pilgrimage,
at least fifty of our fellow-citizens decided to
accompany us ; and as it is a pious deed to
facilitate pilgrimages, we agreed to allow them
our protection on the road.
The following day we marched a full stage,
and the third day brought us to Kakh, the chief
village of the district of Khinaman ; it is a very
ancient village, so much so that I have read
that it supplied to the armies of the Sasanian
monarchs seven intrepid warriors mounted on
bulls. Its Governor besought us to halt a day ;
but Mahmud Khan refused, and, on the fourth
day after starting on this journey of grace,
we entered the district of Rafsinjan, which is
renowned for its pistachio nuts and almonds.
Indeed, so delicate are the shells of the latter
that they are known as " paper."
Mahmud Khan insisted on our halting for
two days while he visited his villages, and, as
the Governor of Rafsinjan was a well-known
Khan of Kerman, it was very agreeable to stay
there in his service, and to give him the latest
178
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
news of His Excellency the Governor-General
and of Kerman.
Husein Ali Khan had ruled Rafsinjan for over
twenty years, in fact ever since he had rendered
a signal service to the Shah by killing a rebel
Buchakchi chief. This wild bandit for a long
time refused to visit the Klmn and make his
submission ; but, at last, the latter sent him a
Koran sealed with his seal, and the promise that,
so long as he was on the earth, no harm should
happen to him. The Buchakchi, upon seeing
the Koran and hearing the promise, finally came
into Rafsinjan ; but the Khan^ who was very
astute, sat in a specially prepared pit under-
ground, and, being thus freed from his oath,
shot the bandit who had killed hundreds of
travellers. To reward him for this great service
the title of " Amir of Amirs " was bestowed upon
the Khan^ who, a few years later, again showed
immense capacity in the art of government.
It happened that one of the Hindus, of whom
there are several at Kerman, was robbed and
murdered in the Rafsinjan district ; and the
English Consul Sahib sent repeated telegrams to
the English Legation, with the result that every
day fresh orders came from the Minister of the
Interior for the murderers of this Hindu to be
caught and punished ; there was also a threat of
dismissal unless this was done quickly.
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Now all the while the Governor knew who
the robbers were, but he did not wish to show
great severity, as, after all, the killing of a
Hindu was not a great crime. However, he
was obliged to seize the men and informed the
Consul Sahib of the fact, and that he was ready
to have them executed. But that official, who
had been hard throughout, to his surprise re-
fused to have the men executed without proofs
of their guilt.
The "Amir of Amirs" pondered for a while,
and then asked the interpreter of the Consulate
to go into an adjoining room and expect the
proof desired by the Sahib. The prisoners were
now brought in, and all the farrashes were dis-
missed.
The Khan then spoke most affectionately
to them and said, '*0 my brethren, we are all
Mussulmans, and I, like you, rejoice at the death
of this infidel, may his soul remain in Hell ! I
have dismissed all my servants that I might
secretly congratulate you ; and I wish to know
to whom the most credit in this meritorious
deed is due." Hearing this, Iskandar Khan
replied : " Praise be to the Allah, we were all
partners in this pious deed. Ibrahim Khan
seized the Hindu, AbduUa Khan held his donkey,
and I shot the infidel, and Allah knows he bled
like a pig."
180
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
No sooner had he finished than the Governor
called out " Bacha 1 " ^ and, when his farrashes
returned, he asked the interpreter if he was at
last satisfied of the guilt of the prisoners, and,
upon his replying in the affirmative, he ordered
the executioner to take them to the Great
Square and execute them. That dread official
afterwards mentioned that the men were as if
in a dream, and never seemed to realise what
was happening, so simple were they that they
could not understand the astuteness of a high
Persian official.
Upon leaving Rafsinjan we rode to visit the
famous " Well of the World." It is a mighty
chasm in the desert, and a great river flows
beneath it. They say that every year many
camels, sheep, and goats tumble into it and are
carried away, so great is its force. One day
this water, if Allah wishes, will be used for
cultivating the waste land of Rafsinjan, and
indeed it resembles an untouched gold mine.
The next place of importance on our journey
was Anar, which contains a shrine dedicated to
Mohamed Salih bin Musa Kazim. In it is a
Koran stand, made of sandal wood, in which
ivory is inlaid, and it is so beautifully carved
that the work of to-day is nothing in comparison.
^ Lit. " Boy." Servants in Persia are invariably summoned in
this manner.
181
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The Governor at the time was Murtaza Kuli
Khan, Afshar, who was appointed to this, a
frontier district of the province, as the Lashanis
and other Fars tribes all feared him because of
his cruelty. It is related that once, when riding
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
near Anar, he saw a child tumble into a mill-race.
One of his servants galloped forward to save it,
but he shouted out, " Stop and let us see what
wuU happen." Thus, by his lack of humanity, he
deprived a poor widow of her only son whom
she relied on to provide bread for her old age,
when he grew up.
The day before our arrival he had committed
a still more terrible deed. One of the leading
landowners had some months before complained
of his tyrannical behaviour, and the Governor-
General had rebuked him for oppressing the
people he ruled. Upon receiving this message
from Kerman, he had summoned the landowner
and addressed him as follows: **Thou art the
first man who has been brave enough to complain
of me to the Governor-General, and thy heart
must be different from other men's hearts." He
then roared out to the Chief Executioner, " Take
out his heart and let me see it." The bloody
order was instantly carried out, yet even this
did not sate his fury for vengeance, for he also
refused to allow the corpse to be buried.
As a result of this terrible outrage the whole
population of Anar had taken sanctuary at the
Telegraph Office, the wires of which terminate
at the *' Foot of the Throne."
At first the tekgraphchi, who received fifty
tomans every month as a gift from the Governor,
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refused to send their petitions either to Tehran
or to Kerman, so the villagers threatened him
and his family with instant death. Upon this
he complied, and he explained afterwards that he
really intended to help them all the time, as he
was horrified at the crime ; but he feared that,
unless he could plead that his life was threatened,
the savage Governor might kill him too.
Glory be to Allah I no sooner was the state of
affairs explained than most severe orders came
for Murtaza Kuli Khan to proceed by post to
Kerman, where he met with the punishment
he deserved. By Allah ! I think that he was
really mad.
Three stages of desert with salt water had
now to be traversed, and Mahmud Khan narrated
to us that this desert was haunted by vampires,
who attack men overcome by sleep, and drain
their life-blood by licking the soles of their feet.
He added that, some years ago, two muleteers
whom he knew lost their way in a storm in this
very desert, and finally, being utterly tired out,
were obliged to go to sleep until the morning.
They were much afraid of the vampire; but,
being clever Kermanis, they decided to lie
down feet to feet and so fell asleep. Shortly
afterwards the dreaded vampire came upon
them, and began to prowl round them to discover
their feet ; but at each end it found a head.
184
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
In despair it fled, exclaiming :
I have wandered through one thousand
Six hundred and sixty-six valleys.
But nowhere have I seen a two-headed man.
With such stories did we pass the time on these
three stages, in which the water is so salt that to
drink it causes nausea ; but yet it is impossible
for the sons of Adam to exist without water,
and so we consoled ourselves by feeling that the
greater our privations the greater the merit of
our pilgrimage ; and I quoted :
Consider hardship as ease if the matter be important.
Upon hearing this every one became happy, and
the desert stages were quickly passed.
Throughout the journey Ali Khan was
always trying to shoot partridges ; but he was
not a good shot ; and when, at last, he brought
one into the stage, and with much pride
presented it to Mahmud Khan, the latter
exclaimed, " Of course it was sick."
At last we reached the province of Yezd, and
that night we halted but a short stage from one
of the famous cities of Iran.
Yezd was the first city of our mighty empire
other than Kerman which I had visited, and, by
Allah, well does it merit its reputation of having
served as a prison house in which Iskandar
imprisoned his enemies, the refractory Divs.
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Indeed, when approaching it, I was assured that
the city was quite close ; this, however, I could
not believe, as all I saw was a hideous desert of
sandhills, a fit abode for Ghouls and Afrits, but
nothing else.
Even as this thought came into my mind a
dreadful wind began to blow, and everything was
black as night However, we rode on like brave
Persians and dimly saw two high towers, which,
had I not been possessed of much wisdom, I
should infallibly have mistaken for a castle built
by the Divs. At last some mean mud garden
walls appeared, and riding between them, we had
entered Yezd.
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
Yezd is indeed an unfortunate town, as, after
having served as a prison to Iskandar, it was
founded as a city by Yezdigird, whose evil title
was "the Sinner." Indeed so wicked was he
that Allah the Omnipotent did not permit him
to die an ordinary death ; but, when he visited
the sacred lake of Su, in the mountains of
Nishapur, a white horse suddenly appeared out
of the lake, kicked the monarch so that he died,
and then as suddenly disappeared in the waters
of the lake.
To come down to later times, too, my father,
may Allah forgive him 1 I well remember used to
mention how that when Fath Ali Shah was the
Sign of the power of Allah, and Yezd had the
honour of being ruled by Mohamed Ali Mirza^
one of his sons, a certain Abdur Razzak Khan,
not only rebelled, but insulted and outraged the
Prince's family. However, Abbas Mirza^ the
Rustam of his age, seized the criminal, who was
handed over to Mohamed Ali Mirza. He, a true
drinker of blood, with one stroke of his victorious
sword smote off the accursed rebel's head.
The Yezdis are so cowardly that nowadays
no soldiers are drawn from the population, and,
indeed, what can be expected of a people which
lives in a country of sandhills, where even the
milk cannot be drunk, as it both tastes and
smells so strongly of cotton seed, on which alone
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THE SHIA WORLD
the cows are kept alive ? It was a regiment of
Yezdis who, after returning from the conquest
of India, asked the great Nadir to give them an
escort to see them to their home. But yet,
although entirely lacking in manliness, the
Yezdis are good weavers, and some of the silk
they manufacture is esteemed highly in Persia,
although, of course, it is not as famous as the
shawls of Kerman.
Sad to say it was a Yezdi who introduced
smoking opium among us, and, alas for Iran 1
why has this calamity befallen us ? Allah
knows but I would blow from a gun those who
introduced this accursed habit.
First of all, the opium is smoked with char-
coal ; then the miserable man ever craves for
something stronger, until he smokes opium once
burnt, and thereby concentrated, in an old, much
used pipe which is heated over a lamp.
The Doctor Sahib told me that whenever a
mullah attacked him for holding the religion of
Hazrat Isa, on Him be Peace ! he invariably
replied that rather than that there should be
divisions among the ** Possessors of a revealed
book," it was better for the entire strength of
both religions to be exerted to stop this calamity.
And by Allah this is true, as Hafiz says :
If grief should array its army to shed the lover s blood,
I and the Saki will unite to destroy grief.
188
YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER
The ruler of Yezd was one of the princes of
the Royal family who, when I was honoured by
appearing in his presence, showed me particular
notice, and said, " Thou art well known to me,
NuruUah Khan, by thy poems. Inshallah ! while
thou remainest at Yezd thou art my guest."
In truth, not only was I treated with great
distinction, but before we left the Master of
Horse of His Highness brought me a beautiful
Arab horse with its tail dyed scarlet, thereby
showing that it came from the royal stables.
In return, I wrote a panegyric on the horse
and His Highness, who, I afterwards heard, said
that his name would, on this account, never be
forgotten in Iran. It ran as follows :
Bravo the Charger with hoofs like Shabdiz ^ and a head like
Rakhsh,!
Awaji 2 on the dam's side, whose sire was Yahmum.^
Sometimes he is like a bird in gliding and a snake in twisting ;
Sometimes he dances like a pheasant and bounds like a ball.
An alligator in the sea and a leopard on the mountain.
A crane in the air and a peacock in the street.
He gallops without urging or inciting.
Fieiy as the angel of fire : and in water like a duck.
His muscles are tight like a bow-string, his sinews like armour,
and his mouth well-shaped.
His head a date palm, his tail a cord, his flanks of stone and
his hoofs sharp-edged.
A late sleeper but an early riser, fleet and far-seeing ;
^ Shabdiz was the famous charger of Khusru Parviz and Rakhsh,
the equally famous charger of Rustam^ as mentioned in Chapter IT.
^ Awaji and Yahmum are a mare atid horse respectively^
renowned in Arab poetry.
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Easy to handle, a good goer ; well-behaved and well-bred,
Hard -footed, tough -thighed, straight -legged and round -
hoofed.
Sharp-eared, flat-backed, smooth-skinned and short-haired.
Fleet as the clouds, swift as the wind : in thunder like
lightning and also in his stride.
Destroyer of mountains. Splitter of storms. Scaler of cliffs and
Discoverer of roads.
With legs of a wild ass, liver of a lion, pace of a leopard and
the determination of a racer :
Throat of an elephant, breast of a rhinoceros : the jump of an
ibex and the disposition of a wolf.
Sharp-eyed, iron-livered, steel-hearted and hard-lipped :
With teeth of silver, nostril like a well, throat like a tube,
and a brow like a tablet.
Spear, sword, lasso, battle-axe, arrow and bow
Are his neck, ear, tail, hoof, mouth and leg.
The Governor has given me such a horse without a saddle.
Such a horse is like a jar without a handle.
That night the Master of Horse again came
with a message from His Highness to the effect
that he had originally given orders for one of his
own saddles with gold trappings to be sent with
the horse, and that he hoped the negligence of
his servants would be forgiven. He asked me
to inspect the holsters, in which I found a pair
of gold-mounted pistols, and, overwhelmed at
the munificence of the noble Kajar prince, I
exclaimed, '' By Allah ! Hatim Tai has returned
to life."
190
CHAPTER Xll
ROBBED IN THE LUT
Therefore we delivered Lot aiid his family.
Except hie wife ; she was one of those
Who stayed behind : Hiid we rained
A shower of stones upon them . . ■ and
We turned those cities upside down.
The KoTon.
We liad reached Yezd on the sixth day of the
sacred month of Muharram ; and this we had
purposely intended, as, being pilgrims, we were
especially bound to take part in this sad
anniversary. In a previous chapter I referred
very briefly to the difference between us Shias
and the Sunnis. I will now give further details,
as, indeed, I then promised.
We know that when, for the last time,
Mohamed, on Him and on his family he Peace !
performed the pilgrimage, known as the Fare-
well Pilgrimage, the angel Gabriel came to him
at Mecca, with instructions from Allah, the
THE SHIA WORLD
All- Wise, to proclaim public4y that Ali should
be his successor.
Upon the conclusion of the pilgrimage the
Prophet, accompanied by Ali and his other
companions, started on his return journey, and,
at a village termed Khumm, close by which
there was a pool of water, the solemn investiture
was held. A throne, constructed of camel
saddles, was erected, land Ali was set thereon by
the Prophet, who then embraced the "Lion of
Allah " in such a close and long embrace that,
by this act, his virtues were transmitted to his
illustrious son-in-law. Finally, the Prophet
formally constituted Ali as his successor and
heir ; and this historical event is annually
celebrated with much rejoicing under the name
of "the Festival of the Pool of Khumm,"
wherever Persians reside.
However, owing to the wickedness of man-
kind, Abu Bekr, Omar and Osman were all
elected Caliphs before Ali came to his right, and
he only ruled for a few short years, being foully
murdered in the sixth year of his Caliphate.
After his death, his eldest son, Hasan the Pious,
succeeded him ; but being wearied with the
faithlessness . of the Arabs, he abdicated, and, like
his descendant the Imam Riza, was poisoned.
Ten years later his brother Husein, who had
been promised the succession to the Caliphate
192
ROBBED IN THE LUT
upon the death of Muavia, was invited by the
fickle Kufans to trust himself to their support to
win the throne which was justly his, and, accom-
panied by a small band of his faithful followers
and his family, he started off on this ill-omened
journey.
Upon his approach the Kufans, the curse
of Allah be on them 1 deserted the cause of the
Imam^ who declined to retire but resolved to die
fighting to the bitter end, being fortified in this
resolution by the vision of a phantom horseman
who said to him, "Men travel by night, and
by night their destinies travel towards them."
He encamped with his small party at a place
called Kerbela, near the bank of the Euphrates,
and, to ensure a desperate defence, ordered the
tents to be fastened together, to prevent an attack
from that quarter.
In the morning both sides prepared for battle,
the forces of the enemy being under Umar bin
Saad, who was bribed to oppose the Imam by the
promise of the governorship of Rei. He himself
wrote the following verse on the subject :—
Shall I govern Rei, the object of my desire ?
Shall I be accursed for slaying Husein ?
The murder of Husein damns me to inevitable flames ;
Yet sweet is the possession of Rei.
Umar's force numbered four thousand, where-
as the band of the Imam consisted of but
193 ' o
THE SHIA WORLD
seventy- two devoted followers. However, before
the battle commenced, Al Hurr, an Arab chief,
who commanded thirty horsemen, quitted the
ranks of the enemy and joined the sacred force
with his son, brother and slave, the other sowars
declining to follow him. By Allah I we rever-
ence his memory even to-day and remember how
he reproached the Arabs in these words : " Alas
for you ! you invited him and he came, and you
not only deceived him, but are now come out to
fight against him. Nay, you have hindered him
and his wives and his family from the waters of
the Euphrates, where Jews and Christians and
Sabaeans drink, and where pigs and dogs disport
themselves."
When ,the battle commenced two warriors
stepped forth from the ranks of the enemy, but
they and many other champions were slain by
the indomitable heroes, until Umar withdrew
his horsemen and sent five hundred archers to
the front, who rained in arrows. Even then
the warriors of the Imam were unconquered
until, after the fight had raged the whole day,
and the entire party of the Irnam had been
slain, the Imam himself, overpowered by count-
less wounds, fell in a last desperate rush among
the foemen. May the Peace of Allah be on
him, and His forgiveness be on the members of
his band and on Al Hurr !
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ROBBED IN THE LUT
The helpless women were stripped and in-
sulted by their captors and also by the pitiless
rabble on the way to Damiaseus, where the
accursed Yezid, son of Muavia, endeavoured to
aggravate their sorrows in such a fashion that
it can never be forgotten.
It is this awful tragedy that we Shias celebrate
in the month of Muharram, and on the tenth
day, the anniversary of the murder of the Imam
Husein, the Prince of Martyrs, there are always
processions to remind us of the heart-rending
calamity. In Yezd each of the seventeen
quarters prepares a procession, the cost of
which is partly defrayed by the legacies of pious
men.
The procession I joined was headed by a
band of men who, to honour the Imam by self-
inflicted pain, had hung horse-shoes, locks, and
heavy chains to their bare bodies, and who, by
their example, encouraged even little children
to wound themselves in memory of the wounds
of the Imum.
Then came camels laden with tents, and in-
numerable mules, lent by their pious owners,
carrying baggage, followed by a hundred horses
with shawls draped on their necks and by two
hundred led horses. Behind these there were
thirty-five camels, ridden by members of the
Imavis family, representations of the seventy- two
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bodies of the martyrs, seventeen heads on lances
and a band of Arab horsemen. Two singers
of war songs represented the two parties and
engaged in a heated dialogue, mingled with
curses.
Then came Hazrat Abbas, the standard-
bearer, accompanied by eighty water-carriers.
It was he who was slain when attempting to
draw water from the Euphrates.
Among the most conspicuous features was a
wooden house draped in black to represent the
bridal chamber of Fatima, daughter of the Imarriy
who was married to her cousin Kasim just before
the fatal day. A hundred dervishes with their
axes, horns, and lion or leopard skins also formed
part of the procession.
The next scene was that of Yezid on his
throne, surrounded by his Court, while eighty
men beat two stones together and recited mourn-
ful verses. Nor must we forget the ambassador
from Europe, who, seeing Yezid insult the head
of the dead Imam^ fearlessly rebuked him before
all his courtiers. Finally, there was a model of
the tomb of the Imam^ surrounded by brave
officers and soldiers of the ever-victorious army
of Iran.
In the different parts of the procession groups
of two hundred men beat their breasts in rhythm,
and as they advanced they recited :
198
li
I I
9
." •
ROBBED IN THE LUT
O our hnam Jafar ! ^
Husein our Lord
Has been murdered on the plain of Kerbela ;
Dust be on our heads.
And so the procession moved in stately order
to the square of Mir Chakmak, where there is
an octagonal, tile-covered pillar, which is peculiar
to Yezd. There a halt was made, while an
enormous structure, representing the bier of the
Imam^ decorated with fine Kerman shawls and
innumerable flags, mirrors, swords, and daggers,
was slowly carried round the Square by five
hundred men, who bore this heavy burden as
a sacred privilege. It is the pride of the
inhabitants of the village of Mohamedabad to
render this unique service to the Imam; and
nowhere else in Persia is there such a huge
bier. From the Square the procession proceeded
to the Palace, where the Governor loaded its
organisers with gifts and released two prisoners
convicted of murder ; and so back to its quarter,
after having shown to men, women, and children
the poignant tragedy of Kerbela, which will not
be forgotten by us Iranis until the Day of
.Judgment.
• • • • ■
After taking part in the procession on the
tenth of Moharram, we decided to continue our
^ Jafar was the sixth Imam,
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THE SHIA WORLD
journey across the dreadful Lut to Tabas without
undue delay. As I am deeply versed in geo-
graphy, and am not among those who believe
that " Atlantic " is the name of a city, perhaps
the people of London would like to hear from
me about our famous desert, for, just as the
gardens of Iran surpass all others for beauty, so
the Lut, well named after one of our prophets,
Lut or Lot, on Him be Peace I surpasses all
other deserts in the world for its extent and
aridity.
Now the Lut stretches from near Tehran
across the centre of Persia to the frontiers of
Baluchistan, a distance of two hundred Jarsakks^
and, if travellers speak the truth, this desert
really stretches almost to India; but only in
Iran is it called the Lut From north to south
its extent is nowhere more than one hundred
farsakhs wide, and, by the road we were travel-
ling, it scarcely exceeds ^^y farsakhs in width.
This huge desert was once, according to our
histories, a sea ; but nowadays there are great
ranges without water and vast areas of moving
sand, which covers the road if there be a strong
wind. Again, there are huge salt swamps, more
especially in the northern portion, and elsewhere
it is so stony that it is necessary to travel very
slowly. Throughout there is very little water,
and generally it is salt. Indeed, there are count-
202
ROBBED IN THE LUT
less steep passes over the ever-barring ranges of
hills, fearful ascents and descents, dangerous
swamps, and the terror of the moving sands.
The climate is either extremely hot or bitterly-
cold. Indeed only a brave and hardy race like
we Iranis would dare to cross such an awesome
place, which is not only haunted by Ghouls and
Afrits, but also by robbers with savage faces and
evil hearts.
There is no water, no habitation, and
No summons to prayers of the Mussulman.
In all this huge waterless tract there is un-
limited grazing for camels, but little else. I have
read that the camel -bird ^ in ancient days inhabited
this desert, and the Doctor Sahib told me that
the English in Africa now make much profit
from selling its feathers. In the name of Allah,
then, let them come and show us Persians how
to become rich from our boundless Lut 1
We resumed our journey on a propitious
day; but, just as I was mounting, Ali Khan
sneezed violently, and had not Mahmud Khan,
who declined to pay an extra day's hire for the
mides, prevented us, we should not have started
that day. Allah knows how true is our proverb,
" Greediness makes a man blind."
About B, farsakh from Yezd we dismounted
^ This is the Persian term for the ostrich^ which ranged the Lut
many hundreds of years ago.
203
^^
THE SHIA WORLD
to smoke a water pipe, and, sitting on a ridge
overlooking the city, we swore with an oath
that it was not fit for any one to live in but the
Yezdis. As Ali Khan truly remarked, the city
was composed mainly of wind-towers.^
We rode slowly forward, and as we were
descending a little valley, a hare suddenly crossed
our track to the left. Mahmud Khan turned
white like curds at this evil omen ; but, angry at
his behaviour in the morning, I pointed out that
what fate ordained would be ; and that avarice
was composed of three letters, and that all three
were empty. ^
In truth, I could not content myself with this
proverb, but said to them, " Have you not heard
the story about the late Commander-in-Chief of
the Persian army at Tabriz ? " This personage
was so avaricious that he used to allow the
regiments on duty to return to their homes
only if their officers paid him large sums of
money.
This was his constant habit, until he was very
ill and the Angel of Death was knocking at the
gate, when he was told that General Najaf Ali
Khan had come to see him about dismissing the
^ These wind-towers are high chimneys, and convey a draught
of air to subterraneous rooms which are resorted to during the
summer.
2 This refers to the Persian word for avarice, which is spelt by
three letters, none of which are dotted.
204
ROBBED IN THE LUT
Muzaffari regiment ; but that, as he was iU, he
would not be allowed to trouble him.
Unable to speak, the dying man gave a sign
that the petitioner should be admitted ; and the
General, after a few words, offered one thousand
toinaiis. The Commander-in-Chief was in the
death agony ; but, just before the Angel of
Death seized his soul, he shook two lean fingers
at the General, signifying thereby that he must
pay two thousand tomans, and, shaking his two
fingers, he died. Truly Allah is great and his
paths are hidden !
To complete my ill-humour, when we halted
to eat our breakfast my servant Gholam Riza re-
presented to me that my samovar had evidently
been stolen at Yezd, as he could not find it in the
morning when packing up. He added that this
was fate. This answer made me so angry that I
exclaimed, " Thou half-boiled jackass, dost thou
not know what our Prophet, on him and on
his family be Peace, replied to such a one as
thou ? " He ordered : " Tie up the knee of thy
camel, with thy trust in Allah." Better advice
than this has no man given.
The following day the head muleteer suggested
to us to ride about a farsakh to the left of the
track, as we should see the famous City of Lut.
And indeed it was a wonderful spectacle, as, on
each side of a wide valley we saw the ruins of
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THE SHI A WORLD
great forts and of wonderful buildings, so
enormous and so magnificent that they must
have been built by the Divs. Here then was the
country which Allah the Omnipotent destroyed,
as it is written in the Koran, " We turned those
cities upside down." O my brethren, tremble
and fear the vengeance of Allah the Omnipotent I
and forget not the awful punishment that fell on
those evil-doers.
That night at Kharana we overtook a caravan
of pilgrims from Shiraz, who had been delayed
for a week by rumours that a band of robbers
was holding the road. However, the arrival of
our party, sixty strong, doubled our numbers;
and it was decided to march together until
Meshed was reached.
In the caravan from Shiraz were two Khans
with whom we made acquaintance. But it must
be stated clearly that, in the whole of Persia,
there are no people so immoderately proud of
themselves as the Shirazis. Indeed, before we
had been together an hour, the son of Assad
UUah Khan quoted from Shaykh Sadi :
Judge with thine eyes and set thy foot in the garden fair and
free.
And tread the jessamine under foot, and the flowers of the
Judas tree.
O joyous and gay is the New Year's Day, and in Shiraz most
of all.
Even the stranger forgets his home and becomes its willing
thrall.
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ROBBED IN THE LUT
Fortunately, I was as well acquainted with the
great poet's works as the KJmn^ and I stopped
this boasting for a while by quoting :
My soul is weary of Shiraz^ utterly sick and sad ;
If you seek for news of my doings^ you will have to ask at
Baghdad.
However, it was no use as, whatever we said,
our companions could not realise that it was
their good fortune at having two such poets as
Shaykh Sadi and Khoja Hafiz born at Shiraz
that had made their city known, whereas actually
its climate is damp and unwholesome compared
with Kerman, and in size there is no comparison.
To say more would be excessive.
The morning we left Kharana it was arranged
that we Khans with our armed servants should
ride in front of the caravan in order to protect it;
and we warned all the pilgrims not to straggle.
No one would, however, pay attention to our
warning, and the Chaoush^ who was reading
suitable passages from the Koran, to which every
one replied by Salawat or " Blessings," said that
we should not be troubled, as His Highness the
Imam Riza would protect his servants.
We stopped for the heat of the day at Rizab,
a dilapidated, sinister-looking caravanserai. We
knew that this was a dangerous place, as we had
^ The Chaoush is the leader of the party. He generally carries
a flag on a lance and protests that he is the hravest of the brave.
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THE SHIA WORLD
been informed that robbers from Fars had been
heard of quite recently in the vicinity ; but, to
our delight, we found the place empty, and, feeling
much relieved, we ate our breakfast with relish.
Mahmud Khan ordered two of his servants,
as a precaution, to keep watch, and we all
composed ourselves to sleep about noon. Just
as we thought it was time to arouse ourselves
and finish the stage, a terrible uproar occurred,
and, before we had time even to seize our rifles,
we were captured by the Fars robbers.
Their leader, Gholam Ali, was a man of most
ferocious aspect, and when he recognised Assad
Ullah Khan, he glared at him like a X)iv. Assad
QHOt^H AU, "cut hand
(OdI; His Uiamb «t th« rlgbc bind te laft)
« » «
• tf
» * • • •
ROBBED IN THE LUT
UUah Khan was frozen to the spot like a statue ;
and it was explained that he had some years ago
cut off the fingers of the right hand of Gholam
Ali, who was caught robbing a caravan near
Dehbid, of which village Assad UUah Khan
was at that time the Governor. The black-
hearted ruffian, whose nickname was "Cut
Hand," was so furious that his eyes became red,
and he swore that, in revenge, he would shoe
Assad Ullah Khan with horse-shoes ; ' and that
he would only grant him a respite until he had
collected the booty.
Everything belonging to us was seized.
Personally I had not brought much money with
' This has frequently been done, death generally resulting.
THE SHIA WORLD
me, as I had a bill on a banker at Meshed, and
had sent the horse presented to me by the prince
back to Kerman ; but Mahmud Khan, who was
old fashioned and loved to keep his money under
his quilt at night, had seven hundred tomans
with him, and in spite of his curses and entreaties
all of it was taken. As the verse runs :
You may shout or cry ; but the thief will not return the
robbed goods.
Our carpets, clothes, and rifles were seized ; but
the property of a mullah^ who was a Sayyid, was
restored. In short, we were stripped of every-
thing except our underclothes, and those who
resisted were badly beaten.
O readers of London and the New World,
imagine our sad plight as we, who in the morning
had owned horses, mules, and camp equipment,
crawled miserably into Saghand with but a lame
mule and a donkey which the robbers did not
require. Ali Khan alone, like the light youth
he was, kept repeating : '' Respect is in Content-
ment ; Disgrace is in Avarice," until we all
begged him for Allah's sake to hold his peace.
Mahmud Khan was violently angry and
behaved like a madman, at one time cursing the
robbers, and at another vowing that his two
servants, who had been ordered to keep watch,
but who had slept, should eat a thousand sticks.
Everything, fortunately, has an end ; but,
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ROBBED IN THE LUT
upon our arrival at Saghand in a pitiful state
of fatigue, judge of our surprise when we saw
Assad UUah Khan seated outside the house of
the headman of the village smoking a water pipe.
'' O Allah, what do I behold ? Am I asleep or
awake ? " and a thousand other expressions rose
to our lips ; but the Khan said, " Did you not
know that the Shirazis are clever, and I who am
not less clever than the other Shirazis, told the
servant of Gholam Ali, who was guarding me,
that I had two hundred tovians sewn up in my
quilt. He, like an ass, believing me went off
to find the money; and I quietly stole behind
the caravanserai where Gholam Ali had left his
horses, mounted one of them and, riding down a
water-course, escaped. He completed his story
by quoting : " If Allah wills, an enemy becomes
a source of good."
At Saghand we met Haji Aga Mohamed, a
merchant of Kerman, and, thanks to him, we were
able to continue our journey without having to
beg for our bread. Indeed, like the masters of
wisdom that we were, we gradually ceased to eat
grief, and Mahmud Khan finally forgave his
servants, who incessantly begged me with tears
to intercede for them, which I was bound to do.
In short, I represented to Mahmud Khan that
" Allah takes the boat whither He will ; let the
boatman tear his clothes in grief."
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CHAPTER XIII
THE ARRIVAL AT THE SACRED THRESHOLD
When Yuiius fled into the laden ship ; and
Those who were on board cast tots among
Hienigelves, and he was condemned ; and the
Fish swallowed him. . . . And We cast him
On the naked shore, and he whs sick ; and We
Cauaed a plant of a gourd to grow up over him.
The Koran.
Half-way across the Lut was a land of moving
sands known as the " Sand of the Camels " ; and
here we endured much trouble, as we had only
been able to hire donkeys at Saghand, and owing
to the heat and the absence of water, we all
suffered terribly. Indeed several of the pilgrims,
most of whom were half-naked and on foot, fell
down and remained senseless until the evening ;
but, praise be to Allah, they finally reached the
stage where, although the water was salt, they
all drank to repletion, so much so that the
caravan had to halt for two days, as every one
was ill, owing to the heat, thirst, fatigue.
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
and, above all, the salt water. Yet we were
very thankful that there had not been a storm,
as many a caravan has lost its way and all its
members have perished when the wind has
moved the sands and covered up the track.
We were now in Khorasan, the Land of the
Sun, and as it is one of the great provinces of
Iran, it is advisable for me to briefly describe it.
Khorasan stretches from the extreme north-east
of Persia down to the province of Sistan, which
is included in the same government, and which
was the home of Rustam, the mighty champion
of Iran.
Among the famous cities of the province are
Tus, built by one of the generals of Kei Khusru
and Nishapur, founded by the Sasanian monarch
Shapur. To-day, however, owing to the Shrine
of the Imam Riza, Peace be on Him, Meshed is
the capital of this vast province.
I have read in the Shah Naina that it was
at Kishmar, in the district of Turshiz, that Zoro-
aster planted a cypress, brought by him from Para-
dise, to commemorate the conversion to the new
faith of Gushtasp, the Shah. For many centuries
this cypress increased in size, until, fourteen
hundred and fifty years after it was planted, the
Caliph Mutawakkil ordered it to be felled and
to be transported to Samara on the Tigris, where
he was building a new palace.
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THE SHIA WORLD
The hapless Gabrs offered large sums of
money in vain, and the tree was cut down, but
the night before it reached its destination the
Caliph was murdered by his son. I mention
this story to show how very ancient and glorious
a province Khorasan is, as it is now more than a
thousand years since the death of Mutawakkil.
Khorasan, indeed, has many wonderful places.
Among them is the fort of Kalat-i-Nadiri, which
was undoubtedly built by the Divs^ as it consists
of a valley surrounded by hills which only a bird
can cross, so precipitous are they.
In it Nadir Shah collected all the jewels and
gold which he brought back from India, where
his victorious army reduced its monarch to be
his servant. This fortress, which is only de-
fended at the five closed entrances, is one of the
marvels of the world, and not even Amir Timur
could capture it, as none of his soldiers could fly ;
and we Iranis may sleep in security so long as
Bam in the south and Kalat-i-Nadiri in the
north are garrisoned by the ever-wakeful troops
of the mighty Shah, whose honour and glory are
increased by the possession of these two great
fortresses, which are famous throughout the
Seven Climates.
As to the people of Khorasan I cannot en-
tirely praise them, indeed they are noted through-
out Iran for being dull and stupid; but then
216
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
every one agrees that it is the Kermanis and
Shirazis who are the cleverest and wittiest people
in Persia, whereas in the north there are too
many Turks, who are slow and dull.
To prove this stupidity of the Khorasanis,
there is the story of three Persians who were
each praising their own provinces. The Kermani
said, " Kerman produces fruit of seven colours " ;
the Shirazi continued, ^* The water of Ruknabad
issues from the rock " ; but the poor Khorasani
could only say, "From Khorasan come fools
like myself."
However, I think that the Khorasanis, if dull,
are very honest and very hospitable ; and during
my stay in their province I always found them
most polite, and, as the poet says :
Whomsoever thou seest in the saintly garb,
Suppose him to be a good man and a Saint*
After traversing the terrible Lut, where we
had suffered not only from the difficulties and
dangers of the road, but also from the savageness
of man, Tabas, the gate of Khorasan, as it is
well named, appeared to us as beautiful as
Damascus did to the Prophet. May the Peace
of Allah be on Him and on His family !
In truth, when we rode up an avenue bordered
on both sides by mulberries, elms, willows, and
palms, and saw the streams of running water, we
thanked Allah the Bountiful that we had, at
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THE SHIA WORLD
last, arrived safely in an inhabited country after
all our sufferings.
Tabas is termed Tabas of the Date Palm, to
distinguish it from Tabas of the Jujube Tree in
the district of Kain. It has always been famous
not only for its dates and oranges, but also for
its heat Indeed, in Khorasan, to say "Go to
Tabas " is not a polite remark.
Many centuries ago it was in the hands of the
Ismailis, who, under Hasan Sabbah, seized the
district Now there is a legend to the effect
that the Nizam-uUMulk^ the famous Vizier, was
a school-fellow of both Omar Khayyam and
Hasan Sabbah ; and the three youths bound
themselves by an oath, sealed with blood, that
whichever among them became powerful, would
aid the other two.
When the Nizam-uUMulk rose to be Vizier,
he offered Omar Khayyam the governorship of
Nishapur : but the philosopher wisely declined,
and, instead, asked for a pension, which was
granted to him.
Hasan Sabbah, who was ambitious, asked for
a post at Court, and there intrigued against his
benefactor. He was, however, found out and
fled to Egypt, whence he, later on, returned to
Persia, where he founded his famous sect of
disciples.
It is stated that the devotees of the sect were
218
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
given hemp, and when under its baleful influence
were carried into a terrestrial paradise with
beauteous houris^ gardens, running streams, and
all other delights. After enjoying these pleasures
for three days, they were again drugged and
carried out; and thenceforward believed that,
if they executed the orders of Hasan Sabbah,
they would return and remain for ever in this
paradise.
To give a single example of how they acted,
I would refer to the case of Ibn Attash, who
established a branch of the sect at Isfahan, and
so successful was he that his followers increased
in numbers most rapidly.
Just about this time numerous inhabitants of
Isfahan began to disappear in a most mysterious
manner, and Allah the All -wise used a poor
beggar woman as the instrument whereby this
wickedness was revealed. For she asked for
alms at a certain house whence she heard groans
proceeding; but when invited to enter she
exclaimed, " May Allah heal your sick," and fled
to rouse the quarter.
When the mob broke open the door they
beheld some four or five hundred victims, many
already dead ; but a few, who had been recently
crucified, were still alive. May the pity of
Allah be on them !
This place of slaughter belonged to a blind
219
THE SHIA WORLD
man, who used to stand at the end of the long
lane leading to his house crying, *'May Allah
pardon him who will lead this poor blind man to
the door of his dwelling ! " There the Ismailis
seized and tortured the unsuspecting victim, who
was done to death in return for a good deed.
May the curse of Allah be on Hasan Sabbah
and on his Sect !
Alhamdulillah ! to-day the remnants of this
sect, who still inhabit Kain and Nishapur, have
left this path of darkness ; and by the good
fortune of His Auspicious Majesty, are simple
villagers engaged in cultivating their land and
praying for the long life of the Shah.
We presented ourselves before the Governor,
an old man, who claimed descent from Nadir
Shah. It is also said that his family has rendered
such help to the Kajar dynasty that it will
always keep the government of Tabas. His
Excellency showed us kindness, and on hearing
what had occurred he was very angry, and swore
that he would burn Gholam Ali's father.^ He
immediately sent a body of his brave sowars,
who finally captured the robber and brought
him bound on his horse to Tabas; but just
before he was imprisoned in the fort, he broke
away bound as he was, and galloping his horse,
^ *^To burn a man's father" in Persia is the most usual threat.
A burnt Mohamedan has no chance of Paradise.
220
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
took sanctuary in the shrine of Shahzada Sultan
Husein, There, as you, O readers, probably do
not know, he was safe so long as he remained
within the sanctuary, and I have heard nothing
since that day as to what happened.
In any case none of our stolen money or
property was restored to us, although the
Governor treated me with much kindness and
gave me one hundred tomans^ when we called to
request permission to depart and to continue our
journey.
For some stages we crossed a boundless salt
desert, and in the middle of it was Yunusi.
This village is famous all over the world, as it
was here that the whale cast up the Prophet
Yunus,^ on him be Peace ! In those days, as X
have already mentioned, the salt swamp was a
great sea, and, consequently, there is no doubt
that this was the very spot where the Prophet
reached the shore, and where a gourd grew and
formed a shelter of greenery over his senseless
frame. Truly Allah is great 1
Two stages after leaving Yunusi we passed
several encampments of Baluchis, who weave
good carpets, and reached Mahavalat, noted for
its melons, which, like many things in Persia, are
unsurpassed. So delicate are they that they
cannot be grown near a road, as the gallop of a
^ This 18^ of course^ the Prophet Jonah.
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THE SHIA WORLD
passing horse would split them ; and, alas I for
the pleasure of the world, they cannot be carried
even as far as Meshed, so tender are they ; and
yet so luscious and sweet that how can I repre-
sent it ?
However, Mahavalat was not a stage of good
omen as, at it, there was nearly spilling of blood,
which Allah forbid for men bound on a pilgrim-
age to the threshold of the holy Imam.
It happened in this wise. Ever since we had
been robbed at Rizab, Mohamed Riza Khan,
the son of Assad Ullah Khan, had every day by
hints and insinuations east reflections on the
courage of the Kermanis in the presence of Ali
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
Khan ; moreover, he said that, had one of
his grooms been watching instead of the two
servants of Mahmud Khan, the calamity would
never have befallen us. In short, there was ill-
feeling between these two hot-»headed youths.
On this occasion, Ali Khan said to M ohamed
Riza Khan, •* If you grant me permission, I will
tell you how in Kerman we have knowledge
of the bravery of the men of Fars. Some years
ago, Isfandiar Khan, Buchakchi, the chief of one
of our small tribes, entered Lar with about
twenty of his fellow-tribesmen, and stated that
he had the orders of His Auspicious Majesty to
collect the revenue. The men of Lar at first
swore that they would resist, but when Isfandiar
Khan ordered his Mirza to write a telegram to
the ' Foot of the Throne,' to the effect that the
Laris were rebellious, they at once ate dirt and
paid the revenue to the crafty brigand, so that
when the Governor-General of Fars sent his
servants to levy the taxes, behold Lar was as
naked as the Lut, for Isfandiar Khan had clean
eaten it up.
"Well, the Governor-General came with a
large force to capture Isfandiar Khan, who, at
first, sent polite messages to His Excellency ;
but, at length, he grew tired of being pursued
like a fox, and said openly that there would soon
be a * Night of blood.'
THE SHIA WORLD
" The Shirazis heard this, and that night the
brave Governor-General had a deep hole dug in
his tent in which to hide under the felts should
an attack be made. However, nothing happened
until six hours of the night had passed, when the
Shirazis heard the thundering of horses' hoofs
and thought that the Day of Judgment had
come. Immediately they all fled, crying Aman,
or quarter ; but the thunder of hoofs came ever
nearer, and, at last, it was. seen that the lion-
hearted Shirazis were fleeing from a herd of
jnares which had been attracted by the camp
fires."
As Ali Khan finished this story, Mohamed
Riza Khan leaped at him like a leopard, and
had not Mahmud Khan and I hastened to the
spot, Allah knows what would have happened.
As the Arab proverb runs, ** Jesting is the fore-
runner of evil."
After quitting Mahavalat, we rode on hour
by hour until at sunset we reached Turbat-i-
Heidari, so termed after the saint known as the
" Pole of Religion." Holy indeed was he who,
alone of mortal men, clothed himself in felt in
summer, and passed frequently through fires,
and who, to still further mortify his body, slept
without any covering in the "Forty days of
Cold." In short, " The Chosen of Allah are not
Allah, but they are not separate from Allah."
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
Upon our arrival at Sharifabad, which you
should know is but one stage from Meshed the
Holy, we found all the rooms in the caravan-
serai and houses already occupied by pilgrims
from Tehran. Indeed, we had almost lost hope of
finding any accommodation, so great was the
throng, when we were met by a handsomely clad
Sayyidy who accosted us in a vpry friendly
manner with " Welcome, Khans of Kerman, you
need be under no apprehension about your
quarters, as they are ready."
Needless to say, we were very much gratified
to see that our reputation had preceded us even
to this distant part of the country, and followed
our guide to a small house with a garden which
appeared most delightful to us after nearly two
months of travel.
We quitted Sharifabad early in the morning,
and even our very horses seemed to go faster, as
if they felt that this was the last stage to Meshed
the Holy. We crossed green, rounded hills, and
at last one of our chief desires was fulfilled, for
we had reached the highest ridge, known as the
" Hill of Salutation " ; and the golden dome
of Meshed, the Glory of the Shia World, lay
before us.
In the centre of the fertile valley of the
Kashaf Rud we could see the Holy City sur-
rounded by green gardens resembling emeralds,
227
THE SHIA WORLD
out of which rose the ineffable sheen of the
unsurpassed dome with its peerless golden
minarets ; in truth so bright was its glory that
we could not continue to gaze on it.
Meanwhile, the Sayyid spread a handkerchief
and began to recite a prayer which we repeated
after him, " Peace be on you, the members of the
Prophet's family, the Seat of the Messenger of
Allah, the Centre of the Angels, the Abode of
the Angel Gabriel, the Mine of the blessings of
Allah, the Guardians of Knowledge .... Peace
be on Thee, O the greatest Stranger of all the
Strangers,^ the Sympathiser of the souls, the
Sun of the Suns, buried in the soil of Tus." We
then all shook hands and threw money into the
handkerchief, and as I saw Assad UUah Khan
give a two kran piece, I threw down a piece of
gold just to teach him that it was not the time
to be parsimonious.
There were seven or eight other parties of
pilgrims like ourselves on the hill. Amongst
them was a merchant from Yezd, who was
beaming with happiness and shaking hands and
receiving congratulations. We were informed
that his wife, faithful to her vow, that if her
husband took her to the Sacred Shrine she
would forego her dowry rights to a large landed
' In allusion to the Imam having died away from his own
country.
228
7^
ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
estate, had transferred her claim to her husband.
Indeed, it is a common act of piety with ladies,
who after a life of longing have prevailed upon
their husbands to bring them to Meshed, to
forego their claim to their dowries on catching
the first glimpse of the Holy Shrine,
Hundreds of returning pilgrims too tarried
on the hill to say their last prayer with the
golden dome in view, and to pile up stones as
a remembrance. It is customary for all such
parties to say "We petition for prayers," and
thus to beseech pilgrims going to the Shrine
to pray for them there. In reply, the hope
is expressed that their pilgrimage has been
accepted.
On reaching Turuk, one and a half farsakhs
from Meshed, we drank a cup or two of tea
and then entered carriages provided by our
friend the Sayyid. Between Turuk and the
Holy City we saw some huge rocks, whose
weight Allah alone knows ; and Sayyid Mirza
Ali stopped the carriage, and pointing to their
rounded shape, explained to us that these inani-
mate objects were like ourselves, bound from
distant regions to kiss the threshold of His
Highness the Imam.
As Ali Khan, who is, you must know, merely
a youth, looked as if he doubted this fact, the
Sayyid said to him, " O brother, thou shouldest
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build thy house of belief on the foundations of
faith, otherwise thy house will fall." He then
asked us if we had not heard of what happened
to the Prophet Musa, on him be peace 1 who in
a like case was tempted to belittle faith.
By the orders of Allah he visited a hermit,
and found the holy man deep in prayer and
rubbing his face on the ground. He explained
to the Prophet that by such works alone could
salvation be secured.
The Prophet, inspired by Allah, asked the
hermit whether it were possible to pass one's
finger through the eye of a needle; but the
hermit rebuked him sternly for asking such a
foolish question.
The Prophet then visited a second hermit
whom he found in tears. Upon inquiry, the
holy man said that he hoped, by humility and
faith, to secure salvation, but not by works.
Again the Prophet put the same question ; and
again he was rebuked, but this time for doubting
the power of Allah, who could pass a camel or
an elephant, or the whole eighteen thousand
worlds, through the eye of an ant, which is much ^
smaller than that of a needle.
The Sayyid ended his homily with the follow-
ing verse :
Do not think that thou art pleasing the King by serving
him ; but be thankful that he has accepted thee as a servant.
230
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ARRIVAL AT SACRED THRESHOLD
To this Ali Khan made no reply, and you,
O readers of London and of the New World,
revere our ancient faith, and do not forget that
it is only the Moslems, the Christians, and the
Jews who are People of the Book,
Upon approaching the Holy City we saw
mighty walls with massive towers, and crossing
a handsome stone bridge we entered the '* Lower
Avenue " gate. The " Avenue " of Meshed is so
famous for its crystal stream, its superb plane
trees, and its great width, that I need not men-
tion its perfections ; but one thing I must state,
which is that, even on the Day of Judgment, it
would be difficult to see a much greater assembly
of Mussulmans from the Seven Climates than I
saw. To give a list would be impossible.
We were driven to a house in the ''Upper
Avenue," which was to be our residence in the
city, and there partook of breakfast. After this
we composed ourselves to sleep, and on waking
found our mules had arrived.
With haste our servants opened our boxes
and took out new suits of clothes which we
had purchased in Tabas. We then proceeded
to the hammam and, thoroughly refreshed, we
gave our travelling clothes to the attendants,
and were at last ready to cross the Sacred
Threshold.
233
CHAPTER XIV
THE SACRED SHHINE 0¥ THE JMAM RIZA
In the presence of the King- what should be said but
"I sin ready? "
It is not belittinK to say, " Peace be on thee " :
ThU is the most sacred spot, respeut it :
It is the holy Throne of Allah, remove thy shoes.
Perhaps there is no harm, O ye wise men of
Europe, if, before I act as a guide to the Sacred
Threshold, which no one except a Mussulman
can cross, I give you some preliminary instruc-
tion to prepare you for the glory and splendour
which I shall describe to you.
Now, many of you, I dare say, are not aware
that Iskandar traversed the valley of the Kashaf
Rud, and that it was revealed to him that, on
the site now occupied by the Shrine, one of the
holiest men of all time would be buried.
To honour the spot Iskandar enclosed the
land with a wall, and for many centuries the
prophecy was unfulfilled, until Harun-al-Rashid,
}
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
the accursed, heard of it, and, when about to die,
ordered his servants to bury him and erect a
dome over his body on this site. His instruc-
tions were carried out and the dome still exists,
with the body of Harun-al-Rashid buried be-
neath it.
I now approach, with feelings of grief, the
subject of our Imam Riza, on Him be Peace,
who was the eighth in descent from Ali, and
who was of such transcendent virtue that Mamun,
son of Harun-al-Rashid, made him heir-apparent
to the Caliphs, who, the Curse of Allah be on
them, had hitherto slain or poisoned almost all
the ancestors of the immaculate Imam.
Mamun not only coined money on which
both their names appeared, but he even ordered
that the sacred green of the Imam should be
substituted for the black worn by the sons of
Abbas. Truly, the rejoicings of the lovers of
the Prophets household knew no bounds, and
they thought that "The discharged water had
returned to the stream, and that right was about
to be restored to the rightful heir."
However, this accursed Caliph, hearing from
Baghdad that his relations were hostile to his
purpose, not only changed his plans, but, with
his own hands, offered poisoned grapes to the
innocent Imam.
They say that, after partaking of the grapes,
237
THE SHIA WORLD
the ever-blessed Imam rose to depart, whereupon
Mamun the Accursed, the spawn of Iblis, said,
" Whither goest thou, my cousin ? " To this
the Saint replied, " I go to the place to which
thou sendest me."
Shortly afterwards our Lord the Imxim
expired, and, in accordance with his own wish,
was buried in the same shrine as Harun-al-
Rashid.
Owing to the ignorance of mankind the tomb
of the holy Imam was neglected for many
generations, until it chanced that the son of the
Vizier of Sultan Sanjar was residing at Tus, at
that time the capital, and trying to regain his
health by hunting. It happened that a gazelle,
pursued by the youth, took refuge in the tomb
of the Imamy and when he urged his horse in
pursuit it declined to move.
After trying every means in his power to
make his horse proceed, he finally understood
that he was on holy ground, so he dismounted,
entered the deserted tomb, and, praying to the
Imam^ was miraculously healed of his malady.
That very night the Imam appeared to the
wife of the Vizier in a dream, and when she
heard of the miraculous recovery of her son
she informed the Vizier and the news reached
the Sultan, who at once gave orders that the
Shrine should be repaired and other buildings
238
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
added to it. The garden of Sanabad, which
lies close by, was also brought into cultivation
once again.
From this date, although Khorasan has been
ravaged again and again, the Shrine has never
been deserted, and when Tus was utterly
destroyed, and most of its inhabitants massacred
by the pitiless Moghuls, the remnant gathered
round the tomb of the Irnam^ which has now
been the capital of Khorasan for many cycles
of years.
Among those who honoured themselves by
giving gifts to the Shrine, was Shah Rukh, the
son of Amir Timur, who presented a candela-
brum of pure gold ; but Gauhar Shad Aga, his
wife, who, as I shall detail later on, built many
of the glorious buildings, far surpassed her
husband, her name being honoured to this day.
After the death of Shah Rukh confusion
again ensued, and the savage Uzbegs from Khiva
captured the holy city and murdered men,
women, and children, not even sparing the
Sayyids. They also carried off the golden
candlesticks and lamps, and stripped the Shrine
of its jewels and carpets, and, worse than all,
they destroyed its priceless library.
After this gloomy night, however, the dazzling
' sun rose high in the heaven, and the Safavi
dynasty, descended from the holy Imam, com-
239
THE SHIA WORLD
pleted this glorious pile of buildings which form
the marvel of the world. InshaUah, I will
conduct you thither.
The Shrine, needless to say, forms the centre
or heart of Holy Meshed, and all around it for
some distance lies the property of the Irnain^
who is still living. In proof of this I could
mention that when the Pivot of the Universe,
the deceased Nasir-u-Din Shah, had constructed
a telegraph line from the capital to the Sacred
City he addressed the first message to the ever-
living Imam^ who graciously vouchsafed a reply.
To continue, you may well comprehend that
all the property belonging to the Imam is sacred,
and that all those who flee from injustice receive
sanctuary, once they are inside the chains which
hang across the road.
To make everything clear to even the
ignorant, I procured a plan of the Shrine pre-
pared by the architect, Haji Muavin-u-Sanaia,
This pious individual, in order to render service
to the Imam^ worked incessantly to prepare this
plan for a space of two years, and, hearing of
this, our renowned Shah bestowed on him the
high title of " Adjutor of the Architects." In
short, I, after a careful examination of the plan,
can state that it is correct.
Looking then at it, you must understand,
O readers, that we approached the Sacred
240
• t
ft
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
Threshold from the "Upper Avenue," and
stooped to pass the chain, which we touched
with our hands and then kissed, while our guide
recited an appropriate prayer.
Inside on both sides were shops which are
famous throughout Asia ; and I am ready to
confess that although the Kermanis excel all
others in weaving and in many other ways, their
shops cannot be compared with those of Meshed.
However, this is not due to superior ability on
the part of the Khorasanis, but simply to the
fact that Meshed is near Bokhara, Samarcand, and
also Herat ; and, indeed, I found upon inquiry
that the beautiful silks which I saw all came
from Bokhara. The Turkoman carpets, too,
which are very fine, are not produced in Khorasan.
I will, however, praise its fruit, which is very
good, albeit, owing to the cold, there are no figs
or pomegranates grown in the gardens near
Meshed.
The Sayyid would not allow us to delay, nor
indeed did we wish to, and very soon we passed
through a lofty gateway, with an inscription
warning the pilgrim that he was approaching
holy ground, and were informed that the court
of dazzling richness which we had entered was
the " Old Court."
Being a lover of history I examined every-
thing in detail, and if I tell you that the court
243
THE SHIA WORLD
was some ninety by sixty metres, with four great
porches, and that it was covered with tiles of
many colours which not only cannot be made
except by Persians, but require the sapphire
blue of the sky of Iran to show them in their
perfection, you may faintly imagine its beauty.
It is paved with hewn stones, and underneath
lies the dust of thousands of pious Mussulmans,
The court is two-storied, the upper row of
chambers being occupied by the high officials
of the Shrine. The lesser officials, such as the
carpenter, the goldsmith, and the repairers of the
holy Korans, occupy the lower chambers, some
of which have even been converted into tombs.
There are four porches, the most beautiful
of which is known as "The Golden Porch of
Nadir." It was indeed built by Sultan Husein,
but was enriched by the mighty Afshar, may
Allah forgive him, who not only paved and
panelled it with white marble brought from
distant Maragha,^ but covered the walls with
tiles cased in gold.
The inscription in great golden letters on a
blue ground is very perfect, and, Allah knows.
Nadir was a World Conqueror and a Lord of
Perception, albeit cruel.
Of his power of perception they relate that
^ Maragha is near Tabriz^ and over 1000 miles distant from
Meshed.
244
ii
T • >
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
one day when he entered the Sacred Shrinie he
saw a blind man invoking the aid of the Imam^
and upon inquiry he learned that he had been
there for several months. The Great Monarch
asked him why his faith was so weak that his
sight had not been restored, and swore that if
on his return he found him still blind he would
cut off his head. The wretched man prayed so
fervently, and fixed his mind so intently on the
Imam^ that within a few minutes his sight was
restored, and in honour of the miracle the
bazaars were illuminated.
Upon entering the court we first performed
our ablutions at the famous "Fountain of
Nadir." This unique fountain is formed from
a single block of white marble decorated with
exquisitely chiselled flowers ; it is octagonal in
shape, three feet in height, and eighteen feet in
circumference. The top is hollowed out, and
copper cups are suspended for drinkers; above
it is a gilded cover.
They say that Nadir saw this stone at Herat,
and agreed to pay a large sum for its transport
to Meshed in twelve days, which, for a distance
of sixty-five yarmA:^, would be very difficult
Yet, urged by the hope of a royal reward, the
man brought the stone in nine days and presented
himself before Nadir full of hope and happiness.
The Shah, however, upbraided him for not
247
THE SHIA WORLD
keeping his contract and blinded him. His
descendant was the owner of the house we were
lodging in, and I am convinced of the truth of
this story. In short, I have by these two
examples shown to you both the perfect per-
ception and also the cruel nature of Nadir Shah,
the Conqueror of Delhi.
To complete my description of this court,
there are two unrivalled minarets which are also
cased in gold. Indeed, when the pilgrim stands
where he can see the Golden Porch, the
minarets, and the dome, he has no breath left
in him ; and it was only at my second visit that
I noticed that round the dome were two inscrip-
tions by Shah Abbas and Shah Suliman respec-
tively. The Safavi dynasty is too famous to need
praise from me. As they say, " Our enduring
record is engraved in the history of the world."
After admiring the glorious blue tiling and
the Golden Porch, we approached a grating
of steel covered with brass, through which we
could see the sacred haram} This we touched,
and then bowing towards the Shrine, left our
shoes at the Kqfshkan^ which was in charge of
a man who really seemed to be worthy to be a
Vizier, as, although hundreds of pairs of shoes are
always in his charge, he apparently never forgets
to whom they belong !
^ Haram is the name for the sacred tomb chamber.
248
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
Leaving, then, our shoes to the care of this
individual, we entered the passage leading into
the Porch of Nadir, and saw that on both sides
were silver-plated doors. Traversing the corner
of the Porch we entered a second "Fountain
House," in which is a large tank hewn out of a
single piece of marble. Under the dome lie the
remains of the favourite eunuch of Gauhar Shad
Aga. They say that this individual was so
honest that he was entrusted with all the money
expended on these buildings by his mistress ;
and that when he died it was proved that he
had not accumulated any wealth whatever. As
the poet sings :
A black slave is often by his character whiter than others,
And a musk - coloured body has often a heart pure as
camphor.
This dark colour then resembles the pupil of the eye, which
is termed black.
But which is, nevertheless, its light.
From this building we entered the Dar-uU
Siada or " Place of Greatness," and surely it is
worthy of its name. Its extreme length is one
hundred feet, and in the middle it rises to a
central dome, with a smaller dome at each end.
Its decoration consists of a panelling of blue
and gold tiles ; and above, the wall and ceiling are
covered with glass facets resembling diamonds,
which, were not the chamber dark, would make
the gazer blind. Set in the wall is the round
249
THE SHIA WORLD
golden dish from which the immaculate Imam^
on him be Peace, had partaken of the poisoned
fruit. In the centre of it is a hole from which
ignorant people extract a little dust and rub it
on their eyes, believing it to be the very dust
of the holy Imam.
Here also the Sayyid drew our attention to
a second grating which is made of silver, and
was presented by the father of the deceased
Kawam-uUMulk of Shiraz, whose ancestor,
Hqji Ibrahim, was boiled to death by Fath Ali
Shah.
This Haji Ibrahim was the famous Vizier of
Aga Mohamed Shah, whom he joined at Kerman
after deserting Luft Ali Khan Zand. So power-
ful was he that the far-seeing Shah advised his
successor not to trust him, but to put him to
death on a suitable occasion.
At this period almost all the governorships
in Persia were held by his sons, but such devoted
servants had the Shah, that they were all seized
on the same day at the same hour ; and Haji
Ibrahim was thrown into a cauldron of boiling
oil as a punishment for his many crimes.
Looking through the silver grating, we, once
again, saw the ImavfCs tomb, and once again we
bowed towards it ; and, burning with desire, we
hastened on by the gate of the Hissam-u-Saltana,
which is also plated with silver, to the Dar-uU
250
■ »
• h
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
HuffaZy or "Place of the Reciters,"^ which
resembles the " Place of Greatness," but is not
so magnificent.
Here we prostrated ourselves, touching the
ground with the sides of our face, as in honour
of Allah alone may the forehead touch the
ground ; and we prayed in accordance with the
verse of the Holy Koran, " O believers, do not
enter the house of the Prophet without the
permission of its owner."
At last, thanks be to Allah, we moved forward
and again prostrated ourselves, rubbing our faces
on the threshold of the Golden Gate, one of the
marvels of the world. We then rose, overjoyed
to be inside the haram^ and, approaching the grat-
ing round the tomb, shook it, with prayers and
entreaties to His Highness the Imam^ and kissed
it. We also kissed the lock, and you must
know that every pilgrim, after handling and
kissing the lock on his own account, and that of
his dead relations, must do likewise on behalf of
his living relations and friends, whose petition to
visit the Shrine in person is thereby placed before
His Highness.
I must now tell you that when the immaculate
Imam died, it was desired by Mamum to bury
^ The exact meaning is that the man knows the Koran by heart
and has the title of Hafix, To-day^ in Persia^ this title is unknown^
whereas a Hafiz is highly honoured by Sunnis.
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THE SHIA WORLD
him under the dome in the centre of the building,
that his accursed father might attain his salvation
from the contact of his body with that of the
sacred Imam ; but no tool could break open the
Caliph's tomb, may the curse of Allah be on
him ! And, lo 1 a miracle befell as, while the
workers were toiling in a discouraged fashion,
they suddenly saw a grave ready dug in the
north-east corner, and there the innocent martyr
was buried with his feet towards the head of
Harun-al-Rashid, the accursed.
The richness of the Shrine is unspeakable.
The price alone of the door facing the foot of
the tomb is worth the revenue of seven kingdoms,
as it is of pure gold. The floor is inlaid with
the choicest slabs of coloured marble from
Shandiz, and the walls are covered with tiles in
white, blue, and gold, like the work of China.
Above them there is glass facet work of such
beauty that how can I represent it ?
The tomb of the accursed Caliph is beneath
the earth and is nowhere visible, but round the
tomb of the sacred Imam are three gratings.
The outer of these is of steel, the one next
beneath was, they say, taken from Nadir's tomb,
and is of silver, studded with rubies and emeralds :
the inmost grating is also of steel inlaid with
gold. Above the tomb are hung jewelled
aigrettes, daggers, swords, and other offerings of
254
•' '
SACRED SHRINE OF IMAM RIZA
such value that the treasure of Karun ^ is nothing
in comparison.
We pilgrims, after kissing the blessed lock,
moved round to* "The Foot of the Saint,'*
and here, after prostrating ourselves close to a
second gold-plated door, which is studded with
rare jewels, the appropriate prayer was read.
Continuing on, we moved slowly and solemnly
round to " Behind the Head," facing the " Old
Court." Thence by a narrow passage to "The
Head/'
In the passage all the enemies of the Iviam
are cursed, and Sayyid Mirza Ali called out, " A
curse be on Harun and on Mamun ! " to which
we responded, " Let it be more 1 " At the head
of the tomb the grating was again kissed, and,
after prostrations, the two prayers were read.
Thrice was the tomb encircled and thrice were
the curses pronounced, after which, with tears of
joy and in deep humility, we each lifted up our
hands to heaven and said : " O Allah, accept my
prayers and receive my praises of Thee and bind
me to thy chosen people."
• ... a
Thus, at last, was fulfilled the great desire of
my life.
1 Karun, the Korah of the Old Testament, corresponds to the
Croesus of the Greek world.
257 S
CHAPTER XV
THE PILGBIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
'llmnks be to Allah ! whatever my heart yearned for,
Ha«, at last, appeared from behind the curtaiu of fot«.
Upon returning to our lodging, I was visited by
Mirza Hasan Ali, a relative of mine, who greeted
me with the utmost respect and warmth. I
would mention that he himself is a poet . of no
mean qualities, and also a learned historian ; but,
alas I to-day, in Iran, His Majesty is too much
busied with the affairs not only of his own
empire but also of every corner of the world,
where his royal representatives reside, to be able
to reward his poets. Indeed, when I tell you
that Mirza Hasan Ali scarcely ever ivrites
poetry, but is occupied in trying to make
money out of a coal mine, where many men
have already lost their fortunes, you will under-
stand that the times have clashed together.
I was much pleased, however, to make the
acquaintance of a kinsman, whom I had heard of
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
for many years, and who I now learned had the
peculiarity of never finishing the house he lived
in, for fear that, once the house was completed,
he would die.
But I must not forget that my readers are
anxious for a description of some other of the
magnificent buildings of the Sacred Threshold,
and so I will ask them to accompany me to the
*'New Court." This splendid edifice was com-
menced by Fath Ali Shah of the Kajar dynasty,
and was enriched by Nasir-u-Din Shah, may
Allah pardon him !
The portico leading to the Shrine is termed
the " Nasiri Golden • Porch " in honour of the
great Shah, Nasir-u-Din, who paved it with
beautiful marble, and covered the walls with
golden tiles which dazzle the eyes.
After the Shrine there is nothing in Meshed
which can be compared with the mosque of
Gauhar Shad Aga^ who was, as has been already
mentioned, the wife of Shah Rukh, son of dread
Amir Timur, Lord of the Conjunction of the
Planets.
In the centre of the noble quadrangle is the
unroofed mosque of the " Old Woman." The
story runs that when Gauhar Shad Aga,
may Allah forgive her, wished to purchase the
land in order to erect the mosque thereon, an old
woman refused to sell one plot, but demanded
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THE SHIA WORLD
that on it should be built a separate mosque
bearing her name. So great was the love of
justice of the Princess that her petition was
agreed to, and thereby two women have obtained
undying fame, the one for her piety and the
other for her justice.
Now, O ye wise men of Europe, what is better
than justice, and what monarchs can the world
produce to compare with Faridun, of whom the
poet wrote :
Faridun the noble was not an angel ;
He was not formed of musk and ambergris.
From justice and generosity he obtained his reputation.
Do thou justice and show generosity, thou art Faridun.
This same monarch bequeathed the following
advice to his descendants as a priceless legacy :
Deem every day in thy life as a leaf in thy history ;
Be careful, therefore, that nothing be written in it unworthy
of posterity.
A nobler maxim than this no one has heard.
But Faridun was not the only monarch of Iran
renowned for justice throughout the Seven
Climates. For it is narrated that Omar, who
was subsequently second Caliph, and Muavia,
who was the first monarch of the Omayyad
dynasty, visited Madain, then the capital of Iran,
during the reign of Noshirwan. One of the
King's sons wished to purchase a mare belonging
to them, but they refused to sell it at any price,
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THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
and, ultimately, it was forcibly taken from them
by the servants of the prince.
The strangers complained to Noshirwan, who
inquired into the case, and finding their com-
plaint to be well founded, the mare was returned
to them with rich gifts from the- king.
Upon leaving the city on their return journey
they saw the corpse of a quartered man on the
gate; and asking for what crime this sentence
had been passed, were informed that the corpse
was that of one of the King's sons who had
taken a mare by force from some strangers.
Many years passed, the kingdom of Persia
had fallen into the hands of the Arabs, and
Muavia was Governor of Syria. There he
behaved in a tyrannical manner, and seized some
property unjustly. Complaint was made to
Omar, who was now the Caliph, and he, finding
that the charge was true, wrote to Muavia a
letter of one word, and that word was " mare."
The wretched man was preaching the Friday
sermon in the mosque of Damascus when the
epistle was delivered, and on reading it he fainted
and nearly died from fear ; and when he recovered
consciousness he immediately restored tenfold
what he had taken by force. Thus was the
justice of Noshirwan a shining light to the
Seven Climates, and, moreover, there is a
tradition to the effect that the Prophet, on him
26.5
THE SHI A WORLD
be Peace, considered that his own birth during^
the reign of so just a monarch was auspicious.
To resume, there are four porches in the
mosque of Gauhar Shad Aga^ which are con-
sidered to be unsurpassed for elegance of con-
struction, for loftiness, and for perfection of
proportion. The tilework, too, is so beautiful
that how can I represent it ?
In the Aiwa7i-i-Maksuray above which rises
the superb blue dome, stands an exquisitely
carved wooden pulpit of especial sanctity, as,
when the Day of Judgment is at hand, the
twelfth Iviam will descend on to it. May
Allah hasten his advent ; and may He grant
that we may ever keep the Day of Judgment in
remembrance !
But before quitting the Sacred Threshold I
would refer to Allah Verdi Khan, who is honoured
by being buried in a building adjoining the haram.
This individual was a noted general of Shah
Abbas, and ordered his tomb to be built during
his lifetime. When it was completed the
architect came to him, settled the account, and
then said, "The dome is completed and only
awaits Your Excellency's august body." The
great noble considered this to be a message from
Allah the Omnipotent, and four days after
hearing it he expired.
I will now refer briefly to the famous colleges
266
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
of Meshed, sixteen in number. In each of them
students are provided by the legacies of pious
men, not only with spiritual and intellectual
knowledge, but even with food and, in some
cases, with clothing.
In these colleges there are twelve hundred
students, not only from every province of Persia,
but also from distant India and still more distant
Tibet
Each student attends classes beginning with
syntax and ending with jurisprudence, theology,
and philosophy. This course, which is termed
"superficial," lasts nine years, after which the
student proceeds to Najaf, where for a second
period of similar length he attends the lectures
of the famous doctors of law.
Finally, when considered sufficiently instructed,
he receives a written certificate, sealed by the
principal doctors of law, to the effect that he has
acquired learning equal to their own, and is a fit
interpreter of the law, in which it is no longer
lawful for him to follow the opinion of another.
He then returns to his home, where he speedily
acquires a good practice.
Among these colleges is one situated in the
"Upper Avenue," which was endowed by a
certain Fazil Khan, who acquired his wealth in
India. One of the conditions he left in the
deed of endowment was that neither Indians,
267
i.
\
THE SHIA WORLD
Mazanderanis, nor Arabs were to be admitted.
Indians because they were miserly. Mazanderanis
because they were quarrelsome, and Arabs be-
cause they were dirty and unmannerly.
It is stated that an Arab applied for admit-
tance, and upon learning the reason why he was
excluded, exclaimed, "May Allah bless thy father,
O Fazil Khan, for thou hast spoken the truth ! "
Yet another college was endowed by a
Persian, who gained his wealth in a remarkable
manner. One day a rich merchant asked him
whether he was willing to work at a place to
which he would be conducted blindfold. Being
a fearless Kermani and very poor he agreed, and
was led through many streets to a courtyard
where the bandage was removed, and he was
ordered to dig a hole and bury gold coins and
jewellery. This he did for several days, and
being searched before he left, he saw no chance
of bettering his condition.
However, one day he saw a cat, which he
killed and ripped open. He then sewed up
some money and jewels inside it and threw it
over the wall. After this, when his work was
done, he wandered about until he found the cat,
and not only secured the money hidden in its
body, but also learned the position of the house.
Its owner shortly afterwards died, and the
astute Kermani bought his house with the gold
268
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
sewn up inside the cat, and as the merchant had
never revealed his secret to any one he became
his heir, and in turn, when dying, bequeathed
his money for the pious task of founding and
maintaining a college. May Allah pardon him !
More than one of these colleges, these seats
of the deepest learning, were visited by me, and
when I saw the eager students gathered round
wise, white-bearded professors, and listened to
the wisdom that flowed like honey from those
learned lips, I thanked Allah that he had ordained
Meshed to be a " Lamp of Guidance/'
After visiting all the centres of sacred interest,
Mirza Hasan Ali agreed one day to guide me
to the tomb of Firdausi at Tus, as it would not
have been befitting for me to leave Khorasan
without first honouring myself by such a visit.
Tus is situated some four farsakhs from
Meshed by the Kashaf River, and, even from a
long way off, its ancient walls and towers were
most conspicuous. Approaching the ancient
city we descended to the banks of the river,
and crossed it by the famous bridge which is
connected with the great poet.
As I have previously mentioned. Sultan
Mahmud treated Firdausi with great miserli-
ness ; but, some years later, he was riding with
his Vizier, and the question turned on whether a
269
4
\
THE SHIA WORLD
certain chief would submit or have to be attacked.
The Vizier, by way of answer, quoted :
And should the reply with my wish not accord.
Then Afrasiab*s field, and the mace, and the sword !
" Whose verse was that ? " inquired the
monarch, and, on learning that it was by
Firdausi, he repented of his lack of generosity,
and sent him a rich gift carried by the royal
camels, together with an expression of his
regret. But, as the camels entered the city,
they met the bier on which Firdausi was being
borne to his tomb !
Passing through the ruined walls we hastened
on, and at last Mirza Hasan Ali pointed me out
the spot where the poet lies. But, alas for the
honour of us Iranis ! there was no dome to mark
where Firdausi, the glory of Iran, was buried,
and not even a tombstone.
Allah knows how I wept for the disgrace
which I, as a poet, felt most keenly, and how
I repeated his poems throughout the heat of
the day, and more especially the lines :
All had been dead for ages past ;
But were restored to life by my poetry :
I, like Jesus, have infused Hfe
Into all of them with my verse.
Inhabited buildings will be ruined
By rain and the revolution of the Sun :
I, however, with my poetry have reared a noble edifice
That neither wind nor rain can harm.
270
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
This poem will pass tlirougli many cycles :
And all those who possess wisdom will read it.
I have undergone many hardships during thirty years.
But have brought Persia back to life with my Persian ^
poetry.
At length, wearied out by the journey and
my emotions, I fell asleep, and, in a dream, I
beheld Firdausi writing his poem. Looking
more closely, I saw that the poet was engaged
in writing the famous story of the sons of
Faridun.
It is related that when that illustrious
monarch became old he gave his eldest son,
Salm, the west, and Turan or Tartary to Tur ;
but on his youngest, Erij by name, he bestowed
Iran. The two elder brothers threatened to
revolt on hearing that Iran, their home and the
seat of royalty, was to pass to the youngest
member of the family, and Faridun was dis-
traught at thus ending his glorious reign.
However, Erij, who was the noble son of a
noble sire, heard what was the cause of his aged
father's grief, and, visiting his brothers, offered
to resign his crown rather than that there
should be civil war. But Salm and Tur, whose
mother was a daughter of Zohak, the accursed,
conspired together and decided to put Erij
to death.
While I gazed I saw that an angel was
^ The poet here boasts that he avoided the use of Arabic words.
271
i
THE SHIA WORLD
guiding Firdausi's pen, as he wrote the appeal
of Erij to his brothers :
Will ye ever let it be recorded
That ye, possessing life, deprive others of that blessing ?
Pain not the ant that drags the grain along the ground ;
It has life, and life is sweet and pleasant to all who possess it.
Scarcely had the last word been written than
I awoke and behold it was a dream, but I fell
down prostrate on the ground and thanked
Allah the Omnipotent that on me, a humble
poet of modem Iran, such a signal blessing had
been conferred.
My last visit to the Shrine was at night, and,
upon the whole, I was pleased that it was
lighted with the electric light, which is, at any
rate, free from objectionable matters, foreign
candles being, they say, made of even the fat
of the unclean animal.^
But yet I yearned to be back in the days
of Shah Abbas, who, after having performed the
entire journey from Isfahan on foot, undertook
the menial task of trimming the locally made
candles, thousands of which illuminated the
Shrine. On this occasion His Majesty was
attended by Shaykh Behai, who composed the
following quatrain : —
The angels from the high heavens gather like moths
O'er the candles lighted in this Paradise-like tomb :
^ 7.6. the pig.
272
ilojar Sylirs, fihot.
• •. ♦
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
O trimmer, manipulate the scissors witli care.
Or else thou may est clip the wings of Gabriel.
I have not, O inhabitants of Europe, described
to you the fort with its palaces, where a princely
Governor-General dispenses justice and main-
tains such order that Khorasan is as tranquil
as Kerman ; nor have I described in detail the
other buildings which adjoin the Shrine, for any
allusion to them would, as we say, be like taking
the foot of an ant into the presence of Solomon.
We had now completed our pilgrimage and
had visited everything which it was right and
proper to visit. We had even spent some days
in the cool country of Kuhpaia, where the
beautiful gardens and the running streams
surpass description. In short, there was no
reason for remaining any longer.
And yearning to return to Kerman took such
a hold upon Ali Khan that he kept repeating :
On Friday night I started from Kerman ;
I did wrong as I turned my back on my friend.
Indeed, we were all equally affected, and I
quoted the verses which Rudagi sang at Herat
to the home-sick A mir Nasr ibn Ahmad :
The sands of Oxus, toilsome though they be,
Beneath my feet were soft as silk to me.
Glad at the friend's return, the Oxus deep
Up to our girths in laughing waves shall leap.
Long live Bokhara ! Be thou of good cheer !
Joyous towards thee hasteth our Amir !
275
THE SHIA WORLD
The Moon's the Prince, Bokhara is the sky,
() sky, the Moon will light thee by-and-by !
Bokhara is the mead, the Cypress he.
Receive, at last, O mead, the Cypress tree !
No poem, perhaps, ever produced such sudden
effect, as the Amir leaped on to the saddled horse,
which was always kept ready for an emergency,
without even donning his boots, and left his
astonished courtiers to follow as best they might.
We too felt that the sands of the Lut
would be softer than silk, but not in the least
toilsome to pilgrims returning home from
Sacred Meshed, and soon we began to make
preparations for our return.
We had started on the pilgrimage in the
spring time, and we left Meshed, on our return
journey, at the end of the "Forty days of
Heat " ; and, AlhamduUllah 1 two months later
we reached Baghin, which is but one stage
from Kerman.
There we were met by many of our nearest
relations and oldest friends, and Rustam Beg
brought the Arab horse with the golden trap-
pings for me to ride.
The next day, at about a farsakh out we
were met by half the city, who congratulated us
so warmly and so lovingly, that, bursting into
tears, I said, "Allah is my witness that Shah
276
THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED
Namat UUah wrote the truth when he composed
the lines that " We are men of heart."
Escorted by relations and friends our joyous
party entered the city and passed through the
bazaars, where all the shopkeepers rose up in our
honour, and so to my house. Now my house is
by no means small, but when I represent that^
there was no room for people to stand even in
the courtyard, I have explained the matter.
At last my relations and friends had wished
me "May Allah protect thee," and, tired out
with the long journey and my reception upon
returning home, I retired to rest. But before
sleep like that of the Seven Sleepers overtook
me, a voice from The Unknown reached my ears,
a voice of such mellifluous sweetness that its
very tones brought repose to my mind. Thrice
it thrilled me with the words, " Thy pilgrimage
is accepted," and by the grace of the Imam^ to
him be praise, peace, perfect and infinite, filled
my soul.
Tamam Shud.
PROM AN KARTHENWARE WATER PIPE
277
r
r.lory be to Atkh
1, the Viee-retreiit of Allah,
Kultau Abul Hasan Ali,
Sou of iMuBH-ar-Kizn.
O CoQqueror of the
O Chief of the friends
O Source of Wonders
O Ali the ChoieD !
FROM A LACQUERED PEN BOX
EPILOGUE
I was meditating how to write the date of this work
In hidden but complete verse.
When Hatif{the Good Angel) put out his head and sang,
" This book of travel has been speedily completed,'''' ^
^ No Persian work can be concluded without its date being shown in
a verse, each letter 0/ which possesses a numerical value. In the present
instance, the number is A.H. 1S31 ; but by a poetical conceit, the H
in Hatif is ^' put out" or deducted, making A.H, 1326 (1908) which
is the year in which the book wa^ completed. The Persian text runs as
follows :
^.crr'^'t:'r
ft 'i/^6/^^
J
)
(
irr fi
279
/
/
Printed by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinhurgh,
i
*
-/i'*
(^
t^^r^'.tjr w
14 DAY USE
RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED
LOAN DEPT.
This book is due on the last date stamped below, or
on the date to which renewed.
Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.
REC'D LD
^ ^AR 2 1978 4 Q
f^B20t98? 9 >
Refj-"isJl-/
.;3V IS 1977
, &cnta Crr^ K>n^
RlO. ClR^iOV 23 '77
4fcAB^
\9«3ll
RECEIVED
MAR 24*67 -4 P»fc. Gift may 16 1279
AUG 2 7
LOAN DEPT.
8GCCUL M«
me
T,D 21A-0OW.1O/S5
(F7763sl0)476B.
\ . I
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