The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com THE GLORY OF THE SHIA WORLD THE TALE OF A PILGRIMAGE TRANSLATED & EDITED FROM A PERSIAN MANUSCRIPT BY MAJOR P. M. SYKES, C.M.G. HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S CONSUL-GENERAL AND AGENT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA IN KHORASAN ROYAL GOLD MEDALLIST OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AUTHOR OF 'TEN THOUSAND MILES IN PERSIA' ASSISTED BY KHAN BAHADUR AHMAD DIN KHAN ATTACHE TO THE BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT AND FOUR COLOURED REPRODUCTIONS FROM PERSIAN PAINTINGS MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON [1910] Scanned, proofed and formatted by John Bruno Hare, at sacred-texts.com, November 2007. This text is in the public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1923. These files may be used for any purpose. Click to enlarge Front Cover and Spine The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. iii] PREFATORY NOTE Owing to the fact that a majority of reviewers consider The Glory of the Shia World to be the work of a Persian, whereas it has been written entirely by myself, it seems best to explain the precise position. I would state frankly that my ambition has been to write a second Haji Baba, which would serve as a true picture of Persia some ten years ago, before constitutional reform appeared on the horizon, just as Morier in his immortal work depicted it in the reign of Fath Ali Shah. The events take place in parts of Persia and Baluchistan with which I am familiar, and, throughout, I narrate what I have actually seen or heard; though naturally the names and circumstances have been altered. Khan Bahadur Ahmad Din Khan assisted me to collect information on birth, death, marriage, and the New Year ceremonies. He also described [p. iv] 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-General. MESHED, 7th January 1911. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com CONTENTS PAGE PROLOGUE (Persian and English) CHAPTER I MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH CHAPTER II A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN CHAPTER III A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT CHAPTER IV AN AWFUL TRAGEDY CHAPTER V MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE CHAPTER VI KERMAN, THE HEART OF THE WORLD CHAPTER VII THE DEATH OF MIRZA HASAN KHAN, MUSTAUFI [p. vi] CHAPTER VIII PAGE MY FIRST MAMURIAT CHAPTER IX THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR CHAPTER X THE PILGRIMAGE IS VOWED CHAPTER XI YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER CHAPTER XII ROBBED IN THE LUT CHAPTER XIII THE ARRIVAL AT THE SACRED THRESHOLD CHAPTER XIV THE SACRED SHRINE OF THE IMAM RIZA CHAPTER XV THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED EPILOGUE The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. vii] ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR Bijen in the Well Hazrat Ali slays Marhab Face page Laila and Majnun " Shaykh Sinan meets the Christian Maiden " IN BLACK AND WHITE PAGE From a Kerman 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) Mohamed Ismail Khan, the Vakil-ul-Mulk The Mahun Shrine A Design from Old Pottery (Tailpiece) From a Carpet (Headpiece) Sirdar Husein Khan and his Family The Fort of the Rebel Baluch [p. viii] PAGE Head, from a Birjand Carpet (Tailpiece) From a Tile of the Fourteenth Century (Headpiece) The Garden at Mahun Shaykh 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 Face page 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) [p. ix] PAGE 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 [p. x] PAGE In the Kuhpaia District From an Earthenware Water Pipe (Tailpiece) The Seal of the Imam Riza From a Lacquered Pen Box (Headpiece) Note.--The headpieces and other designs are drawn by Miss E. R. SYKES, from objects in Major SYKES'S collection. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. xi] Click to enlarge FROM AN OLD IVORY DAGGER-HILT Click to enlarge (Persian text) [p. xii] PROLOGUE In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Boundless praise and countless expressions of gratitude are due and befitting to that Lord of the Universe, in the understanding of the substance of whose nature the intelligence of the Wise and the deep thoughts of the Philosophers are confounded and stupefied. If dried grass can reach the bottom of the Sea: Then human intelligence can comprehend the substance of His nature. . . . . . . Salutations and praise be a sacrifice to the feet of the Presence of the noblest of the Universe and the Epitome of all that exists: the Sovereign who wears the ring, by which he is ordained to be the last Prophet, [*1] and who bears the Seal of Prophecy on his back. [p. xiii] Thou wert created before all the Mighty Sovereigns: Although Thou hast appeared the last, O 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 world, 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, the Victorious Lion of Allah, Ali, son of Abu Talib, on him be Peace! He whose birth place was the House of Allah [*1] and whose resting-place was the shoulders of the Prophet. [*2] The "Lion of Allah" has been born, Whatever there was behind the curtain has appeared. [paragraph continues] And thousands of praises be on the eleven descendants, who are the Signs of the Zodiac in the heaven of the Imamate; and more especially upon Ali Ibn Musa, Al-Rita, who is the eighth Imam [*3] and the seventh Kibla or point of adoration. [*4] . . . . . . [p. xiv] Nurullah Khan, son of Mohamed Husein Khan, of Isfahan by descent, has written these few lines, describing his life and his pilgrimage to the Glory of the Shia World, the Shrine of the holy Imam Riza, on Him be Peace, for the information of the inhabitants of the Seven Climates. In short this is composed That our memory may remain. From my readers, I beseech their prayers and beg that, if they perceive any error or mistake, they will cover it with the eye of forgiveness and overlook it because, No human being is free from error. Footnotes ^xii:1 This refers to Mohamed. ^xiii:1 This refers to the fact that Ali was actually born inside the haram at Mecca. ^xiii:2 The Prophet wished to destroy the idols at Mecca; and, to reach them, Ali mounted on his shoulders. ^xiii:3 According to Shia tenets, the Imams were spiritual and temporal successors of the Prophet by divine right. ^xiii:4 Mecca, Medina, Najaf, Kerbela, Samira, and Kazimain are the other six Kibla. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 1] CHAPTER I MY PARENTAGE AND BIRTH From the Desert of Nothingness to the Bazaar of Being: A naked mortal has arrived in search of a shroud. In the year of the separation 1276, [*1] 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 the 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 his learning has descended to you? Whether this verse applies to me or not I will leave to the decision of the reader who [p. 2] 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. [*1] My paternal grandfather was Haji Abul Hasan Khan [*2] who first discovered London [*3] 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. [paragraph continues] Indeed, such honours were paid to my ancestor of auspicious fortune, that I have been informed that he was offered the Order of the Jarretiere, [*4] 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, [p. 3] may Allah pardon him! my father and his brother found that they had only inherited debts, as the deceased Haji 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." So 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 Fath 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. [p. 4] Fath Ali Khan, Nuri, was, my father always declared, of so noble a character, of such prepossessing appearance and of such manly bearing, that the Shah-in-Shah occasionally condescended to term him Darya-i-Nur [*1] 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, [*2] the Governor-General of Kerman 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. [p. 5] My mother, may Allah forgive her! was the daughter of a Kajar nobleman whose father, after the capture of Kerman by Aga Mohamed Click to enlarge MOHAMED ISMAIL KHAN, THE VAKIL-UL-MULK [paragraph continues] 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, [p. 6] [paragraph continues] 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. [paragraph continues] In the first place, she shows an extraordinary craving to eat charcoal or Armenian earth. [*1] Of course, no exertion is allowed, nor may a graveyard 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 and 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, containing flour, butter, and sugar respectively, are prepared; on these the woman places her hands, [p. 7] 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 concluded, 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," [*1] 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. Moreover, 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 [p. 8] 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 disposition, 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 nightingale. The shrine, you must know, was built in honour of Sayyid [*1] Nur-u-Din, Shah Namat Ullah, 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 [p. 9] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 17] CHAPTER II A CAMPAIGN IN BALUCHISTAN "The Baluch are a people with savage faces, evil hearts, and neither morals nor manners."-- Mukaddasi. 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 Commissioner 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 remoteness, Baluchistan had only recently been subdued by the victorious Shah, Nasir-u-Din. In consequence, the Baluchis, hating Persians both as their conquerors and the introducers of civilisation, 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 [p. 18] 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 Rustam, and swore 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 Khan 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. [p. 19] [paragraph continues] 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." [paragraph continues] Whereupon I made bold to quote the following verse: Much travelling is needed to season rawness. [p. 20] 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 history 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 carefully examining it, I think that this is proved. In short, as the verse runs: [p. 21] 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 breakfast 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 I felt happy and proud that the Shah, may Allah make his [p. 22] 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; [*1] 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, [*2] 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 [p. 23] 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 mayest 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 [p. 24] 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 unbeliever; and so he was killed to save his parents suffering from his perverseness and ingratitude. Finally, he said, "I 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 a farsakh 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 gallbladder felt as if it had burst. Indeed, even at the first stage the supply of water was the greatest [p. 25] difficulty, as my father had arranged for 700 camels to carry forage and provisions; but to cross fifty 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. [*1] 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 [p. 26] 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 [*1] 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 [*2] Husein Khan, Nahrui, who was the leader of the Baluchis, was camped [p. 27] A farsakh from Bampur fort, and was, like all Click to enlarge SIRDAR HUSEIN KHAN AND HIS FAMILY. N. Wilson, phot. [paragraph continues] Baluchis, quite careless at night. He thus advised that he should be surprised in the dark. My father, however, like Iskandar Zulkarnain, [*1] [p. 28] 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 ambuscaders. 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 as 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, [*1] his great [p. 29] Click to enlarge THE FORT OF THE REBEL BALUCH [p. 30] [p. 31] war-horse, and, turning round, his face was so terrible with his eyes blood-red, that I felt that to be killed by Baluchis 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 Baluchis, 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, [*1] 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 Baluchis 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 [p. 32] 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 [p. 33] condescension to them 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 Kerman, where the Vakil-ul-Mulk treated him as his son, and the Shah honoured 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. Footnotes ^22:1 A farsakh is about four miles. ^22:2 Khedr is the Arabic, and Khizr the Persian form. ^25:1 A legendary garden lost to human gaze. ^26:1 To "eat sticks" is to receive the bastinado. ^26:2 Sirdar is a title signifying a high chief in Baluchistan. ^27:1 Sc. Alexander the Great. Zulkarnain signifies "Lord of two horns," an epithet implying might. ^28:1 The name of Rustam's famous charger. ^31:1 Amir is the title by which Ali is referred to by Shias, signifying thereby that he is the commander of the Faithful. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 34] CHAPTER III A PERSIAN ENTERTAINMENT Bring wine! let first the hand of Hafiz The cheery cup embrace! Yet only upon one condition No word beyond this place! HAFIZ. About a month after our return from the war in Baluchistan, 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 The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 50] 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 [*1] 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 [p. 51] 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, farsakh, 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 [p. 52] 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 The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 65] CHAPTER V MY BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE Now when once more the Night's ambrosial dusk Upon the skirts of Day had poured its musk, In sleep an angel 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 garden 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 effulgence doth no limit know. Goblet in hand, each blossom of the dale Drinks to the music of the nightingale. Celestial harps melodious songs upraise, While cooing ring-doves utter hymns of praise. Nizami's Laila and Majnun One day my uncle spoke to me with great kindness, 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 [p. 66] marriest such a woman," he cried, "she will be the prop and stay of thy existence." On the other hand, said he, as Shaykh Sadi wrote: A bad woman in the house 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. [paragraph continues] 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, [p. 67] 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. [*1] 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 bridegroom, 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, [p. 68] 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 improper, 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 [*1] 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 [p. 69] my hiding-place five ladies arrive. 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 I 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 [p. 70] 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 sweetmeats 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 [p. 71] delay so as to enhance the dignity of the proceedings. Then, however, I was, I fear, ill-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? [*1] [paragraph continues] Or again my famous verse, in which the four elements are mentioned: When 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 [p. 72] 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 containing 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 hammam, 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 sweetmeats, and sugar dust was sprinkled over her head [p. 73] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 83] CHAPTER VI KERMAN, THE HEART OF THE WORLD Although we stand abashed in the presence of the noble, It matters not, since we have drawn nourishment from this earth and water; On the face of the earth, there is no place like Kerman; Kerman is the heart of the world, and we are men of heart. Shah Namat Ullah. The origin of Kerman 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 would cherish the worm and feed it daily. Almost at once her spinning was completed, and [p. 84] 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 stratagem, 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 [p. 85] 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, Crying, "King Ardeshir his task hath finished!" Quickly the captain then came with his squadrons, Leading his mail-clad men unto the King's aid. I 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 [p. 86] 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, [*1] who built the palaces still called by The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 102] CHAPTER VII THE DEATH OF MIRZA HASAN KHAN, MUSTAUFI Many are the famous and many are the fortunate, Who have rent the garment of life, Who have drawn the head within the wall of the grave. Sadi. 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." [p. 103] 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 together. 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 fumigated 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 [p. 104] [paragraph continues] 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 successor 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 hopeless except for me, whose perception is phenomenal. 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 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. Therefore 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! for when a wolf, belonging to a buffoon, was brought in and [p. 105] 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 condescended 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 composed 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 in 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, "Wheresoever 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! [p. 106] It is recorded in the Book of Calamity, and runs as follows [*1]:-- 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 any 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. [p. 107] 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: [p. 108] I adjure you, by the names of Allah, those of you who live in buildings and those who reside in deserts and uninhabited 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, [*1] Mekiail, Sarfiail, Ainail, Kamsail, in producing these Jinns. Suddenly the soothsayer foamed at the mouth to make us believe that Shamhurash, 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! my dear uncle was dying, [p. 109] and, after mourners' tears had been administered in vain, [*1] 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 The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 119] CHAPTER VIII MY FIRST MAMURIAT A Mamur should be wise, A ready talker, sharp witted, And of independent disposition. FIRDAUSI. 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: "Alhamdulillah, after much trouble and discussion, your affair has been arranged. The Sovereign, may our souls be his sacrifice, condescends, in consideration of your capacity and efficiency, to order that you remain Governor-General of Kerman and Baluchistan." The Vakil-ul-Mulk, who was much pleased, [p. 120] at once gave the Telegraph Master, who brought the auspicious message in person, five hundred tomans, 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 Ullah." 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 governorship, 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 governorship, 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?" [p. 121] 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 [p. 122] [paragraph continues] 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 therefore necessary for me to explain their immense utility. The abdari 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 [p. 123] begged me to help them in their various cases. From Mahun we rode over a very lofty range, 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 insisted 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 [p. 124] responsible for the return of the pistol to its owner. When the Aga's 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 mullah's 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 Wind "Where is thy home?" It replied, "My poor home is in Tahrud; but I occasionally visit Abarik and Sarvistan." [*1] Well do I recollect that it was necessary to order the luggage to be piled against the door that night, and, although this precaution prevented 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. [p. 125] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 138] CHAPTER IX THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR Yet Ah, that Spring should vanish with the Rose! That Youth's sweet-scented manuscript should close! The Nightingale that in the branches sang, Ah whence, and whither flown again, who knows! Omar Khayyam. 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 [p. 139] 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: Saki, 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 [p. 140] predict the 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. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 161] CHAPTER X 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 [p. 162] 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 Governor-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 [p. 163] 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. [p. 164] 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, 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 outbreak 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 [p. 165] 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 mullahs, 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!" 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. Consequently, 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 [p. 166] [paragraph continues] 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, [p. 167] Click to enlarge MAHMUD KHAN [p. 168] [p. 169] 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." [p. 170] 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 Excellency was not pleased, and when in the afternoon 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 [p. 171] [paragraph continues] 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 expedition. 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! [p. 172] 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 [p. 173] which had been in the Khan's 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 entrenchments are still standing; but, seeing that there [p. 174] 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 No Ruz 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 City. 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 constructing a road. [p. 175] 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 that 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 arrangements, 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 experienced [p. 176] 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. The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 177] CHAPTER XI YEZD, THE PRISON OF ALEXANDER I was afraid of the Prison of Alexander; And fled to the Country of Solomon. [*1] Hafiz. 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 certain 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 [p. 178] 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 [p. 179] 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 Khan 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 underground, 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. [p. 180] 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 refused 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 dismissed. The Khan then spoke most affectionately to them and said, "O 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, Abdulla Khan held his donkey, and I shot the infidel, and Allah knows he bled like a pig." [p. 181] 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. [p. 182] The Governor at the time was Murtaza Kuli Khan, Afshar, who was appointed to this, a The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 191] CHAPTER XII ROBBED IN THE LUT Therefore we delivered Lot and his family, Except his wife; she was one of those Who stayed behind: and we rained A shower of stones upon them . . . and We turned those cities upside down. The Koran. We had 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 be Peace! performed the pilgrimage, known as the Farewell Pilgrimage, the angel Gabriel came to him at Mecca, with instructions from Allah, the [p. 192] [paragraph continues] All-Wise, to proclaim publicly 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, and 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 mankind, 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 [p. 193] 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, accompanied 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! 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, whereas the band of the Imam consisted of but [p. 194] 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! we reverence 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 Imam had been slain, the Imam himself, overpowered by countless 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! [p. 195] Click to enlarge LEADERS OF THE MUHARRAM PROCESSION [p. 196] [p. 197] The helpless women were stripped and insulted by their captors and also by the pitiless rabble on the way to Damascus, 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 Imam. Then came camels laden with tents, and innumerable 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 Imam's family, representations of the seventy-two [p. 198] 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 Imam, 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 mournful 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: [p. 199] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 214] CHAPTER XIII THE ARRIVAL AT THE SACRED THRESHOLD When Yunus fled into the laden ship; and Those who were on board cast lots among Themselves, and he was condemned; and the Fish swallowed him. . . . And We cast him On the naked shore, and he was sick; and We Caused 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, [p. 215] 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 Nama that it was at Kishmar, in the district of Turshiz, that Zoroaster planted a cypress, brought by him from Paradise, 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. [p. 216] 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 defended 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 entirely praise them, indeed they are noted throughout Iran for being dull and stupid; but then [p. 217] 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 [p. 218] 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-ul-Mulk, 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-ul-Mulk 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 [p. 219] 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 [p. 220] 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. [*1] 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, [p. 221] 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, [*1] on him be Peace! In those days, as I 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! 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 [p. 222] passing horse would split them; and, alas! 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 represent it? However, Mahavalat was not a stage of good The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 234] CHAPTER XIV THE SACRED SHRINE OF THE IMAM RIZA In the presence of the King what should he said but "I am ready?" It is not befitting to say, "Peace be on thee": This is the most sacred spot, respect 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 instruction 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, [p. 235] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 258] CHAPTER XV THE PILGRIMAGE IS ACCEPTED Thanks be to Allah! whatever my heart yearned for, Has, at last, appeared from behind the curtain of fate. 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! 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 writes poetry, but is occupied in trying to make money out of a coal mine, where many men have already lost their fortunes, you will understand that the times have clashed together. I was much pleased, however, to make the acquaintance of a kinsman, whom I had heard of [p. 259] Click to enlarge MIRZA HASAN ALI, THE POET [p. 260] [p. 261] 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 commenced 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 [p. 262] 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. [paragraph continues] 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, [p. 263] The Glory of the Shia World, by P. M. Sykes and Khan Bahadur Ahmad din Khan, [1910], at sacred-texts.com [p. 278]