| Show r LETTER FROM TURKEY f Last evening Stamboul ti tithe k the annual occurrence of the sian scan sian or for In a- sein the murdered grandson 0 of Prophet Prophet Mohammed and wh 1 affair is fresh fr in my mind I wall down a few lines concerning W-i W horrible memorial of an equally horrible tragedy THE HISTORY of the murder of Hussein mayk may b briefly perused by procuring bookseller No 34 of Harpers Harper's lin Square Library containing a sketch through AIs Asiatic Turley Tu 15 cents The w whole hole nab n J which is well worth contains contains a couple of items red ito to the exhibition of madness VW this ItaC-this this article will shortly explain 1 a J 1 1 H K though they may differ a lit details is yet in the main they af are same Let me here say that brought up in a civilized unacquainted with the human t i at large and ignorant of theto the to which religious zeal and cism can be carried can form thing like an adequate of the sickening sights often on these occasions Far f benefit of those who may not ha D references handy I will just Ju 6 sue tion who Hussien was The Mohammed had no male hence those who wear theban the greef ban in Mohammedan court coun called ullah ie sons of Prophet of God are the offs Mohammed through his Fatima Fatima married Alt AU bosom friend of Mohammed J bore him two sons W 1 the Prophet said were the foremost sons of P These sons were Hassan an sein Hassan it appears died less and Hussein who with this his whole family was murd battle at on Ills his way lo ll sumo sume the governorship left o weak male child who r licame came the head of a host hosti i 1 THE KHANin KHAN f fin s sin in which the celebration t formed is a khan in Stamboul- Stamboul khan It is a very bUilding with a yard about a dred yards square In th the oe the latter is a big build barn barn with an almost flat roof 3 Jis is filled with Persian and To Tit ladies and children who co 00 oong h both both to mourn and see the farce The khan which d two stories has the rooms the yard filled fined with eagers The lower tier of rooms Ii handsomely decorated for the with a great variety of Pend Persists Per i i iother other Oriental chinaware V Vall Valid 11 i i- i i'm m all sizes and fine wo adorn the windows and 8 stars also specially erected Many Man chandeliers are removed tok for the evening and the quite an attractive one i j display of large huge glasses in and the black the khan indicates great g THE SPECTATORS I are a curious mixture of all alit but not so many d s I as one would naturally suppose Only Europeans European join from afar the others are business people living Jiving near r by aad and i Some of those e who come to see tee are as ax much mucha a curiosity ity as ax the tragic scene icene itse itself vIL vhf the ministers of the various governments with their families and friends They file in in tribes tribe of ef f twenty and upward and hire ilk where they can sit lit Quietly and aDd take In the evening Before the hour for beginning however they are de on exhibition Hence a crowd several men deep and numbering hundreds hundred line and occupy the front until the police have to interfere in order to thin down the gha la ba We hk crowd or mob During the last hours of the afternoon the Persian Pe ns make short visits to the khan and are treated to tea tea chat a little and then depart to the next n friend In I n the Valida khan khanI J about people gathered and I good food order was maintained but a strong police force was wai on duty assisted by about soldiers THE EXHIBITION OF MADNESS began b an at 12 o'clock clock a la Turk that thatIs ia sundown Rundown on the lOth of Mu- Mu Muharem Muharem Mu harem Sept b 6 5 The rhe first t warning ng was the sound of flute and cymbal curiously ly mixed to together ether and in- in intended in intended tended ended simply limply to signify mourning A Persian led the mourners mourner next to him were the band and fifteen standard bearers bearer then m men n with stick stick bare backS backs each carrying a loaded with a bunch of fine chains In his bic hand With this he had to tot tot-at j toj himself right and left over the theat thel old at a given iven signal N Next In order came the real business por- por porn tion portion n of the procession Two rows row of men in single ingle file file dressed in white their heads beads shaved and holding a sword in the right hand band while the Ole left was wax firmly clinched in his hi lie file Ie leaders leader's belt came in sight The procession moved slowly lowly hence plen plenty afy of time was wa extended to these unfortunate creatures to work up their eJr lr fury and fanaticism They brandished odi hed their swords worda and as they moved sideways tideway a step tep ahead they would stamp tamp with their foot in iD advance and at the same time I throw back their band hand and cry out I at the top of their vice H Husien Husien AH All Hassan assan Hussein Shahid- Shahid SWAMI with many more mort words word Calculated to inspire zeal For in- in inthe in-i in u inu Boa the Ule th right hand file cried martyr the left hand tile file Would respond Imam priest and so 80 ODe OB on These files were kept about eight paw paces apart and continued the larg large yard three times OCeR tonally portions portio stopping ing to have hav por- por por oa tio of the incident related and to U declare their intentions to suf- suf w suf-w suffer fer for the deed ed done so o tt sott by chanting Amen in concert and after the first march around the khan the chain beaters begin their beatin beating eon n drowning the blows blow The train train- ot 01 atthe about persons then flIes files file out o t of at the khan into another khan where the same thing is repeated occupy occupy- pY- pY inK ing g another half haJt hour This Thi ends end the Art theArt act The second act in the khan is performed by the theW breast breeR t beaters A zealot starts to toWee refer to the th tragedy and sings a o J short abort ch chant nt to which the gang responds Oh Oh Ker Ker- Ker-bela Ker belaY bela Oh and for et e ery repetition of Kerbel a they beat their naked breasts with their hands It isn't bogus beating either as DS is ia evident by the motion of the men and the clear and distinct sound of the beat The Themen Themen Themen men lean back bring over their right hand and with a full force of strength send lend their open hands vigorously ly upon the naked chest which is r bent forward to receive the coming stroke This is continued during the absence of the main body the men passing around the khan and s stopping at intervals crying Oh Oh is ia the place w where here Hussein was slain n and the name brings many old men into a real fit of sobbing after crying out aloud THE GHASTLY SCENE I or third act is la now at hand To add to the effect night has baa come on the whole khan is lighted up and lights of various colors varying with the vase lamps in which they were placed and torches and bonfires elevated to give a full view of the procession could everywhere be seen The procession is in headed by bythe bythe bythe the music and the standard hearers bearers as before before- but the horses which re- re represent were re-were present the martyred train were redressed and differently diffen decor decor- decorated decorated decorated three The The three horses in the first act were mounted as follow The first with swords and arrows the second with a year two-year-old child chUd the third being empty but h heavily veiled By the side fide ide of this a man manC C carried a child attired in white but butI besmeared with blood Now the I horses appeared a little were escorted by a double file light light- light bearing bearing company all chant chant- chanting chanting ing Next comes the whites s Well they are not altogether white now for some look aa as if jf a quantity of blood had been poured upon pon their h heads beads and it ran down both sides of the face over the he white clothing Large with oil freely poured thereon would suddenly flash up and amid the shouts of Hussein Hassan All Ali Hussein-Ali Shahid Imam one could oo see th the fanatics hewing away at their heads beads heads while others were following behind and w with fth large canes would parry off the blows which the madmen would aim at their own head b ad This they contin contin- continued continued continued to do during three circuits around the khan when they again disappeared through the large khan gate for or the other scene of of action not ceasing for one moment the cry concerning their heroes not even while passing from khan to khan Imagine the sight if you can Old m men n and young men frantically yelling and while holding to their file leaders with their left hand brandishing their swords and threatening suicide at cry step Happily for the par par- participators participators par they rather liked the world anyhow for a few were very sparing in the slicing of the naked scalps but others more to be watched and bandaged and men with water and sponges were on hand to wash off the flow flow- ing blood Some of the chain beat beat- beaters beaters beaters ers revealed that their their stripes had been light because their their backs bore no marks but oth others rs had beaten themselves raw Taken ai as a whole however this sight is a frightful one and would for strict police regulations ons develop into serious affrays The fourth act is a aI I repetition of the second with the exception that a company of school school- schoolboys schoolboys schoolboys boys responds Hussien Bussien in chorus to the chant of the 1 leading aUng teachers The fifth and last act was a repe repe- repetition repetition repetition of the 3rd only that the lead lead ing ing horse now carried a pair patr 1 of blood-besprinkled blood doves on the points of two crossed swords projecting upward on which were placed two apples representing the slain Hussein By this time the I procession moved speedily The whites now now about r were red red were alto alto- altogether z gether irregular in all their move move- movements movements movements ments and some BOme had fainted The boys were missing an and the two hours spent in pure and religious rage told plainly of the severity of 1 the ordeal x The excitement over one goes home wondering where he is He to imagine himself on the borders of civilization though such scenes as the above carry the be- be beholder beholder be beholder holder back to paganism But pagan Hussein memorial thank God your days are number number- numbered numbered ed The true light of this world will wi ere long dispel your darkness FRUS r e CONSTANTINOPLE Sept 6 1889 |
