Show IN TEHERAN great importance of or the tile persian barber restriction set on christians Christ lans persian palaces one of the most common eights sights in the streets of teheran tebe ran ia is a man mari seated on the pavement against fu a wall ivall while a barber shaves the crown of his vis head the barbers trade ia is one of tho the most important in persia the thebus customs enjoined by the kt oran or religious law make it indispensable that barbers should abound in this country the koran makes it honorable for a man to wear a beard but commands the shaving ing of the head there are two great sects among those who accept the mohammedan faith the and the Sun nees the latter ore are all turks and wid they shave the whole crown excepting a tuft in the center by which the archangel Arel fangel may inay draw dra w them out of tl the ie grave but the persians are and they shave the center of the head from the forehead to the neck leaving a long curl on each side it atlis is curious to see even little boys with their heads beads thus polished the persians Persi aul consi derit a great gre at disgrace to their tide eide curla c As they all wear turbans or black conical caps of astrakhan lambskins lamb skins no one would suspect the head bead to be shaved until the th is taken ff then indeed athe appearance odthe of the head is exceedingly grotesque it is a evident that the care of the hair bair s a very in but this all one rarely feea a gray beard or gray locks in teheran even the most venerable men have dark or red hair the reason is is because all from the highest to the lowest dye their hair bir this is done first with henna which gives it a reddish tint many prefer to leave it thus but others add to the ibe henna stain of indigo indi go and the combination of the two colors fin imparts to the hair bair a dark brown hue the tails and manes maies odthe of the hores hor es are sometimes tinged with lienna henna those of the roya I 1 stables are dyed a beautiful color cheuse of red for curtains curi ains ahnin aw awnings nin and umbrellas is forbidden it is a color reserved in uch puch ca cases caes es for the tho palace and the king a alone one there are two other remarkable III i 6 r i D no Che christian istian is is ever permitted to enter one of the public paths these baths are on the plan of what are called turkish baths in america the Tle women bathe in the morning the 0 afi af tar the bath the bathers lounge in in aal 0 outer j boj and gossip and aud smoke for the women especially the weekly visit to is ig like resorting to a comans womans no a club cluba they take their sewing and embroidery and after the bath sit for hours chatting sewing and smoking the water pipe when the woman returns home from the bath she Is full of the gossip of the neighborhood and has plenty to talk about for a week to come in turkey all sects can visit the bath but the persians permit no one to bathe with them but the faithful followers of the prophet another restriction against christian christiana ig is tho the one forbidding them to enter t the h e mosque sor dan din places of worship and the shrines where the sainta are buried A christian however high bi his is r rank would undoubtedly lose his i life i if he lie should be found in one of these places this ia is really a serious loss to those who have a taste for art aa as tho the interior ot of bioni 0 of these mosques must be in id many cas of extraordinary ordinary beauty as well V M historic interest this I 1 can av r from paintings of some of these i ih terrors mado by persian artists pa aar well bell as from the glazed tiles occasionally sio nally stolen thence and eold sold to io foreign collectors at large prices the interior of these buildings is decorated N with exquisite taste add splendor with mosaics and colored tiles on afi which are written passages from the koran in gold 11 interwoven inte awo ven with vine tracery and arabesque designs the glazing is Is in some cases is then not less than years old as the art of making tins this iridescent ut alap e has been lost for ages but if we cannot enter the sacred building of persia becan we can at fit icat visit the pa palaces lapes teheran n abounds in these elegant resort of royalty some are still occupied by visited by nur nusret ed ieca while I 1 others are entirely deserted except by the keeper keepers ope of the most interesting palace of Tche ranis called Nega it was wit a built py r feth all ali shah grandfather of the king lie wail A monarch of great ability famous as a poet aid forlie for hi handsome and ma magnificent ent beard also for the number number of echia his the walls of the ap upper per half af pf of the audience cli chamber amber of this p pau decorated with an I 1 im ace are painting bya by a doense pan panoramic oram le pa tho t 0 persian artist representing es throne et eur r iring on his golden clief rounded by h bis a an and tha I 1 me men of his realm the figures are life size and the portraits excellent while as a study of costume this painting is invaluable it is one of interesting historical paintings in existence in this palace a prime minister of persia wag was strangled by the order offett of feth ali shah ghobad become jealous of his power nothing more poetical and artistic could be imagined than Nega the reigning king lives in the center of teheran in a jala palace CO called call edthe the ark or citadel it stands in the midst of a garden planted with superb shade trees the palace is approached through ma magnificent 91 ent gates faced with elegant cle ant designs uncolored in colored bricks a style of decoration which in might glit be well adopted in the united un ie d states at sunset musicians kiib horns and kettledrums kettle drums collect on the lofty loft Y gallery of the principal gate fiat fifty feet from the ground P and sen send forth a curious medley of sound over the city at the same time that the melodious voice voice of the muezzin summons the faithful to prayer singing bill g there is but one god and mahomet is his prophet then one may sea see the muleteer or the porter arte ny who is piously piou aly inclined kneeling 19 wherever he happens to be in th estreet and saying his prayers with ith many obeis ances then too he the great gates are closed and no ne can pass without a special order the muezzin muezzin again summons he the faithful to |