GIPSIES--SUPERSTITIONS
A people resembling the Jews in that, like them, they are "found
scattered toward all the four winds of heaven, and there is no nation
whither these outcasts have not come," are the gipsies. They are to be
met with in every part of the Sultan's dominions, and in physical
appearance, manners, and character they are very similar to those in our
country.
Moslems and Christians vie with each other in holding them in
execration, and they are branded by the former as the _Kitabsis_, or
"bookless" nation, because of the unwritten form of their beliefs and
worship. Yet the presence of gipsy-girls at weddings and other
ceremonies is much in demand, in order to amuse the guests with their
dancing and singing, to the accompaniment of the tambourine or the
flute.
The men are frequently blacksmiths, or they rear horses and donkeys
(besides stealing them), and frequently earn something by the sale of
asses' milk, which is considered beneficial for chest complaints. The
she-ass is led early in the morning to the patient's door, and the
newly-drawn milk taken while quite warm and frothy.
The children, of course, beg and steal, but the most fruitful occupation
of the women is that of fortune-telling, the usual methods employed
being the reading of the palm of the hand and cards. A little mirror
placed in the bottom of a small box is also consulted.
But divination and fortune-telling is not limited to gipsies; tall
negro-women, with great rolling eyes, may be seen seated on the ground
in public squares, with groups of inquirers of both sexes around them.
They divine by means of beans or black pebbles (see illustration facing
Chapter VII.).
There is another class of soothsayers who profess to recover lost
property, and see or show the face of the thief reflected in the water
of a deep well. A valuable ring was once lost in a house, and no clue or
evidence could be obtained as to the culprit, so the services of a
diviner were requisitioned. He arrived at night, bringing in a bag a red
cock, which he professed would crow the instant the guilty party touched
it. The inmates of the house were all ordered to squat in a circle on
the ground; the cock was placed in their midst, and all lights were
extinguished. "Now," said the diviner, "let everybody rest their hands
on the cock." They all apparently did so, and lights were called for,
and an exhibition of hands was demanded. A red stain was visible on
every hand except one--that of the guilty maid-servant, who had not
touched the cock for fear of being betrayed.
Residents in Turkey have inherited many of the superstitions of the
Greeks and Romans, such as augury from the flight of birds, and the
entrails of newly-slaughtered animals, and faith in astrology. The
Sultan keeps a royal astrologer, who publishes yearly a list of the
lucky and unlucky days, and no one will think of undertaking a journey,
marrying a wife, or commencing business without consulting it.
At the birth of a child a horoscope is made out for his benefit,
indicating under what constellation he was born, and laying down rules
accordingly for his guidance.
On a certain day in March a peculiar kind of sweet, resembling and
tasting like spiced toffy, but coloured red and with a sheet of
gold-leaf stuck on it, is sent round to all palace officials. The
elegant bowl that contains it is fastened in bright muslin, and is tied
with coloured ribbons and sealed, and has to be opened and the contents
eaten at the specified moment indicated by the astrologer, in order to
secure wealth and felicity during the year.
When troubled with dreams or otherwise apprehensive of impending
misfortune, Turks believe that by hanging shreds of rags on the railings
of the tomb of an old saint the danger may be averted. The consequence
is that some of these shrines are literally covered and disfigured with
rags.
Dogs are also considered excellent subjects to which disease may be
transferred. The patient can effect this by feeding them.
[Illustration: A FORTUNE-TELLER]
A popular remedy for illness of any kind is to obtain from the _imam_,
or priest, a written text of the Koran and swallow it, and I have known
of doctors' prescriptions being taken the same way, and doubtless
with similar effect.
Another superstition is that, if a person has had a fall, water poured
on the spot will prevent its repetition.
A curious method for arresting the spread of infectious disease is to
surround the patient with a circle of some disinfectant, and during a
cholera scare I saw it applied to a man on the Galata bridge who had an
apoplectic stroke. The case was considered suspicious, and his body was
removed, but a circle of whitewash, like the markings of a tennis-court,
was drawn round the place where he had fallen, and the infection thus
imprisoned!
Scraps of paper thrown in the street are held in reverence and removed
by pious Moslems, because the Name of God may be written on them and
profaned if trodden upon; but another version is that all scraps not
thus collected by the Moslem will be scattered over the burning soil
through which he is to pass, after death, on the way to Paradise, and
will make his passage more painful.
CHAPTER VIII
SYRIANS, DRUSES, MARONITES, AND BEDOUINS
An account of Palestine having been given in "Peeps at the Holy Land," I
will not allude specially to it, although it belongs to Turkey. Arabic
is the language also spoken in Syria, which lies north of Palestine,
and in Mesopotamia, which is to the east.
Of the ancient towns of Tyre and Sidon, once famous as the capitals of
Phoenicia, nothing now remains but ruins on which fishermen dry their
nets. The inhabitants in the surrounding regions, however, still keep up
many of their ancient customs and superstitions, and, in a modified way,
Baal and Astarte are still worshipped.
The slopes of the Lebanon adjoining Beyrout are inhabited by the Druses
and the Maronites, who, since the year 1860, have obtained
semi-independence, and are ruled by a Christian Governor appointed by
the Sultan.
The Lebanon Ranges are very beautiful; they abound in aromatic flowers,
and bees yield an enormous production of excellent honey. They are also
the home of the cedar.
As already stated, a railway, starting from Beyrout, crosses the Lebanon
and connects it with Damascus, one of the most ancient cities of the
world. Damascus is also one of the most beautiful, the plain on which it
stands being a continuous garden, over fifty miles in circuit, rich in
oranges, lemons, pomegranates, mulberries, figs, plums, apricots,
walnuts, pears, quinces, etc. The town, through which flows a river,
contains several magnificent structures, including a splendid mosque,
which was once a Christian church, but the streets of the city are
squalid and dirty. One of the most interesting is that called Straight,
which St. Paul traversed.
Damascus has a large manufacturing industry, and among other articles
produces beautiful silks. It formerly produced those remarkable Damascus
swords, inimitable for hardness, elasticity, sharpness, and tenacity, as
well as for the beauty of their ornamentation. It gives its name to the
plums which we call "damsons."
Damascus is a great centre for the conveyance of merchandise to Bagdad
and Persia by means of camel caravans--those fleets of the desert. They
are accompanied by armed escorts, as their journey lies through a long
stretch of desert, inhabited by numerous Bedouins or Arab tribes, ever
ready to blackmail the caravan.
These tribes inhabit the Hauran during the spring, and move to the
desert in autumn. They own camels, asses, and sheep, and rear
magnificent horses, which are justly considered the most beautiful in
the world.
The Bedouins live in tents made of black goat's-hair, and their camp
looks from a distance like a number of grazing cattle. The tent of their
_sheik_, or chief, is distinguished by its greater size, and round it
are those of the members of the family. Before the tent-doors the horses
are tethered.
Family life among them is patriarchal, the sheik being priest, judge,
and ruler. With some tribes women occupy a high social position, and
menial work is done mostly by the men.
The Arabs subsist chiefly on dates, which they gather and store in
October, but when in the desert they live to some extent on the produce
of the chase, which comprises an abundance of gazelles, hares, and
quails.
These they hunt with greyhounds or with trained hawks. The latter, when
they see their quarry, swoop upon it, and pick at its eyes until the
hunter arrives.
The Bedouins live also on bread, which they bake in thin flat cakes, and
on milk, specially in its fermented condition, which they call _leben_.
Their butter they have to keep in summer in jars, as, owing to the heat,
it is then as liquid as oil.
The great province of Mesopotamia, where formerly stood Babylon and
Nineveh, forms the south-eastern limit of the Turkish Empire. Watered by
the Euphrates and the Tigris, it was once a magnificent agricultural
district, but the incompetency of its rulers has allowed the network of
canals, which distributed the waters of these rivers, to dry up, and the
country is now largely a wilderness.
Its population, the remnant of the Chaldeans, has also decreased, and is
poor. The houses are made with sun-dried bricks, cemented with bitumen.
The roofs are flat, and the lower rooms are underground, and are used
during the summer months as bedrooms, owing to the excessive heat.
The navigation of the upper reaches of the Euphrates is by means of
rafts, underneath which are inflated skins of oxen. On this raft the
traveller's tent is pitched, and he drifts leisurely down the river,
while the boatmen help it along with long poles.
CHAPTER IX
TURKS
Having summarized the customs of some of the people under Ottoman rule,
I must say something of the Turks themselves.
When a Turkish baby comes to this world no dainty embroidered linen and
warm bath await it, but it is dressed in a plain cotton shirt and a
cotton, quilted dressing-gown. Its limbs are then tightly wrapped in a
long shroud, so that it cannot move them. Frequently a cushion is put
between its legs before shrouding, and this probably accounts for so
many children being bandy-legged. The child is then rolled into a
quilted blanket, which is strapped up into a shapeless bundle, from
which a little head appears, wearing a red cap, copiously studded with
blue beads and seed pearls, as a protection from the evil-eye. The baby
is then laid in a wooden rocking-cradle, which has a bar connecting its
two raised ends, by means of which the cradle is lifted. Some of these
cradles are very beautiful, and are inlaid with ivory and
mother-of-pearl, and they bear appropriate inscriptions, carved in
Arabic characters on the woodwork, such as "Under the Shadow of the
Almighty," etc.
Among poorer people a canvas hammock takes the place of the cradle, and
in it the baby is carried out of doors, and the hammock swung between
two trees, while the mother attends to her duties.
On the third day after birth it is washed and presented to its father,
who shouts thrice in its ear the name by which it is to be known.
A festive reception is then held by the mother in her room, and streams
of women-visitors come to compliment her and peep at the infant. But the
poor little thing does not receive the baby-worship and adulation
bestowed in this country. On the contrary, it is addressed in insulting
language, and called ugly, and a wretch, and a monster, and is
deliberately spat upon--and all this in order to ward off the influence
of the evil-eye.
It is quite exceptional for a babe to be brought up in the East on the
bottle; should its mother be unable to nurse it a wet-nurse is procured.
Both mothers and nurses are singularly ignorant in the question of
upbringing, and many an infant dies through injudicious feeding after it
is weaned.
The love of Turkish parents for their children is excessive to a fault.
A characteristic story is related of a Turk who was so distressed at the
indisposition of his grandchild that he would neglect his business and
hasten constantly to the patient's room to inquire as to his condition;
and when the doctor ordered strict diet for a fortnight the anxious
grandfather compelled his whole household, including himself, to submit
to the same fare, for fear that the patient might be disappointed in not
sharing the food of the family.
To such extent do Turks carry their love for children that they will
adopt those of others, and bring them up with the same tenderness as
their own, and will provide for them in after-life.
Children, on the other hand, are exemplary in their respect for their
parents, and kiss their hands, and will not sit down, unless invited, in
their presence. Even when they have reached mature age their mother is
consulted, confided in, and listened to with respect. "My wives die,"
says the Osmanlee, "and I replace them; my children perish, and others
are born to me; but who shall restore to me the mother who has passed
away?"
Nor is this regard limited to the humbler classes; it is conspicuous in
the case of the Sultan, who, on his accession to the throne, elevates
his mother to the rank of Valide Sultana, or Queen-Mother, and requires
all persons belonging to his harem to swear allegiance to her. Her rule
is absolute, and even the Sultan's wives cannot leave their apartments,
or go out for drives, or shopping, without her permission.
The early childhood of both boys and girls among Turks is spent in the
harem--that is, the section of the house reserved for the women--but
until the age of twelve, girls are not subject to the restraints of
grown-up women, nor required to wear the veil, and they often accompany
their fathers in excursions or join the boys in their play. They even
attend the same elementary school, and, sitting cross-legged with them
on a mat, repeat the alphabet, or recite texts from the Koran given out
to them by the _imam_, or priest, of the mosque with which the school is
connected. These recitations are carried on in a monotonous drawling
tone, and the body is swung forwards and backwards, the _imam_ himself
setting the time by his own rhythmical nodding.
On their return home they frequently join their mothers and other
inmates of the harem in an afternoon's stroll. The Turks are great
lovers of Nature, and have a keen appreciation of the beautiful, but
prefer sitting down to walking, and generally spend their afternoons
resting under the shade of a great tree, or near the water's edge,
making _kef_, or, in other words, doing nothing.
They invariably carry with them a _boktcha_, or bundle, containing a rug
and picnic requisites, while one of the party carries a red clay
pitcher, with water. Water is an indispensable requisite with Turks, and
they will enjoy drinking it from the pitcher as much as from a glass.
[Illustration: A TURKISH LADY IN OUTDOOR DRESS.]
The rug spread out, the party will all sit cross-legged upon it, and as
other groups of women also congregate in the same place, dressed in
garments of variegated colours, you would imagine yourself amid beds
of many-coloured tulips, while the boys and girls playing around suggest
fluttering butterflies.
The enjoyment of the women consists in smoking cigarettes, and gazing
between each puff at the glorious scenery. Vendors of all sorts of
eatables surround them, and, we will say, a _shekerdgi_, or dealer in
sweeties, answers to their call, and places his circular tray, which he
carries on his head, on the tripod-stand which he rests on the ground.
The children flock around him, puzzled what to choose in that array of
Turkish delight and _shekers_ of every kind and colour. At last a choice
is made, and the sweets are placed in a brown-paper bag shaped like a
cone, and shared by the party. Shortly afterwards an Albanian selling
_halva_ as described in Chapter II., is called to contribute his wares.
Then walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts come in for their turn, then ices,
maybe, and something more solid in the shape of _simits_, or ring-cakes,
as shown in the illustration in Chapter II. At sunset the _boktchas_ are
made up, and the party wends its way home to partake of a more
substantial meal.
But should the night be bright, with moonlight, the party often start
out again, and prolong their enjoyment until late hours, or until a
policeman or old Turk passing by reminds them it is time to retire. It
is amusing, in connection with these moonlight promenades, to see the
women walking about or sitting with open sunshades to protect
themselves from the lunar rays, imagining, no doubt, that they occasion
lunacy.
Sometimes a too close proximity to the Bosphorus is selected for
spreading the family rug, and an unusually large wash from a steamer
passing by breaks unexpectedly on the shore, showering clouds of spray
over the women's heads. The cold douche sets them all on their feet,
screaming, and the bed of tulips now looks like one dashed by a storm.
But sometimes the ladies are more enterprising; a picnic to some distant
part is decided upon, and _arabas_, or carts, drawn by oxen or
buffaloes, are engaged. These conveyances are springless, and about 9
feet long by 4 feet wide. Those intended for excursion purposes have
highly ornamented boards of carved, gilt, and painted wood on the two
long sides, and an arched awning overhead, made usually of crimson
cloth, with gilt or silver fringes.
The yoke attached to the oxen's necks has also an arched projection over
it, on which tassels of various colours, and sometimes bells, are
suspended in two or more tiers.
The driver, in baggy trousers, short jacket (often dispensed with), and
a red fez, walks leisurely alongside the oxen, with a goad in his hand
to direct them.
The cart has no seats, but the occupants provide themselves with carpets
and cushions. The jolting on bad roads is, of course, tremendous, but
this is considered part of the fun of the excursion.
Packed as closely as possible, with the children to fill up odd corners,
the cart proceeds on its way groaning and creaking, while its inmates
roar with continued laughter, especially when an unusually big jolt has
jostled them together.
Having arrived at their destination, the carpets are spread out, and
while some prepare and lay out the appetizing viands, others disport
themselves in the fields, and return laden with flowers and with great
yellow marigolds stuck in their hair.
The repast may consist of such _hors-d'oeuvres_ as salted sardines,
black olives, caviar, and salad of _tchiros_, or dried mackerel. This
mackerel is the fish that in spring-time migrates from the
Mediterranean, where it has spawned, into the Black Sea, and is in such
an emaciated condition that the expression "thin as a _tchiros_" is used
in Turkey to designate a person of extreme leanness. Nevertheless, it is
caught and dried in the sun in such large quantities that the fields
over which they are suspended look blue from a distance. They are sold
by the pair, or "married couples," as the vendors cry out, and are
grilled, shredded, and prepared into salad with oil and vinegar, and the
tender leaves of the cummin (_tereot_).
Next to the _hors-d'oeuvres_ follow _dolmaz_ or rissoles of rice,
raisins, and pine-nuts, seasoned with oil, and wrapped and boiled in
vine-leaves. _Keftez_ or meat rissoles come next, and then the fruits of
the season, such as strawberries, cherries, and plums, or, should it be
autumn, grapes, peaches, melons, water-melons, figs, etc. Cheese is
frequently eaten with these fruits. _Hoshaf_, or the sweetened water in
which fruit has been stewed, is generally drunk during meals, and when
the humble repast is over, coffee is prepared, and served round in
little cups which will barely hold an ounce.
Turkish coffee owes its excellence to the beans being newly roasted and
newly ground. The grinding is done with a small machine, which
pulverizes the beans very finely. The coffee is prepared in a special
brass pot, the bottom of which is wider than the top. A teaspoonful is
put in for every cup required, and the water is gently brought to a
simmer over a slow fire. The coffee is allowed to rise thrice, and after
resting the pot for a minute for the grounds to settle, it is poured out
into the cups and drunk while quite hot, with or without sugar. The cups
containing a creamy foam are the most recherche. The dregs are not
drunk. The illustration on the cover of this book shows a Kafedji in the
act of preparing coffee.
Before and after partaking of food, hands are washed, and this is all
the more necessary, as meals are eaten with the fingers, the party
sitting round a low tray, and dipping into a common dish. Should the
hostess desire to confer a special attention on a guest, she takes up a
dainty morsel in her fingers, and exclaiming _Buyrum_ (Welcome), places
it gently into the guest's mouth. It would be the grossest insult to
refuse. Cigarettes invariably follow, and then comes the lounging and
the sleeping, and the return home with the lingering rays of the setting
sun.
Accompanying the _Arabas_ large parties of Turkish women and children
may often be seen riding astride on donkeys, with donkey-drivers at
their heels. No Oriental or Turkish lady would think of riding
otherwise, and it is reported that quite a sensation was created when a
European lady was first seen riding on a side-saddle. The conclusion was
that the unfortunate creature had lost a leg, and people wondered how
she could keep on with only the other.
But perhaps the pleasantest method of locomotion is by _caik_--that
daintiest of all boats that float on the surface of the waters. Slender
and tapering, its side view may be compared to a half-bent long-bow, and
when looked upon from above to two such bows lying opposite each other,
string to string. A picture of a heavy sort of _caik_, used for ferrying
passengers across the Golden Horn, may be seen in the frontispiece. A
_caik_ is about 20 feet long by 4 feet broad in the middle; it is
constructed with slender boards, and is only decked at the bows and the
stern. The boatman sits on a seat in the middle of the boat, and its two
to four passengers on cushions in the bottom, while a servant sits
cross-legged on the raised stern. The oars are long and slender, with a
peculiar bulge at the upper extremity to balance them. They are fixed to
the rowlock peg by leather thongs, which the boatman continually
greases. He is clad in a shirt of transparent gauze, with long hanging
sleeves, and bordered round the open chest with a scalloping of
needlework. His feet are bare, his ample trousers are of white cotton,
and his shaven head is only partially covered by a red fez with tassels
of purple silk. At each stroke of the oars the arrowy boat flies and
skims the waters like a thing of life. Yet, though swift and graceful,
the _caik_ is not so safe nor commodious as an ordinary boat, and in
this practical age the _barka_ is rapidly replacing it.
Friday, the Turkish Sunday, is _par excellence_ the day for excursions
during the summer to Geuk-sou or the Heavenly Waters, a lovely spot on
the Asiatic shores of the Bosphorus. A rivulet there discharges itself
into the latter, and hundreds of boats may be seen shooting towards it
from all directions. A vast concourse of people meet and sit on rugs or
low stools, making _kef_ under the shade of superb Oriental plane-trees
which abound on that spot, and while sipping coffee or smoking
hubble-bubbles, they watch the various performances going on for their
benefit. Here is a Punch and Judy show, called _cara-geuz_, or the black
eye, closely resembling our own, and equally popular with the children.
There goes a _Pomak_ with a huge Olympian bear, fastened through the
nose with a ring; it has been trained to dance at the sound of a
tambourine played by its master, and then to go round with it for
coppers. Children are always delighted with the bear-show, but the
street-dogs set up a tremendous barking, and their cry of alarm is so
peculiar and distinctive that one can always tell from the sound when a
bear is in sight.
There is frequently also on these occasions an open-air theatrical
performance on an improvised stage, but the acting is coarse and vulgar,
and admission is generally limited to men.
Of course at this, as at every open-air gathering, vendors of eatables
and temperance drinks abound.
Among them I may enumerate _yiaourtgis_ or sellers of that curdled milk,
resembling curds, which is now so largely advocated in this country for
promoting longevity. It is sold in little bowls, carried in two wooden
trays, which are suspended like a pair of scales on either side of a
yoke thrown over the shoulders. _Dondulmagis_ or ice-cream vendors, who
also carry their burden over the shoulders, one side containing the
ice-cream box wrapped in folds and folds of snow-white sheeting, and the
other a polished brass receptacle for spoons, cups, and saucers, and
water to wash them after use.
A brazier with live coal may also be seen, on which heads of Indian corn
are roasted, and greedily munched by the purchasers. _Hoshaf_ and
_sherbet_, or syrup vendors, are also there, with a stand for bottles
and glasses, and an ingenious contrivance for revolving, by means of
dropping water, a small wheel or paddle, the flaps of which strike
against a glass and produce a merry jingling sound which draws
attention.
The charm of this concourse of people is the primitive orderly enjoyment
of outdoor life, without the disgraceful accompaniments of drunkenness.
CHAPTER X
THE FAITH OF ISLAM
A peep at Turkey cannot be complete without a passing reference to the
religious beliefs of its people, but space will only allow me to mention
those of Mahomedans.
Broadly speaking, without counting Arabia, there are 13,000,000
Mahomedans or Moslems, as they are also called; 12,000,000 Christians;
and 1,000,000 Jews and members of other persuasions. In Asiatic Turkey,
Mahomedans form the majority, but only the minority in European Turkey.
Moslems are the followers of Mahomet, who was born in Mecca, Arabia, in
the year 569 of our era, and declared himself to be the Prophet of God,
sent to introduce a fuller revelation of Him, which was to supersede
Judaism and Christianity.
The Koran, which was the great book of his faith, was declared to have
been revealed to him by the Archangel Gabriel. The Koran claims to be
the completion of the Law and the Gospel, and it proclaims Mahomet to be
the last and greatest of the line of prophets, among whom is included
Jesus Christ, but whose divinity is denied.
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED I.]
The new faith, which received the name of Islam, implying submission to
God, was a protest against the heathenish practices of his countrymen in
Arabia, and the worship of the Saints and the Virgin Mary among the
Christians. The corner-stone was the unity of God, and its leading dogma
was expressed in the formula, "_La illah il Allah_" ("There is no God
but God"), to which was added, "_Mohamet Resoul Allah_" ("Mahomet is the
Prophet of God").
In addition to the unity of God, Moslems believe in the existence of
good and evil spirits, in the efficacy of prayer, and in a future life
with its rewards or punishments.
Prayer with them is homage which the worshippers are required to offer
five times a day, according to a fixed ritual, with prescribed
genuflections, prostrations, and touching of the ground with the
forehead.
When the hour of prayer arrives they will suspend their occupations,
spread a rug facing Mecca, and pray wherever they happen to be, shaming
Christians by their disregard of ridicule.
The summons to pray or to attend the mosque is made by the _muezzim_ or
crier, who ascends the minaret or tower, attached to the mosque (see
frontispiece), and from its balcony proclaims the Unity of God, and
invites believers to prayer, as follows: "Come to prayers, come to
prayers. God is great. There is no God but God." To which, at dawn of
day, the exhortation is added: "Prayer is better than sleep, prayer is
better than sleep."
Before prayer Turks wash their hands, feet, and faces, and remove the
shoes from off their feet. Lines of fountains are found outside the
mosques for these ablutions. The head of the worshipper remains covered.
Among the observances enjoined upon Moslems are those of charity,
fasting, and pilgrimage.
They are bidden to lay aside one-tenth of their income for religious or
charitable purposes. Their fasting takes place during the holy month of
Ramazan, and lasts from morning twilight to sunset. Abstinence from
food, drink, and smoking must be total. At sunset a gun announces that
the day is over, and feasting commences and lasts all night. The day is
thus transformed to night, and the night to day.
The pilgrimage enjoined is to Mecca, and has to be performed by every
Moslem at least once in his lifetime, either in person or by proxy. He
then acquires the title of _Hadji_, or Pilgrim, which he prefixes to his
name. The shrine or temple visited at Mecca is called the _Caaba_, and
tradition records that it was there Hagar discovered the well Zem Zem,
which saved Ishmael's life, and that the latter, assisted by Abraham,
built a tabernacle. An angel brought the corner-stone, which all
pilgrims go and kiss. It was originally of crystalline whiteness, but is
now coal-black, owing to its absorption of the sins of worshipping
pilgrims. On the Day of Judgment it will testify in favour of those who
kissed it, whether men or women.
The first mosque was built by Mahomet in Medina, and was of a very
simple structure. But as his successors grew wealthier and more
powerful, they vied with one another in the magnificence of the
buildings erected for God's worship. They were more or less on the model
of the Greek churches around them, lofty, and surmounted with a circular
dome imitating the canopy of the sky. The dome is covered with lead and
on the spike that crowns it is a gilt crescent. The apex of each minaret
is also covered with lead and tipped with gold. The dome and the
minarets standing side by side remind one of the umbrella pine-tree and
the cypress--so characteristic of an Eastern landscape.
The interior of a mosque is a mixture of simplicity and grandeur. The
dome is supported by columns, which, in the case of the mosque of Sultan
Achmet, represented in the illustration facing this chapter, are inlaid
with coloured tiles, and decorated with verses from the Koran. The
sunlight streams in from the numerous windows encircling the dome, or
from those on the walls of the mosque, many of which are of beautiful
stained glass, but without figures of any kind, as Moslems consider this
would be breaking the commandment relating to images.
All mosques point toward Mecca, and at the Mecca end stands a _mihrab_,
or niche, from which the _imam_ conducts the devotions. Beside it,
supported by pillars, is a terrace for the choir, which consists
entirely of men. They chant, seated cross-legged on rugs. South of the
_mihrab_ is the _minber_, or pulpit, from which prayers and addresses
are delivered on Fridays. The pulpit in Sultan Achmet's mosque (see
illustration) is a masterpiece in marble, and a copy of that in Mecca.
Stands for Korans, shaped like the letter X, and inlaid with
tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, are placed about the building for
public reading, and from the roof hang chandeliers on which are attached
numerous lamps fed with olive oil. Interspersed among the lamps are
ostrich-eggs and glass-ball ornaments.
Mosques are not seated, but mats and carpets are laid on the stone floor
for the use of the faithful. "The luxurious inhabitant of the East, who
in his _selamlik_ is wont to recline on cushions, does not pass into the
House of God to tenant a crimson-lined and well-padded pew; he takes his
place among the crowd--the _effendi_ stands beside the water-carrier,
the _bey_ near the charcoal-vendor--he is but one item among many; he
arrogates to himself no honour in the temple where all men are as one
family."
There is a mistaken idea that Moslems consider that women have no souls,
and need not perform devotions. The Koran is explicit to the contrary.
They may not worship in the mosques with the men, but groups of them are
met, worshipping apart, and during the Ramazan special services are held
for women.
Among the various Orders of Dervishes, or Moslem Monks, are those of the
Ruffai Order, or Howlers, illustrated in Chapter XI. They are the most
fanatical, and meet in a rectangular building to perform their
devotions, the idea being to produce such an ecstasy of the soul as will
separate it from the body and enable it to contemplate God.
Their sheik, or chief, takes his seat on a carpet, while his followers
sit in front of him and repeat passages from the Koran. They then stand
and repeat their formula of faith, "_La illah_," etc., bending forward
and backward at each syllable. This recital, which is at first slow,
becomes more and more rapid, until you can only distinguish the
syllables _il_ and _lah_. The sheik then stamps his foot, and the
Dervishes, growing frantic, quicken their swinging motion, shouting
_lah_, and interposing every now and then the exclamation _Hu yia hu_,
implying "He, O He" (is God). The ninety-nine names or attributes of God
are then recited, while the sheik counts the ninety-nine beads of his
chaplet.
When the last bead is reached their fury knows no bounds, and, holding
each other's hands in a circle, they swing forwards and backwards until
they foam at the mouth, and, falling exhausted to the ground, lie in an
apparent trance. This they claim to be spiritual ecstasy!
Another sect, the Mevlevis, find this ecstasy in whirling until they
sink exhausted. The third Order the Bektashis, who are the most
tolerant, maintain that the contemplation of God can be best attained by
their carrying out their motto, "Keep thy tongue, thy hand, and thy
heart," and by the observance of His precepts.
CHAPTER XI
GAMES
The Turk is too indolent by nature to care for any sports requiring
physical exertion, and he would rather be a spectator than take an
active part in them. There is, besides, a feeling among those that have
reached the age of manhood, especially if they are holding some
Government office, that their dignity would be lowered if they were seen
engaged at play.
A very interesting and pretty sport is the _djirat_. Two companies of
horsemen, armed with muffled lances, or in some places the stalks of
palm-leaves, give each other chase. The pursuers hurl their missiles
when at full speed, and those assailed endeavour to avoid the stroke or
to capture the weapon.
Watching ram-fights is a favourite recreation, and crowds gather round
the village green to witness these huge creatures, with their long
crumpled horns, dashing at each other at full speed. Their heads strike
with a resounding thud, and you expect that a skull or two will be
broken, but no, it is only fun, and the rams caper gracefully back, to
return again to the charge.
Cock-fights are likewise in repute, and in Cyprus a spur is grafted on
to the crest of the bird, giving it the appearance of a sort of winged
unicorn.
Professional wrestling is much enjoyed. The two contending parties or
_pehlivans_, as they are called, are frequently a negro and a white man;
their attire is nothing but a leather pair of drawers. Their bodies are
smeared over and made slippery with abundance of olive-oil. The struggle
commences by their measuring distances and touching each other's
shoulders; then they manoeuvre about and dodge each other, and finally
come to grips, until the stronger forces his opponent to the ground.
Turkish wrestlers are so celebrated that they often find their way to
this country.
Another entertainment is the "Shadow Pantomime." This performance
consists in throwing shadows of little cardboard figures against a
curtain, on the other side of which the spectators are seated. The
exhibitors, carefully hidden from sight, work their marionettes with
strings and wires, and are clever in making them move and bow, strike
each other, and perform all sorts of feats and somersaults, while a
ventriloquist makes them carry on the most animated conversation.
Horse-racing is seldom indulged in in Turkey, except among European
residents. An effort made several years ago to introduce racing failed,
because, it is alleged, foreign jockeys dared to allow their horses to
beat the Sultan's stud. Occasionally, however, Turks get up children's
races; they strap the youngsters to the saddle, give them the reins, and
speed the horses off with a tremendous swipe.
Fox-hunting is not only unheard of, but is prohibited as cruel, and a
Spanish bull-fight was attempted last year for the first time, only on
the understanding that no blood would be shed.
Football has recently come somewhat into fashion, but it is only
occasionally that the real game is played. Departure from rule is
preferred to its observance, and often the game consists of mere kicking
of the ball from one to another. This is done with great swagger and
conceit, but without any of the true sporting dash.
Tennis is played to some extent, and bicycling is fairly popular, but
principally because it allows the rider to show off.
There are some keen sportsmen among the Turks; and hunting the wild boar
offers lively sport coupled with a zest of danger, as these savage
animals, if not killed outright, often turn and rip their assailants
with their powerful tusks.
The "gentle art" of fishing is largely indulged in as a recreation, and
the Bosphorus yields excellent sport. The favourite fishing there is
that of the _lufer_, which weighs from 1 to 3 pounds, and is caught by
night, with bright lamps throwing down a beam of light from the boat
into the water. A peculiar hook, soldered to a sinker, which is
brightened with mercury, is used. Gourmet fishers often take a brazier,
with live coals, in the boat, and grill and eat the fish as soon as
it is secured.
[Illustration: A HOWLING DERVISH.]
Chess--that most antiquated of games--is known under the name of
_satrach_, and differs somewhat from our own, but is as highly
scientific. However sceptical we may be about the story in the "Arabian
Nights" of the monkey which played chess with a Grand Vizier, I can
vouch for the accuracy of one regarding an Armenian banker who played it
with Sultan Aziz. The stakes were properties belonging to the Crown, and
so successful was the banker that, finally, his landed possessions
extended from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea.
Backgammon is a favourite game; draughts differs slightly from our own,
and there is a peculiar form of it played with pebbles, on a checkered
board traced on a stone.
Cards are played to some extent, but as gambling and games of chance are
forbidden by the Koran, cards are looked upon with suspicion, and their
use discouraged. So also is betting, which ensnares young and old in our
own country.
Among games for boys I may mention top-spinning. Turkish tops are made
from hard wood, turned in a lathe, and painted with bands of various
colours. They are spun with the thumb and the finger, or with a string,
and then kept in motion with a whip and cord. A point in the game is to
direct the top so that it should bump against the opponent's, and topple
it over.
Kite-flying is popular, and in early spring hundreds of kites may be
seen flying from the terraces over the house-tops. They are shaped like
our own, and are made with bright-coloured paper, with long tails of
paper strips. Little splints of wood or cane are attached to the tail
for the purpose of entangling and capturing other kites. This is done by
manoeuvring them about, letting them drop momentarily or rise
suddenly, so as to swoop over their adversary and capture it. When these
air-ships have boarded, both the fliers pull in the string as rapidly as
possible, and it sometimes happens that the vanquished kite is after all
the victor.
Hop-scotch is as ancient as the hills, and is played in Turkey in much
the same way as with us. So also are marbles and tip-cat, with the same
risks, in the case of tip-cat, to the eyes of beholders as in this
country.
Walnuts enter largely into the composition of boys' games. One of these
consists in rolling them down a sloping board, each boy playing in turn.
The person who hits any of the nuts on the floor appropriates all he can
gather. The game goes on, each player retiring when his stock of walnuts
is exhausted. Another game is that of placing the walnuts in a ring, and
throwing (not rolling) other nuts at them from a distance. All displaced
walnuts belong to the displacer.
Knifey, or _bitchak_, as it is called in Turkey, is popular among girls
as well as boys. They sit in a circle on the village green, and, placing
an open pocket-knife on the back of their hand, throw it up in the air
so that it shall on descending stick in the ground. Knuckle-bones is
allied to the above, and is played with five bones, as with us, and with
much the same variations.
_Pendavola_, or five pebbles, is the Greek name of knuckle-bones, when
played with stones instead of bones. Both the above games date back to
remote antiquity, and exist in some form with every nation.
A practice indulged in by boys and young men is that of bird-catching by
means of nets, snares, or bird-lime twigs.
In autumn, when Nature shows the first hectic flushes of decay, and
birds know that winter will soon be upon them, innumerable flocks
traverse the regions around Constantinople on their way south. Quails
arrive by scores of thousands, and, exhausted with their flight over the
Black Sea, they alight near the mouth of the Bosphorus, and are easily
caught in nets, and served on the tables of even the poorest
inhabitants.
Smaller birds also, such as bullfinches, goldfinches, and other finches,
linnets and the like, are on the wing, and to secure them bird-lime
twigs are placed on an isolated tree, or one improvised for the
occasion, and a booth is constructed near it, in which boys hide and
watch unobserved. Some half-dozen birds of various kinds are tied by the
leg to a long string, one end of which is held by the occupants of the
booth, and when a flock of birds is seen in the air these decoys are
made to rise. Their chirping attracts the attention of the birds
overhead, and, alighting on the tree, the great majority are glued to
the twigs. The best are put in cages and sold as song-birds; the
remainder are killed, and strung with twine through their bills, they
are sold for food. Roasted and mixed with _pillaf_, the national rice
dish, they are most savoury.
In contrast to this inhospitable reception of Nature's winged songsters
while travelling through the land, it it pleasant to visit the
bird-market, and there see venerable Turks opening their purses and
buying as many of these captives as they can afford. They then throw
open the prison-doors, and as the birds fly skyward with chirps of
delight, the faces of the liberators grow radiant with satisfaction.
My list of games and sports is by no means exhausted, but I must close
it by referring to stone-throwing, which, although not exactly a game,
is in universal practice among boys, and even girls. To such an extent
is it carried that dogs attacking you will often disregard a stick, but,
remembering their sad experiences with stones, will take to their heels
when you stoop to pick up one.
The writer himself still carries a lively impression of a fight carried
on with these missiles. The scene of this skirmish, which took place
when he was a boy, was near the seashore of a village on the Bosphorus,
where he and one or two English boys met a squad of Turkish children.
The latter took refuge behind a row of Turkish houses, and stones were
thrown by both parties over the roofs. They fell fast and thick from the
unseen foe, until at last one, doubtless thrown "at a venture," hit the
writer on the head, and made the impression already referred to.
CHAPTER XII
DOGS
Everybody has heard of Turkish dogs, and I am sure you will consider
this book incomplete if I pass them over in silence.
Their origin is shrouded in mystery, but naturalists would probably find
them allied to the wolf and the jackal.
Tradition, however, has it that they originated in Tartary, and followed
the Mongolians and Turks across the steppes, gorging themselves on the
carnage of a thousand battle-fields, and finally settling down with the
conquerors.
How much truth there is in this gruesome legend it is impossible to say,
but the fact remains that wherever the Turk is found, there, too, the
ubiquitous _kiopek_, or _skilo_, is seen. Nor does it seem to exist
north of Vienna--that outermost ring of Turkish invasion. Dogs, very
like _skilos_, are to be met in Hungary; you have no doubt of their
existence when you cross the Danube into Servia; they are numerous in
Bulgaria, and you fall into the thick of them when you reach
Constantinople, where until recently they were supposed to number
80,000.
In size and appearance they resemble the short-haired Scotch collie, but
without the sharpness of nose, and their ears are shorter. With all the
instincts of the nomad--unkempt, unkept, and owning no master--their
home is the street, where they are born and die, a boon and a bane to
mankind. They are the former because they are the scavengers--sometimes
the only scavengers--that clean the streets of the refuse thrown into
them, and which would otherwise putrefy and breed disease. They are the
latter because they collect at night over refuse-heaps, and fight, bark,
and yell over the disputed possession of coveted morsels. Their noise
disturbs your slumbers and irritates your nerves. Then, lying as they do
in the street, you might in the darkness stumble against one, and
experience in return something hard and sharp, which would send you
howling in your turn.
But _skilos_ do not thrive on refuse alone; they hang about butchers'
shops, and are plentiful near the Sultan's palace-kitchens and soldiers'
barracks, where remains of food are dispensed to them. At the Ministry
of War, in Stamboul, a special man is employed to give them fragments of
the soldiers' bread. These he carries in a capacious hamper on his back,
and, holding a thick stick in his hand, he proceeds to the public
square, where hundreds of dogs await and surround him. His first action
is to clear a wide circle with his stick around him, and then he
suddenly empties the contents of his hamper. A rush and charge of
_skilos_ follows. They tumble over one another in that hissing sea of
dogs, but do not seem to mind, provided they can seize a fragment of
bread and bolt away. There is strategy, however, even in dogdom, and
some, more cunning and fleet-footed than others, do not join in the
scrimmage, but quietly await the result at some point of vantage, and,
spotting any dog that retires laden with spoil, pursue it, and snatch
away its prize.
Yet, with all their habits of the tramp, they seem imbued with a sense
of order, and come to an agreement among themselves as to what streets
groups of them are to occupy. Woe to the dog that dares to overstep the
assigned boundaries. On one condition alone is he allowed to cross
through another district--that of lowering his flag--_i.e._, that he
puts his tail under his legs, keeps his head submissively low, and walks
in the middle of the street, while all the dogs of the quarter rend the
air with their barking.
You must not conclude from what precedes that _skilos_ are devoid of
finer feelings and even chivalry. The following incident, related by a
friend, regarding one with which I was acquainted, proves the contrary.
When a pup, Carabash (black head), as he was called, was picked up in
the street, and coddled in a comfortable home. On growing up, he was
provided with a kennel in the garden. One frosty morning, when the snow
was lying thick on the ground, Carabash was discovered sleeping outside
the kennel, which he had surrendered to an emaciated bitch. The intruder
was driven away, but next morning was again found in occupancy, and was
gruffly expelled. Carabash seemed vexed, and refused to eat his food. On
the third morning the strange dog was again found in the kennel, and was
this time thrashed out of the premises. She went, like Eve from
Paradise, but her Adam followed, took up his residence with her under
the shelter of an old tombstone in the Turkish Cemetery, and never again
returned to his comfortable home. Their descendants live in the cemetery
to this day.
Such romantic incidents would doubtless have met with recognition on
behalf of the whole race of dogs in the days of Haroun-al-Raschid, or
other heroes of the "Arabian Nights," but the Young Turkey party of
to-day are not to be moved by such considerations. They are practical
men, and, desiring to cleanse the streets of Constantinople of a
recognized nuisance, they decreed the extermination of _skilos_. But,
taking into consideration the Moslem abhorrence of taking away animal
life, a curious compromise was made. They were to be banished to a large
enclosure at the city walls. A special forceps was invented for the
purpose of trapping them, and at dead of night municipal officers
gripped the sleeping dogs by the neck or the body, and pitched them into
a cart, which conveyed them to their so-called "hotel." Terrible fights
occurred there between dogs already in residency and new arrivals, but
it frequently happened that kind-hearted Turks waylaid the carts and
liberated the captives.
Within their enclosure the dogs were fed and received water at the
expense of the State, a grant of L5,000 a year having been voted in
Parliament for their maintenance; but soon the space allotted them
proved inadequate, and their cries and smells became so horrible that it
was decided to move them to another locality.
A little uninhabited island, called Oxya, about fifteen miles from the
city, was selected for the purpose, and 30,000 were transported to it.
But the island had no water, and the supply of bread was difficult and
irregular, and the result was that six months after their transportation
only one solitary dog, of which I have the photograph, survived to tell
the tale.
Discouraged by their want of success, Government has, I understand, now
given up the attempt to exterminate the _skilos_, and any of my readers
who happen to visit Constantinople will probably have the pleasure of
forming their acquaintance.
CHAPTER XIII
THE GALATA BRIDGE AND THE BAZAARS
An attempt has been made in these pages to conduct the reader over the
domains of the Sultan of Turkey, and to introduce him to some of his
subjects, but there is perhaps no better place in the world for getting
a panoramic view of the various races depicted than on the bridge which
spans the Golden Horn, and joins Stamboul with the Galata quarter of
Constantinople (see frontispiece). Nor can you find the various products
of the Empire exhibited within a more suitable compass than in the
bazaars of Stamboul.
It is computed that no less than twenty million persons pass over the
bridge in the course of a year--_i.e._, about 50,000 daily. The races
there represented are too numerous to mention. Each wears its
distinctive dress, and foot and head gear, and the contrast of design
and colour is wonderful, and not limited to women, as in a European
crowd. Here comes an Albanian in white petticoats and crimson sash
bristling with pistols; there goes an Embassy _cavass_ resplendent in
scarlet; there is an _Ulema_, or high ecclesiastic, with green turban
and flowing robes of white, and another dressed in magenta and a white
turban; soldiers in khaki or in pale blue come next, and Young Turk
officers all spick and span in new uniforms. A Whirling Dervish, with
tall, conical, brown head-dress then moves majestically along, followed
by a Bedouin, with camel-hair mantle over his shoulders, and silken
kerchief over his head. Alongside him is an M.P. from Arabia, with
flowing green coat, and white cap with green turban around it,
indicating consanguinity with Mahomet. As for representatives of the
other sex, you see groups shuffling along in soft yellow boots, and
dragging loose overshoes--overshoes which often prove serviceable
weapons of attack to any Turkish woman who has been insulted.
The Turkish ladies' dress is frequently bright-coloured, and a white
veil is thrown over the head and face, but sometimes the dress itself is
used for that purpose. The fashion, however, is prevailing that black
should be used, and the women look like silhouettes flitting along.
Should it happen to be a Friday, sounds of military music greet your
ear, and you hear the tramp of infantry as the Sultan's soldiers march
along to line the streets through which he must pass on his way to
mosque.
Nothing can rival the physical appearance, dogged perseverance, and
power of endurance of the soldiers streaming before you, and the
prancing steeds ridden by the officers excite your admiration.
But another sound, less musical, may disturb your ear, and a horde of
half-naked savages appear, carrying on poles what you would call a
garden-pump, but which is really a fire-engine. A man carrying the
hose-nozzle precedes, and as they tear along, shouting "_Sagh ol!_"
("Clear out"; literally, "Keep yourself uninjured!"), you imagine a band
of maniacs has been let loose.
There is now a regular fire-brigade in Constantinople, available where
the streets are wide enough to permit its use, but you will not wonder
that under the old system conflagrations sometimes destroyed thousands
of houses at a time, and still do so in quarters where the streets are
too narrow and the houses of wood.
Ambulating vendors of all sorts are also to be found on the bridge,
advertising their goods in loud falsetto notes, or sometimes singing
metrical eulogies over them. _Hamals_, and porters, too, of every
description, are there, conveying their burdens, and Turkish sailors,
whose duty it is to police the bridge, while at either end are men clad
in long white shirts, without pockets, to collect the toll, and not
pocket it. And as if to connect the new with the old order of
administration, a motorbus, with the words "Progres" emblazoned upon it,
traverses the bridge with passengers, while British-built steamers moor
on pontoons attached to the bridge, and convey travellers to the
villages of the Bosphorus and other suburbs.
Crossing the bridge, you arrive at Stamboul, the Turkish quarter, and
enter into a long street, arched over, and with numerous windows. It is
called the _Missir Tcharchi_, or Egyptian Spice Bazaar, owing to the
drugs and spices sold in it. It is dark and badly ventilated; its
odours overpower you, but you see there a display of drugs and perfumes
never dreamt of before, and gathered from all parts of the empire. Each
shop within the bazaar is known by its special sign--a ship, a broom, a
bird's-cage, the model of a mosque, a flag, bows and arrows, and so
on--while its occupant sits, like a spider in his den, inviting you into
his parlour.
Among the articles offered are musk and seraglio pastilles,
frankincense, cedar-wood, and other perfume-emitting substances which
Turks delight in throwing on the brazier to scent their apartments; otto
of roses, produced in Bulgaria, rose-water, patchuli, jessamine, and
other native fragrant oils, with which to perfume their person. Rouge,
native hair-dyes, and henna for improving the complexion, painting the
eyebrows until they meet, or staining the nails and finger-tips;
corrosive sublimate, that deadly poison, for giving a flash to the eye;
red and black pepper, and all sorts of condiments; seeds of the
"love-in-the-mist" to protect _yiaourt_ and pastry from the evil-eye;
gum mastic from the island of Chio, which women love to chew and chew
for hours, and children to blow into bubbles; herbal and quack medicines
of all kinds, and even gall-stones from an ass to renew the vigour of
youth. Nearer the sea are several streets, roofed with glass, called the
_Yemish_, or fruit-bazaar, where dried fruits and nuts of every
description are to be found. Among its peculiarities are fruit-pastes of
plum, apricot, quince, mulberry, etc., which have been mashed,
sun-dried, and rolled into thin long sheets; grape-juice, thickened with
flour; unfermented grape-treacle; and honey from Angora, unrivalled for
the whiteness of its comb.
The Wood-turners' bazaar gives you an insight into the native method of
turning, which is performed with a bow in one hand and a chisel in the
other, while the big toe supplies a third hand for holding the object in
position. The Brass-turners' bazaar provides you with _samovars_, or
special brass urns, for boiling water and preparing tea, and _mangals_,
or braziers, for holding ignited charcoal to warm houses.
The main bazaars consist of a labyrinth of streets and alleys, arched
over with masonry, and pierced with numerous domes from which the light
enters. They extend over a surface of more than a mile, and their
windings are so intricate that a traveller may easily lose his way.
Articles of every description, new and old, may be found there. Whole
streets, for instance, are reserved for boots, shoes, and slippers of
all kinds, shapes, and colours: soft yellow ones for Turkish women;
patent-leather ones, with overshoes, for men; red shoes with turned-up
points for Anatolians; sandals for Albanians; Parisian ones for those
dressed _a la Francaise_; slippers of softest native tanned leather;
slippers embroidered with seed-pearls and jewels, etc. Another street is
reserved for silks from Brusa, Damascus, Syria, etc., another for pipes,
hubble-bubbles, amber mouthpieces etc. Another, styled Manchester
Street, is stocked with cotton prints, of flashy colours and designs,
made specially for the East.
In the heart of the bazaar is the _bezesten_, an inner bazaar, with
gorgeous carpets from all parts of the land, diamonds, pearls,
turquoises, and all manner of precious stones; old armour, antiquities,
curios, and relics of all kinds.
But the _muezzim's_ cry now reverberates through the bazaar; the sun is
setting, and the gates are to be closed. You rise to depart, but the
crowds, the sights, the colours, the noises, the smells, the various
costumes around--these will be there on the morrow as they have been in
the past, and they will still in the future allure and charm all those
who come in contact with the bewitching East.
BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD
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