carpets and horse-coverings, and as greatcoats by the peasants as well
as by the Lurs. A good carpet felt of Hamadan manufacture is an inch
thick, but some made at Yezd reach two inches. For rich men's houses
they are made to order to fit rooms, and valuable rugs are laid over
them. The largest I have seen is in the palace of the Minister of
Justice at Tihran, which must be fully a hundred and twenty feet by
eighty feet, and formed fourteen mule-loads; but sixty by forty feet
is not an uncommon size, and makes eight mule-loads. These carpet
_namads_, the most delicious of floor-coverings, are usually a natural
brown, with an outline design in coloured threads or in a paler shade
of brown beaten into the fabric. _Namads_, owing to their bulk and
weight, are never exported. The best, made at Hamadan, are about 20s.
the square yard. Chairs spoil them, and as it is becoming fashionable
among the rich men of the cities to wear tight trousers, which bring
chairs in their train, the manufacture of these magnificent
floor-coverings will probably die.
The felt coats, which protect equally from rain and cold, are dark
brown and seamless, and cost from 10s. to 20s. They have sleeves
closed at the end to form a glove, and with a slit below the elbow
through which the hand can be protruded and used. These coats are
cloak-like, the sleeve is as long as the coat, and they are often worn
merely suspended from the neck.
Hamadan is also famous for copper-work, and makes and dyes cottons.
The tanneries and the dye-works between them create a stench which is
perceptible for miles. The neighbourhood produces much wine, white
like hock, and red like claret, both being harsh and the first heady.
The Armenians are the chief makers and sellers of wine. I wish I could
add that they are the only people who get drunk, but this is not the
case, for from the Prince Governor downwards, among the rich Moslems,
intemperance has become common, and even many young men are "going to
wreck with drink," sacrificing the virtue to which Moslems have been
able to point with pride as differentiating them from so-called
Christians. I was unable to return the Prince Governor's visit and
courtesies in accordance with the etiquette for a European lady
traveller, because of the helpless condition in which he and a party
of convivial friends were found by the messenger sent by me to ask him
to appoint an hour for my visit. Raisins, treacle, and _arak_ are also
manufactured. The rich prefer _cognac_ to _arak_. It is
spirit-drinking rather than wine-drinking which is sapping the life of
the Moslems of Hamadan.
It is singular that in this Ecbatana, the capital of Greater Media,
there should be so very few remains of an ancient greatness and
splendour. Just outside the town a low eminence called Musala is
pointed out as the site of the palace of the Median kings, but even
this is doubtful. Coins of an ancient date are both dug up and
fabricated by the Jews. Only two really interesting objects remain,
and the antiquity of one of these is not universally accepted. The
tomb of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai is the great show-place of
Hamadan, and is held in much veneration by the Jews of Turkey and
Persia, who resort to it on pilgrimage. The Jews are its custodians.
[Illustration: TOMB OF ESTHER AND MORDECAI.]
This tomb consists of an outer and inner chamber, surmounted by a mean
dome about fifty feet in height. The blue tiles with which it was
covered have nearly all dropped off. The outer chamber, in which there
are a few tombs of Jews who have been counted worthy of burial near
the shrine, is entered by a very low door, and the shrine itself by
one still lower, through which one is obliged to creep. The inner
chamber is vaulted, and floored with blue tiles, and having been
recently restored is in good order. Under the dome, which is lighted
with the smoky clay lamps used by the very poor, are the two tombs,
each covered with a carved wooden ark, much defaced and evidently of
great antiquity. There is an entrance to the tombs below these arks,
and each is lighted by an ever-burning lamp. There is nothing in the
shrine but a Hebrew Old Testament and a quantity of pieces of paper
inscribed with Hebrew characters, which are affixed by pilgrims to the
woodwork. The tombs and the tradition concerning them are of such
great antiquity that I gladly accept the verdict of those who assign
them to the beautiful and patriotic Queen and her capable uncle.
On the dome is this inscription: "On Thursday the 15th of the month
Adar in the year of the creation of the world 4474 the building of
this temple over the tombs of Mordecai and Esther was finished by the
hands of the two benevolent brothers Elias and Samuel, sons of Ismail
Kachan."
The other object of interest, which has been carefully described by
Sir H. Rawlinson and Sir H. Layard, is specially remarkable as having
afforded the key to the decipherment of the cuneiform character. It is
in the mountains above Hamadan, and consists of two tablets six feet
six inches by eight feet six inches (Layard) cut in a red granite
cliff which closes the end of a corrie. There are other tablets near
them, carefully prepared, but never used. The three inscriptions are
in parallel columns in the three languages spoken in the once vast
Persian Empire--Persian, Median, and Babylonian, and contain
invocations to Ormuzd, and the high-sounding names and titles of
Darius Hystaspes and his son Xerxes.
Amidst the meanness, not to say squalor, of modern Hamadan, no
legerdemain of the imagination can re-create the once magnificent
Ecbatana, said by the early Greek writers to have been scarcely
inferior to Babylon in size and splendour, with walls covered with
"plates of gold," and fortifications of enormous strength; the capital
of Arbaces after the fall of Nineveh, and the summer resort of the
"Great King," according to Xenophon.
The Jews are supposed to number from 1500 to 2000 souls, and are in
the lowest state of degradation, morally and socially. That bad act of
Sarah in casting out "the bondwoman and her son" is certainly avenged
upon her descendants. They are daily kicked, beaten, and spat upon in
the streets, and their children are pelted and beaten in going to and
from the school which the Americans have established for them. Redress
for any wrongs is inaccessible to them. They are regarded as inferior
to dogs. So degraded are they that they have not even spirit to take
advantage of the help which American influence would give them to get
into a better position. The accursed vices of low greed and low
cunning are fully developed in them. They get their living by usury,
by the making and selling of wine and _arak_, by the sale of
adulterated drugs, by peddling in the villages, and by doing generally
the mean and dishonest work from which their oppressors shrink. Many
of them have become Moslems, the law being that a convert to Islam can
take away the whole property of his family. A larger number have, it
is believed, joined the secret sect of the _B[=a]bis_. I never heard
such a sickening account of degradation as is given of the Hamadan
Jews by those who know them best, and have worked the most earnestly
for their welfare.
There are a number of Armenians in Hamadan, and several villages in
the district are inhabited exclusively by them. There are also
villages with a mixed Persian and Armenian population. They all speak
Persian, and the men at least are scarcely to be distinguished from
Persians by their dress. They are not in any way oppressed, and,
except during occasional outbreaks of Moslem fanaticism, are on very
good terms with their neighbours. They live in a separate quarter, and
both Gregorians and Protestants exercise their religion without
molestation. They excel in various trades, specially carpentering and
working in metals. Their position in Hamadan is improving, and this
may be attributed in part to the high-class education given in the
American High School for boys, and to the residence among them of the
American missionaries, who have come to be regarded as their natural
protectors.
The population of Hamadan is "an unknown quantity." It probably does
not exceed 25,000, and has undoubtedly decreased. Seyyids and
_mollahs_ form a considerable proportion of it, and it is one of the
strongholds of the _B[=a]bis_. It is usually an orderly city, and
European ladies wearing gauze veils and properly attended can pass
through it both by day and night. Several parts of it are enclosed by
gates, as at Canton, open only from sunrise to sunset, an arrangement
which is supposed to be conducive to security.
I. L. B.
LETTER XXIV
HAMADAN, _Sept. 14_.
I am visiting the three lady teachers of the Faith Hubbard Boarding
School for girls, and the visit is an oasis on my journey. It is a
most cheerful house, a perfect hive of industry, each one being
occupied with things which are worth doing. I cannot say how kind and
how helpful they have all been to me, and with what regret I am
leaving them.
The house is large, plain, airy, and thoroughly sanitary, very well
situated, with an open view over the Hamadan plain. It is closely
surrounded by the houses of the Armenian quarter, and all those
domestic operations which are performed on the roofs in hot weather
are easily studied, such as the drying of clothes and herbs, the
cleaning of heads, the beating of children, the bringing out of beds
at night, and the rolling them up in the morning, the "going to bed"
of families much bundled up, the performance of the very limited
ablutions which constitute the morning toilette, and the making and
mending of clothes, the roof being for many months both living-room
and bedroom.
At sunset, as in all Persian towns, a great hush falls on Hamadan.
Only people who have business are seen in the streets, the bazars are
closed, and from sunset to sunrise there would be complete silence
were it not for the yelping and howling of the scavenger dogs and the
long melancholy call to prayer from the minarets. If it is necessary
to go out at night a person of either sex is preceded by a servant
carrying a lantern near the ground. These lanterns have metal tops and
bottoms, and waxed, wired muslin between, which is ingeniously
arranged to fold up flat. They are usually three feet long, but may be
of any diameter, and as your consideration is evidenced by the size of
your lantern there is a tendency to carry about huge transparencies
which undulate very agreeably in the darkness.
This is the Moharrem or month of mourning, for Hassan and Houssein,
the slain sons of Ali, who are regarded by the Shiahs as the rightful
successors of the Prophet and as the noblest martyrs in the Calendar.
During this period the whole Persian community goes into deep
mourning, and the streets and bazars are filled with black dresses
only. In this month is acted throughout the Empire the _Tazieh_ or
Passion Play, which has for its climax the tragic deaths of these two
men.[17]
I arrived in Hamadan on what should have been the first day of
Moharrem, but there had been a difference of opinion among the
_mollahs_ as to the date, and it was postponed to the next day, for me
a most fortunate circumstance, as no Christian ought to be seen in the
streets at a time when they are filled with excited throngs frenzied
by religious fanaticism. On the following day the quiet of the city
was interrupted by singular cries, and by children's voices, high
pitched, singing a chant so strange and weird that one both longs and
dreads to hear it repeated. The Christians kept within their houses.
Business was suspended. Bands of boys carrying black flags
perambulated the town, singing one of the chants of the Passion Play.
As night came on it was possible to feel the throb of the excitement
of the city, and till the small hours the march of frenzied
processions was heard, and the loud smiting on human breasts and the
clash of the chains with which the dervishes beat themselves, were
intermingled with a united rhythmic cry of anguish--_Ah Houssein! Wai
Houssein!_ (O Houssein! Woe for Houssein!) _Ya Houssein! Ya Hassan!_
and in the flickering light of the torches black flags were waving,
and frenzied men were seen beating their bare breasts.
In some of the cities these processions are a sickening spectacle.
Throngs move along the streets, escorting large troops of men either
stripped to their waists or wearing only white shirts which expose the
bosom. Beating their breasts with their right hands in concert till
they make them raw, gashing themselves on their heads with daggers,
streaming with blood, and maddened by religious frenzy, they pass from
street to street, and the yell rises from all quarters, _Ya Houssein!
Wai Houssein!_ Occasionally men drop down dead from excitement, and
others, falling from loss of blood, are carried away by their friends.
It is at the end of the month of mourning that these processions,
called _testeh_, increase so much in frenzy and fanaticism as to be
dangerous to the good order of cities, clashing with each other, and
sometimes cutting their way through each other with loss of life. To
join in a _testeh_ is to perform a "pious act," and atones for sin
committed and to be committed. The _Tazieh_ or Passion Play itself,
acted in splendour before the Shah, is repeated everywhere throughout
Persia, lasting from ten to twelve days, the frenzy with which the
different incidents are received culminating on the last day, when the
slaughter of Houssein is represented. On the whole the _Tazieh_ is
among the most remarkable religious phenomena of our age.
Under the rule of the present Prince Governor complete religious
toleration exists in Hamadan, and the missionaries have a fair field,
though it must never be forgotten that a _proselytising_ Christian,
rendering honour to Christ as God, by his mere presence introduces a
disturbing element into a Moslem population. In consequence of this
tolerant official spirit there are a few Moslem girls among the sixty
boarders here. In addition there are a large number of day pupils.
The girls live in native fashion, and wear native dresses of red
cotton printed with white patterns, white _chadars_, and such
ornaments as they possess. They sit on the floor at their meals, at
each of which one of the ladies is present. They have excellent food,
meat once a day in summer and twice in winter, bread, tea, soup,
curds, cheese, melons, cucumbers, pickles, and gourds. The winter
supplies are now being laid in, and caravans of asses are arriving
daily with firewood, cheeses, and melons. The elder girls cook, and
all the washing, making, and mending are done at home, each elder girl
in addition having a small family of young ones under her care. The
only servant is the _bheestie_ or water-carrier. The dormitories,
class-rooms, eating-room, and _hammam_ are large and well ventilated,
but very simple.
A plain but thorough education of the "National School" type is given,
in combination with an industrial training, fitted for girls whose
early destiny is wifehood and maternity. Some of the teachers are men,
but the religious instruction, on which great stress is laid, is given
by the ladies themselves, and is made singularly interesting and
attractive. Music and singing are regarded as among the recreations.
The discipline is perfect, and the dirtiest, roughest, lumpiest, and
most refractory raw material is quickly transformed into cleanliness,
brightness, and docility, partly by the tone of the school and the
influence of the girls who have been trained in it, but chiefly by the
influence of love.
The respect with which the office of a teacher is regarded in the East
allows of much more _apparent_ familiarity than would be possible with
us. Out of school hours the ladies are accessible at all times even to
the youngest children. Many a little childish trouble finds its way to
their maternal sympathies, and they are just as ready to give advice
about the colour and making of dolls' clothes as about more important
matters. The loving, cheerful atmosphere of an English home pervades
the school. I write English rather than American because the ladies
are Prince Edward Islanders and British subjects.
Some of the girls who have been trained here are well married and make
good wives, and the school bids fair to be resorted to in the future
by young men who desire companionship as well as domestic
accomplishments in their wives. The ordinary uneducated Armenian woman
is a very stupid lump, very inferior to the Persian woman. Of the
effect of the simple, loving, practical, Christian training given, and
enforced by the beauty of example it is easy to write, for not only
some of the girls who have left the school, but many who are now in it
show by the purity, gentleness, lovingness, and self-denial of their
lives that they have learned to follow the Master, a lesson the wise
teaching of which is, or should be, I think, the _raison d'etre_ of
every mission school. Christianity thus translated into homely lives
may come to be the disinfectant which will purify in time the deep
corruption of Persian life.
The cost of this school under its capable and liberal management is
surprising--only L3:15s. per head per annum! Its weak point (but at
present it seems an inevitable blemish) is, that the board and
education are gratuitous.
There is a High School for boys, largely attended, under the charge of
Mr. Watson, the clerical missionary, with an Armenian Principal,
Karapit, educated in the C.M.S. school in Julfa, a very able man, and
he is assisted by several teachers. There is also a large school of
Jewish girls, who are often maltreated on their way to and from it.
There are a flourishing medical mission and dispensary under Dr.
Alexander's charge, with a hospital nearly finished for the more
serious cases. There is another dispensary at Sheverin, and both there
and here the number of patients is large. A small charge is made for
medicines. Mirza Sa'eed, a medical student of mature years and
remarkable capacities, occasionally itinerates in the distant
villages, and, being a learned scholar in the Koran, holds religious
disputations after his medical work is done. He was a Moslem, and
having embraced Christianity preaches its doctrines with much force
and enthusiasm. He is popular in Hamadan, and much thought of by the
Governor in spite of his "perversion." He also gives addresses on
Christianity to the patients who assemble at the dispensary. Any
person is at liberty to withdraw during this religious service, but
few avail themselves of the permission. Miss ---- speaks on
Christianity to the female patients at Sheverin, and befriends them in
their own homes.
The day's work here begins at six, and is not over till 9 P.M. An
English class for young men is held early, after which people on
business and visitors of all sorts and creeds are arriving and
departing all day, and all are welcome. On one day I counted
forty-three, and there were many more than these. The upper class of
Persian women announce their visits beforehand, and usually arrive on
horseback, with attendants to clear the way. No man-servant must enter
the room with tea or anything else during their visits. The Armenian
women call at all hours, and the Jewish women in large bands without
previous announcement. Tea _a la Russe_ is provided for all, and
Ibrahim goes to the door and counts the shoes left outside in order to
know how many to provide for. "_Khanum_," he exclaimed one day after
this inspection, "there are at least twenty of them!"
Some call out of politeness or real friendliness, others to see the
_tamasha_ (the sights of the house), many from the villages to talk
about their children, and some of the Jewish women, who have become
_B[=a]bis_, ask to have the New Testament read to them in the hope of
hearing something which they may use in the propagation of their new
faith. A good many women have called on me out of politeness to my
hostesses. Persian gentlemen invariably send the day before to know if
a visit can be conveniently received, and on these occasions the
ladies always secure the _chaperonage_ of one of the men missionaries.
The _concierge_ has orders not to turn any one away, and it is a
blessing when sunset comes and the stream of visitors ceases.
All meet with a genial reception, and the ladies usually succeed not
only in lifting the conversation out of the customary frivolous
grooves, but in awaking more or less interest in the religion which
they are here to propagate. They are missionaries first and everything
else afterwards, and Miss ----, partly because of her goodness and
benevolence to all, and partly because of an uncompromising honesty in
her religious beliefs which the people thoroughly appreciate, has a
remarkable influence in Hamadan, and is universally respected. Her
jollity and sense of humour are a great help. She thoroughly enjoys
making people laugh.
I have never been in any place in which the relations with Moslems
have been so easy and friendly. The _Sartip_ Reza Khan told me it
would be a matter of regret to all except a few fanatics if the ladies
were to leave the city. From the Prince Governor downwards courtesy
and kindness are shown to them, and their philanthropic and
educational work is approved in the highest quarters, though they
never blink the fact that they are proselytisers.[18]
There is an Armenian Protestant congregation with a native pastor and
a fine church, and nothing shows more plainly the toleration which
prevails in Hamadan than the number of Moslems to be seen every Sunday
at the morning service, which is in Persian. In this church total
abstinence is a "term of communion," and unfermented wine is used in
the celebration of the Eucharist.
This wine is very delicious, and has the full flavour and aroma of the
fresh grape even after being three years in bottle. It is not boiled,
as much "unfermented wine" is here, but the grapes are put into a
coarse bag, through which the juice drops without pressure. The gluten
being retained by the bag, fermentation does not take place, and a
bottle of the juice, even if left without a cork, retains its
excellence till it dries up.
_Hamadan, September 15._--"_Revenons a nos moutons_"--the _moutons_ in
this instance being my travelling arrangements. Three roads go to Urmi
from Hamadan, one, the usual caravan route _via_ Tabriz, the
commercial capital of Persia, and round the north end of Lake Urmi,
very long, but safe; another called the "Kurdistan route," which no
_charvadar_ will take by reason of its danger; and a third by
Sujbul[=a]k, the capital of Persian Kurdistan, twenty marches, only
five of which are reported as risky. I decided on the last, but it was
only two days ago that I was able to get a _charvadar_ willing to
undertake the journey. "It is too late," they say, "there are robbers
on the road," they "don't know the way," or "provender is dear," or
"snow will come on" before they can return. Kerbelai, the excellent
fellow who brought my loads from Burujird, wished to go, and I engaged
him gladly, but afterwards his father came and declared he could not
let him go, for he did not know the way, and would be robbed. Another
man was engaged, but never reappeared.
Soon after I came a tall, well-dressed rich Turk, the owner of sixty
mules, applied for the engagement, and we think that by certain
underhand proceedings, familiar to the Persian mind, he has driven off
other competitors, and made himself my last resource. I engaged him on
Saturday, and the mules and Mirza went off this morning. An agreement
was drawn up in Persian and English placing five mules _under my
absolute control_, to halt or march as I desire, at thirteen pence a
day each so long as I want them, with two men, "handing over the mules
and men" to me till I reach Urmi, which arrival is to suit my own
convenience. This was read over twice, and the Turk sealed it in
presence of four witnesses. All his other mules are going with loads
to Urmi, and this accounts for his great desire to send the five with
me. I have expressly stipulated that I am to have nothing to do with
the big caravan, but am to take my own time. This Turk has good looks
and plausible manners, and the animals have sound backs, but I
distrust him.