Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-25
SUNSET MUSIC IN TEHERAN.
Thos. Stevens Calls il the DespairinG
Howl of Ancient Persia.

AS [ EMERGED from the vaulted bazaar,
after my inyesli- ation of its''slummY"por-
ton, the sun IS almost setting and the
musicians in the palace gate, bala- khanas,
are observing the close of the day with
d!scordant blasts from ancient Persian
trumpets, and belabOring hemlspberlcal
Kettle drums with their knucklcs. These
musicians are dressed in fantastic, scar
let uniforms, and every evening al sum
down they repair to these bala-knanas,
and for half an hour dispense the most
unearthly music Imaginable. The trum-
pets are sounding tubes OF brass, about
five feet long, which respond to the efforts
of strong-winded person with diaboli-
cal basso protundo shrek that puts
Newfoundland fog horn entirely in the
shade. When dozen Of these lnstru-
mentS are IN full blast, without any at
tempt at harmony, il seems TO shed
depressing shadow Of barbarism over the
whole city. This sunset music il, |
think, rehc OF old times, and il jars on
the nerves like the despairing bowl OF
ancient Persia protesting against the in
noVatiOn from the pOmp and DIN and
giamor OF her old pagan g.Ories TO the
present miserable era OF MOullah rule and
feeble dependence for national existence
on the forbearance or jealousy OF other
nations.
Passing through the coppersmths
quarters, l see hundreds of WOrkmen in-
dusTiously engaged in hammering all
kinds OF vessels out OF humps OF copper.
They make considerable noise, but as the
trumpelers are hard by, their busy rat-a-
tat-tat makes but little impression. Hun
dreds Of gaunt pariah dogs are proving
about this part of the town. These half
wild, OWnerless dogs readily distinguish
between native and "a Ferenghi, aud
they not infrequently venture to attack
the latter, 80 that stick, or better still,
heavy hunting whip Is considered
necessary, to be able to beat them OF.
They are easily cowed, and seem TO act
from impulse rather than from any in
herent vicOusLess. A dog belonging 10 a
European, on the contrary, singles
out the natives as objects OF aversion,
and acknowledges European by
friendly advances and much wagging
OF tail, even though it be a total stranger.
Beneath the musicians' gate, and | find
myself IN small square, which is half
taken up by a square tank or water; near
the tank is large bronze cannon; it is
muZzle loader, and a huge, unwieldly
piece. utterly useless to such people as
the Persians except for ornament, and
perhaps to help impress the people Wits
an idea Of the Shah's unapproachable
greatness.
This is
THE SPECIAL HOUR OF PRAYER,
and in every direction may be observed
men halting in whatever they may be
doing, whether standing guard at the
palace or presiding over stock Of mer-
chandise, and Kneeling down on some
outer garment taken off for the purpose,
repeatedly touch their foreheads TO the
ground, bending in the direction of
Mecca. l reach the artillery square in
time to see a company of army Duglers
formed in line at one end and company
of muskateers at the other. AS these more
modern buglers proceed to toot, the COM
pany of muskateers opposite present
arms, and then the music of the new
buglers, and the hoarse. fCghOrn-like
blasts Of the fantastic toOters on the bala-
khanas, dies away together In concerted
effort that would do credit to the trum-
peting of troop OF wild elephants. When
the noisy trumpeting ceases, tue ordinary
noises round about seem like solemn
silence in comparison; and above this
comparative silence can be heard the
voices of men here and there over the city
calling out:
"Al-l-a-h-il-All-ab; Ali AkbarD ("God
is greatest! There is only one God" etc.
with most stentorian voices. These men
are peTched on the roofs of the mosques
and on nOhlemen's houses.
The sun has Just set; | can see the
snowy cone OF DemaYend peeping, as it
were, over the high barTack walls; it has
taken on distinctive roseate tint, as il
often does of an evening. The reason
whereof becomes at once apparent upon
turning toward the west, for TIE whole
western sky is agow with a gorgeous
sunset, sunset that paints the horizon
blood red and spreads a warm, rich
glow over half the heavens. The moon
will be full t0-night,an a far lOYe.ier PIC
tuTe even than the Gorgeous sunset and
the rOse-tinted mountain awaits any one
who cares to come out doors and lcOk.
The Persian moonlight seems capable Of
surrounding the most commonplace OF
jects with a halo of beauty and Of blend
ing things that are nothing in themselves
into scenes of such
TRANsCENDENTAL LONELINESS
that the mere contemplation OF them
sends a thrill of pleasure through the
system. There is no city of the same size
in America but can boast OF buildings
infinitely superior to anythingin Teheran;
what trees there are IN ana about the city
are nothing compared to what we are
used TO having about US, and, although
tue gates, with their short minars and
gaudy cOlOred bricks, are certainly
unique, they suffer greatly from Il close
investigation. Nevertheless, | have hap
pened in the vicinity Of one OF these gates
on IA calm moonlight night, and have been
positively transhXed with astOnishmeat
aC the beauty OF the scene presented. By
repairing TO the artillery square. or 10 the
short street between the square and the
palace front, on a moonlight night, one
can experience an entirely new sense Of
natures lOVeiiness; the soft Christening
light Of the Persian moon converts the
gaudy gates, the spraggling trees and the
background OF snow covered mountains
into picture that will photograph itself
on ones memory forever.
On the way homel meet one OF the lady
missionaries, which reminds me that
ought to mention something about the
peculiar position occupied BY a FereughI
lady in these MOhammedan countries.
where it is considered highly Improper
for woman to expose Ter face In the
street, The European lady with her IN
covered face IL "A puzzle, and an Object OF
intense curiosity, even in Tehoran at the
present day; and in provincial cities the
wife OF the lone consul or telegraph en-
ploye finds il highly convenient to adopt
the face covering and the native costume
when Yenturing abroad Here, in the
capital, the wives and daughters OF
foreign ministers and European officers
and telegraphists have made uncovered
female faces tOlerably familiar 10 the ma
tives; but they cannot quite understand
I,,,t thut fbera la gomptpfug biyIly IA,