The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-04-26
A SWELL CAIRO WEDDING.
How a EOSlem in High Life Takes a
Bride.
CEREMONIAL OF The MARRIAGE CONTRACT
The News Sent 20 the Harem-Business
Arrangements Complcted-First Meet
ing of the Bride and Groom.
Written for The Times by Hon. A. NJ Keilcy.l

TRIBUNAL MIxTE DE PREMIERE INSTANCE DU
CNRH, CABINET Do PRESIDENT, April 8, 1891
The swellest marriage-h any reader OBJ
jects 10 that adjective he will find my de
tense in the impossibilty Of substituting it
which has taken place in Cairo since my resi-
dence here was celebrated last week, and as a
description Of the ceremonial will illustrate
Moslem customs, have thought the account
might prove % some interest. The parties
were Abderahem Bey Sabri and Tewida
Hanem. the latter the second daughter of the
most revered, if not the ablest Of Egyptian
statesmen Of the present generation the
Primo Minister of lsmail Pasha for many
yvars, and at one time tho head Of the Minis
try ofthe present Khedive. the lamented CherH
Pasha
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT.
About ten days ago the contract Of marriage
WIS completed before delegate OF me dIinu
Cadi OF Cairo IN the usual form. The dele
f-ate drove to the brides house, where many
- nor indy friends had assembled aud IN
presence of her future husband and OF male
representative OF the lady and several male
witnesses, the preliminary ceremony took
plnco as follows Firstly the Sheikh or
Mazonn, who represented the Cadi, required
the. standardization by two witnesses known to
HIN Of the authority of the sol disant repre-
sentative (called Wekil) of the bride 70 act for
her. Satisfied of this. he demanded whether
the bride was acting other free will and with
out any constraint, and on the Mehl
responding yes" he ordered the
Rekn and bridegroom to clasp their
right hands. This is done by holding the
hands with the thumb pointing upward and
pressed against each other. Having assumed
this position the Sheikh placed white linen
scarf embroidered with gold, called shaoura,
over the two hands thus clasped. and then
plncing his own hand on the shaOura he re-
cited a passage Of the Koran commanding
the faithful 10 marry, that the creed of Islam
may be spread over the earth; and afterwards
q passage to the same effect from the volume
known as the Traditions Then addressing
the Wekil OF tho lady he directed HIM 20 It.
peat after him these words. u marry my
ward % his excellence AbdeTahem Bey on the
dowry agreed between us and this the Mckl
repeated three times. Each time as he
finished this short formula. the bridegroom IN
person responded: Il accept Tewhda llanem,
daughter Of the late Cherf Pasha. ana prom
Use the dowry agreed on between us"
THE HAREM RAISES THE WAR wHooP.
has soon as this ceremony was concluded the
news was conveyed t0sthe harcm quarters,
where the bride and her friends renamed
during It's progress. and the ladies raised
curious cry, called IN Arabic, Zagrouta, which
resembles very much the war whoop OF some
Tribes IF American Indians. | have often
heard it, and can easily initiate 1t, but It IS
less easy 10 describe II. Say IN high Key
and quite rapidly Tuloo-lOO-lllOo-lOO-loO.
and YOU will approach 1t quite closely. Il IS
the cry with which, IN ancient days. the Arab
women used 10 encourage the warriors IN
battle, and probably a cry akin to that used
by Greek women for the same purpose. for
the Greek verb is almost identical with tins
Sound and the cry called also "ullalumc.'
with which the ancient Irish mouTned their
dead,'from which, IN all likelihood, we derive
our word howl"
This over, sherbets, swectmeats and pre-
eents were distributed by the bride TO her
lldy friends, and a banquet followed, ex-
clUsively for the ladies, OF course.
AN Eye TO business.
The bridegroom and Wekil then informed
the Sheikh Of the amount Of dowry agreed
upon, that he might record II IN his book of
marriages This dowrv is furnished inyarl-
0bly by the husband and Is paid 70 the BRIDE
whom the marriage IA consummated; the RUE
being for the husband 70 pay two-thirds and
setain the other third which he mus, pay her
during her life, If lie divorces her without
cause (ns he may, and which rcVertssto her
heirs after her death If not paid IN her lie-
time. II Is privileged debt. which m case
Of bankruptcy or Of the insufhclency OF his es
tate after her death 70 discharge all his obhSa-
tons must be paid first.
A CURIOUS SCENE.
1.-Two days afterwards the BRIDES brother
Cherif Bey. assembled at his palace all the no
tables Of Cairo. all the princes Of the hhedlUal
family, all the foreign ENJOYS, the officials OF
State and all the principal men OF the city
were invited The palace was blaze ~ lllu-
miDatiOn and the courtyard IN front OF II COW
cred with the well flag fabrics OF Egypt
lz,ye an exterior hall OF q couple OF acres com
pletely covered nand gorgoously illuminated
To this exterior reccption-room every one
came who willed, and 20 hundreds upon nun
dredg Of Arabs down to the humblcst bcggar
O seat was offered and rofreshment served
equally with the highest IN the land. and all
decUrously Within tho palace the scene o. a
WESTERN eye was curious Hundreds ~ gen
tlprnen. all In evening dress and many covered
with decorations, moving around IN the vast
halls smoking cigarettes or helping thcm-
SELVES at "a literally supplied buffet. but not
woman anywhere T. be seen A part OF the
amusement was an Arab orchestra and "a Ia
mus Egyptian sign, "Abdoo," the only la
tive singer Of any celebrity of either sex OF
whom have ever heard
THE LEY TT I'll HENNA
But if tho ladies were absent from this
Grand reception last "Wednesday evening. they
Ind their own for that coming was what IS
known az the Ley ct el Henna, the i've OF
Henna which precedcs the actual coming OK
tAe bride 70 her husband. On that evening
every Arab bride. from the highest 70 the
lowest. has her finger nails freshly stained
with henna a deep brown die, which resist
many weeks OF washing before II disappears.
While We were amusing ourselves IN her
brothers halls she was having her pretty
nails stained Yandyke brown, and when she
was finished another ladies' feast followed.
rHH BEIDE's PROCESSION.
The next day at4 NJ. she set out from
her brothers 10 that of her future husband.
The Khediye lent her, for this purpose ms
state coach.
First came thirty mounted musicians m uni
form an excellent band. After these dozen
Bedouins on superb stceds. Then came twenty
or thirty Arabs bearing large torches extinct.
and bound around with cloth. In the midst
of these q Young man. naked 20 the waisi.
common accompaniment of many Arabic
ceremonies reheisis and social but OF winch
/ have never beentble 70 obtain rational
fhen came the bride in coach, the cur
tAins Of which were SO closely drawn that no
glimpse even of her dress could be seen.
After the coach which was drawn 10y four
horses and which had It's liyericd coachman
aud positions, came four black eunuchs fine
ly mounted. and then a long procession Of
carriages containing the female relatives and
friends Of the bride This procession passed
through the principal streets Of the city ana
finally stopped at the harem entrance 70 the
louse ~ her husband when all the ladies