Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-05-22
MosLEMs DO HOMAGE
.Constantinopie is Filled With Thou
sands on Religious Mission.

tWllildm II. CurtIS IN the chicago
Record Herald, AT present Constan-
tinople is filled with pilgrims on their
way to Mecca. They come from ali
parts Of the Ottaman Empire and from
the Mahammedan settlements in Rus
sia- One party of 1000 arrived from
Central Asia via Odessa upon special
steamers, which will carry them to
Jedda on the Red sea, the nearest port
to Mecca Hundreds of Persians
kurds. Mongois men from Turkestan
Afghanistan. Bokhara, Cashmere and
other far-off countries have ridden
thousands of miles over the desert on
this religious mission. and have come
to Constantnople for the purpose OF
paying homage to the sultan. who is
the head of their church. The ba-
zaars and mosques and the streets and
public places are crowded with them.
Very few of them will be able to see
the sultan. Their only opportunity IS
on Friday. when he rides across his
park from the palace to the mosque
to say his prayers. They will kneel
when he passes and afterward kiss
the ground over which his carriage
mas hilN'Hs vi tntiil al y
of wealth and property but they do
not look it. They are dressed in the
fantastic costumes of their races and
add to the variety of apparel for
which Constantinople is always not
ed. II is asserted that one can stand
upon the bridge across the Golden
Horn, which connects Stamboul with
Galata, and within short time see
representatives of every nation on
earth. This Is perhaps an exagger-
alton, but the pilgrims have heighten-
ed the interest of the city just now
to strangers.
Every Moslem who can afford to do
as least once in his life makes a pill
grimage to Mecca. for that not only
insures the salvation of his soul but
advances him in social and religious
rank also, and he then becomes a
Hadii. a title for which we have no
equivalent. 1t gives him higher
place in the mosque and secures for
him certain privileges and advantages
which people who have not been to
Mecca do not enjoy. Hence it is the
ambition of every Mussulman to make
year The pilgrimages are regulated
much better now than formerly. San
itary rules are enforced which tend
TO prevent the plaques that have in
variably followed the annual hegira.
Formerly. thousands upon thousands
died from fatigue. starvation and dis
ease, and coutagion was carried to
different parts of the world by return
ing caravans. But this no longer oc-
ours. The returning pilgrimages are
so well regulated that nowadays they
can be accomplished without much
danger fatigue and with comparative
ly little expense.
The most conspicuous man among
the pilgrims in Constantinople is Had
j Sheik Islam. the head of the church
in Persia. who Is accompanied by his
son and three other prominent Per
sian ecclesiastics. Upon their arrival
they were met with great ceremony by
the Persian ambassador and the
Sheik-ul-1slam of Constantinople
They have been the guests at the Per
sian embassy, have enjoyed the hospi-
tality of the sultan. who has decorated
and conferred upon them his blessing
as the head of the church Their
dress is quite picturesque. They
wear long tunics. or gowns. of white
silk with plated bosoms and flowing
sleeves with the finest of cashmere
shawls as sashes around their waists.
over their gowns they wear large
brown camel's hair robes and upon
their heads enormous white turbans.
The Sheik's party are men of noble
appearance and dignified demeanor
and receive the homage of the people
as II they were accustomed to 1t.
The other morning. when Turkish
steamer, carrying 400 pilgrims. was
about to start for Mecca the sultan
sent orders that no passenger should
be charged more than IS fare and that
those who could not give this should
be carried deadhead. When the Off
GERS of the steamship company remon-
strated he boldly told them to send
the bill for the difference to him
an act of generosity which amuses
everybody who has a sense of humor,
for the Sultan of Turkey was never
known to pay debt. The steamship
company dared not refuse. but after
f@refiection was ingenious enough to
partially recoup Itself. When the
steamer got as far as Beyrout 1t
dropped anchor and the officers in
Formed the managers of the pilgrim
age that they could not go any furth'
or because they had run out of coal
and they could not buy coal because
they mad no money. the small amount
paid by the pilgrims for fare having
alrendy been exhausted. The pill
grims appealed to the sultan by tele'
graph. and the sultan ordered the gov
ernor of Beyrout to furnish them coal
so that the laugh is now on the gov
ernor. and he will have to contrive
some method Of getting even.
Protestants are generally well re
spected in Turkey and are allowed to
preach, teach and worship in theii
own way. although sometimes when
troubles have occurred they have beer
attacked by Ignorant ruflians who mis-
took them for Armenians.
Tourists can no longer visit the
great "cstern of the l,00l pillars.