Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Dorothy de Warzee, Peeps Into Persia, bahai-library.com.
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Peeps into Persia

BY

DOROTHY DE WARZEE
(Baroness d Hermalle)

With 51 lilustrations from Photographs

LONDON:
HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED
PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.G.
1913
DEDICATED
TO THE READER
——

CONTENTS
CHAP. page
I. The Journey from Baku I

II. First Impressions of Teheran 25
Street Scenes
....
III. 37
IV. ^The Bazaar 48
V. ^The Women of the Anderoun 59
VI. Religious Festivals 76
VII. Gardens of Delight 89
VIII. Social Life in Teheran . 106
IX. Animal Life and Sport . 129
X. ^The Civil Service and the Army 146
XI. Education and Medicine 164
XII. ^The Arts in Persia 177
XIII. ^Superstitions 200
XIV. Islam and the Churches . 211
XV. —A Sketch of Recent Events in Persia 224
Index 239
ISLAM AND THE CHURCHES
his name. A pilgrimage is no easy matter to

undertake ; it means, as a rule, a lot of expense
and great fatigue. It is usually arranged by
a special person who makes this his pro-
fession. Each person pays as much as he can
afford, and the professional agent arranges every-
thing —mules, tents and food. The pilgrimage
usually starts in the spring, in order to allow the

people to reach their homes in the late autumn
and to avoid travelling in the winter months.
The time spent in the holy cities is quite short in
comparison with the time taken to reach them.
Most of the principal cities regarded as sacred

are in Arabia, but those most frequented in Persia
are Meshed and Koum. But with the Shiah,

as with the orthodox Sunni, the greatest

pilgrimage of all is to the tomb of the Prophet
himself at Mecca, and this alone confers upon the
pilgrim the title Hadji.
Although the Shia are more severe than the
Sunni about non-Mohammedans they are more
ready to accept innovations. There are some
who make of Ali, Mohammed's son-in-law, a god,
and these are known as the Ali-AUahis. Then,
again, there are several sects of Dervishes who
get their inspiration from Suffiism —that is to say
PEEPS INTO PERSIA

they aim, or are supposed to aim, only at the
higher life, and take no interest in earthly things.
In 1844 a prophet arose who, in spite of his

youth —he was barely twenty-five —found many
disciples even among the older and more serious-
minded men of all classes. This was Ali
Muhammed, better known as the " Bab." The
word Bab means door or gate, and he pro-
claimed himself as the door to knowledge of

a better life. Unhappily he was the cause of a

great deal of trouble ; his followers were perse-
cuted, and on several occasions many were
massacred in cold blood. He himself was arrested,
and, finally, after having been treated as cruelly

as possible, he was shot at Tabriz in 1855. He
nearly escaped, as the first volley fired at him only
loosed his bonds ; had he kept his presence of
mind he could have fled in the direction of the
bazaar. There he would have been safe, and his
cause would have been strengthened by what
would have been regarded as a miracle. But he
was weakened by imprisonment and ill-treatment,
and he fled towards the citadel, where he was
immediately captured and killed. After his death
there followed a discussion among his disciples

as to his successor. Some said the Bab had
ISLAM AND THE CHURCHES
designated to succeed him a certain Mirza Yahya,
who, having lost his mother at an early age, had
been brought up by the mother of the chief
follower of the Bab. He had, however, a half-

brother, who also claimed the succession, and
rivalry broke out between their respective
followers. This half-brother of Mirza Yahya is

known as the Behai'ullah, and his disciples in

Teheran are many. When he died he was suc-
ceeded by his son Abdul Bahai, who lived until

191 1 at Acre, when he went on tour in Egypt,
Europe and America. The Bahais claim to have
nine million followers, of whom a considerable
number are in America. The Bahais can conform
to other religions and believe chiefly in a pro-
gression of ideas ; as new ideas come, as new
things are invented or discovered, a new prophet
is needed who should not contradict former
prophets, but should improve on their sayings

and doings. women needed to
For instance,

be kept in seclusion before men became properly
civilized now that men have made progress it is
;

time to think about the women.
The Bahais count Behai'ullah as greater than
the Bab, who was merely his forerunner, as John
the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ.
PEEPS INTO PERSIA

When Nasr-ed-Din Shah was murdered in 1896
the act was put down to the Babis, and a terrible
persecution began against that sect, which reached
its height in 1902. At one time the councillors of
the Shah conceived the horrible idea of giving
any Babi they captured to a great personage,
when His Majesty would be able to judge of their
fidelity and loyalty to him by the tortures they
would cause to be inflicted on their prisoners.

One can imagine the horrors that took place, the
tortures that were inflicted. But even this did
not suppress Babism. I was talking to a Persian
the other day, and he told me that lately the
Babis had suffered much less persecution, and
since this was the case the sect was dying out
rapidly. I do not know, however, if this is

really so.

One of the Bab's great ideas was to place women
on a different footing, to give them a place in
the world, and to raise them to a higher place
in the regard of the men. He strongly con-
demned polygamy and divorce, and recommended
his followers to be kind to their women and
children. He has naturally many followers among
the fair sex.

INDEX
Abbas, Sham, 138, 183, 2jo. Banks, 160, 161.
Aftab, or Sun, The Order of the, 1 16. Barbers, Persian, 37.
Ahmed Mirza, Shah, his levee, 112 Barbod, 179.
et seqq. ; hi» dress, 113; as a Barferush, 230.
sportsman, 143 ; ascends the throne Basil, Dr., 173.

of Persia, 228. Bath, The Persian, 38.
Ain-ed-Dowleh, Grand Vizier, 224. Baiaar, The, at Resht, 12; at
Ali, Mohammed's son-in-law, 214, 215. Teheran, 48 et seqq.
All, Mohamed, Shah, 227, 230. Beggars, 27, 40-42.
Ali Muhammed (The Bab), 216-218. Behai'ullah, 217.
American High School, 166. Belgian Legation, 126.
American Mission, The, 165 ; Church, Belgian Custom House, Enzeli, 9.
220. Birds, 132.
Animal life in Persia, 129. Biroun, The, 60.
Anderoun, The, 60 et seqq., 165. Borchgrave, M. de (Belgian Minister),
Arabic language. The, 187. 26.
Arbab Jemshid, 99. Bride, A Persian, 73.
Armenians, 222, 223. British Legation, 124-126, 172, 224,
Army, The Persian, 161-163. 225, 227, 232.
Arshed, Sadar, 230.
" Avesta," 189. Caldeens, The, 220.
Aaad-el-Mulk, 229. Calendars, Persian, 202-205.
Camels, caravans of, 20 ; sacrifice of,

Bab, The, see Ali Muhammf.d. 85 ; habits of, 129.
Bahadur, Sadar, 230, 231. Carpets, Persian, 32-36.
Bahai, Abdul, 217. Caspian Sea, The, 1-5, 176.
Baku, 2-4, 9. Cemetery, A Persian, 57, 58.
Bala-Bala, 17, 19. Charms, 54.

Scelga un secondo testo da leggere in parallelo — una traduzione o qualsiasi altro testo.