Part 3 (1/2)

I was accompanied in this visit by my own party, with the addition of Mr

Rassaoman We rode the first day to Baadri, and were e coone to the to chief entertained us for the night, and on the following e for Sheikh Adi At some distance from the sacred valley ere met by Sheikh Nasr, Pir Sino, the Cawals, the priests, and the chiefs They conducted us to the sarove that I had occupied on my former visit The Cawals asse on their tambourines and flutes; and soon about us was forroups which I have attempted to describe in my previous account of the Yezidi festival[27]

The Yezidis had assembled in less numbers this year than when I had last met them in the valley Only a few of the best arers of the road now occupied by the Bedouins Abde Agha and his adherents were fully occupied in defending their villages against the Arab h repulsed after we quitted See

The Kochers, and the tribes of Dereboun, were kept away by the same fears

The inhabitants of Kherzan and Redere harassed by the conscription

Even the people of Baasheikhah and Baazani had been so much vexed by a recent visit from the Pasha that they had no heart for festivities His excellency not fostering feelings of the most friendly nature towards Namik Pasha, the new coh Mosul on his way to the head-quarters of the ar to entertain him, was suddenly taken ill and retired for the benefit of his health to Baasheikhah On theafter his arrival he coht had allowed hily peree The dawn of the next day was announced, to the great discomfort of his Excellency, who had no interest in the ular troops who forhter of the race The third night his sleep was disturbed by the crying of the children, ith their mothers, were at once locked up, for the rest of his sojourn, in the cellars On the fourth he oke at daybreak by the chirping of sparrows, and every gun in the village was ordered to be brought out to wage a war of exter his rest was sorely broken by the flies, and the enraged Pasha insisted upon their instant destruction The Kiayah, who, as chief of the village, had the task of carrying out the Governor's orders, now threw hihness has seen that all the animals here, praise be to God, obey our Lord the Sultan; the infidel flies alone are rebellious to his authority I aainst thehness to enforce the commands of our Lord and Master” The Pasha, who relished a joke, forgave the flies, but left the village

I have already so fully described the general nature of the annual festival at Sheikh Adi, and the appearance of the valley on that occasion, that I shall confine myself to an account of such ceremonies as I was now permitted to witness for the first time

About an hour after sunset, Cawal Yusuf summoned Hormuzd and myself, ere alone allowed to be present, to the inner yard, or sanctuary, of the Temple We were placed in a room from the s of which we could see all that took place in the court The Cawals, Sheikhs, Fakirs, and principal chiefs were already assembled In the centre of the court was an iron lamp, with four burners--a simple dish with four lips for the wicks, supported on a sharp iron rod driven into the ground Near it stood a Fakir, holding in one hand a lighted torch, and in the other a large vessel of oil, from which he, fro Sheikh Adi The Cawals stood against the wall on one side of the court, and co on the flute, others on the ta the measure with their voices

The Sheikhs and chiefs now for two by two At their head was Sheikh Jindi He wore a tall shaggy black cap, the hair of which hung far over the upper part of his face A long robe, striped with horizontal stripes of black and dark red, fell to his feet A countenance , than that of Sheikh Jindi could not well be pictured by the ination A beard, black as jet, waved low on his breast; his dark piercing eyes glittered through ragged eyebrows, like burning coals through the bars of a grate The color of his face was of the deepest brown, his teeth white as snow, and his features, though stern beyond ularly noble and well formed It was a byith us that Sheikh Jindi had never been seen to sh could not be born in hi laed countenance, it would have been i more eminently fitted to take the lead in ceremonies consecrated to the evil one He is the _Peesh-namaz_, ”the leader of prayer,” to the Yezidi sect Behind him were two venerable sheikhs They were followed by Hussein Bey and Sheikh Nasr, and the other chiefs and Sheikhs ca robes were all of the purest white As they walked slowly round, so their lory and honor of the Deity The Cawals acco at intervals the ta lamp, and within the circle formed by the procession, danced the Fakirs in their black dresses, with sole to and fro their ar theant To hymns in praise of the Deity succeeded others in honor of Melek Isa and Sheikh Adi The chants passed into quicker strains, the tambourines were beaten more frequently, the Fakirs became more active in their motions, and the wo with that extraordinary scene of noise and excite my first visit When the prayers were ended, those who ht side of the doorway leading into the teured on the wall; but not, as I was assured, the i to Sheikh Nasr and Cawal Yusuf

Hussein Bey then placing hie of the Sheikhs and elders, each touching the hand of the young chief with his own, and raising it to his lips All present, afterwards, gave one another the kiss of peace

The cereht to a close, Hussein Bey and Sheikh Nasr came to me, and led me into the inner court Carpets had been spread at the doorway of the temple for myself and the two chiefs; the Sheikhs, Cawals, and principal people of the sect, seated theht of a laloo the prayers, priests were stationed at the doorway, and none were allowed to enter except a feohters of sheikhs and cawals had free access to the building, and appeared to join in the ceremonies The Vice-Consul and Khodja Toma were now admitted, and took their places with us at the upper end of the court Cawal Yusuf was then called upon to give a full account of the result of his mission to Constantinople, which he did with the same detail, and al our journey After he had concluded, I endeavored to urge upon thees and opportunities for advancereed that letters of thanks, sealed by all the chiefs of the Yezidis, should be sent to the Grand Vizir, Reshi+d Pasha, for the reception given to the Yezidi deputation, and to Sir Stratford Canning for his generous intercession in their behalf

Soon after sunrise on the followingthe Sheikhs and Cawals offered up a short prayer in the court of the temple, but without any of the cere So the threshold and holy places within the building When they had ended, they took the green cloth covering fro on their tambourines and flutes, walked with it round the outer court The people flocked about them, and reverently carried the corner of the drapery to their lips,of ain been thrown over the tomb, the chiefs and priests seated themselves round the inner court The Fakirs and Sheikhs especially devoted to the service of the sanctuary, who are called Kotcheks, now issued fro _harisa_[28], which they placed on the ground The coroups round theby called upon them continually in a loud voice to partake of the hospitality of Sheikh Adi After the empty plates had been removed, a collection was made towards the support of the temple and tomb of the saint

These ceremonies occupied us until nearly mid-day; we then sat by the fountain in the valley, and theinto the trees and hanging on the boughs to see the dancers

Sugar, dates, and raisins were afterwards scrast the children

The men soon took part in the arapes from the mountains to sell at the festival, were ood objects for a joke The hint was no sooner given than they, their donkeys, and their grapes, were all rolled into one heap under a s The Kurds, ere arht have revenged theood humour when they found that they were to receive ample coeneral laughing in the valley, and the Yezidis will long remember these days of simple merrihters of the chiefs and Cawals called upon me The families of the Cawals, evidently descended from the same stock, are remarkable for the beauty both of the ly like one another Their coular and adant, and as rich as the material they could obtain would allow Some wove flowers into their hair, others encircled their black turbans with a single wreath of ant ornaate, and glass beads round their necks, and soold and silver rey or yellowish check, like a Scotch plaid, tied over one shoulder, and falling in front over the silk dress, is a peculiar feature in the costuirls, and of some Christians from the same district Unmarried women have the neck bare, the married conceal it with a white kerchief, which passes under the chin, and is tied on the top of the head The brightest colors are worn by the girls, but the matrons are usually clothed in plain white

The females of the Cawal families alear black turbans and skull caps Cawal Yusuf, to sho the Frank ladies he had seen at Constantinople were honored by their husbands,alk arreat aious ceremonies were repeated in the te the inner court fro After all had retired to rest, the Yezidi Mullah recited, in a low chanting tone, a religious history, or discourse, consisting of the adventures and teachings of a certain Mirza Moha lath on the stone pave Sheikhs and Cawals The scene was singularly picturesque and i I visited, with Mr Rassam and Mr Cooper, the rock-sculptures of Bavian, which are not more than six e of hills; but I will defer a description of these remarkable monuments until I come to relate my second journey to the spot

Cawal Yusuf had promised, on the occasion of the festival, to show ht a volu, accompanied by the secretary of Sheikh Nasr, the only Yezidi, as far as I am aware, who could read it It consisted of a few tattered leaves, of no ancient date, containing a poetical rhapsody on the merits and attributes of Sheikh Adi, who is identified with the Deity hih evidently distinguished fro the truth, and as reaching through it the highest place, which he declares to be attainable by all those who like him shall find the truth[29]

This was the only written work that I was able to obtain from the Yezidis; their cawals repeated several prayers and hymns to me, which were purely laudatory of the Deity, and unobjectionable in substance Nu the re my inquiries much further on this subject Cawal Yusuf inforreat massacre of the sect by the Bey of Rahwanduz, they possessed eneral panic, or destroyed by the Kurds He admentary composition, and by no ious laws of the Yezidi He even hinted that the great work did still exist, and I am by no means certain that there is not a copy at Baasheikhah or Baazani The account given by the Cawal seems to be confirmed by the allusion s,”

and ”the Book that comforteth the oppressed,” which could scarcely have been inserted for any particular purpose, such as to deceive their Mohahbours

I will here add a few notes concerning the Yezidis and their faith to those contained in my former work; they were chiefly obtained froovern the world, but that after hiiven special jurisdiction over those speaking the Kurdish language, including the Yezidis (this is evidently a modern interpolation, derived from Mussulman sources, perhaps invented to conciliate the Mohao to heaven must first pass an expiatory period in hell, but no one will be punished eternally Mohammedans they exclude from all future life, but not Christians (Thisoffence)

The Yezidis will not receive converts to their faith; circuh to the toreat inconvenience or danger, it should be baptized as early as possible after birth The Cawals in their periodical visitations carry a bottle or skin filled with the holy water, to baptize those children who cannot be brought to the shrine

There are forty days fast in the spring of the year, but they are observed by few; one person in a fa that period as completely as the Chaldaeans froidly for oneonly once in twenty-four hours and immediately after sunset