ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 



195 



hand of Husain, their martyr. I do not believe this, 

 as the open hand was an emblem of something which 

 I have discussed further on, long before Husain was 

 born. And the Shiahs may have adopted it as an 



Fig. 97. — Standards used in the celebration of the Mohurrum. From Hughes' 

 ' Dictionary of Islam.' The lower part of {a) is formed of bunches of hair from 

 the tails of horses. 



emblem of their martyr, much as the Christians may 



perhaps have adopted the Assyrian ' ankh ' as an 



emblem of tJieir martyr. 



On the cylinders we find figures putting up either 



one hand, usually the right,^ or both hands. Then the 



1 See Prof. Sayce's ' Hibbert Lectures,' p. 70. — "The uplifting of his hand 

 finds favour with the god." 



