188 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



CHAPTEE XXI. 



As I have said before, the majority of the in- 

 habitants of Mostar are Turks, or, to put it more 

 correctly, Mussulmans, for the religion is the only 

 difference. In dress, and even language, there 

 is no distinction between them and their Christian 

 neighbours. At least each have a distinctive 

 dress, i.e. their gala attire, but as a rule one can 

 only distinguish between them by the shaven 

 crown of the Moslem. Probably it is only within 

 this century that Christians have been allowed 

 to reside in the towns at all ; at any rate, they 

 could not own land till Omar Pasha's time. He 

 much improved their position, and, though he 

 disarmed them, invariably shot any Turk who 

 killed a Christian, which before that time was 

 looked on as a most venial affair, much as it is 

 to-day in Armenia. 



The Bosnian Mussulman is infinitely stricter 

 in religious observances and customs than the 

 Turk of Constantinople. In nothing is this more 

 plainly manifested than in the dress of the women. 

 The reader may recollect that some years ago 



