40 HORMDZD KASSAM^ ESQ., ON BIBLICAL LANDS, THEIR 



Circumcision, Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Easter, and some of 

 the apostles' and saints' days. When they are at their 

 prayers, they turn their face towards the sun, which has led 

 some to suppose that they woj'ship that luminary. The 

 Ansarees also believe in the transmigration of souls, and 

 entertain a quaint notion that the soul ought to quit the 

 bod}' of a dying man by the mouth ; they are therefore par- 

 ticular about any accident which they imagine may prevent 

 it from taking that course. In consequence of this belief 

 whenever a sentence of capital punishment is passed upon 

 any criminal of their sect, his relations offer considerable 

 sums of money that he may be impaled, instead of being 

 hanged, in order that the passage of the throat might be 

 kept unimpeded for the soul to pass free. 



The Droozes, who inhabit the mountains of Syria, chiefly 

 in Lebanon, are considered a heretical sect of the Mohamme- 

 dans, though their profession of faith is shrouded in mystery. 

 It is their rule to adopt the religious practices of the country 

 in which they reside, and to profess the creed of the 

 strongest, but there is no truth in the assertion that the 

 Droozes frequent mosques and churches to please the people 

 with whom they live. They all profess Islamism, and when- 

 ever they mix with IMohammedans, they perform the rites 

 prescribed by their religion. In private, however, they 

 break the fast of the Ramadhan, indulge in wine, and eat 

 food forbidden by the Koran. . In reality they hate all 

 religious professions of all sects. They have a religion of 

 their own, there is no doubt, but what their rites and duties 

 are it is impossible to tell. They have amongst them the 

 sacred rite of baptism, but they do not practise circumcision, 

 nor do they fast or pray. They wear white turbans as an 

 emblem of purity. It is said that the number of the Droozes 

 in Lebanon is not more than about 200,000. 



The sect of the Assassins is small, and their chief seat is 

 on the mountains, west of Hama in Syria. They are also 

 called Ismaeleya or Ishraaelites. They came originally 

 from Persia, and their religion is a compound of Zoro- 

 astrian, Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan creeds, but the 

 distinguishing tenets of the sect is the union of the deity 

 with their chief, whose orders were accordingly promptly 

 ajid unhesitatingly obeyed as coming from heaven. The 

 sect is an offshoot from the Ismailee branch of the Sheea 

 Mohammedans. It was founded abcmt eight hundred years 

 ago by a man called Hasan bin Sabah, in Persia; a section 



