236 EEV. S. M. ZWEMER, F.E.G.S., ON 



Libraries (Paris and Oxford). But the golden period of" 

 their literature, that is, the time when their religious books 

 received their final and present form was, according to 

 Noldeke, from 650-900 A.D. At present only the few among-^ 

 them can read or Avrite their language, although all can 

 speak it, and from religious motives they refuse to teach 

 those outside of their faith even the first lesson, except 

 secretly. 



And so it was that although meeting Sabeans for the past 

 four years and being their guest on frequent journeys up 

 and down the rivers, 1 found no satisfactory answer to the 

 question what their real faith and cult Avere. The popular 

 story that they turn to the North Star when they pray and 

 " baptise " every Sunday was all that Moslems or Christians 

 could tell. Books of travel on this region gave fragmentary, 

 conflicting and often grossly erroneous statements. Accord- 

 ing to some accounts they Avere idolaters, others classed 

 them with Christians. An anonymous article which appeared 

 iu the London Standard, and which was entitled, " A prayer 

 meeting of the Star Worshippers," curiously gave me the key 

 to open the lock of their silence. Whoever wrote it must 

 have been perfectly acquainted with their religious cere- 

 monies or be one of themselves, for when 1 translated it to a 

 company of Sabeans at Amara they were dumbfounded ! 

 Knowing that I knew something made it easy for them to tell 

 me more. But let me first quote a portion of this account 

 by Avay of introduction to what follows. 



" Toward midnight the Star Worshippers, men and women, 

 come slowly down to the river side. Each enters the tiny 

 Avattled hut [built of palm-branches] by the southern wall, 

 disrobes and bathes in the circular reservoir. . . . On 

 emerging from the water each robes him or herself in the 

 rasta, that is the ceremonial garment, all white, crosses to 

 the open space in front of the door of the tabernacle, and 

 seats himself upon the ground, saluting those present with 

 the customary, Sood Havilakh, ' blessing be upon thee,' and 

 receiving the usual reply, Assootah de hai havilakh, 'blessing 

 of the Living One be upon thee.' The sacred book, Sidra 

 Hahba, is laid upon the altar folded back where the liturgy 

 of the living is divided from the ritual of the dead. The 

 high priest takes one of the two live pigeons handed to him, 

 extends his hands to the polar star, upon which he fixes his 

 eyes, and lets the bird fly, calling aloud : ' Bslimo d'hai rahha 

 mshabba zivo hadmayah Elalia Edmen IVafhi Eprah.' ' In 



