140 



The National Geographic Magazine 



sian Gulf is a body of water almost as 

 long as Lakes Huron and Michigan" to- 

 gether, and is noted for its low shelving 

 beaches, the frequency and severity of 

 its storms, and its intolerable summer 

 heat. The only part of the year in 

 which life in this region is at all com- 

 fortable is the winter season — from the 

 first of December to the middle of April. 

 During these months the climate resem- 

 bles that of the desert regions of Cali- 

 fornia or the winter climate of Egypt. 



Photo by Fairchild 



The House of a Wealthy Date Merchant 



The family sleep on the high verandahs at night ; at 

 midday they withdraw to the inmost recess and close 

 every opening by which the hot air can filter in. 



During the winter season large num- 

 bers of Mohammedan pilgrims, coming 

 from different provinces in India and 

 different points in Persia, crowd the 

 between-decks of the steamers with an 

 interesting mixture of Oriental-looking 

 baggage and picturesquely clad people. 

 One realizes before the first night out 

 that he is in the land of the ' ' Arabian 

 Nights" . The old patriarchs who have 

 made this pilgrimage to the Mecca of 

 the Shia Mohammedans at Kerbela, 

 near Bagdad , gather around them groups 

 of younger, inexperienced pilgrims, and 

 in Oriental cadences recite to them the 



thrilling story of the battle between the 

 Prophet's grandsons at Kerbela. The 

 wailing of the women and the sobbing 

 of the men make one realize the relig- 

 ious fervor of these believers in the 

 Prophet, and until the officers of the 

 vessel inform you that it is the fashion 

 to shed tears over this drama, no matter 

 how many times it is repeated, you are 

 inclined to attribute altogether too much 

 sincerity to the emotion of these circles 

 of listening pilgrims. 



The first important port of 

 call of the steamer is that of 

 Muscat, nominally owned by 

 the Sultan, but really a pro- 

 tectorate of England. As the 

 boat casts anchor in the little 

 harbor, surrounded on all sides 

 by the rocky coast, the captain 

 and chief engineer describe the 

 discomforts of the summer sea- 

 son in this region. The shade 

 temperatures, although no 

 higher than in portions of this 

 country during the daytime, 

 surpass them by many degrees 

 at night. A temperature of 

 )i io° at 4 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, which is that recorded in 

 Muscat, is not infrequent, and 

 the few Europeans who are 

 doomed to live there succeed in 

 making life bearable by means 

 of specially constructed fanning 

 machines, which blow the air through 

 wetted screens of grass roots. Muscat 

 is one of the great shipping points for 

 large quantities of dates, which are sent 

 each autumn to the American markets.. 

 A few interesting bazaars, many strange 

 types of costumes, and bits of old Ara- 

 bian architecture make a short stay 

 there interesting. The women of Mus- 

 cat wear the most curious forms of mask 

 that are to be seen in the Orient. They 

 are richly embroidered squares of silk 

 and wool, which cover the upper part 

 of the face and leave the chin exposed, 

 and in this respect they differ decidedly 



