Ill 
The Ramadan fast is the only obligatory one by divine 
precept; all other fasts are merely religious customs. 
The Mahometans have four sacred months in the 
year, during which it is not lawful to make war, unless 
pressed by necessity, nor to take away the life of man. 
Such are the months of Moharram, Arjab, Doulkaada, 
and Doulhaja. 
For the paschal prayer a place out of the town is 
assigned, called El Emsalla, where all the people meet 
in the morning of the first day of Easter, before sun-rise. 
When the sultan was at Fez at last Easter, the 
feast was very sumptuous, and the Pashas, the Kaids, 
the great Sheiks, at the head of numerous corps of cav- 
alry, flocked from all provinces of the empire, in order 
to congratulate the sovereign; most of them encamped 
out of the town. 
On the spot of the Emsalla an inclosure was made, 
which had a square form; three of its sides were sur- 
rounded with a cloth, five or six feet high, and about 
sixty feet long on each side: -within there was a pulpit 
for the preacher. We were about six hundred men 
within this inclosure; all the populace of Fez and the 
people from the provinces kept on the outside, and the 
whole assembly consisted of at least two hundred and 
..fifty thousand souls. At the arrival of the sultan the 
prayers began. Every time that the Imaum and the Mu- 
edden accompanied the movements of the rikats with 
the exclamation, Allahouakibar! God most great! it was 
repeated by a great number of Muedden, who were 
dispersed among the crowd; and upon this cry, two 
hundred and fifty thousand people, with their sovereign 
at their head, were seen prostrating themselves before 
the Deity, having all nature for their temple. This 
ceremony is really imposing; it is impossible to wit- 
ness it without being moved. 
