REV. G. E. WHITE, ON THE SHIA TURKS. 235 
of my friend the sheikh. He told me that they had made up 
about eight bushels of cracked wheat, 250 pounds of grape 
syrup, with walnuts, corn, and several other ingredients into 
the soup, and had served it with “ health-giving bread ” — 
health-giving because provided at a sacred shrine and season — 
and hundreds of people, rich and poor, had partaken of the 
bounty. Such a meal is undoubtedly viewed as a sort of 
sacrament. 
I believe the main features of Shia religion have now been 
touched upon, except the matter of pilgrimage. Saints or sacred 
men, sacred seasons, and sacred ordinances require sacred places 
to complete the requirements, and one will be naturally expected 
to repair to such places as he has opportunity, and to acquire 
merit by doing so. The great resort of Shia pilgrims is Iverbela 
near the Persian frontier, to which corpses are brought for burial 
in incredible numbers. From most of Asia Minor this point is 
too distant, and the Hadji Bek Tashi tekye not far from Angora 
is the religious centre for pilgrims and for all the interests of 
Shia Turks. The chief Sheikh resident there is believed by 
some to be a veritable descendant of the house of Ali. He 
administers vast estates and disposes of large revenues. Some 
time ago the central government at Constantinople demanded 
the deeds of the Shia endowments, but their Sheikh furnished 
copies of his deeds, retaining the originals, and sent word out to 
all the Shia Turks to be ready for an insurrection, and the 
deeds never passed out of their owners’ possession. Redheads 
who can do so aim to go on a pilgrimage to this their great 
centre, especially to eat red soup there at Ashoura, the tenth of 
Mouharrem. At that time there must be a gathering of the 
clans and a series of ceremonies that would be well worth a 
considerable effort to witness. Of the twelve orders of Dervishes 
recognised in this part of the world there are two of outstanding 
rank, namely, the Rufa’i, to which the Sultan himself is said to 
belong, and the Bek Tashi, and these last are a Shia order. 
Local shrines are the resort of pilgrims, frequently when 
special need impels to special worship. From beside the grave 
of a saint earth is carried to the fields to prevent mice and 
other pests from harming the crops. Some of the same earth 
mixed with water is given the sick to drink, or is smeared upon 
the body, and children who are in any way deficient are carried 
three times around the grave, that they may draw healing 
virtue from its occupant. Certain shrines have an annual 
celebration, when people may assemble to the number of 
thousands to sacrifice, give thanks and pray. 
