ERECTION OF TENTS. 
177 
which were forbidden to the Israelites by Moses*; and these extrava¬ 
gancies, I conjecture, must resemble the practices of the priests of Baal, 
who cried aloud and cut themselves after this manner with knives and 
lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them, I Kings, xviii. 28. See also 
Jeremiah, xvi. 5, 6, and 7. 
The preparations which were made throughout the city consisted in 
erecting large tents, that are there called takieh, in the streets and open 
places, in fitting them up with black linen, and furnishing them with 
objects emblematical of the mourning. These tents are erected 
either at the joint expence of the mahal, or district, or by men ot 
consequence, as an act of devotion; and all ranks of people have a 
free access to them. The expense of a takieh consists in the hire of a 
mollah, or priest, of actors and their clothes, and in the purchase of lights. 
Many there are who seize this opportunity of atoning for past sins, or 
of rendering thanks to heaven for some blessing, by adding charity to 
the good act of erecting a takieh, and distribute gratuitous food to 
those who attend it. 
Our neighbour Mahomed Khan had a takieh in his house, to 
which all the people of the mahal flocked in great numbers. During 
the time of this assemblage we heard a constant noise of drums, 
cymbals, and trumpets. We remarked that besides the takiehs in 
different open places and streets of the town, a wooden pulpit, with¬ 
out any appendage, was erected, upon which a mollah was mounted, 
preaching to the people who were collected around him. To speak 
occasionally from a pulpit was one of the offices of the early suc¬ 
cessors of Mahomed, who joined in their persons the sacred and 
royal character. In process of time this function passed to inferior 
persons. An European Ambassador who is said to have intrigued with 
Yezid in favour of Hossein, is brought forwards accordingly to be an 
actor in one of the parts of the tragedy, and the populace were in 
consequence inclined to look favourably upon us. Notwithstanding the 
excitation of the public mind, we did not cease to take our usual rides, 
* Levit. xix. 28. Deut. xiv. 1. 
