PER 
In the harem there are three claffes of females diftin- 
guiffied by different appellations : the princeffes of the 
blood are called begum, and fuch of the king’s women as 
have brought him children, are called kanoom; under the 
denomination of hatoon , are comprehended the women of 
inferior rank; and all thofe not belonging to any of thefe 
three clafTes are termed Jlaves, which indeed might be ap¬ 
plied to the whole of them. 
Each female of the harem, one of whom is reprefented 
in the Engraving on the king’s left hand, has an apart¬ 
ment to herfelf, or lodges with fome aged woman, and 
cannot vifit her fellow-prifoners without permiffion. Be- 
fides fubfiftence, fhe receives an allowance, half of which 
is paid in money, and the reft in fluff for wearing apparel. 
The number of her attendants increafes with her rank. 
But, alas! when the king dies, the harem is filled with 
mourning, confternation, and difmay ; yet the tears that 
are {hed are not thofe of regret for the loft objeft: what 
thefe women deplore is the lofs of the fhadow of liberty, 
and of the illufory pleafures which charmed their capti¬ 
vity : they are fhut up for the remainder of their lives in 
the moft retired part of the harem, and a guard of fero¬ 
cious eunuchs will prohibit the entrance of all who are 
not brought thither by the natural wants of the vidtims. 
According to the report of the Perfians, the king’s 
harem contains the moft beautiful women in the Eaft. 
In any other country, the manner of fupplying it would 
be the moft execrable tyranny; in Perfia it is an honour 
courted by the moft diftinguifhed perfons. No fooner 
does a beauty fpring up in any part of the kingdom, and 
the rumour of her charms reach the court, than fhe is 
taken from her family, or, more properly fpeaking, her 
parents are anxious to offer her for his majefty’s accep¬ 
tance, and fhe is transferred from the paternal habitation 
to the royal harem. The favour and fortune of the pa¬ 
rents keep pace with the king’s fondnefs for his new 
miftrefs; and, when fhe becomes a mother, the moft ele¬ 
vated dignities are conferred on her father. The name 
of mother, however, though it confirms the influence of 
her who prefents the monarch with the firft fon, becomes 
to the others a fource of apprehenfion and forrow. Con¬ 
fined with their infants in a corner of the feraglio, they 
live in continual fear left a fupreme order fhould deprive 
them of life, or at lead of fight. Hence the crimes of 
which the feraglio is the theatre. When the number of 
children is too great, the queen-mother, who rules with 
defpotic fway in the harem, coolly orders a certain pro¬ 
portion of them to be difpatched 5 and cuftora ftifles all 
remorfe in her foul. 
There are three forts of guards to the harem. The 
white eunuchs guard the outfide, without ever entering 
the interior ; the black eunuchs, moftly brought from the 
coaft of Malabar, dwell round the fecond inner inclofure ; 
within which women are on duty night and day, relieving 
each other by turns. 
We have juft feen what precautions are taken to enfure 
the fidelity of the women of the harem, and to prevent 
the accefs of ftrangers. From thefe precautions we may 
infer the ftridlnefs of thofe which are pradtifed when they 
appear abroad. When the king’s women are about to 
remove from one place to another, public notice is given 
five or fix hours before-hand of the road which they are 
to purfue. Woe then betide the unfortunate wretch who 
fhould happen to be found in that road, or in any place 
from which he could perceive the camels or horfes which 
carry thefe ladies. The very inhabitants of the villages 
through which this road paffes, muft quit their habita¬ 
tions. When the hour for their departure is arrived, 
troops of horfemen ride forward at a great diftance before 
the cavalcade,crying: Coorooh! coorook! “Prohibition !” 
which is a notice for every one to retire. Between thefe 
horfemen and the females come eunuchs alfo on horfe- 
back, who with thick flicks belabour fuch as have not re¬ 
tired with fufficient difpatch. 
The ladies commonly travel on horfeback, riding 
Vol.XIX. No. 1336. 
S I A. 695 
aftride, after the falhion of the Eaft, like men ; “ the moft 
natural and fafeft feat for a lady,” gravely obferves a re¬ 
cent traveller. Some of them, the favourite, for example, 
are carried in a fpecies of litter called by the Perfians 
tahlitirevan. It confifts of a cage of lattice-work covered 
with cloth, borne by two camels, the one before and the 
other behind, and conduced by two men, one of whom 
rides before on a mule, and the other leads the front 
camel. The lower part of the Engraving reprefents the 
queen, or favourite, in her litter, with her female attend¬ 
ants on horfeback. 
The court of Teheran exhibits a luxury and a magni¬ 
ficence that befpeak a great monarch. When Feth Ali 
Shah appears in all his royal ornaments, it is impoflible 
to look at his perfon if the fun ffiines on him. The 
throne, known by the appellation of taliti-thaous, the 
peacock-throne, is particularly fuperb; it is faid to have 
colt a hundred thoufand tomans, or upwards of 130,000!. 
fterling. It feems to have been made in imitation of 
Nadir’s, which has been defcribed at p. 685. This throne, 
as Morier informs us, is raifed three feet above the floor, 
and feems to be an oblong fquare, twelve feet in length 
and eight in breadth : a high baluftrade runs round it, 
and its extremities are adorned with vafes and other or¬ 
naments. The back is very high : on each fide there is 
a pillar fupporting a bird, probably a peacock, glillening 
with precious (tones and holding a ruby in his bill. The 
canopy of this throne confifts of an oval ornament, from 
which diamonds throw a thoufand brilliant rays. On 
this throne the king is feated upon a cuflrion embroider¬ 
ed with fine pearls. His appearance at the nouroos, or 
feftival of the new year, when he receives the homage of 
all his fubjedts, is thus defcribed by Sir Robert Porter: 
“He was one blaze of jewels, which literally dazzled the 
fight on firft looking at him. A lofty tiara of three ele¬ 
vations was on his head, which (hape appears to have been 
long peculiar to the crown of the great king. It was en¬ 
tirely compofed of thickly-fet diamonds, pearls, rubies, 
and emeralds, fo exquifitely difpofed as to form a mixture 
of the moft beautiful colours in the brilliant light refledted 
from its furface. Several black feathers, like the heron- 
plume, were intermixed with the refplendent aigrettes of 
this truly-imperial diadem, whofe bending points were 
finiftied with pear-formed pearls of an immenfe fize. His 
vefture was of gold tifl'ue, nearly covered with a fimilar 
difpofition of jewellery ; and crofting the (houlders w’ere 
two firings of pearls, probably the largeft in the world. 
I call.his drefs a vefture, becaufe it fat clofe to his perfon 
from the neck to the bottom of the waift, (bowing a (hape 
as noble as his air. At that point it devolved downward 
in loofe drapery like the ufual Perfian garment, and was 
of the fame coftly materials with the veft. But for fplen- 
dour nothing could exceed the broad bracelets round his 
arms and the belt which encircled his waift; they actu¬ 
ally blazed like fire when the rays of the fun met them ; 
and, when we know the names derived from fuch exceflive 
luftre, we cannot be furprifed at feeing fuch an effedt. 
The jewelled band on the right arm was called the moun¬ 
tain of light, and that on the left, the fea of light-, which 
fuperb diamonds the rapacious conquefts of Nadir Shah 
placed in the Perfian regalia.” 
On the right of the king, on occafions of extraordinary 
(late, (land feveral of his fons magnificently dreffed, in 
refpedtful attitudes. At fome diftance in front are ranged 
the great officers of the crown, .according to their digni¬ 
ties. Five young pages habited in velvet and filk, bear 
different articles. One holds a crown fimilar to that worn 
by the king ; the fecond a fuperb fword ; the third a 
buckler and a mace of gold and pearls; the fourth a bow 
and arrow enriched with precious (tones; and the fifth 
a fpitting-pot, adorned in the fame manner. 
Contrafting with all this magnificence are the humble 
looks of the affembly. The prefence of the king fills all 
with fear and refpedt; and Jupiter making heaven tremble 
at his nod is not more awful than a Perfian monarch amidft 
8 P his 
