Their hair, by
which its brilliant black was changed into an ugly brown-red.
Beautiful as this group of women were in appearance, their society
was very uninteresting, for an unbroken silence was maintained by
these members of our garrulous sex, and not one of their pretty
faces expressed an emotion or sentiment. Mind and education, the
zests of life, were wanting. The native girls are taught nothing;
their education is completed when they are able to read in their
mother tongue (Armenian or Arabian), and then, with the exception of
some religious books, they have no other reading.
It was more lively at a visit which I made, some days later, to the
harem of the pasha; there was then so much chatting, laughing, and
joking, that it was almost too much for me. My visit had been
expected, and the women, fifteen in number, were sumptuously dressed
in the same way that I have already described; with the single
exception, that the upper garment (kaftan) was shorter, and made of
a more transparent material, and the turbans ornamented with ostrich
feathers.
I did not see any very handsome women here; they had only good eyes,
but neither noble nor expressive features.
The summer harem, in which I was received, was a pretty building, in
the most modern style of European architecture, with lofty, regular
windows. It stood in the middle of a small flower-garden, which was
surrounded by a large fruit-garden.
After I had been here rather more than an hour, a table was laid,
and chairs placed round it. The principal woman invited me to join
them, and leading the way, seated herself at the table, when,
without waiting till we were seated, she hastily picked out her
favourite morsels from the various dishes with her hands. I was
also compelled to help myself with my hands, as there was no knife
and fork in the whole house, and it was only towards the end of the
meal that a large gold teaspoon was brought for me.
The table was profusely covered with excellent meat-dishes, with
different pilaus, and a quantity of sweet-meats and fruits. I found
them all delicious, and one dish so much resembled our fritters,
that I almost thought it was meant for them.
After we had finished, those who had not room to sit down with us
took their seats together with some of the principal attendants:
after them came, in succession, the inferior slaves, among whom were
some very ugly negresses; these also seated themselves at the table,
and ate what remained.
After the conclusion of the meal, strong coffee was handed round in
small cups, and nargillies brought. The cups stood in little golden
bowls, ornamented with pearls and turquoises.
The pasha's women are distinguished from their attendants and slaves
only by their dress and jewellery; in demeanour I found no
difference. The attendants seated themselves without hesitation
upon the divans, joined, uninvited, in the conversation, smoked, and
drank coffee as we did. Servants and slaves are far better and more
considerately treated by the natives than by the Europeans. Only
the Turks hold slaves here.
Although such strict decorum is observed in all public places, there
is an utter disregard of it in the harems and baths. While a part
of the women were engaged in smoking and drinking coffee, I slipped
away, and went into some of the adjoining apartments, where I saw
enough, in a few minutes, to fill me with disgust and commiseration
for these poor creatures; from slothfulness and the want of
education, morality appeared to be so degraded as to profane the
very name of humanity.
I was not less grieved by a visit to a public female bath. There
were young children, girls, women, and mothers; some having their
hands, feet, nails, eyebrows, hair, etc., washed and coloured:
others were being bathed with water, or rubbed with fragrant oils
and pomades, while the children played about among them. While all
this was going on, the conversation that prevailed was far from
being remarkable for its decency. Poor children! how are they to
acquire a respect for modesty, when they are so early exposed to the
influence of such pernicious examples.
Among the other curiosities of Baghdad, I saw the funeral monument
of Queen Zobiede, the favourite wife of Haroun-al-Raschid. It is
interesting, because it differs very much from the ordinary
monuments of the Mahomedans. Instead of handsome cupolas and
minarets, it consists of a moderate sized tower, rising from an
octagon building; the tower has a considerable resemblance to those
of the Hindoo temples. In the interior stand three plainly built
tombs, in one of which the queen is buried; in the other two,
relations of the royal family. The whole is constructed of bricks,
and was formerly covered with handsome cement, coloured tiles, and
arabesques, of which traces still remain.
Mahomedans consider all such monuments sacred; they frequently come
from great distances to offer up their devotions before them. They
think it equally desirable to erect a burial-place near such a
monument, which they show with pride to their friends and relations.
Round this monument there were large spaces covered with tombs.
On the return from this monument, I went a little out of my way to
see that part of the town which had fallen into ruins, and been
desolated by the last plague. Herr Swoboda, an Hungarian, gave me a
dreadful picture of the state of the town at that time. He had shut
himself closely up with his family and a maid servant, and being
well furnished with provisions, received nothing from outside but
fresh water. He carefully plastered up the doors and windows, and
no one was allowed to go out upon the terraces, or, indeed, into the
air at all.
