Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/457

 row of inscriptions in letters of gold and blue. Beneath its vaulted dome, which is believed to be the very dome under which Harun ar-Rashid was buried, even though no trace of his sepulchre is seen above ground today, is the tomb-chamber (hararri) in which lie the remains of Imam Riza.^ The pil- grims catch sight of it first through a silver grating before reaching the chamber itself, with its sumptuous doors of gold and silver ; and, on entering the sanctum, they find themselves in a richly adorned room, embellished with jewels, gold, and tapestry, while the sepulchre itself is protected by triple grat- ings, two of which consist of steel bars, while the third is made of brass overlaid with gold. After prostrating themselves, as a mark of reverence, the devotees circumambulate the tomb, kissing the lock and grating that guard it, repeating a prayer and a benediction upon the saint's memory, and not forgetting to utter a curse upon Harun and his wicked son, Mamun. But for those who desire fuller details on this sub- ject, I may best refer to the interesting accounts written by our host. Major Sykes, who enjoyed the advantage of having first-hand information from his Oriental collaborator, Khan Bahadur Ahmad Khan, attache to the British Consulate at

Behind the shrine is another handsome court, that of the beautiful Mosque of Gauhar Shad, already referred to as founded by Shah Rukh's pious queen, and a small masjid which that liberal benefactress generously built to commemorate the stub- born zeal of an old woman who held out for a long time against selling the queen her land. Besides these there are two cara- vansarais for the pilgrims, including even a public kitchen, several madrasahs for the students and priests, and yet another quadrangle, the New Court (less imposing than the Old), on

1 Compare the note on Kazvini ^ve some idea of the interior of the

(1275 A.D.) above, p. 268, n. 4, and chamber.

see Sykes, JBAS. 1910, pp. 1143- ^ See Sykes, Glory of the Shia

1144. The photograph, which I pur- World, pp. 243-247, and the same

chased from a native of Mashad, will author in JBAS. 1910, pp. 1132-1148.

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