Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/62

46 younger mullah, takes his place during the services and announces to the people what parts of the office the Imam will read an d which prayers are to be repeated after him. This platform is called the "sedda," and is to be found only in some of the Algerian mosques, never in those of Morocco. I once saw such a platform, having the same ritualistic purpose, in a pagoda in Nanking, where I learned it was a very unusual feature.

Near one of the columns we were shown a korsi, or raised chair, which is occupied at times by noted muderres, or professors of theology, who explain and interpret the Koran to the assembled Moslems, just as the holy Abu Median, the patron saint of Tlemsen, was wont to do.

Meanwhile, as we studied the interior of the mosque, the sun was dropping so low that we had hardly time to look around the large sahn, or interior court, with its basins and other appointments for the ceremonial ablutions of the worshiper. We were on our way home, when, at one of the comers of Maskara Street, we suddenly heard an indescribable conglomeration of sounds. Innumerable hands seemed to be striking drums and tambourines, while another group of performers were evidently playing upon pipes and flutes and a third busied themselves with protracted crying, which the natives dignified with the name of song, in spite of its wailing, sad tones.

As we could see no one responsible for the performance, we turned to our Mahomet ben M'Hammed for light. He smiled, as he led us through the gathering crowd and explained to us: