Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 2.djvu/44

 of the spacious apartment; and in this room several taziyas, very highly decorated, were placed in readiness for the ceremony. One of them was a representation of the Mausoleum of the Prophet at Medina; another the tomb of Hussein at Karbala; a third, that of Kasīm; and there was also a most splendid Burāk, a fac-simile of the winged horse, on which the Prophet made an excursion one night from Jerusalem to Heaven, and thence returned to Mecca. The angel Gabriel acted as celestial sā'īs on the occasion, and brought the animal from the regions above. He must have been a fiery creature to control that winged horse; and the effect must have been more than picturesque, as the Prophet scudded along on a steed that had the eyes and face of a man, his ears long, his forehead broad, and shining like the moon; eyes of jet, shaped like those of a deer, and brilliant as the stars; the neck and breast of a swan, the loins of a lion, the tail and the wings of a peacock, the stature of a mule, and the speed of lightning!—hence its name Burāk.

In front of the taziyas and of the flying horse were a number of standards; some intended to be fac-similes of the banner ('alam) of Hussein: and others having the names of particular martyrs. The banners of Alī were denominated, "The Palm of the Hand of Alī the Elect;" "The Hand of the Lion of God;" "The Palm of the Displayer of Wonders;" and "The Palm of the Disperser of Difficulties." Then there was the "Standard of Fatima," the daughter of the Prophet, and wife of Alī; also that of Abbās-i-'alam-dār, the standard-bearer; with those of Kasīm, Alī-akbar, and others; the banner of the twelve Imāms; the double-bladed sword of Alī; and the nal-sāhib. There was also the neza, a spear or lance dressed up with a turban, the ends flying in the air, and a lime fixed at the top of it; emblematic, it is said, of Hussein's head, which was carried in triumph through different cities, by the order of Yuzeed, the King of Shawm.

The nal-sāhib is a horse-shoe affixed to the end of a long pole; it is made of gold, silver, metals, wood, or paper, and is intended as an emblem of Hussein's horse.

The 'Alam-i-Kasīm, or Standard of Kasīm the Bridegroom, is