The Sultan and His PeopleOscanyan, C. (Christopher)
History
The Sultan and His People
Oscanyan, C. (Christopher)
Turkey -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Social life and customs
To all of these places, the people flock in cayiks and carriages,
and spreading their carpets upon the green sward, recline with true
Oriental nonchalance and comfort. The chibouk adds its curling fumes
to the scene, the narghillé bubbles in unison, the favorite kahvé is
handed round in tiny cups, the wild notes of the Lahouta and Kementché
are re-echoed by the verdant hills, while an entire lamb on a spit
sheds its fragrant odors, predicting a pic-nic champêtre. The itinerant
seller of bon-bons plants his tray before you, and you cannot refuse
to partake of its luscious contents--wandering gipsies present you
wild flowers, and proffer their services in unfolding the pages of
destiny. Group after group glides along in the fanciful costumes of
Stamboul, and all are joyous and contented.
Thus the Osmanlis enjoy that sensation of delight, their indescribable
Kief, when for the moment all care and trouble are forgotten, amid
the scenes of beauty which nature so freely lavishes upon all, rich
and poor.
Especially on a Friday, or the Mohammedan Sunday, there are
congregated thousands of persons, people from every clime, and of
every rank--Persians in their peaked papakhs; Albanians with their
fustanels; Circassians in their woolly caps; Zeybeks, or Turkish
mountaineers, in gay costumes and lofty head-gear, and armed from head
to foot; strange men on horse-back, who seem to be made up of gold
embroidery and cashmere shawls; Turkish soldiers, and ebony negroes
on milk-white steeds; the representatives of the different western
powers in their elegant carriages, with their own ladies and families;
European travellers and book-making authors, mingle in the crowd. The
imported beauties of Circassia, sit on their embroidered cushions,
sable guards patroling around, while their lords and masters keep at
a respectful distance.
The Osmanli ladies seem all to be beautiful, especially in their white
and delicate veils, and costumes of such varied hues, with brilliant
diamonds glittering upon their heads, necks, arms, and fingers--in
a word, a Turkish watering-place would eclipse even Broadway itself
in recherchées toilettes and unparalleled beauty; while the charm of
such an endless variety furnishes a study for the artist, and leaves
nothing to be desired to complete a picture exquisitely perfect.
Amid such scenes as these, the blue heavens for a canopy, with nature's
emerald carpeting, the tall and majestic trees bearing the impress of
unnumbered seasons, more beautiful in their leafy verdure than the most
exquisitely carved and marble columns of the palaces of kings; while
the tuneful songsters of the grove trill their plaintive notes--are
displayed the simple tastes and habits of this people, so inaccessible
when they are once within the precincts of their own domiciles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account