THE SELAMLIK

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 200, 13 August 1908, Page 4

THE SELAMLIK

THE SULTAN AMD HIS ESCORT. According to Mohammedan law the Sultan, as head of the Church, must make his formal prayer weekly, and I'i'iday, the Mohammedan SaObath, is till. 1 day he chooses. Since the Sultan gave up crossing the Clolden Horn to the Mosque at the Old Seraglio, to avoid assassination, lie has remained within the precincts of his palace, Yildiz Kio»k. Here he has had constructed a little mosqii" of his own called after him '• llaniidyeli Mosque.'' it is within the enclosure of the Yildiz Kiosk grounds, Vet it was 011 the steps of this mosque Iliat the Sultan was standing when the bomb was thrown on July 21st, l!)l)5, killing it persons and wounding 57. ifr. .Jerome Hart, an American editor, writes: "The most interesting phase of the Selamlik is the display of troops. There is a. large garrison at Constantinople, from 1 5,01)0 to 20,000 picked soldiers of the Turkish army. Every man of them is a Mohammedan. Although the Sultan has many Christian subjects, no Christian is allowed to serve as a soldier But that the inagnili-

cent troops seen at the Selainlik are not typical of the Turkish army, is plainly evident in the smaller cities ol Syria: there one sees lilthy. frowsy, ragged soldiers, utterly unlike the dashing troopers and trim i'oot-suldiers at Stamhoul.

After Hie troops take their position. and have formed a hollow square completely surrounding the mosque and the roadway leading from the Imperial Palate entrance down a slight hill to Urn eiitniu.ee of the mosque, a gang of tien appear, and carefully sweep and sprinkle the roadway. At exactly twelve o'clock a high-pitched musical voice rings'through the. air. it is the muezzin calling the Sultan to pvaver. "Simultaneously with his call, a trumpeter sounds a blast and the thousands of soldiers present arms. .Uown the hillside from the palaee starts the advance, of the 'Sultan's procession. This is made up of the leading ladies of the harem in handsome brougha/ns. On either side of their carriages ride coalblack eunuchs, wearing long black frock coats and red ferns, mounted on magnificent Arabian horse.-?. Among the«e l ladies is the Yalideh Sultana, the Sultan's stepmother, followed by various wives and daughters of the Sultan. •• Behind the ladies of the harem rides the. Chief Kunueh. an old and obese 1 Abyssinian negro. Next come the Sultan's sous, seven, eleven, and fourteen vears of age, wearing military uniforms, and handsomely mounted. The escort of the princes is made up of greybearded cavalry ollicers. Next come the cavalry escort of the Sultan, picked soldiers on selected mounts. If one were to judge of the Turkish army by the specimens seen at the Selanilik, it might be considered the finest in Ettvo l*- . i-i, " Presently a carnage appears, which is greeted with a continuous and curious cry from tin; people gathered there, soldiers and 'populace. This cry, we are told, i.s 'Long live our Padishah.' •' As he comes down the gentle slope, Ahdul-Ilaniid's face and figure are plainly to be seen in his open and roomy victoria, lie is simply clad in a black frock coat and red fez. The colour his jet black beard is due, of course, !o dve, as he has an aversion to showing signs of age. Amid the continuous-roar uf the cheering, the Sultan's carriage turns into the gates of the mosque enclosure. It is stopped at the steps, dp which tlie Sultan presently mounts wi'.h a vigorous M<'p. ;\s soon as he has entered, the crowd of courtiers, pashas, and other brilliantly uniformed ollieevs rush and press into ihe narrow duorway. " The Sultan remains Jess than hall an hour at his devotions. When w emerges, the word of command runs around the thousands of troops, and ■with a sharp slap they again present arms. As the Sultan steps into his carriage he speaks a. few words to the gold-laced group bowing low before him. lie returns by a ditl'ereut carriage to which two beautiful white Arabian stallions are attached, lie takes the reins himself, grasps the whip, and with a word his impetuous horses start up the incline."