CHAPTER V

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE SULTAN

C

OME behind the scenes with me and take a look at Mulai Abd el-Aziz, the Sultan of Morocco. He is the ruler of the best part

of northwestern Africa; his empire is almost one twelfth the size of the whole United States and more than five million Berbers and Moors look upon him with

reverence.

The Sultan is just twenty-six years of age, with all the strength of full-blooded youth. He has a muddy white complexion and his slightly bloated face bears the marks of smallpox, which he had years ago. He has a straight nose, a large mouth, a long upper lip, and a somewhat receding chin. Like all his people, he never shaves his face, but his curly black full beard is so thin that it does not show much in the picture. He has rather a blasé air, wearing in ordinary conversation a somewhat bored look. He seems to have sucked dry the orange of power and luxury and to care more to take things easy and have a good time than to rule. Indeed, I understand that he would be glad to leave the throne, for he thinks the game of governing a country as turbulent as this is not worth the candle. He is fast losing prestige with his own people by consorting with foreigners, and were it not for his position in the Mohammedan hierarchy he would ere this have had to step down and out.

All the rest of the Mohammedans of the world acknowledge some kind of allegiance to the Sultan of Turkey. This is true of our Moros and of the fifty-odd million Mussulmans of India as well as of the lesser number in Turkey and Egypt. But these Moors will not let the Turkish Sultan send a representative here. They acknowledge no allegiance to him, considering that only the family of this young man has the right to the title of Commander and Ruler of the Faithful.

Indeed, the sultans of Morocco are perhaps the most blue-blooded monarchs on earth. Abd el-Aziz, the thirtyfifth lineal descendant of Ali, the uncle and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed, is the fifteenth monarch in his own dynasty. His father was the famed Mulai Hassan, who was sultan for twenty-one years, during which he ruled with an iron hand. When about to die he chose as his successor Abd el-Aziz, his son by a Circassian slave imported from Turkey, although he had other and older

sons.

The Sultan is the high priest of the religion of this country as well as its chief executive. He is called the great Imam, or "Prince of True Believers," and he prays for all. One of his chief elements of strength is the power of conferring blessings, which has come down to him from Mohammed. He is supposed to have this direct from God, but if any other man of his family could make the people believe that he had this power in a greater degree, he could easily raise a rebellion and oust Mulai Abd el-Aziz from the throne.

This was attempted by Bu Hamara, the so-called son of the She-Ass, who falsely claimed to be an elder brother of Abd el-Aziz, and who, by sleight-of-hand tricks, made

Most of the inhabitants of Fez prefer water from the muddy river to that from the pure springs in certain parts of the city, one of which supplies this fountain of marvellous mosaic.

the people think he was performing miracles. He started a revolution, and the soldiers broke out into an insurrection, notwithstanding the fact that their officers gave them a flogging and dusted out their mouths with red pepper for speaking against His Majesty. This Bu Hamara was eventually put down, but the rebellion was quelled by a compromise whereby the son of the She-Ass has, like Raisuli, been bribed with a fat office. He is now ruling a large section of the country. This would seem to put a premium on a second rebellion.

Like the old emperors of China, the Sultan makes sacrifices for his whole nation. This he does by killing a sheep on every Bairam, or Mohammedan Easter. At this time every good Moorish family is supposed to offer up sacrifices, and it is estimated that as many as thirty thousand sheep are killed on that day in the city of Fez. The sheep are brought in from the surrounding country, and mutton prices rise to such an extent that a good fat ram or ewe will bring thirty dollars. If there were such a custom in America the market would surely be cornered.

The sheep killing is started by the Sultan, surrounded by a large concourse of people. One of the holy preachers first sings out a sermon, after which the sheep is handed over to His Majesty. He cuts its throat, and as the blood gushes forth the bands play and the cannon thunder. The news is sent out all over the city, whereupon the sacrificing begins, extending to every part of Morocco.

Bairam is the great festal occasion of all the year. The Moors come out in their good clothes, the soldiers have new uniforms, and the people who, like pious Moslems everywhere, have been fasting throughout Ramazan, which is their Lent, give themselves up to rejoicing. The