[Note 14]. Among the Arabians, it is the constant custom to sleep in their drawers: and this allusion to them is illustrated as the story proceeds.
[Note 15]. Throughout Arabia, Turkey, and all Mahometan countries, bells are never made use of in their mosques. It is the office of men, called by the Turks Talismanni, to get up on the turrets or minarets, (and no mosque, according to Sandys, can have more than one turret, unless built by an emperor,) and call the people to prayers. His account is, “From the turrets of the mosques, the Talismanni, with elated voices (for they use no bells) do congregate the people, pronouncing the Arabic sentence, “LA ILLAH ILELLA MUHEMET RESUL ALLAH.” There is but one God and Mahomet is his prophet. Sandy’s Travels, p. 24, 1610.
[Note 16]. The town of Moussoul is situated in Mesopotamia, nearly opposite to the antient Nineveh.
[Note 17]. “Agib,” in Arabic, means marvellous, or wonderful.
[Note 18]. The mosque of Ommiades was built by one of the caliphs, who reigned immediately after the four first successors of Mahomet. The first of this race was Ommiah, whence the descendants were called Ommiades.
[Note 19]. Between noon and sunset was one of their stated times for prayers; and it was about two hours before the sun went down.
[Note 20]. As it was the custom with the Mahometans to wash their hands five times every day before they began their prayers, which were so often, they thought it unnecessary to wash immediately before eating, but they constantly performed that ceremony afterwards, as they eat with their fingers, without forks.
[Note 21]. It is the constant practice in all the countries bordering the Mediterranean, to cool their liquors by means of snow: in other eastern countries, and also sometimes in the former, porous earthern vessels are used, which produce the same effect by evaporation.
[Note 22]. Schaban is the usual name given by the Mahometans to all black eunuchs.
END OF VOL. I.