Rayat. “Subject” or “Serf”; see p. 167.
Regie. An inter-national trading company, which rents the tobacco monopoly from the Ottoman Government.
Sam. The “Poison Wind” of the desert. See pp. [62] and [339].
Santon. A Moslem saint.
Serai. Strictly a “yard” or “quadrangle”; hence a house which is built around a quadrangle: often “Government House.”
Seyyid. A descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.
Shamasha. A Christian deacon (Syriac).
Sheikh. Lit. “Elder.” A title given especially to Moslem chiefs possessing high religious authority.
Sheriat. The “Sacred Law,” as enunciated in the Koran.
Shiah. An important sect among the Moslems, dominant in Persia and India, who maintain that Ali, Mohammed’s son-in-law, was his legitimate and hereditary successor, and who accordingly repudiate the authority of Ali’s three predecessors in the Khalifate, Abu Bekr, Omar, and Othman.