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'A handbook of Syria (including Palestine). London: Naval Staff Intelligence Department, June 1919' [112r] (228/738)
The record is made up of 1 volume (365 folios). It was created in 1919. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
RELIGION
217
In agreement with the Druses, but unlike most Islamic com
munities, they make no proselytes, a condition of initiation to
their own community being that the neophyte should be of
Nuseiri parentage on both sides. Only males may be initiated.
Initiation is a lengthy process, and cannot be performed by the
father or any relative of the neophyte ; it, however, creates
between him and his initiator a relationship which counts as
that of blood. The initiation has three stages which together
require the period of about a year. Highly elaborate rules
are given for the performances, especially the last, involving
the presence of large numbers of persons ; it is not clear to
what extent practice is in accord with theory.
The Ansariyeh hold the doctrine of transmigration, and
indeed in a somewhat exaggerated form, as they believe that
the pious are destined to become stars, whereas the impious
will, in the migration of their souls, sink in the scale of animate
beings, becoming mules or sheep, or even descend into the
mineral world. The number of transmigrations through which
a believer has to go before he becomes a star does not exceed
seven.
The Ansariyeh have no special places of worship such as
churches and mosques are, but meet on the occasions of their
feasts in private houses, or according to some in the house
of one of their number, who is called the Sheikh of the Faith.
Important members of the community are bound, each of
them, to select a day whereon he holds an assembly in his
house, at which sacred texts are read ; and such a day is
called a Feast. To a certain extent they agree with other
branches of the Shiites in commemorating particular events
on certain days ; of these the most important is 18 Dhu’l-
Hijjah, the Feast of the Pond, being the day whereon Moham
med is supposed to have appointed ‘Ali as his successor. The
Ansariyeh amplify the account of this affair which is accepted
by the other Shiites, in accordance with the technicalities of
their particular system. ‘Ali, according to them, was on
this occasion designated by the name ma‘na, 1 the Meaning
Like orthodox Moslems they celebrate the feast of Breaking
About this item
- Content
Admiralty handbook regarding Syria (including Palestine) 'to as far north as the River Orontes and a line Antioch-Aleppo-Meskeneh. For details of the part of Syria beyond this line reference must be made to the Handbook of Asia Minor , Vol. iv, Part 2 (C.B. 847 C).'
'Contents. Chapters:
- I. Boundaries and Physical Survey, p 9 (folio 7)
- II. Climate, p 24 (folio 14v)
- III. Minerals, Flora and Fauna, p 93 (folio 50)
- IV. Military History, p 109 (folio 58)
- V. Inhabitants, p 175 (folio 91)
- VI. Turkish Administration, p 236 (folio 121v)
- VII. Agriculture, p 252 (folio 129v)
- VIII. Industry and Trade, p 276 (folio 141v)
- IX. Currency, Weights and Measures, p 318 (folio 162v)
- X. Jebel Ansarīyeh, p 325 (folio 166)
- XI. Country East of Jebel Ansarīyeh, p 344 (folio 175v)
- XII. Lebanon, Anti-Lebanon, and Damascus Plain, p 357 (folio 182)
- XIII. River Systems of Northern Syria, p 395 (folio 201)
- XIV. Judea and the Southern Desert, p 427 (folio 217)
- XV. Samaria (including Carmel), p 472 (folio 239v)
- XVI. Galilee, p 515 (folio 261)
- XVII. Haurān and Jaulān, p 556 (folio 281v)
- XVIII. 'Ajlūn and Northern Belqa, p 580 (folio 293v)
- XIX. Southern Belqa and Ardh el-Kerak, p 612 (folio 309v)
- XX. El-Jibāl and Esh-Shera, p 636 (folio 321v)
- XXI. The Ghōr (Jordan and the Dead Sea); and Wādi 'Arabah, p 645 (folio 326)
- Appendix: Conventional Spellings, p 668 (folio 337v)
- Index, p 669 (folio 338)
- Plates, p 725' [missing]
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (365 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a contents page (folio 6) and an index (folios 338-365).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 367; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence. The volume originally contained fourteen plates showing maps, bound into the back of the volume. These are now missing; details of the plates can be found at folio 5v.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/16/15
- Title
- 'A handbook of Syria (including Palestine). London: Naval Staff Intelligence Department, June 1919'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:366v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence