The travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant in three parts, viz. into I. Turkey, II. Persia, III. the East-Indies / newly done out of French.

CHAP. XXXVI. Of what renders the Turks Ʋnclean, and of their Ablutions.

THE third Command of the Turks concerns Prayer, but because they never say their Prayers till first they wash, we must say somewhat of their Ablutions. The Turks have two kinds of Ablutions, the one is called Gousl, and is a general Washing of the whole Body: The other is termed Abdest, and is the Ablution they commonly make before they begin their Prayers; for they never go to Prayers till first they have used the Abdest at least, or both the Gousl and Abdest, if it be needful; wherefore there are com∣monly near the Mosques, Baths for the Gousl, and Fountains for the Abdest. There is also an Ablution that they perform after that they have done their Needs, which is a kind of Abdest, but they only wash their Hands. They are obliged to use the Gousl, after they have lain with their Wives, or after No∣cturnal Pollution, or when Urine, or any other unclean thing hath fallen up∣on them; and therefore when they make Water, they squat down like Wo∣men, least any drop of it should fall upon them or their Cloaths; for they think that that which pollutes their Bodies or Cloaths, pollutes also their Souls: as also by washing the Body, they think they wash the Soul. After they have made Water, they rub the Yard against a Stone, to fetch off any thing that might remain and defile them by falling upon their Cloaths. When they do their Needs, they make not use of Paper (as I have said) but having eased them∣selves, they make all clean with their Fingers, that they dip into Water, and then wash their Hands, which they never fail to do after they have done their Needs, nay, and after they have made Water too; wherefore there is always a Pot full of Water in their Houses of Office, and they carry two Handker∣chiefs at their girdle, to dry their Hands after they have washed. This clean∣liness is in so great repute with them, and they are so fearful least they should defile themselves with their Excrements, that they take care that even their Sucking Children in Swadling Cloaths do not defile themselves, and for that end they swadle them not as we do, but put them into Cradles which have a Hole in the middle, much about the place where the Child's Buttocks lie, and leave always the Breech of it naked upon the Hole; to the end that when it does its Business, the Excrement may fall into a Pot just under the hole of the Cradle; and for making of Water, they have little Pipe of Box-wood crooked at one end, and shaped like Tobacco-Pipes, these Pipes are three Inches long, and as big as ones Finger; some have the Boul or Hole at the great end round, and serve for Boys, into which the Yard is put, and fastned with some strings; the others are of an Oval bore at the great end, and serve for the Girls, who have them tied to their Bellies, and the small end passing betwixt their Thighs, conveys the Urine by the hole of the Cradle into the Pot underneath without spoiling of any thing; and so they spoil not so much Linnen as Children in Christendom do. Now to continue the order of their Ablutions, they are obliged to make the Abdest immediately after Prayers, as they are to wash their Hands immediately after they have done their Needs, or handled any thing that's unclean; and if they be in a place where they cannot find Water, they may make use of Sand or Earth in stead of Water, not only for the Abdest, but the Gousl also, and the washing of the Hands, and that Ablution will be good: The Abdest is performed in this manner, First, Turning the Face towards Me∣cha, they wash their Hands three times, from the Fingers end to the Wrist. Secondly, They wash the Mouth three times, and make clean their Teeth with a Brush. Thirdly, They wash the Nose three times, and suck Water up out of their Hands into their Nostrils. Fourthly, With their two Hands they throw Water three times upon the Face. Fifthly, They wash three times,

their right Arm from the Wrist to the Elbow, and then the left. Sixthly, They rub the Head with the Thumb and first Finger of the right Hand, from the Brow to the Pole. Seventhly, With the same Finger and Thumb, they wash the Ears within and without. Eighthly, they wash the Feet three times, be∣ginning at the Toes, and going no higher than the Instep, and with the right Foot first, and then the left: But if they have washed their Feet in the Morn∣ing before they put on their Stockins, they pull them not off again, but only wet the Hand, and then with the aforesaid Finger and Thumb wash over the Paboutches, from the Toes to the Instep, beginning always with the right, and then the left, and do so every time that it is necessary, from Morning to Night, that is to say, they pull not off their Stockins all day long: But if their Stockins have a hole big enough for three Fingers, they ought to pull them off. They say that God commanded them to wash the Face but once, the Hands and Arms as often, to rub the Head, as has been mentioned before, and to wash the Feet up to the Instep, God being unwilling to overcharge Man, but that Mahomet added the two other times, for fear they might neglect it. The difference which they put betwixt that time which God commanded, and the two times of Mahomet, is that they call the first Fars, and those of Mahomet, Sunnet.

Mahomet ordained then that they should wash their Hands three times from the Wrist to the Fingers ends, that they should use a Brush to make clean their Teeth, that they should wash their Mouth three times, that they should throw Water three times upon their Face with their two Hands, that they should spend no more time in making clean one part than another, but that they should make haste; that they should wash their Ears with the same Wa∣ter wherewith they washed the Head; having a firm resolution to wash them∣selves, and saying aloud, or to themselves, I am resolved to make my self clean: That they should begin at the right side, and with the Toes in washing of the Feet, and the Fingers in washing the Hands, and that whilst they wash, they should say these words, Bis millah el azem, ve ellem doullillah allahdin islam. That's to say, In the Name of the great God, and praise to God, the God of the Musulman Faith. When they wash, there are some things unlawful, which they call Meschreh; as to wipe the Nose with the right Hand; to wash any part oftner than thrice; to wash with water heated in the Sun; and to throw the water strong upon the Face. There are many things also that ren∣der the Abdest unprofitable, so that when any of these things happen, they must begin it again. And though they were not to pray, yet after one of these, they must wash their Hands, or else they are unclean; they are these. If they happen to break Wind upwards or downwards; if any blood or nastiness come out of their Body, if they happen to Vomit, fall into Passion, faint away, be Drunk, laugh in time of Prayer, embrace a Woman, and touch any naked part of her, to sleep during Prayer: And indeed, if any one fall asleep in time of Prayer, the rest who are washed and prepared to pray, will have a care not to awaken him, for by doing so, they would be unclean as well as he; to be touched by a Dog, or any other unclean Beast; all these accidents evacuate the Abdest, it must be renewed again, before they begin their Prayers.

Notes

• Ablutions of the Turks.
• Of the Abdest.
• Of the Gousl.
• The Neatness of the Turks.
• A Cradle af∣ter the Tur∣kish fashion.
• The way of doing the Abdest.
• Things un∣lawful when they wash.
• Things that render them unclean.