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The Birthday of the Prophet 233
The Doseh, which was the most extraordinary feature of
the day, is no longer permitted, though whether it is forbidden
by more civilised sentiments or by the English advisers I
cannot say. It consisted of dervishes prostrating themselves
for the Sheikh-el-Bekri to ride over their bodies, and is thus
described by Lane: "In the way through this place, the pro-
cession stopped at a short distance from the house of the
Sheykh El-Bekree. Here, a considerable number of dar-
vveeshes and others (I am sure that there were more than
sixty, but I could not count their number) laid themselves
down upon the ground, side by side, as close as possible
to each other, having their backs upwards, their legs extended,
and their arms placed together beneath their foreheads. They
incessantly muttered the word Allah ! About twelve or more
darweeshes, most without their shoes, then ran over the backs
of their prostrate companions ; some beating ' bazes,' or little
drums, of a hemispherical form, held in the left hand ; and
e.xclaiming Allah !
and
then the sheykh approached. His
horse hesitated for several minutes to tread upon the back of the
first of the prostrate men ; but being pulled, and urged on behind,
he at length stepped upon him ; and then, without apparent
fear, ambled, with a high pace, over them all, led by two
persons, who ran over the prostrate men ; one sometimes
treading on the feet, and the other on the heads. The
spectators immediately raised a long cry of ' Allah la la la
la lah !
' Not
one of the men thus trampled upon by the
horse seemed to be hurt ; but each, the moment that the animal
had passed over him, jumped up, and followed the sheykh.
Each of them received two treads from the horse ; one from
one of his fore-legs, and a second from a hind-leg. It is said
that these persons, as well as the sheykh, make use of certain
words (that is, repeat prayers and invocations) on the day
preceding this performance, to enable them to endure, without
injury, the tread of the horse ; and that some not thus prepared,
having ventured to lie down to be ridden over, have on
more than one occasion, been either killed or severely injured.
The performance is considered as a miracle effected through
supernatural power, which has been granted to every sue-