CHAPTER XX MASHAD, THE HOLY CITY OF PERSIA
♦ Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.'
— Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, Prologue, 12.
We had accomplished our pilgrimage so far as Omar Khayyam was concerned, and had reached the goal of this portion of our travels; but before us — distant only a day's journey — lay Mashad, the Holy City of Persia. This is a metropolis which has grown up around the shrine of Imam Riza, and which, in the eyes of the faithful Shiite believer, is hallowed above all cities in the world after Mecca and Karbala. Every devout follower of this branch of the Moslem creed cherishes the pious hope of visiting Mashad at least once in his lifetime, and, above all, of being buried within sight of the sanctuary of the ever- living saint. The pilgrim who has made this journey wins the coveted title of ' Mashadi,' and we two roaraers from the Western World now found this honorary degree, which is so prized in Persian eyes, within a day's grasp, so that we hastened forward to gain the new distinction. I am not sure that our Armenian servant cared much for this dignity, for, being a Christian like ourselves, he would naturally be looked upon with a feeling of scorn, if not of hatred, in this fanatical hotbed of Islam.
On the first stage of our journey after leaving Nishapur, we came across a reminder of departed Zoroastrianism at Kadamgah, some sixteen miles to the east, where the seat of a former temple of the ' Fire-worshipers ' has been supplanted by a Moslem shrine. This pretty green village, abounding in water, lies to the left of the main track, on the slope of a hillside ; and the sanctuary is located in the midst of a terraced garden, well
�� �
