'GROUND PLAN OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF NEJEF MESHED ALI' [‎31v] (2/2)

32
REPORT ON SANITARY MATTERS
the proceeds of which were destined for the construction of a hospital in the
town. The bodies of Turkish subjects are exempted from the P. 50 tax, and
pay only that of P. 10. At Kerbela the tax is only P. Z0 plus the P. 10 for
the hospital. It may he mentioned that at Kerbela a fairly gocd hospital has
already been built with the proceeds of this tax, and that it is of real use to the
pilgrims visiting that town ; hut at Nejef nothing has yet been done with the
revenue from the P. 10 tax.
Burial in the precincts of the mosque is naturally much more costly than
in the cemetery, and the chaige varies according to the position of the tomb.
In the annexed plan of the mosque of Nejef, the different portions of the
precincts are shown. In the centre is the reputed tomb of Ali, around which
is the enclosure known as the Hadra; there are no tombs here. Surrounding
this again is the space known as the Htvak-i-Shnif, or inner court of the
mosque, which is regarded as the most sacred portion for Shiah burials.
Around this is the Sahn-i-Sherif, or great outer court of the mosque, which
in its turn is surrounded by walls, against which are a series of arched
recesses and chambers, similar to those found round the court of a great
caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). . These are known as the Aivan ve Oda. Finally, at one
extremity of the Revak-i-Sherif is a space called the Tarma, or Heuak-
Tarmassi.
In all these divisions the ground is covered with large paving-stones,
underneath which are the serdabs, or excavations in which the bodies are
deposited.
The Rcvok-i-Sherif of Nejef contains, it is said, about 100 serdabs, under
its pavement and around its w alls. Many of them are of large size and deep,
seme measuring 6 or 8 or more metres in length and many metres in depth.
The charge for interment here is £T.60 (£54 sterling) and consequently the
number of bodies buried here is small. The haffar-lashi, or head grave-digger,
informed me that only four persons had been buried here in .the five preceding
years, and interments in the Kevak-i-Sherif of the mosques in the other Shiah
cities are apparently equally rare. At Kerbela the charge for burial in this
portion of the mosque is only £T.12J (about £11).
The Sahn-i-Sherif of Nejef contains several hundred tombs. Their exact
number could not be ascertained, but they w r ere estimated at something
between 500 and 800. They are smaller than in the R,evak-i-Sherif, but they
are deep, and each is large enough to receive 9 or 10 or more bodies. The
charge for burial here is P.200 to P.250 (£1-13-4 to £2-1-8). The number
of burials in the 8ahn-i-Sherif at Nejef is from 200 to 300 a year. At Kerbela
the charge for burial in this poition of the mosque is only £T.l (18s.).
The Akan ve Oda, or arched recesses and chambers, number 14 on each
&ide of the court, and one in each corner, or 60 in all. Bach contains from
4 to 10 serdabs, and each serdab can receive 10, 15 or 20 bodies. The charge
tor interment here varies between P.250 and P.500 (£2-1-8 to £4-3-4), and
Sometimes is as dear as P.1,000 or P.1,200 (£8 to £10). At Kerbela the
charge for burial in this portion of the mosque precincts is only £T.li.
Finally, the Tarma or Revak-Tarmassi contains only some 15 (some say
20) serdabs, but they are of great size, and can receive 20 or 30 and even 50
bodies each. The charge for burial here is P.500 (£4-3-4) at Nejef and £T.3
(£2-14-0) at Kerbela.
The serdabs are, as just stated, covered over with paving stones, w hich
are more or less cemented down after each interment. They are, it is said,
mere unlined excavations in the earth. The bodies or packets of bones are
laid in them without coffins or wrappings, side by side if there is space enough,
or one on top of the other if there is not. They are rarely buried in the
earth at the bottom of the serdab, except at Samara, where, it is said, such
true burial is not uncommon.
Exact data are wanting as to the number of bodies buried in the mosques
or cemeteries. The system of registration is very imperfect, and many
burials escape registration altogether. The figures given below were furnished
by the health offices of Nejef and Kerbela respectively : the true figures would
piobably be considerably higher. One of the recommendations of tho