National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

provision for old age. For example, a woman will marry in Yarkand, and, if dissatisfied,
will, after a short time, quarrel and divorce her husband before the Cázi, whose fee for
the letter of divorce is only one tanga. By the act of divorce she gets rid of a master and
profits by the amount of dowry, clothes, &c., she received on marrying him. The dowry
is not a fixed sum, but varies according to terms agreed on prior to marriage. A woman, after
divorcing her husband, cannot re-marry till the expiry of the 'iddat, which is a period of three
months and ten days; but the divorced husband may re-marry after the expiry of forty days.
This woman, after the days of 'iddat, will marry another husband in Yarkand, producing the
letter of divorce to show that she is free to do so. Him, too, she will divorce as she did the first,
keeping the wedding clothes, outfit, and dowry. She now has two letters of divorce, and is thus
enabled to evade the law and escape the restraint of the 'iddat, during which she would have to live
upon her dowry, and commences a system of divorcing by which she secures an independence,
and finally settles down with the man of her choice. And she works it thus: having
divorced her second husband in Yarkand, she at once goes off to Yangi Hissar, and there
contracts a marriage on the strength of the letter of divorce of the first husband, the date of
which shows that the 'iddat is no bar. As the others, so him, too, she divorces, and securing
the dowry, moves on to Káshghar, and there plays the same game, and gradually works her
way back to her home with the accumulated profits of some eight or ten such transactions.

Should she bear any children, they belong to the husband who is the father. If he so
choose, he may resign his claim and give the child to the mother, and if not, he leaves the
infant with the mother till weaned, and then takes possession of it. During this period,
according to the decision of the Cázi, he pays the mother from one to four tanga a month for
the child's keep.

Marriage.—The girl desired by a son is demanded for him by his father and mother, who
visit the girl's family and ask that she may be given. Refusal is, as a matter of form, twice
given, but the third time the girl's parents consent. When this happens, the father and
mother of the youth present the girl with a ring and a pocket handkerchief. The parents of
the youth are, on this occasion, given tea and sugar, and return home.

The engagement thus formed may be continued for ten or twelve days, or even for six
months, without marriage.

Whenever the ceremony has been determined on, the bridegroom elect gets ready clothes
for his bride:—a hat; a chogah; a kurpa; a tukin, a marjan, (bead ornament); a lahore (indoor
hat); munchak (a thread of pearls); dandi (zéra) (earrings); belánzak (bracelets); sách tatma
(chignon for plaits of hair); toomár (charms); oitak (boots); juráb (socks); tshtán (pyjama);
tshtán bag (pyjama strings); agabanoo (a cloth thrown over the shoulders); frinjee (an over-
coat with large sleeves in which the arms are not inserted); koilik (a chemise). The trousseau
prepared as above is conveyed by the bridegroom, with a sheep, rice, and sheep's fat, to the
house of the bride and presented to her parents; on this occasion he is accompanied by his
father and mother and immediate relatives, who remain as guests in the bride's house for three
days, during which feasting and dancing and singing go on at the expense of the girl's parents.

On the fourth day the girl's parents present the bridegroom with an entire suit of
clothing, boots, &c. The bride then selects a man of their acquaintance as Padr Wakeel
(Toyata) (Marriage Father). This is arranged as follows: Two grey beards of the party
approach the girl and ask her whom she selects as her Toyata, when she names an individual.
The mullah then arranges with the Toyata and the dowry is fixed and marriage settlement.
The mullah then asks the bridegroom if the settlement is agreed to. When this is announced
to the assembled relatives they shout mubarik. This is done with the reading of the kulmah,
and thus completes the marriage ceremony.

The woman cannot be taken from one city to another without her consent: this is agreed
to by the husband, being demanded by the Toyata; he further declares that he will not
chastise her without fault; that he will not take another wife without her consent; that for
six months after marriage he will not undertake a journey. If he then starts on a journey,
that he will advance a subsistence allowance of six months; that he will allow his wife free
intercourse with her father and mother and near relations.