I was not less grieved by a visit to a public female bath. There
were young children, girls, women, and mothers; some having their
hands, feet, nails, eyebrows, hair, etc., washed and coloured:
others were being bathed with water, or rubbed with fragrant oils
and pomades, while the children played about among them. While all
this was going on, the conversation that prevailed was far from
being remarkable for its decency. Poor children! how are they to
acquire a respect for modesty, when they are so early exposed to the
influence of such pernicious examples.
Among the other curiosities of Baghdad, I saw the funeral monument
of Queen Zobiede, the favourite wife of Haroun-al-Raschid. It is
interesting, because it differs very much from the ordinary
monuments of the Mahomedans. Instead of handsome cupolas and
minarets, it consists of a moderate sized tower, rising from an
octagon building; the tower has a considerable resemblance to those
of the Hindoo temples. In the interior stand three plainly built
tombs, in one of which the queen is buried; in the other two,
relations of the royal family.
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