(Delhi, 1334) (People / Customs)
How he holds audience on feast days and an account of the great throne and the great cassolette. On the day of the feast the palace is garnished and adorned in the most sumptuous manner. Over the whole audience hall there is erected the barka, which is like a vast tent supported by many stout poles and surrounded by pavilions on all sides. Artificial trees are made of silk of different colours, with artificial flowers on them; three rows of them are placed (233) in the hall, and between each pair of trees there is placed a golden chair with a covered cushion upon it. The great throne is set up at the upper end of the hall; it is of pure gold throughout, and its legs are encrusted with jewels. Its length is twenty-three spans and its breadth about the half of that. It is in separate pieces, which are put together to form the whole throne, and each piece of it is carried by a number of men because of the weight of the gold. Upon it there is placed the cushioned seat, and the parasol encrusted with jewels is hoisted over the Sultan’s head. As he mounts the throne the chamberlains and naqibs cry with a loud voice Bismillah, then those present come forward to salute him. The first of them to do so are the qadis, preachers, doctors of the law, sharifs, shaikhs, and the brothers, relatives and relations-in-law of the Sultan; after them come the [principal] foreigners, then the vizier, then the amirs of the troops, then the shaikhs of the mamluks, then the chiefs (234) of the troops. Each one salutes after the other without any elbowing or unseemly pushing.
One of their customs on the feast day is that every person who owns [the revenues of] a village, of which he is the beneficiary [by royal grant], brings some gold coins wrapped in a piece of cloth with his name written on it, and casts them into a golden basin there. These contributions amount in all to a vast sum, which the Sultan gives to anyone he pleases. [667] When the people have finished presenting their salutations food is set before them according to their ranks. On that day too there is set up the great cassolette, which is a sort of tower of pure gold composed of separate pieces; when they wish to put it together they join them up, and each section of it is carried by a number of men. Inside it are three chambers which are entered by incense-burners, who set fire to qamari and qaquli aloes-wood, ambergris and benzoin, so that the smoke from them fills the whole hall. There are also (235) gold and silver barrels carried by pages and filled with rose-water, with which they sprinkle those present broadcast.
This throne and this cassolette are not brought out except on the two festival days only. On the remaining days of the feast the Sultan sits on a golden throne of smaller size. A lofty barka is erected [on the first day, as we have said] which has three doors. The Sultan sits inside it, and at the first door stands ‘Imad al-Mulk Sartiz, at the second door the malik Nukbiya, and at the third door Yusuf Bughra. On his right stand the officers of the mamluks of the corps of Arms-bearers and on his left likewise, and the general body of people stand in the places assigned to them by their ranks. The commandant of the barka, the malik Taghi, carrying in his hand a golden stick, and his deputy, carrying a silver stick, arrange all those present in order and even up the rows. The vizier stands [in his place], with the secretaries behind him, and the chamberlains and naqibs [likewise] stand [in their places]. Then the musicians and dancers come in—first of all the daughters of the infidel Indian kings (236) who have been taken as captives of war during that year and whom, after they have sung and danced, the Sultan presents to the amirs and to the distinguished foreigners, then after them the rest of the daughters of the infidels and these, after they have [668] sung and danced, he gives to his brothers and kinsmen and relatives by marriage and to the sons of the maliks. The Sultan’s session for this purpose takes place after the hour of afternoon prayer. Then on the next day also, after the hour of afternoon prayer, he holds a session after the same manner, to which are brought singing girls whom, after they have sung and danced, he gives to the amirs of the mamluks. On the third day he celebrates the marriages of his relatives and makes gifts to them; on the fourth day he emancipates male slaves, on the fifth he emancipates female slaves, on the sixth he marries male slaves to female slaves and on the seventh he distributes alms, and that lavishly.