Laughter on the Road to the Sudan

Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí, whom Bahá’u’lláh had sent to teach His Cause in Egypt, was arrested there through the schemes of the Persian Consul General and, with seven companions, was condemned to imprisonment in the Sudan. The prisoners were chained together in pairs for the long journey. At Aswan the Governor of the Sudan, Ja’far Pasha, met Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí and ordered the guards to show the prisoners more consideration. Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí recalls what followed:

1 / 5

On the third day, the guards were changed, and new ones came with camels for us to ride. But chained together as we were, our feet in one stock and our wrists joined by chains, how could we ride on camels? The guards were at a loss for what to do and how to carry us to the next destination. Eventually they brought some long pieces of strong, white cloth.

2 / 5

They placed the hands and feet of each pair of us on the saddle, one person hanging on one side of the camel, and the other on the other side. Then they tied our hanging bodies to the camels with the white cloths. A more torturous way to travel cannot be imagined! Five or six times during the short journey they made the camels kneel down, and we were untied and permitted to have a little rest.

3 / 5

The guards apologized to us, saying that previously they had taken a group of thieves and murderers to the Sudan in chains, but that these others had to walk all the way through the desert. Ja’far Pasha had instructed them to allow us to ride, and they could not think of any other way.

4 / 5

Although we were in great pain and torture, as we watched each other hanging from the camels, the sight was so ridiculous that we could not help laughing.

5 / 5