AN AMERICAN IN ALGIERS – PART 9 – Corsairs & Captives

This week, we continue with yet another excerpt from the captivity narrative of John Foss, the American who, in October, 1793, was captured by Barbary corsairs from Algiers.

Last week’s excerpt provided some details on the conditions and customs that prevailed in Algiers when Foss was there.

This week’s excerpt provides more details: about the city’s mosques and bath houses, the languages spoken, the styles of dress, and more.

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The Mosques of Algiers are fine buildings, though they make no great appearance at a distance. They are 65 in number, ten of which are very large, which are called Marabout Mosques, because each has a Marabout or hermit buried in it. The deem these holy places, and an asylum for all kinds of vices. A Turk having committed any crime whatever is pardoned if he can get into one of them before he is taken into custody.

Their religion teaches them to pardon a Mahometan if he flees to those Marabout or Saints, who are buried in those mosques, for protection, let his offence be ever so capital. Christian slaves are also pardoned, having committed small offences, if they can get into one of them before being taken, though they will have an additional chain upon their leg with a block at its end.

A Jew having been apprehended inside the door of one of them, would be immediately burned or crucified. So the poor Israelites have no protection for their crimes, and must submit to the absolute word of a despotic prince.

When a Mahometan, who has committed a crime, has taken the Marabout, it is immediately reported to the Muftie, and he reports it to the Dey, who sends a string of beads by the Muftie to the keeper of the Mosque, and the criminal then comes out. He might come out before if he pleases, but should he leave the Mosque before the Muftie comes with the beads, he would be liable to the same punishment he was before he had taken the Marabout. The presence of the Muftie and the beads denote his pardon. The Muftie then returns with the beads, to the Dey, and they are laid up until some other similar occasion.

At the gates of the Dey’s palace, there is a chain which is fastened at the top of the gates and at night the lower end is fastened down with a pad lock. If a slave who has committed an offence can get hold of this chain before he is taken, it serves the same purpose as the Marabout Mosque.

If a slave has been cheated by any Turk, Cologie, Moor, Arab, Renegado, or Jew, and he takes hold of this chain and says he wants justice, one of the principal officers of the Dey’s corps of guards goes to him and asks the particulars of his being wronged and who the person is that has wronged him. Normally, justice is immediately done. Should he give a wrong account, however. and it is proven that he has not told the truth, he is immediately bastinadoed. If it is a Jew who is complained of, and he is found guilty, he must make the slave reparation and is bastinadoed.

This city contains a great number of hot baths, which are large, and handsomely paved with marble. People of every denomination whatever are allowed to go into them and bathe, on paying double the sum which is paid by a Turk. If a stranger happens to go in, they generally extort eight or ten fold. The men spend a great part of their time in bathing, smoking, and drinking coffee. Their religion obliges them to bathe four times a day, but many of them do it much oftener, for their own pleasure.

There are also several baths for the use of women, who are allowed to bathe only in the afternoon. Those among them who are able have these conveniences in their own houses, so that their women do not need to go out. Few white women walk the streets, except prostitutes, and those usually far advanced in years, and when these do they are obliged to be veiled.

The principal street, which extends from the east gate of the city to the west, is somewhat wide and magnificent. The rest are all very narrow, incommodious, and dirty, which renders it very difficult for travelers.

The people of the city of Algiers in general speak a compound of Arabic, Moresco, and the remains of the ancient Phoenician languages. Out in the countryside, they speak the proper Arabic tongue. The inhabitants of all denominations in the city for the most part understand the Lingua Franca. This is a kind of a dialect that, without being the proper language of any country whatever, has a kind of universal currency all over the Mediterranean as the channel of communication for people who cannot understand each other through any medium but this.

The public business of the nation and the records are transacted in the Turkish tongue.

The men, by their laws and religion, are allowed to have four wives (if they can afford to purchase them), but they generally content themselves with two or three.

In the city of Algiers, the men wear large turbans, have their heads closely shaved, and for the most part wear beards—though some only wear whiskers. Their longest jackets, which have sleeves, they wear next to their shirt, and then a vest over that, always taking care to have the shortest garment outside. Their shirts are made with neither collar nor wristbands. Their breeches are something like a woman’s petticoat, reaching down to their knees. Stockings are entirely unknown among them and they always go with their legs bare. Their shoes have square toes with no heels.

People of any denomination whatever, (except the Jews) are allowed to dress in this habit. But no person is allowed to dress in green. This color they hold sacred it being a favorite color of Mahomet. A sharief, who they say is descended from Mahomet, is known by a green turban. The Jews are obliged to dress entirely in black and wear shoes without any quarters. People of high condition sometimes wear buskins. They never remove their turban, but they pull off their slippers when they attend religious duties or in the presence of their sovereign.

They are very fond of striped or fancied silk. The chief furniture of their houses consists of Carpets and matrasses, on which they sit and lie. They are prohibited from using gold and silver vessels. Several families generally live in one house. I have known thirty Jewish families to live under one roof.

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For the next installment of John Foss’s narrative, see the next post here in this blog.

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For those who may be interested…

The above excerpt from John Foss’s narrative comes from A journal, of the captivity and sufferings of John Foss; several years a prisoner at Algiers: together with some account of the treatment of Christian slaves when sick—and observations on the Manners and Customs of the Algerines, second edition, originally published in 1798, pp. 56-62.

As usual, I have lightly edited and abridged the original text to make it more accessible for modern readers.