112 Chapter Three
have been pasted up on the side of a building (in the early twentieth century the
poster emerged as a new genre, and Russian towns were plastered with colorful
advertising signs and announcements). At the top was a sketch of a steamship
flying a flag with a crescent moon and star, over which was written in
nineteenth-century Tatar, and in the Arabic script, “Hejaz Steamships” (Hijaz
vapurları). It described these as “established for the comfort and convenience
of esteemed hajjis” and specially outfitted and furnished to suit their “tradi-
tions.” It announced that that year (1904–5) ROPiT would be running three
Hejaz steamships from Sevastopol to the Hejaz and back, and one from
Batumi.
Clearly reflecting an effort to accommodate pilgrims’ itineraries while also
keeping pilgrims under state supervision and control, the poster noted that the
ships would make a five-day stop in Constantinople. There, pilgrims would be
allowed to leave their belongings on board, disembark and visit the city, and
come back at night to sleep on the ship. To appeal to a wide range of plans and
schedules, ROPiT offered varied service on four ships: the Tsaritsa, the Korni-
lov, the Iunon, and the Odessa. Two would provide one-way service, and the
other two would offer return service. The ships would depart between Decem-
ber 1 and 25, and make stops along the way not only in Constantinople, but also
in Izmir, Beirut, Jaffa, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Yanbu, and Jeddah, with
pickups on the way back from Yanbu and Jeddah. The trip from the Black Sea to
the Red Sea would take about two and a half weeks, and the return trip only ten
to twelve days. The poster gave detailed information on departure and return
times, and the return itinerary: from Yanbu and Jeddah, stopping at El-Tor, and
back to Feodosiia. Those wishing to leave ahead of the scheduled Hejaz steam-
ships, in order to spend more time in Constantinople, Beirut, Jaffa or Alexan-
dria, could buy tickets in November on ROPiT postal ships for the cost of a
“pilgrim ticket,” and could then join the Hejaz steamship when it arrived in
those ports to continue on to the Hejaz.
On board, special services for Muslims would be extensive. The ship would
have a tea- and coffee-seller (çaycı-kahveci) and space for performing ablutions.
Free hot and cold water would be offered five times a day. The ship would also
sell hot, affordable food (native dishes such as lamb and rice pilaf ) as well as
ihram, the simple white garments that pilgrims must don to perform the hajj.^76
Ticket prices were 250 rubles for first class, 200 rubles for second class, and one
hundred rubles for third class. In each class pilgrims would be provided with
comfortable accommodations, including a berth, free cold and hot water, a hot
plate for cooking, permission to use a grill to cook hot food, and space for washing.