تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 12.10.1

12.10.1

The food in the Sultan's palace is of two kinds: the private meal and the public meal. The private one is the Sultan's food, from which he eats. His custom is to eat in his sitting-room with those present; to it come the privileged amīrs, the Amīr Ḥājib, the Sultan's cousin, ʿImād al-Mulk Sartīz and the Amīr Majlis, and whomever of the aʿizza or great amīrs the Sultan wishes to honour or favour he invites, and he eats with them. Sometimes he also wishes to honour one of those present, so he takes one of the dishes in his hand, puts a loaf on it and gives it to him; the recipient takes it, places it on his left palm and makes obeisance with his right hand down to the ground. Sometimes he sends some of that food to someone absent from the gathering, who makes obeisance as one present does and eats it with those who are with him. I attended this private meal several times and saw that the total number of those who attend it was about twenty men.