ALAI' (lit. a triumphant procession), a Turkish ceremony observed on the assembling of the forces at the outbreak of war. Its essential feature is the public display of the sacred standard of Mahomet, which may be seen only by Moslems and touched, only by the emirs. On one occasion, when, owing to a long interval of peace, this rule had been forgotten, the Christians, who had witnessed the spectacle in large numbers, were cruelly massacred. The procession in which the standard is carried is headed by artisans bearing the implements of their respective trades.