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The Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan or Dokeys are a side degree of the Knights of Pythias, somewhat analogous to the
Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...
in
Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
. The Order was founded in 1894.


Organization

The Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan has a two tier system of organization, with local "Temples" and a national "Imperial Palace", which meets biennially. The chief national officer is called the "Imperial Prince," while local bodies are ruled by a "Royal Vizier." Upon completing a term as Royal Vizier, a member is eligible to receive the Degree of Prince from the Imperial Palace, thereby attaining the rank of Royal Prince. Thomas Henry Hineline was Imperial Prince of the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan till July 1913. He died from a stroke on , in Hennepin, Minnesota. As of 1923, the Imperial Prince was D. W. C. Yarbough of
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, a prominent manufacturer, though the Imperial Palace was located in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and ...
, in the Clinton Building at the corner of High and Chestnut Streets. At the Orders convention in Portland that year, Imperial Secretary A. L. Frey reported a membership of almost 100,000. In 1979, the headquarters of the organization was in
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
.


Membership

Membership in the Knights of Pythias is a prerequisite for membership in the DOKK. A member is referred to as a "Votary." As the Pythian has declined, so has the membership of the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan. From 100,000 members in the early 1920s, the group fell to 15,000 in 110 Temples by 1979.


Ritual

The DOKK has an initiation ritual based on the motto "Lift up the fallen". There are two degrees, the Temple degree given locally, and the Imperial Degree bestowed by the Imperial Palace. After initiation each member receives a
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.


Philanthropy

By an "Imperial Law" (national resolution) each temple is required to take up a humanitarian cause, often selecting a disabled child whom it supports. The Imperial Palace has donated equipment to 15 nonsectarian children's hospitals.


Nomads of Avrudaka

The Nomads of Avrudaka is a
female auxiliary Fraternal orders often have "side degrees", auxiliaries or appendant (as opposed to primary). Some of these are created as female "sister organizations", youth organizations or side degrees proper which are organizations associated with or within th ...
organization to the Knights of Khorassan.


References


External links

1894 establishments in the United States Knights of Pythias Organizations established in 1894 {{org-stub