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The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also known as The Shriners, were formed in 1870 in New York City by Walter M. Fleming and William J. Conlin. They are an offshoot of Freemasonry (their initials AAONMS even rearrange to A MASON) that emphasizes the aspects of fun and fellowship rather than ritual and does a lot of good work for charity, particularly through their Hospitals for Children.

Their choice of a Middle Eastern theme for their fraternity was possibly because of Florence's experiences of a secret society he joined at a party given by an Arabian diplomat in Algiers. They took to wearing red fezzes and established Temples' that met in Mosques' although they are not connected to Islam. To distance themselves from religion they now call their Temples Shrine Centers' instead.

Members are all male and any Master Masons are now able to join (although until 2000 members had to have completed the Scottish Rite or York Rite degrees). By restricting membership to masons this also means that members must believe in a supreme being of some description (although no particular creed is favored).

Shriners are particularly active in local communities taking part in parades and providing community service and charity work. They are particularly well known for the Shriner's Hospitals for Children. These consist of 22 hospitals in the US, Canada, and Mexico dealing with all pediatric cases. Treatment at these hospitals is free for under 18s regardless of race, creed, or whether they have any relationship to a Freemason. Since 1922 they have helped over 800000 children.

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