Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-06-23
THE SHRINE OF MECCA.

The Annual Turkish Pilgrimnge-Scenes in
Damascus--The Grand PrOcessiOn-The
Mammal and the Kiswch-The Slave Trade
FlOurishing.
A correspondent of The London Times
writes to that journal from Alexandria
las follows: 6f5
Ct have returned from visit to
Damascus, and was fortunate in being
there on the occasion of the return of
the pilgrims from the annual visit to
Mecca, when the Kisweh, or sacred COW
ering for the Caaba in the Mosque of
the Prophet, is conveyed. This cover
ing is renewed annually, aud the old one
is cut up and distributed among the pill
grims, who, after going through the
requisite number of prayers and circuits
of the Caaba, return to Damascus, and
their entry into the city is one of the
great ceremonies Of the year. The car
AVIAN halts for night outside the town,
and is escorted the following morning
with much pomp through the streets to
the Government house.
We hired balcony on the line of
march, and established ourselves there
at Z o'clock to await the arrival of the
procession. The master of the house
was devout Derweesh, in white flow
ing garments, and sugar-loaf hat made
OF brown felt, whose devotion did not,
however, object to the receipt Of an in
tidel Napoleon for the occupation of his
balcony, nor did he seem annoyed when
his wives peeped at us through half
closed doors as we went upstairs. It
was bright, sunny day, and all Damas-
Gus was out to see the sight. As we
walked through the dense crowd to our
post Of observation I thought we might
meet with rudeness. A Mohammedan
festival in a fanatical city like
Damascus is not an occasion for
Christians to walk abroad. But every
body was civil enough, and it was a
better behaved crowd than any English
crowd 1 have ever seen. The street was
one mass of moving color lit up by bril-
liant sunshine. The little open shops
were filed with women and children,
and looked like beds of flowers. The
women made no compromise with com
fort or elegance, such as one sees in
Cairo, when the eyes are always uncov-
cred, and the veil is of the thinnest
muslin. Here they wore large white
linen cloak, completely hiding the form,
and dark colored cotton veil, as COM
pletely concealing the face. Even a
husband does not recognize his wives
save in the privacy of his harem. There
were some large plane trees in the
street, and boys in yellow or red cotton
garments .squatted in the branches.
Just opposite our balcony was q
mosque, the Mosque of the Der
weeshes. The iron barred windows
were filed with faces; outside, on the
fiat roof and round the dome, women
and children occupied every coign Of
vantage; and the steps of the entrance
were as closely packed as the gallery of
the London theatre on boxing night.
Everybody was good-tempered, and a
pleasant sound of talk and laughter fill.
ed the air. Men with big brass vessels
of lemonade, GOV cred with huge Jumps
of frozen snow from Mount Hermon,
went about the crowd clinking their lit
tie brass vessels by way of invitation,
and calling out the very words of Isaiah,
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye
to the water and drink" while others
with large wicker trays of cakes urged
all to buy and eat in the name of the
Prophet. Camels, horses and donkeys
struggled through the crowd, bringing
in whole families from the country to
see the sight, and fathers with children
behind and before, went gravely by on
the family steed. Scarcely anybody
was armed, but every now and then a
Bedouin would pass in his white cloak
one Of the guard of the caravan-with
spear slung at his back and pistols and
knives stuck in his girdle.
We had two hours to wait, but there
was much to look at, and the time
passed easily. The procession at length
arrived. First came the Governor
General, or Waly, of Syria, in an open
carriage with outriders The carriage
excited much more interest than the oc-
cupant, as driving in Damascus is about
as novel as elephant-riding would be IN
the streets of London. Next came the
Commander-in- Chief, in gorgeous uni
form, and with him the Grand Cadi, or
Lord Chief Justice, in judicial robes
of green and huge white turban, fol-
lowed by a crowd of smaller dignitaries
on horseback. ALI these eminent per-
sons were remarkable for their portli-
ness and gravity. IF a Turk wants to
rise in the world he must get stout and
cease to smile, and these good folks
had carried out this rule TO the letter.
Bands played quaint Turkish music,
and the crowds on roof and ledge,
windows, doorsteps, and ground, looked
on with a .contented smile, much
as does pleased audience at theatre.
A crowd Of camels followed bearing the
harems of wealthy pilgrims. They car
ried on their backs large boxes, just
high enough for sitting posture, with
windows at the side and an entrance in
front, much like the box that was made
for Master Lemuel CULVER at Brobdig-
nag. The accommodation looked con-
fined for eighty days journey, but q
restless European cannot judge of the
amount Of cross-legged immobility an
Oriental lady can endure with comfort.
| We could not see the occupants of these
tiny seragios, as both doors and win
dows were closed by curtains. After
the harems came two small brass can
non, which had been dragged to Mecca
and back by four weary horses in order