Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-03-07
A VISIT TO THE HOLY CITY.

tcflDc nave deem praCticed Tor more
than thousand years. and arc so inter-
csting from their antiquity. as well as
from their extraordinary character.
that the very horror and disgust they
occasion Is accompanied by a feeling OF
respect even for the victims of the
superstition which gives rise to them.
Moreover. the recent development of
MOhammedan faualicism under the
auspices Of the New Prophet gives a
special interest 90 this matter at the
present time. am. believe. the first
Christian woman who has ever been adj
mittcd TO see these rites. Before / went
i did not understand their nature. and
the readers viii easily imagine how
glad was, long before their con
clusion, TO make my escape.
The Holy City of Kairwan Is the
Mecca Of the State Of Tunis. and indeed
oi Northern Africa. II lies about
eighty miles south OF Tunis, and some
twenty miles inland from the sea. On
entering tho town | saw lock Of cam
ols coming over the desert. led by their
keepers. On the other side appeared n
woman riding on an ass. and robe in
n mantle q deep darS blue which
wins folded over her head aad round
an infant In her arms A man
walked by her side with n
all 10 W. On gour1 was attached.
Tho sun wac descending behind item.
aud rs cams lit ~ tic rficurcs rs they
turned away Into the wilderness. A
little further ON. near solitary palm
tr e, n man was riding a camel. with n
worn woman sl.w.y TIA ny on foot be.
hind him. ~ q sign tn camel stopped.
and tie man, dsmountiug. lay under
the tree and sent the weary woman far
into The dlstun e Tor water. 4 Is here
that the barber OF the Prophet Mo
manned b r cd who no, essc the
most reel Us i ppm rom hi, beard
- three IN ~ q which nlw remain.
The town is not interesting. consisting
oi houses Ia of small bricks. purity
Covered IN pa hes with Il lapida Cd
plaster. The roo are naf. anil one
can wa X from Que To another almo {
over the town. Tho town is sur
rounded bv thin wall. surmo inted
with q parapet with sem rcular
crenelations The gates ase of cd
wood studded with iron knob, The
streets are filthy uGpavoi lanes, and the
house doors lead downward as into n
Gel mr.. There is no hotel o. inn Of any
descr ption. The whole town - studde'l
with mos ,ucs, small, decayed and poor
in appearance, but there are only two
OF consequences, tn Great Mosque and
the Tomb Of the Barber.
In the Great Mosque there are n null
titudc of pillars, mostly antique re-
mains, OF various colored marbles. On
entering, knowing the preiudices of the
Turks, / stopped down To take oil nv
shoes before treading on the holy carpet
or rather mating. This appeared to
please them, and n priest made gest-
ure To me, and forthwith caused the
mating To be rolled away. so that
could walk upon the floor, thick with
dust and dirt. The scene was impress
sive. Numbers of figures. with the
white burnous bound round their heads
by string, were crouching round with
their rOsaries of beads, and PRAYER
boards, chanting n kind OF Gregorian
measure. This caused sort of vibrat-
ing hum To pervade the building. At
the foot of the pulpit are two rcd gran
tie pillars, about twelve feet high. and
some six inches apart. Through these
Paradise, having previously reduced
their bodies by starvation for the pur-
pose. Nearly two and half in hes of
granite have been worn away from one
OF the pillars by repeated friction. so
that the entrance has become easier
than IL must once have been. A small,
slim boy OF thirteen years of age was
just able TO slip through To full
grown man IL must have been n severe
trial. The Tomb of the Barber. placed
in an upper room in one Of the mosques.
Is surrounded with trellis-work. COW
cred with rich carpets, and hung round
with canopies, banners. painted ostrich
eggs, and other offerings of the faithful.
Every Friday. and also on other DAYS in
the week, penanccs take place at vari-
ous mosques or religious houses In the
town. Tho persons who practice these
rites have many social and pccuniary
privileges. and belong TO n special caste
OF their own.
Invent To see one Of these ceremon es.
IL took place at half-past eight in che
evening. two hocrs after dark. 1 en-
tcrcd courtyard and passed thence in.
TO whiiovashoi room. stepping over
h gh. which Is usual in Moorish houses.
i then foun ] m self in n room. rs far as
| can guess. about thirty or forty feet
long by twenty or thirty feet wide. On
the rig {. rs we entered. was n sort OF
RlcOve with dark marble pillars. The
walls Of the room, which were some,
what irregular. were daubed with
wh.tewash and very dirty; the foor
wa Of mud and stone. Opposite the
alcovc, and on the left of tho entrance
q or was n huge wooden grating. be-
hind which the women were placed. II
th center hung an enormous Chande'
err OF rough wood work, perhaps abo
twelve feot square. and covesed with
bits Of candl'. glasses with oil and
floating wicks. and scraps of glass. anC
mirrors; an old glass ch ndolier being
opposite the door. likewise ga-nished
with OF lamps aud scraps Of tai ow can
die. The light was very dim. and The
room had no windows except in The
roof. which was h gh and ve-y irregular
IN form. ating upward till It's shap.
was lost in the gloom. a piece Of ys
low mating was the center. on the
edge OF which was q small camp-stoo
Tor the chief priest For cur accommo
dalton two wooden divans. in size anc
shape like camp bedsteads. were ranges
along the wall opposite the door. Ir
the center of the mating was larg.
iron brSzier with tripod feet, filed with
glowing embers-I think of charcoal
Around this braz er. with their faces IN
ward. number of persons were sitting
or rather squatting. In Oriental fashion
their shoes placed in rows outside the
pdge OF the mating. Their dress con.