New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-22
ANTIQUITIES AT STAMBOUL
IF. IT IS NOT ALExANDERs TOMB, WHOSE
TOMB Is IT?

IF. 1T rs NOT ALExANDERs TOMB WHOSE
TOMB Is TIP
rrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE rRrBuxEl
CossTANTIsoPLE, March 80,
The sarcOphagus Of Alexander the Great. said
to have been discovered at Sidon, with the vefis
table body Of that worthy monarch still intacA
has not yet arrived at this city. In fact the re-
port Of the discovery seems to rest on more than
doubtful grounds new find OF sarcophaa has
been made at Sidon. One Of the new relics is Of
great maglifcance Of sculpture, and contained
the body of king, and his Jewels. The reasoning
which assigns this sarcophagus TO the great Alex
ander seems to be this: No other monarch could
possibly have been deemed worthy by his survtvs
ing retainers Of such o tomb and Of such rich
surroundings. Tho question convtncingly put I'd
all doubters IS. II it is not Alexanders tomb
whose tomb Is 10?
Although the report telegraphed to the foua
quarters Of the globe seems to lack other support
than the wish of the authorities, and although
Turkey has no indigenous archaeologist capable Of
solving q problem Of disputed identity where thc
claimant is q corpse Of some 2,200 years, one may
be too rash in attempting to declare that this
new find at Sidon does not include the tomb Of
the conqueror Of Darius. Possibly there may even
be proof which the authorities will not offer TO
~
interest is often regarded to be nseparable from
official dignity, and that not only under the Cres-
cent. Possibly the diadem and armlet studded
with Jewels, said to have been found in this
tomb, may furnish clew that cannot well be
produced 10 the outside world, since these jewels
have been handed over to the private collection
of the Sultan. The only fact In regard to the
matter which can be relied upon is the fact THAI
the curator of the Imperial Museum, in this city,
hopes that the new sarcophagus Is that OF Alex<
ander.
The museum at Constantinople is becoming
place of some Importance, owing to the couecSiou
from Sidon already brought to be placed In its
It; Is Of recent development. To the popular
mind in Turkey o stone is stone, and IL IL naa
any sculpture or inscription on its surface winch
su ggests the hand of the infidels Of the period
before Islam, the removal Of such blemishes adds
to the value Of the stone for any legitimate
use. Hence the European antiquarian has IN
times past been allowed full liberty to carry ON
whatever he has thought fit The recent IDEA
of having a collection Of antiquities IN THIS clN
has grown up out of desire to be In the iasnions
and perhaps even more out OF q desire 70 pro-
vent the Europeans from possessing articles 1ouno
in Turkey to which, for some inscrutaoie reason,
they attach high value. A museum collected
ing character.
The building itself is q small pavilion In ting
grounds of the Seragho and is externally decorated
with blue and white tiles bearing Arabic inscr1p
tions of great artistic merit. The building wa
erected by Mahomet II. the conqueror OF ConstaN
tinople, in the year 1856. The grounds about thd
Mace are ornamented with fragments OF columns
bits Of statuary, affairs, tablets OF law, etc, ana
it is in this plebeian company that the great boxes
containing the sarcophagi found at Sidon iasJ
year lie in the open air, but themselves closed
to the eyes Of visitors. Eight or nine months
have passed since these treasures were brought "a
this city, and since the foundations were LAID Oh
the new hall intended to receive them But tns
new hall has not risen above its foundations, ana
the Turks are apparently waiting for something
to turn up the money to build the hall. Mesn'
time the scholars of all the world are impatiently
waiting for sight of the marbles The effect OF thd
solicitude Of the Government to preserve these
sarcophag has been simply to prevent any adj
vantage from their discovery. Near the boxes
from Sidon, on O pile of garden rubbish, is q
sarcophagus newly brought from Macedonia, which
Is of fine marble and is very finely ornamented
on its two faces. Under the veranda of the muset
um is a hodge-podge Of Greek tombstones, Genoess
armorial bearings from the walls Of Galata, ana
fragments of statuary from anywhere and every
where On the veranda at the left is hugo
Hercules from Cyprus, strongly carved from
cacareous stone, whose chief interest to the
Turks is the fact that it taken from General
di Cesnola at the moment when he was about Ia
remove it from the Empire Within the builds
ings are few Assyrian bas-reliefs, small assort
ment of Egyptian mummies, and great abundf
ance of disfgured and very mediocre statuaryi
the leavings Of the days when lucre Carried every
H. an.
tiquity hunters The really valuable possessions
of the museum, aside from the articles already
mentioned, are a fine Thracian hunting piece;
fine head of Medusa which was found on thu
site of the Forum Of Constantine in this city, and
which suffers from the necessity Of being viewed
close at hand; large sarcophagus, which local
would have us believe once cons
tanned the body of Euripides; and heroic statue
of Hadran, brought from Crete. There are also
one or two very good bronzes, and some good
specimens Of Httite inscriptions Among minor
relics Is the upper jaw OF one OF the scrpents
forming the brazen column which stands in the
Hippodrone Of the old city, and which was made
from the amor Of the Persians slain at the bat1
tie Of Platea
On the whole visit to the museum is disapa
pointing the articles cramped and il-arranged,
and the catalogue is meagre and almost as mis-
leading as the declarations Of the attendant whd
explained to me In confidence that Jupiter Am.
mon in black basalt was the Prophet Alexandet
os M3oedon.' On the floor Of one Of the rooms
Of th8smuseum now lies q pine box, resembling
In shape o paupers coffin. 1t contains the body
of King found in one of the Sdon sarcophag,
and awaits the time when the Turkish treasury
shall be rich enough 10 build the addition in which
the Sidon exhibit is expected to be arranged.
There is no peace to his ashes for every traveller
who passes through the building rests his fooe
as o matter of course, upon this rough pine box
while he listens to the explanations Of the gnide'
Whether the poor Kings name and state will evei
be known, and whether, in fact, his body WIZ
ever have q more suitable resting place is ons
of the problems OF the East When 10 Is soIveu1
perhaps we may learn more as TO the re?ortea
discovery Of Alexander the Great.