The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-06
THE MOHAMMEDANS.
A Night Service in the Mosque of
Santa Sophia.
HOW THE SULTAN KEEPS LENT.
The Whirling Dervishas and HOwling Saints
Some Curious Beliefs-The MOham-
medan Story of Adam and Eve.

Some Curious Beliefs-The MOham-
medan Story of Adam and Eve.
CoNsTANTISoPLE, September lG, 1889
Especial correspondence of THE HERALDl.-
l arrived in Constantinople during the
month of Ramazan and 1 find the whole
CITY observing the Mohammedan Lent.
The cook shops of STEAMBOAT are closed
during the day for lack of custom, and OF
the half million Turkish men, women and
children in this city not one Of them eats
anything from sunrise to sunset.
THEY DO NOT DRINK A DROP OF WATER
and the more devout will not even swallow
their spittle. The Turks are the most in
Yeterate smokers of the world and they
like to titillate their nostrils with snuff and
TO crafty them with perfumes. During
Ramazan they do not smoke during the day
time and they entirely abstain from snuff
and the use of ottar of roses. This is so
not only in Constantinople, but also over
the whole Mohammedan world. 1t Is
O'Clock p. IN. as 1 write, and one hundred
million Mohammedan stoma 1hs scattered
from the wilds of North China TO the trop-
icaI regions of Central Africa are bowling
with hunger One hundred million parched
tongues are scraping the dry roofs Of one
hundred million mouths, and doubt not
that something like two hundred million
eyes are anxiously watching the going
down of the setting sun. The mo-
ment it drops behind the west these
millions will
GRAB FOR THE FOOD
that has been prepared for them and for the
next hour or so the fasting will be turned
into feasting The nights of COnstantinople
are now nights of revelry. The Koran
does not prohibit the Turk from eating
what he pleases after sunset and the peo-
pie gorge themselves to make up for the
fast of the day. The city is lighted at night
and crowds throng the streets. All the
cafes and eating houses are open and the
lemonade speddler and the sweet-meat man
are out in all their glory. The Turks are
very hospitable and during Ramazan they
give many dinner parties. Such as are
wealthy enough to do without work stay
up the whole night in order that they may
the better sleep through the fasting hours
of the morrow. 1t is a time of religious
observance as well as pleasure. There are
services at all the mosques every evening"
and ali the men go to prayers. The mosques
aFG lltQull4ldbtu anu JLC uuuuIGuS VI Hill
arets which rise high above the sombre
city of STEAMBOAT are girdled with light,
and between them are stretched great
figures of fire, made by stringing countless
lamps upon wires. Here is one composed
of gigantic letters, forming the Turkish
word
FOR GOD OR ALLAH"
There is one representing cannon a
hundred feet long and between the towers
of another mosque hangs a mammoth star
; and crescent of fire.
There are between two and three hun
dred mosques in ConstantinOple and the
Ramazan ceremonies in these are most in
teresting TO the stranger. l witnessed
them in the largest mosque Of the world
last night. This was the mosque of Santa
Sophia, which was built as Christian
church in the fourth century, and which
was for ages the finest Christian church in
the world. 1t took hundred architects to
superintend its construction, and 10000
masons worked upon it at the same time.
It had doors of ivory, amber and cedar, and
its altar was made of precious stones en-
bedded in gold and silver. 1t was decor
ated with beautiful paintings, which the
Turks destroyed when they took possession
of Constantinople, and its roof has still
enough mosaic to carpet an acre field. The
great temples of antiquity have been robbed
to build this church. Within it there are
four pillars of green granite, which were
taken from the
TEMPLE oP DIANA AT EPHEsUs,
and there are other columns from the tenn
pies of Thebes, Athens, Rome and Alexan-
dria If you will take a two acre field and
plant within ii forest of columns, rooted
with dome bigger and grander than that
of the capitol at Washington, hangs thou
sands Of lamps in the air between the dome
aud the floor scatter richiy-carved pulpits
%bout various parts of the building put
immense fountains here and hang gigantic
Turkish inscriptions there you may have a
mazed idea of how the Mosque of Santa
Sophia looks when entering. You will
wander for hours through the corridors of
its columns, finding new beauties at every
STEP You will note that the great walls
are lined with precious marbles, and that
the cornices and the friezes of the arches
are of gilded bronze. At night when the
thousands of lamps are lighted, when great
stars of flame float in the air between the
dome and the floor, when every pillar and
every alcove is ablaze, and when the vari-
GUS galleries are walled with flame, the
wonders of the mosque take on new
grandeur, which, added to the picturesque
ness of the worshiperS themselves, make
a Ramazan night in Santa Sophia one of the
greatest sights of the world.
III TIE LlBEkAL USE VI bAOhShEESd,
accompanied by my Mohammedan guide. 1
obtained admission to the gallery of Santa
Sophia last night. 1t was o'clock when |
arrived, and the acres Of floor below me
were covered with Worshipers In long
regular lines, with their faces toward
Mecca, sitting on their knees were at least
5000 Mohammedans. In turbans and
gowns with their bare, or stockinged feet
looking up at the gallery they formed long
lines of curious color on the white mats
away down there under the floating flames.
From the back of the church came the
shrill voice of the Imam, who was leading
the devotions. 1t was a wonderful tenor
which penetrated the remotest recesses of
the vast mosque, and in response to which
these 5000 turbaned men rose and fell
like clock work in their devotiOns They
moved as one mao, and when they sunk TO
their knees the striking of 10000 legs upon
, the floor made a noise like the rumbling of
cannon in the distance, and when they
bowed their heads to the floor the sound
came up as though it had beenInade by the
fall of some great weight rather than by
THE TOUCH OF Five THOUSAND HEADS.
In the front of each worshipper was placed
his shoes, and at the close Of the services
each Mohammedan took these in his hands
and walked with them out of che mosque.
The Mohammedan prayers and method
of praying is fixed by the Koran and these
5000 men all prayed in the same way. l
noted their actions from the beginning TO
the end of each prayer. The person pray
ing must first remove his shoes and sandals
sind turn his face toward Mecca. He must
-|5athe his hands and feet and certain other
parts of his person before entering the
mosque, and in the court of this Mosque Of
Santa Sophia there is large and beautiful
fountain. Entering the mosque, and stand