Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-16

sun-burnt brick, with revetements or COW
erings of hewn stone, and from the preser-
vation of the latter we learn considerable
about their architecture. The private
dwellings however, were without this sub
stantial veneer, and nothing but rubbish
heaps mark their site. There is little temp
tation for the antiquarian to poke around
these mounds, when, by working at the old
palace Sites he can possibly unearth
bit of sculptured reVetement, rich with
suggestions of past centuries. Modern
AssyrIa, then, is land of ruins and rub
bish. From the brick heaps scattered gen.
erously about near and far the Assyrians Of
to-day have gathered the materials for their
houses. The rounded and bruised corners
OF yellowish-red bricks attest their age, and
the walls thus reconstructed are very
picturesque in their roughness. Like the
ancient piles, the houses rise to good height;
there is the same lack of windows, and the
entrance is very insignificant. 1t IS not an
uncommon sight in the Assyria of to-day to
see a projecting window over the highway
after the fashion Of our American bow WIN
dows. Here the well-to-do Assyrian, with his
curling hookah, reclines at his ease, and
looks far up and down the street, or talks
with the passing neighbors. Often houses are
connected across the way. Again do we
find the custom of building the house about
a square interior court. The supper and
the sleeping rooms are all open to the air,
for in that climate there is little fear of
cold, chilly winds. So hot does it often get
that many of the houses have subterranean
rooms.
BUILT ESPECIALLY TO KEEP COOL IN.
The furniture of an Assyrian house is
simple. Ii a man is very we'll off he usually
fna lI1V Of hod II,
legs The women are not regarded with
much Difference. The children generally
sleep on mattress together, while the ser
wants have to be content with simple mat.
Comparatively nothing is known of the
architecture of the early Persian dwelling.
They were without doubt built of very per-
ishable material-were simple and unosten-
tatious in design. OF the royal dwellings
we get some information. These were built
upon a grand scale. The plan was common
ly oblong, with square hall, the ceilings of
which were upheld by columns. The back
and sides OF the hall led into apartments.
and In this respect the dwellings were very
similar to the better known Roman houses.
A modern Persian village is very
cherries place. The outside walls of
the houses are grim and uninvit-
ing, they having no windows on
the street side. They are mostly structures
of upburnt brick, color of mud. The Per-
sian proprietor, however, is satisfied with
decorating the inside walls, pre!erring to
make himself at home rather than cater to
the passer-by. He covers his sitting, or
living room, with soft felting, dots the floor
with great jars, big enough to play hide
and-seek in, filled with grain and peas. In
one corner the silk quilts and the bedding
are neatly tied up in bundles ready for the
night, while down from. the ceiling hang
herbs and spices and fruits. Here and there
in the walls little alcoves are cut for the re-
ception OF preserves and dishes. AT one
end OF the room is a fireplace, but the most
common heating apparatus is what is known
% Q korsee. This is a shallow dish filed