The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-08-15

IT was with such an escort that visited the
great Mosque Of Omar. Passing down David
street through horde Of pilgrims of all colors,
races aud sexes, we turned into the way which
leads 10 the left toward the Holy Sepulehe-.
The crowds gave way ~ we entered them and
the Gavass thrust such as were obstinate this
way and that with his long staff We went
through long bazar where men and women
squatted on the ground and sold glass bracelets
and beads from Hebron and where Bedouins
and natives were buying; past candle shops,
which were doing lively business ia selling
painted candles OF all shapes aud sizes for Eas-
ter and on through low, yuuited. tnnnel-likc
street, which the Cavass said was the cotton
bazar but where We saw nothing like cotton.
AZ the end OF this tunnel we assembled "a stair
way and found ourselves on tho great plateau
which. surrounded by high wall, is devoted
10 the Mosque Of Omar.
This plateau contains 35 acres, OF at least
one seventh Of the whole OF Jerusalem. II Is
historically one Of the most interesting spots In
the world. Upon IL Abraham sacrificed and
inside these walls Solomon built his Temple
Under It's vast stone pavements now lie some
Of the most interesting ruins, and the relics of
half dozen ages are buried within IL. kept
from the excavations OF science by the fanati-
cism Of the Turks The walls themselves as
investigated from tho outside by an English
explorer, are found to go down below the
ground for from 80 TO 100 feet before they
come 10 the rock on which they are built and
under the stone platforms there In known 10
be catacOmb of great tanks, About the
plateau you see marble pillars. and In the
mosques are shown griousiy-caTved pieces OF
marble, which are supposed TO have been parts
Of folomon's Temple. The second Holy Tenn
pie also stood here, and this was being built
| while Christ was upon the earth. 1t was here
also that the Roman Emperor Hadrian con-
struetcd a temple 60 Jupiter when he rebuilt
| Jerusalem, a little more than three generations
| after Christ drove out the money changers from
here, and IL was here that Mahomet says In the
| Koran ne was miraculously transported by
night and from here he took his miraculous
| flight 90 Heaven Every inch Of this plateau
| Is sacred and on the outside Of It's walls tho
| Jews come In crowds every Friday and, lean
| ing their heads against the stones, weep over
the loss of Jerusalem and pray God TO restore
| his Holy Temple.
| The mosque itself was supposed by the
| Crusaders TO be Solomon's Temple bnt its ORR
| gin is ghrouded In mystery. Whether IL WAS
| bniit as Christian church or as Mahometan
mosque iB not known. There is no doubt but
that IL is many, many centuries old, and as
| 10 now exists under the Mah0metans IL is
| one Of the most beautiful buildings of the
| world Imagine great dome, on the top Of
which is a golden crescent, and the swelling
| walls Of which extend downward MANY times
as large as those of the dome Of the Capitol at
Washington, until they meet a short, round
tower and rest upon vast octagOn temple, tho
| sides of which arc covered with tiles 50 fine
that you would treasure them us pieces of rare
china. Each side Of this oc.agon Is % yards
long IL has a dado of marble before the tiles
begin, and in wide fFieze about its topare in
| laid Arabic characters. representing passages
from the Koran. IL has great doors, some OF
which the Mahometans say are the doors to
Paradise, aud it stands on stone plateau ms
large as baseball ground II is known as the
Dome OF the Rock, and it Is built to cover
vast stone which the MahomeLans consider
holy.
My escort and myself were required 10 take off
our shoes before we entered IL, and we walked
in stock ing feet through THE Gate of Para
disc" Looking upward the immensity of the
building forced itself upon us. II you will take
one third of an acre and over itstretch mighty
tent making its ceiling AS smooth as glass and as
symmetrical as tho most beautiful hemisphere
you have ever seem you may get some idea Of
this dome. Few circus tents cover as great an
area as this mosque and this dome away up
there near the sky is rooted with bits Of mosaic
4 nf ,all aad eyIaae Aaoh ssiean fha a{xo % !.