Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-10-29
A MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUE.
Visit to an Oriental House Of WOr-
ship in Cairo.

A commission has been appointed by
the present government whose duty is
the preservation of the monuments of
Arabian art; occasionally, therefore, in
mosque one finds scaffolding in place,
and general dismantlement. One can
only hope for the best-in much the same
spirit in which one hopes when one sees
the beautiful old front of st. Marks's,
Venice, gradually encroached upon by
the new raw timbers. But in Cairo, at
least, the work of repairing goes on very
slowly; three hundred mosques, probably,
out of the four hundred still remain un-
touched, and many of these are adorned
with delicate beauty which is unrivalled.
L know no quest so enchanting as
search through the winding lanes of the
old quarters for these gems of Saracenic
taste, which no guide-book has as yet
chronicled, no dragoman discovered The
street is so narrow that your donkey fills
almost all the space ; passers-by are
obliged to hatten themselves against the
walls in response to the Oriental adjura-
tions of your donkey-boy behind: Take
heed, o maid f" {" Your foot, o chief 7,
Presently you see minaret-there is
always minaret somewhere; but it is
not always easy to find the mosque to
which it belongs, hidden, perhaps, as it is,
behind other buildings in the crowded
labyrinth. At length you observe door
with a dab or two of the well-known
Saracenic honeycomb-work above it;
instantly you dismount, climb the steps,
and look in. You are almost sure to
find treasures, either fragments of the
pearly Cairo mosaic, or wonderful
ceiling, or gilded Kufic (old Arabian text
inscriptions and arabesques, or remains
of the ancient colored glass which
changes its tints hour by hour. Best of
all, sometimes you find space open to
the sky, with fountain in the centre,
the whole surrounded by.arcades of marble
columns adorned with hanging lamps (or
rather the bronze chains which once
carried the lamps), and with suspended
ostrich eggs-the emblems of good luck.
One day, when my donkey was making
his way througha dilapidated region,
came upon mosque so small that it
seemed hardly more than base for its
exquisite minaret, which lowered to an
unusual height above it. OF course
dismounted. The little mosque was open;
possessedno slippers, and without cover
ings of some kind it was impossible
that unsanctifed shoes, such as mine,
should touch its matted floor; the bent,
ancient guardian glared at me fiercely for
the mere suggestion. One sees some-
times (even in 1990) in the eyes on the
old men sitting in the mosques the
original spirit of Islam shining still.
Once their religion commanded the
sword; they would like to grasp it again,
if they could. 1t is suggested that the
mating might, for baksheesh, be rolled
up and put away, as the place was
small. But the stern old keeper
remained inhexible. Then the offer was
made that so many piasters-ten THAT is
fifty cents would be given to the blind.
Now the blind are sacred in Cairo; this
offer, therefore, was successful; all the
mating was carefully rolled and stacked
in corner, the three or four Muslims
present withdrew to the door, and the
unbeliever was allowed TO enter. She
found herself in u temple of color which
was incredibly rich. The floor was of
delicate marble, and every inch of the
walls was covered with mosaic of por-
phyry and jasper, adorned with gilded
Inscriptions and bands of Kufc text; the
tall pulpit, made of mahogany -colored
wood, was carved from top to bottom in
intricate designs, and ornamented with
odd little plaques of fretted bronze; the
sacred niche was lined with alabaster,
turquoise, and cleaning mother-of-pearl;
the only light came through the thick
glass of the small windows far above, in
downward falling rays of crimson, violet
and gold. The old mosaic-work of the
Cairo mosques is composed of small
plates of marble and of mother of-pearl
arranged in geometrical designs; the
delicacy of the minute cubes employed,
and the intricacy of the patterns, are
marvellous; the color is faint, unless the
turquoise has been added; but the glitter
of the mother-of-pearl gives the whole an
appearance like that of jewelry. Upon
our departure five blind men were found
drawn up in line at the door. 1t would
not have been difficult to collect fifty
Harpers Magazine