Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-07-10
THE WORLD ABROAD.
Some Interesting Notes Regarding
Damascus, the Oldest City
in the World.
JoSephns Says Its Foundation Was
Traced Back to u, the Grand
son of Noah.
Many Curious Relies of Ancient Times
Have Been Found Under
Its Walls.

a kind OF buShrats hat do not collect any
winter stores of their own, but sleep
through the coldest months, and in spring
subsist by rummaging about the nests that
have been abandoned by squirrels.
In the cities of the old world many peo-
pie live much in the same way. They do
not till the fields, they do not work at any
manual trade, but they manage to exc out
an existence by rummaging the ruins of
by-gone times. In Italy and Greece, hun
dreds of families live in that manner, by
selling curiosities dug from the waste
piles of old walls that were cities when
the world was younger. In Spain and
northern Africa, especially in northern
Egypt, relic hunters can likewise be found
by scores, but the most flourshing traffic
in antiquities Is carried on In the Syrian
town of Damascus,
Damascus is the Oldest city in the world.
1t had existed for long series of centur
les when the seven hills of Rome were still
covered with forests, and when Carthage
was mere fisherman S village. The his
torian Josephus states that its foundation
was traced back to Uz, the g,ard on of
Noah, and there seems lo doubt that it
was an cid city in the days of the patri-
arch Abraham. Five hundred years later
it was captured by the Assyritns and
since that time the old capital of Syria
has been burned, plundered, sIcked and
destroyed at least twenty times. But it
was always rebuilt. The situation on tie
eastern slope of the AntiLibauus noun
tains is too beautiful to be ever entirely
abandoned. and people who have lived
here for a few years agree that the climate
surpasses that of any other place in the
civilized world. There are not two sultry
nights in the year, and certainly no more
than five chilly days" said an American
merchant, who had passed many years in
Syria; rains are very rare, and at 9
O clock In the morning the west winds
from the Mediterranean sea, coming
across thirty miles of tree gardens, Is so
pleasant that one almost regrets to 60 in
doors for a minute"
The tree gardens are the finest of the
Turkish empire. Our best prunes come
from Damascus, our sweetest grapes and
largest figs. The figs ripened in oV
American orchards are about as big as
pigeon eggs, but if they are dried they
shrink to the size of filbeit nut, while
the Syrian dried figs are as broad as a
silver dollar and half an inch thick. Be-
sides the Syrian farmers raise dates, apri-
cots and mulberries. The mulberry leaves
are used to feed ilkworms-millions of
little caterpillars that spin the material
which the Damacus factories work into
fine silk cloth. Other factories produce
iron toes and arms. ard j III @ - q. tip1e
when the Damascus swords were so Tar
superior to any other in the world that the
best was sold in Venice at price that
would have bought two fine horses. They
were hard as flint and sharp as daggers,
but at the same time so elastic that they
hn ha, hl
point of the sword could be bent back till
it touched the hilt. Nobody in Europe
could understand how the Syrians made
those blades, but about fifty years ago
the French and British cutters managed
to get hold of the secret.
The manufacture of sweetmeats that
will keep for years also employs many
families of the ancient city; but even the
poorest can make living by digging for
relics. Ruins of ancient buildings extend
for miles around the city walls. but below
those ruins and below the foundations Of
all modern buildings wherever there re
other ruins-rubbish heaps from ten to
fifty feet deep, and often resting upon mas
slve walls of an architecture more ancient
than the beginning of history. 1t might,
indeed, be said that under the walls of
buried beneath each other. There is the
old Syrian capital the Assryian Damascus,
the Persian Damt sous. the Damascus of
the Macedonians, and the Romans, besides
the modern town, which dates back to the
| time of the Saracens, the Mohammedan
warrior nation, that conqured all the
lands of the east from Egypt to Hindostan.
| What strange bits of antiquities have been
dug from that grave of many cities? Old
| Assyrian bricks, Parian coins, Mace
| donian swords, cups and vaces,
and Roman statuts, some of them
as pretty as any ever found in the neigh
I borhood of Rome, or In the ruins of Pom
peii. The Romans had one of their prin-
| cipaI eastern strongholds at Damascus,
| and many of their wealthy citizens made
| the famed Syrian garden-town their tavo-
rite summer resort or their headquarters
for hunting excursions to the highlands of
Mount Libanus, which at that time was
| still covered with magnificent forests.
! They had temples, academies, theaters,
and villas at Damascus, and all those
buildings were fairly crowded with stat
ues, of which persons of wealth seem to
have purchased as many as their premises
could conveniently hold The very gardens
bristled with such figures, which were also
placed on walls and housetops; but when
the Saracens captured the city, all those
works of art were either destroyed or flung
into rivers and rubbish-pits. Even now
the Arab of the stricter sects-tke Waha-
bees. for instance-think it their duty to
break every Pagan image they happen to
come across-''to prevent idolatry," as
they explain it. The wealthy Turks are
less scrupulous, and often ornament their
residences with antique statues, and the
Christians buy all such sculptures offered
at fair prices, without dreaming of abus-
ing them for i6olatrous purposes.
Forty years ago there were whole Chris
tian streets and suburbs on the north side
of Damascus, but in 1860, the Druses, a
| tribe of savage mounts ineers, entered the
city and killed five thousand Christians,
after destroying at least an equal number
of houses. Strange to say, these Druses
profess a religion which includes many
doctrines of our bible, and they are inces
sanity at war with the 1urks, but they hate
the Christians still more for refusing tC
, eouform to their own creed altogether
After plundering Damascus they prepared
: to march against the large seaport town
of Beyrout, and were Joined by such mol
, of adventures that the Turks wer4 unable
r to guarantee the safety of any city In Syria
, | and a number of European powers haa t.
combine before the fanatics could be Undue
ed to return to their n nountains. Wher
they did return they agreed to keep tbt
peace for seventy years, and many surviy
. | ors of the frightful massacre have sine
| returned to Damascus. which has ono
! more become the most aourishing OF al tn
cities of western Asia. Felix L. Oswald
{ The Triple Alliance
i Two or three interesting things concern
ing the relations between England, ltal
E and the triple alliance have come to tn
: surface within the past few days. 1t sp
. pears first that Italy has not yet renewe
| ia fraatv vrItb Germany and Austria te