Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-07-04
THE DAMASCUS OF TO-DAY.

I THE DAMASCUS or TO-DAY.
Interesting sights In the Most Ancient City
In the World.
Damascus at present has but little
70 interest the traveller In the Orients.
It's places Of fame having long since
fallen beAore the Mohammedan rulers. "
The shove words arrested my atten-
tion tho other day while reading an
Eastern paper. says writer, and to me
they seemed utterly devoid Of truth or
reason. Certainly the person who wrote
them has never looked down upon the
beautiful Syrian plain that holds Da-
msscus In It's grasp Of 10000 flower
gardens" or seen It's countless minarets
glisten In the evening sun, standing on
the slope of the western hill near one
Of the many caves Of the ''seven sleep-
ers." Its claim Of being the oldest city
in the world has good foundation, for
among the many wonderful stories told
In Egyptian figures on the gigantic pill
lars at Karnak near Thebes is one to
the effect that Damascus, or Esh Sham,
rs 1t was called by the ancients, was
captured by one Of the Pharaohs nearly
1000 years ago, II was Thotmes Ill.
who captured the city ut that early day.
When ut Karnak two years ago Prof.
Hill, q widely known Psychologist,
pointed out to me these very words and
said then that he was willing to admit
that Damascus was at least one Of the
Oldest cities in the world, and that he in
tended seeing II before he died. His
wish, however, was never gratifed, rs he
died In Cairo last year. In April last
spent several days in roaming about
Damascus. Not in the way Cook tour
lists are led about, spending two days in
seeing what should take rs many
weeks If one really wants to zee and
know intelligently about the sights and
wonders of a city that was mentioned
as far back as the book Of Genesis.
The best guide book to Damascus is the
Bible, and then one can read the
Arabian Nights" and appreciate those
charming stories better than anywhere
else, save perhaps Bagdad.
Damaceans hold everything connected
with their city in great reverence and
in their old kahns, bazaars, crooked
streets and interesting native quarters
there is ever flowing stream Of bright
oriental life that moves on the same as
1900. perhaps 5000 years old. Itmatters
little whether walking through the
"street called Straight" and which by
the way, Is not straight. or day-dream-
ing under the olive or plum trees just
outside the gates Of paradise, the same
unhagging interest attaches to every
foot of the way. One beautiful
Sunday morning we went through
the ''Thomas Gate" to the spot pointed
out as the G It place where the
wonderful vision appeared to Paul, and
then walked around to Goods gate"
where was witnessed the reception by
his family Of "a young man who returned
that morning barefoot from q pill
grimage from Mecca Each year the
largest caravan in Turkey starts from
Damascus for Mecca, and the scenes
witnessed upon the return Of the pill
grims are most interesting. This Sum
day morning the young man was met
by his brothers and friends two miles
from the city and escorted by men on
camels and wild fanatical-looking Mos
lens careering about on beautiful
Arabian horses to his home with
in the walls. We saw the tradi-
tional lamb slaughtered on the doorstep
of the house, while his sisters danced
merrily about the bashful boy, holding
in their hands above their heads clean
linen and new clothes, with which the
young pilgrim bedecked himself, and
later in the day received all his friends,
and still later he was escorted to the
great mosque Of Damascus, where the
fanatical Moslems were seen at their
regular daily devotions.
This great mosque was once Chris
tian place Of worship, being the only
basilica left in Damascus of the Roman
construction. Climbing to the top Of
the famous minaret, called here even
to-day the Flower of Jesus" q magnif-
cent panorama Is spread out at ones
feet. Local tradition tells you that at
the great day all mankind is to be
judged from this minaret. Famous for
hundreds Of years, the three beautiful
minarets Of this mosque have served rs
models for many towers throughout the
world, one of the best known being the
belfry of St. Marks in Venice. Not 100
yards distant from the mosque are three
beautiful marble columns and portion
of an old arch, all that remains above
ground in Damascus of that Roman
supremacy that once ruled the world.
Surrounding Damascus is one Of the
most beautiful and fertile places to be
found in all Syria. From the hill of
Mohammed can be counted more than
thirty distinct villages, varying in size
from the great city with more than
100000 to the little Kurdish hamlet Of
100 souls. Great caravans are constant
" arriving from Bagdad, accompanied