St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-22
TOMB OF PROPHET DANIEL
To Judge From Its Size the Great
Man Was EIGHTY Feet Tall.

To Judge From Its Size the Great
Man Was Eighty Feet Tall.
Revue des Deux Mondes.
Since Samarcand has been portion
of the Russian dominons it has be-
come easy to visit, The traveller from
Europe can reach the old capitol of
ramerlane by the Transcaspian rail
way, which the Russian government
has constructed across the Turcoman
deserts with so much boldneSS, and
which was finished as far as Samarcand
six years ago. Less than three miles to
the northeast of Samarcand, and out
side of the extreme limits of the ancient
city, is tomb which is called Khodja-
Danlar. This tomb, according to the
MuSselman legends, is the burial-place
of the Prophet Daniel.
The spot where the tomb stands is
called Afrousiab, and there are seen
ruins which are very probably those of
the ancient city Of Maracanda, destroyed
by Alexander the Great This was an
immense town, whose walls, we are
told, had compass of ninety stadia, or
about ten miles. 1t is separated from
Samarcand by naked hill, the soil of
which is one vast cemetery. The sep
ulchre Of Khodja Daniar is built on
sort Of terrace or cornice. A half-doZen
great maStS. from the top of which hang
some sacred rags or tougS made of
horsetails, and the heighth Of which is
prOportiOned to the Importance of the
saint, rise above the sarcophagus, which
stands in the open air. sheltered by no
building OF any kind. The sarcophaguS
is constructed with heavy masonry.
The saint who reposes there is, beyond
doubt, really dead; but his mode of
behavior is more than curious, since.
though dead, he continues to grow con-
stantly in his sepulchre.
Every two OF three years the mollahs,
who are the guardians of the place, de-
termine by q learned calculation, The
data of which | was not able to learn,
how much it is proper TO lengthen the
sepuchre III order to make its dlmen-
sions correspond to those of its tenant.
To judge from the present length of
the tomb, the height of the prophet,
Daniel, was, or should have been, at
the date OF my visit in 1891, about eighty
feet. His height must be little more
now. 1t should be observed that the
growth of the saint is in length only
and not in breadth. The development
Of the breadth of his shoulders is not in
proportion to that of his height. There
SAISG III OLieI PdltS VI loldiu Olncl
tombs of the prophet Daniel. OF these
others, one OF the most celebrated is at
Cairo
This fact need not astonish us; the
Mussulmans admit without hesitation
the duplication of even indefinite null
tiplication of the bodies of holy persons
without their veneration for each of the
remains being diminished in the least.
1t is worth nothing that the nature OF
the honorary qualifications accorded to
the same saint varies in different coun-
tries. Thus, for example, this same
Daniel has at Cairo the name of Nebbi.
Daniel; that is, they give him the title
of prophet, as being at the same time
that which suits him best, and is the
most honorable they can confer. In
Algeria or Morocco, feudal countries,
the title they give to saints is sidi, which
signifies lord, which is also the title
there of military and political chiefs.
In Central Asia they give to those CAN
onized persons whom they respect most,
as 10 the Prophet Daniel, the title of
khodja, which means i'll Arabic, writer
or lettered.