The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-09-28
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splits itself into seven arms, two of which
serve the town with water, wilst the other
five water the immense orchards round
the walls whose fruit constitutes almost
the only nourishment of the citizens in
summer.
Forests, literally speaking, of the most
fruit bearing trees, cover an area of over
seven square miles, in the midst of which,
like Venus from the waves, rises the fairy
like city. The aprcote specially abounds,
and is eaten in immense quantities. chiefly,
according to the strange taste of the orien
tai while vet green, and only about the
size of a cherry. In spite of the great lc
cal consumption, 1.-The mischmish of Ds
mascus, which is larger, jucier and sweeter
than any other, is sent to all countries,
from the Euphrates to the Nile, and from
Cairo to the Red Sea. Besides apricots,
the neighborhood abounds in every spe-
cies of our best known orchard trees and
fruit bearing plants; every kind of nuts,
especially splendid walnuts pistachio.-
With them grow, in rich profusion, tig and
pomogranate, orange and lotus treec, mel
ons of all kinds, and every vegetable and
herb of our suthern European countries.
The wine of Damascus equals in strength
and flavor the favored growths of France
and Italy; the olive oil coming from here
is accounted the finest cotton, flax, cochi-
neal, rice and the various cereals richly
reward the slight labor of the husband
man. Truly, it is an earthly paradise,
this plain of Ghuta, wherein Damascus
lies.
Apart from its magnificent surround
ings, the city of Damascus possesses an
unwonted interest to the Christian travel
er Its history goes back to the first book
of moses (chap. XIV. 81, and it is mentioned
in many other places in the Old Testament.
David conquered and placed it in garri-
son, but, under the reign of Solomon, it
was taken by a band of frcebooters who
had chosen Reson as King of Damascus,
and founded there kingdom, with which
the Jews fought many bloody battles, es-
pecially for the possession of land to the
northeast of Jordan. 1t would be taking
i'll large part of the worlds history to
write that of Damascus, even briefly
Like an indestructible relic of past ages it
survives in the present century, while its
once sister cities of Nineyeh, and Mem
~; hyln fa11 tn
ruins, and even the holy City, Jerusalem,
is but as forsaken widow, whose chill
dren must wander forth to beg their
bread.
The most remarkable building of the
CITY is the famous mosque of Omalj ljeden.-
Originally temple of Venus, it was
changed into Christian church about the
end of the fourth Gently, and dedicated to
St. John the Baptist, whose head used to
repose there in a shrine. Some centuries
later a magnificent mosque was built on
the site of the ancient church. The Ara
bian writer's affirm that it was built by the
genii; in reality Grecian architect and
1900 of his best workmen of Constantine
pie built the original pile.
Antique pillars were brought together
from every part of Syria the floors and
lower parts of the walls were covered
with costly marbles, whilst the upper por-
ton of the walls and the dome were deco
rated with MOSAIC work. Around the
arches of the prayer inches trailed golden
vines, and their interiors were decorated
with precious stones 600 gold lamps hung
from the gilt ceiling and the whole, as
may be well imagined, cost enormous
sums of money. A well authenticated
saws that no fewer than eighteen mules
were led before Caliph Velid, laden hcavi-
" with the bills of expenses in building
| the mosque.
In one part of it arises a dome shaped
wooden structure, thickly gilded, and
here according to Moslem tradition) lies
the head of st. John the Baptist, by which
every inhabitant of Damascus swears; it
is surmountcd by a golden crescent
| Here also is the Isa minarct. lisa" means
| Jesus, who is much rcverenccd by Ma
homedens, and they say that, on the last
dav, he will first descend on this minarct.
Yet another place of great interest-the
street which is called straight which to
the present day keeps the same name name
that it bore in the time of the Apostles
In this street, which runs straight through
the Jewish quarter, Saul blinded and re-
pentant, hid himself until Anania, whose
house is still pointed out, came, and laying
hands on him, restored his sight.
On the spot where this took place nc
house is standing; but there is /; small
courtyard, surrounded by whitewashed
wall. In the middle of the court is a sort
of cellar door, and some steps leading
down to a Subterranean building. Here
before an altar decorated with large
painting of Conversion of st. Paul, burns
the everlasting light, pointing out his pres
ence whose word caught the naughty
stubborn Jew to the dust and in moment
transformed the fiery prosecutor to tho
gentle saint.
South of Damascus lies the mountains
u -Ntbi VI u, pi'l'iiIt -A'Nit "''iA "t'A>i
strange tradition is connected.
After Cain had killed his brother at the
altar on Mount kasium, where the first
man and first woman then lived, says the
old story, "hc took the corpse on hi:
shoulders and did not know what to dc
with his murdered brother. whose deel
sleep would not cease, and whose bod,
was already beginning to decay. Lou'
weeping, the fratricide wandered through