The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-14

and led Cs over a sort OF improvised
bridge to his living place. This, then.
was the ancient palace OF the Bagra-
tides, kings of Armenia. 1t stood on a
lofty eminence and was approached by
flights of steps. now tattered and torn
and offering many obstacles to the
foot attempting to scale them. but still
showing vesti:.es of their original
grandeur. l have seen the steps of
Persian architecture. but these of the
royal palace of Ami exceed i'm that of
the sculptures with which they are
ornamented.
Each step is borne on the shoulders
of several figures. which probably rep
resent types of the royal vassals and
the peoples under their sway: the step
is fully twenty-five feet long.
There the monk. having gone ahead,
stood holding out his hands to help us
ascend. Then we saw, to our utmost
astoniShment, that the outer shell of
the palace was almost intact. OF
course there were no roof. no doors, no
windows, the marble walls were crack
ed and numerous columns broken. bat
the ruins looked as if they would lend
themselves gracefully to an attempt to
| rebuild the grand original structure.
The monk explained the building plan
to us. After passing through the giant
gateway, we entered grand hall.
which Is still partly supported by col
umns. the old vestibule. | should Judge.
Behind that was court surrounded
by double row of columns. then there
We're chambers. lodges. immense par
lOrs In some of the latter the mosaic
floor covering was still recognizable
and the capitals of the columns We're
ornamented with rich foliage; all the
outer walls are of marble and the i'm
mensely thick dividing walls between
the different compartments appeared
to be marble clad.
History" said the monk, contains
no descriptive accounts of ancient,
Anis, but Judge that this palace and
most of the great buildings of the town
We're constructed in the style of Pesata
and Assyria. They probably had fiat
roofs supported by wooden columns.
OF these no vestige has remained, they
have been eaten by fire, swallowed up
by the earthquake. burned by lava or
rottel away"
Tell us something of the old kings
and old Armenia" | said. The monk
seemed to have awaited this prayer
| rather impatiently, for he at once en-
tered upon lengthy report of legends
and facts so interviewer that no one,
at this late date. may tell them apart.
Ancient Armenia comprises. 1t seems,
the northeastern part of Mesopotamia
and the Kurdish mountains To the
Caucasus and Georgia. The inhabit-
ants embraced Christianity in the third
century and rose soon to a high state of
civilization and culture. The Bagra-
tide dynasty came to the throne in the
year s59, the first king being descended
from noble Jewish family. He and
his successors were most lenient in re-
lisious matters. and permitted mosques
to he built within the precincts of their
| capital. They We're peaceful race
| and the country achieved great COM
mercial distinction under their rule.
but that made them unfit for war and
the Mongols and Turks Overran the
country. In the year 1$45 Alp-Arslan.
sultan of the Seljuks, took Anis by
storm and put the citizens to the
sword. The Bagratides fled to Georgia,
where they reigned in a small way, un-
til 1902 The Seljuks occupied the cap
ital and country thereafter. but at the
beginning of the fourteenth century a
| terrible natural catastrophe drove out
conquerors as well as natives. Then a
terrible earthquake shook the great
city to pieces, and the lava from the
surrounding volcanoes buried one half
of its surface. Those inhabitants that
escaped death fled town and country
and for five long centuries the city that
IL
serted, silent, dead.
The most curious fact in connection
with the city of Anis is that the at
mOspheric conditions seem to oppose
decay. The ruins are today as little
weather beaten as several hundred
years ago. The delicate tints of mosaics
as sttaed, have withstood 500 years of
exposure, and the Inscriptions on many
buildings are still easily discernible. l
! Il nt hat
ientalist could read many pages of for
gotten history.
CITY OF THE DEAD.
For hours we wandered through the
streets of this city of the dead without
encountering u living thing-human,
| animal, insect or product of vegetation.
The Dead Sea Is a center of activity
compared with the silent town, which
in the days of her glory is said to have
numbered 100000 houses and palaces
and thousands of abodes of worship.
And are you the only inhabitant 2"
l demanded of the monk.
"The only one In this part of the
town. which whirlstorm that occurr-
ed 200 years ago denuded of the layer
oil lava" was answered. I'm the north
ern extremity the families of several
herdsmen have made their homes in
for burial places. They never cross over
the self drawn boundary line, though.
for they are Mussulmans. This city
you must know, Is the holy shrine of
Armenian Christendom, wheretO the
faithful pilgrimize annually, praying
for the reconstruction Of their lost EN-
pire."
The streets of Ans are marked by
facades of the houses and other edifices
| bat ltt,,I
the smaller buildings has been reduced
to ruins, but the larger ones, having
walls of great thickness. tower high
in the air, dismantled, but proud of
outline and exhibiting lofty designs.
Columns of all known and unknown
orders are lying in heaps among the
ruins. plain and fluted, ornamented
| with devices and inscriptions, flower
work and Isis-headed. the capitals of
the latter being formed by one or more
heads of the diety.
At the south end of the town stands
Il cathedral of massive proportions.
This edifice is wondrously well pre-
served. Being built in the form of Il
Latin cross, 1t was originally sur
mounted by two eight-cornered tow
ers. OF these one remains. The mid
die nave supports on graceful pillars a
stone roof that shows only few
racks. Thus protected the interior
| decorations of Byzantine style are re-
markably well preserved. The arches
are most lofty and exhibit wonderful
workmanship. In another church
erected over mighty chasm between
rocks we discovered two frescoes.
Maria at the Grave of the Savior"
and Christ Eentering Jerusalem"
The colors were vivid and the figures
easily distinguShable We visited fif-
teen churches and two mosques. one
of the latter being built in the style of
the Alhambra.
Dcscendi'~: to the river we saw a
ruined bridge of stone. supporting on
colossal arches three roads for travel.
one over the other. each story over 20
feet in height. Next We encountered
.,:..a,l,.f,l