The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-23
Miss Lalla Ruth Carr Writes of
Sight Seeing in India.
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR
VISIT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
STONY AND PRECIPITOUS.
The TOMB OF lAZA kUS
A Dinner Picnic Fashion Near Heb
ron. The Day at Bethlehem. Lunch
at the Good Samaritan inn."
Journey Back TO Jerusalem.
christian Advocate.)
Jerusalem. April II, 1897


christian Advocate.)
Jerusalem. April II, 1897.
Since writing you last, we have beef
out on Il four days camping trip, gettins
home at Jerusalem Friday afternoon a
| five However we did not leave here un
til Tuesday. so | will give you an account
of Monday here. After breakfast at s
we started for the Mosque of Omar, bull
on the site of SolomOn's temple. AS thi:
is the most noted of all MohammedaI
mosques, you are only allowed entrance
by special permit of the government. witt
Il governmental escort and two or three
policemen. Every movement of yours is
watched by guards at every turn. Tn,
outer courts of the mosque are arranged
! just as they were in the days of kina
Solomon. First you enter the outer
| court, called the court of the Gentiles
then comes the court of the Israelites, the
inner court being for the priests. No de-
scription of these courts will be underta
ken here. but 1 will bring pictures OF
| them with me on my return to dear Old
| North Carolina. The mosque is not
built on the plan Of the great temple but
| is on the supposed site of the great tenn
pie. 1t is an Octagonal building. the
walls all covered with colored tiles and
very highly and guadily decorated. The
windows are all of heavy colored glass
to soften the intense light, with inscrip-
! tons from the koran to be seen every
! where
| In the center Of the mosque is a rock
supposed to be the place where Abra-
ham offered Isaac as 4 sacrifice on the
top Of Mount Moriah, and the place of
, the Holy of Holes in the great temple
| The rock has always been held sacred by
the Mohammedans, because they claim
Abraham as one of their six prophets.
This rock is surrounded by high wood
J en- railing and no one is allowed to touch
it; and you can only see the top of it
above the railing.
From here We went down and saw the
stables Of Solomon that were hewn out
Of the rocks and were used by the crusa-
ders when they made their pilgrimas sc
to Jerusalem.
This was our sight seeing" for the
morning. In the afternoon We took
horses and rode out to one Of the noun
Jerusalem ON the one hand, and OF the
Dead Sea on the other. Then we went
to Mount Olivet, which to my surprise,
is much higher than the surrounding
mountains and is very rugged. | ex-
pected to see a mountain green with grain
and easy of ascent Instead Of this
| found a stony, PERCEPTIONS mountain Gov
| cred with Jewish graves and barren of
vegetation.
| At the base of this mountain is the place
marked as the garden of Gethsenlane
From the top of Olivet you get a go0n
view of the surrounding country. On
looking toward Bethany, you can see the
pa tin that it is easy to believe Jesus took
on his way from the sweet home of Mary
and Martha to the inhospitable city
| Gethsemane is walled in and still kept
as a garden with some graves among the
! flowers. and shrines at every turn. The
! spot where the disciples slept rs we'll as
! the place where Judas betrayed our Lord
are marked. The garden of Gethsemant
! is supposed to be authentic. as We know
! that it must have been near here thai
! the blessed Christ spent his last hours
/ in prayer and was given over INTO the
hands of the Jews.
From Olivet we went to Bethany. ant
saw the tomb of Lazarus cut out of The
| solid rock Very near to this is villa, i!
shown as the home that Christ so lovc(
to visit: but nothing now remains Ct the
| house of Mary and Martha save wall 81
two.
Then we returned to Jerusalem ant
packed our trunks and prepared for thu
camping trip.
Tuesday morning at seven we started
for Hebron, Il four hours ride from .Ic
rusalem. In our journey we passed b,
the tomb of Rachel and by the well o
the Magi where the star appeared to tn
three wise men after they had been L
Jerusalem to enquire about the time o
the birth of Christ. and guided them {
Bethlehem.
Just before reaching Hebron. we go
out of our carriages and mounted on
horses and rode down a rocky foot pat
TO the oak of Abraham, under whicl
Abraham entertained the three angel
who brought to him the promise Of Isaac
And he took butter and milk and tn
calf which he had dressed, and set it be
fore them: and he stood by them unde
the tree and they did eat Under thi
tree we, too. did eat, having our lunch
con in regular picnic fashion all sprea
out under the trees. From here We drov
TO Hebron Here David reigned 70
seven years. 1t is now a town of abso
lutely no interest. 1T is i'm the hands o
MOhammedans who hate the sight O
Christians, making it not safe for yo
unless you have several guides and me
of authority. The cave of Macpela
where Abraham and Sarah are buried
here; but you are only allowed to see
rock through a small opening. From He
bron we drove back coward Jerusalem t
the pools of Solomon where we spent tn
might. The pools were three in numbe
and built by Solomon to conduct the wa
Ter through aqueducts to the temple, tn
courts of which were honeyeombed wit
pipes filled with water so as TO enabl
the city to stand Il siege. Our tents. 1
in number, there being twenty in on
party. most of them English. locke
beautiful down in the green grass. Thi
was ry first experience of camp lifl .ii
| thoroughly enjoyed it. We have every
thing we could desire. reasonable con
forts. excellent meats and good service
Our company looks like small army
There are twenty people each on horse
back. and then about siXty-hye mule
and horses heavily packed with tent'
cooking utensils, baggage, etc. With
. bout twenty muleteers. 50 You see W
have quite Il caravan.
But should not like to 90 i'll sma
party, for don't think it would be saf'
L.. hoe ailyr