Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-04-28

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Special Correspondence.
Cordova. Spain, March 18th, 1900
srolllng about this ancient capital in
which no sound Of wheel or hammer
or human life Is heard, It's narrow
dark and dirty streets almost deserted
by man and beast-you recall what
Gautler said Of Cordoya. more than half
a century ago. 1T IS a city Of whose
once beautiful body nothing remains
but a bleached and calcned skeleton"
Lying low in the sunny valley Of the
Guadalqulyir in the very heart OF An
dalusla. surrounded by gray ollye-groyes
and villas crumbling with the weight
Of centuries, Il has been appropriately
called "the city OF Venerable Tranquil.
ty." Though lts absolute silence and
absence Of lie are depressing. you find
II extremely interesting. It abounds
with antiquities, and at every step
memories are awakened OF the old Ro-
man emperors. Of later Arabian Caliphs
of Queen Scheherezade's marvellous
tales. and the adventures OF the gaunt
country gentleman Of la Mancha,
whose home was close by. Antique
gates and sculptures and nail-studded
doors. mosques. towers and minarets,
the galleried houses, with their azuelos,
mullioned windows and ilower-hlled pa
tlos the great Roman bridges and
shrines IN the outer walls, all speak Of
times long. long gone by.
SO winding and shadowy are the
streets-suddenly ending Ina blank walls
or conyerging into half a dozen other
alleys equally tortuous and obscure, you
are sure TO get lost In their labyrnthian
wlndings % without guide Meeting
nobody OF whom 10 inquire the way
hack 10 your hotel, you are finally
forced 10 pound upon a closed door,
which rends the
VENERABLE TRANQUILITY"
with echoes that seem as sacrilegious
as shouting In a dim cathedral. AS
visitors are never expected In modern
Cordova. II takes more than one pound
ing 10 bring anybody 20 the door; and
when at last the startled servant APP
pears, his directions are so Complicat-
ed, concerning numerous turnings to be
made, that you feel more hopelessly
lost than before. The better way Is
90 engage a native cicerOne az the out
set. Your hotel viii furnish a man, who
VIII shuttle alongside all day, for a few
cents-and tell you more wild yarns
than ever the bride Of the sanguinary
sultan invented In the Arabian Nights
entertainment
In the widest OF Cordova's streets Il
would be impossible 20 swing the typ
zeal cat, without dashing lbs brains cut;
and IN many Of them pedestrians are
compelled TO liatten themselves against
the walls on either side whenever a
donkey with bullying panniers passes
through ] suppose that the idea of the
ancient builders IN thus crampng their
quarters when they might just as well
have spread the city over the whole
valley, was as much TO secure safely
from Invaders as 20 keep their casas
cool by excluding the feryld sun, Even
without the wooden gates which close
the streets at frequent intervals a raid
or riot could make small progress COM
PEELED TO pass three or four abreast I'M
der the oyerhanglng balconies, each
house a well-defended fort.
The principal sight" of Cordoya and
also one Of the chief show places In
spain, Is the splendid mosque. pa Mez-
quita (Arablc for masegad, meaning TO
worship prostrate), which the Kaliph
Abdu-r-rah-man ii began about A. ID.
tm' A hundred years were consumed
IN the building, and It was long the
Brandest Moslem temple IN the world.
exceeding In beauty even Mecca, the
most sacred shrine Of the Koran
IL stands close 10 the muddy bank Of
the GuadalqulWr In the heart OF the
crowded Jewish quarter. where the early
Hebrews. prosecuted by other nations.
enjoyed complete liberty OF worship I'M
der the Saracen rulers. Directly 0ppo-
site rises the once gorgeous Alcazar.
tHouse Of Caesar or royal palaceD OF
the Kalipha-which is now a shabby
military prison. without a trace Of its
former splendor. Il is hard 20 realize
that this spot-now so vllely odorous
and nlthy, the haunt Of vice,
DISEASE AND MISERY.
was once the abode or science and art.
the seat Of the wealthiest court OF me-
di@yal Europe. the refuge OF the OPP
pressed OF every creed IN Christend0m,
ana the home Of the most polished So
ciety OF the agel
The most extraordinary feature OF La
Mezquita Is that 10 this day il is half
Moslem mosque and half a Christian
cathedral. Long. long ago the Romans
had temple on the spot dedicated 10
Janus Afterwards Il was the Chris
tan's Basllica and when the Arabs en-.
tered Cordoya, IN the year III. they con-
verted half Of Il into a mosque leaving
the other half undsturbcd To- the
Christians This liberal arrangement
on the part of the Moslems which am
afraid would not have been Initiated by
the Christians. had the positions been re-
Nersed-Was also made IN the Basilica
OF ST. John. az Damascus which was
afterwards converted into the great
mosque When Prince Abdu-r-rahman
the last survivor OF the line OF ON
meyades who had Tor years been fu-
giilye among the wandering tribes OF
the Libyan Desert was called 10 the
throne as the only hope Of the war-des-
olated country, his first act was 10 de-
clare himself independent Of the sultans
OF the east Having consolidated his
domnions by the subjugation OF AN who
ventured 10 dispute his sovereignty,
Quelled Internal feuds and restored
peace and prosperlty-the sagacious
monarch next turned his attention 20
rendering his dynasty Independent In all
respects from the Influences and preiu-
dices Of the East, This was not possible
SO long as the yearly pilgrimage 70 the
Holy City OF Arabia obligatory upon
an good Moslems. impaired the feeling
OF a distinct nationality which he
wished 70 foster. besides consuming so
much OF the time and money OF his sub
lects Therefore II was clear that a
shrine must be established at home.
which should Guido even the Tomb OF
the Prophet az Mecca There was as yet
no Dialma. or Grand Mosque In Spain,
the services OF Islam being everywhere
held In cOniiscated churches. and most
OF these divided with worshipers Of an
other creed. In CordOva Christians and
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