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

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| worshlpplng In g. howeyer-at least not
| IN the flesh. Before II was half COM
| pleted. Allah led him safely across the
mystical bridge OF All Serat-"tine as a
/ hair and sharp as a sword which, ac-
cordlng TO the Koran. spans the eternal
/ abyss. and across 10 the faith
! ful miraculously pass into paradise.
/ while the wicked are lost IN the
/ depths beneath.
Then Abdu-r-rahman's son. Hichem
/ ! took up the good work and carried II
on during hls lifetime al enormous cost
| Che plans OF as founders were faithful
/ ly copied except that 10 coon became
/ necessary 90 more than double the orig
| inal size. as the immense mosque proved
| too small t0 accommodate the ever-ln-
/ creaslng multltndes of pilgrims AL
| Hakem II constructed the Mahrab, on
"Hollest Of HOLES. wherein he deposit
ed the richly illuminated manuscript OF
| the Koran. This priceless relic was torn
to pieces by Den Alfonso's Christian
soldiers. IN the year ili6 when Ben Sa-
giah delivered up Corloya This Mos
lem Holy 90 Holes was called by the
Spaniards Del Zancarron' In derislon
OF the foot bone Of Mahomet All pill
grims walked seven times around the
sacred place, as was done at Mecca;
hence the
FOOT-WORN PAVEMENT.
which today shows a deep hollow cir
cular IN form. surrounding the point
OF devotion Abdu-r-rahman III built
the beautiful minaret and Al-Mansur
ha on Tho
ern side The last named monarch was
gathered TO his fathers IN the year 1902
and after his death nothing more was
done TO the mosque until the thirteenth
century. when u was seized by barbar-
ian Span8rds-Who have ever since
been destroying It's symmetry ann ef-
facing its original character by repeat
ed mutations. Roman Catholic chOirs
and affairs We're erected IN the very
middle, by order OF Charles V, and
stalls. pulpits. shrnes. confessiOnals,
Images and other church parapherna-
Ia scattered an over 70.
You may travel the wide world over
and find few sanctuaries of any faithso
impressive as this temple Of Anah-none
which seems 10 20 a dwelling place for
Him who fills an space. above the petty
creeds and dogmas Of men. Perhaps u
Is the immense width and depth Of the
interior. It's in0nitu2e OF columns and
mysterious perspectiyes combined with
the ancient traditions of the place, that
transport the visitor az once 90 days
Of the Calphs and render the common
place world of the twentieth century u
lusory and unreal The whole place
seem peopled with shadowy forms.
standing with duplicating hands and
faces turned toward Mecca. or PROSTATE
upon their prayer-rugs while from the
mlnaret. far overhead sounds the
mue2zin's cry. Come to prayer. Prayer
Is better than sleep
Tho most beautiful feature of the in
terror Is lbs dense forests OF many-c0l-
ored marble columns supporting the
Moorish arches of the roof, which
br0ods over all Ike the sense Of Gods
benencence not afar of, but near and
tangible. Originally there were 1870 of
these shafts and upwards OF a thou
sand yet remain. It is a marble laby-
rinth Of
ENDLESS V1sTAs
and mystlfylng space. One Is aston
ished al the infinite varieties Of tone.
and the many tlnts Il can assume
from black 10 purest white, malachite
EIENM NN fNllNAM NAf 81 lINlnNA NlNNNA nANAi"f
black-veined and notified with chrome,
ultramarine, purple. porphyry jasper
lapls-lazali, white streaked with carmel
Ian, snakely-mottled serpentine, and
innumerable other combinations OF coli
or.
The principal entrance Is through the
beautiful Court OF Oranges, with IFS
stately palms and quaint old Moorish
fountain, rs groups Of idlers and char
aCterlstic Spanish scenes. IL was built
by Said Ben Alub, IN g3i and its rows
Of trees originally correspunded with
the lines OF columns In the mosque.
Passing under the high-peaked door
way. which is surmouuted hy softy-tint-
ed azuelos Moorish tiles spelling out
texts from the Koran. you are at once
I'm the marble forest where count
less magnificent nayes stretch away
and intersect. and shining pillars, OF
every tint IN the rainbow, spring up
TO the delicate horseshoe arches. In
some sections the ceiling Is dazzling
with arabesQues and crystals. In others
IL Is richly panelled and gilded; and
here and there yandal Spaniards have
painted Il red and yellow. As the ex-
ternal walls enclose an area OF four
acres. a minute description Is impOssl-
Nlf III Allf llllliAN % "a ilNM HlAlfA iNA-
ter Among the special sights 20
which the guide viii lead you Is the
puerta del perd0n. so called because
built with money raised by the sale Of
indulgences lt is an arched entrance
OF purely Oriental type. embellished
with the arms OF CASTLE and Leon.
Its doors usually closed. are covered
with bronze plating. with Gothic and
Arabic inscriptions. and the words an
SPANISH THE empire belongs 20 God
and an Is His You viii be shown
PALE YELLOW COLUMN
flushed with pink. a species Of marble
OF which no quaries now exist near
the base Of which a rude crucifx may
De dimly traced The story goes, out
nobody believes I'D, that a Christian
captive was chained 20 this pillar In the
time Of Hakem H. He would have
been released unpublished, had he not
desecratcd Al0hs temple by scratch
ing with his nails the Christian emblem
upon the pillar. For that crime he was
gaWoted on the spot
Some OF the dOOrWays are marvellous
Is rich I'm Moorish spandrels and lat
ticed openings. with fine Oriental orna-
mentalons and cutie inscriptions,
Others are deliberately carved in the
Picturesque style; and others set round
with a multitude OF statues and images.
One OF the Aforementioned, thanked
with ancient mnsaics and surmountcd
by a queer azmiel window Is pointed
out as the private door by which the
sultan always entered the mosque and
the low crypt may be seen, called the
maksurah. where he prayed on Fri
days. Near il a white marble slab and
a padlocked urn mark the resting place
OF five bishops Of Christian Cordoya,
Their tomb was restored in 1851. by
Bishop Leopold, brother OF the emperor
OF Austria. who himself lies between
the high altar and the choir.