The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-06
CHARM OF DAMASCUS
SAID To ne CHIEFLY IN THE VIEW
OF SURROUNDING COUNTRY.
An Indiana Traveller, Leaving Asia,
Summarizes His Impressions
Our Philippine Problem.

often snow-cIad mountains. OF these the
plain of Sharon is perhaps the best known
and the most justly celebrated. So beauti-
ful is IL in it's soft, green undulations, COW
cred with olive and orange orchards, that
one OF our savior's most endearing titles is
The Rose of Sharon" Between Damas-
Gus and the Mediterranean sea are two
fairly lofty mountain r~anges-the Lebanon.
nearest the sea. and the Anti-Lebanon. Of
which the snowy Mount Herman is at the
southern end. Between these lies a green
valley. at the head Of which was. in ancient
days. the superb temple of Baal and Ashta-
roth at Baalbec. This temple represents
with inexpressible majesty a great rival
religion. both Of the old and new dispen-
~sations. and its ruins are as grand as those
OF the Nile or the Parthenon at Athens.
The location OF Baalbec is superb. in an
amphitheater OF mountains and at the head
of a most lovely valley OF perpetual green
Damascus lies beyond the Anti-Lebanon
range and its beauty consists in the fact
that from these mountains come tumoiing
down a couple Of torrents-the ancient riV-
ers Ahana and Pharpar-which keep green
an oasis OF say twenty-five square miles
just at the edge Of the desert and upon
which is situate Damascus. One OF these
rivers Is allowed 10 flow through the city
unbroken: the other is cut up into numer-
Gus canals which water the so-called gar
dens Of this celebrated city. l say so
called for the Oriental is easily salts
fed as to both spIendor and gardens. His
ideas as TO both are extremely crude. The
gardens OF Damascus are irregular plots
Of ground sourrounded with high mud
walls, and. within, full Of trees set out
without any order whatever. This ground
is covered with ragged green grass or
wheat, while through ii flows rapid, muddy
water. Curiously enough. the majority of
these trees are apple. and now in full bloom
while the remainder are tall, thin Lom-
hardy poplars and walnuts. Here swarms
of Damascus sit the Iivelong day, loafing
and smoking. Half the time a good share of
this so-caIled garden will be covered with
water and the frogs furnish the music. But
the sky above is a constant blue and the
sunshine 'ten feet deep and drifting" and
so the sunbaked Oriental compares his city
10 Paradise. Above and all around three of
its sides are bare, rocky mountains, from
the summit of one of which Mahomet is
said to have fallen in love with Damascus
md made it-next to Mecca-his favorite
city. This place Is still called THE Proph-
cts View" and every tourist does it.
The sight Is certainly very beautiful-a
vast plain of verdure and in its midst Da-
mascus. a city of 10000 people. exactly in
the form Of a spoon. the bowl being the
business and the handle the suburban part.
If one could only be satisfied TO gloat over
this view and then leave, he would think
Damascus the loveliest city in the world.
But no: the beholder is never satisfied
when he has enough. but must needs nave
more and trave through its detestable
streets and Iabyrinths OF mud-buiit houses
and bone-breaking pavements.
ILLUSIONS SHATTERED.
One of the curious decisions about Da-
mascus is the ~splendor of its houses. 1t is
said that while their exteriors are very
forbidding indeed. yet. once inside, I'M
dreamed-of magniicence will greet your
e~nraptured vision. This is pure bosh. 1t is
true that behind very unattractive exter-
Tors there will be found a succession OF
courts and gardens. with cisterns and
fountains. but these are all guady with
accommodation. high. fashy colors and
a general disregard of good taste. And il
a. - - thC 0SA0 aAAd OAACA VI Id
mascus. The former are all shabby and
the latter pudgy and with an excess of
hair, feet and skirts. The glories and beau
ties of the harems are all fiction. The great
majority OF their ceilings are poplar trunks,
laid lengthwise. and over these flooring of
the commonest kind. with small, untasteful
windows. heavily ironed. OF course, 1 do
not forget that the palaces are not thus
crude; still, Oriental magnihcence ii. e., in
Damascus) consists largely in gaudiness
and a conglomeration of ill-assorted coll
ors and shapes.
Probably 10000 people were never more
shabbily clothed or housed than in Damas-
Gus. And the bazars are just as crude. An
Oriental bazar is a street rooted
ever and lined on each side with
little shops. There is no pavement
OF any kind. and. while the roof
keeps out the rain. often one must in the
most fashionable bazar in Damascus step
aside 10 avoid a mudhole. Through these
bazars droves of donkeys. hocks of goats
and sheep. trains Of cameis and what not
pass at all hours of the day. Al night there
are no lights and everybody must carry his
own lantern. Innumerable trades are here
carried on. all in the most crude and primi-
tive way. All the weaving and turning are
done by hand and upon looms and lathes a
thousand years old. The lathes are turned
by the operators toes. and all the shuttles
are thrown by hand. One feature OF these
bazars is that each industry has its own
quarter. But some of the quarters are
very malodOrous. The Damascene delights
In grease and innumerable are the shops
for fr~izzling and frying all sorts OF cheap
eatables. The great majority of the people
are ragged and dirty. Baggy breeches.
long gowns and turbans are everywhere.
while women done Up in striped and white
skirts form the ornamental element. One
tning / must commend in the Damascenes;
they all wear shoes. but what fits! The ma
tive shoemaker's idea is the most possible
leather for the money. The footgear
usually takes the form of a slipper from
three to six sizes too big. Such a thing as
an elegant, neat-fitting boot. male or
female. never entered into the head of a
dweller in Syria or the Holy Lam / can't
help comparing Damascus with some OF the
beautiful Mohammedan cities OF India
Lucknow or Ahmenabad. Either OF them
Is vastly ahead OF Damascus. Here there
are no books. no high class schools, no