Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-12-14

magnificent Atlas mountains-the city
OF today would be about the most
wretchef place on earth to live In.
Words cannot picture the squalor and
decay encountered at every step--the
foul odors that salute you in It's lncon-
celvably dirty streets the pit falls and
cesspools In the most frequented thor
oughfares, and the eternal vigilance re-
quired to potect your belongings from
the tricks and wiles Of professional
thieves, 1t would never do for the
stranger to be abroad after nightfall,
and even at MONDAY, In the most
crowded thoroughfares, he would bet
ter avoid dim doorways and shadowy
corners, where assassIns may Turk. The
very walls that encompass the town,
once thirty feet high, eight feet thick
and with immense square towers az
frequent intervals speak Of the desola-
ton within. They are now so diap-
dated that In many places both foot
passengers and horsemen make MOTH
Ing of clambering over the fallen bricks
and through the breaches, ignoring the
gates, which are vet as religiOusly
guarded as II they were Of any use.
There are not half dozen structures
worth visiting In the town, and not
one building Of stone, except the tower
OF kutubia mosque, and an archway
which was brought from Spain in
sections. Even bricks are very little
used, though the native manufacture is
said TO be excellent. The universal
building material Is tappia, or tabiya,
as here called-which Is mud hardened
In frame. akin to The betin Of AL
geria and the adobe Of Meylco-than
which nothing could be drearier in ar
chitectural effect.
or course you HE at once to the Ku-
tuba tower, the solitary showplace Of
the town. II Is not only a wonder In
itself but about the only memorial Of
the constructive genius of the early
Moors that Is left I'm the empire OF
Morocco--outsde Of Fez, the Holy CITY
where the tar-famed beauties of the
Alhambra San Sophia even the Tai
Hehal Of India, are outdone in hun
dreds OF mosques, minarets, arches and
doorways, This Kutubia tower is al.
most Identical with that Of Hassan AT
Rabat, and both are after the pattern
of the Giralda, at Sevlne--for the sim.
pie reason that the three were design
cd by the same architect, one Abdulla
Jabir, who went his way to the Mos.
lens paradise some eight or nine cen.
turtles ago, The mosque 10 which
kutubia tower belongs Is remarkable
only for forest Of marble pillarc. lis
entire crypt Is occupied by a vast mye.
terlous cistern, said 20 have bsen ev.
cayated by Mansur hln,g.tf .s,y
M mliut purpose may be Allah knors
aheIe ure nineteen other MOSQUES IA
me CIV OF Morocco. among which IN,
most notable are All va sui Al.Mrn.
sur and A-Moizz From their lof,.
miharets, al the hrst glimmer NJ dawn
the mu2zln cry resouGds over tho glee.,
ing city Pitched In a clear. nigh ka,
more penetrating than the sound ~
SlNer bells, the confession Of faith Nj
ecnoeu from tower TO toWc~. "Ta IAN
, Ai-lah iva Mohammed er-rascool A.
AN Again at sunset the same cry
resounds; and at hourly intervals dur.
Ing the day, an abbreviated form 10
heard. Every Moor and Arab bept.
and pays instant and undiyided al.
tentlon II asleep In bed, ne arivss a B.
once or drops whatever work he NAV
pe doing; spreads his prayer cloth on
she ground, turns his face Mecca-ward
BOWS 70 the earth and reverently 10.
tsats the orison. To us, dogs of I'm.
SSenevers 1t is a problem incomr 70.
neNloie how such religious tleyoutnes :.
S ING go hand in hand with all manner 81
.,aa nvsner noteworthy institution 3,
fsa,n.So wy Is the shrine of s,d
A" Bel Aebar. which possssse