Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-05-19

4adi ana mosques an the streets and
public places aie crowded with them.
Very few oi th-m VIII be able to see
the sultan. ?Aeir only opportunity is
on Friday when he rides across his
park from the palace to the mosque
To say his PRAYERS. They viii kneel
/ when be pa Sos and afterward kiss
the ground over which his carriage
has driven. Many OF them are men
OF wealth and property. but they do
not look H. They are dressed in the
fantastic costumes of their races and
add to the variety of apparel for
which ConstauHiuople is always not
ed. 1t is asserted that one can stand
upon the bridge across the Golden
horn which connects STEAMBOAT with
Galata. and within a short time see
representatives OF every nation on
earth. This is perhaps an exagger
alton. but the pilgrims have heighten-
of the interest OF the city just now
TO strangers.
Every Moslem who can afford to do
rs least once in his life makes a pill
grimage to Mecca. for that not only
insures the salvation of his soul but
advances him i'm social and religious
'anlJ also, and he then becomes a
tTadii a title for which we have no
equivalent 1t gives him higher
place in the mosque and secures for
him certain privileges and advantages
which people who have not been to
Mecca do not enjoy. Hence it is the
ambition of every Mussulman to make
the pilgrimage and millions go every
year. The pilgrimages are regulated
much better now than formerly San
itary rules are enforced which tend
20 prevent the plaques that have in
variably followed the annual hegira
Formerly thousa1ds upon thousands
He'd from fatigue starvation and dis
ease. and contagion was carried to
different parts o. the world by return
ing caravans. But this no longer oc-
"urs. The returning pilgrimages are
20 well regulated that nowadays they
"an be accomplished without much
lancer fatigue and with comparative
ly little expense.
The most conspicuous man among
me pilgrims in Constantinople is Had
Il SheiE Islam the head of the church
m Persia who is accompanied by his
son and three other prominent Per-
sian ecclesiastics. Upon their arrival
thew were met with great ceremony by
the Persian ambassador and the
Shei5-ulIslam Of Constantinople
They have heen the guests at the Per
sian embassy. have onioved the hospi-
falitv Of the sultan, who has decorated
them with BADGES and other honors
and conferred uNon them his blessing
rs the head Of the church. Their
dress is quite picturesque. They
wear long tunics. or gowns, Of white
silk with plated bosoms and flowing
sleeves with the finest Of cashmere
shawls ms sashee around their waists
over their gowns they wear large
brown camers hair robes and upon
their heads enormous white turbans.
Tho Sheik's marty are men of noble
appearance and dignified demeanor
and receive the HOMAGE of the people
as if they were ac, "etnmed to IT.
The other morning. when Turkish
steamer carrying 1,4OO pilgrims, was
about to start for Mecca the sultan
sent orders that no passenger should
be charged more than SS fare and that
those who could not give this should
he carried deadhead. When the Off
GERS of the steamship company remon-
strated he boldly told them to send
the bin for the difference to him
an act Of generosity which amuses
everybody who has q sense Of humor
| for the Sultan of Turkey was never
| known to pay a debt. The steamship
| ompany dared not refuse. but after
! 'enecHon was ingenious enough to
| partially recoup itself When the
| staamcr got as far as Beyrout il
'ropped anchor and the officers in.
/ formed the managers of the pilgrim
age that tbev could not go any furth
er because they had run out Of coal
and they could not buy coal because
| thev bad no money. the small amount
paid by the pilgrims for fare having
already been exhausted. The pill
9rims appealed to the sultan by tele
sraph and the sultan ordered the gov
nruor of Beyrout TO furnish them coal
~ NllAl NlA' .AHall It INV 'll NllN spN
ernor, and he will have to contriv'
some method of getting even.
Protestauts are generally well re
=pected in Turkev and are allowed tt
preach, teach and worship in thei
own way, although sometimes wheI
troubles have occurred they have beer
attacked by ignorant rufians who mis-
took them for Armenians.
Tourists can no longer visit tn
great "cisteru of the 10O1 pillars
which was formerly one OF the mos
interesting objects in Constantinople
It was built in the time Of Constar
tine for the purpose of storing water
is 1876 feet long. l67 feet wide and 2
feet deep. The roof is sustained by
vast forest of columns, and it is tn
popular notion that they number on
more than a thousand. It is esrima
ed that the eistern formerly hel
enough water TO supply the populs
ton OF Stamboul for ten days, but
has not been used since 1850 for tina
, purpose. ConstantiuOple has an %
cellent water system carried in aquu
) ducts running TO various quarters {
the city. For many years this an
several other great cisterns. ha'
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