Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-06-23
BAZARS OF DAMASCUS.
Mohammedan Merchants Do Not So
licit Trade. But Expect to Haegle
Over Prices.

DAMASCUS. Syria. Nav 21.-The
baZaars of Damascus are the pride of
the Arab world and the delight of
strangers. To American and English
tourists they are so attractive that
the guides leave them to be visited
last. because when a woman once
Toes there she becomes so fascinated
that she is eager to 90 again and
cannot be tempted away to mosques.
museums. cemeteries or other places
of interest. Nowhere in all the East
are oriental life and oriental customs
displayed so accurately and in such
an interesting manner. and the ba-
zaars seem almost limitless in extent.
They are all situated in the same sec
tion Of the citv. and one is entered
from another. In facr, they are prac-
ticallv one and consist of several
miles of narrow streets. covered over
with arched. domelike roofing. the an
cient ones of masonry and the modern
ones of corrugated iron. lined on eth
err side by little shops ten or twelve
feet square. filled with assortments of
merchandise from all the ends of the
earth.
The merchants squat cross-legged
on the floors of their booths. which
are raised a foot or eighteen inches
above the roadway, and you can dis
tinguish between the races by their
demeanor. The Mohammedan mer-
chant never solicits trade. He pre-
liUniHaI
while he is always courteous and will
ing to show his goods, he does so with
quiet Indifference which is often
tantalizing and seems to be express
sive of a contempt for the infidels who
intrude with so much hustle and con.
fusion upon his composure He
strokes his beard. reclines against
cushion and PLAYS with his beads or
smokes his nargileh while you exam
inc his wares. You will find him
quite as sharp at bargain, but,
strange to say every foreigner who
lives in Damascus testifies that he is
more honorable in his dealings and
more accurate in his statements than
either the Jews or the Christians. al
though his religion teaches him that
it is no sin to cheat an unbeliever.
The same seems to be true every
where throughout the Mohammedan
world. The testimony is almost unan-
imous that the representations of
Mohammedan merchant are usually to
be relied upon. while those of the
Christians and Hebrews are not
The Jews, Greeks, Armenians and
other merchants rush after customers
with an eagerness that is very annoy
ing. Americans are supposed to be
made of money and the occupants
of the bazaars cannot be blamed If
they try to get as much of 1t as posi-
BILE. Our people spend all together
too freely, and pay exorbitant prices
which the dealers would not think of
asking of Germans or Frenchmen, or
their own people. Hence their anxiety
to get an American into their shops
and the enticements they offer are of
ten amusing. Dealers in curios. en-
broideries. old silver and that sort of
thing. watch the railway stations and
the hotels and know when an Ameri-
can arrives in town. They call upon
him at the hotel, and stop him in the
street Offering their cards and solic-
iting his patronage. and endeavoring
to induce him to make an appointment
They will bring goods to the hotel
or will come with carriage and
conduct a stranger to their shops.
When party of tourists enter the
bazaars they are besieged on all sides
by dealers clamorinig for their atten-
tion and entreating them to visit the
places they Recommend Many of
the merchants can speak English.
The number is uqitee remarkable.
Many have lived in the United States
and are familiar enough with that
country to discuss different places
intelligently If they find out you are
from Chicago they will tell you they
used to live there, or New York, Phil.
adelphia or Boston. as the case NAV
be, They invariably have lived at
the place you have come from, hoping
in that way to excite benevolent in.
terest
The bazaars are well classified
Dealers in the SINE sort of goods occu
py the same sections. so that trading
Is more convenient than 1t would be
II they were scattered The build
ings are generally owned by the gov
ernment of the municipality. and have
been erected from time to time tc
meet the requirements OF trade. Rents