The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-23
HOUSES OF DAMASCUS
OFFICIAL AND PRIVATE RESI-
 DEVICES DESCRIBED.


 City of Slow Growth--Famous Old
 Place Retains Its Individuality Uniqus Use for River-con- ducted Through Many
 Tunnels Through
 City.
 Damascus Letter of w, F. Curts ih f rhere gre no public buildings in Da- mascus. The Governor lives Tn tue su- burbs and for bus mess purposes occup. ss . part of small and uninvians-i -iookins structure belonging to the inun.cipaiity: Thsre, used to be an old citadel. erected in tha middle ages, with palace and I hsrem attached. but 1t was torn away some years ago and ! new palace IS 70 dations are laid and there is good deal of cut stone on tEc ground. but construc- ton does not seem to progress.
 It Is said that the money & ls lacsins, K nn i. aney % in Turkey for, public purposes and private individuals who have fund. have found by experience that 1t IS not expedient to display them for % fear o' snd ex, ether oficlsls. No man dare invest much c acisal in any line of business
 When Kaiser William was here In lsSs. and his visit marks the most lmpe;tant he was lodged in an ad private residence which. by the Sultans orders. was nt,cu up for his accommodations. The Sultan did not accompany him. When l asked o,l- guide the reason for his absence. ne | replied: Sultan can't come II Sul.an l leave constsntinopie thsy woui1 ch.ns. l hIu," anil when. I asked another person | why hs imperial majesty never visited | UnmaS eus h. looked up with some sur | prise at my ignorance and remarked ia' | conically: "I1c wo1ld lose his n'ate | There are numerous oh barracks in va. | rious parts Of the city and several, me | new structures of enormous size of stone | painted yellow recently erected They | are the only modern improvements tnat | the old town boasts. l have noticed ev' | crywhere in Turkey that the only objects upon which the sovernment sprs,ds myncy are fortifcations and military barracks l Tn the suburbs of Damascus, ont on | hill where Mohapsmed is said to bave l sazed over the city. Ia X group of mud | dwcllinss lately built. They contain a | colony of Mohsmrnedans from Crete, who | moved away from that island after It was | given back to Greece. because they would not live under & Cxss.,ah s,, n fSvrni Syria n,i, the houses they occupy. and gave them | lands from the public doma ain or the | borders of the desert. whic they are now preparing to occupy ana shs, t.1 nv It nsr. rs | sons should refuse to, live nnfer Chris | tan authority. ! believe that there IS | no precedent They are said to he indus trious and Intelligent people nnt Ners | group of the women and children Of the settlement gathered around and wstcned | us curiouslv as we were enjoying tns view of the city. but the Wom,n ksP' l dren did not ask for baksheesh, as IL the practice ,in Damascus And other l Turkish cities. That alone was enough to stamp, them as strangers.
 l Although the. exterior appearance Of | :)arnsscns. is uninviting. there are some very fine houses, from an Oriental point of view. and they are famous for s me up. Through introductions from the American Consul we had the privilege | of inspecting three of the most beautiful residences all of which were ereated 2Ol or Soo years ago .ard2 are of the very highest type of Sai4asnic architecture Two If the hous ss y,sfoTsg to .he Moham- medans. one a Pasha and the other merchant. ahl the third was the home oi wealthy Jew whose ancestors had lived .here for several gencrations. The exte rior walls are of rough mud without win dows, and resemble the ordinary wall that protects gardens tn this country The entrance Is through unpretending doors which open into narrow vestibuls with a porter.s lodge adjoining. and without the knowledge and consent of or leave the house. A second door from the vestibue opens upon beautiful court. In some of the houses 1t was ut l least sixty feet square and in none of them less than thirty. The court Is paved with slabs of black and white Pmarble, with borders of tasselated work in pretty platforms of Arabic figures. In the middle is a fountain of carved mar ble octagonal In shane and profusely or namented. The waias rise two or three feet above the pavefhsnt: the water plays | with considerable force. and fish of all kinds are swimming about in the basin. | arranged. and each of the courts con- tains several orange. lemon and other fruit trees. with rose bushes. Jessamine and other vines
 On the sunny side of the court. and facing the fountain. is a large recess. with divans around the three walls wi;h nargebhlas. cigarettes and other smoking | apparatus upon a center table The d. vans are upholstered in Damascus silks and above a .wainscoting of beautiful blue Persian tiles the walls and ceiling are covered with gilded holdings in stucco of | very elaborate design. This recess Is used for a reception room and occupied by the family as sitting room during the hot weather. The company rooms open off from 1t through large doors, one on
  style and decorated in a similar manner. The ceilings are frescoed with bright Ori- ental coiors. glaring yellows and purples | Pompeiian reds and pinks, blues greens of barba ric brightness. or are formed of slender trunks of popular trees, polished or painted in bright colors or gifded. The walls of the two company roor1s' were covered with mirrors and gold stuceo work. In one of the houses we visited the walls of the drawinsroom were ve- neered with little bits of mirrors of trreg- ular shape. set into cement. and the spaces between them were gilded. Pan els of tortoise shell. mother of pearl and even silver are not uncommon and the brilliancy of the effect is heightened by edgings and tracery of red The uphols. tery Is of silk of brilliant colors. and wide divans, upon which the host and the guests sat without shoes. with their legs crossed. sipp!ng their coffee and eat ing sweetmeats and gossiping. were GOV cred with Persian rugs of silk such as would bring thousands of dollars in the New York or Chicago market.
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 The whole effect was one of exceeding brihlancy. although not entirely to our modern taste. It seemed strange and ili- | congruous to find Grown Jewel'' and "Colunbianl' base burning coal stoves oi American manufacture in these gorgeous apartments.
 The dining rooms were similar in size and style. complicatio If elaborate dec ora :ion costly materials and Orienta magnifcence. and the owners took great pride in exhibiting them. The apartment; for the use of the family and for domes- tic purposes tho bedrooms, Kitchens baths and so forth were equally hand some. and beautiful gardens were at tached to two of the houses, which nc ona xrOuld have siienected from the out.