Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-06-05

OF ST Irene, erected by Constantine
the Great. which was converted into
an nrmory instead of mosque. is a
venerable monument of the Byzan,
tine style of architecture. In the
museum of the armory Is the scimi-
tar used by Mohamed II In the siege
of Constantinople, the sword of Scan.
derbeg. the armor of Tamerlane and
the porphyry tombs of Constantine.
Theodosius. Julian the Apostate and
other early Greek emperors.
The Chirkau Sheriff. or Hall of the
Holy Garment. is the most sacred
place In Turkey. for It shelters the
mantle of the prophet Mohammed his
stan his saber, his standard and
among other relics. two hairs from
his venerable beard, which are in.
closed in casket of gold. The so-
cred mantle is a long brown robe of
Gamers nair, made in the shape and
stNle and resembling in appearance
those worn by Persian priests. It
Is inclosed in n frame and covered
with cloth of gold for protection. with
nttle slits cut in the covering in order
that the threads may be seen
The standard of Islam is green
nag or banner. about two feet square.
or the finest silk embroidered with an
inscription similar to those seen in
all the Mohammedan churches de
claring that there is no God but AL
lah and that Mohammed is His proph
ct. This standard is said to have
heen carried by Mohammed himself
and has ever since been the most sig
nlhcant and sacred aegis of the Mos.
lem world, If the sultan should an
near In the mosque of St Sofia bear
Ing that banner every Moslem in the
universe would be required to offer
his allegiance and take up the sword
for n holy war.
There are many other interesting
buildings in the Seraglio some of
them famous for their decorations
and the carved marble used in their
construction, Others are gloomy
looking storehouses for the robes of
state-once carefully kept by black
ennuchs, now all more or less diIap-
dated and abandoned. The kitch-
ems cover large area and are roof
ed with domes perforated to let out
the smoke instead of having the or.
binary chimney, and in the old DAYS
1t is said that 10000 oxen was the
yearly complement. with a correspond-
ing number of sheep, goats. calves.
capons, geese, ducks. pigeons and 9th
or supplies
| In August, 1868, several of the
buildings We're destroyed and damag-
ed by fire and nowadays the most
of them are yellow and dingy. sadly in
need Of paint and restoration There
is everywhere a look Of neglect. Most
of the Seraglio is vacant except for
the custodians and guards, and every
where there is a pathetic squalor.
The most beautiful of all the
buildings, the famous oriental kiosk
known as Tschinili. or the mosque of
porcelain, built by the conqueror Mo.
| manned in imitation of one he saw
at Bagdad. remains in an excellent
state of preservation. for which we
are duly grateful, and It's portico with
graceful pillars elaborately carved
with the most delicate lace-work. its
walls domed with gilt coruscations,
and lined from ceiling to floor with
beautiful blue Persian tiles, look as
bright and new as they did on the
| day they were made. The doors
are of bronze, the woodwork is set
with mother of pearl. and the rugs
and hangings are of the finest silk.
It is altogether the prettiest thing in
| Constantinople.
| tI, l.. d.
we came to see, the treasury OF the
Ottoman empire. or, as it used to be
known, the Green Vaults OF Constan-
tine. Here is a display of barbaric
splendor and a collection of treas
ure and baubles which no Turk is
ever allowed to look upon except the
Aghas and eunuchs who are intrusted
with its protection. Even they are
spies upon each other No one can
enter this building without an order
signed by Abrahim Pasha. private
secretary to the sultan, Applications
by strangers must be made to the
sultan personally through the ambas-
sador for their country, and he re-
quires several days to consider before
granting permit Perhaps he makes
Inquiries as to the character of the
applicant. because he is exceedingly
Jealous of his treasures and always
apprehenslve lest they should be seen
by some person who may make troub-
le about them.
No resident of Constantinople ex-
cept the diplomatic corps. no Turk
and no persons who understands the
Turkish language can be admitted
for fear they should give information
concerning the millions of dollars
worth of precious stones and other
valuables which would tempt robbers
or cause discomfort among the pov,
erty stricken people when the sui
tan tells his applicants that he has nc
money they might ask him TO sell
some of his diamonds and pearls and
emeralds or melt up some Of the gold
in the treasury Very few Turks
know what Is there Few members
of the sultan's household have ever
seen the collection. Most OF them
are gifts. heirlooms and trophies Of
war and have been handed down by
twenty-eight generations Of sultans
and IT is claimed that the collection
has never been disturbed, but that is