Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-06
THE CITY OF MECCA
Visited Yearly by Nearly
100000 Mohammedans.
A SINK OF DEPRAVITY
DESCRIBED AS BAD AS soDoM
AND GoMoRRAH.
Unbelievers Are Vigorously Excluded
From the Sacred Precincts of
the Prophets Birthplace.
A SINK OF DBPRAVITY
ny WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening star anu
Chicu-p Record Herald.


pilgrins for Mecca land who come by sea
1t is distant about sixty-iive miles from the
sacred city Of the MnAInmed3ns, mas d
Dopulatiou of aoout 200nh. an imposing ana
attractive appearance from the sea, and Is
surrounded by fuuuy-!oolIing Dutch WIND
mills, winch pump water from the arteslah
De sin under the sand. But the moment
YOU land on the shore the illusion Is de-
stroyed. The streets are narrow, dirty anu
full of all eiuds Of smells. while the popu-
Iation is made up Of human cormorahts
who fatteu of the pilgrims. Since the
opening Of the SU5Z canal the town mas III
creased considerably IN Importance because
II is so much easier for pilgrims TO come
by steamer from all parts OF turkey lholl
and other NIouammedan countries than 10
cross the desert in caravans, which was the
custom Tor centuries.
Fewer Caravans Go to Mecca.
The number and the size of the caravans
are decreasing every year. while the num-
Der who come by sea is growing raPloly'
There is no difference il tie efficacy OIL inc
Journey. although one would argue that
man who has travelled q thousand miles
over a burning desert ought to be entitled
TO greater credit than one VINO makes d
similar distance upon steamer
The sacrifice of life that has always az
tended the Mecca pilgrimageS IS also gro"
ing less every year Formerly thousands
starved and died of disease and exhaustion
during the desert journey, and sometimes
an epidemic would sweep away every soul
in the caravan. OF iHte years sdniIat!
regulations have been e5ta Dilshtd, WHICH,
strange 20 say. arc in charge OF nleuICdi OF
fcers eductIrd at the American PFesDSte-
riau College a. Beirut. The influence Oh
Germany and other foreign nations induced
tile Sultan of Turkey 10 adopt sanitary re
forms which are very vel! enforced, 50
that nowadays epldcnlcS seldom Occur d'
Mecca. although the mortality IS sun iaise,
Formerly the holy city was a hotped OF
contagious diseases. which the pilgrims DIS
tributed IN every direction, put that no
longer occurs Every caravan and VesSe! Is
required to undergo ten days quarantine
hafnre the pa ssengers are allowed IN pro
coed to Mecca, and a medical Inspection OF
pilgrims takes place while they are theFe'
50 that the presence OF contagious OF III
fictitious diseases is promptly discovered,
and infected persons are not allowed to
leave until they have been Guaranteed and
their baggaS &c properly fumgated.
The regulations can be strictly enforced
with vessels and cOntagion is not often car
ried about that way. but it is impossible to
control travellers by land. and the plaques
that ragged in Syria and Palestine last year
and the year before were traced directly 10
pilgrims who escaped the vigilance of the
sanitary officers at Mecca and reached
GAIA the old city of Samson IN faleSthe,
with the germs of the disease. However
dab is so thoroughly saturated with pesti-
Ience and every inch of Its surface lhsld'
and out is SO thickly encrusted with MI
crobes and germs and fifth that total ae-
struction by fire would be the only effective
way of cleaning 1t. The people live by heec-
ing pilgrims, and there are said to be many
rich residents who have made fortunes by
selling supplies, changing money anu tdi
nishing transportation.
According to the official report OF the
sanitary officers. the number or pilgrims en-
tering Mecca has been very much exagSer-
ated and instead of million or more IL is
asserted that the annual average is less
than a hundred thousand. and during the
last five years has been about 9"Oto. neE
come from every part of the Mohammeoth
world from the Straits of Gibraltar 10 non
olulu for Islam has its believers in every
country of Asia and every island OF tue IA
ciic ocean, including the philippines Wufie
there are about 2UCOVO Mohtnlmedahs-
The largest number of pilgrims from OUT
SIDE of Arabia come from India and in lH'2
numbered about 1900. The East lhuIa ISL
ands furnished the second largest huHloer,
about 1900; Turkey. 100; the states OF
North Africa 100; Egypt, 300; Persia
500 and the rest came from the otheF
countries The number arriving by sea MAS
G.. ST. and by land 5000 These hguFes are
little under the facts because many IN
dividuals and small parties slipped in ana
out of Mecca without being counted.
An Old Moslem Tradition.
IiGi4I is OF particular III tti est ~ - ~
cause il contains the tomb of our mother
Eve. / never knew before where she was
buried. but II is a comfort to know. Il will
surprise her living relatives to know that
she was 40 feet tall-a very large woman
n he created from a single rib. According
to the tradition of the Moslems, when our
first parents fell from Paradise Adam land
cd on a mountain in CeylOn and Eve WAS
unfortunate enough to light at Jlddah. AZ
F.fy f4f4ri n a
Mecca where Adam. TO show his gratitude,
constructed a tabernacle on the site II the
Dreseut kaaba or Holy Mosque. winch Is
exactly beneath Gods throne in heaven
All that is left Of the original temple CT
Adam is the famous stone of Mecca, Wn+ch
was once whittier than snow, but mas oeen
turned as black as coal by the kisses OF
sinful pilgrims. v,
dab Her tomb is a cenotaph 40 feet long
built of masonry about four feet niSh an"
narrowing 10 a point al the top X IS Wiilte-
washed and kept quite clean. PliSrlns place
flowers on il and reverently kiss the NOT
masonry Rich people often throw over me
cenotaph valuable shawls and pieces OF SILK
offerings to the mother OF US an Dut tney
are stolen the first night by the Vandais ~
Jtddah who rob the dead and pick the
pockets of the dying
\ larger proportion OF the pilgrims than
I supposed are rich men or those VINO are
well-to-do 1t is the popular impression
that a pilgrim to Mecca must be neceS-
sarilv a lean. hungry, naked fandtlc Win
hollow eyes and long hair, creeping toward
the Holy City with trembling steps by the
aid Of his staff There are thousands OF
such to be seen annually, but am told
that 90 per cent of the people WHO visit the
place from religious motives are able TO pay
their way and spend money literally. Inc
poor are accommodated in khans, where
they sleep Ike animals. and beg their food.
but in Jiddah and ia Mecca are large num-
bers of hotels, some of them handsomely
equipped from the oriental point of view,
for the benefit Of those who can afford TO
pay the charges. The pilgrimage is not
only a religious duty, but those who make
IL are sure of a place in paradise: hence
every devout Mosem makes The Journey
and thereafter Is entitled to be called n
'hadji' and wear green turban, the col
or of the prophet.
Unbelievers Are Barred Out
The Koran forbids nfidels to pollute by
their presence the sacred precincts of the
birthplace of the prophet at Mecca and
his burial place at Medina, which is sew
enty-five miles north. and 1t is always dan
gerous and generally impossible for Chris
tan or any unbeliever to attempt to enter
either city, but If he has money he is well
come to land at Jiddah and stay as long