The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-20
New Play Casino Tonight. Walter Edwards and Company.
THE HOLY CARPET.
It is Annually Carried from Cairo ts
 Mecca. s.

It Is Annually Carried from Cairo to New York Tribune. s-.
 A few days ago Bedoujns attempted to rob the caravan escorting the holy carpet from Cairo to Mecca. On this occasion they were unable to secure the spoil which had tempted them. for they were beaten off and several of them killed.
 This Is not the first time the caravan transporting the holy carpet to the holy city of the Moslems had been attacked by the Bedouins. The carpet Is ire auently accompanied by thousands Of pilgrims from all parts of Africa, They carry with them much treasure This tempts the marauding Arabs of the desert to attack the caravan. The fact that the Arabs are jealous Mus sulmans does not deter them from lali- ins upon fellow religionists performing one of the most sacred duties or tncir faith and conveying the covering or the most holy object connected with their worship. The goods of the pill grims they consider to be their lesiu- mate prey.
 The caravan carrying the sacred car pet is the most important one which traverses the pilgrims road over the sandy wastes of the land of pilgrim age" Annually similar caravan makes the journey, for the carpet covering the Kaaba at Mecca must De replaced each year. The Kaaba Is box shaped stone building standing in a low part of the holy city. It is about 40 feet long. B feet wide and 50 feet high The building is covered with a heavy black silk damask. Around this cloth is a band of colored silk, into
 which have been woven quotations from the Koran in gold and green threads. The band passes entirely around the queerly shaped building about 33 feet above the ground. This covering Is the holy. or sacred carpet. Few Christians have seen 1t in its place over the old stone house. for to Chris tians Mecca is, like Lhassa, the capi- tai of Tibet forbidden city. Those who have been able to enter 1t did so in disguise and at a risk of losing their lives. Only Mahometans may en- ter the sacred valley on the floor of which the little building stands.
 The holy carpet is replaced each year bv a new one especially woven at Cairo The making is intrusted to the same family year after year. It Is begun in | one part of the city and carrled in
 state to another. where 1t Is completed.
 It is made of silk and lined with cot | ton, in order to obey the laws of the | Koran, which prescribe that nothing made entirely of silk shall be used. | Cairo on the day on which the car l pet is started for Mecca is full of ex- ! citement and color. The streets are all
 alive. The soldiery are out The khe-
 dive and his officials are present in
 their gold embroidered uniforms. Thou
 sands upon thousands of the faithful | followers of the prophet appear there. | The ceremonial connected with dis
 patching the holy carpet is performed | on the great square near the citadel | in the procession which accompanies
 the sec tons of the carpet are holy men
 to drive away evil spirits and a camel | carying q copy of tie Koran beneath a pyramIdical structure covered with l richly embro dered drapeles. Follow l ing the camel are the filters, looking
 like so many cofins containing the sec tions oi the carpet.