The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-12

mosques lies several miles from Tlefn-
cen. on the side Of tho mountains. II
Is that Of Sid Bou Mcdin, one of the
most famous scholars OF the Moorish
civilization Of 500 years ago. This
man studied at Granada and Fee. and
then Travelled - Mecca. He Iectured
al Bagdad. Seville and Cordoya. and
ended his career by Featuring here.
mis- mosque il L wonder IF fine work
manship. IT is fioored With mosaic. it.
doors are Of brouze and its decorations
are Of Moorish ldce work ~ wonderful
patterns. Near lit there was 4 famous
Mo0rish college ana while walked
through the mosque itself | could hear
the boys singing out their Koran a.
they sWayed back and forth. going
over and over the Arabic sentences
written on their WOOde states.
found many turbaned worshippers at
prayers inside. and the red-faceu
keeper grew quite angry when | asked
if | might make their photographs.
on my way back to town / topped
at an Arab cafe and drank coffee with
a half dozen dark-faced Berbers who
had just left the mosque. They We're
bearded and ~turbaned. They had
taken off their slippers as they sat
down to drink. and | observed that
their bare feet We're clean and the toe
nails almost as We'll cared for, as
though a manicure, or rather a pedi-
cure. had NOrke1 upon them. The
men looked strangely at me from I'M
der their tufbans. and evidently
thought me as much a curiosity as |
considered them. Nevertheless. they
We're friendly. and we drank our cof-
fee together. The coffee was brought
in smoking. It was as black as ink,
finely powdered and very sweet. The
price was one cent q cup.
The Ruined City Of Nanst uia.
i next drove to the ruins of Man
oura, on the other side Of the Tlen1-
cen. That city was built when rTiem-
cen was great and when it had a pop
ulatiOn OF 10000 souls. Tlcmcen WAS
then noted as Il city of light and gen
ius. It's kings were lovers of art. sci
ence and literature. They had their
own armies of disciplined soldiers, and
they had a police force, judges and
courts. They coined their own money,
and had schools and colleges. This
Wds several hundred years before
America was discovered.
1t was just about that same time
that Mansoura sprang up almost in a
night on the plains, An Arab general
Abou Yakoub. had besiegcd Tlemcen
and had encamped with his army
about three miles from the city. The
siege lasted seven years. n Manson
IA was constructed during the inter-
walls of fighting by Yal<oub. For
many years it was a rival of Tlemccn.
It's walls and forts inclosed Il space of
" something ike lf1fee nullQfed acres.
and it had a magnificent mosque, with
a minaret or tower 125 feet high. This
tower was decorated with green porce-
lain tiles, and it was n wonder Of
beautiful workmanship. The ruins Of
it still stand. the most Of the tower
being intact, but he mosque has long
since crumbfed to dust.
The great walls of ManSOura are
still to be seen III some places as solid
as when first built, and in others
broken down and crumbled. The
whole space covered by the city is now
a rich vineyard. The vines growing
close up to the walls II hugging the
foot of the great tower. A crowd of
Berries We're picking the large White
grapes into baskets as I drove
Through the ruins and tried to people
= them with the great army and the gay
thrOng of 500 years ago. It was i'm
possible amid such surroundings to re-
build, even in Imagination. the i'm
mense edifices. the magnificent pal
aces, the great houses and the gardens
traverSed by streamlets as described
by the HISTORIANS: but the scenes re-
called to me some of the verses Of
omar khayyam, the great Persian
poet. about the eyancscence of all
things earthly. Yakoub's soldiers
finally conquered Tlemcen. but he him
self was assassinated just before its
surrender. After that the city Of Man
soura began to decline. and its great
ness was soon swallowed by Tlemcen.
.AnOn the Natives.
But let me describe the Tlemcen Of
today. \ live dog is better than q dead
lion and the Algeria of the present is
more interesting tina that of the dead
centuries of the past. | like the swing
INC go of this French colony. the
jaunty air of the soldiers as they strut
about in their fat. red pantaloons and
short Jackets and their tall caps of
blood red; the stately walk of the
/ \ Hl he n . tho, C1irtNntraI Foot
through the streets: and above all the
long gowns and tall hats of some of
the native gentlemen of Tlemcen. We
thlnk 80 much to pay for a derby and
SIS Il big price for a black silk tile. but
IheSe llemcen natives pay quite as
much for straw hats. Their hats are.
however. gorgeous beyond description.
and they stand from twelve to eighteen
inches above the crown of the head.
They are made of straw as finely WOW
en- as q Panama and Of several differ
ent coIors. The brims are covered
With silk embroidery. and they extend
for six inches out all around the hat.
These hats are large enough to be
worn over turbans. So bic that / was
able to put one over my cork helmet.
while my photograph was taken with
my guide Mustapha standing beside
me.
Many House industries.
one of the industries of Tlemcen is
making Sucn mats. The town IS quite
a manufacturing center. The natives
II mean the .Berbers and MOOrs-
seem to be all engaged IN house in
duStfieS of one kind or other. | went
trough street after street lined with
little shops, lighted only by the doors
1T the 'front.', containing men and boys
Weaving cloths. embrnidering caps for
women anu hats for men. sewing on
supper and shoes and working at the
various other trades of the country.
The weaving is Ill done with native
wool upon rude hand looms. In the
dlrtlcst of shops the most beautiful Of
White burnouS.S are made, and little
round CABS covered with velvet and
embroidered uith gold ana silver arc
turned out III places no better than
dog Kennels
The whole If the native quarter Is a
mixture of the gorgeous and the
squaIjl. \ man viii wear ~ SIS hat
AMI at the same time aaVc bare feet
,ZgI --- l-Ir 49,