Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06

I had never heard of them until came
here You will not find them mentioned
in the books upon Africa, and l doubt If
they are known outside this part of
Tunisia. Nevertheless they are Of enor-
nous extent and Of historic interest
They lie a mile or 80 outside the walls.
with olive trees and other crops growing
above them. They are reached oy stone
steps, which take one far below the sur
face, and they extend over several square
miles. 1t was by means of my letter
from the Regent of Tunisia that I was
able to go through them. We walked
along gallery after gallery, cut out Of
the solid limestone. lighting our way
with candles. Now and then we had to
stoop over. and I was warned to keep
close to the guide. as there are so many
cross passages that one might become
lost and wander long before getting out.
The galleries are walled with iombs !;
they contain the remains OF tens or
thousands of human beings, all lying
In boxes cut out of the walls, away down
there under the ground The tombs are,
in fact, a series of pigeon holes, each
hole containing a skeleton or bones and
bone dust
After the body was put in the front
of the tomb was walled up. and an in
scription was carved upon 1t mentioning
the name and sometimes the story of
the man. In many of the tombs gold
found, and in others articles which IL
luStrate the life Of the times. Some or
the tombs were those Of little children.
In one I saw the bones Of a woman, the
showed in the plaster cast made by the
soft limestone and clay. Upon shelf
over this I saw the bones of baby of
perhaps two years of age. and in the
pigeon hole just below the skull and
foot Of a man. the rest Of his skeleton
having passed away.
Sfax.
I am writing these notes in Sfdx, the
capital of southern Tunisia and one of
the rapidly growing cities of northern
Africa. The town lies on a harbor. which
can be entered by the largest OF ocean
steamers, and it has a considerable trade.
It ships phosphates and olive oil and mil.
lions of sponges. caught in the waters
nearby. The population OF Sfax is about
80 COO natives and 1900 Europeans. the most
Of whom are Italians and Spaniards. The
European town lies between the Arab
town and the sea. 1t contains tneater.
post Office, several hotels and some few
business houses.
The native city, like all those of
Tunisia. is surrounded by an enormous
wall and entered by gates. The houses
inside the walls are all OF Arabian
architecture, and the streets wind this
way and that, and are too narrow for
wheeled vehicles
The natives are Mohammedans Of the
Mohammedans. Thy do not like Chris
tians; and it was not until 49,! that
Europeans were allowed to come inside
the walls. Were 1t not that the French
govern the country, it would hardly be
possible to go inside it today and, in
fact, one sees few Europeans inside the
town They are not allowed II enter
the principal mosque. and it is not safe
to go into any of the other places of
worship.
The people Of Sfax dress in oriental
costumes, the women wrapping them
selves up in white blankets, which they
hold so tightly over their faces that
only three -oornered eye hole can be
seen. They do not wear black, as in
Sousse and Kairouan. The men are clad
like their kind in all parts of Tunisia.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.