Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-02-28
AT JOSHUA'S TOMB
CITY OF BAGDAD CLAIMS REST
ING PLACE OF LEADER.
Moslenn Women Gather There and
Fray for All Kinds of Favors-Has
Been Taken from Custody
of the Jews.


Bagdad, once a city of 100000 peo-
pie, and 1000 years ago the worlds
center Of all which civilization means.
boasts only two graves of its great
characters. The tomb of the Caliph
Mansur and of Zobeide, the wife OF
/ Harun-el-Rashid alone stand among
I its. ruins, says the Sunday School
/ Times. Where the long list of caliphs.
/ the grand vizers and the poets whe
made Bagdad famous were buried
none can say The tombs have prob
ably deem demolished by the ruthless
hunters of bricks.
However, among the ruins of the
old city of Bagdad. to the left of the
Tigris, stands a large square brick
structure in which the Moslem keep
ers solemnly assert the body of Josh
ia is buried. It is useless to test their
statements by the apparent age of the
building. FIR the small square bricks
ef its walls, gathered from the ruins OF
the Arabic period, may indicate only
reconstruction. The present build
ing is not ancient. The entrance, pro-
open court, which is surrounded by
chambers. In sOp-a of the chambers
are tombs of tho -ecent dead; in
others the attendants live and in one
is housed a roui' board coffin, which
renders service ar avery funeral in
the community. 1t is used to trans
port the body TO the cemetery and
fc thap 81
await the next burial. A single date
palm now grows in the court. raising
its head above the nat roof to which
a brick stairway lesds.
AT the farther eT1 of the court, oe-
cuFying the enti- rear of the build
ing, is the shrins = spacious, window
less chamber. lighted only by the door
way, and entirely destitute of furni-
ture save for the coarse reed mats
which cover the brick floor Its cen
ter is capped by large dome. and the
walls have recently been white
washed. yet in places beneath the
thin white coat appear the more an
cient Hebrew inscriptions which were
once the interior decorations.
The tomb beneath the center Of the
dome is protected by a large rectangu-
lar paneled case of dark wood. and
excepting in one place, where a panel
is missing, it is invisible. At the head
of the case are two tin projections.
about which are tied a number OF
strings or rags torn from the gar
ments of the visiting pilgrims. One
day, while I was standing at the head
of the sacred tomb, a young MOslem
woman entered, and with eyes wet
with weeping she tore a small rag
from her garment and tied it
about one OF the projections. while
she mumbled a prayer to God that be-
fore a year hence, when she should
come TO unite the rag. she might pre-
sent her husband with a child. 1t
was but repetition of the picture OF
the mother of Samuel. while
she was at the temple, weeping and
praying before Eli the priest. In the
;hrines of the east, the picture is still
common. Before the government
buildings at Bagdad stands a big
,annon which the ignorant Arab wom-
IN, aware of its tremendous power,
relieve can answer prayer.
The old gun is half hidden with the
trings and rags tied about it. each to
epresent a prayer. and could it speak
{ might tell strange stories of the
onfessions which the confding wom-
n have poured out TO it. So with the
omb Of Joshua There the women
ather and pray for all kinds Of
avors. firm in the belief that the
rophet will in some way cause them
. be granted.
Less than half a century ago the
lmb of Joshua was in Jewish hands.
ut the Turkish officials caused
lumber of them to be arrested as
ley We're bearing the body of a noted
lbbi there for burial They were i'm
risoned for attempting to bury a Jew
{ the shrine of the great prophet.
hey were finally released upon the
lyment Of large sums of money. but
lie care of the tomb was taken from
lem Since then the tomb has been
rbidden to the Jews. and, like most
oslem things. it now shows sad neg
ct Yet should we follow the Jewish
oman as she crosses the old boat
idge We might see her turn toward
e tomb. and from distance look
ngingly at the doorway which she is
Ridden to enter, while her lips ut
r a prayer with the hope that the
ng-buried leader, even so far away,
9v hear and answer II