The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-01-01
THE BLUE MOSQUE.
II Ever Color Calls, IL Calls In the
Mosque Of lbrahim Aga.

AS every one who visits Rome goes
to st. Peters, 80 every one who visits
Cairo goes to the mosque of Moham-
med Ali In the citadel, a gorgeous build
ing In a magnificent situation, the in
terror Of which always makes me think
Of court functions and Of the pomp Of
life rather than OF prayer and self de-
NAL. More attractive TO me Is the
"blue mosque" to which l returned
again and again, enticed almost rs by
the fascination of the living blue of u
summer sky.
This mosque, which Is the mosque of
Ibrahim Aga, but which Is famiiarly
known to its lovers as the blue
mosque" lies to the left OF Il ram
does not look specially inviting. Even
when | passed through its door and
stood In the court beyond Mt first l felt
not It's charm. All looked old and
rough. unkempt and i'm confusion. The
red and white stripes of the walls and
the arches OF the arcade, the mean lit
tie place for ablution-a pipe and row
Of brass taps-led the mind from a
Neapolitan ice to second rate school,
and for moment l thought Of abrupt
ly retiring and seeking more splendid
precincts. And then / looked across
the court to the arcade that lay be-
yond, and l saw the exquisite love
color" of the marvellous tiles that give
this mosque It's name.
The huge pillars Of this arcade are
striped and ugly, but between them
shone with an ineffable luster wall OF
purple and blue, Of purple and blue so
strong and yet so delicate that 1t held
the eyes and drew the body forward.
II ever color calls. it calls In the "blue
mosque" Of Ibrahim Aga. And when |
had crossed the court. when l stood
beside the pulpit with It's delicious
wooden folding doors. and studied the
tiles of which this wonderful wall Is
composed. | found them as lovely near
as they are lovely far Off. From dis
tance they resemble n nature effect,
are almost like bit Of southern sea
or OF sky. fragment Of cleaning
Mediterranean seen through the pillars
Of loggia or OF Slcilian blue watching
over Etna In the long summer days.
When one is close to them they are
n miracle OF art. The background OF
them Is a milky white upon which Is
an elaborate pattern Of purple and
blue. generally conventional and rep
resentative OF no known object, but
occasionally showing tall trees some
what resembling Expresses. But 1t Is
impossible In words adequately to de-
scribe the effect of these tiles and of
. the tiles that line to the very roof the
| tomb house on the right of the court.
| They are like a cry Of ecstasy going
| up In this otherwise not very beauti-
full mosque. They make 1t unforgetta-
BILE; they draw you back to It again
and yet again. On the darkest day OF
winter they set something Of summer
there. In the saddest moment they
! proclaim the fact that there Is JOY In
the world; that there was Joy In the
! hearts Of creative artists years upon
years ago. II you are ever In Cairo
and sink into depression. go to the
"blue mosque" and see IL 1t does not
have upon you an uplifting moral eff
feet. And then. II you like, go on
from It TO the Gamia ell Movayad,
sometimes called FL Ahmar Cthe redD,
| where you will find greater glories,
though no greater fascinat tion, for the
tiles hold their own among all the
wonders of Cairo.-RoLert Hichens In
Century.