The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-27
MY MouAMMEDAN ESCORT.

about in its nebuious state through
the air the parts which first solicited
wero the summit of Sinai and the rock
which now stands inside tho mosque
on the top OF Moriah. This is also
Jewish superstition, the statement be-
ing that as the Lord saw the solid
earth rising out of chaos lie blessed
these two spots and said:
They shall be great in the history
of the human race, which shall
create, and upon one of them shall
my holy city be built"
Where Solomon Built His Temple.
Mount Moriah Is on the eastern edge
OF Jerusalem proper. 1t is just oppo-
site the Mount of Olives, and above the
Garden of Gethsemane across tho VAL
ley of Pehoshaphat. hTe wall OF the
city runs around its slope, and its
top is plateau containing tn,rty-five
acres. or about onc-seyenth of the
whole OF Jerusalem inside the walls.
The walls partially bound this plateau,
and in them at the northeast corner OF
it is the gate through which st.
Stephen went when he was stoned to
death by the Je rs. on the opposite
side of the plateau and far down be-
low 1t, is the Jews waiting place, and
| hugging it on the west, south and
| icItu dIe IHe poS-SAdpSu lliHeSlolie
| houses which form the greater part
of Jerusalem
In gong to 1t we leave our hotel Cd
Mount Zion and make our way dowr
David Street through horde of p'l-
| grims of all colors, races and sexes
| We pass thl Church of tho Holy
| Sepulchre, go through bazaar, where
! men and women sitting on the ground
/ are selling glass bracelets and beads
I from Hebron, past candle shops whose
/ wares are to be burnt 1t the tomb OF
| our Saviour, and on through vaulted
tunnei-like street, which was once the
! cotton bazaar, but which now sells
| everything else. At the end of this
tunnel We ascend a stairway and find
ourselves on the plateau now devoted
to the Mosque of Omar, but formerly
the site of the Temple of solomon.
In Solomon's Stables.
The plateau of the temple rises il
\ was known as tho Court Of the Gen
tiles, and was open to Jew and Cen
!, tile alike. From tnls we so up to the
/ Court Of the Israelites. and then to the
Court of the Priests. which Is now
! under the great Mosque of Omar. /
was in the latter court that the open
4 air altar for burnt offerings stood, o.
in fact, the very rock upon which Alb
ham tied Isaac when he was abou
/. to burn him. obeying tho Lord.
Before we examine the plateau itsel
] want to take you down underground
There Is said to have been seven Jeru
salems which have been built ant
destroyed and rebuilt again. Tho Hol,
City has subterranean region, man.
parts of which have been excavatcd
exposing wonderful ruins. Right un
der the temple platform is a catacom
Of great tanks. ana the walls are sal
to go down many feet. There are step
at one place. and descending them W
come into wilderness OF vault:
whose roofs arc upheld by pillars an
arches Of stone Some of the ston
blocks are OF enormous size. ! hav
measured one which is eight fee
wide and llfteen feet high. Thes
stones are beautifully laid. They ar
closely joined and show mechanics
Ingenuity in their construction. III
pillars arc about four feet square, an
some of then have holes bored throug
tho corners. 1t is claimed that tn
vaults were constructed by Solomo
for his stables, and that the holes !
the columns were tho tying places &,
the horses. In some of the vaults al
stone managers, which the guides clal1
we've used long aso Others say thu
this stable story is a fiction, and thS
the excavations We're made In crectin
the temple and the great columns p,
up to sustain It's platform, But, nov
ever that may be, the architecture
, wonderful and 1t should be considere
so NOW, There are altogether . hui
dred or more vaults und tho mlSHl
stones which wall them are so heaN
! that il would be Impossible to hand
them at the resent time without Il
use Of machinery,
! Guarded by NIohamlnedHn soldiers,
But, before we go farther, ! Wu
Y tell you about tho escort which guar'
5 us as VIC move about this great Gnt'
tan shpine Like the rest OF ler
salem, it NOW belongs To tho Mohal
J, medana, and la one Of the placeH w!li(