Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-23

nedrer OF the prophet. 1t is SO Sscreo
that no Christian has ever been allowed
to cross the threshold. and II any one
should attempt to do so he would I'M
doubtedly be put to death.
AS place of burial Eyub is held in
high veneration, and without the walls
and many grand viziers. sheikhs-
ul-slam and other important personages.
The late Sultan Abdul Aziz. uncle of Abb
dull Hamid and the present sultan. Is
with richly embroidered purple velvets
and Persian shawls. Beside him lies
one of his daughters. and he must have
been very fond of the child TO have given
her so conspicuous a burial. She was
thirteen years old when she. died in 1S43.
and her epitaph reads:
"A flower that had scarcely bloomed
when torn from it's stem. 1t has been
removed to bower where roses never
languish and its roots will be moistened
by its parents tears
One would not expect such tender Sent1-
ment from Turkish sultan. but Abdul
Aziz was just and an able man.
What is known as the Mosque of St.
Irene within the grounds Of the Seraglio
was Christian church, which owes Its
original foundation to Constantine the
Great. about 800 A. D.. and was rebuilt
by the Roman Emperor Justinian in 532.
1t has never been used for the worship of
Islam and could be restored in few
hours. 1t has always been a sort of ar
mory of the sultan and the tomb OF the
Emperor Constantine ". and Irene his
queen, from whom it takes it's name. They
lie in two fine marble SarcOphagi In a
basilica filled with weapons of war and
historic relics. These include fragments
of a great chain which was once stretch
ed across the BosphOrous to prevent the
entrance of an invading fleet: the keys of
five conquered cities; the great swords
and armor Of Baldwin I. John of Brienne
and other leaders Of the crusades; hun
dreds of swords and spears. curiously
shaped helmets. kettle drums and other
relics of the JanisSarieS and armor worn
by famous sultans.
/ There is a mysterious library connected
with ST. Irene, which consists almost ex-
cusively of books and manuscripts
brought home as loot from conquered
cities, and it is believed to contain much
of extreme, literary and historic value. A
portion of the books were taken back to
Budapest some years ago. whence they
We're brought when that city was plum
dered by the Turks several centuries ago.
An official commission recently appointed
has undertaken to examine and cata-
logue this collection. and the results are
awaited with great interest
The largest and most splendid of all the
mosques in Constantinople is that erected
by Suleiman 1.-The magnif-
Sulelman'S cent" Sultan of Turkey from
rr 1920 to 1885, and one Of the
1"~ noblest and abest of Turk
ish rulers. 1t occupies the crest of the
loftiest hill in Stamboul. adjoining the
headquarters of the army. and its terrace
commands an impressive view Of the city.
1t is probably the most costly Of all the
mosques in the world, as it is one of the
largest. being 225 by 205 feet in size. The
dome is not so large as that of st. So
phia, but more shapely and highly deco
rated. All writer's upon the architecture
of ConstantinOple grow enthusiastic over
the exquisite adjustment of all the fea-
lures of the building and its combination
Of grace and size. The wealth of color
is confusing. and the brilliant glow of the
window glass diStractS attention, but
there is no more solemn or noble temple
of worship in the world.
Outside in two splendid turbehs lie
Suleiman and PrOXelana, his queen, two
of the most dramatic figures in Turkish
history. Their mausoleums are of pure
white marble, carved with intricate ara
besques. and the interior walls are cover
ed with exquisite blue tiles with designs
Of almond blossoms and tulips They are
the purest of Saracenic art in Tur-
key.
The body of Mohammed IL, who
wrested Constantinople from the Chris
tan emperOrs, who
GraVe OF crushed the Byzan
Mohammed II. en,. empire " ire. out of Of
founded the present Turkish empire,
lies in a plain octagonal tomb beside a
great mosque which he built in 1860 to
commemorate his conquest. The mosque
covers large area of ground with its
great court, its khan. it's schools and it's
turbehs, for many great men have been
allowed the privilege of lying beside the
conqueror. His sarcophagus is plain
cenotaph of marble carved with an in
scripton from the Koran. 1t is covered
with heavy pail of purple velvet en-
broidered with gold Two big brass
candleSticks stand, one at his head and
one at his feet. Upon his breast lies a
manuscript copy of the Koran written by
his own hand and a casket containing a
tooth of the prophet.
Around him are the tombS of his mother
and his wife, and several of his success
sors upon the throne of Turkey with
their wives. To me the most interesting
of all is that of Amalia, wife of Abdul
Hamld l. great-grandfather of the present
sultan. She is said to have been a creole
lTOHl MdTtlllQue, ana PLAYMATE In
childhood of the Empress Josephine
Tourists always visit what is called the
Pigeon Mosque. and buy little cornucopias
of wheat to feed the fiocks of birds which
haunt the courtyard. They are the Off
spring of a pair purchased from a Door
peasant woman by the Sultan Bayezid
in 1902, and presented by him to this
mosque. The birds are sacred.
The courtyard is one of the busiest
places in Constantinople. and the colon
made which surrounds it is oc-
Busy cupied with the desks of no.
pl,o. taries. lawyers and professional
A00' scribes, who draw contracts.
write letters and perform other legal serv-
ices for the public. Every Friday the
dogs in the neighborhood are fed with
fresh meat purchased from the income of
a legacy bequeathed to the MOSQUE for
that purpose. and Wednesday a bread line
of the poor is formed at daylight to re-
ceive Ioaves provided from a similar he
quest.
The most convenient of all the prea+
mosques and one of the most beautiful is
very near the end of the bridge that con-
meets STEAMBOAT with Galata, the native
and the foreign sections of Constantine
pie. Probably more people pass over II
than over any other bridge i'm the word
1t is worth trip to Constantinople to
stand in shady ~