The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-11

% its bank. South Of Lake Van the
mountains pils up rug@sdly, their peaks
running close together. with deep
gorges between. in which the thunder
81 waterfalls and the dash Of tortuols
streams are inceaasnt. The average
height Of these peaks il not less than
IO.OO feet. Called by the ancient As
syrlans NAiTi. they were known later
by the general name 81 AraTat, The
single summit Of that name rises sixty
miles TO the northeast Of lake Van.
Local tradition discards Mount Ararat
- the resting place Of the Ark MOslems,
the Yesidis devil WorshiPpers) and
Christians alike maintain that the land
ing was made on Jebel Judi. which
rises only 7.OOO feet tArarAt IL Ie,SiS
above the MesOpOtAmian plain, Cap
tain DICKSON argues for tho Kurdish
legend that with q subaidinG food in
the plains . boat would moro probably
run aground On the high ridge st the
edge Of the plain rather than on Q aoli-
tary peak miles from the plains with
many high ranges Intervening. He
says further:
There large Aare, 1ztjGv-sI SaaspaAry,
az ne TOP % Jebsl Judi. uhsre every year In
August is hssd . Erss, fss= attended 6y tbsssAnds
Of ensEEeae Moslsns. Chrtauans and Yeadls.
who eHps 80 stsep~~S Of trails Tor ZOO fee, In
,ss terrific summers heat 70 do homaEc 70 NoAn.
rhis moUstaln teens TO have been held sacred az
sli tines and certainly u has . wonderfully aye
some fascination sbou, ~. 9TH lts huge pref
p,ce. and jagged. tangled eraxs watching over
the vas, Mesopotauian plain. The villagers
showed the esAct spot where NoAI descended.
while IN one village. HAs~ana. they showed me
his grave. the vineyard where ne Ia reputed 10
have INDUCED overfreey In the Juice OF the grape.
the owner dsClarag the vines hAd been passed
ron father 10 son ever since
Perhaps Jebel Judi is the height 20
which the Hon. JAMES BRYCE should
have made his pilgrimage II il more
accessible than Araraf. and the ascent
Ia much easier Captain DICKSON was
Hospitality received by the mountain
people and the men OF the plains. Many
races Of varying faiths live in the vii
lagos, each tribe retaining its character
istics and holding aloof from all others.
In the highlands there are Kurds and
Armeniana, and occasionally Aexyrians
and Yields. but most OF the Assyrians
prefer the plains. Then there are
Jaoobitss in the Mosul district, and colo
nies Of Jews in the Hakkiari mountains.
Kurda predominate and they are per-
petually st war among themselves on
account Of blood feuds. Those Of the
high plateau preserve Q military organ
ization. carry Martins and wear q uni
form in imitation Of the Cossacks. This
story IL told 10 illustrate that the Mos
lens are not always very ORTHODOX:
a Kurd came 70 me Sasskh Of sAsnsdisaa
asd said tAas no had . esek whleA Aaa spoken
three separate oocasioas. saytag. cArisrs reliG-
Ion h the only faIth Hs Aahsd The Sheika
whethsF he should turn chrisuas or kil the cock
- IN Inndsi Tue Shsikh after much thosGht
esoided hat tasy must keep the eocE 70 see
which Of ChTtsts religions ~ said vas tt- true
religion. and 10 me meanwsHe they would eOsunus
20 be NOssms
The clothes food. domestic utensils.
customs and mode 81 address among
the Kurds and Assyrians have not
changed since ABRAHAM. The only
gift they have asked Of civilization is
the magazine rife There are no roads
the bridges over the torrents are
trunks 81 tress roughly thrown to-
gether. Streams are crossed on RATS
Of brentwood. IbeX and bear roam The
OFamar crags but an encounter With a
bear il TO be chosen To contact with one
81 the Hamawand Kurds. CIt,hroats
Who defy Turkish authority Al Sill
limanie. a town 81 Persian type. the eX-
plorer found good limitations - the
Martini rife. made nv the local gun
smiths
captain DICKSON reports sonnet hing
81 even greater interest than The legends
Of NOAH. and that 10. this part Of kuTdiS-
tan ~ a paradise for the archsSoIogisi
Runs abound both IN the plains and on
the high plateaus. Among The southern
craRs and IN the valleys of Judi d there
are many Assyran ruins. rock carvings.
has reliefs and c,IneifOrm inscriptions
In the Khizan Valley a Roman fortress
m a very good state 81 preservation was
! found From captain DIcKsoN's mar
rative II NAV b. VA, hered that this rug
| Sed country is paradise for The eth
nologisi and the alpinis' a. we'll a. for
the arch olo6Ist but evidently II is no.
sAf~ for any II Ihem
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