Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
Carpenter Describes Site Of Sooons Tep Oldest Spot E

have vests covered with gold embroidery.
coats with long sleeves and trousers of
the Zouave order. each leg of which con-
tains enough cloth to make trained
graph of the consul with his kavasses
standing beside him. He looks like a
prisoner with the kavasses as guards.
1t is these Mohammedan guides that
enable US to visit the Mosque of Omar.
which was supposed by the Crusaders
to be Solomon's Temple. 1t was actually
built as a cathedral by the Christian
emperors who reigned at Constantinople,
and is one of the finest specimens of
Byzantine architecture. When it was
constructed it was dedicated to the Vir-
gin Mary. but about thirteen hundred
years ago, when Omar captured JeruSa-
lem, he turned it into a Mohammedan
mosque, and $50 it is to this day.
Imagine mighty dome of greenisll
copper, on the top of which is a golden
crescent. Let this be as large, or larger
than that of the Capitol at Washington,
and let it rest upon vast octagonal
any one. of them would be priced
piece. of rare china. Let there be a
dado of marble below the ties and
wide fricZe above them. inlaiu with Ara
bic characters containing texts from the
Koran, and let the whole be entered by
mighty doors. over which are arches of
carvings, and you have faint idea of
the Dome OF the Rock, the name by
which this mosque is known.
Here may be seen striking evidences of
the belief tiat the Mollamnedans hold as
to Christ and the prophets. They believe
in Abraham. Isaac and JACOB, and class
Jesus as one of the prophets. although
not so high, perhaps. ;ts Mollammed. In
hn Of tEa 4. On no Of
the mosque is one saying: The Messiah,
Jesus. is the only son OF Mary. the am
bassador of God, and His word which He
deposited ia Mary. Believe. then. in God
and His ambassador, and do not maintain
that in one there are three Another
reads: blessings be on me in the day
of my birth and my death. He is Jesus,
the Son of Mary. the word of truth. con-
are other passages of the Koran which
give the stories of Abraham. Isaac and
Jacob, and the MohammedanS reverence
this spot in connection with them.
But let us take eff our shoes and go in
The floor of the mosque is holy ground
and none is permitted to enter EXCEPT in
his stocking or bare feet. The inside is
even more beautiful than that without.
The walls and roofs are a mass of cary
ings and mosaics. The mosaic is. made
up of bits of gold and glass, the latter
of many colors. all so delicately put to-
gether that they form beautiful paint
ings. Each bit is as big as the head of
nail or smaller, and thousands of them
are required to make each of the pic
lures. The columns which uphold the
roof are Of marble, and the floor is of
marble, carpeted with old rugs from Tur-
key and Persia.
Right in the center of the mosque is
the huge rock upon which Abraham built
his altar for Isaac. and upon it, the Mo-
hammedans say. the angel Gabriel will
stand when he blows the last trump
calling the people to Judgment. At that
time. according to them. the souls of the
human race will rush to this spot ana
present themselves before Mohammed and
Christ, who will pass on their virtues ana