Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-30
By
EDGAR E.
FOLK,
DID,

:
, dome a masterpiece Of beauty and the
chief landmark of Jerusalem. 1t is sig
. nificant that around the walls runs ar
inscription referring to Christ.
THE ROCK
Is Just under the dome. 1t marks the
, spot where Abraham offered up Isaac
and also the site OF the Altar Of Burnt
; Offering in the various temples. Ii Is
81 feet long by lS feet wide and u feet
high at its highest point. IL is in a
, slanting position No one is allowed to
go inside the high railing around the
rock. Traces of cOnduits which carried
OF the blood of the sacrifice can be seen
Underneath the rock is a cavern. This
lcavern is called THE Well OF the Souls.
According to Mohammedan tradition II
was the praying place .of Abraham, Solo,
mon and Jesus. This is very sacred
place. It was in here that a fanatical
Mohammedan, who was praying, shot
two members of the Clark party because
he thought they made fun Of him, as |
mentioned in another article. At the bot
tom Of the cavern is a hole to carry on
the blood from the Altar Of Burnt OHer-
ing The Mohammedans will not allow
this hole TO be opened. The Jews have
I tradition that the tables of stone are I'M
der IT At one corner of the rock is
shown a depression called the footprint
J Of Mohammed, showing where his foot
prints touched the earth as ne started
I I'D to heaven, and also another depres-
f. sion. where il is said the Archangel Ga
/ brieI laid his hand on the rock and held
il down, when II was about TO rise with
lMohammed. Those who wish TO belleVe
these stories may do so. 1 am frank 10
saw I do not, for a good many reasons,
| the first OF which is that Mohammed
was never in Jerusalem. It is hardly
necessary to add the other reason, per-
haps.
/ At any rate, It is interesting to notice
/ that this rock has remained here all
through the ages and through all changes
OF religion and goVernmest, Aoraham'
solomon. Zerabbabel. Herod. Mohammed'
Jew. Roman. Moslem. People may come
I and people may go. The city may be de-
stroved and rebuilt. The temple may be
erected on the rock and disappear to re-
appear In another form. But this rock
/ goes on forever. Fit emblem II is or the
Rock of Ages. In a casket OF gold
are said to be two hairs from the beard
Of the prophet Once every year, upon
certain anniversary, they are carried
seven times around the mosque under a
canopy by the highest Mohammedan
nriests. followed by a reverential process
sion. consisting of the governor the OF
hcials. the military and the priests.
Another story told you is that Moham-
med drove 10 golden nails into a stone
slab At the end OF every century, ana
sometimes between, when events OF mo
| mentous Importance happen, the devil
rauooveS one of them. He has drawn out
all hut three and a fourth Is crooked
and broken in the stone. due 70 the iact
that the Angel Gabriel caught MIN IN
time as he was trying TO draw TINS las'
one and caused him to break 1t of. When
he draws out all of them the world will
come 10 an end. In the Temple Area is
the
NFosoua el-Aksa, which is the CHER
| Nohammedan mosque in Jerusalem the
/ MOSQUE Of Omar, so-called, not oelng
MOSQUE at all, as l have said Between
| the MOSQUE OF Omar and the Mosque ell
| Aksa IS large fountain, at which MO
hammedans perform their aoiutlohs,
| pecially in the way of washing ther
| feet before entering the mosque
They always take of their shoes be-
fore going in. This custom is due to
what they consider the sacredness OF
| the MOSQUE and also to the fact that
these MOSQUES usually have rich rugs
on the floor which they do not wish
| TO soil. Gentiles, instead OF taking on
! their shoes, are required to wear SANDALS
/ made of coarse cloth or thin leather,
1 winch VIII peEHASl NbAAAAAA6 49,
\ which give to a person an AWKWARD
| shambling gait that makes him very
ridiculous. Particularly is this true when
| there are some 30 or more other per-
| sons all stumbling along in the same
! awkward manner. The Mosque el-Aksa
/ Is the largest single structure In Jeru-
salem, being 272 feet long by lS2 feet
/ wide II was built about the sixth CEN
/ fury as a Christian church. and like
NJ Sultan HaGSan Cairo
i is in the shape of a cross. 1t is men
| toned in the Koran. Mohammed adj
1 vised his followers to worship here after
4 Mecca. 1t is supposed to stand upon
/ the foundations of the palace Of Solomon
and also of the grand arcade or cloister
/ erected by Herod, which extended
| distance of 900 feet. This is supposed
to have been Solomon's porch remodeled.
/ Every Friday the dohemmedans gather
| for worship, to which only the faith
| fur have access. In the mosque are
some ancient pillars probably from the
/ temple Of Solomon. and a pulpit OF ex-
1 quisitely carved wood. The rich carpets
on the floor were sent by the sultan
when the German emperor visited Je-
rusaIem in 1898.
sOLoMON's STABLES.
Under the Mosque el-Aksa is large
crypt with many massive pillars, which
/ Is calleQ solomon stables.
| The pillars give evidence by the holes
/ cut In them and the grooves worn in
| them that they have been used for
| hitching purposes. While ii is possible
4 that Solomon stabbed his horses in this
crypt. yet it is more probable that it
was used for such purpose by the cru
| saders. Solomon more likely used the
! crypt for treasures and sacrifices. IN
this crypt is.to be seen the outer wall
| Of the temple. The stones have Phoeni-
| clan inscriptions and are probably the
original stones put in by Solomon. The
stones have a Jewish bevel on them.
On the Intel Of the door is a Jewish
| inscription,
Court Of the Money Changers.
| on the western side is the main en-
trance to the temple. Here probably was
the court Of the money changers, the
place where they sold doves and oxen
for sacrifice in the temple, and where
they changed money for the benefit of
foreigners There are a number of such
money changers in Jerusalem now. There
is no objection TO their occupation. In
fact, they are quite convenient often
times TO foreigners having money Of
other natiOnalities. You have to be very
careful though, TO see that they do
not cheat you before your very eyes by
giving you either spurious money. or at
least the money of other foreign coun-
| tries. which is worthless TO YOU. The oh