The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05

contents into a cup. He has two brazen
bowls which he holds In his hands and
rattles as he shouts: Drink and refresh
thy heart" Another peddler has ice
cream, the GOODNESS of which he cries
forth in the worlds 'Baiak snunak,
or, Take care of your teeth meaning
1t is SO cold that 1t will make your teeth
ache. Fruit is sold the same way. and
also cooked meats of various kinds.
There is one kind of salad which the
men cry out is so tender that If an old
woman eats 1t she will find nersen
young In the morning.
Some such wares are bought by the
charitable and given to beggars This
Is so OF the bread and meat and also of
drinks some even buy bread for the
dogs, hoping thereby to acquire merit
and thus pave their road to the Mo-
hammedan heaven.
Fat-TaiIed Mutto.
Making our way through the crowds
we reach a region of cook shops,
restaurants and cafes not far from
where the butcher shops are. The lat
ter sell most kinds of meat, including
camel, beef, mutton and lamb. The NUT
ton Is fine The sheep are of the fat
tail variety, and when skinned and
dressed for the market their tails are
left on. They hang down over their
backs in great Jumps of fat, looking
like loaf of fresh dough ready for
baking. Sometimes they have the form
of a heart four or Ave inches thick and
eight inches wide Such a tail will
weigh IL pounds Upon live sheep 1T
hangs down at the rear like . woolly
apron, and when raised looks like
miniature sail. showing an expanse of
bare white skin beneath.
The Grain Bazaar
Another interesting part of business
Damascus is composed of long streets of
cave-lilxe vaults ioored with cement and
divided up into compartments piled high
with grain, beans or -four This Is the
grain bazaar. One of the compartments
may hold hundred bushels of wheat and
another a like quantity of barley. oats or
lentils. There are bins filled with Indian
corn and bins Of caraway seeds. The
grain lies on the floor and IL scooped up
and measured to order. Camels come In
bringing great bags of wheat and go
out carrying other grains to various
PARTS Of the city. The country. about
Damascus, which can be irrigated. Is ex-
ceedingly rich and produces large crops.
A great deal of grain Is brought from
the plains beyond the Jordan and on the
east-of the Sea of Galilee, known as the
Hauran. and this grain is shipped from
Damascus to other parts of Syria and
across the Mediterranean to Europe.
The Wholesale establishments
Indeed. the trade of Damascus Is ex-
tensive. The city makes wares of vari-
Gus kinds which are shipped all over
tho world. 1t Is noted for its beau
tiful brass and silver ware. its inlaid
woodwork and it's oriental rugs 1t
has an extensive caravan trade with
Persia and other parts of Turkey and
long lines of camels are always bring
ing in and carrying out goods. There
are some great buildings or khans de-
voted to wholesaling and warehousing.
visited one of these. 1t was shaped
much like mosque, being lighted by
nine great domes the tops of which
were at least 100 feet above the dirt
floor. The domes were upheld by stone
pillars. The floor covered almost an
acre, and 1t was packed with merchan-
disc. In one part OF 1t were bags Of
wheat piled high toward the roof. In
another were hundreds OF boxes OF
dates. and in others barrels and crates
of fruits and hundreds of bales Of
oriental rugs laid one upon the other.
Some Of the bales were enormous. one
equaling a load for a two-horse wag-
on. l was told that they came from
Bagdad. and were left there for stor-
age. There were a number of these
khans in Damascus at the. time of
Christ. and there are several now in
uso. The space in them is rented out
to merchants. the owners doing a. gem
eral warehousing business.
But come. let " 20 to the silver
bazaar.