The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-29

way station on the route from Con
IStaht'hopie 10 Mecca. 1t is there that
IN "prS , bathe certain PARTS Of
| prayers. On the other side OF this
| enormous court is the mosque proper
the opiong floor of which covers over
an acre. Many great columns uphold
us roof and other columns stand be-
| tween il and the court
In M0hnmnictinm Church.
Entering this room, we find > go
men and perhaps 100 women a, prayer
Mevertheless he building seems empty.
! Inc wo,rshipers are scattered over tile
| men dare not look at them. They
are. closely yelled. and they do nor
notice us as. we 80 by. Most of the
| men are on their knees. or sitting upon
| the floor. All have removed their shoes
before they came into the church, and
they now lie beside or in front or
| IS ruEs: inc presents from dcvout Mo-
lhammedans. Think of roofing n large
ieiu, f2h olding the roof by mighty
columns. and then carpeting thai, field
would be 1T 10 hang on Your walls as a
treasure, ana you haze some OF tho
outlines Of TIC picture which now
There are strange things IN the
| mosque IN It's centre IS marble
chanel, supposed 70 stand over the
Men are sitting before the chapel with
| their heads facing Mecca, and they rise
| ana fan as they pray TO John the
| Baptist. he forcrunncr OF Christ. and
TO Mohammcd as the prophet Of cod
is thus that religion, like politics,
makes strange hcdfellows
iicnrf of the MohnInrnrdnn World.
damascus is tho heart OF the AIohnni-
| nedin world. At It's back is Persia
| aitoEeihcr Mohammedan AT It's sou,i,
,nialestinc and Arabia which arc more
| north are other realms Of the Sulta n---
Turkey in Asia and Europe, All.
| around II the people are Mohammcdans
VINO hate the Christians. and ma ssa-
1 ere Them whenever they can This
was the case last spring when thou.
sands were killed and the most terri
pie slaughter Of Christians by hea tlens
known to the world took place in this
| region. Multitudes were massacred
and II was only because Tie srca
a ~, :, an ,i nations OF Europe We're
! loss OF that balance Or nowcr which
might result from ~ war that tho
Iurklsh Empire was not wiped out as
punishment therefor The matter
was hnshcd up. and but little OF the
1rne story was told in the papers {
| refer TO the bloodShcd which took
| place throughout Asia Minor when The
sultan. Abdul Hamid, was ovcrthrown
and the present sultan and govern
nent put in his place,
another strange object in the Great
Mosque IS the holy tent Of tho pill
grim caravan This is used during
| the pilgrimage 10 Mecca. which zen
orally starts al Damascus This bill
| Erimage every Moslein is bound 10 take
| OF the prophet come from all parts
at a certain time of the year. and ride
or march toward their holy city
as they approach Mecca they take OFF
their clothes. laying aside everything
| from the soics OF their fee; Ia the
crowns Of their heads. They then put
| OF cloth over the left shoulder. walk
| into the city. They march around the
I<aaba and kiss the black stone. They
pelt satan with rocks in the Valley
or Nina. and end their pilgrimage with
| a, great 5acriticiai feast, at which time
| the end of Lent comes and the fesli-
val Of Beirani begins.
nave not seen these pligr!ma ges.
out they are said To be Interesting 10
En- extreme. Many Of tho rich 20 on
camel litters something like Tho in,lc
si.sers used IN north China. Those
\ are beds SlunE between poles which
are fastened - camols ono going be-
fore and the other behind, and trained
70 Keep step. The cameIs arc adorned
Win coins. smells and other ornaments
for the OCCASION and hundreds OF small
bells Jingle as they march. In ad-
vance vance Of the nrocession is large camel
l,Tteg hnns Win green c,oil, and en-
the green nag OF the prophet and one
| OF the oldest copies Of tho Koran now
~ II, !, existence ~ addition to the wor-
Shlpers themselves. the caravan has an
| escort Of soldiers and Bcdouins There
are also many haif-naked doryishas
w SaIoo sing E! End howl md cut 'hcm-
Koran rs they go on their way.
| Within the past few months he ,a,I-
road which has been building from
| completed, and it IS a question whntI,er
/ this will not cause this great caravan
| to become thing of the. past as Far
as the travel between Damascus; and
| Mecca is concerned. }, pilgrimare also
| starts out from Cairo. and one Of these
not long ago was headed by the pres
! ent 1ihediyc
At FatIma's Tomb.
! During my stay here have cone.
! out TO tho cemetery 10 take a look
/ at the tomb Of N1ohammcd's fayoritn
| daughter. AS remember IT. Moham-
| the four which he allows to each Of
his followers. His first wife was Kha :
| Ola. the widow Whose fortune first
! made linn prominent and whose sor
| want he was. AS [ remember II she
| Was his first convert. Two OF his OF her
wives and Fatima arc buried here. and
thursdays many yelled women come 10
mourn at their. graves. Fatlma's tomb
IS q little domed mosque about ffteen
feet square with a praying alcove fac
ing toWard Mecca. Tatfma lies in n
marble sarcophagns. which stands on .
pedestal covered with green velvet and
with q piece of green cloth nj its head.
As looked a the tomb ! saw SOW
1rni rags tied 10 the bars Of the win
,,,,oN. 'hiii' " ''' '''' A'ift' l!ieN were puL
there. as the pledges Of sick persons
showing hat thev would give money
TO the mosque If they should be cured
The tomb of saladn. the great Mo-
| hammedan general who fought Europe
during the Crusades. Is also in Damas-
Gus. When the Emperor of Germany
carnc here no wished to Law a crown
Of gold on it. but this was contrary
Ito the principle Of tho Mohammedan
religion. which will not allow such
things in their mosque Therefore. they
built an alcove& running from the
mosque outside. and 1t is there that
lthis crown Is now kent under glass
! doors.
ST!!1Io,roy;s nm MI tine d,lriT -