The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-01-20
ANCIENT HOARD OF
COLD An DJEWEL s
MAY Be LOOTED
Nedjef, Mecca of Shia Moham-
medans. Now Lies in Hostile
Territory and Will Be OBJ
ject of Attack.

0AA1 ~ w
ject of Attack.
Washington. Jan, 2O.-Mystic. bur-
led In the exclusive sands Of the des-
ert. almost unknown by the white
man, the Arab city Of Nedjef. Mecca
Of the Shia Mohammedans. born OF
and FOR a religion, contains within
rs walls Of sun-dried brick q treas
ure house rich beyond fable. the
Shia -. Peters. into which 4 stream
of gold and jewels has poured for
centuries, and over the footing Of
which many an cmpire-huilding sold
ier has swectencd his dreams while
sleeping on She battleficlds of India
and elsewhere In Asia. Nedief has
become hostile land. and the wonder
ful mosque OF gold and precious
stones h exposed az a possible oh
Joctive Of invaders. Frederick Sim
pich, one OF the few white men OF
any race To have made a visit To hid
den Nedjef, has transmitted an ac-
count OF this strangest OF cities to the
National Geographic society lie.
writes:
1T N 1--WE days by mule or camel
caravan from Bagdad to Nedjcf. and
In h eyentful centuries since the
Shias founded Nedief-un the spot
where a nephew Of the Prophet Mo-
manned was slant is estimated
that over "a. 900. coo Mosiems have
made the pilgrimage 10 mis- myster-
ious desert city of golden domes. Fab
ulous treasures and weird rites.
Thousands Of dcvotees from the Shia
hordes Of India. Persia and South
Russia flock through Bagdad each
year. bringing with them their mum
mirod dcad-snlted and dried-for
burial In the holy ground about the
mystic city"
Each member Of the Shia sect
must make the pilgrimage To this
hottest OF his shrines. the city to-
ward which throughout life he lows
In worship, the unnatural city hound
mp la the deserts spell. into which
the treasures of an his fellows IN
faith are flowing for their spiritual
welfare. Each member Of the hia
sect expects TO he buried In the sa-
cred earth without the City's walls,
where millions upon millions of past
Shias have turned the and to clay.
This enormous graveyard about the
city IL not the least part uf lis weird
fascination, The desert train to the
sacred city Is empty, barren and
dead. Il Is an uuattractivc trail
whose silence IL only hrokcn by Ia
matte pilgrims and by caravans trans
porting Corpses to the Shiu Mecca Of
the dead. or the city Mr.. Simpich
suys:
"Ncdiof Is a freak city. Not a
green thing-a plant. shrub or tree
lives within its dry, hot limits. Il II
built on n high plain of soft sand
stone. The marrow. crooked streets,
in many places mere passages three
OF four feet wide, wind like Jungle
paths. one Of the strange features
Of his strange city IL us cellars. IN
summer the fierce heat drives the
painting people deep down into the
earth, like rats Ia "a hole. Beneath
every house Is % cellar, burrowcd
mine-like To amazing depths one !
explored reached an a~stouudingiy low
level. being more than 700 feet he
low the street. Down into these
damp, dark holes the Shias flee when
the scorching desert air sizzles above
and imported German thermometers
stand at 1870 Fahrenheit Some OF
the cellars are arranged IN a tier Of
cells or rooms, one below the other;
the upper room is used In the frst
hot months. the family Roing lower
down az the hcat Increases, Many
OF these cellars are connected by un-
~derground corridors. and the Grim
inals, who swarm iu Ncdjci, easily
clude capture by passing through
these tunnels from house To house.
The mosque Mt, Simpich describes
~ covered with great gold tiles which
run 20 It's very base. For ages. he
says. the rich of Shin faith have
made precious presents 60 this tcnple
until It's vaults are bursting with
pent-up treasure. The city has ma
Industry, no commerce--nothing that
Is apart from III religious purpose.
II supports itself upon the money oi
the pilgrims. lodges them, feeds
them, robs them, sells them prayer
bricks made from the graveyard clay,
and even marries ticm for the period
of their visit Ia perennial brides
brides kept In stock. who legally
have many husbands In their lives
As a war significance Of this city the
explorer tells;
"A British Indian army officer told
me hat the footing of the Nedjet
mosque was a fayorite dream of the
soldiers In the middle east. who
: looked forward Ia the day when war
may sweep AN army OF Invasion into
NedJef.''