Iditarod pioneer., 1915-03-13
CONSTANTINOPLE

Constantinople occupies the site of the ancient Byzantium, and was named after Constantine the Great, who rebuilt it in BPS A. D. No city in the world has been subjected to such numerous and celebrated seges. and no other has undergone so many vicissitudes of fortune Yet it hes only been taken twice, namely, in 1904, by the Cru
 saders, who retained it till 126l, and by the Turks under Mohammed H., May 29, 1453
 an event which completed the extinction of the Roman empire in the East. The inhabitants are Turks, Arabiens Creeks Ar
 manians, Jews, Circasslans Bulgarlans and various other nationalties The population in 1906 was l 1,l25, 900.
 Constantinople is called by the Turks Stamboul and by the Creeks, lstampoh (both derived from the Greek eis ten polin,
 into the city'D. It is the capital of the Turkish empire and is surrounded by water on all sides but the west, with the Sea of Marmora and the BOsporus on the south and east md the Golden Horn, an inlet of the latter about six miles in length, on the north The city Is triangular ln shape
 its apex projecting into the Bosporus, and its base, a lofty double wall four miles in length, stretching across the promontory from the Sea of MarmOra to the Golden Horn Each of the sides may be about three and three -fourths miles in length, and within these limits the whole of the city is included. On the opposite side of the l Golden Horn and also occupying the eX- l tremity of promontOry sometimes called | the Peninsula of Pera, are situated the ex- tcnsive suburbs, Galata, Pera and TOphana. 1 ConstantnOple was formerly walled on all 1 sides. but the walls along the Golden Horn and Sea of Marmora, the north and south sides of the city respectively, are in rulnous state and in many places have altogether 1 disappeared The inland, or west wall magnificent specimen Of mural architecture, containing six gates. though dilapldaed in l parts, could be easily restored. The streets
 are extremely narrow, dirty and ill-paved,
 and so crooked that hardly any two of them run for any length parallel to each other. | The houses are generally low and ll-built.
 The windows are strictly closed with lattice
 work of cane in the center of which the
 wife of the Turk, excluded from public
 view. endeavors to see what is passing in
 the street The city is supplied with water 1 by public fountains, which are very numer-
 GUS, and some of them very beautiful. hay 1 ing pure white marble facades, elaborate | | they generally stand in the center Of an open square On the extreme northeastern | roint of the promontory on which the city
 stands, called Point Serai, is situated the
 seraclo or palace of the sultan, having the Bosporus in front and the Golden Horn on 1 the left. and commanding magnificent
 view of the opposite shore, including the | beautiful town of Scutari and its cypress | IL, ,,+l, ,+, | and groves, includes large space, and IS | washed by the sea for two-thirds Of its ex- | tent Having been enlarged and altered at
 various periods according to the taste or
 caprice of the princes or sultanS, It now
 consists Of conglomeration of buildings, ! clustering together without order or design. l Its apartments, however, are spacious and richly furnished. At the principal entrance
 is large and lofty gate called Babl Hu- mayor, the high door or sublime porte, 1 from which has been derived the well 1 known diplomatic phrase, all political busl-
 ness being transacted. as supposed, under
 this portal Within the precincts of the
 nalace is the celebrated divan and the ! harem with the Garden of Delight in
 "hich are numerous gorgeous parterres and
 pavllions The Adrianople and Constanti- nople railway here runs along the coast and 1 has terminus.
 There are q great number of mosques | in nstantinople, all of them more or less ! distinguished by grandeur and beauty; but l the most remarkable are the royal mosques, | of winch there are about fifteen, among the | finest in the world. Of these the largest and
 most splendid is that of Su!elmania, situ-
 a-ed on the northeast side of the city, and
 standing in the midst of large square,
 surrounded by an arcade upon pillars
 of granite and marble Next to it in ex
 tent. but of much older date, is the famous mosque of St. Sophia. near the east eX- 1 tremity of the city, the pattern Of almost
 every mosque in the land; its walls and
 domeS of which latter it has twenty Of 1 equal dimensions, sprlnging from the same
 level, and sustained by twelve columns, are encrusted with mosaics forming various tg-
 ures and devices. The court or open square in which it stands is paved with marble,
 and shaded by fine plane trees. This IS the
 most ancient existing Christian church, hay | ing been only converted into mosque Tn
 l453 It has latterly been thoroughly re
 stored by an English architect, by order of
 the sultan, and the layer of plaster removed by which the superb mosaics and frescOes
 that decorate its walls were covered. The
 mosque of leni Djami, known also as that
 of the Sultana Djami was built by the
 mother of Mohammed ", and is esteemed
 one of the most magnificent in the capital
 It stands almost on the edge of the port,
 and this point, being the ferry between
 GaIata and Stamboul, is constantly thronged
 with boats Here almost every Frank first | lands in the City of the Faithful" The
 mosque is constructed of white marble, and
 has two peculiarly elegant minarets, encir-
 cled by no less than three galleries of richly
 perforated workmanship. The principal
 dome rests upon four lesser ones which ap-
 pear to lift it to the clouds. Another cele-
 brated mosque is that of Sultan Ahmed, a little southeast from the former. From the
 elevated position this mosque occupies it is
 the most conspicuous object in the city
 when viewed from the Sea of Marmora. The