Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-23
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Mecca-'sNot far from where Arab ian lands now form a battle-ground for Turk and Briton stands the Mo hsammedan holy city of Mecca, to- ward which turn countless thousands of Mosiems every day at the time for prayer is the beginning of bulle- | in just issued by the National Geo. graphic Society from its headquarters ! in Washington.
 Mecca, the native place of Maho- l met, is the principal city of the Turk | ish vilayet of the Hejaz in Arabia and is located a few miles back from | the coast of the Red Sea, Jidda being | it's seaport and the landing place of nearly all it's pilgrims who come by sea Its population is difficult to de- termine because of it's great number of visitors and at the height of the pill grimage season it Is usually much | overcrowded.
 TO this holy city of Islam, Mecca, every good Moslem should make at least one pilgrimage during his life time. He must arrange his affairs so that his family will be taken care of in his absence and the money he uses for his journey, 1t is stipulated in his religion, must have been obtained by | lawful means.
 "The more devout of Moslems us-
 ually transact no business either along the way or after arrival at Mec- ca, although the rules which prescribe on QeNOuI QO nOl forbid such a thing. There are, how ever, many of the pilgrims who must combine religion with business, oth-
 erwise they could never find means to
 accomplish the journey. These, it
 would seem, have always been in the
 majority, for Mecca itself has, be-
 sides its religious standing, location as an important commercial cefter. | Mecca is surrounded by a great
 area of uncultivated land, called the haran, or sacred territory, where not 1 even date palms grow, and the city is said by historians to have been found
 ed to carry on trade with Abyssinia in winter and Syria in summer. Its , basaars at pilgrimage time are filled : with the finest products of the East represented an investment of as much as S100, ,000. One of the principal in- 3 dustries there, in recent years at least however, seems to have been that ot l renting lodgings at exhorbitant rates , to devout pilgrims and other wise ex- plotting them until the pious stranger
 has been stripped of his goods ana
 amazed by the wickedness and vice ot
 his holy city.
 g Arriving at the edge of the haram the pilgrim changes his ordinar!
 clothes for the ihram, the ancient pill | grimage dress consisting of two cloths . wrapped around himself in a certain | prescribed manner. Thus attired h |
 of his devotions begins the return
 journey with the honorary titles.o = hajj, which is conferred upon all wh $ have made the pilgrimage.
 3. Tn the center of Mecca is locate
 the great mosque which is really no n much more than a great columned wal 'r with seven minarets and Is bull - around the most sacred relics. Insid U this wall is called the haren, or sacre
 spot, and there stands the Ka'ba, tn
 | Iolx 1R1 ,T V-fFs7 y stone building about forty feet squari n the original of which is said to hay al been built by Abraham and his so
 | Ishmael It was the religious cente
 of Mecca long before the time ( ;, Mahomet, who threw out it's idols an
 made of it the sacred place of Islan 10 Many times 1t has been destroyed b 'e fire and flood but it has always bee
 rebuilt approximately in the origins
 design. The Ka'ba has no window sr and it's door is several feet above tf st surrounding level. entrance being ei ed fected by means of portable steps. IT
 side, its walls are covered with si
 yer, the gift of wealthy Mohammedan ,+ it's floor is a mosaic of varicolore ~ marbles and it's ceiling Is hung wit 'e silks of wondrous hue and textur V- Outside, much of the time its walls al
 covered with rich brocade, on u
 borders of which is embroidered hel gold thread quotations from the Kol a- an.
 ~In the wall of the Ka'ba, near l
 southeast corner and at a conveniel hs height, is the famous black stone sa
 to have been given to Abraham by tl
 angel Gabriel In performing u lis tawaf, which is the custom of sew ut times circuiting the Ka'ba, this gre ha stone is kissed by the pilgrim ea' ~ time 1t Is passed.
 ef Within the walls of the mosque
 found what is supposed to be t
 tomb of Abraham and stone sla of marked what Moslems believed to ad the graves of Hagar and Ishmael. 4 cd I these are holy spots and must be vi +o lted in making the tawaf.
 Among the other holy relics eide the city Is the famous Zamzs
 well, said to have been used by flag Ith in securing water for her son Kshma ls- The waters of this well are suppos lat to have wonderful values and a hri ,n- trafflo is driven with the pilgrims .a the sala of jars and bottles for taxi away the water. The well is beuey ln to nave lost after the days of Flag fe- and found later by the grandfather
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