Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-13

that English soldiers have trod those historic streets; for it was in 1s41, in
 the process of clearing Syria of Egyp- tian rule that an English army be- sieged and took this ancient capital. Damascus is claimed to be the oldest city in the world Wether this De true or not, it Is certain that it's origins are shrouded in mystery and that it can claim a longer continuous existence than any city that Is stand ing today. It was already noted place at the time of Abraham, David conquered it and placed a garrison there, and it slipped from the hands Of Solomon to become the capital of the and enemy of Israel. Swaying back and forth through the centuries with the varying fortunes of conquering races which have oyerrun the East. counting even the Mongol among those 70 whom 1t has owed allegiance, Da- n1ascus, a garden spot of the desert, has been prize for eternal conflict 1 Battle without and massacre within Tits walls have been it's portion. And lyet it's history has not lacked for TO- .nance. Antony gave the city as love gift to Cleopatra: Tiberius conferred 1t upon Herod; from its pa.aces Pompey scattered the crowns of the East to the vassals of Rome. Here. Paul pro- claimed his conversion, and here, too, Mohammedanism was enblaZoned to a conquered province in the light of the | flames which were consuming it's cap | itaL
 Yet amid 1t all Damascus made ] progress in the arts, set foothold l for science, and made great libraries | to measure it's advance in letters; ana | t still remains the most charminSly Oriental of any city in the world, sec with it's back to the foot of it's noun ! tain where the Prophet made his great
 renunication. and facing eastward across the Great Syrian Desert of
 which it is a realized mirage.
 | Damascus has a spell. Mohammed 1 recognized it while he was yet camel
 driver; and, viewing the city's lowell ness from the heights of Jebe1 Ea9- 1 it should tempt him with it's beauties
 to renounce the glories of Paradise. Whether the Prophet ever visited the
 city is not recorded, but in the court
 called Dome of the Treasury, is reput-
 ed to have been the burial place of | Ayisha, his favorite wife.
 This mosque not yet completely re-
 built from the serious fire which rav- aged 1t in 1893, is the city'S chief mon- i ument; it dates from pagan days and
 has been in turn both Christian and Moslem. Despite it's mutilations and
 it's naphazard restoration, it is still most lovely. A thousand years ago Muka ddasi, writing in 9S5 4. D., de- clared that the great mosque of Da- maseus was "tile fairest of any that | the Moslerns now hold, and nowhere, l he continued. 'is there collected greater magnificence." It's inner walls l he said, for twice the height of man were faced with variegated marbles
 and above this. even to the very cell
 ing, were mosaic of various colors and in gold. Rare, he said. were the trees and few the well known towns that
 could be found figured on these walls i The whole revenue of Syria for seven years was said to have been expended 1 in the work, together with eighteen shipIoads of gold and silver, which came from Cyprus
 From the western minaret one looks down upon 'the Street Called
 Straight and the gieam of the rush. | ing waters of the Abana, one of the | Great Rivers of Damascus" may be caught at intervals among the houses