The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times., 1917-07-19


the final charm Of all good gardens.
The house is built upon a hillside,
and the ground is therefore laid out
in terraces connected by quaint little
stairways lined with old tiles. 1t is
perhaps the best-known garden at
Mustapha, for II Is upon larger scale
than most of the others. The order In
which 1t has been kept and the careful
attention it has received for many
years render It most attractive.
From the house we pass beneath the
guardroom and find ourselves In the
fountain court paved with tiles. and
cloistered on all sides with delicate
spiral shafts Of exquisite molding,
which support light arcade OF point
ed arches. The walls are richly en-
cruSted with Tunisian tiles Of very fine
design representing an arcade support
ed on columns with conventional vases
and flowers, and panels of the same
material serve as an effective contrast
TO the whltened walls.
The fountain court Is extended
short distance to form terrace over
looking the Orangery and the azure
sea beyond. A square pool slightly
| raised above the pavement contains n
massive circular fountain with its ever
| refreshing murmur of falling water.
El Bardo Is Well Restored.
FL Bardo Is another example of
wellrestored Moorish house. II Is ap-
preached from the carriage drive by
a broad flight OF black marble steps
with "risers" in blue and green tiles.
Entering through an archway be-
meath whitewashed mirador we find
| ourselves in an irregularly shaped
court surrounded by oblong reception
rooms, each provided with an open ar
cade with horseshoe arches and slen-
| der columns, single and In groups of
/ two and three. In Arab houses such
rooms are known as the Max ad.
/ They are usually placed on the south
| side of the court so as to face tlre
north, and were possibly originally de-
rived from the arcades surrounding
the courts Of the mosque. They are
! frequently to be met with in Cairo.
]
. first floor In imitation OF the belve-
deres or open galleries over the Sc
beels or public fountains.
| At FL Bardo the largest OF the three
apartments overlooking the court Is
sort OF summer salon with n central
marble fountain; cushioned seats on
three sides form a divan. Other ex-
amples we have seen have little open
channels Of running water freely cir
culating through the apartment, as at
the Alhambra and the AlCazar at Se-
Vile. Purple bougalnvillea Is trained
over the lattice covering the windows,
and the sun, shining through the
masses Of flowers, sheds soothing
light into the apartment. At the back
of the reception halls Is a delicious lit
tie Koubah, dlvaned on all sides and
with n mysterious pierced metal lamp
hanging from the ceiling
The raised flower beds are bordered
by low walls Of Gaily colored tillng,
and the whole court Is paved in black
and white marble squares. The quaint
old coffee kitchen Is arranged In n cor
ner Of the courtyard. II has been con-
ScientiOusly restored, and It's rows of
shining pots are arranged on Il kind
Of sldebnard with tiled sides. Here
are the pcstle and mortar for pulver.
izing the berries, and quaint Mussul.
man charms rudely painted on tho
wall.
At one end of the loggia Is the de-
llghtful little sitting room lie Salon
de In fuyOrite, with woodwork delicate.
ly treated in pale green, blue and red
brown. Four windows overlook tho
garden at the east end Of the court
and above the arched entrance gate
IL the room where the guard was
placed to wa,ah the ladies Of the
harem.
Any absence OF color In the plant
life Is more than compensated for BY
the richly tiled wall surfaces. A cen
tral fountain In an Octagonal pool re
fleets the blue sky, and large watel
tank beyond forms an Ideal home FOL
the graceful feathery papyrus. HiH
J white walls are clothed with n variet!
, Of bougainvlllea. plumbago and cluste
} roses. and the tall. battered looklni
: bananas. the latania, phoenix and othe
: palms preserve oil the truly eastern
, features Of a garden of the ArabiaI
7 Nights.