The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-07-12

N
tanned in a state of perfection which is
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 it is upon a larger scale
than most of the others. The order in
which it 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
clustered on all sides with delicate
spiral shafts Of exquisite molding,
which support a 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 whitened walls.
The fountain court Is extended a
short distance to form a terrace over
looking the Orangery and the azure
sea beyond. A square pool slightly
raised above the pavement contains a
massive circular fountain with it's ever
refreshing murmur of falling water.
Fl 5ardo Is Well Restored.
Ell Bardo is another example of a
well-restored Moorish house. 1t 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 a whitewashed mirador we find
ourselves in an i~rregularly 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 the
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,
where they are often placed on the
first floor in imitation of the belve-
deres or open galleries over the Sc
heels or public fountains.
At Ell Bardo the largest Of the three
apartments overlooking the court Is a
sort Of summer salon with a central
ssarble 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 Sc
vile. Purple bougainvillea is trained
over the lattice covering the windows,
and the sun, shining through the
masses of flowers, sheds a soothing
light into the apartment. At the back
of the reception halls is a delicious lit
tie Koubah, divaned on all sides and
with a mysterious pierced metal lamp
hanging from the ceiling.
The raised flower beds are bordered
by low walls of gaily colored thing,
and the whole court is paved In black
and white marble squares. The quaint
old coffee kitchen Is arranged In a cor
ner Of the courtyard. 1t has been con-
scientiously restored, and it's rows of
shining pots are arranged on a kind
Of sideboard with tiled sides. Here
are the pestle and mortar for pulver-
izing the berries, and quaint Mussul-
man charms rudely painted on the
wall.
At one end Of the loggia Is the de-
lightful little sitting room lie Salon
de Ia favorite, with woodwork delicate
~ treated in pale green. blue and red
brown. Four windows overlook the
garden at the east end of the court,
and above the arched entrance gate
is the room where the guard was
placed to watch 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
trail fountain in am octagonal pool re-
| fleets the blue sky, and a large water
tank beyond forms an ideal home for
the graceful feathery papyrus. High
white walls are clothed with a variety
of bo~ugainvinea, plumbago and cluster
roses, and the tall. battered looking
bananas. the latania. phoenix and other
palms preserve all the truly eastern
features Of a garden OF the Arabian
Nights.