The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1919-08-15

natural unless one bears clearly
in mind that what one sees TO-
day Is a comparatively modern TurcO-
Arabian town and not the city Of To
nance Of Arabian Nights entertain
ments that one has probably imagined.
That old Bagdad. or rather Dar-eS-
Salam as il was originally called. was
bai1 In the year 76S a u. by Al Man
sur. the second Abbasid oaliph. out Of
the ruins Of the city OF Ctesiphon. II
saw its palmlest days in the time Of
Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid. the fifth OF
the Abbasid line. who fourished from
TS6 10 SO A. u. The city soon after
this came TO its end.
The caliphate was for political rca-
sons moved 10 Samarrah in So and
when il was brought back again 70
Bagdad in So. a new city was built
on the opposite. I. g. left. bank OF the
Tigris. a mile OF two downstream from
the old site. OF Dar-eS-Salam nothing
DOW remains but q few indistinct
mounds. says a writer in the Times OF
India Illustrated Weekly.
IL cannot even be said that the new
capital OF whlch~we have just spoken
T. the Bagdad that we know today.
The site has remained the same. but
OF the city there is now nothing above
ground that can be identified "a being
nearly as old as So Bagiad has SUI
fered more often and more severely
from destruction and decay than Eu-
ropean or Indian cities. even taking
into account such incidents as the
great fire Of London or the sequence
OF events that has produced the seven
capitals at Delhi. or the CHEEKY habit
Of the old Roman emperors 81 pulling
down the buildings 81 their preleces-
sOrs in order TO build finer ones for
themselves Twice has Bagdad been
sacked: in 1858 by the MoncOls under
Hulaku Khan and again In 400 by
Tamerlane. II has been besie-ed many
times and flooded still more often.
Such q life would be bound 10 tell
on the constitution even Of a well-buIlt
city and Bagdad was not that II was
built with inferior building material
and as often as not with inferior skill.
and its sufferings have entirely chang
ed II during the course Of time.
Few Old Buildings Remain.
How thoroughly had the construction
Of some buildings has been-more par
ticularly in moden times-may be
judged from the fact that two large
minarets belonging 10 one u the
mosques Of the city. which were built
within the memory Of the Inhabitants
Of Bagdad. have already lost their top
stories. But this. Of course. Is an ex-
IRENE example. On the other hand
there Is the Khan Aurtmah. a large
brick vaulted building IN the center OF
the city. which IS. In its way. as won
derful a piece Of construction as one
can see anywhere. II was built in
1880 and is still In use and in excel
lent preservation. The Marjanlyah
mosque. close by. and having rs part
OF its endOwments the income derived
from the Khan Aurfrnah. is another
rne old building. IL was built two
gears before the Khan and Is Of con
siderable architectural merit
A few fragments Of IN earlier date
are 10 be found in different parts Of
the city. Some portions Of the old
Eortifcati0n Of muStaShir, for exam
ple. and the eleventh century minaretS
OF Suqal-Ghazl and Of the Qamariyah
mosque and. 81 any rate. some-uf the
waiis 81 the old Mustansariyah college
seleventh century, may be mentioned
Gut there are no other old buildings
a. complete a. the khan and the
mosque.
Bezutiful-From Distance.
Auart from these few examples OF
an earlier period. the Bagiad We know
.oday is az the seventeenth or eight
.enth and succeeding centuries. which
n terms Of architecture Is eompara-
lively modern. Judged In this light
Bardad is not Disappointing IL y.
:.a-:icularly for a MeSopoiamian town
ate a delightful place From the DIS