The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-08-17

upper part of the walls and the dome
were enriched with mosaics. The prayer
inches were inlaid with precious stones,
| and golden vines were entwined over
the arches of the inches. The ceiling
| was of wood inlaid with gold and from
| it hung coo golden lamps. The next
| caliph. however. caused the lamps to be
replaced by others of less value; part
OF the mosque was burned down in 1867
and all work of restoration ceased in
14ol when Timur and Tartar conquered
| Damascus Several important details
about the building are now in a state
OF almost complete dilapidation.
Near the Mosque is the Tomb of Sala-
din, now the scene of painful dilapida-
ton. Diemal Pasha the Turkish COM
mander-in- chief in this theatre Of the
war, began the work of clearing gar
den area about the tomb, but it was
halted by the war and the half-wrecked
buildings still clutter the tomb area. The
tomb itself is a handsome mausoleum
with beautiful fayence work worthy of
this great and chivalrous prince, who
was sultan of Egypt and Syria from HI
to 1893 The German Emperor laid
| bronze wreath on the actual tomb in
1898, which was taken by the Emir
, Feisul after the capture of Damascus in
| 1918 and given to Col. T. E. Lawrence
c. B.
ject of such city planning as has al
ready been done in Damascus. Dja-
NAL Pasha, during the war. opened a,
| broad boulevard from the kanawat
station the terminus of the Hedjaz rail
way, toward the citadel in an effort to
/ clear an approach to it through the
\ bazaar district The boulevard whose
| name has been changed from Djemal
! Pasha boulevard to the Street of Vic
1 60 ~
and the citadel is still buried from
sight back of the coppersmith's bazaar.
| 1t is an ancient building, repeatedly
restored 1t was formerly surrounded
! by a moat 1914 feet wide and 14M feet
/ deep. The moat on the southside has
! been filled up and the space is now
occupied by the Greeks bazaar The
walls are very thick and their obstruc-
tions are ancient. At the corners of
the castle are projecting towers, IL
IN all, with overhanging machicoulis
The city wall offers another object
for the city planners endeayor. In its
present condition the walk around ii
occupies about two and a half hours
At the Kisan gate, above the Turk
ish wall is still pointed out the window
through which Paul was let down in
a basket by night The conversion OF
Paul has been localized at the viii
T. laSe OIL hOkdD, southwest OF the city
but since the sixteenth century, ira
dition has fixed the site nearer the
Christian burial grounds The tomb OF
st. George, porter who is said tc
have assisted Paul in his escape, is still
pointed out in the Greek cemetery. AT
the southeast corner of the wall is the
spot where the caravans which travel
1 between Damascus and Bagdad two
or three times year usually encamp
These caravans bring Persian carpets
and tum bak, tobacco for the nargileh
| which grows in Persia only, and car
ry back European and other wares
The east gate of the wall, a gate OF
Roman origin, is the principal gate. II
consisted of a large gateway, SO fee
high and 20 feet wide, with two smalle,
gates of half the size. but the princi-
pal gate and the smaller gate to the
south of it have long been built up. The
small gate to the north is the one al
present used. Above the gate rises
minaret
Among the traditional sites which
are also to be reckoned with in thu
making of renovated Damascus, i.
the street called Straight, which i.
! already a wide and clean thoroughfars
of bazaars,- the House of Ananias, now
! converted into small Roman Catholi,
church with a crypt and the Hous.
of Naaman, the Syrian
The city of Damascus now Comprise.
the comparatively modern suburb OF
Meidan to the south and the ancien
Moslem and Kurdish suburb of Ell Sal
| ahiyaeh, on the slope of the Jebe
| hasyun to the northwest. The cit,
has been strung out to these subrub.
along its tramway, Belgian under.
taking, which runs from Media,
through the city to Eel Ealahiyeah