Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-20
CA|RO'S HOLY CARPET
HEADS MECCA JOURNEY
Elaborate Ceremonials Attend
the Mohammedans' Annual
Pilgrimage in Egypt.
Dnllv Mail

London Daily Mail
In the present state OF the Moslem
year. which depends ON the rev.lu-
tions not of the sun, but of the iolon.
II is toward the end OF July thst the
Mohammedans Of Egypt undertake
the annual pilgrimage to the holy
place at Mecca. bearing at the head
OF their procession the valuable tissue
OF gold and brocade known through
the world as the holy carpet
The term Is. of course. misnomer.
The fabric is not a carpet at,ail II Is
not even 10 one piece.
It Is series OF pieces Of tapestry
embroidered with texts Of the Koran.
worked I'm gold wire and destined to ba
hung round the walls of the Kaaba.
square stone building I'm the centre OF
the court of the great mosque at
Mecca.
Most resplendently embroidered Of
all these hangings is a series OF pieces
worked in green and gold, comparable
to number of altar cloths. known
collectively as the Kisweh. and de
signed to cover the tomb Of Moham-
med.
Attended by brilliant concourse of
the sheiks and doctors of Islam. the
learned men of the Azhar University
the troops OF the Egyptian army. and
representatives of the Sultan and the
British Government, the departure Of
the pilgrimage and the kisweh is ceJe-
brated 10y an elaborate ceremonial in
the wide open square below the citadel
OF Cairo.
In the centre OF the square. guard
ed by troops. stands the Kisweh, drap-
ed on n species OF ark modelled in
shape and size on the Prophets tomb
A string OF camels. each bearing a
piper playing an eerie and melancholy
tune, marches slowly In procession
three times round the elaborate dis.
play Of draperies to the laundering
salute of guns.
At the head OF the line. carefully led
by attendants holding brilliantly EN-.
broidered reins, marches a supert
specimen of a cream colored camel
bearing an embroidered paIanauir
beautifully worked in red and gold.
This is the Mahinal. 1t is empt,
save for two copies of the Koran. ans
year by year such palanquin hai
marched at the head OF the Egyptian
pilgrimage ever since, In the thirteenth
century. the beautiful Turkish slav,
Shagaret-el-Durr who became Queer
of Egypt, made the pilgrimage I,
Mecca in just such another erection.
The camel that carries this ligh
but elaborate burden has been bre,
for this days work, and after the pill
grimage is completed he VIII never d
a stroke of work again.
Three times round the Kisweh goe
the procession, and then to the SCUM
OF salutes and salvos and the music @
the soldiers band it swings slowl
down the road to the mosque of tn
Hassanen, whence the pilgrimag
starts on its long journey across tn
desert-a journey in which, howeve
modern convenience has not dlsdaine
to invoke the secular assistance
railway and steamboat.
What is the origin of this old tin
ceremonial 1t is hard to say. Its roo
undoubtedly go far deeper in tin
than Islam, which, after all, is a con
paratively modern religion.
The Kaaba at Mecca is of cour
! far older than Mohammed. 1t was
. centre of idolatrous worship in h
. day, and We are told that the Proph
purged it of its idols.
1t is square stone building in
, the wall of which is built the Bias
! Stone, the most venerated object
B the Islamic worship.
Indications are not lacking to CO
y with an Asiatic version of Venus.
> meet the original worship of the Kaal
5 may well be, then, that in the a
! nual pilgrimage of the Moslem wor
we have an echo OF something, We
y like the professions in ancient Ather
T --@