The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1922-02-03

fleeing of pilgrims. and the corrup-
ton of the late Turkish government.
The post office at Mecca, under
Turkish regime. was certainly unique
Sacks of letters were thrown out into
the narrow street leading 10 the post
Office, and there sorted by the pill
grims themselves who opened them
and took their letters and those of
their friends also. \ similar system
prevailed at Medina. YenbO and .Iid-
dab. King Husein of Hejaz. how
ever. has taken steps TO join the Inter
national Postal Union. and has had
stamps printed in Egypt bearing the
inscription "Hejaz Post"
Foreigners Handle Its Commerce.
The commerce of Mecca is entirely
in the hands Of foreigners. mostly In
dians. who sell rosaries. carpets and
silk stuffS. One of the main Occupa-
tiOns Of the silver~rniths is the manu-
facture Of rings, which are supposed
to be- constructed from silver that
was once part Of the sacred temple
doors. and are reputed to be an effec-
the natives however. earn their lv-
ing as guides 10 the pilgrims and
grow wealthy during the season.
Sacred Mosque and ka'aba.
The sacred mosque. Mesiid el Ha-
ram with the ka'aba rs its center.
Is located in the middle of the city.
Mecca lies in hot. sandy valley, alb
sOlutely without verdure and surround
ed by rocky, barren hills. destitute of
trees or even shrubs. The valley is
about 300 feet wide, and 1000 feet
long. and slopes toward the south.
The ka'aba or House of God (Beit
Allah). is located i'm the bed of the
valley. All the streets slope toward il
and il stands. as IL were. i'm the pit
Of a theater.
The Ka'aba proper stands in an oh
long space 80 PAGES long and 900
broad, surrounded by colonnades.
which are used as schools and as
general meeting place for pilgrims.
The outer Enclosure has 10 gates and
six minaretS; within the incloSure is
the we'll of Fem Fem. the great pulpit,
the staircase used to enter the Kaaba
door. which is high above the ground.
and two small mosques called EI Ku-
battain. The remainder of the space
is occupied by pavementS and gray
el, where prayers are said by the fourg
orthodox sectS. each having its own
allotted space.
Kaaba, about five feet from the
ground, is the famous Black * .ae.
the oldest treasure of Mecca
stone is a fragment resembling
volcanic rock Sprinkled with red,
crystals
Arriving within short distance e.
Mecca. orthodox pilgrims, male and
female put of their ordinary clothing
and assume the hiram. which consists
of two pieces of white cloth, one
tied around the loins and the other
thrown over the back. Sandals may
be worn. but not shoes and the head
must be uncovered. After certain
additions the pilgrim enters the
mosque. kisses the Black Stone. and
runs around the Kaaba seven times.
After special prayers he proceeds To
The place of Abraham. then drinks from
the holy well. and once more kisses
the Black stone After this follows
the race between the two hills. Safa
and Mrwa.
Little books of ritual prayers to be
used by the pilgrims are sold 10 ev-
eryone. and there is great punctilious
ness in observing every detail correct
". on the seventh day Of the pill
grimage there Is a sermon from the
grand pulpit. ON the eighth day the
pilgrim goes TO Nina. three miles dis
tant from Mecca. and spends the night.
The next morning he leaves for Ara
fat. another hill a short distance from
Mecca. and the following day is the
great day of sacrifice. simultaneously
observed throughout the whoe Mos
lem world Early in the morning the
pilgrims 20 10 Nina. where they are
three pillars. called the Great Devil,
the Middle Pillar. and the First One.
Here each pilgrim filings seven peb-
bleS 10 show his hatred OF Satan and
his love Of God. RE then performs
the sacrifice OF a sheep. goat or camel.
according 10 his means. the victim be
Ing placed toward the Ka'aba and the
knife plunged into the animals throat
with the cry "Allahu Akbar." This
ceremony concludes the pilgrimage
proper and The pilgrim then begins his
tourney hack home.