Travel web site: Damascus and Lebanonpart 1 part 2 grapes, apricots, plums, peaches, apples, oranges, figs, etc., all the products of the gardens and orchards around the city.
But some will ask whence comes all this abundance, for in no other part of Syria or Palestine is there such a profusion of fruit and vegetables at such low prices. The cause is the abundant water supply provided by the ever-flowing and life-producing river Barada, the Abana of the Bible.
Rising some miles northwest of the city, the river is conducted to all parts of Damascus through thousands of channels. It is also tapped to irrigate the gardens, orchards, and fields outside the city that are constantly under cultivation to supply the needs of the inhabitants.
There are many pleasant spots by the river’s side, whither the Damascenes resort after the work and business of the day to pass an hour over the coffee cup or the ever-acceptable water-pipe as they talk over the news of the day or the doings of the outer world as revealed to them through the Arabic or Turkish papers.
Would you investigate closer some of the most primitive and interesting doings of the Damascene, turn aside to the place where the famous Damascus curtains are made, and there in semi-darkness you will find dozens of lads and men engaged in weaving these requisites of the home on the most primitive of looms, and yet they are able to produce an article that will compete with anything from the most complete and up-to-date factory in Europe.
Or, would you see how thousands of bushels of flour and measures of oil are produced, you have only to turn aside into one of the many mills to see that instead of steam the patient camel is used to turn the mill whose stones crush the grain or bruise the berries or seeds from which different oils are extracted. Some will say, primitive, indeed; but the Damascene’s reply would be that it is effective and inexpensive; and, where time is of little object, these are important items.
But the sights of Damascus are not all on the streets. For a good view of the city itself you must get the favor of a minaret keeper, and have his permission to climb to the gallery of the minaret and from there look out over the roofs, courts, towers, and streets of the city beneath you. Be it said to the credit of the damascene that, although he is a faithful follower of the “desert prophet,” the fanaticism so often exhibited by Mohammedans is absent in him.
An interesting outlook of the city is obtained from a minaret near the west end of the street called “Straight.” From this position one immediately appreciates how well that ancient thoroughfare deserves its name; for the street, which is roofed in, runs in a direct line across the city from west to east fro about one and a half miles. This street still bears the same name as in the days of the Apostle Paul.
But the principal attraction of the city is the great mosque, which is located in the heart of the busy capital, and can only be reached through one of its many populous streets. This spacious resort for worship has recently been rebuilt, the funds being contributed from all parts of the Moslem world, for in 1893 the edifice had been almost entirely destroyed by fire.
The mosque has had a varied experience, being at one time a heathen temple, then a Christian church, then held jointly by the Mohammedans and Christians and used as church and mosque at the same time, but since the eighth century the Mohammedans have had the sole use of it for their own purposes.
The outer court of the mosque is entered by three gateways, each guarded by massive bronze doors of great antiquity, and which were saved at the time of the great fire. The workmanship of these doors is very fine, the detail showing that at some time there were those who were able to turn out work in bronze that will compete with anything of modern times. Because of the crowds that throng these entrances and the dark location they are in, it is difficult to secure anything like a good photograph of the gates.
We will enter by one of the doors on the north, and thus avoid giving offense by turning our backs on Mecca. The interior, which is quite 300 feet long, has a very imposing appearance, the numerous huge columns on either side adding materially to its grandeur. These columns, each 20 feet high, were all quarried in and brought from the adjacent mountains of Lebanon, and, for finish and workmanship, speak well for the ability of the Damascus stone mason. The floor of the mosque is usually covered with costly and beautiful rugs, the gifts of rich Mohammedans from all parts of the Orient.
On entering this magnificent place of worship the eye is at once attracted by an imposing and elaborately decorated structure that has a place between two of the massive columns near the center of the building. On inquiry you will be told that it is the tomb of John the Baptist’s head, a shrine respected alike by Mohammedans and Christians.
The local tradition says that after the execution of the Messiah’s forerunner his head was sent to Damascus, then the capital of the district over which Herod had jurisdiction, so that his superior officer might see that the deed had really been done and one supposed inciter to rebellion disposed of. When the Saracen conqueror Khalid captured Damascus and was searching the church for treasure, he came across this revered relic and caused it to be interred and covered by a fine structure, which has been carefully preserved ever since. The dome of this monument is covered with green, the religious color of the Mohammedans, surmounted with the star and crescent. The sides, which are cage like in appearance, are of brass rods and filagree-work of very exquisite design. The fact of this shrine being in the mosque accounts for the laxity regarding the entrance of Christians as compared with mosques in other Mohammedan cities.
In the south wall of the building are two exquisite pieces of modern mosaic-work of which the Damascenes are justly proud.
These form prayer niches toward which the faithful turn when engaging in their devotions, as they face toward Mecca, their holy city. The niches, which are about to feet high, are made up of hundreds of tiny pieces of colored marble, glass, granite, and other stones gathered from all parts of Europe and Asia and are the work of men resident in the city. Every one of the tiny columns seen in the work is delicately carved and must have required infinite patience and ingenuity.
Both niches are the gifts of rich Moslems as thank-offerings to God for a safe return from the long and trying pilgrimage to Mecca, some 800 miles distant across the Arabian desert.
West of these modern mosaics is another fine piece of work in the shape of a massive pulpit worked and carved entirely in white marble, brought from the quarries of Italy but worked in Damascus.
From this pulpit the weekly sermon is preached to the crowds who have gathered for the Friday service, that day being equivalent to the Western Sunday. This delicately wrought piece of filagree- work in marble is also a gift to the mosque in return for blessings received.
A visit to the mosque is usually concluded by ascending the minaret on the southwest side of the building, the only one that survived the fire already referred to. The minaret is of pure Arabian workmanship and is a wonder of skill and design. In shape it is octagonal, and has three galleries, one above the other, tapering toward the top and ending with a ball surmounted with the crescent. Unlike the two minarets, this one is built of different-colored stones, which from a distance give it a very pleasing appearance.
From the gallery a magnificent view of the city is to be had. The main bazaars and streets are prominent because of the semicircular roofs over them; the many tiny domes with glass windows locate the numerous Turkish baths of the city, which are well patronized by the inhabitants; the well-preserved Crusading castle in the center of Damascus denotes the military headquarters of the troops, while the spots of green interspersed about the city tell of many a shady courtyard, fragrant with flowers and trees continually watered form the fountain that plays in its midst.
Beyond the city may be seen barrenness, fertility, mountain, and plain, while the many-miled circle of green that encompasses the town is a sight never to be forgotten. It is not to be wandered at that the Damascenes are proud of their city and think there is no other like it, and well they may, for its equal has yet to be found.
Damascus is a city of sacred shrines, for many worthy and brave men have been interred there. From a military point of view the tomb of Saladin, the great hero of the Saracens, is the most important in the city. It is to be found in a small mausoleum attached to the great mosque. A glass case at the head of the marble sarcophagus contains a golden wreath placed there by the present Kaiser during his visit to the city. Great and deep offense was given to the Damascenes because worked into the wreath was a cross. The Mohammedans petitioned Constantinople for its removal, but the late Sultan ordered it to remain, as it was put in place by the German Emperor.
To the religiously inclined the tomb of Fatima, the only child and daughter of Mohammed, is the most important in the city, and is to be found among the thousands of graves at the north end of the long Meidan. It is inclosed by an iron cage, and is the constant care of scores of women.
Beibars and his son, both great heroes of the Saracen period, have their tombs in Damascus, and are visited by thousand of men yearly. In many of the mausoleums of these worthies are stored heaps of valuable manuscripts which if searched and translated, might add valuable information to the history of the Orient.
Damascus as a center for trade is probably unequaled in the Turkish Empire. From its forges all kinds of iron-work are carried into Central Arabia; from its many looms clothing and curtains of silk and cotton are transported to all parts of Asia and Europe; from its bazaars saddles, brass-work, and confectionery are taken to Constantinople, Bagdad, and the large cities of the east. Its apricots are parboiled and then exported by the thousands of cans to France, and from its silk-winding machines thousands of skeins find their way to all parts of the civilized world.
To its many merchants and skilled workmen come by steam and camel-train the raw products of the world-mother-of-pearl from the Persian Golf; ebony, mahogany, and precious woods form India; spices form Yemen and Persia; rugs and carpets from Armenia and Mesopotamia; leather from Europe; iron, brass, and steel from England; paper, cloth, cotton goods, and sundries from Germany, and petroleum for lighting purposes form Russia, with a limited supply from America.
The fertile Hauran and the extensive plains of Moab furnish the wheat and barley necessary for such a large city. The grain is brought thither on camels’ backs or by the Mecca railway. This Mecca railroad has caused Jerusalem to suffer considerably, because the large supplies of wheat and native produce which the Holy city originally obtained east of the Jordan are now all sent by rail to Damascus.
There is no doubt that Damascus, as the terminus of the Aleppo, Haifa, Beirut, and Mecca railroads, is bound ere long to become the hub of the East. To and from it will radiate trade and commerce such as it has not known in all its history. part 1 part 2
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