January 19th. We left Kolleya at half-past one o’clock P.M., and

[p.301] proceeded over the plain. In three hours, we came to low hills

of moving sand; at four hours, to a stony plain, with masses of rock

lying across the road: direction N. 25 W. At the end of nine hours, we

halted during the night near the village of Rabegh, our road having been

constantly level. Three or four hamlets, little distant from each other,

are all comprised under this appellation; the principal of which, like

that of Kholeys, is distinguished by the additional name of Es-Souk, or

the market-place. The neighbouring plain is cultivated, and thick

plantations of palm-trees render Rabegh a place of note on this route.

Amongst the palm-trees grow a few tamarinds, or Thamr Hindy, the green

fruit of which was now sufficiently ripe and pleasant. A few of these

trees likewise grow at Mekka. Some rain had fallen here lately, and the

ground was, in many parts, tilled. The ploughs of those Arabs, which are

drawn by oxen or camels, resemble those delineated by Niebuhr, and which

are, I believe, generally used in the Hedjaz and. Yemen. [I cannot

conceive what could have led Ptolemy to place a river in the direction

between Mekka and Yembo, as certainly no river empties itself into the

sea any where in the Hedjaz. In winter time, many torrents rush down

from the mountains.] Rabegh possesses the advantage of a number of

wells, the water of which is, however, but indifferent: its vicinity to

the sea, which, as I heard, was six or seven miles distant, though the

view of it was hid by palm-groves, causes the coast of Rabegh to be

visited by many country ships that are in want of water. The Bedouins of

this coast are active fishermen, and bring hither from the more distant

ports their salted fish; a quantity of which may always be found in the

market, where it is bought up by the Arab ships’ crews, who consume a

great part of it, and carry the rest to Egypt or Djidda. The inhabitants

of Rabegh are of the above-mentioned Harb tribes of Aamer and Zebeyd,

principally the latter. In the opposite mountains, to the east, live the

Beni Owf, another tribe of Harb. The hadjys passing by sea from Egypt to

Djidda, are obliged to take the ihram opposite to Rabegh, which they may

do either on shore, or on board snip.

An accident occurred here, which showed in the strongest light the total

want of charity in our companions the Malays. There were several poorer

Malays, who, unable to pay for the hire of a camel, followed

[p.302] their comrades on foot; but as our night journeys were long,

these men came in sometimes an hour or two after we had alighted in the

morning. To-day one of them was brought in under an escort of two

Bedouins of the tribe of Owf, who told us that they had found him

straying in the Desert, and that he had promised them twenty piastres if

they would guide him to the caravan, and that they expected his friends

would make up this sum, the man, as they saw, being himself quite

destitute of money. When they found that none of our party showed any

inclination to pay even the smallest part of this sum, and that all of

them disclaimed any knowledge or acquaintance with the man, who, they

said had joined the caravan at starting from Mekka without his person

being in the least known to them, the Bedouins declared that they should

take the little clothing he had upon him, and keep him a prisoner in

their tents till some other Malays should pass, who might release him.

When the caravan was preparing to start, they seized him, and carried

him off a short distance towards the wood. He was so terrified that he

had lost the power of speech, and permitted himself to be led away,

without making the slightest resistance. Our own guides were no match

for the Owf, a tribe much dreaded for its warlike and savage character;

there was no judge in the village of Rabegh, to whose authority an

appeal might be made; and the two Bedouins had a legitimate claim upon

their prisoner. I should have performed no great act of generosity in

paying his ransom myself; but I thought that this was a duty incumbent

upon his countrymen the Malays, and therefore used all my endeavours to

persuade them to do it. I really never met with such hard-hearted,

unfeeling wretches; they unanimously declared that they did not know the

man, and were not bound to incur any expense on his account. The camels

were loaded; they had all mounted, and the leader was on the point of

starting, when the miserable object of the dispute broke out in loud

lamentations. I had waited for this moment. Relying on the respect I

enjoyed in the caravan from being supposed a hadjy in some measure

attached to Mohammed Aly’s army, and the good-will of our guides, which

I had cultivated by distributing victuals liberally amongst them ever

since we left Mekka, I seized the leader’s camel, made it couch down,

and exclaimed, that the

[p.303] caravan should not proceed till the man was released. I then

went from load to load, and partly by imprecating curses on the Malays

and their women, and partly by collaring some of them, I took from every

one of their camels twenty paras, (about three pence,) and, after a long

contest, made up the twenty piastres. This sum I carried to the Bedouins

who had remained at a distance with their prisoner, and representing to

them his forlorn state, and appealing to the honour of their tribe,

induced them to take ten piastres. According to true Turkish maxims, I

should have pocketed the other ten, as a compensation for my trouble; I,

however, gave them to the poor Malay, to the infinite mortification of

his countrymen. The consequence was, that, during the rest of the

journey, they entirely discarded him from their party, and he was thrown

upon my hands, till we arrived at Medina, and during his residence

there. I intended to have provided him with the means of returning to

Yembo, but I fell dangerously ill soon after my arrival at Medina, and

know not what afterwards became of him.

Several pilgrims were begging for charity in the market of Rabegh. These

poor people, in starting from Mekka for Medina with the great caravan,

fancy that they are sufficiently strong to bear the fatigues of that

journey, and know that, in travelling with the caravan, charitable

hadjys are to be found who will supply them with food and water; but the

long night-marches soon exhaust their strength, they linger behind on

the road, and, after great privations and delays, are obliged to proceed

on their journey by other opportunities. An Afghan pilgrim here joined

our party; he was an old man, of very extraordinary strength, and had

come the whole way from Kaboul to Mekka on foot, and intended to return

in the same manner. I regretted his slight acquaintance with Arabic, as

he seemed an intelligent man, and could no doubt have given me some

interesting information respecting his country.

January 20th. We left Rabegh at four P.M. Our road lay N. 8 W., in most

parts of black flint, interspersed with some hills of sand, upon which

were a few trees. Having enjoyed no repose whatever for the last two

days, I fell asleep upon my camel, and can only say, that after a ride

of eleven hours, over hilly and sandy ground, we alighted at

[p.304] Mastoura, a station of the Hadj. Two large and deep wells, cased

with stone, afford here a copious supply of good water. Near them stood

the tomb of a saint called Sheikh Madely, which had been demolished by

the Wahabys. About ten miles east of this is a high mountain, called

Djebel Ayoub, “Job’s Mountain,” overtopping the other summits of the

chain of which it forms a part, and covered in many spots with trees.

It is inhabited by the Owf tribe. The whole road from Kolleya to this

place is dangerous on account of the robberies of these Bedouins; and

the caravan never passes without losing some of its loads or camels. In

the time of the Wahabys it was completely secure; the Sheikhs of the

Harb, and the whole tribe being made responsible for all depredations

committed in their territory. The Wahabys, however, had not been able to

subdue the Owf in their own mountains; and a proof of their independence

appeared in the long hair which this tribe wore, contrary to the Wahaby

precept, which had established it as a universal law to shave the head

bare.

We found, at the wells of Mastoura, several flocks of camels and sheep,

which the Owf shepherds and shepherdesses were watering. I bought from

them a lamb for a few piastres and some tobacco, and divided it among

our guides and those who accompanied us on foot. The Malays came to ask

me for their share, giving me to understand that their compliance with

my entreaties in favour of their poor countryman, was deserving of

reward; but the Bedouins who were with us, saved me, by their taunting

reprimands, the trouble of answering them. Several tombs of hadjys were

seen near the wells, which the Wahabys had respected; for they seldom

injured any tombs that pride or bigotry had left unadorned.

January 21st. We set out at three o’clock P.M. The plain we crossed is

either flinty, or presents spots of cultivable clay. The direction was

north. After proceeding over a sandy plain, covered with low brush-wood

for two hours and a half, we had Djebel Ayoub about six miles distant:

then begins a lower ridge of mountains, running parallel to the road.

Here we quitted the great Hadj route, which turns off in a more westerly

direction, and we proceeded towards the mountains N. 15 E. to reach

Szafra by the nearest route. After a

[p.305] march of thirteen hours, over uneven ground and low hills, we

halted near day-break, in a sandy plain, by the well called Bir-es’-

Sheikh. It will have been observed, that our night marches were always

very long; but the rate of the camel’s walk was very slow, scarcely more

than two miles an hour, or two and a quarter. Bir-es’-Sheikh is a well

between thirty and forty feet deep, and fifteen feet in diameter,

solidly cased with stone; the work of men who felt more anxiety for the

convenience of travellers to the holy cities, than the present chiefs of

the faithful evince. If pressed for time, the Hadj sometimes takes this

route; but it goes usually by Beder, where the Egyptian and Syrian

caravans, on their road to Mekka, follow each other, at the interval of

one day or two, their time of setting out upon the journey invariably

taking place on fixed days. We were now close to the great chain, which,

since we left Kholeys, had been on our right: a ridge of it, a few miles

north of Bir-es’-Sheikh, takes a westerly direction towards the sea, and

at its extremity lies Beder. We met Bedouins at this well also; they

were of the tribe of Beni Salem, or Sowaleme: our guides bought a sheep

of them, and roasted it in the Medjba, a hole dug in the sand, and

lined with small stones, which are heated; the flesh is laid upon them,

and then covered by cinders and the wet skin of the animal, and closely

shut up with sand and clay. In an hour and a half the meat is cooked,

and, as it loses none of its juices, has an excellent flavour.

January 22nd. We left the well at half-past three P.M. Route N. 10 W.

ascending over uneven ground. In an hour and a half we entered the

mountains, at the angle formed by the great chain on one side, and the

above-mentioned branch, which extends towards Beder, on the other. From

hence we continued N.N.E. in valleys of sandy soil, full of detached

rocks. High mountains with sharp-pointed summits, and entirely barren,

enclosed the road on both sides. The Eastern mountain, which here runs

parallel with it, is called Djebel Sobh; the territory of the powerful

tribe of Beni Sobh, a branch of the Beni Harb. Their mountains contain

many fertile valleys, where date-trees grow, and some dhourra is sown.

It is here that the Mekka balsam-tree is principally found, and the

Senna Mekka, or Arabian

[p.306] senna, which the Syrian caravan exports, is collected

exclusively in this district. The passage into the interior parts of

this mountain is described as very difficult, and could never be forced

by the Wahabys. Numerous families of the other tribes of Harb had

retreated thither, with all their goods and cattle, from the arms of

Saoud; and while all the Hedjaz Bedouins submitted to the Wahaby

dominion, the Sobh was the only tribe which successfully defended their

territory, and boldly asserted their independence.

After a march of six hours and a half, the road began to ascend among

low rocky hills. At seven hours and a half we entered Wady Zogág, a

narrow valley of gentle ascent, full of loose stones, and overgrown with

acacia-trees. In proceeding up, it grew narrower, the path became

steeper, and more difficult for the camels. At the end of thirteen

hours, we came to level ground at its top, and there entered the valley

of Es’ Szafra, close by the village of the same name, at which we

alighted.

January 23d. Our camels being tired, having found very little food on

the road, though they always had the whole morning to pasture, and

several of them threatening to break down, the drivers stopped here the

whole day. Like the before-mentioned Bedouin villages, Szafra is a

market-place for all the surrounding tribes: its houses are built on the

declivity of the mountain, and in the valley, which is narrow, leaving

scarcely room enough for the date-groves which line both sides of it. A

copious rivulet flows down the valley, the water of which is dispersed

among the date-trees, and irrigates some cultivated fields in the wider

parts of the windings of this valley. Wheat, dhourra, barley, and dokhen

are sown here; of vegetables the Badendján, or egg-plant, Meloukhye

onions and radishes are cultivated; and vines, lemon, and banana-trees

abound. The soil is every where sandy, but rendered fertile by

irrigation: copious rains had fallen three days since in the mountains,

and a torrent twenty feet broad, and three or four feet deep, was still

flowing. The date-groves extend about four miles; they belong to the

inhabitants of Szafra, as well as of neighbouring Bedouins, who keep

some of their own people, or Arab labourers, employed in irrigating the

grounds, and repair hither themselves when

[p.307] the dates are ripe. The date-trees pass from one person to

another in the course of trade, and are sold by the single tree; the

price paid to a girl’s father on marrying her, consists often in date-

trees. They all stand in deep sand, which is collected from the middle

parts of the valley, and heaped up round their root, and must be renewed

annually, as the torrents usually wash it away. Every small grove is

enclosed by a mud or stone wall; the cultivators inhabit several

hamlets, or insulated houses, scattered among the trees. The houses are

low, and generally have only two rooms, and there is a small court-yard

for the cattle. Several springs of running water, and many wells, are

found in the gardens; the principal rivulet has its source in a grove

close to the market; a small Mesdjed or mosque is built beside it, and

it is overshadowed by a few large wild chesnut-trees. I saw no others of

that species in the Hedjaz. Here, too, the water of the spring was

tepid, but in a less degree than at Rabegh and Kholeys.

The inhabitants of this valley, the name of which is celebrated in the

Hedjaz for the abundance of its dates, are of the Beni Salem tribe, the

most numerous branch of Harb, and, like most other tribes of the Hedjaz,

partly Bedouins and partly settled inhabitants; the latter remaining in

their houses and gardens the whole year round, though they dress and

live in the same manner as their brethren under tents. The Wahaby chief

had been aware of the importance of this station; and having succeeded,

after a long resistance, in overpowering the Beni Harb, who held the key

of the Northern Hedjaz, [In this enterprise he was assisted by Medheyan,

formerly a chief of Harb, who had been deprived of his post by Djezy, a

fortunate rival. Medheyan was afterwards treacherously seized by the

Turks at Medina, and beheaded at Constantinople; and Djezy, a friend of

Mohammed Aly, was killed by the Turkish governor of Medina, for having

spoken too highly of his services.] thought it necessary to keep a

watchful eye over this valley, and there built several strong block-

houses or towers, in which the collectors of his revenues resided, and

where they deposited the taxes collected from the valley. All these

Bedouins were decidedly hostile to the Wahaby system: even now, though

free from their yoke, they load them with as many reproaches,

[p.308] as the Mekkans bestow praises on them. Before the Wababy

invasion, the Beni Harb had never known a master, nor had the produce of

their fields ever been taxed. The Sherif of Mekka certainly assumed a

nominal supremacy over them; but they were in fact completely

independent, and their Sheikhs seconded the Sherif’s views so far only

as they were thought beneficial, or of pecuniary advantage to their own

people. The latter now complained greatly of the heavy taxation imposed

by the Wahabys, and said that, besides the money they were obliged to

pay into Saoud’s treasury, the chief of all the Wahaby Sheikhs of the

Hedjaz, Othman el Medheyfe, had extorted from them many additional

sums. I thought the accuracy of this information doubtful; for I knew

that the Wahaby chief had always shown particular care in preventing

such acts of injustice in his officers, and punished those who were

guilty. They also told me that not only had their gardens and

plantations been taxed, but the very water with which they irrigated

them had been assessed at a yearly sum.

The dress of the people of Szafra consists of a shirt, and a short gown

of coarse Indian coloured calico, over which they wear a white abba of

light texture, the same as that worn by the Bedouins of the Euphrates,

near Aleppo, and which is similar to the dress of all the Beni Harb who

have become settlers; while the Bedouins of the tribe wear the brown and

white striped abba. The profits which they derive from the passage of

caravans, and their petty dealings, seem to have had a baneful influence

upon their character, for they cheat as much as they can: they are,

however, not destitute of commiseration and hospitality towards the poor

hadjys, who, in their passage, contrive to collect from the shops as

much as is necessary for their daily food. We here met several poor

pilgrims on their way to Medina, who had nothing to subsist upon but

what they obtained from the generosity of the Bedouins on the road. This

was not the first time that I reflected how ill had been applied the

splendid liberality of many Khalifes and Sultans, who, while they

enriched Mekka and Medina, and spent enormous sums to provide for the

sumptuous passage of the great Hadj caravans through the holy land, yet

entirely neglected to provide for the comfort and security of the

immense number of poor pilgrims

[p.309] who are continually travelling through that country. Half-a-

dozen houses of charity, established between Mekka and Medina, with an

annual endowment of a few thousand dollars, would be of more real

service to the cause of their religion, than all the sums spent in

feeding the idle, or keeping up a vain show. On the whole of this route

between Mekka and Medina, there is not a public khan, nor has any thing

been done for the benefit of travellers, beyond keeping the wells in

repair. The only instance of a truly charitable act in any of the

sovereigns who enriched Mekka, recorded by the historians, is the

building of an hospital at Mekka, in A.H. 816, by order of Moayed,

Sultan of Egypt. No traces of it now remain.

In the market-street of Szafra, which is called Souk-es’-Szafra, dates

are the principal article for sale. The pound, which costs twenty-five

paras at Mekka, was sold here for ten. Honey, preserved in sheep-skins,

forms another article of trade here. The neighbouring mountains are full

of bee-hives. In those districts which are known to be frequented by

bees, the Bedouins place wooden hives upon the ground, and the bees

never fail to take possession of them. The honey is of the best quality;

I saw one sort of it as white, and almost as clear, as water. Drugs and

spices, and some perfumes, of which the Bedouins of those countries are

very fond, may here also be purchased.

Szafra and Beder are the only places in the Hedjaz where the balsam of

Mekka, or Balesan, can be procured in a pure state. The tree from which

it is collected grows in the neighbouring mountains, but principally

upon Djebel Sobh, and is called by the Arabs Beshem. I was informed that

it is from ten to fifteen feet high, with a smooth trunk, and thin bark.

In the middle of summer, small incisions are made in the bark; and the

juice, which immediately issues, is taken off with the thumb-nail, and

put into a vessel. The gum appears to be of two kinds; one of a white,

and the other of a yellowish-white colour: the first is the most

esteemed. I saw here some of the latter sort, in a small sheep-skin,

which the Bedouins use in bringing it to market: it had a strong,

turpentine smell, and its taste was bitter. The people of Szafra usually

adulterate it with sesamum oil, and tar. When they try its purity, they

dip their finger into it and then set fire to it; if it burn

[p.310] without hurting or leaving a mark on the finger, they judge it

to be of good quality; but if it burn the finger as soon as it is set on

fire, they consider it to be adulterated. I remember to have read, in

Bruce’s Travels, an account of the mode of trying it, by letting a drop

fall into a cup filled with water; the good Balesan falling coagulated

to the bottom, and the bad dissolving, and swimming on the surface. I

tried this experiment, which was unknown to the people here, and found

the drop swim upon the water; I tried also their test by fire upon the

finger of a Bedouin, who had to regret his temerity: I therefore

regarded the balsam sold here as adulterated; it was of less density

than honey. I wished to purchase some; but neither my own baggage, nor

any of the shops of Szafra, could furnish any thing like a bottle to

hold it: the whole skin was too dear. The Bedouins, who bring it here,

usually demand two or three dollars per pound for it, when quite pure;

and the Szafra Arabs re-sell it to the hadjys of the great caravan, at

between eight and twelve dollars per pound in an adulterated state. It

is bought up principally by Persians.

The Balesan for sale at Djidda and Mekka, from whence it comes to Cairo,

always undergoes several adulterations; and if a hadjy does not casually

meet with some Bedouins, from whom he may purchase it at first hand, no

hopes can be entertained of getting it in a pure state. The richer

classes of the hadjys put a drop of Balesan into the first cup of coffee

they drink in the morning, from a notion that it acts as a tonic. The

seeds of the tree from which it is obtained, are employed in the Hedjaz

to procure abortion.

I must notice here, as a peculiarity in the customs of the Beni Salem

tribe, that, in case of the Dye, or the fine for a man slain, (amounting

here to eight hundred dollars,) being accepted by the deceased’s family,

the sum is made up by the murderer and his family, and by his relations;

the former paying one-third, and the kindred two-thirds; a practice

which, as far as my knowledge extends, does not prevail in any other

part of the Desert.

Our Bedouin guides had here a long quarrel with the Malays. The guides

had bargained in the market for two camels, to replace two that were

unfit to continue the journey; but not having money enough to

[p.311] pay for them, they required the assistance of the Malays, and

begged them to lend ten dollars, to be repaid at Medina. The Malays

refused, and being hardly pressed, endeavoured to engage my

interposition in their behalf; but the Bedouins forced the money from

them by the same means which I had employed on a former occasion: the

purse of a Malay, which had been concealed in a bag of rice, now came to

light; it probably contained three hundred dollars. The owner was so

much frightened by this discovery, and the apprehension that the Arabs

would murder him on the road for the sake of his money, that by way of

punishment for his avarice, they contrived to keep him in a constant

state of alarm till we arrived at Medina.

January 24th. We left the Souk-Es’-Szafra [During the night, a Kurd

courier, mounted upon a dromedary, escorted by several Bedouins, passed

through Szafra; he came from the head-quarters of Mohammed Aly, and was

the bearer of the intelligence of the capture of Tarabe to Tousoun

Pasha, at Medina] we passed the Omra thus far the road is paved in

several parts with large stones, particularly on the ascents. We passed

through valleys of firm sand, between irregular chains of low hills,

where some shrubs and stunted acacia-trees grow. The road, with few

exceptions, was perfectly level.] at 3 P.M., and rode along the valley,

which widens a little beyond the market-place. The brilliant verdure of

the date-trees and plantations form a singular contrast with the barren

mountains on each side. Our direction was N. 10 E. I found the rock here

composed throughout of red Thon stone, with transverse strata of the

same substance, but of a green colour; beyond Djedeyde, a little higher

up, I found, in my return from Medina, feldspar rocks. At one hour from

the Souk, we passed a similar village in the valley, called El Kharma,

which is comprised within the Wady Szafra. At the end of two hours, we

came to a public fountain in ruins, on the road, near a well half choked

up. The valley here divides; one branch turns towards the N.W.; the

other, which we followed, N.N.E. Two hours and a half, we passed a

hamlet called Dar el Hamra, with gardens of date-trees, and plantations,

inhabited by the tribe of Howaseb, another branch of Harb. Several small

watch-towers had been built here on the summits of the neighbouring

mountains, on both sides of the valleys, by Othman el Medhayfe, to

secure this passage. Plenty of bananas were offered us for sale, as we

passed this place. At the end of two hours and three quarters, the road

begins to ascend, and the soil of the valley, which thus far from Szafra

is gravel intermixed with sand, now becomes stony.

[p.312] In four hours and a quarter we passed the village called Mokad,

which also produces dates.

We stopped here for a quarter of an hour; where we were surrounded by

many of the inhabitants; and on remounting my camel, I found that

several trifling articles had been pilfered from my baggage. This defile

is particularly dreaded by the Hadj caravans; and stories are related of

daring robberies committed by the Arabs which appear almost incredible.

They dress sometimes like Turkish soldiers, and introduce themselves

into the caravan while on their march during the night; and in this

manner they carried off, the year before, one of the finest led horses

of the Pasha of Damascus, the chief of the Syrian caravan. They jump

from behind upon the camel of the sleeping hadjy, stop his mouth with

their abbas, and throw down to their companions whatever valuables they

find upon him. If discovered, they draw their daggers and cut their way

through; for, if taken, they can expect no mercy. The usual mode of

punishment on such occasions, is to impale them at the moment the

caravan starts from the next station, leaving them to perish on the

stake, or be devoured by wild beasts. The horrors of such a punishment,

however, do not deter others from committing the same crimes; and

individuals among the Bedouins pride themselves in being reckoned expert

Hadj-robbers, because great courage and dexterity are necessary to such

a character. From hence our road lay N. 20 E. A barren valley about

three hundred yards across begins here, which, at the end of six hours

and a half, conducted us with many windings to Djedeyde, situated in a

spot where the road becomes straight and has a steep ascent. I saw a

great many date-trees on both sides of the valley, which takes the

general name of Djedeyde, and is divided into several villages. Near the

southern entrance is the market-place, or Es’-Souk Djedeyde, which

appeared to be of greater extent than that of Szafra; but it is now

almost in ruins. From thence the valley becomes still narrower, running

between steep rocks for about one hour. It was in this spot that

Mohammed Aly’s first expedition against the Wahabys, under the command

of his son Tousoun Beg, was defeated in autumn 1811. They had possession

of both mountains, and the discharges of musketry from each side

[p.313] reached across the valley, where the Turkish army attempted in

vain to pass. Most of the Sheikhs of the tribe of Harb, and the two

great southern Wahaby chiefs, Othman el Medheyfe and Tamy, were present,

with two of the sons of Saoud.

At seven hours and a half, we passed El Kheyf, the last village in the

valley of Djedeyde; several insulated groups of houses are also

scattered along the valley. About eighty tents of Turkish soldiers were

pitched here, to guard this pass; one of the most important positions in

the Hedjaz, because it is the only way by which caravans can proceed

from Mekka or Yembo to Medina. The Harb tribe are well fitted, by their

warlike temper, to defend this post. Even before the Wahaby conquest,

they had repeatedly been at war with the Syrian caravan, and Djezzar

Pasha himself had been several times repulsed here, and obliged to take

the eastern Hadj route, at the back of the great chain, rather than

submit to the exorbitant demands of the Beni Harb for permitting the

Hadj to pass through their territories. Abdullah Pasha of Damascus, who

conducted the Hadj eighteen times in person to Mekka, was compelled to

do the same. Whenever the Harb are in amity with the caravan, they have

a right to a considerable passage duty, which is paid at Djedeyde.

Szafra appeared to me better peopled, and to contain more houses, than

are now in Djedeyde. In speaking of this pass, the Arabs generally join

the two names, and say, “the valley of Szafra and Djedeyde.” Beyond El

Kheyf the valley widens, and forms many windings. Our caravan was here

in constant fear of robbers, which kept us awake, though the severe cold

during the night would not have suffered us to sleep. Our main direction

from Kheyf was N. 40 E. At twelve hours, gently ascending through the

valley, we entered a plain, situated in the midst of the mountains,

about ten miles in length, called El Nazye, where we alighted.

January 26th. We remained encamped here the whole day, some passengers

having acquainted us that disturbances had broken out on the road before

us, which we did not discover to be a false report till the next day.

The rocks surrounding this plain are partly of granite, and partly of

lime-stone. The plain is thickly covered with acacia-trees.

[p.314] Good water is found on the side of the mountains, but not in the

plain itself. Some Bedouins of Beni Salem, to which tribe the

inhabitants of Djedeyde also belong, pastured their flocks here: they

were chiefly occupied in collecting food for their camels from the

acacia-trees; for this purpose, they spread a straw mat under the tree,

and beat its boughs with long sticks, when the youngest and freshest

leaves, from the extremities of the twigs, fall down: these are esteemed

the best food for camels. I saw them sold in measures, in the market at

Szafra. We exchanged some biscuits for milk with these Bedouins; and

one, to whom I had given a small dose of rhubarb, brought me some fresh

butter in return.

January 26th. We started at two P.M., and an hour and a half’s march

over the plain brought us to the mountain. The whole breadth of this

plain is about six miles. We then entered the mountain in the direction

N. 50 E. The mixed rocks of granite and lime-stone present no regular

strata. We next passed through a short defile, and, at the end of two

hours and a half, entered a small plain called Shab el Hál, between the

mountains, where were several encampments of Bedouins. At five hours, we

entered a broad valley, running in a straight line, and covered with

white sand. The night was cold, and the moon shone beautifully; I

therefore walked in front of the caravan, whose pace being slow, I soon

advanced, without perceiving it, to a considerable distance a-head.

Finding that it did not come up, I sat down under a tree, and was going

to light a fire, when I heard the tread of horses advancing towards me.

I kept hidden behind the trees, and presently saw some Bedouins of very

suspicious appearance pass by. After waiting a long time for the

caravan, and unable to account for its delay, I retraced my steps, and

found the camels standing at rest, and taking breath, and every soul

upon them fast asleep, the foot-passengers being still behind. This

happened to us several times during our journey. When the camel hears no

voices about it, and is not urged by the leader, it slackens its pace,

and at last stands still to rest; and if the leading camel once stops,

all the rest do the same. I roused the Arabs, and we proceeded. The next

day, we learnt that some travellers had been plundered this night on the

road--no doubt by the horsemen

[p.315] who passed me, and who probably dispersed when they saw a large

caravan approaching.

The valley in which we were travelling is called Wady es’ Shohada, or

the “Valley of Martyrs,” where many followers of Mohammed are said to

have been killed in battle: their remains are covered by rude heaps of

stones in different parts of the valley. Here also are seen several

tombs of hadjys; and I observed some walls, much ruined, where a small

chapel or mosque appeared to have stood: no water is found here. This is

a station of the Hadj caravan. At the end of nine hours, we issued from

this wady, which is on a very slight ascent; and then taking a direction

E.N.E. we crossed a rocky ground, and entered a wide plain called El

Fereysh, where two small caravans from Medina bound to Yembo passed us.

At the end of eleven hours and a half we alighted.

The plain of Fereysh, according to the historian Asamy, was the scene of

a sanguinary battle, between the Sherif of Mekka and the Bedouin tribes

of Dhofyr and Aeneze, in A.H. 1063. The Dhofyr, who are now settled in

Mesopotamia, towards Baghdad, were at that time pasturing their herds in

the neighbourhood of Medina.

January 27th. The rocks here are all of red granite. A party of

Bedouins, with their women, children, and tents passed us; they belonged

to the tribe of Harb, called El Hamede, and had left the upper country,

where no rain had yet fallen, to seek better pasturage in the lower

mountains. While we were encamped, a heavy storm, with thunder and

lightning, overtook us, and the rain poured down: as it threatened to be

of long duration, and we had no tents, it was thought advisable to

proceed. We started in the afternoon; and it continued to rain during

the rest of the day and the whole night, which, joined to the cold

climate in these elevated regions, was severely felt by all of us. Our

road ascended through rocky valleys full of thorny trees; it was crossed

by several torrents that had rapidly swollen, and which we passed with

difficulty. After seven hours’ march we reached the summit of this chain

of mountains, when the immense eastern plain lay stretched before us: we

passed several insulated hills. The ground is covered with black and

brown flints. In nine hours we passed at

[p.316] some distance to the west of the date-plantations, and the few

houses built round the well called Bir Aly. At the end of ten hours, in

the middle of the night, just as the weather had cleared up, and a

severe frost succeeded the rain, we arrived before the gate of Medina.

It was shut, and we had to wait till day-light before it could be

opened. Being unable to light a fire on the wet ground with wet fuel,

and being all completely soaked with the rain, the sharp frost of the

morning became distressing to us, and was probably the cause of the

fever which confined me so long in this town; for I had enjoyed perfect

health during the whole journey.

We entered Medina at sun-rise on the 28th of January, the thirteenth day

after our leaving Mekka, having halted two days on the road. The Hadj

caravan usually performs the journey in eleven days, and, if pressed for

time, in ten.

The Bedouins apply to the whole country between Mekka and Medina, west

of the mountains, the name of El Djohfe, which, however, is sometimes

understood to mean the country from Mekka to Beder only.

[p.317]MEDINA.

THE caravan alighted in a large court-yard in the suburb, where the

loads were deposited; and all the travellers who had come with it

immediately dispersed in quest of lodgings. With the help of a Mezowar,

a professional class of men, similar to the delyls at Mekka, I procured,

after some trouble, a good apartment in the principal market-street of

the town, about fifty yards from the great mosque. I transported my

baggage to those lodgings, where I was called upon by the Mezowar to

visit the mosque and the holy tomb of Mohammed; it being a law here, as

at Mekka, that a traveller arriving in the town must fulfil this duty,

before he undertakes the most trifling business.

The ceremonies are here much easier and shorter than at Mekka, as will

be presently seen. In a quarter of an hour I had gone through them, when

I was at liberty to return home to arrange my domestic affairs. My

Mezowar assisted me in the purchase of all necessary provisions, which

were not obtained without difficulty; Tousoun Pasha, the governor of the

town, having, by his inconsiderate measures, frightened away the

Bedouins and camel-drivers, who used to bring in provisions. Flour and

butter, however, those prime articles in an Eastern kitchen, were to be

had before sunset, though not found in the public market; but it was

three days before I could procure any coal, the want of which was

sensibly felt at this cold season of the year. Hearing that Yahya

Efendi, the physician of Tousoun Pasha, the same person who

[p.318] in July last had taken my bill upon Djidda, was here. I paid him

a visit next day, and showed him a letter received at Mekka, before I

had left that town, from my Cairo banker, mentioning the payment of the

bill, no news of which had yet reached Yahya himself. Much as this

gentleman’s acquaintance had been of service to me on that occasion, a

good deal took place now to detract from it. At a visit which he paid me

soon after, he happened to see my small stock of medicines, the same

that I had in my Nubian journey, during which it never was touched, some

emetics and purges only having been used whilst I staid at Djidda and

Mekka; I had therefore half a pound of good bark in my medicine sack,

untouched. Several persons of the Pasha’s court were at this time ill of

fevers; Tousoun Pasha himself was in an indifferent state of health, and

his physician had few medicines fit for such cases. He begged of me the

bark, which I gave him, as I was then in good health, and thought myself

already in the vicinity of Egypt, where I hoped to arrive in about two

months. I owed him, moreover, some obligations, and was glad to testify

my gratitude. Two days after I had cause to repent of my liberality; for

I was attacked by a fever, which soon took a very serious turn. As it

was intermittent, I wished to take bark; but when I asked the physician

for some of it, he assured me that he had already distributed the last

dram, and he brought me, instead of it, some of the powder of the

Gentiana, which had lost all its virtue from age. My fever thus

increased, accompanied by daily and repeated vomiting, and profuse

sweats, being for the whole first month quotidian. The emetics I took

proved of no service; and after having from want of bark gone through

the course of medicines I thought applicable to the case, and being very

seldom favoured with a visit from my friend Yahya Effendi, I left my

disease to nature. After the first month, there was an interval of a

week’s repose, of which had I been able to profit by taking bark, my

disorder would, no doubt, have been overcome; but it had abated only to

return with greater violence, and now became a tertian fever, while the

vomiting still continued, accompanied by occasional faintings, and ended

in a total prostration of strength. I was now unable to rise from my

carpet, without the assistance of my slave, a poor fellow, who by habit

[p.319] and nature was more fitted to take care of a camel, than to

nurse his drooping master.

I had by this time lost all hope of returning to Egypt, and had prepared

myself for dying here. Despondency had seized me, from an apprehension

that, if the news of my death should arrive in England, my whole Hedjaz

journey would, perhaps, be condemned as the unauthorised act of an

imprudent, or at least over-zealous missionary; and I had neither books,

nor any society, to divert my mind from such reflections: one book only

was in my possession, a pocket edition of Milton, which Captain Boag, at

Djidda, had kindly permitted me to take from his cabin-library, and this

I must admit was now worth a whole shelf full of others. The mistress of

my lodgings, an old infirm woman, by birth an Egyptian, who during my

stay took up her quarters in an upper story, from which she could speak

to me without being seen, as it opened into my own room below, used to

converse with me for half an hour every evening; and my cicerone, or

Mezowar, paid me occasional visits, in order, as I strongly suspected,

to seize upon part of my baggage in case of my death. Yahya Effendi left

the town in the month of March, with the army of Tousoun Pasha, which

marched against the Wababys.

About the beginning of April, the returning warmth of the spring put a

stop to my illness; but it was nearly a fortnight before I could venture

to walk out, and every breeze made me dread a return of the fever. The

bad climate of the town, its detestable water, and the great number of

diseases now prevalent, made me extremely desirous to leave Medina. My

original intention was, to remain here, at most, one month, then to take

some Bedouin guides, and with them to cross the Desert to Akaba, at the

extremity of the Red Sea, in a straight direction, from whence I might

easily have found my way to Cairo. In this route I wished to visit

Hedjer, on the Syrian Hadj road, where I expected to find some remains

of the remotest antiquity, that had not been described by any other

traveller, while the interior of the country might have offered many

other objects of research and curiosity. It was, however, utterly

impossible for me to perform this journey in my convalescent state; nor

had I any hopes of recovering, in

[p.320] two months, strength sufficient for a journey of such fatigue.

To wait so long, continually exposed to suffer again from the climate,

was highly unadvisable; and I panted for a change of air, being

convinced that, without it, my fever would soon return. With these

feelings I abandoned the long-projected design of my journey, and now

determined on going to Yembo, on the sea-coast, and from thence to

embark for Egypt; a decision in some degree rendered necessary by the

state of my purse, which a long stay at Medina had greatly reduced. When

I found myself strong enough to mount a camel, I looked out for some

conveyance to Yembo, and contracted with a Bedouin, who, together with

his companions, forming a small caravan, started for that place on the

1st of April, within six days of three months after my arrival at

Medina, eight weeks of which time I had been confined to my couch. My

remarks on Medina are but scanty; with good health, I should have added

to them: but as this town is totally unknown to Europeans, they may

contain some acceptable information. The plan of the town was made by me

during the first days of my stay; and I can vouch for the correctness of

its outlines; but I had not the same leisure to trace it in all its

details, as I had that of Mekka.

[p.321] DESCRIPTION OF MEDINA.[EXPLANATION OF THE PLAN OF MEDINA. [Not

included]]

MEDINA is situated on the edge of the great Arabian Desert, close to the

chain of mountains which traverses that country from north to south, and

is a continuation of Libanon. I have already stated in my Journal

through Arabia Petræa, that the chain on the east of the Dead Sea runs

down towards Akaba. From thence, it extends along the shore of the Red

Sea as far as Yemen, sometimes close to the sea,

[p.322] at others having an intervening plain called by the Arabs

Tahama, a name which, in Yemen, is also bestowed upon a particular part

of it. I have likewise mentioned in that Journal, that the eastern

descent of these mountains, all along the Jordan, the Dead Sea, and the

valley called Araba, down to Akaba, is much less than the western, and

that therefore the great plain of Arabia, which begins eastward of these

mountains, is considerably elevated above the level of the sea. I made

the same remark in going to Tayf, after having crossed the mountain

called Djebel Kura, which forms part of that chain; and the same is to

be observed at Medina. The mountain which we had ascended in coming from

Mekka, when seen from the coast, presents peaks of considerable height;

when we reached the upper plain, in the neighbourhood of Medina, these

summits appeared on our left like mere hills, their elevation above the

eastern plain being not more than one-third of that from the western

sea-shore.

The last undulations of these mountains touch the town on the north

side; on its other side, the country is flat, though not always a

completely even plain. A branch of the chain, called Djebel Ohod,

projects a little into the plain, at one hour’s distance from the town,

bearing from the latter N.N.E. to N.E. [In these bearings the variation

of the needle is not computed.] At eight or ten hours’ distance, (E. 6

N.-E. 6 S.) a chain of low hills rises in an eastern direction, across

which lies the road to Nedjed. Similar hills, at the same distance, are

to the S.E. The country to the south extends on a perfect level as far

as can be seen. On the S.W., about an hour, or an hour and a half

distant, a branch called Djebel Ayra projects, like Djebel Ohod, from

the main chain, into the plain.

The town itself is built on the lowest part of the plain; for it

receives the torrents from the western mountains, as well as the

currents from the S. and S.E. quarters; and they produce in the rainy

season numerous pools of stagnant water, which is left to evaporate

gradually; the gardens, trees, and walls, with which the plain abounds,

interrupting the free current of air. These gardens, and date-

plantations, interspersed with fields, enclose the town on three sides,

leaving

[p.323] only that part of the plain open to the view, which is on the

side of the road towards Mekka, where the rocky nature of the ground

renders cultivation impossible.

Medina is divided into the interior town, and the suburbs; the interior

forms an oval, of about two thousand eight hundred paces in total

circuit, ending in a point. The castle is built at the point, upon a

small rocky elevation; and the whole is enclosed by a thick stone wall,

between thirty-five and forty feet high, flanked by about thirty towers,

and surrounded by a ditch, (the work of the Wahabys,) which is in many

places nearly filled up. The wall is in complete repair, forming, in

Arabia, a very respectable defence; so that Medina has always been

considered as the principal fortress of the Hedjaz. The wall was built

A.H. 860; and till that time the town was quite open, and daily exposed

to the incursions of the neighbouring Bedouins. It was subsequently

rebuilt at different times, but principally in A.H. 900, a ditch having

been previously carried round it in 751 (v. S.) According to Asamy, it

was built as it now stands, with its gates, by order of Solyman ibn

Selym, at the close of the sixteenth century of our era. Three fine

gates lead into the town: Bab el Masry, on the south side, (which, next

to Bab el Fatouh, at Cairo, is the finest town-gate I have seen in the

East); Bab es’ Shámy, on the north side; and Bab el Ujoma, on the east

side: a smaller by-gate, called Bab es’ Soghyr, in the south wall, had

been closed up by the Wahabys. Near the Bab es’ Shámy, close to the

castle, is a niche in the town-wall, where, it is related, a small

chapel once stood, called Mesdjed es’ Sabak, from whence the warlike

adherents of Mohammed used to start in their exercise of running.

Medina is well built, entirely of stone; its houses are generally two

stories high, with flat roofs. As they are not white-washed, and the

stone is of a dark colour, the streets have rather a gloomy aspect; and

are, for the most part, very narrow, often only two or three paces

across: a few of the principal streets are paved with large blocks of

stone; a comfort which a traveller little expects to find in Arabia. It

is, on the whole, one of the best-built towns I have seen in the East,

ranking, in this respect, next to Aleppo. At present, it has a desolate

[p.324] appearance: the houses are suffered to decay; their owners, who

formerly derived great profits from the crowd of visiters which arrived

here at all times of the year, now find their income diminished, and

decline the heavy expense of building, as they know they cannot be

reimbursed by the letting out of apartments. Ruined houses, and walls

wanting repair, are seen in every part of the town; and Medina presents

the same disheartening view as most of the Eastern towns, which now

afford but faint images of their ancient splendour.

The principal street of Medina is also the broadest, and leads from the

Cairo gate to the great mosque: in this street are most of the shops.

Another considerable street, called El Belát, runs from the mosque to

the Syrian gate; but many of its houses are in ruins: this contains also

a few shops, but none are found in other parts of the town; thus

differing from Mekka, which is one continued market. In general, the

latter is much more like an Arab town than Medina, which resembles more

a Syrian city. I had no time to trace all the different quarters of the

town; but I shall here give the names by which they are at present

known.

The quarter comprised between the two main streets leading from the

Egyptian and Syrian gates to the mosque, are, Es-Saha, Komet Hasheyfe,

El Belát, Zogág el Towál, (here is situated the Mekkam, or house of the

Kadhy, and several pleasant gardens are attached to the larger

buildings;) Zogág el Dhorra, Sakyfet Shakhy, Zogág el Bakar.

The quarters lying to the north of the street El Belát, extending to the

north of the mosque, as far as the gate El Djoma, are:--El Hamáta, Zogág

el Habs, Zogág Ankyny, Zogág es’ Semáhedy, Háret el Meyda, Haret es’

Shershoura, Zogág el Bedour, Haret el Agowat, where the eunuchs of the

mosque live.

The quarters from the gate El Djoma, along the southern parts of the

town, as far as the Egyptian gate, and the great market-street, are:

Derwan, Es-Salehye, Zogág Yáhou, Háret Ahmed Heydar, Háret Beni Hosseyn,

the tribe of Beni Hosseyn living here; Háret el Besough, Háret Sakyfet,

Er-Resás, Zogág el Zerendy, Zogág el Kibreit,

[p.325] Zogág el Hadjamyn, Háret Sydy Málek, where Málek ibn Anes, the

founder of the Malekite sect, had his house, and Háret el Kamáshyn.

Very few large buildings, or public edifices, are found in the precincts

of the town. The great mosque, containing the tomb of Mohammed, is the

only temple. A fine public school, called Medrese el Hamdye, in the

street El Belát; a similar one, near the mosque, where the Sheikh el

Haram, or its guardian, lives; a large corn-magazine, enclosing a wide

yard, in the southern quarter of the town; a bath, (the only one,) not

far distant from it, built in A.H. 973, by Mohammed Pasha, vizier of

Sultan Soleyman, are all the public buildings which fell under my

observation. [The historian of Medina mentions several Okals, or public

khans, in this town; but I saw none, nor do I believe that they now

exist] This want of splendid monuments was likewise remarked by me at

Mekka. The Arabians, in general, have little taste for architecture; and

even their chiefs content themselves in their mansions with what is

merely necessary. Whatever public edifices are still found in Mekka and

Medina, are the work of the Sultans of Egypt or of Constantinople; and

the necessary expenses incurred annually by these distant sovereigns,

for the sake of the two holy cities, were too great to allow of any

augmentation for mere show. For the want of public buildings, however,

in the town, a compensation is made by the number of pretty private

habitations, having small gardens, with wells, the water of which is

used in irrigation, and fills marble basins, round which, in summer-

time, the owners pass the hours of noon under lofty sheds.

The castle, which I have mentioned above, is surrounded by very strong

walls, and several high and solid towers. I was not permitted to enter

it, on applying at the gate. It contains sufficient space for six or

eight hundred men; has many arched rooms, bomb-proof; and, if well

garrisoned, and furnished with provisions, may be deemed impregnable by

an Arabian force, as it is built upon a rock, and therefore cannot be

undermined. To European artillery, however, it would appear an

insignificant fort. It contains a deep well of good water.

[p.326] Two or three, guns only are at present mounted on its towers;

nor were there more than a dozen serviceable guns to defend the whole

town.

On the west and south of the town extend the suburbs, which cover more

ground than the town itself. They are separated from it by an open

space, narrow on the south side, but widening on the west, before the

Cairo gate, where it forms a large public place, called Monákh; a name

implying that caravans alight there, which is really the case, as it is

always crowded with camels and Bedouins. Several rows of small huts and

sheds are erected here, in which provisions are sold, principally corn,

dates, vegetables, and butter; and a number of coffee-huts, which are

beset the whole day with visiters. The side of the suburbs fronting the

Monakh has no walls; but on the outside, to the west and south, they are

enclosed by a wall, of inferior size and strength to the interior town

wall. In several parts it is completely ruined; on the south side only

it is defended by small towers. Four gates lead from the suburbs into

the open country; they are small wooden doors, of no strength, except

that leading from the Cairo gate, which is larger and better built than

the rest.

The greater part of the suburbs consists in large court-yards, with low

apartments built round them, on the ground-floor, and separated from

each other by gardens and plantations. These are called Hosh, (plur.

Hyshan,) and are inhabited by all the lower classes of the town, many

Bedouins who have become settlers here, and all those who are engaged in

agriculture. Each hosh contains thirty or forty families; thus forming

so many small separate hamlets, which, in times of unsettled government,

are frequently engaged in desperate feuds with each other. The cattle is

kept in the midst of the court-yard, in each of which is a large well;

and the only gate of entrance is regularly shut at night. On the S. and

N.W. sides of the town, within the precincts of the wall, the suburbs

consist entirely of similar court-yards, with extensive gardens between

and behind them. On the west side, directly opposite the Cairo gate and

the Monakh, the suburb consists of regular and well-built streets, with

houses resembling those of the

[p.327] interior of the town. The broad street, called El Ambarye,

crosses this part of the suburb, and has good buildings on both sides.

In this neighbourhood lived Tousoun Pasha, in a private dwelling; and

near it, in the best house of the town, belonging to the rich merchant

Abd el Shekour, lived the Pasha’s mother, the wife of Mohammed Aly, and

his own women, who had lately come on a visit.

The principal quarters of the suburbs are Háret el Ambarye, Háret el

Wádjeha, Háret es’ Sahh, Háret Abou Aysa, Háret Masr, Háret el Teyar,

Háret Nefýse, Háret el Hamdye, Háret el Shahrye, Háret el Kheybarye,

Háret el Djafar. Many people of the interior town have their summer

houses in these quarters, where they pass a month in the date-harvest.

Every garden is enclosed by mud walls, and several narrow by-lanes, just

broad enough for a loaded camel to cross the suburbs in every direction.

There are two mosques in the Monákh: the one, called Mesdjed Aly, or the

mosque of the Prophet’s cousin, is said to be as old as the time of

Mohammed; but the building, as it stands, was rebuilt in A.H. 876.

Mohammed is said to have often prayed here; and, for the convenience of

the inhabitants of the suburbs who are at a distance from the great

mosque, the Khotbe, or Friday’s prayer, is likewise performed in it. The

other mosque, called Mesdjed Omar, to which a public medrese, or school,

was attached, serves at present as a magazine, and quarters for many

soldiers. To both these mosques the historian of Mekka applies the name

of Mesdjed el Fath: he calls the one Mesdjed el Aala, from standing on

the highest part of the town. Two other mosques, the one called Mesdjed

Aly Beker, and the other Mesdjed Zobáb, stood in this neighbourhood in

the sixteenth century; and the Monákh at that time bore the name of

Djebel Sola, the Arabians applying the name of Djebel (or mountain) to

any slightly elevated spot of ground. In the same author’s time there

were fifteen mosques in this town and its neighbourhood, all now ruined;

and he gives the names and history of thirty-seven that were erected in

the former ages of Islam.

I was told, that in the quarter El Ambarye the house where Mohammed

lived is still shown; but many doubt this tradition, and the spot is not

visited as one of the holy places. Here, as in Mekka, no

[p.328] ancient buildings are found. The winter rains, the nitrous, damp

atmosphere during the rainy season, and the intense heat which follows

it, are destructive to buildings; and the cement employed in their

construction being of a very indifferent quality, the stones soon become

loosened and the walls decay.

The town is supplied with sweet water by a fine subterraneous canal,

carried hither from the village of Koba, about three quarters of an hour

distant, in a southern direction, at the expense of Sultan Solyman, the

son of Selym I. The water is abundant, and, in several parts of the

town, steps are made down to the canal, where the inhabitants supply

themselves with water, but are not, like the people of Mekka, obliged to

pay for it. On the skirts of the Monákh, a large reservoir, cased with

stone, has also been made, on a level with the canal, which is

constantly kept full. The water in the canal runs at the depth of

between twenty and twenty-five feet below the surface; it is derived

from several springs at Koba, and, though not disagreeable to the taste,

is nevertheless of bad quality. If left for half an hour in a vessel, it

covers the sides of it with a white nitrous crust; and all foreigners,

who are not accustomed to it from their earliest youth, complain of its

producing indigestion. It is tepid at its source in Koba, and even at

Medina slightly preserves its temperature. There are also many wells

scattered over the town; every garden has one, by which it is irrigated;

and wherever the ground is bored to the depth of twenty-five or thirty

feet, water is found in plenty. Of some wells the water is sweet enough

for drinking; of others quite brackish. The fertility of the fields and

gardens is in proportion to the quality of the well-water; those

irrigated with brackish water, repay badly the labour of their owners;

the date-trees alone thriving equally well in any place.

In addition to the water of the wells and the aqueduct, the town in

winter time receives a supply from the considerable torrent called Seyl

el Medina, or Seyl Bathán, which flows from S. to N. passing across the

suburbs, and losing itself in a stony valley to the N.W. [All the

neighbouring torrents lose themselves in a low ground in the western

mountains, called El Ghába, and also El Zaghába. See Samhoudy.] A heavy

rain for one night will fill its bed, though it usually decreases as

fast

[p.329] as it swells. In that part of the suburb, called El Ambarye, we

find a good arched stone bridge thrown across its banks, where it is

about forty feet in breadth. The neighbouring country abounds with

similar torrents, which fill many ponds and low grounds, where the water

often remains till the summer months: these, together with the wells,

contribute to render the environs of this town celebrated for the

abundance of water, surpassing, in this respect, perhaps, any other spot

in northern Arabia, and which had made this a considerable settlement of

Arabs, long before it became sacred among the Moslims, by the flight,

residence, and death of Mohammed, to which it owes its name of Medina,

or Medinet el Neby.

The great abundance of water has made cisterns of little use in the

town; and I do not believe that more than two or three houses have them;

though it would be very desirable to collect the rain-water for

drinking, from the torrents, in preference to the nitrous water of Koba.

During heavy rains the Monákh, between the suburbs and the town, becomes

a complete lake, and the S. and S.E. environs are covered with a sheet

of water. The inhabitants hail these inundations as a sure promise of

plenty, because they not only copiously irrigate their date-trees, but

likewise cause verdure to spread over the more distant plains inhabited

by Bedouins, on whose imports of cattle and butter Medina depends for

its consumption.

The precious jewel of Medina, which sets the town almost upon a level

with Mekka, and has even caused it to be preferred to the latter, by

many Arabic writers, [This is particularly the case with the sect of the

Malekites, who pretend that Medina is more to be honoured than Mekka.]

is the great mosque, containing the tomb of Mohammed. Like the mosque of

Mekka, it bears the name of El Haram, on account of its inviolability; a

name which is constantly given to it by the people of Medina, while, in

foreign parts, it is more generally known under the appellation of

Mesdjed en’ Neby, the mosque or temple of the Prophet, who was its

original founder. The ground-plan will show that this mosque is situated

towards the eastern extremity of the town, and not in the midst of it,

as the Arabian historians

[p.330] and geographers often state. Its dimensions are much smaller

than those of the mosque at Mekka, being a hundred and sixty-five paces

in length, and a hundred and thirty in breadth; but it is built much

upon the same plan, forming an open square, surrounded on all sides by

covered colonnades, with a small building in the centre of the

square. [The representations of this mosque, given both by Niebuhr and

D’Ohhson, are very incorrect, being copied, probably, from old Arab

drawings. I had intended to make a correct plan of it, but was prevented

by my illness; and I should not wish to add one from mere recollection.

Samhoudy states its dimensions as quite different, and says that it is

two hundred and forty pikes in length, one hundred and sixty-five pikes

in breadth on the S. side, and one hundred and thirty on the N. side. He

adds that there are two hundred and ninety-six columns. I am not quite

sure whether the building has been materially changed since his time,

and after the fire in A.H. 886; but I believe not, and regard his

account as much exaggerated.] These colonnades are much less regular

than those at Mekka, where the rows of pillars stand at much the same

depth on all sides. On the south side of this mosque, the colonnade is

composed of ten rows of pillars behind each other; and on the west side

are four rows; on the north, and part of the east side, only three rows.

The columns themselves are of different sizes. On the south side, which

contains the Prophet’s tomb, and which forms the most holy part of the

building, they are of larger dimensions than in the other parts, and

about two feet and a half in diameter. They have no pediments, the

shafts touching the ground; and the same diversity and bad taste are as

conspicuous in the capitals here as in the mosque at Mekka, no two being

alike. The columns are of stone, but, being all plastered white, it is

difficult to decide of what species. To the height of about six feet

from the ground they are painted with flowers and arabesques, in a

coarse and gaudy style; by which means, probably, it was intended to

remedy the want of pediments. Those standing nearest to that part of the

southern colonnade called El Rodha, are cased for half their height with

bright glazed green tiles or slates, decorated with arabesques of

various colours: the tiles seem to be of Venetian pottery, and are of

the same kind as those used to cover stoves in Germany and Switzerland.

[p.331]The roof of the colonnade consists of a number of small domes,

white-washed on the outside, in the same manner as those of Mekka. The

interior walls are also white-washed all round, except the southern one,

and part of the S.E. corner, which are cased with slabs of marble,

nearly up to the top. Several rows of inscriptions, in large gilt

letters, are conducted along this wall, one above the other, and have a

very brilliant effect upon the white marble. The floor under the

colonnades, on the west and east sides, and part of the north, is laid

out with a coarse pavement; the other part of the N. side being unpaved,

and merely covered with sand; as is likewise the whole open yard. On the

south side, where the builder of the mosque has lavished all this

ornament, the floor is paved with fine marble across the whole

colonnade; and in those parts nearest to the tomb of Mohammed, this

pavement is in mosaic, of excellent workmanship, forming one of the best

specimens of that kind to be seen in the East. Large and high windows,

with glass panes, (of which I know not any other instance in the Hedjaz)

admit the light through the southern wall; some of them are of fine

painted glass. On the other sides, smaller windows are dispersed along

the walls, but not with glass panes. [The art of painting glass with

durable colours seems never to have been lost in the East.]

Near the S.E. corner stands the famous tomb, so detached from the walls

of the mosque, as to leave between it and the S. wall a space of about

twenty-five feet, and fifteen between it and the E. wall. The enclosure,

which defends the tomb from the too near approach of visiters, forms an

irregular square of about twenty paces, in the midst of the colonnade,

several of its pillars being included within it: it is an iron railing,

painted green, about two-thirds the height of the columns, filling up

the intervals between them, so as to leave their upper part projecting

above it, and entirely open. The railing is of good workmanship, in

imitation of filligree, and is interwoven with open-worked inscriptions

of yellow bronze, supposed by the vulgar to be of gold, and of so close

a texture, that no view can be gained into

[p.332] the interior, except by several small windows, about six inches

square, which are placed in the four sides of the railing, about five

feet above the ground. On the south side of the railing, where are the

two principal of these windows, before which the visiters stand when

praying, the railing is thinly plated over with silver, and the often-

repeated inscription of “La Illaha il Allah al hak al Mobyn,” (“There is

no God but God, the evident Truth,”) is carried in silver letters across

the railing all round these windows. This enclosure is entered by four

gates, three of which are constantly kept shut, and one only is opened,

every morning and .evening, to admit the eunuchs, whose office it is to

clean the floor and light the lamps. Each of these gates has its

particular name: Báb en’ Neby, Báb Errahme, Báb et Touba, Báb Setna

Fatme. The permission to enter into this enclosure, which is called El

Hedjra, is granted gratis to people of rank, as Pashas, or chiefs of the

Hadj caravans, and may be purchased by other people from the principal

eunuchs, at the price of about twelve or fifteen dollars, distributed in

presents among them: but few visiters avail themselves of this

privilege, because they well know that, on entering the enclosure,

nothing more is to be seen than what falls under their observation when

peeping in at the windows of the railing, which are constantly kept

open; and I was myself not inclined to attract general notice, by thus

satisfying my curiosity. What appears of the interior is a curtain

carried round, which takes up almost the whole space, having between it

and the railing an open walk, of a few paces only in breadth. The

curtain is equal in height to the railing; but I could not distinguish

from below, whether, like the latter, it is open at the top. There is a

covering, (as the eunuchs affirm,) of the same stuff of which the

curtain is made; this is a rich silk brocade, of various colours,

interwoven with silver flowers and arabesques, with a band of

inscriptions in golden characters, running across the midst of it, like

that of the covering of the Kaaba. This curtain is at least thirty feet

high: it has a small gate to the north, which is always shut; no person

whatever being permitted to enter within its holy precincts, except the

chief eunuchs, who take care of it, and who put on, during the night,

the new curtain sent from

[p.333] Constantinople, whenever the old one is decayed, or when a new

Sultan ascends the throne. The old curtains are sent to Constantinople,

and serve to cover the tombs of the sultans and princes. [See D’Ohhson.

The historian of Medina says, that in his time it was changed every six

years, and that the income from several villages in Egypt was set apart

at Cairo for the manufacturing of those curtains.]

According to the historian of Medina, the curtain covers a square

building of black stones, supported by two pillars, in the interior of

which are the tombs of Mohammed, and his two earliest friends and

immediate successors, Abou Beker and Omar. As far as I could learn here,

these tombs are also covered with precious stuffs, and in the shape of

catafalques, like that of Ibrahim in the great mosque of Mekka. They are

said to be placed in the following order: [not included] The largest

being that of Mohammed, and the one above it Abou Beker’s. The historian

says, that these tombs are deep holes; and that the coffin which

contains the dust of Mohammed, is cased with silver, and has on the top

a marble slab, inscribed, “Bismillahi Allahuma Sally aley.” (“In the

name of God, bestow thy mercy upon him.”) They did not always stand in

their present position: Samhoudy places them at different times thus:

[not included]

The stories once prevalent in Europe, of the prophet’s tomb being

suspended in the air, are unknown in the Hedjaz; nor have I ever heard

them in other parts of the East, though the most exaggerated accounts of

the wonders and the riches of this tomb are propagated by those who have

visited Medina, and wish to add to their own importance by relating

fabulous stories of what they pretend to have

[p.334] seen. Round these tombs the treasures of the Hedjaz were

formerly kept, either suspended on silken ropes, drawn across the

interior of the building, or placed in chests on the ground. Among

these, may be particularly mentioned a copy of the Koran, in Cufic

characters, kept there as a precious relic, from having belonged to

Othman ibn Affan. It is said still to exist in Medina; but we may doubt

whether it escaped the conflagration which destroyed the mosque. I have

related, in my history of the Wahabys, that during the siege of Medina

considerable portions of the treasures, more particularly all the golden

vessels, were seized by the chiefs of the town, ostensibly for the

purpose of being distributed among the poor, but that they were,

finally, divided among themselves. When Saoud took the town, he entered

the Hedjra himself, and penetrated behind the curtain, where he seized

upon every thing valuable he found; of this he sold a part to the Sherif

of Mekka, and the rest he carried with him to Derayeh. Among the

precious articles which he took, the most valuable is said to have been

a brilliant star set in diamonds and pearls, which was suspended

directly over the Prophet’s tomb. It is often spoken of by the Arabs,

who call it Kokab ed’durry. Here were deposited all sorts of vessels,

set with jewels, ear-rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments,

sent as presents from all parts of the empire, but brought principally

by great hadjys who passed through Medina. There is no doubt that the

whole formed a. collection of considerable value, but far from being

inestimable, as the people are inclined to fancy. Sherif Ghaleb

estimated that part of it which he bought, at one hundred thousand

dollars. The chiefs of the town are said to have carried. off about one

hundred weight of golden vessels, at most worth forty or fifty thousand

dollars; and what Saoud took with him is said to have consisted chiefly

in pearls and corals, and was certainly not worth more than Ghaleb’s

purchase. The total value, therefore, might have amounted to about three

hundred thousand dollars. Money never appears to have been deposited

here; for whatever presents were made to the mosque in cash, were

immediately distributed among its attendants. There is good reason for

supposing, however, that the donations of the faithful, which

accumulated here for ages, amounted to a much greater sun than what

[p.335] is stated above; but it would be strange if the governors of

Medina, who were often independent, or the guardians of the tomb

themselves, should not have made occasional draughts upon this treasure,

in the same manner as the olemas of Mekka, about three hundred years

since, stole the golden lamps of the Kaaba, and carried them out of the

temple, hid under their wide sleeves, according to Kotobeddyn the

historian.

Tousoun Pasha, on his arrival at Medina, made search for the golden

vessels, which had been re-sold by the chiefs of the town to some other

of the inhabitants, and not yet melted. He found several of them, which

he bought from the owners for about ten thousand dollars, and replaced

them in their original situation.

The floor between the curtain and the railing, and of all this part of

the mosque, is laid with various coloured marbles in mosaic: here glass

lamps are suspended all round the curtains, which are lighted every

evening, and remain burning all night. The whole of this enclosure, or

Hedjra, is covered with a fine lofty dome, rising far above the domes

which form the roof of the colonnades, and visible at a great distance

from the town; and the visiters coming to Medina, as soon as they catch

the sight of it, repeat certain prayers. The covering is of lead

surmounted with a globe of considerable size, and a crescent, both

glittering with gold. [The globe was gilt, and the crescent sent from

Constantinople, by the Sultan Soleyman ibn Selym. (See Asamy.) The

cupola, and the whole of the temple as it now stands, was built by Kait

Beg, Sultan of Egypt, from A.H. 881 to 892.]

It is reported that they are of massy gold; which can scarcely be

believed, if we consider the little inclination that even the richest

and most powerful of the Sultans have shown, to ornament with splendour

either the mosque of Mekka or Medina. The Wahabys, allured by the

appearance of the globe, and acting upon their invariable practice of

destroying all domes or cupolas erected over the tombs of mortals, among

whom Mohammed was to be reckoned, attempted to destroy the dome, and

throw down the globe and crescent; but their solid construction, and the

lead covering, rendered this a difficult undertaking two of the workmen

slipped from the smooth roof, and were precipitated

[p.336] below, after which the work of destruction was abandoned; a

circumstance which is now cited as a visible miracle worked by the

Prophet in favour of his monument.

Near the curtain of the Hedjra, but separated from it, though within the

precincts of the railing, which here, to admit it, deviates a little

from its square shape, is the tomb of Setna Fatme, the daughter of

Mohammed, and wife of Aly: it consists of a catafalque forming a cube,

covered with a rich embroidered black brocade, and without any other

ornament. But some difference of opinion exists, whether her remains

actually rest here or in the burial-ground called Bakya, beyond the

town. Till this dispute, however, be settled, the pilgrims are conducted

to both places, and made to pay double fees. On the E. wall of the

mosque, nearly opposite to this tomb, a small window is shown, at the

place where the archangel Gabriel is said to have repeatedly descended

from heaven, with messages to Mohammed. It is called Mahbat Djybrail.

Mohammedan tradition says, that when the last trumpet shall sound, Aysa

(Jesus Christ) is to descend from heaven to earth, and to announce to

its inhabitants the great day of judgment: after which he is to die, and

will be buried in this Hedjra, by the side of Mohammed: that, when the

dead shall rise from their graves, they will both rise together, ascend

to heaven, and Aysa, on that day, will be ordered by the Almighty to

separate the faithful from the infidels. In conformity with this

tradition, the spot is pointed at through the curtain of the Hedjra,

where the tomb of Aysa will be placed.

Outside the railing on the north, close by the tomb of Fatme, is a

square bench in the mosque, elevated above the ground about four feet,

and fifteen paces square, called El Meyda, or the table. Here the eunuch

guardians of the mosque sit; and the councils of the primates of the

town, or their principal assemblies, are often held here.

A wooden partition about eight feet high, and richly painted with

arabesques, runs from the western side of the railing across the mosque,

parallel with the south wall, and about twenty-five feet distant from

it, and terminating near the gate called Báb-es-Salám, thus extending

from the Hedjra nearly across the whole breadth of the mosque. It

[p.337] has several small doors, and is made to separate the holy place

called El Rodha from the common passage of the visiters, who, on

entering through Báb-es’-Salám, pass forward towards the Hedjra, along

the columns standing between this partition and the south wall. Next to

the Hedjra, that part of the southern colonnade north of the partition

is considered the most holy place in the mosque, and called Rodha, i. e.

a garden, or the Garden of the Faithful; a name bestowed upon it by

Mohammed, who said: “Between my tomb and my pulpit is a garden of the

gardens of Paradise.” The pulpit of the mosque stands close to this

partition, about midway between the Hedjra and the west wall of the

mosque, and the name Rodha strictly belongs to that space only which is

between the pulpit and the Hedjra, though the whole southern colonnade

of the temple to the north of the partition is often comprised under

that appellation. It is on account of this name of Rodha, or garden,

that the columns within its limits are painted to the height of five or

six feet with flowers and arabesques, to assist the imagination, which

otherwise might not readily discover any resemblance between this place

and the Garden of Eden. Two mahrabs, or niches, towards which the people

turn when praying, as they indicate the exact bearing of the Kaaba, [The

Mahrab was turned S. 11 W. (variation not computed), which is therefore

taken here as the exact bearing of Mekka.] are placed on both sides of

the pulpit, and are, together with it, of exquisite workmanship, being

the finest mosaic. One niche was sent from Egypt as a present to the

mosque, by Kait Beg, and the other from Constantinople by Sultan

Soleyman ibn Selym. The floor of the Rodha is covered with a number of

handsome carpets, sent hither from Constantinople; and, as at Mekka,

they are the only articles of real value that I saw in the mosque, and

may be worth, altogether, about a thousand pounds. The upper part of the

colonnades is covered with mats.

The congregation assembles upon the carpets of the Rodha, this being the

favourite spot for prayers. No ceremony is observed in the seats; every

one may place himself where he likes: it is however understood, that the

first row nearest to the partition, and those especially

[p.338] in the immediate neighbourhood of the Imam, are destined for

people of rank, and no one who does not belong to that class intrudes

himself there. The entrance to the Rodha, near Báb-es’-Salám, has a

splendid appearance: the gaudy colours displayed on every side, the

glazed columns, fine carpets, rich pavement, the gilt inscriptions on

the wall to the south, and the glittering railing of the Hedjra in the

back-ground, dazzle the sight at first; but, after a short pause, it

becomes evident that this is a display of tinsel decoration, and not of

real riches. When we recollect that this spot is one of the holiest of

the Mohammedan world, and celebrated for its splendour, magnificence,

and costly ornaments, and that it is decorated with the united pious

donations of all the devotees of that religion, we are still more

forcibly struck with its paltry appearance. It will bear no comparison

with the shrine of the most insignificant saint in any Catholic church

in Europe, and may serve as a convincing proof, that in pious gifts the

Mohammedan have at no period equalled the Catholic devotees; without

noticing many other circumstances, which help to strengthen the belief,

that, whatever may be their superstition and fanaticism, Mohammedans are

never inclined to make as many pecuniary sacrifices for their religious

establishments, as Catholic, and even Protestant Christians do for

theirs.

The ceremonies on visiting the mosque are the following:--At first the

pilgrim, before he enters the town, is to purify himself by a total

ablution, and, if possible, to perfume his body with sweet odours. When

he arrives in sight of the dome, he is to utter some pious ejaculations.

When he intends to visit the temple, the cicerone, or, as he is here

called, Mezowar, leads him into the gate called Báb-es’-Salám, passing

his right foot first over the threshold, which is the general custom in

all mosques, and particularly insisted upon here. While reciting some

prayers, he steps forward into the Rodha, where he performs a short

prayer, with four prostrations, as a salutation to the mosque, during

which he is enjoined to recite the two short chapters (109th and 112th)

of the Koran. He then passes through one of the small doors of the

partition of the Rodha, and walks slowly towards the railing of the

Hedjra, before the western window of which, on its

[p.339] south side, he takes his stand; with arms half raised he

addresses his invocations to Mohammed, in the words “Salam aleyka ya

Mohammed, Salam ya Rasoul illah,” &c. recapitulating about twenty of the

different surnames or honorable titles of Mohammed, and prefixing to

each of them “Salam aleyk.” He next invokes his intercession in heaven,

and distinctly mentions the names of all those of his relations and

friends whom he is desirous to include in his prayers: it is for this

reason, that an inhabitant of Medina never receives a letter from

abroad, without being entreated, at the end of it, to mention the

writer’s name at the tomb of the Prophet. If the pilgrim is delegated on

the pilgrimage for another, he is bound here to mention the name of his

principal. In this prayer an expression is used, as at all the places

visited for their sanctity about the town, but which appeared to me

little calculated to inspire the visiter with humane or charitable

feelings; among other favours supplicated in prayer to the Deity, the

following request is made: “Destroy our enemies, and may the torments of

hell-fire be their lot.”

After these prayers are said, the visiter is desired to remain a few

minutes with his bead pressed close against the window, in silent

adoration; he then steps back, and performs a prayer of four

prostrations, under the neighbouring colonnade, opposite the railing;

after which he approaches the second window, on this same side, said to

face the tomb of Abou Beker, and goes through prayers similar to those

said at the former window, (called Shobák-en’-Neby,) which are recited

in honour of Abou Beker. Stepping back a second time to the colonnade,

he again performs a short prayer, and then advances to the third window

on this side of the railing, which is opposite that part of the curtain

behind which the tomb of Omar is said to lie: similar prayers are said

here. When this ceremony is finished, the visiter walks round the S.E.

corner of the Hedjra, and presents himself before the tomb of Setna

Fatme, where, after four prostrations, a prayer is addressed to Fatme-

e’-Zohera, or the bright blooming Fatme, as she is called. He then

returns to the Rodha, where a prayer is said as a salutation to the

Deity on leaving the mosque, which completes this ceremony, the

performance of which occupies at most twenty minutes.

[p.340]On every spot where prayers are to be said, people sit with hand-

kerchiefs spread out to receive the gifts of the visiters, which appear

to be considered less as alms, than as a sort of toll; at least, a well-

dressed visiter would find it difficult to make his way without paying

these taxes. Before the window of Setna Fatme sits a party of women,

(Fatme being herself a female saint,) who likewise receive gifts in

their handkerchiefs. In the Rodha stand the eunuchs, or the guardians of

the temple, waiting till the visiter has finished his last prayer of

salutation, to wish him joy on having successfully completed the zyara

or visit, and to receive their fees; and the great gate of Báb-es’-Salám

is constantly crowded with poor, who closely beset the visiter, on his

leaving the mosque: the porter also expects his compliment, as a matter

of right. The whole visit cost me about fifteen piastres, and I gave ten

piastres to my cicerone; but I might, perhaps, have got through for half

that sum.

The ceremonies may be repeated as often as the visiter wishes: but few

perform them all, except on arriving at Medina, and when on the point of

departing. It is a general practice, however, to go every day, at least

once, to the window opposite Mohammed’s tomb, and recite there a short

prayer: many persons do it whenever they enter the mosque. It is also a

rule never to sit down in the mosque, for any of the usual daily

prayers, without having previously addressed an invocation to the

Prophet, with uplifted hands, and the face turned towards his tomb. A

similar practice is prevalent in many other mosques in the East, which

contain the tomb of a saint. The Moslim divines affirm, that prayers

recited in the mosque of Medina are peculiarly acceptable to the Deity;

and invite the faithful to perform this pilgrimage, by telling them that

one prayer said in sight of the Hedjra is as efficacious as a thousand

said in any other mosque except that of Mekka.

I have already stated, that the north and east sides, and part of the

west side, of the mosque are by no means so well built as the south

side, where are the Hedjra and Rodha. The columns in those parts are

more slender, and less carefully painted; the pavement is coarse, and no

kind of ornament is seen on the white plastered walls,

[p.341] except on the east side, where the coarsely painted

representations of the mosque of St. Sophia, of Sultan Ahmed, of Bayazed

Waly, and of Scutari, celebrated temples in the capital, attract some

notice: they are painted in water-colours, upon the white wall, without

the smallest attention to perspective. The whole north side was at

present under repair; and the old pavement had been removed, to be

replaced by a better one.

The open court enclosed between the colonnades is unpaved, and covered

with sand and gravel. In the midst of it stands a small building, with a

vaulted roof, where the lamps of the mosque are kept. Near it is a small

enclosure of low wooden railing, which contains some palm-trees, held

sacred by the Moslims, because they are said to have been planted by

Fatme, and another tree, of which the stem only now remains, and which I

believe to have been a nebek, or lotus-tree. By it is a well, called

Bir-en-Neby, the water of which is brackish, and for this reason,

probably, enjoys no reputation for holiness. Samhoudy says that it is

called Es-Sháme.

In the evening lamps are lighted round the colonnades; but principally

on the south side, where they are in greater numbers than on the others;

they are suspended from iron bars, extending from column to column. The

eunuchs and the servants of the mosque are employed in lighting them;

for a small donation to the latter, the visiters to the tomb are

permitted to assist, and many foreign hadjys are anxious to perform that

office, which is thought meritorious, and for which they are

particularly praised by the eunuchs: but they are never allowed to light

the lamps in the interior of the Hedjra. On the sides of the Mambar, or

the pulpit, and of both the Mahrabs, large wax candles are placed, as

thick as a man’s body, and twelve feet high, which are lighted in the

evening by means of a ladder placed near them. They are sent from

Constantinople. The lady of Mohammed Aly, who was now at Medina, had

brought several of these candles as a present to the mosque, which had

been transported with great difficulty from Yembo to this place.

The mosque has four gates: 1. Báb-es-Salám, formerly called Báb Merouán,

(according to Samhoudy), on the south-west corner, is the

[p.342] principal one, by which the pilgrim is obliged to enter the

mosque at his first visit. It is a beautiful arched gateway, much

superior to any of those of the great mosque at Mekka, though inferior

in size to several of them, and handsomer than any gate of a mosque I

had before seen in the East. Its sides are inlaid with marble and glazed

tiles of various colours; and a number of inscriptions in relief, in

large gilt characters, above and on the sides of the arch, give it a

very dazzling appearance. Just before this gate is a small fountain,

filled by the water of the canal, where people usually perform their

ablutions, if they do not choose to do it in the mosque itself, where

jars are kept for the purpose.

2. Báb Errhame, formerly called Báb Atake, in the west wall, by which

the dead are carried into the mosque, when prayers are to be read over

them.