It is in Arabia, and Bedouins Are the Most Regular Visitors to the
Mosque Above It.
The tomb of Eve, the mother of the human race, is located, according to
tradition, not far from the burial place of Mohammed, on the Arabian
coast of the Red Sea.
Every year, as the sacred season of the Hejaz comes around, hundreds of
thousands of devout Mohammedans disembark at the little harbor of Jiddah
intent on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Journeying with these, a correspondent
of the New York _Herald_ made the trip across the Red Sea from Suakim to
the shrine venerated by Christian and Islamite alike—the legendary tomb
of the first woman. He writes of it as follows:
The country presents a very sterile appearance, there being but little
vegetation. A few date palms are dotted about, and away to the west,
in the direction of Mecca, groups of stunted acacia-trees render the
prospect less barren. The approach to the tomb is up a sandy slope,
rising about two hundred feet above the town.
The grave itself is one hundred and sixty feet long and five feet
wide, and is surrounded by a stone wall four feet high, covered with
chunam. In the center of it rises a small dome-crowned mosque, wherein
pilgrims assemble to say their prayers. The mosque is in charge of
some dervishes, who have plenty to do in keeping it clear of the
crowds of beggars who assemble and clamor for backsheesh.
Inside the mosque is perfectly plain, except that in the center is
erected an altar. This stands about three feet high, and is covered
with curtains. The curtains being drawn aside, disclose a black stone
let into the floor.
This stone is supposed to lie directly over the tomb of Eve, and is
polished like marble by the kisses of the faithful. It is by no means
permitted to every pilgrim to place his lips on this sacred spot, but
by a liberal amount of backsheesh and the presence of the consular
kavasses I was permitted the honor, and, accordingly, the curtain was
drawn, and on hands and knees I paid homage to our legendary mother.
The stone which is treated with so much honor is a very curious one,
evidently meteoric, and is supposed, like the Kaaba at Mecca, to have
been specially sent down from heaven for its present use.
I had a long chat with the chief custodian of the tomb, who told me
that the office had been in the family for generations. He said that
the most regular visitors to the shrine are the Bedouins, who, in
their yearly wanderings through the Arabian desert, rarely fail to
visit Eve’s tomb. I asked him if there was any legend as to why Eve
was supposed to be buried there, but he knew none, and asked:
“Where else would she be buried except on this sacred soil?”
It is certainly curious that legendary lore should select spots so
distant from each other for the graves of our first parents. While Eve
rests on the shores of the Red Sea, Adam is popularly supposed to lie
buried under the forest-clad slopes of Adam’s Peak, in Ceylon.
On my way back to Jiddah I asked my companions if they supposed the
grave represented the stature of Eve, and they said, “Surely.”