IN AND AROUND JERUSALEM.
We will continue the account of the sights of Jerusalem, as given by
Frank and Fred in their journal:
"One of the first places we asked for after the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre was Mount Zion, which we reached by a short walk. On our way
we passed through the Street of the Christians, where there are several
bazaars; they are much inferior to the bazaars of Cairo, and the display
of goods does not amount to much. The guide took us to several shops
where carvings of olive-wood are sold. There is a great variety of these
articles, and some of them are of great beauty and high price. To judge
by the number and extent of the shops, we should think that the
principal occupation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem is the manufacture
and sale of wood-carvings.
[Illustration: ANCIENT ARCH IN JERUSALEM.]
"We visited the Muristan, or site of the Hospital of the Knights of St.
John, who were also known as the Order of the Hospitallers. There is not
a great deal to see here, as the buildings are mostly in a state of
decay, and some of the ground is covered with rubbish accumulated from
the ruins. It is said that a monastery was formed here by the Emperor
Charlemagne; afterward some rich merchants established a church and
monastery on the spot, and later on the Hospitallers erected a convent
where pilgrims were received and cared for. Perhaps you would like to
know something about the Knights of St. John. We'll tell you what we've
read and heard about them:
"The order was founded in the eleventh century, and established on the
spot we have just visited. There were two hospitals or convents, one for
men and one for women; but in the course of time the convent for women
was removed to another part of the city, and the ground became the
exclusive possession of the 'Knights Hospitallers of St. John of
Jerusalem.' That was their official name, and under it they built
hospitals or convents for pilgrims to the Holy Land in most of the
seaport cities of Europe and along the Eastern shores of the
Mediterranean.
"They not only took care of the pilgrims, but they joined in wars
against the infidels, and fought on many battle-fields. A great number
of noblemen from all parts of Europe joined the order, and they had a
regular constitution and a long list of laws, which all were bound to
obey. They had a military organization, and did a great deal of
fighting, but were finally conquered and expelled from Jerusalem; then
they went to the Island of Rhodes, where they lived about two hundred
years, and were known as the Knights of Rhodes. They were besieged twice
by the Turks, and were finally compelled to leave that island and go to
Malta, where they built a strong fortress, and were known as the Knights
of Malta. The organization practically came to an end in 1798, when
Napoleon captured Malta and sent away the Grand-master. Since that time
there have been several attempts to revive the order, but none have
amounted to anything.
[Illustration: ARMS OF JERUSALEM.]
"The costume of the knights was a black dress, with a white cross on the
left breast, and you often see the insignia in jewellery and other
ornaments under the name of the 'Cross of Malta.' Since their time the
cross has been applied to the Crusaders' 'Arms of Jerusalem,' in which
there is the Maltese cross with the crowns of the three wise men and the
star of Bethlehem below, while there are two branches of the palm-tree
and the word 'Jerusalem' above. These crosses are for sale here, and not
unfrequently the pilgrims have the 'Arms of Jerusalem' tattooed on their
wrists, to prove that they have been in the Holy Land.
[Illustration: KNIGHTS OF ST. CATHERINE.]
"Every order of knighthood in the Holy Land had its peculiar costume and
device, and all of them had a patron saint. The Knights of St.
Catherine, for example, wore on their shields as well as on their
breasts a picture of a section of a wheel pierced by a dagger or sword.
The legend is that St. Catherine was ordered to be put to death by
torture on a wheel, but as soon as she was placed on it the wheel was
miraculously broken, and the executioner beheaded her. Immediately the
body and head were seized by angels and carried to Mount Sinai; its
locality was revealed to a monk in a dream, and the next day he and his
brethren carried it to a convent that had been established in the
wilderness near the mountain, and piously buried it. The building has
ever since been known as the Convent of St. Catherine, and is of great
assistance to pilgrims and others who go to Mount Sinai.
[Illustration: THE VIA DOLOROSA.]
"We passed along the Via Dolorosa, and were shown the spot where Christ
rested his cross on his way to the crucifixion on Mount Calvary. Then we
traversed the street of the Gate of the Column, and followed the guide
till he brought us to the Damascus Gate. We ought to explain right here
that there are seven gates in the walls of Jerusalem. The most in use
are the Damascus and Jaffa gates, for the reason that nearly all
visitors to the Holy City enter and depart by one or the other. As their
names imply, the Damascus Gate is on the road to the city of that name,
while the Jaffa Gate is the nearest to the Mediterranean. The latter is
also called the Hebron Gate, for the reason that travellers to Hebron
depart through it.
"There are two gates wholly or partly walled up; they are the Golden
Gate, on Mount Moriah, and the so-called Gate of Herod. The other gates
of most consequence are St. Stephen's, which is supposed to be near the
spot where Stephen was stoned to death, and the Zion Gate, which leads
from Mount Zion in the direction of David's tomb.
"To make the circuit of the walls of Jerusalem would require a walk of
about two and a half miles, but owing to the nature of the ground a
pedestrian could not keep at all times close to the line he wished to
follow. The present walls were made by Sultan Suleiman in 1542, but many
parts of them were standing before his time, and some of the foundations
are the same as they were two thousand years ago. Jerusalem has not
materially changed in its general characteristics since the time of
Christ, and consequently it has not been difficult to identify many of
the places mentioned in the Bible.
[Illustration: THE DAMASCUS GATE.]
"We thought the Damascus Gate was very picturesque when we looked at it
from the outside, and Doctor Bronson said it was considered the finest
of all the gates of Jerusalem. Its Arab name is _Bab-el-Amud_, or Gate
of the Column, and it is constructed so that it can be easily defended
against an enemy. It was built about three hundred years ago, and is
supposed to stand on the foundations of one of the ancient gates, and
there is a story that a stream of water may sometimes be heard flowing
beneath it.
"There was quite a group of people outside of the Damascus Gate, some on
foot, some on horses, and others on camels. A peddler of cakes and other
edible things had set up his shop at the side of the road, and was
engaged in weighing out his merchandise to those who wanted it. Instead
of Fairbanks's scales he used the old-fashioned balances; he was not at
all in a hurry, and as soon as his customers were gone he sat down in
the shadow of a little shelter he had erected, and was evidently resting
from his labors. A dog that had been sitting a little distance away
embraced the opportunity, and made off with one of the cakes before the
owner could interfere to stop him. The dogs of Jerusalem are quite as
bad as those of Cairo, and ready to steal whenever there is the least
chance of doing so.
"We will take a leap through the air from the Damascus Gate to Mount
Zion, which we started out to see. We went to the Armenian monastery,
which is also called the House of Caiaphas, and saw the stone which was
said to have been rolled away from the door of the Holy Sepulchre, the
spot where Peter stood when he denied his Master, and the yard where the
cock crew at the time of the denial. The monks also showed us the prison
of Christ, and other points of interest. Doctor Bronson says the most of
these things are on very poor authority, but, of course, we gave no
indication of any doubt concerning them while we were inside the
monastery.
"Continuing our walk on Mount Zion, we came to a building inhabited by a
lot of insolent Arabs, who demanded backsheesh before they would permit
us to enter. They showed us an upper room which is said to have been the
scene of the Last Supper, and the traditions concerning it are on better
authority than those of the Armenian monastery. The tomb of David is
under this building, but is not shown to visitors; the coffin is
supposed to be in a deep vault under the foundations, but no one is
permitted to go there.
"There is a story that a wealthy Jew came here once and wanted to say
his prayers at the tomb of David. The monks, who then had possession of
the place, refused permission for him to do so, and as he went away he
vowed he would be revenged on them. The next year he came back with an
order from the Sultan expelling the monks and giving the place to the
Moslems, and they have had it ever since. The Jew said his prayers at
the tomb, and then the vault was closed to everybody.
"We saw several other points of interest here, and then returned to the
hotel. Our next excursion was along the Street of David to Mount Moriah,
to see the site of Solomon's Temple and what remains of it. Down to
quite recently no Christians were allowed to visit the Haram, or Sacred
Enclosure on Mount Moriah, where the temple once stood, and which is now
occupied by the Mosques of Omar and El-Aksa. Even now it is generally
necessary to be accompanied by a policeman, or a janizary from the
Consulate of your country, to protect you from insult. We had a janizary
from the American Consulate, and experienced no difficulty in seeing
what we wished to, though we were obliged to give quite an amount of
backsheesh to get along.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE MOSQUE OF OMAR AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.]
"The Haram includes nearly a fourth of the space enclosed in the walls
of Jerusalem, and the Mosque of Omar rises so high in the air that it is
the principal object in any outside view of the city. It is supposed to
have been built by Sultan Omar. There is some doubt on the subject, but
there can be no doubt that it is a very beautiful building, and the
architect knew what he was about when he planned it. The mosque is on
the highest part of the hill, and on the thrashing-floor that King David
bought for fifty shekels of silver; on the inside the rock is preserved
in its original state and enclosed in a railing. From its position, and
also from having the original rock preserved as we have described, the
building is called the _Kubbet-es-Sukrah_, or Dome of the Rock. It is an
octagonal structure, and each of the eight sides is sixty-seven feet
long.
"Doctor Bronson says this is probably the most interesting spot in the
world, as it is revered by the adherents of three religions who have
regarded it as a holy place through many centuries. The Jews revered it,
as we learn from the Old Testament, and from many events in modern as
well as ancient history; the New Testament tells us its intimate
connection with the story of Christ's coming on earth; and the Moslems
consider it the holiest place next to the Kaaba at Mecca. They believe
Mohammed came here in person, and at one time commanded his followers
to turn their faces toward Jerusalem when saying their prayers. It is
for this reason that they refused to allow Jews and Christians to visit
the temple grounds, just as they will not allow them to go to Mecca at
the present time.
"The Haram, or temple enclosure, is about one thousand six hundred feet
long by one thousand wide: it is not a regular quadrangle, and
consequently this measurement is not exact. There are several buildings
there in addition to the two mosques, but none are of much consequence,
and we did not visit them. We were allowed to walk through the Mosque of
Omar, and went from there to the Mosque El-Aksa. We were greatly
interested in the architecture of the buildings, and quite as much in
the story of the guide who accompanied us.
"At the Kubbet-es-Sukrah he pointed out the place where Abraham was
about to slay Isaac as a sacrifice, and the spot where the ark of the
covenant was deposited, besides other places interesting to readers of
the Bible. Then he showed us the footprint of Mohammed, where his foot
last touched the earth before he ascended to heaven, and the marks of
the hands of the angel who held the rock down to prevent its ascent with
the Moslem prophet. In a cavern under the rock he showed the places,
which are marked by small altars, where Abraham, David, Solomon, and
Elijah offered up their prayers, and he pointed to an impression in the
ceiling which is said to have been made by Mohammed's head.
"The Moslems have a great many traditions concerning the rock, and it is
very evident that they have allowed their imagination free-play in
describing it. They say the rock was brought here from heaven, and that
a river from Paradise flows beneath it and waters the palm on which it
rests. They also declare that the trumpet of the last judgment will
sound from this rock; and one of their stories is that the rock is
suspended over a deep abyss without any support. Our guide was a native
Christian, but it seemed to us that he had told these stories so often
that he half believed them, in spite of their opposition to his own
religious faith.
[Illustration: WALL AT SOUTH-EAST CORNER OF THE TEMPLE AREA.]
"From the buildings above-ground we went to the excavations and
subterranean passages beneath. There was formerly some dispute as to the
exact position of Solomon's Temple, owing to the difficulty of making
explorations; but within the last twenty years many discoveries have
been made, and the work of laying out the exact position of the Temple
is still going on. The American and English societies engaged in it are
entirely harmonious, and every year they are throwing new light on
subjects of great importance to students of the Bible. They have spent
large amounts of money in excavations among the substructions of the
Temple, and settled many points of dispute. Anybody who wishes the
details of what has been accomplished is referred to the book of Captain
Warren on 'The Recovery of Jerusalem,' and to the reports of the
Palestine Exploration Society.
"Provided with candles and torches, we went among the substructions that
were made to level the ground and prepare it for the building of the
Temple. The arches and pillars would be no discredit to a modern
architect, and in some places we saw large blocks that must have
required powerful machinery for their transportation. These underground
vaults have not all been opened, and their full extent is not yet known.
During the time of the Crusaders these vaults were used as stables, and
the holes where the halters of the horses were fastened may be seen
to-day. In some places there are roots of trees that have run a long
distance underground in search of water. The trees are evidently of
great age, but we could hardly accept the statement of the guide that
they were as old as the Temple itself.
"We returned to the open air after half an hour beneath the Temple, and
found that our eyes were dazzled by the sudden flood of light. We
looked over the walls into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and stood almost
holding our breath as we saw the Mount of Olives, the Garden of
Gethsemane, the Tomb of Absalom, and other objects whose names were
familiar to us all. Below us was the bed of the brook Kedron, but dry
and dusty as though no brook had ever flowed there. In winter, and after
heavy rains, it is full of water; but ordinarily there is only a slender
thread, and it disappears altogether in time of drought.
[Illustration: WAILING-PLACE OF THE JEWS.]
"When we were through with our visit to the site of the Temple we went
to the Wailing-place of the Jews, which is supposed to be part of the
wall of the original Temple. It is a very solid wall of large stones,
and has been a sacred spot with the Jews for many hundreds of years.
They come here from all parts of the earth to weep over the downfall of
their race, and the destruction of the Holy Temple. On Fridays they are
seen in greatest number; but at almost any time there are several of
them standing there with their faces against the wall, reading or
reciting their prayers in a low, wailing tone.
"We had hoped to see many of them there but were disappointed, as our
visit was not on a Friday. There were six or eight in all, and they did
not look up when we entered the narrow court on which the wall fronts.
They were all, to judge from their dress, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
not, as often happens, pilgrims from distant lands. One of the gentlemen
connected with the Palestine Exploration Fund told us that he had seen
two or three hundred Jews at the Wailing-place on a single occasion, and
that they came from all the countries of Europe. In some places the
stones have been worn smooth by the kisses of devout lips, and there is
no doubt that the majority of those who come here to mourn are earnest
in the expression of their grief.
'Oh, weep for those who wept by Babel's stream,
Whose shrines are desolate, whose land a dream!
Weep for the harp of Judah's broken spell--
Mourn--where their God hath dwelt the godless dwell?'
"The Pool of Bethesda is at one end of the Haram enclosure, and, of
course, we paid it a visit. Isn't it curious that there has been a city
here all these many centuries in a place where there are no wells?
Jerusalem depends altogether upon cisterns and pools for its water, and
it is said that in the sieges of the city the inhabitants have never
suffered for want of water, while the attacking armies have sometimes
been compelled to bring their supplies of it from long distances. Some
of the cisterns are very large, and hewn in the solid rock, while others
are built of masonry and lined with cement. They are filled with water
from the roofs during the rainy season, and great care is exercised to
prevent its being wasted.
[Illustration: THE POOL OF BETHESDA.]
"The Pool of Bethesda is oblong in shape, and on one side there are
steps leading down to the water, of which there was very little at the
time of our visit. The monks say it is the Bethesda of the New
Testament, and they also call it the Sheep Pool. We looked in vain for
the five porches, or arches, and were told that there is a doubt as to
this being the real Pool of Bethesda, which some authorities locate at a
deep shaft, or cistern, with an intermittent spring at the bottom,
outside the walls of the Haram.
"Having seen this historic place we naturally asked for the Pool of
Siloam. The guide said it was outside the walls, and we would see it
when we made the circuit of Jerusalem, which we did.
"We descended to the brook Kedron, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which
we have already mentioned. The valley is a good deal choked with
rubbish, which has been accumulating there during many centuries, and
the tomb of Absalom is surrounded by a heap of small stones, which have
been thrown there by the Jews. Every Jew who goes by the place thinks he
should throw a stone at the tomb, and you can readily understand what
the result has been. Doctor Bronson says this is a reversal of the old
proverb that a continual dropping will wear away stone. The continual
dropping of pebbles around the tomb of Absalom has heaped up a great
mass of stone instead of wearing it away.
[Illustration: THE POOL OF SILOAM.]
"The Pool of Siloam is in the Valley of Kedron, at the south-eastern
termination of Mount Zion, where a little brook joins it, but is not a
part of the main stream of Kedron. There is no Biblical place around
Jerusalem more clearly identified than this. Doctor Thomson says it is
beyond question the pool where the man born blind was sent by Christ to
wash, in order that he might receive sight. It is mentioned many times
in history, and its waters are known to flow irregularly. The fact has
been verified by several travellers, and was positively stated by the
guide who took us there.
"The sides are broken down in several places, and a good deal of rock
has fallen in. There is a recess at one corner where steps go down to
the bottom, and we found several women descending these steps to bring
water from the pool. As we looked from one end of the pool the walls of
Jerusalem formed the background of the picture, and we carried our
thoughts back to the time when the blind man came from the city to wash
in the water of Siloam, that he might bear witness to the miracle
performed by the Saviour of mankind.
"There is a small village near the pool. Its inhabitants are said to be
Moslems, and they derive quite a revenue from the backsheesh they extort
from visitors. We did not remain long at the place, as there were many
interesting things to be seen in our walk, and our time was precious.
[Illustration: QUARRIES UNDER JERUSALEM.]
"We visited several tombs hewn in the solid rock, but they did not seem
of much consequence when compared with the tombs we had seen in Egypt.
Of more interest were the quarries, which extend a considerable way
beneath the city, and are supposed to have furnished the stone from
which the Temple of King Solomon was built.
"We entered them near the Damascus Gate, descending into a hole that
sloped rapidly downward, and soon found ourselves in what might have
been a chamber of a natural cavern. The marks of the chisels and other
tools of the workmen were plainly to be seen, and there were pillars of
rock left standing to support the roof. We must have gone seven or eight
hundred feet from the entrance before reaching the end, and in many
places the way was so rough that we climbed rather than walked along. At
the point farthest from the entrance there is a stone that was evidently
abandoned when a few hours' additional labor would have detached it. The
indications are that the process of quarrying stone was the same in
Jerusalem as in Egypt. Wedges of wood were driven into channels and
grooves and then swelled, by being wet with water, till their expansive
force became too great for the stone to resist.
"Parts of these quarries are directly beneath the city, and they are so
extensive that some writers have declared that the whole of Jerusalem
might be buried in them. There is a tradition that a passage once led
from the Temple to the quarries, but there is good reason to doubt its
existence. We wandered about for some time in the quarries, and were
glad when the guide brought us once more to the light of day."