Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . inded me of bowsand arrows, and lances, and both of the wars of the crusades. The townis a singular confusion ; the houses are white and irregularly built, inter-mingled with minarets and countless little domes. All within was as stillas death; and the only apparent sign of life was the straggling figure of aMussulman, with his slippers in his hand, stealing up the long court-yard tothe threshold of the mosque. The Mosque of Omar, like the great mosqueat Mecca, is regar
Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . inded me of bowsand arrows, and lances, and both of the wars of the crusades. The townis a singular confusion ; the houses are white and irregularly built, inter-mingled with minarets and countless little domes. All within was as stillas death; and the only apparent sign of life was the straggling figure of aMussulman, with his slippers in his hand, stealing up the long court-yard tothe threshold of the mosque. The Mosque of Omar, like the great mosqueat Mecca, is regarded with far more veneration than even that of St. Sophia,or any other edifice of the Mohammedan worship; and to this day theKoran or the sword is the doom of any bold intruder within its sacredprecincts. At its northern extremity is the Golden Gate, for many yearsclosed and flanked with a tower, in which a Mussulman soldier is constantlyon guard; for the Turks believe that by that gate the Christians will oneday enter and obtain possession of the city—city of mystery and wonder,and still to be the scene of miracles !. View of the Great Mosque horn the City Walls. While I was surveying the town from this spot, mid-day sounded, andsuddenly from every dome and minaret the muezzin called the faithful to 382 SYRIA AND THE HOLY LAND. prayer. It was Friday, the Mohammedan Sabbath. The chanting wasvery magnificent, andhad a magical effect upon all within sound of it. Thegates were closed, and the guards abandoned their posts and hastened to themosque. The mollawies, like birds in their cages, sang away in emulationof each other, while their notes, purposely prolonged till their breath couldsustain them no longer, rang through the rocky hills around. I never wit-nessed so singular a scene. The voices of some of the priests were powerfulbeyond belief, and all were exceedingly sweet. Crowds of people filled thecourt of the temple, drawing slowly towards it; dervishes with solemn stepsm
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