C H R I S T I A N S AT

M E C C A

AUGUSTUS BALLI

I LLUST RATE D

‘ A t fl u; da those w ho know a n E u r o ea n has tr ied y, that y p to r M or the most a rt believ e tha t B u r ton a lone each ecca , f p

G H G H . . O ART

LO N D O N WILLIAM HEINEMANN I 9O9 ' P RI NCI PAL GATE OF THE MOS! UE AT M a m a

Fr om koto m h b Gem a is- Cou r tellemon t in Ii i /1 a m azon a p g p y .

October 1 0 8 . 3 , 9 C H R I S T I A N S AT

M E C C A

AUGUSTUS BALLI

I LLUST RAT E D

A t is da s who know a n E ur n ha s r i d th y , tho e that y opea t e r M or m s r oelzev e B u r n l n to each ecca , f the o t pa t that to a o e su d d —D G H O I’ ‘ G AR H . ccee e . . .

LO ND O N WILLIAM HEINEMANN I 9O9 Co ri ht Lon do n T d 13 I LLI A M H E I NvE M A N N py g , , o d, 37 W P R E FA C E

MY obj ect i n the following pages has b ee n to

’ a give narrative of each pilgrim s adventures , and a summary o f h is observations o f the people

o f Th s of Me cc a and the condition the city . e e

h to a are the things t at change from age ge . What do not c ha nge are the rites o f the Pil

r n c o f G r grimage and the appea a e the eat Mosque .

h s n H aving, therefore , described t e e in the ope ing

h v o m i d o f ch chapters , I a e tte , in the case ea

i ndividual traveller , all but personal and charac

ter istic touches . AS I write fo r the general reader I hav e not adopted the ultra correct m etho d o f spelling

’ F 1 z . 0 s u B a aa w Aa ra h Arabic names word s ch as , ,

’ (fl/a h r Bea ou zn will be found the mo e familiar ,

A ra bs, A llah .

C O N T E N T S

0

1. M ECCA .

I I . TH E G REAT M OS! UE

H A P I GRI M GE . . I I I . TH E L A ( J )

N I V . M EDI A

D V I O B ARTE MA 1 0 V . LU O C , 5 3

I N EN T LE L N 1 68 V I . V C B A C , 5

LD 160 O N N WI . V I I . J HA , 7

OSEP P I TTS 1680 V I I I . J H ,

DI Y LEB LI C 180 . ALI B E Y E L ABB SS I IX . BA A H , 7 ( A )

LLRI PER E ETZE N 1 0 —10 . U S S 8 . H X CH JA , 9 ( AJ

M OOSA) . — N L D IG R K RDT 1 8 1 1 . . OH X I J U W BU C HA , 4 5 ( S HAYK H H A! I B RAH I M)

G I OV N N I FI N ATI 18 1 . H O MMED X I I . A , 4 ( AJ M HA )

— . EON R O ES 18 1 2 . H M R X I I I L CH , 4 ( AJ O A )

A W N 1 . E RGE G T LLI W LI G O S S 8 . XIV U U U A , 45 ( A

- AL DIN ) .

N 18 . S S IR R ICHARD BURTO , 53 ( HAYK H HAJ A B DALLAH)

H EI N RI FREI ERR V ON MALTZAN 1860 XVI . CH H , . (S IDI A BD- E R R OC H MA N B EN MOHA MMED E s S K I K DI ) CONTENTS

N o . PA G E

M N K N 18 2 - H ER I ELL 6 . H A B D E L XVI I A B C , ( AJ WAH ID)

N FRYER KE N E 1 8 — M O 8 . H O XV I I I J H A . 7 7 ( AJ MMED AM I N HA ) .

C RI STI N S N OUC K H U R GR ON E 1 88 . X I X . H A J , 5 ’ (A BD - E L- G A EFA R )

- LLE M G ERV I S COURTE ON T 18 . AB D LL XX A , 94 ( A AH )

I S ELL N EO S . XXI . M C A U

— XXI I THE H EJAZ R AILWA Y CON CLU S I ON .

B I B LI OGRA P H Y

I N DE X LIST OF ILLUSTRATI O NS

PR I N CI P AL GATE OF THE M OS! UE AT M ED I N A F r on tispzece

' F r om a photog r aph [31 Ger 'ua z s- Cou r tellemon t in “ ' s n October 1 0 8 L I llu tr a tzo , 3 , 9

VI EW OF M ECCA “ t r a h b C S n ou ch H u r r on e in B i d r u s F r om a pho og p y . g j l e a Mehha .

TH E M OS! UE A N D KAABAH

’ a oto r a h b C S no uch H u r ron e z n l aer a us F r om ph g p y . g j ZVI ehha

VIEW O F M ECCA

“ Fr om a hoto r a h b C S nouch H u r r on e in x p g p y . g j B elder a u M ehha

C OURT OF M OS! UE AT M EDI N A

' F r om a photog r aph 19! Ger v a zse- Cou r tellemon t z n L I llu str a " tzon October 1 0 8 , 3 , 9

COURT OF M OS! UE S H OWI N G TH E KAABAH

' ’ Fr om a hoto r a h b S nou ch H u r n p g p y C. g r o je z n B z laer a u s

JOH N LEWI S BURC K HARDT

S OUTHER N WALL OF M OS! UE AT M EDI N A

’ Fr om a photog r aph by Ger zza zs- Cou r tellemon t z n L I llustr a ion o t Oct ber . 1 0 8 , 3 , i 9 x LI ST OF I LLU STRATI ON S

TH E N I CH E B E FORE WHICH M OHAMMED P RAYED

“ ’ F r om a photog r aph by Gerv a zs- Cour tellemon t z n L I llustr a " tion October 1 08 , 3 , 9

THE MAI N S TREET OF M EDI N A LEADI N G To THE M OS! UE

“ ’ F r om a photog r aph by Ger v a zs- Cou r tellemon t z n L I llustra ” tion October 1 0 8 , 3 , 9

N O K H R R ON . C . S UC U G J E C H RISTIA N S A T ME C C A

M E C C A

’ IT would be o finterest to know how far Macaulay s schoolboy was a cquainted With Mecca . That it th e is the centre Of the, Mohammedan faith and o f object a Pilgrimage, seems to exhaust popular knowledge . I once expressed to a friend my Op inion that a visit to Mecca would be o f in comparable i nterest ; in reply he advised me not h to make t at visit during the Pilgrimage . When I rejoined that no Christian might look o n the o f and a holy city Islam live , he sked in astonish ment if the prohibition extended even to Cook ’s tourists !

A D 0 . Mohammed was born at Mecca about . . 57 I n his fortieth year he became conscious of his divine mission . The reforms which he proposed to initiate were ill pleasing to the ruling tribe , K r sh o e . known as the y Persecuted , and his life o f in danger , he fled to Medina . From the year

A. D. 622 o r his flight , , dates the H egira Moslem

. o f era Well received by the people Medina, and surrounded by his friends , he proceeded to 2 CH RISTI AN S AT M ECCA

t e r . A. D propaga , his doct ines by the Sword In . . 629 he returned triumphant to his native city ; and that year saw the decree that no U nbeliever sh ould thenceforth set foot in Mecca . I f w e except the story of the Englishman dis covered by the authorities and expelled as an o f idiot, no infraction this decree , once brought to light, has had other than tragic consequences . of Doughty, on the testimony two troopers who rode with the Damascus caravan , informs us that scarcely a Pilgrimage takes place without some persons being put to death as intruded

Christians . These troopers had lately seen two strangers taken at Muna w ho had been detected

- writing in pocket books . On examination they

to . were found be Christians , and executed But o f the existence a prohibition , With its attendant o n dangers , has acted like a magnet adventurous

Spirits . It is possible to glean from the centuries o f who a few examples fearless Europ eans , , in taking their lives their hands , disguised in Mohammedan dress and outwardly conforming diffi to Mohammedan customs , surmounting the cultie s o f language and ritual , herding with strange companions , undergoing hardships by S ea o r o n land journeys in torrid climates , have come scatheless with their hard - won knowledge ’ o ut of the lions den of Islam . The H ejaz o r holy territory is situated in the central part of Arabia known as Arabia Deserta .

Mecca l ies in a low and Winding desert valley, o ne n o n e mile and a half in le gth , and third of t in a a mile in bread h , closed by two rid and

M E CCA 3

- o f sharp peaked chai ns rock mountains . Its position is so secluded that no t until the traveller is treading its streets does he know that he has o f arrived . The houses are substantially built stone, several storeys high . The main street traverses the entire length Of the city, and most o f the smaller streets converge upon it . I n the centre , which is the broadest and lowest part of the valley, stands the Great Mosque . Situated th e as it is in depth Of the hollow, houses rise in tiers all round it till they straggle up the sides and buttresses o f the mountains . Its posi tion makes it the receptacle Of the violent rains that at times devastate Mecca . The streams flowing dow n the mountains unite in a torrent that sweeps through the city and eve n destroys r n houses . Fo this reason there is no buildi g

Older than four centuries . At other times the S O climate is dry that , On the authority of a o n pilgrim , bread left uncovered a Shelf for a few hours seems to have undergo ne a second baking and gives a metallic ring from hardness . Mecca depends wholly o n foreign countries

. to for its food supplies Owing its barrenness , even such daily necessities as rice and flour are n ot imported . Were it for the Pilgrimage , it would cease to exist . The inhabitants l ive in the same state o f p ermanent demoralisation as the hotel and Shop - keepers o f European gambling o f resorts . The necessity providing food and lodging for thousands of strangers , easily duped f and ignorant o the country, has sapped their o moral sens e . Provisions ris e t famine prices . 4 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

Householders let o ff rooms at extortionate p ro fits : they charge fo r the few days o f the Pil grimage enough to pay the rent Of the house for the year . The Meccan gilded youth raise money o n the Chance Of catching and fleecing a ri ch

pilgrim . The servants Of the Mosque , the guides v ie to the ceremonies , the numerous beggars , with one another in preying upon credulity and

superstition . The port o f jeddah o n the Red Sea is at a

distance from Mecca Of 45 miles . At jeddah there are European consuls , but the presence of the infidel is grudgingly tolerated by the Arab after death his bones may n o t rest in holy terri o n e o f tory, but are buried on the small islands

f . is O the harbour Jeddah surrounded by a wall ,

and in Olden days , if a European passed the or w as eastern Mecca gate , he called upon to w h abjure his faith . Those o refused were hung to hooks in the wall— and the holes are still f who shown . As late as 1 8 29 an Engl ish O ficer

passed this gate w as pelted by the Bedouin .

6 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

The revised monotheisti c tradition o f Mohammed ordained that it had been built by Adam , destroyed in the flood , rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael , and temporarily perverted to idol worship . The present building dates from the middle o f the seventeenth century ; its reconstruction w as due to damage inflicted by the heavy rains .

Kaab ah - I n form the is massive , cube shaped ,

- 8 0 0 and flat roofed , 3 feet by 3 square , and 4 feet

. is o f n high I t built grey sto e , but concealed by a black covering made of silk and wool , whereo n an ins cription from the Koran is worked

' in a silver band . This covering is the K zsw a h o r Sacred Carpet , the yearly gift of the Sultan

Of Turkey . Made in Cairo by a hereditary family, it is conveyed to Mecca at the time of the Pil grimage by the Egyptian caravan . The Old covering is then removed, cut up , and sold at f high p rices to pilgrims . A waistcoat o it would make the wearer invulnerable ; a Strip is K a ah a favourite mark fo r the Koran . The a b has 11 0 windows , and one door seven feet from the ground and plated with silver . Access is per m it e d t thrice in the year, and the fees charged to pilgrims are exceedingly heavy . Entrance is W effected by means o f steps heeled to the door . The flat ceiling and marble walls o f the interior

are covered with red damask flowered with gold ,

tucked up about Six feet from the ground . The

floor also is o f marble . Three columns overlaid

with carved wood support the roof . They are

strengthened by crossbeams , from whi ch hang

golden lamps . Only a minority of p ilgrims enter THE GREAT MOS! U E 7

th e o f . B holy holies esides the cost , stringent regulations thenceforth govern their lives . Among other things , they must never again walk bare footed , take up fire with the fingers , or tell lies . “ of And , in the words Burton , most really con sc ie ntio us men cannot afford the luxuries Of slippers , tongs , and truth . Kaab ah Without the , sunk in one of the sharp o f angles the wall , is the Black Stone, disclosed by an opening i n the cloth . I t is said to have been given to Abraham by the Angel Gabriel , but in reality is the most venerated of the 360 K idols that were o nce worshipped in the aab ah . se t S O It is deeply in a massive Silver boss , that the face o f the pilgrim who kisses it is almost i ' hidden . Its r o ugh surfac e has become worn by is o f kisses and touch es . All agree that it volcanic nature . Immediately round the Kaab ah is an oval Space paved with marble , polished by the feet Of the

Faithful , and encircled by slender bronze poles , between which rows o f glass lamp s hang on at o f chains . Beyond this space , the elevation a few inches , several small buildings are disposed f round the Kaab ah . The most notable is that o the well of Zem Zem : the identical well , in

Moslem tradition , revealed to H agar in the wilder ness . The building consists of two chambers , in o n e o f o f Which is the mouth the well , in the other vessels in which water is distributed . I t is surmounted by a White cupola . A subterranean rivulet supplies the water in such abundance that , in spite of unceasing demands during the Pil 8 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

' grimage , its level never sinks . For all its sacred o f associations , strangers never dri nk Zem Zem

Without making a wry face , and it frequently causes boils to break out on the body . Other o f buildings are the graves H agar and Ishmael , —that in which is kept the stone upo n which Kaab ah Abraham stood when he built the , — the pulpit , the p avilions of the four orthodox — Mohammedan sects , and a single arch called o f the Arch Salvation , through which p ilgrims pass on their first visit to the Kaab ah . Beyond this circle , at the elevation of a few more inches , stone pathways lead across the gravelled square to the C loisters . The pavement of these is again a few inches below the level of the street . I t will thus be understood that the depressio n in wh ich the Kaab ah stands is the lowest point o f the valley o f Mecca . Kaab ah The is the most sacred obj ect in I slam , and the bourne Of the Pilgrimage . I t is ever in the thoughts of the True Believer . Towards it are directed five times a day, at the hours of n prayer, from every point of the compass , amo g w the countries bet een Tangier and japan , between T m b u c tu o f o o and Samarcand , the eyes the one hundred and eighty million human beings who profess the Mohammedan faith .

P M H THE ILGRI AGE ( M) .

TH E Pilgrimage to Mecca w as an institutio n o f the heathen Arabs ages before the birth o f

Mohammed . The Obj ects adored were the idols within the Kaab ah ; and to the annual fair held during the religious ceremo nies the city owed w h its commercial prosperity . The main reason y the Ko reysh Opposed the monotheistic doctrines o f M w as ohammed fear lest the Pilgrimage , with its accompanying material advantages , Should w a cease . But Mohammed s too deeply versed in h uman nature to root up ancient customs .

H e destroyed the idols , but preserved the Pil f grimage , with th e di ference that its pagan rites were fitted with B iblical explanations . The fundamental Observances of Mo hamm e danism are prayer, fasting , and alms . To these the Prophet added a fourth : that all who had the means and l eisure should once in their lives visit the central Shrine of their faith . I n the days o f the idols the p ilgrimage took place at a fixed date in the autumn . Mohammed decreed that the year should be made up o f twelve lunar f . o months The time the Pilgrimage , therefore , recedes annually thirteen days ; and in the Space 1 0 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA o f thirty - three years every seaso n has been in cluded . The actual ceremo nies occupy o nly the first twelve days o f the last month o f the Moslem h year (Do ul aja) . Of the great overland caravans im that are directed upon Mecca, the most portant is the Syrian . Starting from Constanti n o le o n p , it colle cts p ilgrims the way to Damascus . ’ I t thence sets o u t o n its thirty days journey across the desert to Medina, accompanied by the Pasha of Damascus and armed forces as a protection against the Bedouin tribes . I n Burck ’ h ardt s day, the pilgrims , including soldiers and 000 servants , totalled 5 , and the camels thrice — i that number , there being r ding camels ; those that carried water and provisions— o f which a w as so double quantity needful , that half might be deposited in hetlas (fortified towers) o n the route for the return j ourney ; and extra camels w h to replace any that died . The Bedouin o Contracted for transport were careful that their

- e beasts were not overloaded . The would b pilgrim makes an agreement with an o fficial known as a M ehow em w ho su m , for a stated furnishes camels ,

& c . . food , , and does all the packing and loading is Between 3 R M . and an hour after sunrise the marching time . At night the interminable

files move over the sand by the light of torches .

Or, when Doughty rode with this caravan , “ cressets o f iron cages set upon poles were ' borne to light the way, upon serving men s ” Shoulders , in all the companies . Both the Syrian and Egyptian caravans are

1 2 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA conditions of sea transport until late years were a scandal to humanity . Government actio n has no w been taken against the overcrowding due

o f - to the cupidity Ship owners . Considerable sums were formerly spent by governments in repatriating those w ho attempted f the j ourney with insu ficient means . The Moslem while on Pilgrimage is bound to exercise charity ; assu the poor pilgrim , therefore , starts with the mp tion that he will be able to beg his way . The French Government has been especially active

in combating this . Its Algerian subj ects must prove themselves to be in possessio n o f 1000 francs before they are allowed to undertake the j ourney . Another sphere o f government action is the o prevention f cholera . The pilgrims arrive i n the H ejaz weakened from the hardships o f a in fe c long j ourney, and are p eculiarly prone to tion . On leaving Mecca , they radiate to all parts o f the world , spreading disease in their track . The great epidemic o f 1 865 accounted for victims in Egypt alone . The returning pilgrims

carried it as far as New York and Guadeloupe , 1 8 and it was not checked till 1 87 4. I n 93 the streets of Mecca presented an appalling spectacle . Persons who walked them gazed straight ahead to

avoid the sight of p iles of corpses to right and left .

The majority of pilgrims took flight fo r jeddah .

Many died in the desert , others fell sick on

reaching the port . They were herded in sheds ; food and water were refused to those whose means were exhausted ; and the few who yet

TH E PI LGRI MAGE 1 3 retained a little money were mercilessly exploited by the guardians . As the Pilgrimage may thus be a danger to the world , European powers with

Mohammedan subj ects , like England and Fran ce , knowing they cannot prevent it , attempt at least to regulate it . Improved conditions of sea trans port and stringent quarantine Observances have ,

h . t rough their agency, come into being Th e To r quarantine establishment at , for Egyptian pilgrims , is the best equip ped of its kind in the

. 1 0 2 w as world Despite this , in 9 the epidemic spread by some jars o f Zem Zem water imported by an Arab woman . of is The first duty the pilgrim , at a certain Off distance from Mecca , to cast his clothes and assume the I hr a m or p ilgrim garb . I t consists o f o f o r u no r na two cloths , calico , linen , any m e n ted material without seam . Rich pilgrims have been known to wear cachemire shawls from which the fringes have been removed . One is worn round the body and the other over the left shoulder and under the right arm . The u se head is bare, but it is not forbidden to an umbrella as a prot ection against the sun . Sandals o r in also may be worn , shoes that leave the step uncovered . The wearer of the Ihram binds no t himself to shave his head , not to quarrel , to refrain from all sensual indulgence , and not to kill anything, even an insect . To assume this w ho garb is incumbent upon all enter Mecca , o r n o t of whether at the time the Pilgrimage , i and no matter What the r purpose . Even the residents of the holy city w h o have been absent 14 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

forty days must conform to this law . E x e mp tion may only be purchased by the sacrifice o f a Sheep . On arriving at Mecca the pilgrim must select his guide (M etouaj ) . This functionary instructs him i n prayers and prostrations , and arranges for his board and lodging . The pilgrim at once proceeds to the Mosque , which he enters by the of Gate Salvation on the eastern side . Cross o ne o f ing the court by the stone pathways , and passing under the Arch of Salvation , he finds himself in the oval space beneath the shadow o f Kaab ah the . H e then performs the ceremony of Kaab ah walking round the seven times , called T af Ta w aj . After the aw he kisses the Black o f Stone , drinks Zem Zem water, and receives a o f shower bath it , at which his sins fall away

'

. S az o r like dust Then follows the , running o ne seven times from end of a street to the other , o f between the sacred hills Safa and Marwah , ’ in commemoration o f H agar s agonised search for water . The central event of the Pilgrimage is the w ho sermon at Arafat . The pilgrims have been present at this sermon may assume the coveted o f title o f H aj . The mountain Arafat is twelve n miles east o f Mecca o the Taif road . I t is a rough granite hill about two hundred feet high , situated at the foot of a higher hill . Steps are o n e su r cut up side to the summit, and it is A ra a t rounded by a wall . The word f means

r eco nition . g H ere , legend says , Adam and Eve met and recognised each other after the hundred TH E P I LGR I MAGE 1 5 years o f separation and wandering that followed their expulsion from Eden . On the eighth day o f the month Doulhaja there is a universal exodus from Mecca . The night is passed upon

f . o P . M the plain Arafat Next day, about 3 . , tents are struck and loaded upon camels , and the vast audience gathers round the mountain .

On the summit is stationed the Iman , mounted upon a camel : it w as thus that Mohammed addressed his followers . The sermon lasts until sunset . Its termination marks the dangerous f moment o the Pilgrimage . A rush is made for o f the valley that leads to the village Muzdalifah . o ne o f The scene is indescribable confusion . Many have been crushed to death as the human torrents contract from the plain and pour into the narrow gorge .

The pilgrims sleep the night at Muzdalifah , where they collect a quantity o f small pebbles

Which they bind in the Ihram . Muna, their desti Of e natio n next day, is midway b tween Mecca and

Arafat . Situated in a rugged valley, it consists of a single street o f immense length . On o ne sides extends a wall Where at intervals stand ’ three buttresses known as the Devil s Pillars .

H ere the Devil app eared to Abraham , who , at o f the suggestion the Angel Gabriel , drove him o n l oth 1 1th back with stones . Daily, the , , and 1 2th Do ulha a j , that the pilgrims Spend at Muna , they throw seven sto nes at each of the three o f pillars . I n no other rite is the Biblical mask the Pilgrimage worn so thi nly over its pagan r b e features . O rather the custom seems to 1 6 C H RI STI AN S AT M ECCA

latent in all humanity, to spring from the gam bling instinct . Rousseau , when in spiritual doubt , o f threw stones at the trunk a tree , and , accord o r w as ing as he hit missed , elated with hopes of heaven or fears of hell . It w as also at Muna that Abraham w as about c o m to offer up not Isaac but I shmael . To o f memorate this , the slaughter a sheep follows f the ceremony o sto ning the Devil . Victims are brought fo r the purp ose from Central Arabia o n e fo r and Yemen . The p ilgrim purchases a few Kaab ah dollars , turns its face towards the , and cuts its throat . It is then lawful to remove the I hram and have the head shaved . Many barbers are present at Muna for this purpose . A propitious time for entering the Kaab ah is after the return from M una . I t is then decked is i n its new covering . The final rite the Omra h o r Little Pilgrimage . a visit to a mos que about three miles from the city . Although the length o f the Pilgrimage season e is thr e months , the great caravans time their arrival a few days before the sermon at Arafat , and their departure a few days after . But pilgrim s remain independently for longer o r shorter spaces ; and it is seldom that the holy f city is entirely denuded o them . Before the ad loiterers of the last Pilgrimage depart , the ’ v an ced guard o f the next arrive . As the Moslem s chance o f Paradise grows in proportion to the o f Taw af number times he performs the , the Kaab ah is oval space round the never deserted . o r Night day revolving figures may be seen .

1 8 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

o f Lastly, Mecca the head the slave trade, and it owes this position to the Pilgrimage . An o f elaborate system kidnapping exists, and the ’ market is held within a stone s throw of the

Kaab ah . M E D I N A

IT was to Medina that Mohammed fled from his Ko re sh o enemies of the y , having previously as er tain e d that the city w as favourably disp osed towards him . H e thence conducted his successful wars f and achieved the con quest o Mecca . At Medina o f he established th e Caliphate I slam , and there he died and w as buried .

There are four roads from Mecca to Medina , varying in length from 300 to 500 miles . The appearan ce o f Medina is a contrast to that o f

- Mecca . One third the size , oval in shape , and surrounded by a white wall , it lies in the hollow Of an immense plain . On two of its sides are suburbs greater in extent than the city, and beyond them stretch fields and date plantations . Its fertility is f due to abundance o running water . o ff I n the eastern quarter, visible from far , rise

five minarets and the Green Dome, surmounted by a golden globe and crescent , under which the remains o f the Prophet are said to rest . There are n o t wanting sectaries w ho claim for Medina

- pre eminence in sanctity over Mecca , but the gen eral consensus o f I slam is in favour of the Kaab ah . H owever , Medina alone has witnessed o f those extreme instances fanaticism , where pil 20 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

grims , after beholding the Tomb , have destroyed their eyesight by gazing intently at a red - hot brick . The chief street o f Medina leads from the Cairo

. H ara m gate to the Mosque It is also called the , o f to and i s similar shape the Temple at Mecca , but o f smaller dimensions . The colonnade that surrounds the open square is less regular : th e o f to rows columns vary from three ten . The o court which they enclose is c vered with sand , and likewise the floor o f the C loisters o n the north side . Those on the east and west are o n paved with coarse stone ; but the south , where the columns are clustered thickest, the light slants o f set through tall windows painted glass , i n the o n o f outer wall of the Mosque , pavement rich

- marble and m o saic . For towards the south east ’ corner is the Prophet s Tomb . u An independent structure , known as the H jr a or Chamber , in shape an irregular square, two thirds the height o f the columns and Open at the

- fi v e top , it stands at a distance of twenty feet from the south wall and fifteen from the east . r e An iron railing, painted green and made to semble filigree , encloses it . The railing is com acte d p by bronze and silver inscriptions , so that the interior can only be viewed through one of the small windows i n the south Side . All that has meets the eye is a curtain , and no Europ ean

seen beyond . I t is said to cover a square stone building which contains the grave s o f Mohammed — two s and Abu Bakr and Omar, his succes ors in

M ED I NA 2 1

the Caliphate . Th ere is also a vacant sepulchre awaiting Isa - bin - Maryam (jesus so n o f Mary) o n his next coming . U nder a separate curtain lies ’

o f m . th e body Fatima , Moham ed s daughter

There are four gates to the outer railing , and a narrow passage runs between it and the c urtain ’ which conceals Mohammed s grave . “ Second in i nterest is the Garden . The “ Prophet had o nce said , Between my tomb and my p ulpit is a garden o f the gardens o f Para Of dise . A portion the southern cloisters has o f therefore , by a species fantastic decoration , been made like a gatde n . The columns are cased in green tiles to the height o f five or six W feet , and painted ith flowers and arabesques .

Rich Turkey carp ets cover the floor . The p il o f grim , who enters the Mosque by the Gate

- Safety at its south west angle , advances along a corridor formed by the southern wall and a wooden partition which screens the Tomb and

Garden from view . The Mosque was origin ally built over the spot where Mohammed ’s camel couched on his first

. has coming to Medina I t been five times rebuilt , and the present structure dates from the fifteenth century . The Pilgrimage to Medina is not enj oined in

n o r . s the Koran , is it obligatory It i simply a meritorious action known as a Visitation . No pilgrim garb is assumed , but it is usual to wear white clothes . There is no kissing o r touch

ing, but simply prayers and prostrations . The CH R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA whole ceremony may be completed in twenty minutes . Medina is at a distance o f 1 3 2 miles from its o f Yamb u port . It is therefore more secluded in than Mecca , and greater risk is run by the tru din g Christian .

24 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

’ days , allowing for a few days halt at Medina . who Fighting took place with the Bedouin , de m an de d fo r payment water . Th e men in the caravan con centrated upon a hill , with the camels as bulwarks and the merchants in the centre , and repulsed the enemy , who were unarmed and

w f . naked , ithout much di ficulty The Arabians “ were o f despicable and little stature and o f colour between yellow and black . On reaching n B artem a o f Medi a, assured himself the falseness ' o f the traditio n that Mohammed s coffin swung air f in mid by the attractive force o a loadstone . H e gives a graphic account o f the desert between Medina and Mecca : a great broad plai n covered with white sand i n manner as small as flour .

A co ntrary wind overwhelmed them with sand , and even a prosperous wind involved them so that they could scarcely se e each other ten paces o ff. Corpses were found dried to such an extent that they resembled mummies . B ar te m a must have worn his zeal fo r know l edge like armour o f proof against the many dis agreeable impressions that assailed him . The “ w n ord mos t often o his lips is filthy . The “ black Bedouin tents are rough and filthy . At Medina the library in the Mosque contains the “ filthy traditions and life o f Mohammed and his fellows . There are many sects and dissensions “ ” and discord among this kind of filthy men . “ o r i They leave Medina satisfied, rather wear ed, with the filthin e ss and loathsomeness o f the tr ifles o f trumperies , deceits , , and hypocrisies the f ” religion o Mohammed . LU DOV I CO B ARTE MA 25

o n 1 8th He reached Mecca May , and declared that the barren aspect o f the city proved it to 00 be gr eatly cursed o f God . Its 60 houses were “ as well builded as ours . Never had he seen before such an “abundance and frequentation o f people . Water was at a premium : twelve pence would not buy enough to satisfy your f thirst in a day . The Temple in the midst o the sic city was like the Colossus ( ) at Rome , the Amphi t or b u t thea rum ; not of marbl e hewn Stones , w lls burnt brick . At the entrance the gilded a shone o n e v ery side with incomparable splen a dour . Under the vaulted places great multi o f fiv e six tude men , between and thousand , f in sw e t . e were tra fi cking , ointments and odori ferous powders used for embalming . Thence all manner o f sweet savours were carried into dis tant Mohammeda n countries . It passed belief “ o f to think their exceeding fragran ce , far o f surmounting the shops the apothecaries . “ o f A Turret occupied the centre the square , “ involved o r hanged with cloth o r tapestry o f ” “ silk . They enter into the Turret by a gate o f silver , and it is o n every Side beset with vessels full o f balm . The water o f Zem Zem was infected with salt al n itr petre or s t e . Eight men were appointed to o f draw it , and they poured the buckets the of water on the heads those who stood about , “ and washed them all w et from the head to the foot, although they be apparelled with Silk . Then the doting fools dream that they are clean from ” all their sins , and that their Sins are forgiven them . 26 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

B artema would h ave us believe that the beggars whom he saw in Mecca were attracted by the chan ce o f eating cucumbers . A great number o f these vegetables were brought from Arabia Felix for the rich ; and the p oor fought for the parings . ! uite incidentally he remarks that they were also allowed to feed o n the sheep

' saw slaughtered at Muna . He adds that he o n e o f unicorns in the Temple , like a horse , ” weasel colour . The horn o f the first w as three

o f s . cubits long, and the econd, four handfuls The Damascus caravan remained twenty days o f in Mecca , to allow for the celebration the f o f rites o the Pilgrimage . At the foot Mount B ar tem a Arafat, remarked two cisterns , reserved for the Damascus and Egyptian caravans . Muna “ o f o f is a despicable wall , the breadth four

. o f cubits At the conclusion the twenty days , the leader o f the caravan issued a pro clamation o f death to all w ho refused to return with it to w ’ Syria . But it as no part o f B arte m a s scheme

- tti re travel the same road . H e lay hid in the house of a certain Mameluke whose friendship w as to he had gained , and helped by h is wife reach Jeddah , when ce he sailed for Persia . o f I n one his walks about Mecca , a Mame luke had accosted B artem a and accused him o f being a Christian . This he denied but the Mame luke persisted , Speaking in Italian , and saying that he himself had been in Genoa and Venice . Then B arte m a his confessed nationality, but maintained

that he was a convert to Mohammedanism . The

other rejoiced greatly . LU DOV I CO B ARTE MA 27

A friendship arose between them . B artem a obtained permission from the captain of the caravan that , under his name , the Mameluke might lead fifteen camels laden with spices from the city, without paying duty . I n return the

Mameluke connived at h is escape to jeddah . B arte m a arrived safely at Aden ; but there the people took away the mast , sails , and other tack lings o f the ship until the required fees were “ paid . While walking about, the words , Chris tian dog were shouted at h im in the street . w as Upon this he taken before the Sultan , who o f ordered him to make a professio n faith . H e

' “ refused to do S O Which words I could never n ot well pro noun ce , either that it pleased God , or that for fear and scruple o f conscience I durst n o t. H e was now cast into a dungeon with irons of eighteen pounds weight on his feet . H e owed his deliverance to a chance of the same happy kind that had favoured his escape from Mecca . A woman had helped him I n the o f first instan ce . A woman , and a wife the — Sultan , helped him now Arab women being at “ that time greatly i n love with white men . The prisoners were allowed to walk daily in a C loister overlooked by the palace . There the ’ Sultan s wife si ngled him out , contrived to speak as with him , and advised him , a means of Obtain ing greater liberty, to counterfeit madness ; mad people in the East being considered holy o r inspired . B artem a followed her advice with co n s icuo us “ p success . H e converted a great fat ” Sheep to Mohammedanism , and killed a donkey 28 CH R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

t for refusing to be a proselyte . B u he found madness more tiring than any labour , as crowds followed him in the streets , and boys pelted him with stones . H ermits also were summoned to j udge whether he was mad o r h oly . At last he contrived to enter i nto a secret agreement with o f a t the captain a ship that touched Aden , and f e fected his escape from Arabia . H e travelled in

Persia , I ndia , Ethiop ia, round the Cap e of Good

H ope, and returned safely to Rome . V LE B 1 68 INCENT LANC , 5

LE A C w as BL N born at Marseilles in 1 554 . H is father had been a merchant in the Levant , and w as then j oint partner in a sh ip that traded with the East . As a child Le Blanc had the desire to travel . I t was kindled by life in the great w here w he o f French p ort , watched the arrival o r strange Ships manned by foreign sailors , the departure of others for those Eastern cities whose very names breathed mystery and enchantment . o f The spell the East was strong upon him , and at the age of fourteen he left his home and embarked secretly upo n h is father 's ship bound i te n fo r Alexandria . H is mother knew o f his n

o f . tions , but recognised the futility Opposition

Le Blanc reached Alexandria , visited Cairo , and w as started on the homeward voyage . There a delay in Candia, and the crew utilised it to spend their money in pleasures . To obtain more money o n they sold the merchandise the ship at a loss . On leaving port they were beset by fear of

creditors , and conceived the desperate design of

wrecking the ship . Le Blanc escaped from the

catastrophe , and returned to Candia in a small 29 30 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA boat . Now occurred the chance that determined r his future . A ship arrived f om Venice bound for w as jerusalem . On board a man named Cassis , whom Le Blanc had known at Marseilles . H e sug gested that Le Blanc should accompany him in his f travels . The o fer was accepted , and the Fren ch f Consul gave help with a sum o money . tw o The friends travelled over Tripoli, reached

Damascus , and took up their abode in the Turkish ’ o f Macharib quarter a town called , three days j ourney from Damascus . There they met Morat, o f the brother Cassis , and a renegade . I t was who o f he broached the idea a visit to Mecca , no t from religious motives , but that he might sell his merchandise at a profit and recoup himself

for . recent losses Cassis demurred , alleging his promise to take Le Blanc to jerusalem . The renegade replied that they would first visit Mecca and then return to Jerusalem . w as Le Blanc overheard this conversation , and

filled with dismay . He dreaded the perilous voyage , but he also dreaded that the two brothers o r might abandon or sell him if he protested, even exchange him fo r o n e o f the rare barrels o f wine that were sold by druggists at a high

. As price soon as the plan was laid before him , he had no choice but to accept . The three jo i ned the mai n caravan o f o f camels , loaded with all kinds merchandise and spread over two miles o f country . Le Blanc speaks o f phantoms in the desert that decoy o f men from the caravan , in the guise friends ,

3 2 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA o f his merchandise . Whatever conscientious scruples may have been felt by Le Blanc were once more silenced by necessity . w as o ut The plan carried . Cassis and Le

B lan e took ship for Aden and thence for Ormus . Having sold their goods at great profit in Persia and Babylonia , they j ourneyed as far north as

Samarcand . They subsequently returned to Aden , o f travelled up the east coast Arabia , visited

India, and many other countries in Asia and

. 1 8 of Afri ca I n 57 , after an absence ten years , n Le Blanc returned to Marseilles . H is pare ts did n o t recognise him . Five years before they

had celebrated his funeral obsequies . ’ Le Blanc s travels were not over . I n 1 583 is he started fo r Brazil . Chance led him to d “ embark at H avre , and there he married one o f the most terrible women in the world . H e

now had a yet more p owerful incentive to travel .

H e visited Spain , Italy, Malta , Guinea , the West n ot 1 60 2 t Indies . I t was till hat he finally i settled in his nat ve country . 1 6 1 P e ire sc a o f I n 9, , the M ecenas his age , ’ asked to see Le Blanc s manuscript . It had ' been h is habit to write in a note - book all that

he saw o r heard . But his educatio n had been o f . the slightest , and he was credulous Many

absurdities were found in his pages , and before they saw the light they were subjected to care

ful editing and numerous excisions . The book ’ w as l not published til after its author s death ,

- 1 6 0 o f six . in 4 , at the age eighty VI NCENT LE B LAN C 33

“ “ er etual Life, wrote Le Blanc, is a p p voyage ” o r without rest fixed habitation .

— ’ N ote Le B l an c s sta te m ents should b e acce pte d with Man r n ne co nt of his re se rv e . y a e i cli d to di sm i ss the ac u n o M s fi t o s jour ey t e cca a cti i u . O W D 1 60 J HANN IL , 7 WILD was born at Nuremburg about the year

1 585. After completing his apprenticeship to a trade, he made a j ourney to H ungary . H e was there seized by the fancy for a military life , and enlisted in the Imperial army, then engaged in war against the Turks . H e was in his nine

tee n th . w as year Shortly after, he taken prisoner by the H ungarians , allied with the Turks , and sold as a slave . H is master, a sutler attached

. w as to the Turkish army, took him to Buda I t i n the month o f December ; the winter w as exceptionally severe ; and the crossing o f the Danube o n the i ce occasioned much suffering to the German prisoners , among whom were ’ many women and children . Wild s next ex p e r ie n ce was the Turkish bath . It was a co n trast to his late sensations , but he found it equally disagreeable— like the transference from o ne circle o f the I nferno to another . I t w as his first acquaintance with a hot bath . H e was of now sold to a captain J anissaries , dressed in Turkish clothes , and employed as a valet . H e speaks with contempt o f the Christian Slaves w h o voluntarily accepted Islam , saying that the T urks despised them more than th ose who held 34 JO H AN N WI LD 35

ut o . Yet , from the sequel , it would appear that he did likewise . In a few months his master w as killed at the Siege o f Gran ; he w as again sold , and within a year and a half changed hands five times . The master whom he acco m an ied w as p to Mecca a Persian , and Wild speaks o f him in terms of strong reprobation . H e was

w a - f— severe and a miser . Wild s h is man o all c work ; he did the ooking and washing, sweep ing , cleaning and marketing . Wild and his master travelled to Mecca in the n Egyptian caravan . The leader (Emir Haj ) e in camped a garden two miles from Cairo , a week in advance, and the pilgrims flocked there by degrees . Trumpets sounded for the start ; the pilgrims were ma’rshalled in the order to be observed during the j ourney ; the camels were tied one behind the other in files ; and a hundred six Mamelukes with cannon formed the escort .

There were thirty camels bearing empty baskets , w ho in which those fell sick might be laid . Every man carried a tarred leather sack filled with water to last three days . There would be no chance of replenishing it before reaching Suez, and nothing w as considered more precious than water . I t w as a common Sight to se e poor pilgrims going round the camp begging ; and if offered food “ sa ! they would lay it down and y, Oh my lord ’ to I do not want eat , but for God s sake only ” a Spoonful o f water . After Suez they crossed the Sinaitic Peninsula , and a whole day was Spent in threading the terrific pass of the Akaba chain : a high range of mountains with rocky 36 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

f cli fs , unlike any Wild had ever seen . The camels were led by the halter, and the pilgrims advanced on foot . They remained two days at the town o f Akaba, in the valley, where there were wells o f sweet rain water guarded by Mamelukes against

the Bedouin . The numbers o f the caravan were men

m b u - w a . Ya and camels , the half y stage , w as o r reached in nineteen twenty days , and the

deaths had been 1 500 men and 900 camels . After Yam b u they were much harassed by Bedouin while ” crossing the mountains . My master, says Wild , “ was wounded with an arrow, but the devil would not o ff carry him altogether, though I would gladly do have s een it . H e was an unmerciful g ; he

- did nothing but beat and ill treat me , and call me ” names whenever he Opened his mouth . When , at ’ the distance of three days march from M ecca , the f Ihram was assumed , he su fered much from the scorching heat o f the su n by day as he sat o n

n . his camel , and from cold by ight H e had to o f bear the pangs hunger and thirst besides , and “ would often have kissed a man ’s feet for the ” sake o f a spoonful of water . The pilgrims kept “ : o f up an unceasing cry Ah , thou dear H ouse ” G od ! At last they climbed a high hill by a narrow

road hewn in the rock, where only two camels ’ might walk abreast ; and there, a stone s throw

w as . below them , Mecca There follows a some what colourless account o f the preliminary reli

gions functions . A remark o f the hated Persian “ master is more worthy of record . Seest thou JO HAN N W I LD 37 how many Turks there are w ho would gladly M so travel to ecca , and are not favoured that ” they can arrive there ? Wild co ncluded that his master expected gratitude for bringing him into such a holy place . “ The p rocession to Arafat impressed him . One ought to have seen in h ow stately a way the inhabitants of M ecca marched to the mountai n , with their camels all hung with carpets . The women o n the camels sang all the way along the road , and also the drivers who walked beside the camels . H e imputed the confusion after the close o f the sermon to fear that the Bedouin were about to descend from the mountains and steal camels . H e himself had charge of the w as beasts , and as his master not with him , he “ became alarmed . I did not even know where “ so I was to take them , he says , that I feared greatly lest a camel might be taken from me and driven into the mountains ; for it was already ” i . h s dark After an hour master j oined him , u n ot cursing beca se he had waited , yet he seemed relieved that the camels were safe . The ceremony o f - o f Devil stoning followed , the legend which “ t he relates with many inaccuracies . I will n o ” his believe that Abraham ever came to Mecca , is con cluding remark . During the twenty days that h e remained in

Mecca , between the return from Muna and the o f departure the caravan , Wild found leisure for a few observations . H e w as shocked by the o f flagrant immorality, and inquired his master ' if this w as the p ilgrims thanks to G od fo r the 38 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

forg iveness of their sins . The master replied “ Why dost thou ask about these things ? If they do not right , God will surely find them o ut o f . H is mention booths all round the

Temple , where perfumes are sold , recalls Bar tema . A Jew or a Christian , he says , found within the city would be burnt alive . There is little worthy to record of Wild ’s visit “ his de scri to Medina . A large grated room , is p

’ As tion of Mohammed s tomb . at M ecca, all food is imported from Cairo except dates ; and these

are cheaper and better than at Cairo . ’ w as re Wild s master a merchant , and he now set turned to Mecca , and thence out for Jeddah , that he might sail upon a trading journey in o f the Red Sea . H e made large purchases goods se t in Abyssinia, whence he sail for Suez, and

returned overland to Cairo . H e subsequently took Wild o n a j ourney to of Jerusalem . They visited the Mosque Omar

and also the H oly Sepulchre . Monks and Chris

tians accompanied them to the Holy Sepulchre ,

to se e that the Turks did no damage . Wild became acquainted with a Greek at Jerusalem

who introduced him to the Patriarch , unknown

to his master . The Patriarch received him kindly,

l istened to his story, and gave him a certificate

o f having visited the H oly Sepulchre . After his

return to Cairo , a Greek who had known him o f at Jerusalem bought some goods his master .

Wild acted as salesman , and asked for a com

. f his mission The Greek took o fence , and told f master o the visit to the Patriarch . Wild was

O P P 1 6 80 J SE H ITTS ,

“ I ! UE S T ION whether there be a man now in ” England that has ever been at Mecca, wrote se t Joseph Pitts , the first Englishman to eyes

. B 1 6 upo n the holy city orn at Exeter i n 6 3, he became a sailor from l ove of travel at the age of fifteen . After some short voyages , he accomplished o n e to Newfoundland ; but o n his return his Ship was captured by a n Algerine pirate o ff the coast of Spain . The p irate captain w as a D utch renegade w ho spoke Engl ish ; but to Pitts the enemy appeared like “ monstrous ravenous creatures , and he feared they would kill and eat him . Three more English ships o n o il were taken , and the captives fed Olives , o f and vinegar, black biscuit, and a p int water a day .

At Algiers Pitts was sold as a slave . H is first “ patroon ” made no attempt to co nvert him ; but his second , a man Of savage and re le ntle ss cruelty, employed the bastinado for this purpose . A great cudgel , applied with vindictive ferocity to his bare feet , broke down his deter o f mination . H e made the profession faith , as o f holding up , customary, the forefinger the right hand . H e had submitted through terror, JOSE P H P ITTS 4 1 but he tells us that he secretly hated his new “ ” o f ho . religion , and ate heartily in private g The patroon doubted the genuineness o f the conversion , and treated him worse than before . Pitts found means to correspond with his family, at long intervals , and in secret . On the subject o f his conversion touching letters passed between them . H is father enjoined him , no matter what cruelties were practised upon him , never to renounce his blessed Saviour . This letter did not arrive till after the fateful words were spoken . Had it done So , Pitts might yet

h ld u t - have e o . He replied in heart broken as strain , wishing that he had died a child , that he might n o t have been the bringer o f his ’ parents grey hairs With sorrow to the ground .

Again , after many months , his father wrote that he had consulted many ministers , and all concurred sin that he had not sinned the unpardonable . “ “ Remember, he added , that Peter had not so many temptations to deny his Lord and Master as thou hast had ; and yet he Obtained ’ ” so mercy, and may st thou . The longest interval in this correspondence w as 1 680 fourteen months , duri ng which , in , Pitts made his journey to Mecca with his third “ — a n o f patroo n ancient and corpulent man , w ho mild nature, treated him with great kind

. se a ness Th ey j ourneyed by to Alexandria , thence down the Nile to Cairo , across the desert to Suez , and took ship to Jeddah . H e assumed off the Ihram , and remarked the skin burnt ’ su n the pilgrims backs by the scorching . H e 4 2 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

considered his fellow p ilgrims blind and idolatrous , but could s carce forbear shedding tears at their zeal . They kissed the camels that bore the Sacred Carpet ; and spoke o f the rain water o ff o f Kaab ah which flowed the flat roof the ,

the . through a spout, as dew of heaven There to it o r was a rush to get under it, drink , even to collect and sell it . Pitts found the taste o f

Zem Zem water brackish , and that it caused “ o n . pimples to break out the body And this , “ o f he says , they call the purging their Spiritual

corruptions .

Pitts was at Mecca in the month o f Ramadan . If any on e touches food except between sunset and sunrise , during the month of fasting , he must

his . expiate Sin by the sacrifice of a sheep If , is however , it is done accidentally, then it no “ “ ’ o f o r sin , but a great favour God , God s ’ - treat . It chan ced that the patroon s water carrier Ka h brought h im some rain water from the ab a .

Pitts drank of the sacred dew, and then , calling to mind that he had broken his fast , partook likewise o f solid nutriment . H e w as reproached by a friend , to whom he told his story , in these “ words : What dignity was put up on your head ! God was about to treat you in a more than

ordinary way, even with heavenly water which o ff came from H is own house, neither would it n o w have marred your fast ; but , through your o f so ad ignorance , you have missed great an " vantage .

There were four caravans in his day, that jump ” all into Mecca together . The Egyptian caravan , J OSE PH P ITTS 43 with the Sacred Carpet that from Tartary , through

Turkey, Anatolia , and Damascus ; from the East

I ndies , with many rich and choice goods ; and from Morocco , by land to Egypt . This last caravan halted at every town to collect pilgrims . I t w as of received with acclamations j oy, with a display

- o f flags and sounding o f kettle drums . Women

- viewed the pro cession from the house tops , striking their four fingers Softly o n their lips . People wondered how “su ch a little ragged town as ” in Mec ca could contain so many . But the habitants “ straightened themselves very much in ” order to make their market . Those who came last camp ed without the city . Mecca itself made a dismal impression upon

Pitts . I t was in a barren place in the midst o f o f many little hills , stony and blackish , and all

. o n e see equal height H e climbed , and could fo r

o f . miles round , but not to the end the hills Th e buildings were mean and ordinary, with nothing of beauty ; the inhabitants , a poor sort , very thin , f lean , and swarthy . The country a forded little or “ ” s nothing of comfortable provision . Such w a the climate , that , although he slept on the house top , covered with a linen cloth which he dipped in water and then wrung out, he would wake two o r three times in the night to find it dry . Pitts remained four months in Mecca with his “ K h . patroon . H e entered the aab a twice I pro in fess I found nothing worth seeing it , was his remark . While in the Temple Court he w as once reb uked by a Turk for lying with his feet towards 44 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

K a the aab h . H e met with an Irish renegade who had passed thirty years in the galleys o f France and Spain . Th is man described his former Slavery “ “ as hell upon earth , and Mecca as heaven ” upon earth . H e had now forgotten his o w n language . “ : Of Arafat , Pitts wrote I t is a Sight indeed ’ so able to p ierce one s heart, to behold many thousands in their garments o f humility and m ortifi catio n , with their naked heads and cheeks watered with tears , and to hear their grievous sighs and sobs , begging earnestly for the of o f remission their Sins , promising newness life . The return j ourney to Cairo w as accomplished by land . I t occup ied forty days , and no green — thing was seen only sand and sto nes . They halted three days at Medina to visit the Prophet ’s

Tomb . The pilgrims thrust in their hands at the “ ” windows , and petitioned the dead juggler with f a wonderful deal of reverence , a fection , and zeal .

The patroon , while in this devout attitude , was o f robbed his silk handkerchief . Alex an drIa When they reached , an English ship o f was in the harbour, and on board it a man le ak o f L m so n named John C , y , who not only o f his was an old s choolmate Pitts , but had seen father shortly before leaving England . Their inter ’ course w as restricted by Fitts s fears lest suspicion should arise in the Mohammedan company . He would neither drink with his friend nor ac co m

- pany him to the coffee house . H e contrived to JOSE P H P ITTS 45

send a letter by h im to his family , and with it a Turkish pipe for his father, and a green silk purse for his mother . H e added that he hoped God would find out some way fo r his escape . w as Plague raging at Alexandria , and Pitts fell

. w as o n e a victim H is attack a slight , and he recovered , thanks to the remedy suggested by a o f Spaniard , applying to the tumour a piece of o il roasted onio n dip ped in . his H e continued to live with patroon at Algiers , although , according to use , he had received from him at Mecca a letter of freedom . The patroon

w as o f . advanced age , and Pitts had expectations o f Also , though no longer a slave , the freedom renegades was restricted , and had he been caught in the attempt to escape from Algiers , he would have been put to death with torture as an example .

At last , an acquaintance with an English merchant h t e . led to an introduction to British Consul , Mr

was . Baker, and the question of ransom mooted But the Consul was unable to raise the hundred pounds demanded . Pitts burst into tears , but for the present no more could be done . After a o f lengthy period an opp ortunity escap e occurred . Some Algerine ships were despatched to Smyrna

0 11 o f . to assist the Turks , and Pitts was one them

He bore with him a letter from Mr . Baker to I th e British Consul at Smyrna . ts contents some what alarmed the Consul , and but for his friend

Mr . Baker, h e would not have meddled in such a dangerous attempt . Pitts was also distracted 40 C H R I STI AN S AT MECCA

by the certainty, if he did escape, of losing eight ’ months pay, and the expectations from his w as patroon . H owever, it but a temporary weak

ness , and , after waiting vainly for an English o n ship , he embarked , in European dress , a French

one . The Ship safely reached Leghorn , and Pitts

prostrated h imself and kissed the earth .

H is homeward route lay through Germany . A

last trial awaited him in England . On the n ight o f w as his arrival he impressed into the navy . But he w as rescued from this strait by Sir William Falke ner , a Turkey merchant, whom he had known To of in the East . the great j oy his friends and wh o relations , had buried him in their thoughts

long before , he returned to Exeter . H is father still lived , but his mother had died the previous N o t year . wishing to come suddenly upon his

father, he sent tidings of his return through a “ ” so n third person . Art thou my J oseph ? said old m an the , when at last they came face to

face . Then , leading him home , he shut the door of on the group inquisitive persons , and gave

thanks to G o d o n his knees . Pitts had been absent six months b efore he

w as captured and sold as a slave . Fifteen o n e o n years he spent i n Algiers , and his home

1 6 . ward journey . H e reached Exeter in 93 The o f date his death is uncertain , but it is believed

to have taken place in 1 7 35. There is ample assurance that in 1 7 3 1 h e was still living in his

native town . It is pleasant to think that the storms o f his youth were succeeded by so long o f e a period fair weather . H e must often in lat

B D Y B 1 80 A IA LE LICH , 7

(ALI B EY E L ABBAS S I)

WI T H Pitts terminates the band of skirmishers

in the Christian invasion of Mecca . M ore than a century elapses before the Moslem belief that

the earth would Open and swallow an i nfidel , is b e again p ut to the test . The motive forces Fo r come changed . compulsio n is substituted o f o f love adventure , or ardent desire a fuller ’ B art s f knowledge than em a . At the head o the advancing main body moves the maj estic figure o f — o r Badia no humble slave renegade , but the o f friend Pashas and Sultans . Badia is better known by his assumed title of ‘ Ali Bey El Abbassi . He was born at Biscay in / 1 66 o f 7 , and the accident birth gave him an

advantage over Burton . H is native tongue facili tate d o f the correct accentuation Arabic , and , o f above all , those guttural sounds that baffled

- the master of twenty eight languages . The name

El Abbassi implied descent from the Abbassides , o n e of the several dynasties of Caliphs who suc de d Ab ou lab b as ce e . Mohammed I n the reign of , o f first of the Abbassides and uncle the Prophet ,

the expansion o f Islam had been unparalleled . 48 BAD IA Y LEBL I C H 40

su b se Badia received a liberal education , and quently perfected his knowledge , and studied

. 1 80 1 medicine , astronomy, and mineralogy I n he visited Paris and London , returning to Spain in Mussulman dress two years later . On June

29th he left fo r Tangier on a secret mission . A certain degree of mystery surrounds Badia . By some he is said to have been an agent either of Napoleon— who still cherished dreams of an — f ) empire i n the East o r the King o Spain . By others he is credited with the wish to found a t

‘ Al e ria European colony between Morocco and g , j to diffuse civilisation . The sources of his great wealth are unknown . At Tangier his brilliant equipage and costly presents to the authorities im attracted general attention . H e became an portant character , and received from the Emperor o f of Morocco , in Sign brotherhood , the singular tw o present of black loaves . A close friendship sprang up between Badia and this exalted personage . H e was summoned Me u in ez o n to the royal presence at q , and while w a S ar te l saw the y, by Cape p , in th e distance forty Ships of the line that afterwards fought at ff Trafalgar . The Emperor o ered a little paternal : advice he desired that Badia should marry , as unmarried men were not respected . H e even made him a present of two women from the B royal harem . adia replied that he had vowed not to marry till he had visited Mecca . This occasioned a Slight hitch : the women had left f the harem and might not return . The di ficulty was finally smoothed away by boarding them D 50 C H R ISTIAN S AT M ECCA

For out . a reason that is unknown , the Emperor to tried dissuade Badia from the Mecca proj ect,

but , finding him obdurate , gave him a fine tent lined with red cloth and ornamented with silk

fringes . 1 On 3th October he embarked for Tripol i , n h where he arrived o 1 1t November . He p re served his lordly character by giving away food

and medicines , and excited the awe and wonder of the Arabs by compiling almanacs and predict th ing eclipses . On January 2 6 he left Trip oli in n o t a Turkish ship , but did reach Alexandria till th May 1 2 . The delay was caused by the drunken

ness and incompetence of the captain . Badia

f - su fered agonies from sea sickness , but when the ship was in difficulties he allowed himself to be carried up o n deck to determine the latitude and

longitude . As they approached Alexandria a fear

ful tempest was raging, and the captai n came

to him with tears in his eyes . But his co nduct had been o f so unworthy a nature that the only “ answer Badia vouchsafed was , Ah Captain 4

At Alexandria Badia met Chateaubriand . Some { slight disagreement seems to have taken place ; but Chateaubriand pronounced him a worthy o f descendant the great Saladin , and the most

learned and polite Turk in the world . At Cairo h e came into contact with all the distinguished o f people , including Mohammed Ali , Pasha Egypt . C alaou n While in the mosque of the Sultan , he saw tailors working at the new covering of the Kaab ah . Ali Of Mohammed , Badia wrote that he had BAD I A Y LE BLI C H 51

much practical good sense , but wanted culture , with the result that he became at times em b arrassed in conversation . There was also a look o f mistrust in his eyes . H e owed his w as v present position to his Albanian corps , and consequently unable to check their excesses and their tyranny over the civilian population . 1 1 806 On 5th December , Badia joined th e caravan for Mecca . H e had with him fourteen 000 camels and two horses . The 5 camels that made up the caravan moved but slowly . H e acco m would therefore ride to the head of it , an ie d tw o who p by his servants , placed a carpet

- r e and cushions for h im by the road side , and

~ - f cl ine at h is ease for .thr e e quarters o an hour while the procession filed past . As soon as the w as C last camel lear of him , he remounted and repeated the manoeuvre .

At Suez , as afterwards at Jeddah and Mecca , he secured the accommodation which h is numerous and powerful friends had negotiated for him in w as se a advance . But Badia ever unlucky at .

H e embarked in a dhow , which he compares to o n o f an ancient Trojan galley, account its m b o w immense proj ections from ste and . Four o r fiv e men were stationed o n the look- out to o f warn the helmsman rocks ahead . But so painful was the business o f manipulating the o f coarse and heavy cotton sail , by means ropes made from pal m fibre , against wind and current , that navigation in the Red Sea became a series o f hairbreadth escapes . One night , in the midst o f o n o f a storm , the ship struck a rock . Cries 52 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA despair arose , and the captain sobbed like a o ut child . Badia ordered the boat , and sprang f into it with a handful o men . For an hour w they tossed about in darkness . N o the boat

Shaved a rock, and the blood in their veins became ice ; now it shivered from the stroke o f a wave and began to fill with water . Rain and hail fell in torrents . At last a ray o f moonlight struggled through the clouds . I t enabled B adia to take his bearings , and he forthwith seized the rudder and turned the boat in the direction o f his o ar land . But crew were novices at the ; he w as forced to sing to make them row in time ; and at the same moment he w as attacked

- sea . of by sickness After three hours agony, as

. w as dawn was breaking , they touched land It not the coast of Arabia, but an island a few miles distant . This wild adventure ended some what tamely . They were p icked up by the ship which they thought lost . It had survived the catastrophe , and another ship had taken it in tow . The crew welcomed Badia and his friends with tears .

At Jeddah friction with the Governor occurred .

Before going to the Mosque , Badia sent his servants to place his praying carpet near the o f Iman But the Governor , disappointed a saddle which he had expected as a gift from o w n Badia, caused his carpet to be placed in such a way that it overlapped . A servant then touched Badia o n the shoulder and ordered him To : to move . avoid a scandal he complied his whereupon the Governor usurped carpet . BAD IA Y LE BL IC H 53

: Badia, however , made a telling rejoinder he presented the carpet to the I man , saying he could never u se it again . It was at Jeddah then he drank his first draughts o f Zem Zem water . Alluding to the f numerous o ferings of the liquid brought to him , “ ” he says , I drank and payed .

22nd 1 80 P . M. On January 7 , at , he left

Jeddah , riding in a l itter . Fever had reduced him to such a state o f weakness that he could not o f endure the movements a camel . The air was serene , the moon shining , and the Arabs sang and danced round him . The caravan made its w ay across the great desert plain bounded by o f detached group s stony mountains . At Haddah , that sandy valley closed in by dark red igneous

. P . M . rocks , they halted Next day, at 3 , they assumed the Ihram , and followed the way that led them among black volcanic mountains and deepening gorges to the outskirts o f Mecca . The law that pilgrims should enter o n foot ’ w as relaxed in consideration o f B adia s illness . As he made his way through the Gate o f Salvation into the square of the Mosque , the guide signed to him to halt . Then pointing with h is finger “ Kaab ah : at the , he exc laimed Look, look, the forbidden house o f God Badia w as impressed “ and awed . The imme nse court of the Temple , “ th e o f he writes , House God covered by black cloth from top to bottom and surrounded by a Circle of lamps ; the unusual hour and the Silence o f night ; and o ur guide who s poke before — us like one inspired ; all made a striking 54 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA picture that will never be e ffaced from my memory .

A house near the Mosque , and adjoining that o f o f the Sherif Mecca , had been prepared for

. n him After performi g the usual rites , he visited Kaab ah f o . the , accompanied by an escort Negroes

H aving prayed in each corner , he left the build ing, his conductors using their fists to clear a passage through the crowd . The Sherif then summoned him to an audience . To the question o f his native country, Badia replied that it was

Aleppo . The Sherif appeared satisfied , conversed o f about the state Europe , told him that he spoke

Arabic like a native , and appointed a certain functionary to accompany the distinguished visitor in h is wanderings about the city . Who this

w as . functionary , Badia explains at length He w as the guardian o f the well of Zem Zem and

- - poisoner in chief to the Sherif . He would offer a poisoned cup from the holy spring to a su s p e cted person ; and it would be the height of impiety to refuse such a draught from the guardian of the well . As such crimes took place with imp unity in the holy city, it frequently hap pened that Pashas or other eminent wrong to doers were sent there solely be poisoned . Badia met his advances with the most winning frankness , but always carried with him a powerful antidote . The unusual ho nour was reserved for him w as o f help ing to clean the Kaab ah . H e among the crowd assembled without , when the Sherif, w f ho himself performed the o fice , beckoned to

BAD I A Y LE BL I C H 55

him to advance . The crowd divided ; he mounted the steps , and assisted the Sherif in sweeping the marble p avement . The water and rose water used for the p urificatio n ran off by a hole under the door and was eagerly drunk by the crowd . U niversal congratulations were bestowed upon

Badia o n the conclusion of the ceremony .

At this time a Wahhabi army entered Mecca .

The Wahhabis are the Moslem Puritans . The sect was founded by Mohammed ibn Abd aI- Wahhab at the beginning of the eighteenth century . They deny that anything has the right to interpos e between th e soul o f man and God . They admit o f the greatness Mohammed as a Prophet , but protest against the extraordinary honours paid o f him . They deny the inspiration the Koran , and forbid the Medina pilgrimage . They had that year turned back the Damascus caravan conveying the new curtain for the Prophet ’s

Tomb . Poetry and music were prohibited lux uries those w ho enj oyed them in this world Should n o t do so in the next . Even tobacco was an unlawful indulgence , and no less a person than the Sherif was reduced to smoking his pipe in corners . Badia did not realise that the Wahhabis had already been masters of Mecca fo r three years , and that their present i nflux w as for the sake o f the Pilgrimage . Certainly their appearance was terrifying . The people fled at the approach o f the torrent o f wild - looking men in close array that surged through the street . They carried matchlocks and daggers , and were naked 56 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

“ save for a loin cloth . Fo r ostentatious sim ’

licit o f . p y dress , they outdid Macaulay s Puritans The adoration o f the Wahhabis was no t less violent than their general demeanour . Swarming to kiss the Black Stone and circumambulate Kaab ah o f the , they broke the circle lamps with the guns which swung over their Shoulders . of They took the well Zem Zem by storm , disp ersing the guardians and breaking cords and buckets . Finally, they paid the servants o f the Temple not in piastres and dollars , but

f . in powder and lead , or at best co fee B adia did not share the general dislike in which the Wahhabis were held . H e admits that w as o n his first impression a sinister one , but acquaintance he found good qualities and mode ration in them . They never stole , they paid for all they took — in sp ite o f an eccentric — currency and they blindly obeyed their chiefs . It seemed to him that under suitable guidance they would be amenable to civilisation . Yet

natives and pilgrims trembled at their name , and his intercourse with various individuals of the sect was held in sp ite o f the warnings o f friends . One o f the many glowing p ictures of the ’ a ceremony at Arafat comes from B adi s pen . w as o f There an assembly pilgrims . “ ” “ o n e Only at Arafat, he says , can form a proper idea o f the imposing spectacle presented by the Pilgrimage . A countless crowd of men o f all nations and colours come from the ends o f the earth , through a thousand dangers , and BAD I A Y LE BLI C H 57

fatigues without number, to worship together the same God . The inhabitant o f the Caucasus gives a friendly hand to the Ethiopian o r the Guinea Negro ; the Indian and the Persian fraternise with the natives of Barbary and o f Morocco . All consider themselves members n o e family . There is no intermediary between man and his God : all are equal before their “ ” Creator . What a misfortune , he concludes in “ so his Mussulman character , that with many w e advantages , are no better than devotees of other religions . On the conclusion of the sermon , the human whirlwind swe pt towards the narrow passage leading to Muna . A Cloud o f o f dust arose , and in the midst it a forest

o f and . spears , guns , swords

At Muna , Badia was struck by the malicious w h o nature of the Devil , set up his house in a road so narrow and en cumbered with rocks . d his Great confusio n reigned , and he ischarged fixed number of stones at the cost o f two wounds in the left leg . Badia was the first European to give to the o f world systematised knowledge Mecca , in con trast to the desultory jottings of travellers like artem a B and Pitts . H e determined its position by astronomical observatio ns , and drew up a o f : w as plan , with measurements , the Mosque this w ho revised by Burckhardt , came after him . H e o f described the fauna and flora , which the latter were limited to four o r five plants and a few

saw . thorn trees . He but a Single flower I t w as on the way to Arafat ; but th e servant 58 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA whom he sent to cut it was checked by some sin to p ilgrims , who maintained that it was a do ' i So a such a time . H e made a discovery con cerning Zem Zem that would have shocked the : orthodox namely, all the wells in and round

Mecca had the same taste . H e ascribed it to the mixture o f earth and decomposing selenite . “ Yet , praise be to God, they have not the same ” miraculous powers ! he adds like a good Moslem . H e unfortunately lost the hair from his hygro ’

n o t . meter, and could replace it Men s heads were all alike Shaven ; hairs o f the beard unsuit able ; and women , from superstitious motives , h refused to supply is want .

Of Mecca itself he found little good to say. o u I t appeared to him like a dying city. Its p p lation was steadily diminishing . From at o f the time the great Caliphs , it had shrunk to or Th e streets were fine and the houses well built ; but tw o - th irds o f them were a see f lling in ruins , and he did not a single new building undertaken . The arts and sciences w as were utterly unknown . I t imp ossible to get o r made such trifling articles as a lock key . Th e few armourers were so primitive in their methods that they used a hole in the ground o r as a forge . There were no regular schools

f - b e system o educatio n . Some would professors of sat in the cloisters the Mosque , and read i n a loud voice to attract auditors . The whole city dragged o n a precario u s existence dependent entirely on the religious zeal o f the external w as Mohammedan world , and th is steadily BAD IA Y LE B LI C H 50

su n o u t. diminishing , like a burning itself Only during the Pilgrimage were there Signs o f life and activity i n the Mecca streets . Then half

- the population became lodging house keepers , & c f porters , . ; half , servants o the Temple . The its Pilgrimage over , Mecca sank back into nine ’ months lethargy.

Spectres , not human beings , peopled this city of the dead . The servants o f the Temple were o f a collection walking skeletons , clothed with parchment glued to the bones— with large sunken o eyes , attenuated noses , cheeks holl w to th e bone , withered legs and arms , starting veins and Sinews . Better would they have served as models o f ana tomy or osteology. Alone among travellers in the i ' state s that t H ej az, Badia the irritabili y resulting from privations showed itself in harsh treatment f o slaves . This Slow decay and disintegration is ascribed ’ by him to the country s isolated position . Sur se a o n o ne rounded by all sides but , removed from o f the chief lines communication , it remained ignorant o f the new discoveries and achievements o f o f men , actions and revolutions . The tide o f se t w life had west ard , and to the great pro gre ssiv e nation s Arabia was little more than the submerged island o f Atlantis . The electric current o f civilisation w as stayed by its sand dunes and r o ck o f mountains . I n the centre this abandoned t its erritory lay Mecca , muffled in deserts like a s ick f man from the noises o the outer world . Once in the year the wild life o f the Pilgrimage pulsated in o f its streets ; but this , like the abnormal strength 60 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

fever or delirium , was far removed from healthy energy. ’ Those inclined to discredit B adia s sombre pi cture o f Mecca and its inhabitants must call to saw mind that he them under strange conditions . f The Wahhabis were real , though not o ficial ,

masters of the city . They forbade all mention ’ o f o f the Sultan Turkey s name , but in appearance they respected the Sherif . The Sherif, while o f obeying them , maintained the semblance h is former power . The people of Mecca did not know who their real masters were : there was great confusion and maladministration o f j ustice . It was o n 26th February that the Wahhabis formally proclaimed their power pilgrims , Turkish ’ soldiers , and the Sherif s bodyguard were ordered

. set o ut to leave the city Among them , Badia for

Jeddah . At Jeddah two instances o f tyranny and ex to rtio n came within his knowledge . An English

ship arrived with a cargo of rice . The captain

found the price too low, and resolved to go elsewhere ; but the Sherif ordered him to p ay t du ies as full as if he had sold his cargo . After

an animated discussion , the captain forced h is

way out of port . A second English captain , who o r had been refused a pilot anchorage , whose ship o f had struck upon a rock , and all whose goods and papers had been seized— asked for a certificate

of his disaster . Th is also was refused . H aving

vainly applied to successive authorities , it was to

. o f Badia that he came at last And Badia, the

62 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

f o . Solomon , and forbidden to Christians Like the E l mosques at Mecca and Medina , it is called H a r a m , and after them it is the holiest place

in Islam . I t contains a rock called S ahhar a A llah , which , excepting only Mecca , is the most

favoured place for prayer . Mohammed himself , miraculously conveyed to Jerusalem by the Angel

Gabriel , is said to have p rayed there . The print

of h is foot is shown upon the rock .

Badia returned to Europe by Damascus , Aleppo ,

and Constantinople . On reaching his native co u ntr o f J y, at the time the French invasion , he f declared himself a Bonapartist, and held o fice ’ under Napoleon s brother, Joseph . When the

French were expelled , he retreated to France , o f where he published the account his travels . H e retains in it the illusion that he is a Mu ssu l

man , and the opening paragraph is an invocation . t Once more his thoughts urned to the East . H e nursed the project of exploring the interior w h o of Africa . The servants had attended him on h is p ilgrimage would accompany him now to

prove that he was a Mussulman . With this 1 8 1 8 object in view, he started for Damascus in ; w as but there he attacked by dysentery, and died . The susp icion that he was murdered rests on

insecure foundation . He was buried at the o f o n Castle Balka , the pilgrim road between

( Damascus and Mecca . Another story relates that w as as a cross found beneath his vest , and he w

refused burial . ’ The interest of B adia s personality cannot be To o f d questioned . the eulogy Chateaubrian , BAD IA Y LE BLI C H 03

o f ‘ already quoted , must be added that Victor

H ugo . A meeting took place between them in n Spai , and Victor H ugo characterised him as original and witty . H e had great courage and coolness in danger , and remarkable scientifi c and linguistic acquirements . And yet , Burckhardt 1 8 6 mentioned , in 1 , that his knowledge of Arabic w as imperfect, and that he did not impose upon the natives , but they were assured of his being o f a Mussulman . H e also described his mode travelling as injudicious , and his power of making interesting observations limited by the pomp in ’ o f which he moved . I n spite Burckhardt s great authority and unenvious character , rivalry may have dictated this verdict ; especially as he adds ’ that B adia s description o f Mecca had fore ow n stalled his , but he hoped to give additional information . I ndeed , Badia to Burckhardt was like Christianity to H ume— the o n e thing capable o f disturbing the equanimity of a good - natured man . Yet the fact is worth recalling that Badia , while riding among the mountains near Jerusalem , —” was stopped and abused as a Christian by an o ld o f man , to pacify whom he made the profession faith . That he did endure hardships on his j ourney to Mecca has been shown . Wealth and

n o t - rank could save him from sea sickness , ship wreck, and rough treatment by the Wahhabis . Yet Burckhardt ’s contention is not without its force ; and for the very reason that he travelled o f like a rich man , with a retinue servants , and had friends in high places , he strikes me , in his o f character Christian at Mecca , as less interest 04 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA ing than some of the pilgrims o f humbler estate to who are come after him . We should, never theless for of W , be grateful a glimpse what alter Bagehot called o n e of the rarest o f literary

h r m w m a n c a s gn a im o us autobiography . P SEETZ EN 1 80 — 10 ULLRICH JAS E R , 9

(HAI MOO SA)

S E ETZ EN w as born at S Ophie ngr o de n in Jever in 1 6 1 7 7 . I n 7 93, when the principality passed to the Empress Catherine, he became a Russian subject . H is father was a rich farmer, who gave all his sons a learned education ; and S e etz e n n for early showed a pro ounced taste mechanics , and medicine with its underlying sciences . H e took his degree i n medicine at the University of o G ttingen , and during his travels over Germany and H olland he not only studied zoology, botany , and mineralogy, but mines , manufactures , and

e t chnical inventions .

With this superb mental equipment , he planned his first series o f Oriental travels in 1 802 . H e had succeeded in interesting many distinguished v o n persons in his projects . Baron Zach pro v ided him with astronomical instruments ; Prince Augustus o f Gotha commissioned him to acquire specimens fo r the museum he was establishing ; even the Emperor Alexander contributed fi n an cial support . Yet , despite the bias of his mind o f toward the practical application the sciences , ' Seetz e n s habits were unbusinesslike , and through 66 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA o ut his travels he was frequently in want of money .

- A surgeon named Jacobsen , a strongly built , S e etz e n athletic man , accompanied , but his health broke down at Smyrna, and he was forced to return S e e tz e n home . himself was of small stature and insignificant appearance , but he possessed great f powers o f endurance . H e su fered intensely from his highly strung nervous system . I n his diary he describes how he did no t dare explore an o n i nteresting cavern the Danube, for fear lest his he should be murdered by Servian escort . And yet these Servians saved his life when he threw himself into the river in a fit o f melan

chol . y Burckhardt, whom hearsay had inspired

with great respect for his character, describes o f him as a man plain truth , endowed with

a l ively fancy, and even considerable poetical

talents . S ix H e remained months at Constantinople , and thence made his w ay through the heart o f n Asia M i nor, passi g a year at Aleppo and a year o f 1 80 a re n at Damascus . By the close 5, his pp tice ship to the Arab language and customs was complete ; and he set out o n the series o f jour

neys to which his fame is due . In November 806 1 he explored the Dead Sea, making a tour

in the disguise of a beggar . H e drew up the

first accurate map , and dispersed the current

collection of fables . From Palestine he travelled

to Cairo across the Sinaitic Peninsula . There he 1 80 remained till March 9, when his diary ends ; of and, owing to the loss his subsequent j ournals, U LLR I C H JASPE R S E ETZ E N 67 it is only possible to reconstruct an outline o f his Arabian travels from letters to Zach and other friends . H is intention was to explore parts of Arabia and visit the two holy cities . The title of H aj would be o f use to him in more extensive voyages through Mohammedan countries . H e for o n started Arabia by the land route, and his w ay examined the traces of the ancient Suez

Canal cut by Sethi I . After various delays and shifting of plans he embarked from Suez, with o f Yamb u fifteen pilgrims various nationalities, for th 2 . ( 7 August) Disap pointment awaited him . A native merchant , to whom he brought a letter of introduction , informed him that the country was

‘ the Wahhab is in the hands of , and he had best w as not attempt to reach Medina . It decided , accordingly, to make for Jeddah . When the of w as village Rabigh on the coast passed , and “ o f Lab b a k the I hram assumed , to Shouts y

- (H ere am I), he thought of pre Islamic ages , when perhaps Bacchus was invoked with similar enthusiasm .

He remained in Jeddah till October, at the e l S ukkath house of a merchant friend , Abdallah , completing his initiation into the mysteries o f

. set I slam At last , clothed in the Ihram , he out

fo r . Mecca H e travelled on foot , and found the ’ tw o road safe and easy . I t was o clock on the morning either o f the 1 0th o r 1 1 th that he w as reached his destination . When it light he entered the Mosque accompanied by a guide . “ 00 I magine an oblong area , 3 paces long and 68 C H R I ST I AN S AT MECCA

200 wide , surrounded by a fine colonnade con sisting o f three o r four rows o f marble columns ; and p icture . to yourself, enclosed in this area, — half - a- dozen not very large buildings and you have an accurate idea of this sacred Mosque . o f All round it the houses the city rise in tiers , so ou and above them are the hills , that y may o f fancy yourself in a maj estic amphitheatre , which the great square of the Mosque is the arena . The whole leaves an impression of which I w as not in the smallest degree conscious in any other Mosque . After spending a month in Mecca and re ce iv in g instruction from a resident scholar, he returned to Jeddah , and utilised the interval to before the Pilgrimage in a visit Medina . He left with a caravan , accompanied by a servant ; and both rode in a litter . Medina was under a Wahhabi Emir ; and as the Wahhabis forbade w as all p ilgrimages except to Mecca , it necessary ’ to visit the Prop het s Tomb surreptitiously . S e e tz e n described the Mosque as a building o f o f considerable Size , with a large number p illars , some o f them (those in the Garden) encrusted of up to a height n ine feet with marble , j asper, c p orphyry, and maj oli a , and ornamented with gold lettering . He visited the holy places within and without the city ; but w as unexpectedly

‘ summoned to the presence o f the Emir and

- subjected to a rigorous cross examination . Who he was ? Whence he came ? Why he remained so long ? Why he brought so many books ? n The last circ umstance had attracted attentio ,

7 0 CH R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

two wives with him , an arm round the neck f o each to p revent separatio n in the crowd . o f o r Companies fifty a hundred , holding hands o r garments , forced their way along . And here and there , above the compact h uman mass ,

wavered the long neck o f a camel . Abdallah e l S ukkath had hired a large house o n 1 S e etz e n at Muna . There , 4th January, watched from a balcony the endless procession o f e towards Arafat camels , horses , mules , ass s , to and foot p assengers . N ext day he rode Arafat “ o f o a range bare granite hills , ab ve which the peaks o f still higher hills were visible in the

distance . The Slopes o f Arafat were half w as covered with pilgrims , but the great crowd

gathered at its foot . All looked fixedly at the “ Lab b a k . mountain , and shouted y till sunset

A cold night was Spent at Muzdalifah . Muna ,

o n . his return , appeared like a Shambles It was o f the great festival the poor pilgrims , and he saw Negroes drying pieces o f meat and in te stin e s at a fire , as provisions for the home

ward journey . S ee tz e n might have returned with the Wahhabi

caravan to Ne id or even beyond . I t w as an

extensive caravan , guarded by a hundred horse men armed with heavy bamboo spears decorated

with ostrich feathers . But his Arab friends detested the Wahhabis ; he would have lost

caste with them , and perhap s exp osed himself

to persecution . He remained two months in Mecca after the o f 0 11 conclusion the Pilgrimage, and carried U LLR I C H JASPE R S E ETZ E N 7 1

untiring observations . Although not a p ractised f draughtsman , he succeeded in making a map o the town and the surrounding country, and a o f o f plan the Mos que , with Sixteen drawings its e separate parts . H e condemned as beneath riti ’ is c m . all existing drawings , in cluding N iebuhr s H e also conducted astronomical observations from the house of a friend o f so many- sided a temperament that he combined the duties of

- professor , astrologer , almanac maker , muezzin ,

- o f co n spice merchant , and arbiter in cases science . Yet with all this he could scarcely

a S e etz en . make living . This man p layed false o ff H e purposely read wrong figures , and made worthless his observations . S e etz e n tasted l ocusts for the first time at

Mecca, and found them palatable when fried in butter . H e frequently ate them afterwards in

Yemen . o n 2 th H e left Mecca 6 March , and at Jeddah met Shaykh Hamza . I t was from him that he had received instructio n o n his first arrival at

. w as Mecca H amza a learned scholar , but his excess of religious zeal led S e etz e n to accept with hesitation his pro ffered company in his j ourney to Yemen . H e might prove a Spy, yet he was an honest man with out guile , and might S e e tz e n be used to forward scientific purp oses . did persuade h im to keep a diary in Arabic o f the j ourney , and , as he had never seen a book o f travels , called his attention to what was worth

. w as noting down The result an excellent j ournal , S tz n his o w n which e e e hoped to compare with . 7 2 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

The travellers reached Hodeida by sea , and In started 0 11 their journey through Yemen . o f S e etz e n w as the neighbourhood Sana , seized o f with serious illness , the consequence getting so drenched in a thunderstorm . H e grew weak to that he had be carried across a stream , but he succeeded in reaching Sana .

From Sana he travelled to Aden , and thence His by the unexplored land route to Mocha . 1 1 last two letters , dated 4th and 7 th November, set o u t were despatched from Mocha . H e from of that place with the intention reaching Mascat, and thence travelling to Bassora ; but he had not accomplished more than two days ’ journey when he was assassinated . Mystery surrounds his fate , but it is generally believed that he was o f of poisoned by order the Iman Sana . Doubt o f had arisen as to the sincerity h is conversion , and he was suspected o f magical practices . Above all , a collection of snakes preserved in spirits o f w as w as wine , looked askance at . It believed that through them he could influence the weather , o n o n e and that he had occasion caused a drought . The few known facts connected with his death to were brought light by James Silk Buckingham , o f the traveller , journalist, and founder the

A thena mm j ournal . Writing to Burckhardt from th 1 8 1 Mocha on o February 5, Buckingham states that S e etz en took with mm o n his last journey i seventeen camels . He s at a loss to conj ecture S eetz e n what formed their loading, and why o tempted the Arabs with s much display . Yet ’ “ S ee tz e n s long beard , general aspect , and know U LLR I CH JAS PE R SE E TZ E N 7 3

o f ledge Arabic should not , in his Opinion , have aroused suspicion . H is botanical and miner alogical collection was found to be o f trifling o f commercial value , and was sent to the I man his Sana as magic . H e had deposited notes , of diaries , and maps in the hands an Italian ,

Benzoni , at Mocha . But this man died , and left them to a H indoo broker o f the East I ndia C om ’ 11 f S e etz e n s pany . 0 the news o death , they were seized by the Dola . fo r S eetz en But this , might have contested the place of honour in Mecca exploration with B urck hardt . Some o f his latest utteran ces are worth r e “ “ . As cording a Moslem , h e writes , I Shall carry the Koran with me and follow all its pre scr i tion s as o f p , just in the character a fetish worshipper I should hang myself all over with amulets . I do not think that I shall inj ure my character in the eyes o f enlightened people by o r o n this confession , lose their respect, which I set so high a value ; Sin ce they well know how to distinguish ceremonies from good morals , and " the husk from the kernel . The last letter that o f he wrote contains a passage which , in the l ight what followed , possesses melancholy significance “ If I live and keep my health , I shall , after con cluding my j ourney in Arabia, hasten forward with the greatest eagerness to the goal o f all my travels in Africa , where I hope that th e mask of I slam will do me equally good service . O L DW G B RCK RDT 1 8 1 — 1 J HN U I U HA , 4 5

( S HAYKH HAI IBRAH IM)

TH E fame of which death and the loss of his S e etz e n papers robbed , fell to the lot of Burck hardt . H is book is the foundation of all the exact knowledge of Mecca . H is description o f the Mosque is final . B urton admits that it cannot

to . be improved , and transfers it entire his pages The outward aspect o f the Pilgrimage may vary from year to year, but he has seized upon the essentials . The note of personal adventure is i rarely struck . It s replaced by the collection and

- co ordination o f facts . We feel no tension of nerve when he enters the holy city, no relief when he quits it . H is assumption of the Eastern character is so p erfect that we forget his false position . Like Socrates in Zion , to paraphrase

Carlyle , Burckhardt is terribly at ease in M ecca . a t 1 8 Born Kirchgarten in 7 4, and educated o f o at the U niversities Leipzig and G ttingen , he became p ossessed with a disinterested love o f knowledge . There are many witnesses to the o f his o f excellence heart , and the kindliness his

1 0 . disposition . In 8 6 he visited England I t was the only country not subject to France , and he 7 4 O H N EW I S B U R C K H R D a e 2 . J L A T , g 4

7 6 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

ai n B ur ckhard ddre ssed p g against the Wahhabis . tg ’ B osari a letter to , the Pasha s Armenian physician , begging him to represent his unfortunate situation’ ’ . o sari s to his master While awaiting an answer, B

Jeddah correspondent, through whom the letter ’ w as sent, mentioned Burckhardt s name to Yahya ’ f o f o n E fendi , physician Mohammed Ali s s Tou ’ soun . YahygLEffe ndi made Burckhardt s acquaint ance , heard his story, and advanced him money f r in return o a bill upon Cairo . Shortly after

came an answer from Tayf . Mohammed Ali had B o sari heard , independently of , that Burckhardt w as walking about Jeddah in rags . H e now sent

a messenger summoning h im to Tayf , ordered a suit o f clothes and 500 p iastres to be given to

him , and , in a postscript , directed the messenger cc no t to take the road to Tayf north of Me a , the usual road that runs through the city . Know n o f ing the customs of the East, that the recipie t a gift is looked upon with scorn unless he can return it twofold , Burckhardt accepted Moham ’ med Ali s generosity with diffide n ce . The meaning f f o the postscript was clear to him, but a forded him slight co ncern . The short time Spent by Burckhardt at Jeddah sufficed for him to investigate the causes o f its its prosperity . H e attributed this to being the M a o f port not only of e cc and the whole Arabia, ’ but also of Egypt and I ndia . All merchant ships between these countries anchored at Jeddah by order o f the Sherif o f Mecca , whose in come was 1 swelled by the customs duties . I n 1 8 4 these f amounted to dollars . The co fee trade JO H N LU DW I G BU RCK HARDT 7 7 and the India trade were the chief branches of com merce . For imports , down to the most trifling articles , the town depended entirely on Egypt and the East Indies . The two richest merchants at that time possessed between and pounds sterl ing ; and yet these men did not disdain to sell in retail . Burckhardt beheld the unedifying spectacle of one of them disputing with a pedlar about an article worth fifteen shillings . 2 th set out On 4 August he for Tayf . I n Sp ite o f the significant postscript , a part of the road chosen by h is guide led through the streets at the extreme north o f Mecca . The greater part o f the city was hidden by the windings of the

so w as . valley, that his view of it imperfect H e then proceeded along an ascending road between hills and mountains to the foot o f the chain called

Jebel Kora . H e was much struck by the oasis o f e l o n f Ras Kora the plateau o these mountains . It appeared to him the most beautiful spot in the

of - H ejaz . Many the fruit trees of Europe grew there , among green fields watered by rivulets . ’ o f The greater part the journey, to Burckhardt s disgust , had taken place by night ; but he was fortunate enough to pass through this oasis when o f the sun was rising . Every leaf and blade grass was covered with a balmy dew, and trees and shrubs diffused a delicious fragrance . From this delightful spot he descended with his guide to

Tayf ( 24th August) . The distance from Mecca to

Tayf is 7 2 miles . H e at once proceeded to the house of the

B o sar i. Armenian In reply to questions , he gave 7 8 C H RI ST I AN S AT MECCA as reasons for his presence in the H ejaz the in tention of performing the Pilgrimage . H e would

. B o sar i then return to Cairo But , queried amid o f n o many assurances good will , had he thought o f visiting I ndia ? Burckhardt gave an e mphatic

denial . B o sar i repaired to Mohammed Ali with this

intelligence . Returning , he quoted a significant ’ remark o f the Pasha s I t is not the beard

alone which proves a man to be a true M oslem . Burckhardt replied that his feelings had already been hurt by the directions to bring him to Tayf otherwise than through Mecca ; and that he would not go to the Pasha ’s public audience unless

received as a Turk . B o sar i had been ordered to conduct Burck ’ hardt to the Pasha s presence . This declaration

alarmed him . H e succeeded, however, in aecom datin w as m o g matters , and Burckhardt intro ’ e d du c . Mohammed Ali s conversation ran chiefly

o n European politics . H e had received informa tion o f the entrance o f the allies into Paris and ’ Napoleon s banishment to Elba ; and b e suspected

that England , now that peace was restored to

Europe, would extend her p ower in the East

and invade Egypt . Burckhardt had been wont

to pass under an English name, and it became w as s evident that he regarded as an English py, sent to ascertain the condition of Egypt and

Arabia and report upon them in I ndia . H is first step towards clearing himself was a triumphant

refutation of the charge of heterodoxy . Two o f o f law the ablest professors the then in Arabia ,

80 CH R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

him nation led to close his eyes . Perhaps he feared that Burckhardt, l ike Badia, might in a book o f travels proclaim the imposition to the world , and Mohammed Ali would rather have been thought a bad Mussulman than a fool . th f On 7 September, Burckhardt left Tay for

Mecca . Three Arnaut soldiers , met by chan ce , were his companions of the road . At the ap pointed place he assumed the Ihram . Shortly after, while traversing a valley called Wady o f Noman , a violent storm rain and hail , aecom an ie d set p by thunder and lightning, in . The valley was soon under water to a depth of three feet , while streams five feet broad foamed across w as the road . It impossible to advance , and the travellers took shelter on the Sides o f the o f mountain , in constant danger being washed away by the descending cascades . I n about three hours the rain ceased , and the torrents diminished . They were able to proceed , driving their donkeys before them over the slippery ground .

Clouds made the night impenetrably black , and

- they were half frozen with cold . At last , in the o f f neighbourhood Arafat , they dis covered a co fee b u t which had escaped inundation . There they passed the night , having kindled a fire with f di ficulty . Next day Burckhardt entered Mecca . so H is companions at once deserted him , that his position became Somewhat forlorn . o f At the gate the Mosque , however, several guides accosted him . Having chosen one , he Taw af proceeded to do the , kiss and touch the “ : Black Stone , and drink of Zem Zem the guide JO H N LU DW I G B URCK H ARDT 8 1 followed close at his heels reciting the necessary prayers . H e then ran seve n times between Safa and Marwah , and visited the Omrah . Of all these ceremonies he gives the minutest descrip tion o n record .

H e did not readily find lodgings , but at last discovered a poor guide w ho let h im a room fo r disr fifteen p iastres a day . This man was a ep u t able member o f his class . Burckhardt w as n ot surprised when a few arti cles o f dress were p ilfered from his travelling sack, but he was rightly indignant at a piece of unexampled im pu de nce and charlatanry . On feast day the guide invited his friends to a splendid sup per ’ in Burckhardt s room . Burckhardt , likewise e bidden to it , was n xt day presented with the bill . w I t as the month of Ramadan . Every night thousands of lamps were lit in the Mosque , and all the foreigners in the city resorted there to walk or converse . The scene ap peared to Burck hardt most like a European assemblage . On 1 5th September he o nce more set out for

Jeddah , to complete his travelling equipments . w as f H e detained there for three weeks , su fering o f from inflammation the legs caused by gnat bites . w as I t at this time that he fell in with J . S . Buck ingham and a young Scottish renegade, Othman . To Buckingham he wrote from Mecca a few “ months later : My pursuits are base and de grading because they oblige me almost exclusively to mix and live for many years with whatever is infamous , abject , and wretched in human nature . F 8 2 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA a I t is true, I hope to wrest a wre th from the hands of fame . About the middle o f October he returned to

- Mecca , accompanied by a newly purchased Slave . The boarding experiment with the guide w as not repeated . H e h ired rooms in an unfrequented quarter o f the town . There were actually a few trees before his windows , and their verdure , w as amid the barrenness , more exhilarating than f the finest landscap e in di ferent circumstances .

Assuming the character of a Mameluke , he mixed much with foreign pilgrims . Even had he been w as detected , there was little to be feared . It to common at Mecca , during the Pilgrimage , assume a false character to escape imp osition . H e mentions that in no other Eastern j ourney s M c a had he enjoyed o much ease as at e c . The time intervening before the Pilgrimage w as utilised by Burckhardt for research . H e described Mecca as a handsome town , about 1 500 paces in length The absence o f walls was compensated by the natural barrier o f surround ing hills . The streets were broader than in most o f Eastern cities , to facilitate the circulation crowds o f at Pilgrimage time . Unlike the glaring white

Jeddah , the houses were built of sombre grey

u n - stone . Many windows (an Eastern feature) overlooked the street . These projected from the o r walls , and were elaborately carved gaudily painted . The houses were lofty ; each had its terrace ; and as the women passed much time o n the terraces , they were concealed from view by parapets . So much ruin had been brought

84 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

U Mosque , carpenters , pholsterers from Turkey , undertakers , grocers , druggists , followed the same law . Seven years before , Badia lamented that it w as impossible to get made even a lock or key ; yet Burckhardt speaks o f blacksmiths and lock “ smiths . Gold and silversmiths lived in Chinese w as o f Street . There the quarter the rich Arab , o f Bedouin , and I ndian merchants . One the latter, worth several hundred thousand pounds sterling, bargained with Burckhardt for an hour and a half about a muslin shawl worth four — a dollars repetition of his Jeddah experience . w as o f w of There the street public omen , and

. w ho course the slave market The Bedouin , traded in corn , dates , and cattle , lived in houses l ike

- tents . I n the south west quarter were caravan who o n brokers , and Bedouin carried the trans port trade between Mecca and Jeddah . From here also started the ass caravan that conveyed e letters daily between the city and its port, a com plishing the j ourney in fifteen o r sixteen hours . The stationary population o f the city w as between and Its recent decrease w as due to the Wahhabi invasion . a o f The inh bitants Mecca were , relatively speak o f Ko r e sh ing , foreigners . Few the ancient y tribe , o f which prevailed in the time Mohammed, might be found . Every year some pilgrims remained who so C0 behind ; and those did , married or habited with Abyssinian Slaves . The yellowish sickly brown colour of the Meccans was due to of this Abyssinian strain . I n spite diverse origins , the people o f Mecca had adopted Arabian customs JO H N LU DW I G BU RC K H ARDT 85

and dress . I ndeed , dress was largely considered . A rich man might possess forty suits ; and o n feast days each class assumed the style o f the “ one above . A person would submit to be called a thief rather than allow those o f equal rank to exceed him in finery . Families of moderate means possessed Negro Slaves . The concubines were “ mostly Abyssinian . No wealthy Meccan prefers ” domestic peace to the gratification o fhis passio ns . Me c ca Trade was the prevailing occupation . depended entirely up on foreign countries for daily commodities . Artisans were scarce and o f : for inferior skill save a few p otteries , there w as not a single manufactory . Commerce there

w as 0 11 . 1 o n fore carried 1 p a gigantic scale , and f especially at the time o the Pilgrimage . The

Messai street then resembles a fair, where rich p ilgrims exchanged their countries ’ products with each other , or with the Meccans in return for

I ndia goods . These I ndia goods were often o f 0 sold wholesale at a profit 3 per cent . , and t re ail 50 per cent . Much fraudulent profit w as made through recourse to brokers o r interpreters f by pilgrims ignorant o f Arabic . Those o the Meccans w ho could not afford to trade in I ndia o f goods , laid in stores corn , rice , and biscuits . o f On the ap proach the Pilgrimage , with the necessity o f providing food for thousands o f o f extra men and camels , the price provisions w as rose , and everything sold at an exorbitant rate . The reproach o f a nation of shopkeepers might j ustly have been directed against the inhabitants 86 C H R I STI AN S AT M E CCA o f Mecca . The most learned Ulema dabbled in trade , as with us many unbusinesslike p ersons n speculate o the Stock Exchange . The service of the Temple provided an alternative occupation .

The eunuchs and those attached to the Mosque , not only received fees from pilgrims , but drew o f regular salaries from the revenues the Mosque .

These were considerable , as it p ossessed land and houses in many distant countries , and large remittances were sent yearly by the Sultan o f

Turkey and Pasha o f Egypt . The profession of guide o r Meto uaf numbered the idlest , most impudent , and vilest individuals o f o f Mecca . Mention has already been made the trick played upo n Burckhardt by o n e o f Me c ca w as these men . After his return to he unfortunate enough to meet the dishonest Me to u af in the street . This man forthwith became a regular n o t visitor at h is new lo dgings , and only Shared his meals but took away provisions i n a basket . Strange duties might fall to the lo t of these guides . There is a law debarring single women from the Pilgrimage , and requiring that those who are married should be accompanied by their husbands . But it may chance .that a rich widow se e wishes to the holy places . She therefore con tracts a nominal marriage with a guide ; and he escorts her to Mecca and Arafat in the character f f o husband . On conclusion o the ceremonies the : guide must divorce the lady should he refuse , the marriage would be binding . 1 The large sums o f money that flow in to Mecca are quickly squandered by the inhabitants in

88 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

and insolence . When their requests are granted , “ they say : I t is God and not you w ho gives it to me . While Burckhardt was engaged in these r e searches , he found the time pass pleasantly enough . H e had formed an acquai ntance with

- o f a perfume seller , and passed a couple hours o n his a day seated the bench before Shop , his nar le smoking gy . Here he heard the latest

. o f news The arrival a great p ilgrim , the move ’ o f m - ments Moha med Ali s army, law suits , com o r merce , European p olitics and the fortunes o f Napoleon , were the subj ects discussed . Some portions of the day he devoted to the coffee houses , where he conversed with the Bedouin . The evenings were passed in the great square

o f . o n the Mosque Seated a carpet, fanned by the breeze that always reigns there , amid Sights o f and sounds devotion , he abandoned himself

- to recollections o f far distant regions . Crowds flocked to the M osque at sunset for o f the first evening prayer . To the number Six or eight thousand they disposed themselves Ka ab ah . round the , in ever widening circles Then the I man took his place near the gate o f Kaab ah his e nu flex ions the , and g were imitated by the whole multitude . Such a sight , and the recollection o f the distances whence they came , impressed Burckhardt with awe . N ot only w as th e Mosque illuminated by of thousands lamps , but each pilgrim h ad a “ private lantern . The brilliancy of this spectacle , and the cool breeze pervading the square , caused JO H N LU DWI G BURC K H ARDT 89

multitudes to l inger here till midnight . This

Square , the only Wide and Open place in the its 0 whole town , admits through all gates the

cooling breeze , but this the Meccans ascribe to the waving wings o f those angels w ho guard

the Mosque . A solitary Darfour pilgrim , after

a long desert ride , once came suddenly upon sce ne Kaa h this . Overawed by the black b a amid sea o a of lights , he fell pr strate . Rising after “ : a time , he exclaimed O God , now take my u fo r ! so l , this is Paradise Only at the hours o f prayer did the spirit of holiness p ervade the Mosque . At others it echoed to the co nversation o f idle p ersons and the f laughter o boys . Poor Indians passed all their time under the colonnades ; merchants met to discuss business ; the presence o f the sick im f o . parted the air a hospital Cooking , accord

ing to Burckhardt, was not allowed, but other

European p ilgrims have remarked it . Servants f o f carrying baggage to di ferent parts the town , made a short cut across the square . Nameless indecencies and criminal acts were perpetrated within its precincts . On two separate occasions Burckhardt visited f aa h f the interior o the K b a . The crowd o people made impossible the orthodox eight prayers and f sixteen prostrations within the holy o holies . “ While one prays , another walks over him .

Sobbing and moaning filled the room , and he

seemed to perceive heartfel t, emotions and Sincere o f repentance in many the visitors . The heat was so great that several were carried o ut sense 90 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

less . Burckhardt heard many pilgrims condemn the greed o f the officials 0 11 the most h oly spot

o n earth . H e himself considered the Meccans to invulnerable such reproaches , and he remarked the sticks of the eunuchs at the entranc e fall n w h heavily o those o put no fees into their hands . Kaab ah At the time of his second visit , the had been decked in the new hangings brought from o ld Egypt by Mohammed Al i . The were sold to pilgrims at the rate of a dollar for a piece six

inches square . o f and The months August , September , October ,

x . which he spent in Mecca , were e cessively hot The rocks which enclosed the valley intercepted ’ the wind and reflected the sun s rays with re

doubled heat . H e seldom enj oyed good health , but w as fortunately free from disease during the

fi v e days Of the Pilgrimage . H e had previously f su fered from lassitude and depression , and their f e fect was to make him p usillanimous, and fill his mind with apprehension o f fatigues and

dangers .

At last the great pilgrim caravans arrived . The war with the Wahhabis and disturbed state o f the country may have been responsible for their numerical falling - off compared with former years ; but everywhere Burckhardt read decline

o f Mussulman zeal . Many came by sea to avoid

the hardships of the land journey . I n olden days these hardships were said to increase the o f merit the Pilgrimage . Commerce , in his w as opinion , now the chief inducement to make

it at all .

9 2 C H R I STIAN S AT M ECCA

o n therefore alighted , and delivered the sermo n foot . At intervals h e stretched out his arms to as c o m implore blessings , and also , the Law mands him to Show feeling , wiped his eyes . The ” Lab b a k pilgrims in reply shouted y , and waved their Ihrams over their heads till the mountain o n resembled a cataract . Those below the flat ,

Seated upo n their camels , held green umbrellas that together gave the appearance o f a verdant AS o f plain . the sermon continued , some the listeners beat their breasts and cried out , de n o un cing themselves as Sinners others stood in silent adoration with tears in their eyes . At a of distance , natives the H ej az and Turkish soldiers o r es conversed and j oked , ridiculed with violent g ticula i n s t o the ceremony of waving th e Ihram . After a time the enthusiasm of the p ilgrims cooled , and many descended the mountain . But no general move took place before the con e o f l usion the discourse . Then the vast assembly, o f o f amid salvoes artillery, lighting torches , and

flyi ng sparks of fire , swept along the road to

Muzdalifah . w as On reaching Muna , its single street found converted into a market . From diversity of sellers and national products contracted withi n a smaller space , it surpassed the Messai street . At night the whole valley blazed . Houses and tents were ’ lit up ; the Pashas encamp ments were brilliantly n illuminated ; and bonfires , made by the Bedoui , glowed up the heights . The discharge of guns and rockets continued till daybreak .

After the three days Spent at Muna, and per JO H N LU DWI G BU RCK H ARDT 93 for m an ce o f - Devil stoning and sacrifice , Burck hardt returned ! to Mecca . H e found the chief r o street impassable . Pilgrims were purchasing p fo r visions their homeward journey, and beggars , with even more than their usual importunity, were soliciting alms to enable them to reach their own countries . The cloisters o f the Mosque presented a sight that contrasted with their fo rmer animation . Th e strain of the long caravan journey, followed by o f the fatiguing rites the Pilgrimage, told heavily

o n . u n the poorer pilgrims H unger, disease, in healthy lodgings , exposure th e Ihram , filled the colonnades with corpses . For those who felt th e ap proach o f death dragged their emaciated le limbs to the Temp , to look their last up on the a h K ab a . The good Burckhardt h imself soothed the last moments and closed the eyes o f o n e o f these poor derelicts .

H e had intended to proceed to Medina , but was forced to delay another month in Mecca . The set l caravans hesitated to out , for it was rumoured that Mohammed Ali was about to take the field in person against the Wahhabis . Should he be worsted , Mecca would be the only safe place in the Hej az . It w as also rumoured that the Pasha meditated seizing camels belonging to pilgrims , Ow n w ar to convert to his use in the . I n due time came the news of Mohammed ’ Ali s brilliant victory at B issel . Uncertainty was at an end ; Mecca unwound itself of caravans and became a deserted city . Of the pilgrims , only a few plaintive beggars might be seen in 94 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

B u ckhar dt for o n the streets . left Medina January f 1 1 8 1 o . 5, 5, in a small caravan fifty camels They followed the road nearest to the coast . At first

it led through valleys of firm Sand , where the

camels walked in single file , between irregular

chains o f low h ills . Then came a stony plain o f with masses rock lying across the road . Or the camels sank in loose shifting sand and

struggled over detached rocks . Once the Sight o f date trees and green plantations offered a pleasing co n trast to th e barren and sharp - pointed

o n . mountains each side Nearer Medina , as they ascended through rocky valleys full o f thorn

trees , a storm burst upon them , and torrents

crossed the road . One incident o f this j ourney deserves mention ’ it reveals Burckhardt s kindly nature . A p oor

Malay, caught straying from the caravan by

Bedouin , was held to ransom for twenty p iastres . H is countrymen refused to pay ; the caravan w as about to proceed and leave him to be stripped

and kept prisoner when Burckhardt intervened .

( Seizing the leader s camel , he made it couch ; f x l i . then by force o argument and e po su at o n he

Je x h o rte d a contribution from him . He did like fw ise so o n to the second man , and down the

l in e till the amount w as complete . H e carried I the money to the Bedouin , and, having induced l th m e to accept half, handed the remainder to

the Malay . Medina w as reached about midnight o n January 2 th so e n 7 . The gates were closed , the caravan

camped till sunrise . Burckhardt imprudently Slept

JO H N LU DW I G BU RCK HARDT 05 on the w e t ground . H e had previously been drenched by the heavy rain ; the night was a frosty one , and h e woke with fever . On enter ing the city he found lodgings in the chief street about fifty yards from the Mosque , and at o nce ’ made his visitation to the Prophet s Tomb . But this w as followed by a total prostration o f w as strength . Medina now under the governor ship o f To u sou n Pasha ; with him w as Yahya f ’ E fendi , who had taken Burckhardt s bill upon w as f Cairo . I t unfortunate that Yahya E fendi w as chose to pay Burckhardt a visit , for he allowed by him to carry o ff a carefully treasured

- o f half p ound o f bark . Return the fever made

Burckhardt regret his generosity, but Yahya

Effendi had already , given away the bark to the last grain . Great despondency now seized upon saw n o Burckhardt . Confined to h is room , he human being but h is guide . The visits of this person were n ot disinterested : in case o f Burck ’ har dt s o f death , he p lotted to seize p art his baggage . H e found a slight mitigation in con versing with his aged landlady, and in reading : Milton it was the only book in his possession , and now worth a whole library . ’ Burckhardt s illness lasted for two o ut of the three months that he remained at Medina . H is description o f the town and its inhabitants is therefore less ample than that of Mecca . Medina o f o f consisted an interior town and suburbs .

w as - 2 800 The interior town oval Shaped , about paces in circuit , enclosed by a thick stone wall

flanked by towers , and surrounded by a ditch . 96 C H R I STIAN S AT M ECCA

The suburbs were 0 11 the west and south o f the town , separated from it by an Open space . Beyond these were gardens , fields , and date plantations . The town as he saw it was built in the Sixteenth o f century . The houses , entirely stone, were

flat- mostly two storeys high and roofed . The dark colour of the stone imparted to the city o f a gloomy aspect, heightened by the number r houses deserted o in ruins . The streets were narrow, but the most important could boast the luxury of pavement . The few shops were situated

I . n the chief street, which leads to the Mosque Medina appeared to Burckhardt like a Syrian city rather than an Arab town .

There were few public buildings , but many pretty private houses having small gardens with wells . The suburbs were mostly inhabited by the lower classes , the Bedouin , and those engaged in agri culture ; and yet some of the leading families had country houses there . The copious sup ply of water caused the fertility o f the surrounding plains , where the Bedouin who sup plied the town with cattle and butter lived i n tents . But the of staple industry Medina was dates . For quality they were renowned throughout the East , and the f failure o the crop caused universal gloom . o f The inhabitants , as at Mecca, were mostly r foreign extraction , and the population was e c ru ite d yearly from visitors . Pilgrims did not turn Medina into a market ; commerce w as carried on for internal requirements only ; it o n was therefore a small scale , and there were no great merchants . The provision trade with

98 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

Medina . The population had dwindled to about o r Burckhardt w as n o less disillusioned at the ’ “ Prophet s Tomb . The gaudy colours displayed o n every Side , the glazed columns, fine carpet, n o n rich pavement , the gilt inscriptio s the wall to the south , and the glittering railing of the

H uj ra in the background , dazzle the sight at first ; but after a short space it becomes evident that this is a display of tinsel decoration and not of real riches . He contrasted the paltry ’ appearance o f Mohammed s Tomb with its r e putation as one o f the holiest Spots in I slam . The shrine o f the most insignificant Catholic saint would far surpass it in Splendour ; and he

concluded that Moslems , however fanatic, were to loth make pecuniary sacrifices .

Desponding and dejected , Burckhardt left

Medina on z I st April . He reached Y am b u with o u t o f mishap , save return the fever , and was Y am b u anxious to set sail for Egypt . But was full of soldiers— none but soldiers were allowed

to embark, and their diseased condition made him averse to overcome this regulation by the f A possible means o a bribe . s he sat in a coffee an o f house , he remarked unusual number funerals ; but not till he was alone at night in the room he had obtained with difficulty at a c khan , and heard cries of distress in every dir e

tion , did the truth flash across his mind . The Y plague was at am b u . From Suez it had travelled to Jeddah on Ships laden with cotton f Yam b u stu fs, and thence to . The number of T E N I H C H E B E FO R E WH I C H MO H A MM E D P RAYED

' Fr om a hoto r a h b C er v a zs - p g p y Co u r te llem on t z n L l l/u str a tz on

October 1 0 8 3 , 9

1 00 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA The chief incident on the road to Cairo was an altercation with a Turkish soldier leading to s exchange o f shots . The soldier w a persuading a slow camel to mend its pace with the aid of a o n sabre ; and , catching sight of Burckhardt at dis the head of the caravan , ordered him to mount and change camels . Burckhardt naturally

. sub se refused , with the result mentioned A quent meeting and explanation took place at

Tor . The soldier maintained that he had fired o f for the purpose calling his companions , Burckhardt replied that his Shot had quite a f di ferent object, and he regretted having missed .

The Turkish soldiery, in his opinion , had the ’ - f cur like qualities o Macaulay s Appius Claudius , “ w ho w ho Who yelps and snap s at those run , w ho runs from those smite . o n h Burckhardt reached Cairo 24t June . He had been absent more than two years . Pathetic interest attaches to the hopeful words regarding his ow n health with which his volumes o n the

H ej az conclude . The Arabian travels broke his constitution . H e became subject to attacks o f r fever and dysentery, from which he never e covered . He made a last j ourney to Sinai in 1 w as 1 8 6, and about to start for the countries o f s m the N iger in the following year, when the y p of toms dysentery increased , and on October

1 5th he died . On his deathbed he Spoke freely o n — all but two subjects his mother, and the w as j ourney he never to accomplish . H e had transmitted his letters and journals to fo r England , although h e did not learn English ‘ JO H N LU DWI G BU RC KH ARDT 1 01

- fi v e till the age of twenty , he always wrote in it f afterwards . Considering this , and the di ficulties under which his n otes were taken , his style has remarkable qualities of vigour and directness . I n what w ay he committed to paper his M ec ca impressions is unknown ; but the journal o f his Nubian voyage w as written in the corner o f an o f Open court by the side his camels , hampered by the hot winds o f the desert and the sufferings

of ophthalmia . There are few men whose character and whose achievements have w o n such unqualified ap ’ lau se co n p as Burckhardt s . A page would not tain the laudatory epithets that have been bestowed upon him . Other travellers have a’ written more brilli nt personal narratives , and facts have been added to the edifice of know ledge which he se t u p ; but its foundations are unshaken . To this day he remains the Gibbon o f the Hejaz and its holy cities . O FINA TI 1 8 1 GI VANNI , 4

( HAI MO HAMM ED)

B UR CKH ARD T was not the only European at a Me cca in 1 8 14 . The Pilgrimage w s the crown ing incident in the adventurous career o f

Giovanni Fin ati.

Born at Ferrara in the Pontifical States , of Finati respectable but not rich parents , was brought up to be a priest . H is in clinations were not consulted ; and he himself looked up on the p rofession into which he was about to be forced with the utmost repugnance . This was increased b y instructions in empty ceremonials from a o n bigoted un cle priest . Protests and entreaties his part were either disregarded or drew down punishment . Fin ati When was eighteen , Italy fell into the f hands o France . The yoke of the conquerors made itself most heavily felt by their unremitting o f his conscriptions ; and soon , to the horror ’ Fin ati s parents , name appeared upon the list . The purchase of a substitute restored calm to the house , and he remained quietly in the bosom o f his family, always under the strict supervision o f his uncle, when an unexpected development

1 04 CH R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’ an intrigue with one of his master s wives , the

Georgian Fatima . The envy of the household was aroused , Slanders were circulated ; and he w as f degraded to a hewer o wood . The intrigue nevertheless continued , until discovery became Finati inevitable . Then resolved to fly . H e o r feared either execution , at least { infliction of Malekite the rite , which h e had hitherto escaped .

I t cost him a severe pang to leave Fatima , and he could not summon courage to bid her fare f well . H is escape to Alexandria was e fected through the agency o f the same Albanian

- captain merchant who had helped him to desert . Fin ati reached Cairo , and enlisted as an

Albanian soldier . Mohammed Ali had been made

Pasha of Egypt i n 1 805. Fin ati was proud to so serve under extraordinary a man , and eager to distinguish himself . He co nsidered him the of his regenerator Egypt , commended large views and enlightened understanding , and , except for his conduct towards the Mamelukes , praised all no t his actions . The outlook was a promising

o ne . Abroad , the Wahhabis had interrupted all commerce and hi ndered the Pilgrimage . At home dissensions reigned between the Turkish and Albanian soldiery. I n the provinces , the

Mamelukes , who regarded Mohammed Ali as a o n usurper, levied co ntributions the inhabitants and ravaged the country up to the very gates o fCairo .

Against them the Pasha first turned his forces . Finati served in the campaign against the

Mamelukes . They made a brave resistance , but of had no means recruiting their forces , and their G IOVAN N I FINATI 105

numbers steadily diminished . Driven beyond o f Assouan , the frontier town Egypt , southward into Nubia , they took up a strong p osition at

1 . Ibrim , 45 miles above the first cataract f o f Mohammed Ali , leaving a su ficient number troops to cope with the disheartened enemy, recalled the majority to Cairo .

Finati was among those recalled . They sailed down the N ile in barges , and at a place called B enysou cf there o ccurred a strange and tragic o f incident . A company about forty soldiers had n gone o land to dine in a grove o f palms . Cards and dice succeeded the dinner ; stakes grew high ; and the losers were in no temper to leave o ff.

When night fell , lanterns were hung from the er o f trees , and the soldi s , each with a little pile gold before him , engrossed in the game , failed to notice susp icious - looking strangers hovering in the deep shadows beyond the ring of light . These who were Arab thieves , , creep ing close up , knocked o u t the lights , seized the money, flung sand in the ’

. f players eyes , and took to their heels A scu fle

ensued . Each thought his comrade had robbed

and insulted him . Unfortunately weapons were

at hand , and the maddened soldiers were soon o f stabbing and cutting wildly . N ot till nine their

number lay dead and many were wounded , did

they desist . Then , with shame and remorse, they

heard from the bystanders what had taken place . ’ Finati s share o f wounds was a sabre - cut 0 11 the “ arm . There was no help for what had ” “ so o ur happened , he says , we mourned over ” companions and got them buried . 1 06 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

Meanwhile Mohammed Ali, fearful of Mameluke intrigues , issued a proclamation of general and complete amnesty, and invited the chiefs and principal persons to live in Cairo under his protection . Between five and six thousand availed themselves of this offer . But whisperings of a plot to overthrow him soon came to his ears . Whereat , o n like Hamlet , he contrived to delve e yard below their mines and blow them at the moon . His first care was to summon Saim Bey , the

Mameluke chief , to an audience . Together they discussed the part to be played by the M amelukes in the coming campaign against the Wahhabis ; ’ so w as and unguarded Saim Bey s speech , that Mohammed Ali became convinced o fhis ambitious views . There followed a general invitation to all capable of bearing arms to the Citadel , o n the f . o following Friday A Mameluke , possessed “ keener insight than Saim Bey , exclaimed , We are betrayed but he w as silen ced by a look . Friday o f 00 arrived , and , amid beating drums , 5 Mame luke officers marched in pro cession to the Citadel . They were received with compliments and civi litie s ; coffee and p ipes were produced ; and a lengthened conference took place between them

selves and the Pasha . When at last Mohammed to Ali withdrew, he ordered the gates be closed ,

and gave other grim instructions . Saim Bey and n o t the two Mameluke generals , finding he did w as return , in quired the reason ; but it whispered

that he had entered the harem . They therefore

prepared to seek their o w n quarters . Saim Bey w as stepped into the courtyard , and mounting his

108 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’ Finati s was verdict . At this time , when ma ny lurking Mamelukes were being hunted down and put to death , their families invariably threw themselves upon his protection . I n no instance did he refuse it . He provided for the widows and became a father to the ch ildren . We have the weightier testimo ny o f B urckhardt that he w as th e only o ne of the family whose breast harbo u red any noble feeling ; but that he w as intellectually as inferior to his father and brother

Ibrahim as morally superior . An Opportunity soon arose of testing his kind ’ ness . Fin ati s regiment w as encamped to the w as north of Cairo . One morning he on sentry

duty before daylight , and espied a figure crouching

and occasionally moving . I t was the sergeant , whose habit was to pray an hour before sunrise ; but Finati mistook him for a thief and shot him

dead . He was overwhelmed with horror when he discovered the nature o f his act ; and mean f o f while , as di ferent versions the story had

circulated through the camp , it was believed by

some that he had wilfully committed murder . o f Tou so un I n this strait he sought the tent , and To u so u n ah made a full confession . not only to solved him from blame, but paid the ransom i the family of the dead man . Fin at was thereby

freed from fear of vengeance . ' The transport in which Finati s regiment sailed w as of from Suez an awkward type , with a large o f ff hull , one mast , and yards and sails di erent

figures according to the wind . It was manned

by a lazy crew . One sailor was posted at the G I OVAN N I FINATI 109

- ou t mast head to look for reefs and Shoals , and to shout directions as to the course that Should be steered . The wind was still and th e water clear . In the shallows , weeds and corals grew to such a Size and were so disposed that they appeared like groves and gardens . Large and beautiful shells were lying cast up o n the beach

— - — such as furnish mother of pearl to Arabia and

Palestine , and at Mecca are used for chaplets , at Jerusalem fo r figures of saints and inlaying ru ifix s o f c c e . The purity the atmosphere was such that the sight could range beyond the o f bounded strip cultivation along the coast, of over the arid and uninviting face the interior . No untoward incident occurred between Suez Yam b u and , except that the vessel struck upon a sandbank but the prudent inaction o f the crew allowed the tide to rise and float it off. Yam b u Arrived opposite , the Egyptian army proceeded first to bombard and then assault the town . The walls were mounted with scaling

- ladders , and a cannon ball killed the chief Wah habi engineer , rendering their battery useless . The enemy determined to retreat rather than surrender . Everything precious and portable w as carried o ut o f the Medina gate ; and To u sou n f became master only o an empty town . Oper Y am b u ating from as a base , he inflicted a second defeat upon the Wahhabis at Cara Lembi

few . a months later Retreating towards Medina , ede e d they took up a strong position at J Bogaz, a narrow defile between tw o high and steep mountains, where no more than ten could pass 1 1 0 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

abreast . It commanded the road to the holy city . Daily they added to the strength o f the posi o f tion , building rude breastworks loose stones f o n o . the Sides the precipice I n the plain below, To u so u n was haranguing his men and exhorting them to become the redeemers o f Mecca . After a few days ’ skirmishing he ordered a general w ho advance against the enemy, appeared in great numbers upon both mountains . A sharp and sustained fire broke o u t ; To u so u n threw o f 0 11 himself into the hottest the fray, calling m any by their names . I nspired by his example , the troops pressed 0 11 and captured some Wah habi breastworks . These , however, were com m ande d by others built higher up the mountains and the enemy poured down a hail o f bullets with impunity . At midday began a truce that lasted several hours . The heat o f the sun r e fle cte d from the arid mountains made exertion o f impossible . Many the soldiers lay under palm o n trees the lower levels and ate dates . No of water could be discovered , and the cravings thirst became - S O intolerable that the signal for ’ renewal o f action at four o clock w as received with a desperation like j oy . A much hotter contest ensued , and long after sunset the issue was

. Fin ati doubtful Then , for a reaso n that cannot explain, the tide turned against the Egyptian m ar . v Repulse engendered panic, and panic led to rout and disaster . to Retreating to their camp , they found it vain attempt to hold it without trenches or fo r tifi ca

1 1 2 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA terrible night o f Je deed B ogaz . H e now began to f su fer racking pains from rheumatism . Although S at such a time a ingle man could ill be spared , he w as graciously allowed by Tou sou n to return with other invalids to Cairo . There , finding that his o f wife had been guilty light conduct , he divorced her . At this time also , a letter reached him from Fatima with the tidings that she had given birth to a boy .

Meanwhile , Mohammed Ali in person left for e de ed Arabia . H e found the pass of J Bogaz feebly guarded and forced it . He then sent for ward a detachment to o ccupy Medina , and him

r . self sailed fo Jeddah Mecca Opened its gates . co n H is first action was to send Sherif Ghaleb ,

- v icte d o f . double dealing , a prisoner to Cairo o f News these successes , and the sigh t of Fin ati re large levies , inspired with a wish to enter the service . H e again enlisted in an w as Albanian corps , and despatched to Confuta — a to village to the south of Jeddah , close the

of se a . o ne edge the At extremity was a castle , o f built mud , and in appearance weak and

t . crumbling, yet solidly construc ed The Wah habis , driven from the Village , took refuge in the o f castle . The balls the besiegers sank into the mud walls and bastions , wh ile from the count less unseen Ioopholes a galling fire w as directed s upon them . The siege w a converted into a blo ckade , but the Wahhabis at last made a sortie . Forcing a passage through the first line of the

Egyptian army, they were hemmed in between o f two fires . The gate the castle was taken , but G I OVAN N I F IN ATI 1 1 3 the Wahhabis continued to fight with despera o f tion . The smallness of space and closeness contact produced savage scenes o f carnage . Not only swords and knives , but teeth and nails were f used . Several o the combatants were torn to p ieces , and the Wahhabis were exterminated to a man .

The tide rudely turned . At a distance of three ’ hours j ourney from Confuta w as a spring o f water that required a guard . Four hundred w as Fin ati off soldiers , among whom , were told o f for the purp ose . Suddenly the approach a f w a force o Wahhabis s rumoured . Succour could w as not be Obtained in time ; a battle fought , and the Egyptian troops defeated with great es loss . The remnant caped to the coast , Spread ing exaggerated reports o f their reverse and the w as Wahhabi numbers . There a rush for ships ; a a Confut was bandoned ; and the Wahhabis , who o n r e followed hard the heels of the beaten foe , f possessed themselves o it . The Egyptian army now sailed for Lid , another Village on the coast , similar to Confuta . Murmurs began to break o u t among the troops ; the spirit o f insubordination gained ground , and the commander was severely blamed . The Wahhabis surrounded Lid , making egress perilous . Great suffering from want o f water ensued . Four officers had been sent to Mohammed Ali at Mecca, with despatches that minimised the o f losses the Egyptian army . The soldiers watched their departure regretfully, and several i desertions took place . F nati w as sensitive to H 1 1 4 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA suggestions of this nature : it is not surprising that he followed the example . For a foreigner ’ to set o u t alone in an enemy s cou ntry was a resolution conceived and acted upon in despair ;

- o n but as h e lifted his water skin his shoulder, he was conscious only o f the wretchedness he w as leaving behind . H e thought of Italy while tramping wearily over the desert, and felt a longing for his home . The cravings o f thirst

soon began , but the Wahhabis had polluted the o n e wells . From each emanated the same pesti le ntial odour, and there was the same loathsome spectacle of carcases o f soldiers floating in the so water . At last he came upon a well deep that it had not been thought worth the trouble o f o ff pollution . Throwing his sash , turban , and

all his clothes , he twisted them i nto a rope , and ,

his - attaching water skin , succeeded in filling it f after a labour o two hours . To thirst su c

ce e de d the pangs of hunger . All night he pushed o n o f im with no means appeasing it , but

mediately before the dawn , he saw fires burning

upon the heights . It was a Bedouin encampment . o f The sons the desert received him kindly, gave o n o f him food , and , mounting him one their

camels , conducted him to the outskirts of Mecca . Finati Exulting in his escape , was in the co n a dition to receive strong impressions . Mecca p eare d p to h im neither large nor beautiful , but f calculated to strike a kind o awe . It was the Pilgrimage season ; the Damascus and Egyptian caravans had arrived ; and pilgrims were o r assembled in round the city . H e performed

1 1 6 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA column also became known ; it w as attacked in a valley by the enemy, who swarmed upon the heights and poured down Shot from every side .

A retreat with great loss w as effected . Some who fell i nto the hands of the Wahhabis were n o t killed outright , but mutilated ; their arms o ff and legs were cut , and they were left to die .

The depression caused by these reverses , and the disquieting news o f co - operation between the B aru sce Wahhabi forces at Taraba and , was dispelled by the intelligence that Mohammed Ali f w as to take command . H is power o infusing spirit into the troops and conciliating their affe c

- as tion by open handed generosity w unique . Th e day o f his arrival was ushered in by firing o f guns ; and a detachment of soldiers marched two hours along the road to Mecca to meet him . The decisive struggle in this desperate campaign took place at Bissel . On a plain encircled by o f a chain hills , the Wahhabis had assembled

stores i n great quantities , and even private pro

p erty . Narrow gaps , strongly guarded , divided in the hills . On the eminences all about , the fan try was posted ; while the outer base of the

mountain rampart was assigned to the cavalry . The Egyptian army left its camp at Ciulla at ’ midnight , and after five hours march reached su n Bissel at dawn . The rising disclosed them

to the enemy, and at once preparations for

resistance were made . Mohammed Ali delivered GI OVAN N I FIN ATI 1 17

an inspiriting harangue . H e assured his troops that the eyes o f the whole Mohammedan world were fixed upon them , and that the security o f Mecca depended o n their exertions . H e himself would n o t survive a reverse . When the army had advanced a certain distance, he ordered his carpet to be spread o n the ground , and , calling for a p ipe , an nounced his intentio n o f waiting there for victory or death .

The Wahhabis mistook the halt for hesitation .

They descended the rocks , and , forming on the plain , drove in the Algeri ne advanced guard . But their left wing was not only defeated by o ff the Egyptian cavalry, but cut from the main t body and their moun ain base . They continued to fight bravely for five hours ; but the skilled o f generalship Mohammed Ali carried the day . A great slaughter took place ; the mountain position was carried ; and the spoils fell into the hands of the conquerors .

Panic seized the Wahhabis , and in their retreat they abandoned o ne position after another . At

Bisce , in a narrow gorge, they co nstructed a mud wall and essayed to stem the tide ; but a Shell dropped within their rampart set some n combustibles o fire and drove them out . After some insignificant skirmishing, the Egyptian army reached Confuta and affected a junction with the fleet . It was now agreed that the cavalry in should return to Jeddah by land , and the fan tr Fin ati y by se a . w as among the latter but various delays expanded the voyage to 1 1 8 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

fi n . d fifteen days They reached Jeddah , and ing that Mohammed Ali had left for Mecca , they followed . A badge of distinction , to be worn in the turban , awaited every soldier . But feelings o f elation were soon che cked by the tidings that they were destined not to return to Cairo , as they hoped , but to do garrison duty at Taraba . Their complaints reached the o f ears Mohammed Ali , and he promised that the term should not exceed three months . I t was a weary three months , embittered by Sick o f ness and badness provisions . On their ex iratio n p , the j oy natural to homeward bound w as soldiers once more clouded by ill news .

The plague was at Jeddah . It was a mournful set u processio n that o t from Taraba . Mecca o f so was in the line march , that for a third time Finati trod the streets o f the holy city . The murmurings that had broken out at the “open and gratuitous peril into which they were being sent , gathered strength as they H o w neared the coast . much better, exclaimed f “ an o ficer, would it have been to have died in the field than to go thus to perish like ” rotten cattle ! They found the streets o f Jeddah empty and the shop s shut . Corpses were putre fying o n every side ; compassion and decency were at an end ; there was no care to bury F or remove the dead . inati was attacked by “ the plague , but his spirits , naturally cheerful ” and sanguine , supported h im , and he recovered . f For the last time h e left the Shores o Arabia .

1 20 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA that he acquitted himself like a man the many desperate battles in which he took part . And if Fin ati o w n was his Boswell , he certainly had the unfailing sp irits and power of enj oying life i of h s immortal prototype . O O 1 8 1 — 2 LE N R CHES, 4

( HAI OMAR)

“ YOU would deserve the most terrible punish ment should you ever cease to walk in the of Go d o f r o ways , after the direct signs H is p ” te ction that H e has shown you . So said a woman o f devout nature to Ro ches ; and the facts o f his career, including two miraculous escapes from death , cannot but make us ponder upon her words . w as Roches born at Grenoble in 1 809 . H is w as o ld mother died when he a few years , and h is father migrated to Algeria , where he invested hi s money in land . H is childhood was spent

with an aunt . This adopted mother was the o f lodestar his most troublous times . Alth ough , f thanks to h is a fectionate and expansive nature , he was never througho ut all the strange chances o f his life without friends , the earliest ties never

ceased with him to be the strongest . The legal studies which Roches engaged in

after leaving college had few charms for him . H e w as attracted by commerce and its Oppo r tun ities fo r travel . But the course o f his life w as suddenly changed by a summons to j oi n 1 22 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

his father in Algiers . H e was in his twenty third year , and it cost him a bitter pang to

- o f leave France . H is home sickness was long duration , and he had other causes for anxiety . of Even to his inexperienced eye , the prospects his father and his partners Seemed unpromising . “ They were anything but farmers . Social distractions were suggested to Roches as a cure for low spirits . H e was sent to visit o f o f a Moorish lady, the widow a former Dey c n Algiers . H e returned charmed with her o versation and the distinction o f her manners . w as she The visit rep eated , and this time was not alone . Her companion w as a beautiful girl

o f . Khadid a of fourteen j was a Caucasian type , with blue eyes and black arched brows . She was timid and ill at ease in the presence o f Roches : it was the first time she had seen a

Christian .

The following year they again met , and he was struck by her rap id development . She shyly blamed him because he had not learnt

Arabic . The inevitable resulted . Soon after , he o f succumbed to an attack fever , and in his delirium called upon her name . But when he o f w as rose from h is bed sickness , it to find hadid a that K j had vanished . H er parents had removed her . There remained the consolation sh f that e knew o his love . From these tender scenes and regrets Roches of w as roused to a life action . H e became an officer in the National Guard created by the

Du e - o f de Rovigo , Governor General Algeria ,

1 24 C H RI ST IAN S AT M ECCA

f through glasses . I t was a sp iritual a fection , p ossible to a man of pure heart with high ideals like Roches .

-l ex trao r dinar H e now held , thanks to h is y o f progress in Arabic , the post interpreter on the occasion of sales of land between natives off and Europeans . This did not cut him from

military duties . H e j oined the expedition to

Medeah for the purpose o f installing a Bey . Doubtless he hoped to w in glory in the eyes o f Khadid a j , thinking, with Sir Toby Belch , that nothing in the world can more prevail in man ’s f commendation with woman than report o valour . On his return he obtained several interviews Khadid a with j in her palace , during her hus ’ band s absence . I t w as too venturesome a line ’ o f action to be long pursued . The husband s o ff suspicions were aroused , and he carried

Khadidja to Milianah . Milianah was the stronghold o f that remarkable

man - e l- Abd Kader, the central figure in the history f o Arab resistance to French domination . Turkish its rule , long grown feeble , and dependent for con o n of C tinned existence the feuds Arab hieftains ,

had collapsed before the French invasion of 1 830 .

But although Algiers , Oran , Constantine , and other

towns along the coast were subj ect to France , the o f inhabitants of the interior, the mountains and

the desert , still maintained their freedom . The o f 1 8 treaty Tafna , signed in 37 , gave rise to

o f - e l hopes p ermanent p eace . I n France, Abd Kader enj oyed the reputation o f a man of genius w ho wished to civilise and regenerate his country, LEO N ROC H E S 1 25

like Mohammed Ali in Egypt , and who dreamt o f a fusion between the indigenous race and the

European .

Roches saw his Opp ortunity . H e had been in the habit o f dressing as a Mussulman for the tw o past years . H is duties as interpreter had familiarised him with Arab customs . H is pro fe sso r and friend had initiated him into a thou sand details unknown to Europeans . Why should o f he not, in the guise a Frenchman converted to

o ut - el- Mohammedanism , seek Abd Kader, endea vour to gain his confidence , and become the intermediary in his vast schemes o f reconstrue tion ? He would not formally abj ure his religion ; d n o t o f such an act repelle him , although he was a religious nature . If successful in winning over

- e l- Abd Kader , he would endeavour to persuade him that peace with France would more surely effect an awakening o f faith in the minds o f a people brutalised by Turkish misgovernment .

- o f Lastly, having become all powerful by reason ’ the Emir s friendship , he would improve his ’ f Khadid a father s a fairs , obtain a divorce for j , and marry her . “ We can picture the young Frenchman , daring ” w ar in love and dauntless in , turning his back upon civil isation and riding o ut alone among the wild mountain passes of Algeria . Some time elapsed before he reached the camp o f Abd - e l o f Kader . H e spent it in the camp s lesser chief tains , proclaiming himself a convert , and becoming an adept in his new character . H is task was no o n his light e . Not only did conscien ce prick 1 26 C H RI STI AN S AT MECCA him when he performed the Moslem rites o f his w as prayer and fasting, but patriotic spirit sorely chafed by the remarks o f his n e w com panions . They boasted o f the Frenchmen whom they had killed . They told him that should the w ar o ut holy again break , he would be in their o w n ranks and must strike even his father . The w ho French , they said , were cowards only fought o n e when they were drunk . On o ccasion Roches was so galled by their words that he defied twenty o f the Speakers to mortal combat . I n considera tion of his recent conversion this rash act w as condoned , but it had important results later .

- cl- 1 808 Abd Kader , born in , was a year older o f than Roches . The guiding principle his every act was belief in the unseen . The success o f o n all enterprises , he said , depended the faith o f those w ho undertook them . H e claimed ’ descent from Fatima , Mohammed s daughter . When Roches at last entered his camp and w as obtained the first interview, he much struck ’ by his personal app e aran ce m b y the Emir s fair skin , blue eyes fringed with dark lashes , fine arched brows , thin aquiline nose , and thin lips .

- H is hands were small and blue veined . I n height w as l he litt e more than five feet, but muscular and Vigorous . The camp o f Abd - e l- Kader consisted o f 1 000 men , with horses and camels , besides

- mules and donkeys . The cone shaped tents were w as disposed in a vast circle . The Emir then prosecuting a war against the C o u lo uglis— a race sprung from the intermarriage of Turkish men

128 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA change w as not all for the worse : he was free from the inquisitive glances of the Arabs . But w s the net tightened round him . Haj Bechir a a suspected of undue parti lity and removed . Feel i ngs of depression began to rise in Roches , and depression was succeeded by fever . Abandoned fo r and ill among a strange people, the first time in his life he had recourse to prayer . At this j uncture he w as j oined by his faithful w ho French servant Isidore , , without knowing a word of Arabic had disguised himself in Arab dress . Feeling his present p osition intolerable ,

Roches meditated escape to Oran . Master and o n man , mounted respectively horse and mule , set o u t ; but after having traversed a forest in tested by lions they were captured and brought back by a force of o n e hundred horsemen sent ’ w it in pursuit . Only Roches ready saved him from execution ; he demanded to see an order from the Sultan . Abd - el- Kader was then at Medeah : thither

Roches w as sent . Forcing his w ay into the room , he vehemently reproached the Emir . H e swore that h is conduct had been that o f a True

- Believer, and that he had been ill treated by those w ho were only M ussulmans in name . H e reminded the Emir that he had left country, o f family , and ease to serve him . Signs com punction ap peared on the face of the Arab C o f hieftain . H e asked forgiveness Roches , and promised to make reparation for h is inj ustice .

- - Abd el Kader w as ill at ease at Medeah . The exchange of his tent for walls and a roof w as LEON ROC H E S 1 29

o n to him no pleasing e . H e spent much time questioning Roches on European p olitics , and was ill - pleased at the frank answers he received ; especially concerning the attitude o f France to wards Algeria . Once more Roches renewed his persuasions that lasting peace would be best for all . The Emir replied that he still j udged like a Christian . Roches felt in h is heart that the w ar o u t would soon break , and he resolved , on the first Signs , to return to his countrymen . The study o f the Koran w as not n eglected in the meanwhile ; but it had a strange effec t Never before had Roches realised to th e full the divine beauty o f Christianity . H e experienced an in defi n ab le j oy at prayi n g to the Christian God i ' Th ha e n in a mosque . e Mo m m da s were making him a Christian . Another memorable incident at Medeah was a w as meeting between Roches and his father . I t ’ Abd - el- Kader s suggestion that the elder Roches ’ should become h is agent in Algiers ; the son s presence with himself would be a guarantee o f zeal and devotion . Ro ches had grown so accus to m ed to hide his thoughts that he dissembled his joy at the prospective meeting . H e did like it wise when took place in public . Only in privacy did h e give the rein to his pent - u p saw his emotions . H e in father the perso n ifi o f cation his country , his family, and all his dear ones . A painful scene took place in the

- - presence o f Abd el Kader . The father spoke o f his loneliness , and the grief caused him by his ’ Ab d- e l- son s absence . Kader replied that if he 1 30 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA swore to live like a good Mussulman he might return . Roches , who acted as interpreter b e w as tween the two , overcome by emotion . Silence o f ld followed , broken only by the sobs the o man . Then , gathering all his energies, Ro ches refused . H is action made a profound impres

- el- f sion upon Abd Kader , whose a fection for him seemed increased tenfold from that day . One more subj ect of importance w as discussed between the Emir and Roches at Medeah . With

Co ulo u lis - el the treasure taken from the g , Abd

Kader meditated organising a missio n to France .

H e hoped to bribe deputies, or even a minister , to sp eak in the Chamber against the retention of Algeria . Roches convinced him that this was o ut futile , and pointed that already unpaid orators were thundering against the annexation . This will readily be believed by us who have seen the pheno

- men on of the pro Boer . The precarious nature o f the peace w as not ’ Roches only cause for anxiety . H e had no

o f Khadid a . w as Co u lo u li news j H er husband a g , and Abd - el- Kader had exiled the Cou lo uglis from

M ilianah , and forced them into the i nterior, that they might be as far removed as p ossible from

French influence .

- el— Abd Kader, anxious to extend his authority over the country between Tunis and Morocco , w as planning an exp edition against a powerful

Marabout named Sidi Mohammed El Tedj ini . w as Ain Madhi , the stronghold of Tedj ini . in the

- cl- o f desert . Abd Kader ignored its powers resist ance ; he had counted upon submission , and made

1 3 2 C H R I ST I AN S AT M E CCA

w ho explained . It was that of a French deserter , had persuaded his master to admit Roches o n the ground that he would likewise desert . There was no time fo r the compatriots to salute each other . A crowd surrounded Roches and carried him o ff to the palace . o n Left alone a courtyard , he remarked a grille at the farther end , behind which were women

o f . the harem Suddenly a boy entered , and put into his hands a rosary . I t was that, he stated , which his father the Marabout sent to those to a n whom he gave ma (protection) . Whoever held it had nothing to fear . Dazed by the extraordinary his sequence of events , Roches watched departure , r o f when the e entered a band Negroes , strong and

fi er c e - w h o featured , dragged him to the presence f o f o Tedj ini . At the far end a vast hall adorned saw by arabesques , he a divan , and upon it a man o f about forty- fiv e reclined among golden cushions . Dignity and distinction appeared in his bronzed face . H e told Roches that he served

w ho . a thankless master, had sent him to death

’ H e must die unless he consented I to leave his master and enter his service : then he would gain wealth and honour The shouting o f the w ho mob, had gathered without and called for s the head of the py, added terrible significance “ : n or to these words Neither threats promises ,

t . replied Roches , will make me be ray my master Let your servants murder a man wh o has come w h o to you without suspicion , and holds the gage you send as a Sign o f a ma n . With that h e raised the rosary above his head . LEO N ROC H E S 1 33

The effect surpassed his expec tations . Tedj ini was dumfoundered , and only after a time stam mered forth a query whence he had obtained the “ so n rosary . I asked your for it, was the “ answer , and he did not dare refuse . Tedj ini his assured him that life was saved , since it was the will o f God ; but to prove ho w lightly h e

o f - e l- regarded the threats Abd Kader , he invited him to inspect the town . A company o f Negro soldiers became his escort for the purpose . H e reckoned the population to be about 800 ; and the immense stores o f food w ith in the walls convinced him that the town could stand a lengthy siege . I n his investigations he w as followed to and fro by the crowd w ho o u t cried or glared at h im , and pressed up on f th e black bulwark o his unwilling protectors .

H e was conducted back to the palace , and thence at nightfall to the place where h e had climbed the wall . Many thoughts thronged upon ’ w a Roches as he wended his y to the Emir s camp .

Although nothing warranted such a co nclusion , he w as persuaded that he owed his escap e to

Khadidja . Tedj ini had refused to treat ; therefore Abd - el

Kader prepared to besiege Ain Madhi . Ill success f attended his first e forts . Bombardment produced no effect ; unexploded shells were scornfully r e turned by the besieged . The engineers attempted to mine , but the presence of a ditch within the ’ - el- wall made their works useless . Abd Kader s prestige began to wane . H is convoys were pillaged by neighbouring tribes ; and the bad 1 34 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA food to which his troop s were reduced caused an outbreak of fever and dysentery . Roches , a prostrated by fever , was also wounded . An p plication o f boiling butter cured the wound ; and he almost ascribed his cure o f the fever to Abd ’ e l- Kader s prayers : never had he seen before such an expressio n o f religious ecstasy as upon ’ the Emir s face alone in his tent . The fall of Ain Madhi w as eventually brough t about , after many months , by the engineering skill o f a Hungarian deserter . H e contrived a mine which avoided the ditch round the rampart . o n I st 1 8 8 The siege , begun July 3 , terminated on 2n d December o f the same year . Roches had no need to recall his instinctive divination that it was Khadidja who had saved him from the consequences o f his perilous ex lo it o f p . All through the weary months siege the fear had racked him that she was within the town . After the capitulation , an aged N egress

sought and obtained an i nterview with him . It ’ w Khadid a s as Messaouda . Briefly she told him j history since she had left M ilianah with her hus

band . They started for M orocco , but had made

Ain Madhi their temporary home . I t was She w ho , from a window of the palace , had seen

Roches escalade the wall , and devised the strata “ ” she gem which saved his life . Where is now ? o f was the feverish question . The silence Messa

? w as . ouda froze his heart . Was it the worst I t o f She had died anxiety during the siege , and

to Roches she left her blessing . The months following this tragic occurrence

1 36 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

had given , was probably correct . At the moment , he thought Abd - e l- Kader was about to summon his w as m is soldiers and order execution . H e taken : the Emir wished to assure himself that 11 0 ear had heard the terrible words . Then he

' “ o f said Go . I leave the punishment your soul to God . Let your body disappear from my sight . o f Go , and beware repeating before a Mussulman the blasphemy my ears have heard ; fo r then I

o f . should no longer be master your life . Go s Accompanied by I idore , Roches fled from the Fo r camp . two years he had lived among Arabs ; a he now yearned for his countrymen . There w s n o attempt to pursue him ; and he imagined that the Emir , touched by his courage in con f hi o s . fessing , had feigned ignoran ce flight After some days and nights o f wandering and missing o f his way, he suddenly saw a ray the sun light up the summit of the mountain above Oran .

As he rode into the Fren ch camp , his fine white linen robes , beautiful weap ons , and splen did back courser , richly caparisoned , caused him f to be mistaken for an Arab chief . The o fi cer discredited his story , and had him put under f o f arrest . Except that the e fusion j oy on return no to civilisation was checked for the time , harm resulted . H e soon succeeded in proving his iden 0 11 1 6 1 8 fo r tity, and th N ovember 39 he left Oran

Algiers . H is father ’s affairs had proceeded from bad to worse . H e had now sold h is land, and was heavily in debt . Roches remained in Algiers till fo r J anuary of the following year , and then , the LEON ROCH E S 1 37

first time in his life , paid a visit to Paris . H is reputation had preceded him ; he became the o f se e man the hour . All flocked to the famous ’ Abd - e l- Kader s private secretary ; he was pre sented to the Duke o f Orleans ; he had an interview with Thiers ; and 110 fashionable gather ing was complete without him . Roches estimated the process o f lionisation at its true worth . H e derived a fuller joy from reunion with the aunt

- who had been a mother to h im . H er life history had been a stormy one si n ce their parting . H er only daughter had died from cholera ; a break down o f her faith ensued ; and she w as face to é face with the Everlasting No , when the Abb Lac o r dai w n re o her o ver to trust in God . For the first time since he had reached man

o f . hood , Roches tasted the joys family life H e looked forward to the time when the pleasures o f the hearth would be his own ; and before his return to Algiers he became engaged . th He landed at Algiers on 4 April , holding the official appointment o f a fi rst- class inter preter . But his position in the army was changed . Evil tongues had wagged in the interval ; and reports o f his dealings with Abd - e l- Kader seemed likely to exert a prejudicial influence on his career . Marshal Vallée described him to the Duke o f

Orleans as a renegade , and he was forced to ’ leave the Duke s staff . Further Signs o f official coldness followed . H is advice was not asked on matters where , from familiarity with the country, h is knowledge was unique . é w as When Vall e recalled , and General , after 1 38 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

wards Marshal , Bugeaud appointed in his place 8 1 1 . in February 4 , the cloud tended to lighten Bugeaud was favourably disposed towards Roches but when Roch es returned to Algiers in July, saw his after the campaign , he that good name was not restored and evil whispers prevailed . o f H is pretended conversion , his acceptance

f - el - o fice under Abd Kader , were known ; h is his i motives , and fl ght to avoid fighting against his country, were ignored . At the same time came the news from his aunt that he must no l onger count o n th e fulfilment o f his project o f to o f marriage . Farewell his hopes domestic hap piness . Roches was too sensitive and dependent for happiness o n the good opinion o f the world to ignore these buffets . H e began to wish for death The few clouds o n the horizon o f his youth had increased and united till his whole sky was turned to uniform grey . H e had traversed the fateful decade , from twenty to thirty, and missed the ’ tide that leads to fortune . H is father s ruin , the Khadid a o f death of j , the miscarriage his mission

- el - o f with Abd Kader , the unj ust suspicions w as o f which he the obj ect , the collapse h is engagement— all these contributed to shake his confiden ce in his star . Inevitably followed the decline of animal spirits , and the doubt that anything but failure could ever afterwards attend him . H is longing fo r death led him to solicit a dangerous mission . He was convinced that the Arabs continued their resistance because they

1 40 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

its part . If it did not buy the consciences of the

r . Ulemas , it at least moderated thei fanaticism The Fettona was written on a long roll of thick glazed paper, and it concluded thus

When a Mussulman p eople whose country has in fidels as been invaded by , has fought them as o f o ut long there is hop e driving them , and when it is certain that the continuance of w ar can only bring misery, ruin , and death for the o f Mussulmans , with no chance conquering the infidels— this p eople , while cherishing the hope of o ff o f shaking the yoke with the help God , may o n con elect to live under their rule , the express dition that they may retain the free practice o f their religion , and that their wives and daughters ” will be respected .

Roches was informed that this document would have a tenfold greater influence if approved by the Ulemas o f the great U niversities of the East . I t was the first premonitio n of his journey to

Mecca .

From Kairouan h e proceeded to M alta . There e he met Prosper Merim e , and to this meeting he ultimately owed his salvation . Merimee gave him a letter o f introduction to his cousin Ful gence Fresnel , French Consul at Jeddah , but then at Cairo . Fresnel was a great Orientalist of o f the school Sylvestre de Sacy, the most consummate master of the Arabic language and f l iterature o his o w n o r perhap s any age . H is books written in Arabic had been adopted in the LEON ROC H E S 1 4 1 most celebrated Eastern Universities . H e had to devoted forty years , he said , the study, and it would require another forty to attain perfect : o f knowledge that is , the power assimilating at first Sight the works o f poets and writers of all o n e times . Fresnel had been of his most dis tingu ished pupils ; but fo r the present purpose it is more important to record that he w as a close and beloved friend o f the Sherif o f

Mecca . Roches met Fresnel and many other celebrities at Cairo . Casual ac quaintance , as usual with f him , soon ripened into intimacy and a fection , and he looked forward to prospective parting

- with a pang . H e was p resented to Mohammed ’ Ali , and he co ntrasted the Pasha s leonine aspect — the symbol o f a will founded on material ’ force— with Abd - el- Kader s ascetic face and supra f f mundane sources o power . They spoke o the w ar in Algeria . Mohammed Ali expressed wonder of at the protracted resistance the Arabs , and compared it with the speedy p acifi cation o f how Egypt . Roches reminded him largely the of two natural features the countries differed . Algeria w as traversed by inaccessible mountains whose p asses the Kabyles had guarded for cen tu rie s ; while fierce and martial Bedouin eluded pursuit in the desert . Egypt was a flat country inhabited by a sedentary and agricultural po pu lation . H is candid speech fluttered the attendant fo r courtiers ; but Mohammed Ali , save an o cca sio n al knitting of his terrible brows , did not seem

- ill pleased . Roches fancied he saw reflected in 1 4 2 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA his eyes th e mood ! in which he ordered the massacre of the Mamelukes . Roches ’ business at Cairo was to submit the Fetto n a of Kairouan to the Ulemas of the uni o f E z har versity El . The council lasted from f M . . o 6 P . till midnight Two its members went round and took down the op inions of all present .

These were read aloud by the President , and o ld many books were consulted . The fine men , with their long white beards and impassive faces , lit by the flickering light of lamps hung from pointed arches , were an imposing sight . All round w as the immensity of the Mosque ; its o n arches , adorned by arabesques , rested hundreds of pillars with gold capitals . For the second time it w as intimated to Roches that the supreme sanction of the Ulemas o f

M edina, Damascus , and Baghdad , assembled at

Mecca for th e Pilgrimage , would be required . The desire of death w as no longer paramount

‘ with him . Although h e had no wish to return f to a country where he had su fered so much ,

the future appeared less black . H is kind recep

tion in Malta and Egypt , and contact with dis tin u ish ed g men , had exerted a soothing influence

over his impressionable nature . H is vanity was of the kind described by Leslie Stephen , which Springs from a craving for sympathy and a con ’ fi n ce T de in the sincerity of one s fellows . o h is

reviving spirit , the voyage to Mecca seemed less a method o f shaking o ff the burden o f life than

an interesting experience .

Another mission , only less important than the

” 1 44 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

- - set out to j oin the Ouled ben Al i caravan . It o f 00 1 000 was composed 4 p ilgrims and camels . Roches w as received with great courtesy by the chief . of The outer incidents the journey were few . his Roches , preo ccupied with mission , refrained from observations . He ap ologises for the detail n o n with which he has described the Fetto a, the ground that it may possess historic value . Should a champ ion of Islam arise in the future and threaten European supremacy, it might be possible to learn from the past the best means o f moral and material resistance . An o ccasional Skirmish with Bedouin interrupted his meditations ; o r a more than usually startling feature o f plain o r mountain . Among the last was the western chain of Akaba : the aspect o f the rocks suggested the o f image chaos . At Yam b u Roches conversed with some mer o f w ho in f chant friends Ibrahim , gave him or o n o f mation the treatment Algerian p ilgrims . H e was himself Shocked at the appearance o f those who arrived by sea . Two hundred were packed into a ship that could scarcely have contained fifty . They were fed upon dry biscuit f and su fi cient water to prevent death from thirst . Those w ho died of hunger o r suffocation were despoiled and thrown overboard . The agreement with the first Me ko w em now

. w as terminated Another hired for J£44 to provide camels to Medina and Mecca . When

Medina came in sight, and the indented towers the that flank walls appeared through the trees, LEON ROC H E S 1 4 5 Roches sedulously repeated the same prayers as Ibrahim , and imitated his pious actions .

They entered the Mosque at night, and walked ’ along the colonnade to the Prophet s Tomb .

Lamps , hung from the arches , Shed a mysterious o n the inscr i light painted columns , the gilt p tions , and the carpet . H e is the only pilgrim to admire these external adornments ; yet he re marked the absence of fervour in the w or To b e ship pers . th is ascribed the decline of the o f o f city, and the ruinous condition many the houses . for Three days later he started Mecca . On the ninth day ( z 2u d December) enough progress had o been made to all ow f the Ihram being assumed . to On entering Mecca , he proceeded the Mosque and performed the Taw af. Among the familiar rites he remarked pilgrims pressing their chests Kaab ah against the , between the door and the Black fo r Stone , and with upraised hands asking pardon T w f faults . The a a was followed by draughts of b Zem Zem water , the Sai , and , later , y the Omrah .

Roches remained a fortnight in the city . H e lodged in a house built into the eastern wall o fthe o f Mosque , and the windows which overlooked the o n court . H is room was the second storey, and fo r he paid eight francs a day rent . The spectacle o fpilgrims walking round the Kaab ah in the evening by lamplight , reciting prayers in loud voices , would no t have predisposed him to pious ideas , were it fo r o f the cries and laughter of hundreds men , women , and children , packed beneath the colon a nades , playing games , and committing bominabl e K 146 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

acts . Many women cooked in the colonnades f bread , dates , and co fee were s old ; and barbers “ plied their trade . Comparing the richness and o f splendour venerated Christian sanctuaries , he “ writes , with these places considered the most o n e holy in the Mussulman world , gets an idea o f the confusion that reigns in all branches o f

Mussulman administration . No doubt their faith is as strong as that o f Christians ; but it is faith without works . It will be remembered that Burckhardt used almost identical language co n cerning the Mosque at Medina .

After waiting three hours , Roches gained access “ aab ah Y o u to the K . must pay as you mount the steps guarded by the eunuchs , pay as you enter , pay as you leave , when the Agha gives you o f the key the door to kiss , p ay as you descend — s the steps always pay . It is pitiful to e e how the wretched pilgrims are treated w ho cannot satisfy o f the innumerable functionaries the Mosque . The vessels in which Zem Zem water was dis e n sed fo r p were a further device extorting money . n o t Of pointed shape , they could stand upright ; and a Z e m z e m i was required to hold that from u which a pilgrim drank . The e nuch guide selected by Roches was so well satisfied with his fee that he volunteered his escort to places the

reverse of holy . Roches , mindful that he must maintain the character o f a dignified and serious

personage , declined . o f He had forwarded to the Sherif Mecca , at ’ o f Tayf, Fresnel s letter introduction ; but no

answer had yet reached him . On I st January

1 4 8 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

most or p ilgrims and three caravans , m from Syria, Egypt , and Ye en . Pilgrims devoted themselves to commerce ; piety w as replaced by

Speculation . And what conduct during the holy period ! M ay God preserve your eyes from the o f spectacle their shameful actions .

The Sherifs , he admitted sadly, had contri of buted to the decline faith . Their luxury and avarice excited the hostility of the Wahhabis ; and to resist them it w as found necessary to o f call upon the Turks . I nstead allies the Turks t r o had become tyrants . Submission to Chris ian p te cto rates had sapped the bases o f the Ottoman

Empire . Renegades were admitted to high places . I t was the inevitable decadence o f a people that loses faith . f The faith o the Sherif himself was not strong . Roches made the usual comparison with Abd - e l w as Kader . One an Epicurean Mussulman ; the other an ascetic warrior . of The Ulemas Mecca , Medina , Damascus , and n o w Baghdad were assembled at Tayf, and the question o f the Fe ttou a arose One member o f w as the council Opposed with fury, but he f overruled . Seals and signatures were a fixed to w as the document , and it handed over to the

Mokaddem . When Roches returned to Mecca h e found o f it invaded by thousands p ilgrims . They were clad alike in the white Ihram ; but he w as

struck by the diversity of languages , types , and

physiognomies . Reunion with Ibraham gave him

the keenest pleasure ; for, as usual with Roches , LEON ROCH ES 1 49 close ties o f sympathy had been knitted during his the j ourney . The meeting cheered drooping

Spirits : when bidding farewell to the Sherif , terrible presentiments had assailed him .

The Syrian and Egyptian caravans , followed by the remaining p ilgrims in procession , chanting n ow aloud verses of the Koran, began to move or towards Arafat , narrowing expanding accord f ing to the width o the valleys . A huge market occup ied the centre o f the plain . Thousands o f tents were pitched , and the fires blazing before them made the many belated pilgrims appear like phantoms as they went to and fro searching for their encampments . The shouts o f o f these, religious ”invo cations , songs j oy to of - the measure hand clappings and drums , harsh

o f f - o f cries co fee stall keepers , the roaring

camels , neigh ing of horses , and braying o f donkeys , made up an infernal concert . Three ’ hours search fell to the lot o f Roches and the M okaddem before they found I brahim . A further trial was the excessively cold night . Early next morning Roches arose and remarked the tents in line like a street , where swarmed a compact crowd , while thousands of camels cropped the stunted bushes o n the surround ing hills . Untoward incidents ushered in this 22nd memorable day ( January) . H e suddenly came face to face with two Algerians whom , o f in his cap acity interpreter , he had been the means of condemning to a year ’s imprison ment . H e felt as if he had trodden upon a venomous snake . Further, it will be remem 1 50 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA bered that he had made no formal abj uration o f Christianity and acceptance of Islam . I t was now required that the pilgrims should perform f the greater ablution before the hour o prayer . to H aving no tent, he was obliged comply with this custom in the public view ; and , despite every p recaution , he fancied that he had been detected . What followed would seem to j ustify his fear . o n The day wore , and the hour for the sermon arrived . Behind the preacher, the Sherif w as stationed o n a camel . Negroes surrounded him , carrying green standards fringed with gold and silver that the wind caused to float over ’ r achers s his head and the p e . The greater o f number the p ilgrims were in ecstasy , while many sobbed and prostrated themselves . But w as a strong irreligious element not lacking .

Gambling , smoking , and quarrelling proceeded unchecked in the coffee - stalls and their keepers circulated among the pilgrims with coffee and fo r cakes sale .

The sermon was concluding , darkness was ’ gathering , when Roches meditations came to an abrup t end . Suddenly the shout was raised , “ ! ! Im H o , the Christian Seize the Christian ” so n o f ! pious one , the Impious There was no doubt against whom this demonstration was

. the te rrib le directed Then , amid i clamour which six ensued , powerful negroes forced their way through the crowd and seized the I nfidel . Lifted like a babe in their brawny arms , gagged and bound upon a camel , he was hurried from the

1 52 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

H is adventures in con nectio n with Mecca are properly at an end ; but their after effects are too full o f human interest to be summarily dis

. sse i th missed H e reached Ko r on 27 January , and set o u t for Ke n n eh with a Moroccan mer chant . One morning he woke to find his pockets empty and his companion gone . But a party of Arabs whom he fell in with treated him kindly o f and conducted him the remainder the way . Ken neh o f At he sold part his wardrobe , and made a l ittle money by writing letters for the f p easants , and telling fortunes . I t su ficed to pay his passage up the Nile to Alexandria .

The excitement of his adventure over , once more he fell a victim to doubt and depression .

Again , life stretched before him in monotonous “ ’ s l n f flats . A with the o d ma o the Pardoner s

Tale , who knocked upo n the earth with his “ f b e sta f and asked to let i n , Death would not f have his life . The thought o return to Algeria revolted him ; but w hither might he go ? H is existence had been a series o f adventures ; no connected whole . H e began to meditate retiring n o t into a monastery ; but this required faith , vague deism such as h is . Then came the thought o f his aunt : at least he could return to her . Not wishing p ublic attention to be drawn to his late adventure, he passed through Cairo with o t u calling up on Fresnel . H e wrote to Fresnel from Alexandria , and also to Bugeaud , resigning his post . H is strangest adventure in Alexandria

- w as an unlooked fo r meeting with Isidore . The LEON ROC H E S 1 53 faithful servant had persisted in believing that his master would return unexpectedly, and had refused to proceed to Algeria alone . Roches and I sidore embarked on board an

I talian ship bound for Civita Vecchia . Thence , accompanied by a young Franciscan and a law

fo r . student, they started on foot Rome After

Palo , a weary march took place along a mono tonous road . Suddenly in the distance they caught sight o f a cross Shining at the summit o f an immense cupola , gilded by the oblique ’

f n . . rays o the su I t was St Peter s . From that time the energy of the party waxed and waned according as the cross ap peared or w as hidden by the windings o f the road . w as I t Easter (March Like Mecca , o f o f f Rome was full pilgrims , but how di ferent a kind ! Different also were the effects p ro ’ du ce d o n Roches by the interior o f St . Peter s and the Kaab ah ‘

“ I remained lost in profound meditation , when suddenly I felt myself seized by a hallucination . At a single glance I took in the splendid epic o f Christianity . I contemplated Jesus nailed to the cross , dying to redeem man . I followed the

Apostles propagating the holy doctrine . I saw the Martyrs confess their faith among tortures . At the same time the Spectre o f my past life w f rose before me . I sa the blackness o my ingratitude towards the Saviour . I was horrified at myself . Sobs stifled me . I thought I should I w as die . At last able to weep , and the torrent 1 54 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA o f o n o f tears that I shed , prostrate the tomb the holy Apostles , relieved me .

The birth of faith seemed l ikely to change the o f course his life . H e thought of entering the o f order the Jesuits , and had interviews with ! V I Cardinal Mezzofanti and Pope Gregory .

But his destiny remained obdurately Algerian .

Bugeaud refused to accept his resignation , and brought pressure upon him through the French o f ambassador at Rome . H e ran the risk being f thought a deserter . To o ficial entreaties were f is o h . P O e added those father Finally, the p de cided in favour of his return . On 3r d J une 1 84 2 he once more set foot in

Algiers . Bugeaud received him with every mark o f o f kindness . He had the surprise finding intact the clothes , weapons , books , and notes that he had left behind in Mecca . Ibrahim had brought them back to Cairo ; and his brother - in law, Shaykh Tounsi , had forwarded them to

. o ff Algiers Ibrahim , having seen Roches swept in the whirlwind , had Sincerely mourned what he believed to be his tragic fate ; but he discreetly kept their connection a secret . Delight equally sincere w a s his o n learning that Roches still lived . The publication o f the Fe tto u a had led many of the tribes to discontinue their resistance ; but

- l- u e o t . Abd Kader still held At last , driven from

Algeria , he took refuge in Morocco , and forced o f it into war with France . But the defeat Isly 1 8 sue ( 44) caused the Emperor to for peace . I t

O W 1 8 GE RGE AUGUSTUS ALLIN , 4 5

(WALI AL- DIN )

AN unfortunate conj unction o f circumstances prevented a traveller , passionately in love with the East , and an adep t at disguise , from tran s cribing his impressions of the holy cities with the same minuteness as he employed in the rest o f his Arabian travels . Walli n was born in 1 8 1 1 i n the island o f o f o f Aland at the mouth the Gulf Both nia . H is parents soon after migrated to Abo in Finland , where he received his schooling . As a boy he w as distinguished fo r independence and sim licit for p y, disregard of convention , for a calm exterior that covered a warm heart , and for love o f adventure . H e was a good swimmer and bold sailor . H e entered with zest into the life o f w as his companions , the leader in many a student frolic ; and for o n e o f these he suffered

the penalty o f rustication .

H e did not neglect his studies . By the year

1 836 he had mastered nine languages . The classi

cal and Oriental tongues , especially Persian and

Arabic , attracted him above all ; but he acquired o f a knowledge German , Swedish , French , and 1 56 GEORGE AU GU STU S WALLI N 1 57

English literature . H e also developed his inborn love of nature . o f 1 8 On the death his father in 37 , he went two to St . Petersburg . For years he studied at ac uir the university and the Oriental I nstitute, q ing unparalleled proficiency in Turkish , Arabic , o f and Persian . Then the design an Arabian journey formed itself in his mind , and he gained the university grant to young students who wished w as a to travel . Like Burton , his intention to p pear ih the East as a doctor o f medicine . H e therefore returned to Finland and accomplished

of . B a course medical reading Like urto n also , “ the land of his predilection was Arabia . his tr av e ls 1 8 H e started on u in July 43, but 1 8 n to did not reach Cairo till January 44, owi g a delay in Paris caused by sickness following an f assault and robbery o wh ich he was the victim .

I n Cairo he disguised himself as a Mohammedan , and in April 1 845 set o u t o n a desert j ourney across Northern Arabia . H e was accompanied at first by two Bedouin , but , later , by a single guide . H e followed the Egyptian pilgrim way, and at length arrived at H ail . There his inte n tion o f crossing the Nej d desert to the Persian o f Gulf was defeated by his lack funds ; and , as w e fi n d o f shall also in the case Burton , by the quarrels o f the tribes . H e therefore curtailed his journey, and accompanied the Persian and Meso potamian pilgrim caravan to Medina and Mecca . H itherto he had taken copious and exact notes sus of all that he saw . H e w as compelled to 1 58 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

pend this practice during the Pilgrimage . Often ’ as it has been described , a man of Wallin s erudition would without doubt have added some detail o f value . H is hazardous position with the u s pilgrims , he tells , the hastened and fatiguing march , the incommunicative disposition which for the first time h e witnessed among Arabs, and which might be attributed to th e cares and f sorrows o i ndividual p ilgrims , and to the hated o f w ho presence the Persians , are extremely “ awkward and tiresome on desert j ourneys , prevented h im from asking questions or taking notes . The j ourney from H ail to Medina was accomplished in 85 hours : this w as a parti ’ c ular ly fast camels march . From Mecca Wallin w as fh proceeded to Jeddah . H e evidently a su cie ntly orthodox Mussulman to detest the Per

Sians . H e returned to Cairo and l ived in the Mo h amm edan quarter . The following year he made a j ourney across the Sinaitic p eninsula to

Damascus and Beirut . Again i n 1 847 he set o ut with the intention o f crossing the Nejd desert ; and once more the cherished proj ect w as de feated . The discovery had been made that h e w as a disguised Christian ; and this would have endangered his life . H e travelled in Persia, and at length reached Bassora on the Persian Gulf .

There , having presented a bill of exchange that w as not met, he was only saved from death by se a co n starvation by an English captain , who v e to yed him Baghdad .

1 60 C H R I ST I AN S AT M E CCA but the proj ect w as defeated b y a blunder in the

. fo r six document Not years , o nly once for disa all , had the grant been made . The bitter p ’ pointment p reyed upo n Wallin s mind , and de v e lop ed the heart complaint from which he died in 1 852 . SIR D B O 1 8 RICHAR URT N , 53

( S HAYKH HAI ABD ALLAH )

TH E greatest name associated with the Mecca o f Pilgrimage is that Sir Richard Burton . The story o f his venture has been told by himself o f in three volumes no mean dimensions , and in the numerous biographies of which he has been ut made the subject . B such a story is well worth retelling ; and when set side by side with that o f o f f men di ferent ages , races , and circumstances , of may even gain something freshness . o f 1 8 A zhe On the reissue h is book in 93, the na n m hailed the undiminished charm of the brill iant narrative . A recent writer in the same j ournal alludes parenthetically to Burton ’s “ much ’ ” vaunted ‘ Pilgrimage as o n e o f the dullest and worst written books o f its kind . Warm personal friends of Burton have hesitated to praise h is o f books . A critic authority assigns the first “ ” place among them to the Pilgrimage , with the reservation that it is n o t easy reading . The gulf between these Oppos ing verdicts is not too Wide to be bridged . The general reader ’ would rise from a perusal of Burton s pages with no t a feeling of disappointment . The style has CH R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

“ th e quality which is called winning . But once ’ let the reader s interest be kindled elsewhere, he

- will return to Burton with ever increasing profit . ’ “ ” AS with Carlyle s French Revolution , previous for knowledge is indispensable appreciation . ’ Burton s age w as thirty- tw o when he started o n the first and in some ways the most interest

ing of his j ourneys . H e had meditated more ' in Arab ia extensive travels . H aving first visited o f Mecca and secured the title H aj , it was his intention to cross that appalling southern desert o f n ot Arabia , which even a Bedouin is known

to have crossed . Refusal by the East India ’ Company o f the required three years leave of absence was the first hindrance to this proj ect ; and it w as finally abandoned when news reached him at Mecca that tribal disturbances made the

route impracticable . Yet I cannot quite agree

with Mr . H ogarth that , but for this p roj ect, a ' man o f Burton s scientifi c pretension would not have thought it worth while to visit the holy “ cities where Badia and Burckhardt had left him

little to describe . Burton had an interest other than scientific in the manners and religion o f to o I slam . H e was good a Mohammedan at heart not to comply with the Prophet ’s injunction to

\pay o n e Visit to the centre of his faith . ’ o f 1 8 The facts Burton s life , previous to 53 , are too well known to need any but the briefest w as 1 8 2 1 recapitulation . H e born in , and educated w as in a manner irregular and cosmopolitan . H e destined for the Church ; but it w as as repugnant to him as it had be en to the fellow - pilgrim he

1 64 C H R I STIAN S AT M ECCA

intentions . I n a letter to his mother he gave o f an outline his scheme , and directed , in case o f h is death , that whatever valuables he possessed his should be divided between her and sister .

Before setting out , he had felt the need ” o f “ a silent friend . H e therefore addressed a paper o f questions to Wall in ; but Wallin

was then no more . The silent friendship that denied him he has bestowed liberally upon { was others . Every detail likely to help the pilgrim o f t the future , he records . H e tells us that when 80 he left Cairo h e took with h im £ . Of this , 0 w as £5 in M aria Theresa dollars , the most favoured coi n in Arabia ; and the remainder

in English and Turkish sovereigns . The dollars

and gold he secreted in a leather belt, keeping small coins for current expenses in a cotton : purse in his pocket . H is outfit was as follows

- o f A tooth stick, piece soap , and wooden comb , His were his toilet articles . wardrobe consisted f of o a change o r two clothing . Other requisites

- - were a goat Skin water bag , a Persian rug, pillow, “ blanket , and sheet ; a huge cotton umbrella o f Eastern make, brightly yellow, suggesting the ”

idea of an overgrown marigold ; a housewife,

- a dagger, a brass inkstand and pen holder stuck

in the belt , and a large rosary . The wardrobe

w as - packed in saddle bags , the bed in a bundle ,

and a green box served as a medicine chest . H e also tells us with full detail ho w he took o f notes his j ourney . Many p ilgrims carry with

them a p ocket Koran in a red morocco case , slung

by Silk cords over the left shoulder . To all S IR R I C H ARD BU RTON 1 05

appearance Burton did likewise ; but the case , f w as instead o containing the sacred volume , o n e o f divided into compartments . I n these o f so were penknife , pen cils , and slips paper small that they could be concealed in the hollow f o the hand . From them he made a fair copy into h is diary book— a long thin volume fitting

- H is into a breast pocket . Sketches were made

in pencil , and important l ines afterwards fixed n in ink . When finished , he cut the paper i to

squares , numbered them , and h id them in the

tin canisters that contained his medicines . The interior o f the Kaab ah he actually sketched upon h is white Ihram . Before leaving England he set himself to imagine and note do’ wn every contingency that might arise . H e also learned , among other

- th ings , to make horse shoes and shoe h is horse . o n r d H e left London 3 April , disguised as a w as Persian , and received at Alexandria by John ’ Thurb u rn w ho , h ad been Burckhardt s host . To avoid suspicion he was lodged in an outh ouse ; and during the month he spent at Alexandria , w as he instructed by a Shaykh in prayers , o f & c . prostrations , reading the Koran , H e

soon abandoned the character of a Persian . H e w as informed that the Persians were looked r upon as heretics , and in A abia h e would be

beaten and charged treble . H e next assumed o f that a Dervish . I t is a safe disguise , and o f affected by many all ranks and ages . This in turn he abandoned ; a Dervish wh o collects

statistics might occasion suspicion . H is final 1 66 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA disguise was that o f an Afghan . To account fo r any small inaccuracies , he described himself as born in I ndia , where he had resided all his “ life , of Afghan parents . Besides , a man from

Kabul is allowed to say and do strange things .

The next task was to secure a passport . It w as not a light one ; and many tedious hours were spent by the would - b e pilgrim waiting at

f . the doors of inexorable o fi cials At last , thinking fo r the matter was in order , he left Cairo . There he lodged in a caravanserai— a combination o f

- — hotel , lodging house , and store where he paid w as fourpence a day for two rooms . It the month o f Ramadan . H e made a certain stir in the world as a doctor , and consorted with : all sorts and conditions of men among them ,

- l w ho the grave and much travelled Haj i Wa i , o f had discarded the prejudices his tribe . H e wandered about the streets o f Old Cairo by night , described the various mosques , and visited ’ n Burckhardt s grave . H e made the acquai tance

of a jaunty Meccan youth of eighteen , named

Mohammed , from whom he bought the Ihram

and the Shroud , without which the Moslem

never undertakes a j ourney of the kind . The boy Mohammed w as o n his way home and o ffered to accompany Burton ; but he had visited

I ndia, had seen Englishmen , and generally showed “ - so signs of over wisdom , that his overtures

were discouraged . Burton also bought provisions and packed them in a K afas (hamper o f palm a hha r a h n sticks) , and S (woode box three feet f square) . Meanwhile , more passport di ficulties

1 68 CH R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

o u t n serai , he sallied , vowi g to make the Pasha for himself come and dance his entertainment . “ I followed him into the outer gallery , continues “ Burton , pulling him and begging him , as a despairing wife might urge a drunken husband , ” to return home . Finally the Albanian was overpowered and carried to his room ; but next morning Burton woke to find that his character w as as a serious person gone . Nothing was talked o f for a week but the hypocrisy of the staid I ndian doctor ! H e could n o t deny feeling a certain tightening of the heart as he started o n his lonely desert ride to Suez . Shaykh Nur , his I ndian servant , had preceded him with the baggage . M idway between Cairo and Suez he w as j oined by the boy Mohammed : this time he would take no ’ denial , and indeed he s carcely left Burton s Side during all his subsequent adventures . At Suez the o f pair joined a larger party friends . Foremost ’ w as among them Shaykh Hamid , Burton s future o f host at Medina . A perfect Specimen the town Arab was Shaykh H amid ; his only gar ment an exceedingly unclean ochre - coloured blouse

tucked into a leathern girdle . H e did not pray from unwillingness to take clean clothes o u t o f ’ his box , and he only smoked other people s

tobacco . The discovery of a sextant among Burton ’s effects caused a flutter o f excitement in this

strange company . At a solemn conclave , the

boy Mohammed declared him an infidel . But this w as w as p osition pronounced untenable, and he S I R R I C H A RD B U RTON 1 69 received back to favour , only, much to his regret , forced to leave the obnoxious instrument beh ind . One last trial remained before embarkation his passport was declared irregular . This time w ho it was the British Consul came to the res cue , and gave him , at his own risk, a totally new pass B ritish J port to Arabia , certifying that he was a subject . On 6th July he embarked in a sambuk called olden i the G W r e. I t was an open boat of fifty o f r e efi n n o tons , with no means g, compass ,

l - o . no g, no sounding line , no chart N inety seven p ilgrims were crowded o n board where w as there barely room for sixty . On the poop , where Burton had secured accommodation , there were eighteen persons in a space ten feet by eight . w ho w as fo r f The owner , sent , o fered to return w ho the money of those cared to quit the Ship .

None responded , and he rowed away with a who parting inj unction to trust in Allah , would make all things easy .

Many Moors were among the pilgrims , with o w n no resources of their , but dependent entirely o n o f alms for the accomplishment the j ourney . These men organised a storming party against the poop . But its occupants secured ashen ’ six staves feet long and thick as a man s wrist , which they used with effect against the palm o f sticks and daggers their assailants . Burton , to ever the front when blows were flying , upset o f 1 0 o n an earthen j ar water weighing 0 lbs . the combatants , and put an end to the fray . w as The j ourney indescribably tedious . From 1 7 0 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

Suez to Yamb u is 600 miles in a direct line ' the circuitous course of the Golden Wir e made the distance exactly double . Twelve days were occupied with the journey, the vessel , according

n o t . to Arab customs , sailing at night The heat w as appalling . The wind blew from the moun taino u s coast o f Arabia like the blast o f a lime “ kiln . The morning beams opp ress you with o f a feeling Si ckness ; their steady glow, reflected by the glaring waters , blinds your eyes , blisters : your skin , and parches your mouth you now become a monomaniac ; you do nothing but count the slow hours that must ‘ minute by ’ before so you can be relieved . M en are not much sleeping as half senseless ; they feel as if a few ” o f more degrees heat would be death . There was a poor Sick Turkish baby o n the ship , and Burto n remarked the consideration

Shown to the mother . The men took turns to nurse it ; and if any o f them drew forth a little delicacy, such as a few dates or a pome ’ o f granate , a share it was given to the woman s other children .

The evenings passed in comparative enjoyment .

The ship lay to in a cove . The crew went ashore , visited the neighbouring landmarks , cooked their meals , smoked , and told stories round the fire .

Sometimes they Slept o n the sands . Burton enjoyed this life as if he had been one of them . One evening w as spent in the neighbourhood o f : - n the I chthyophagi a tribe of half aked Arabs , with no weapon but their villainous countenances , who lived in limestone caves , and subsisted entirely

1 7 2 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA co ncerted by the susp icious glances o f a set of men w ho Shared a room with h is o w n party Y am b u during the Short time spent at . H e merely displayed the perfect nonchalance o f a

True Believer . The one night at Yam b u was passed in the airy upper room o f a caravanserai overlooking the sea . Even such a Short acquaintance with the pOp u lation revealed its bigoted and quarrelsome char acter . Persons stalked about armed to the teeth . “ Among them were grim Bedouin , wild as their o f native wastes , and i n all the dignity pride and dirt . n 1 8th About noo next day ( J uly) , the camels o f were ready at the gate . The task loading them proceeded amidst vociferations from the owners of the animals about the unconscionable o f weight , and protests from the owners the goods that a child could carry such weight .

M . o f About 7 P . the caravan twelve camels emerged from the shadowy streets and launched into the desert . They proceeded in I ndian file , head tied f o . to tail , by the light a full moon Riding in ’ a litter made easy Burton s task o f noting down saw all he . This caravan attached itself to a grain caravan o f so o n two hundred beasts , and continued its “ - route . All w as su n parched ; the furious heat sa u o f was drying up the p and j ice the land . Marches took place only by night ; the day

- passed in sleep or semi lethargy . Vast sand plains gave place to a country “ fantastic in its deso lation . Tumbled blocks of granite encumbered S I R R I C HARD B U RTO N 1 7 3

the road . The ground was seamed with clefts o r like scars , widening into caves choked with sk w as drift sand . The y above like polished

o r . blue steel . No bird beast was in sight Even the camel grass could not find earth enough for

its root .

- At El Hamra , the half way stage , they joined

the Mecca caravan , which was protected by an o f 0 11 2 th escort cavalry . At early dawn 4 July they reached an ill - famed gorge known as the “ ” Pilgrimage Pass . Silence fell upon the com pany ; and next moment thin blue curls of smoke o f rose among the rocks , and the sharp cracks w as matchlocks heard . A number of Bedouin appeared “ swarming like hornets over the crests o f the hills , carrying huge weapons , and climbing

like cats . All t\hat could be done in reply was awa ‘g s so to blaze y to make a screen of smoke . The loss to the caravan w as twelve men besides

camels .

Medina being situated upon a plateau , the road Yam b u from had never ceased to ascend . On 2 th o f 5 July, having passed through a lane dark

lava , they were rewarded by the Sight of the the holy city . A tortuous road wound across to plain its white walls . I n the eastern quarter appeared the four tall towers and the flashing green dome under which the Apostle ’s remains are said to rest . Burton w as hospitably entertained at Medina ’ by Shaykh Hamid . The stranger s first duty is to perform the greater ablution and visit the

Mosque . He w as unfavourably impressed by its 1 7 4 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

“ n o tawdry appearance . It is t like the Meccan o f Temple , grand and simple, the expressio n a : single sublime idea the longer I looked at it, the more it suggested the resemblance ofa museum o f - - o f second rate art , and old curiosity Shop , full ornaments that are not accessories , and decorated with pauper splendour . With Hamid he visited o f every corner the Mosque , repeating prayers at stated places . H e traversed the famous Garden , and noted that the branched candelabra of cut crystal which disfigured it were the work o f a saw London house . H e all that could be seen ’ o f . Mohammed s Tomb, viz the curtain said to cover a square building of black stones . H e

- compared it to a large four post bed , and the o f o f o f railing the Tomb , made a filigree work

- green and polished brass , to a gigantic bird cage . Devout prayers were recited at the Tombs of the Prophet , the two Caliphs Abu Bakr and Omar, and the Lady Fatima . Of these , the following, addressed to the first Caliph , is a specimen

“ 0 Peace be upon Thee , O Abu Bakr , Thou ! Truthful one Peace be up on Thee , O Caliph of Allah ’s Apostle over h is People ! Peace be upo n Thee , O Companion of the Cave , and Friend ! i n Travel Peace be upon Thee , O Thou Banner o f the Fugitives and the Auxiliaries ! I testify s Thou didst ever tand firm in the Right Way , o f and wast a Smiter the I nfidel , and a Benefactor to Thine own people . Allah grant Thee through H is Apostle Weal ! We pray Almighty G o d to cause us to die i n thy Friendship , and to raise

S IR R I C H ARD BU RTON 1 7 5

us up in Company with H is Ap ostle and Thyself, even as H e hath mercifully vouchsafed to us ” this Visitation .

On leaving the sacred chamber , Burton and his party recited another prayer , taking care that their backs should not be in a line with the ’ Apostle s face . They also retired from the Mosque fi with the right foot rst, having entered it with s o f the left . There w a the usual swarm impor tu n ate beggars ; but the boy Mohammed dis tingu ish ed himself in their suppression . He “ so displayed a fiery economy, that Burton might have more to spend at Mecca when under his roof .

’ The e stab lishm e n t of the Mosque had changed ’ considerably since Burckhardt s day . The eunuchs 1 20 now numbered , and were divided into three : orders the porters , sweepers , and those who

- o f did beadle duty, involving much use the cane . w ho There were free servants dusted , trimmed “ ” lamps , and diligently did nothing ; and water f carriers completed the list o menials . There o f was also the literary establishment , consisting o f a Kadi (j udge) , Muftis (doctors law) , Imans , & f w c . And the o fice of Mezouar (guide) as cheerfully undertaken by almost every unoccupied citizen .

When Burckhardt Visited Medina , it was still suffering from the effects o f the Wahhabi invasion .

The population had dwindled , and many houses were in ruins . To Burton it seemed a comfort e i the e able and flo urishing city . H descr bes stre ts 1 7 0 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

as deep , dark, and narrow ; the houses well built , o f - basaltic scoria , burnt brick , and palm wood .

Latticed balconies were a common feature . A wide road separated the southern s uburb from the town ; a large Open space the western . Both low suburbs were partially enclosed by a , mud wall . Built in straggling fashion , they covered more ground than the city, and mostly co nsisted o f - courtyards and single storied tenements , with gardens and plantations laid o u t between . The pop ulation was about Four families ’ claimed descent from the Prophet s Auxiliaries ; “ ” offshoots from every nation in Islam co m ’ p osed the remainder . Burto n s friends pressed h im strongly to settle in M edina and practise as a doctor . Yet th is mongrel population had ac quired an Arab physiognomy . Their manners were grave and p ompous ; their observan ce of outward decorum Pharisaic ; they desp ised manual labour . There were few store - keepers : and black slaves o f performed the duties domestic servants . The higher classes administered their estates o r were attached to the Mosque ; the middle classes traded in corn , grain , and provisions . Articles of luxury, including the splendid dress affected by the Me dinite s , were brought yearly by the Syrian inhab i caravan . Yet Burton discovered in the tants of this city a manliness possessed by no other Eastern people ; and of primitive Arab virtues there remained pride , pugnacity, honour, vindictiveness .

Burto n remained five weeks at Medina . H e scarcely let a day pass without visiting the

1 7 8 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

b o Me cca h is servant , and the y Mohammed to , fo r o ld and to Arafat the Pilgrimage . But the man positively refused to take Burton ’s large wooden box . I t was therefore left at Medina , and the hamper had already been crushed o n the sea voyage . H amid warned his departing guests never to let more than twenty - four h ours elapse without dipp ing hands in the same dish “ so o n o f as the drivers , as to be terms salt . fo r When the time arrived paying bills , the £ 5 lent to H amid by Burton at Suez w as remitted in consideration o f h is hospitable treat ment .

A . M . 1 st At 9 on 3 August , the gigantic procession , ooo 7 strong , began to move across the plain to wards the thin line of low dark hills that bound

Medina o n the east . There were several grada

tions o f pilgrims . Th e lowest hobbled with heavy o f staves ; then came riders asses , camels , and mules ; others were mounted o n dromedaries and had led horses ; two classes o f litter might be seen : the S hugduf in which Burton rode ; and

- the Takht rawan for the wealthy and noble . “ N o t the least beauty o f the sp ectacle w as its wondrous variety of detail ; no man w as dressed

like his neighbour , no camel was caparisoned , w as no horse clothed i n uniform , as it were . And nothing stranger than the contrasts ; a band ’ o f half - naked Takruri marching with the Pasha s

- equipage, and long capped , bearded Persians con ’ ” Tarb u sh d versing with and Shaven Turks . These Takruri pilgrims carried wooden b owls and filled

them with water by begging . Many were lamed S IR R I C H ARD B U RTON 1 7 9

o r w as by fatigue by thorns , and death depicted in their forms and features . A parting gaze back at the venerable minarets o f and green dome Medina , and Burton con h gratulated himself that is first danger was over . The aspect of the country through which they a now travelled was volcanic . Basalts and scori e abounded ; there were stony paths with thorny o f acacias , and beds lava . I n a torrent bed with abrupt turns between steep and barren hills , the beasts o f burden began to Sink . Carcases dotted the wayside ; and vultures o r Takruri pilgrims

- fiv e devoured them . Ab out twenty Arab miles ’ made up a day s march . Its toils were forgotten of r o under the soothing i nfluence th e p ipe , p

- du ced and smoked at every halting place . The pipe even took preceden ce o f the cup o f coffee . A M At 3 . . the hateful departure gun sounded , and a m ar ch o f several hours was undertaken before the large crimson sun burst through purple mists upon the haggard scene . There were many minor accidents in the gloomy passes , camels fall ing and litters bumping together . I n some places shu gdu fs with their screaming in mates were torn from the camels ’ backs by the o n acacias and broken the ground . I n the early morning the plain reeked with vapour from the

Simoom , but a white glare reigned during the day . I n no other part of Arabia had Burto n v seen such utter desolation . O er a succession o f o r o f either rocky flats plains gravel and clay, encircled by hills , the caravan progressed . The plains were divided by passes flanked by iron 1 80 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

a walls of black basalt . The c mels descended the ridges , stepping from block to block l ike moun tain e er s , but they moaned p iteously at the sudden turns and the yawning holes between the rocks .

- There were also sand pillars , called by the Arabs “ ” o f l Jinnis the Waste , and a came was at times o n e o f overthrown by them . Burton co ntrived to transcribe his notes during

of - the absence Shaykh Masud , his camel man , and the boy Mohammed . H e would despatch

- of them from the halting places in quest water . The wells were frequently at a distance o f some miles , guarded by soldiers , and a heavy price was exacted for the precious liquid . The scenery o f the seco nd part o f the j ourney w became yet more ild . It was a desert peopled o f only with echoes , a place death . Sand columns o f whirled over the plain , and huge piles rock stood on either side, detached upo n the surface “ f . o sand and clay Nature scalped and flayed , ’ ” discovered all her skeleto n to the gazer s eye .

By night the camels tripped and stumbled , toss “ ing their litters like cockboats in a short sea . Down the steep ridges the drivers grasped the and halters of the animals , encouraged them with strange cries and gestures . Like phantoms the huge and doubtful forms o f the camels moved over the black basaltic plain . Sparks or fiery of ho t smoke , whirled from the torches by gusts wind , lit up with red gleams the dusky multitude . But the culminating scene took place in a “ ’ gorge o r Valley Perilous within tw o days M th march of ecca . The p ilgrims , clad in e

1 8 2 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

o u t by cries and sobs , Burton looked from his saw “ l itter , and by the light of the southern stars the dim outline of a large city, a shade darker than th e surrounding plain . Twelve days f had been occupied by this march o death . The boy Mohammed threw o ff his j aunty n man er, and became a grave and attentive host .

After resting an hour or two beneath his roof, o f Burton Visited the Mosque . H e writes thus the Kaab ah '

of There at last it lay, the bourn my long and weary Pilgrimage , realising the plans and hopes f o many and many a year . The mirage medium o f fancy invested the huge catafalque and its gloomy p all with peculiar charms . There were o f no giant fragments hoar antiquity as in Egypt, no remains o f graceful and harmonious beauty as in Greece and Italy , no barbarous gorgeousness as in the buildings o f I ndia ; yet the Vie w w as strange , unique , and how few have looked upon ! sa o f the celebrated shrine I may truly y that , all the worshippers wh o clung weeping to the o r w ho curtain , pressed their beating hearts to the stone , none felt for the moment a deeper

- emotion than did the H aj i from the far north . It w as as if the poetical legends o f the Arabs o f spoke truth , and that the waving wings angels , o f not the sweet breeze morning , were agitating f and swelling the black covering o the shrine .

But , to confess humbling truth , theirs was the o f w as high feeling rel igious enthusiasm , mine the ecstasy o f gratified pride . S I R R I C H ARD B U RTO N 1 83

I n company with the boy Mohammed , Burton T w f performed the a a . The first three circuits were made at a running pace , the last four slowly . o f At various points , such as every corner th e Kaab ah o f Kaab ah , the Space between the door the and the Black Stone , Opp osite the Spout , and many others , an appropriate prayer was said . Zem Zem water was taken in large quantities internally ” “ - and externally . The flavour is a salt bitter, he “ of writes , much resembling an infusion a tea spoonful o f Epsom salts in a large tumbler o f “ ” tep id water . H e al so found it h eavy to the o f digestion . Only the kissing the Black Stone f f of o fered di fi culties because the besieging crowd ,

b o - a- o f At last the y Mohammed , with half dozen 011221 9 11 2 his friends , path , and for ten minutes “ Burton monopolised it . Wh ilst kissing it and rubbing hands and forehead upon it , I narrowly ” “ observed it , he says , and came away persuaded ” that it is an aerolite . In the evening he paid a second visit to the w as Mosque . The moon nearly full , and streaked “ ” the huge bier - like erection o f the Kaab ah with j ets o f silver . I t stood ou t in even bolder rel ief “ than during th e day ; th e little pagoda - like ” buildings and domes round it had vanished ; and it seemed in its isolatio n to materialise the grandeur o f the One Idea which vitalised the whole of Islam . Crowds o f people were performing the Taw af° from the Bedouin woman “ in her long black robe ’ - - l ike a nun s serge , and poppy coloured face veil , ” pierced to Show two fiercely flashing orbs , to 1 84 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA

“ - r e the fair skinned Turk , looking cold and ” o n pulsive . Now a corpse its wooden shell would be borne through the court ; and now a poor pilgrim would app ear clinging with h passionate sobs to the covering o f the Kaab a . Or an African Negro w as seized with religious his frenzy, uttering shrill cries , throwing arms about , and waving his head and body . Either the organisation o f these men was more im re ssio nab le o r p , their imaginations had been “ strained to breaking pitch by the hardships , privations , and fatigues endured whilst wearily ” traversing inhospitable wilds and perilous seas . From the court Burton ’s eyes wandered to a part o f the city straggling up on e of the grim or hills . H e mentally compared it to Bath , to Florence without its beauty . I n the bright moonlight the minarets of the Temple became “ pillars of silver only the cloisters dimly streake d ” by oil lamps cast horizontal l ines of shade that of gave a dark framework to the scene animation .

About 2 A . M . Burton and his guide walked home through the streets where people ‘ were sleeping in cots outside their op en doors . 1 2th saw N ext day, September , the exodus to Arafat . The road was covered with white

o r . robed pilgrims , walking riding I t was about ’ six hours Slow march , but many beasts sank w a by the y, and no fewer than five men . Th e ease with which they died led Burton to speculate whether from some unknown cause death became h easier in o t climates . On reaching Arafat he found a huge en campment o n the barren yellow

1 86 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

t li ters , clashed with a Shock more noisy than o f o f the meeting torrents . The roar guns and bursting of rockets added to the tumult . w as The night spent at M uzdalifah , but the pious custom o f waking in the Mosque w as o f exchanged for the necessity guarding baggage . fo r H owever, the seven small pieces of granite the first lapidation were collected and bound in the Ihram . Next day, at Muna , Burton made a first attempt to stone th e Devil . Such was the crowd that his donkey was overthrown , and he found himself beneath a stamp ing, roaring “ u se dromedary. By a j udicious of the knife he escaped being trampled upon , and , together with the boy Mohammed , whose nose was bleed ing , waited a more favourable opportunity . This soon arrived ; the stones were thrown ; after which it was lawful to have the head shaved and remove the Ihram . o f On the completion this ceremony , Burton returned to Mecca . H e had chosen his time ab well : the Ka ah was Open . Of this he was informed by the boy Mohammed in a state o f t Kaab ah w as breathless exci ement . Th e dressed as in its new covering , and Burton drew near, a “ cry was raised , Op en a path for the H aj i who ” would enter the H ouse . The usual steps that moved o n rollers were missing ; but two stout

Meccans raised him in their arms , and a third drew him from above Several dark - looking f o f o ficials stood round the door, whom the chief ’ w as i nquired Burton s name and nation . H e w then allo ed to enter . H e admits that , looking S I R RI C H A RD BU RTON 1 87

f at the windowless walls , the o ficials at the door , o f the crowd fanatics below, and the place death o f considering who he was , h is feelings were

- the trapped rat description . H owever, he care fully observed the scene , and I have already mentioned in what way h e recorded his im o f w as pressions . The cost this visit eight no t dollars , accepted without grumbling by the f f o ficials , whom the indiscretions o the boy

Mohammed had led to expect more .

Although Burton returned to Muna , he could f so not a ford to buy a sheep for sacrifice , he watched his neighbours at their pious work . o r six Five thousand animals were slaughtered , and as it is meritorious to give away th e victim s without eating its fle h , they were devoured chiefly sk w as by poor p ilgrims . The y speckled with kites and vultures , swarms of flies also settled upon the carcases , foul vapours rose from the w as bloodstained earth , and the heat terrific . Two more days were Spent at M una to complete the lapidations ; after wh ich Burto n returned for the last time to M ecca .

An impressive sight awaited him . A sermon was about to be preached in the Temple court . “ The vast quadrangle was crowded with w o r shippers sitting in long rows , and everywhere facing the central black tower : the showy colours o f their dresses were not to be surpassed by a o f garden the most brilliant flowers , and such diversity of detail w as p robably not to be seen massed together in any other building upon w as earth . The sermon preached by a majestic 1 88 C H RI ST IAN S AT M ECCA o ld man with a snowy beard , raised above the crowd by the tall pointed pulp it , whose gilt u n spire flamed in the s . H is words were listened o f to with the deepest attention , and at the end the long sentences , the pilgrims intoned a general “ Amin . It was the most solemn religious ceremony that Burton had ever seen . o r There remained the Omrah , little Pilgrimage , o r and the Sai , running seven times along the main street betw een ths sacred hills o f Safa and

Marwah . Both these rites were performed with out striking incident ; the appropriate prayers were devoutly said , and the due number of piastres handed over to guardians of sacred places and to beggars . The remaining days at Mecca were sp ent in intercourse with friends , visits to the Mosque , and transcription of notes . The house in which Burton lodged w as the j oint property of the boy ’ “ Mohammed s mother and uncle . The uncle , a lean old Meccan , of true ancient typ e , vulture

- faced , kite clawed , with a laugh like a hyena , and o ut a mere Shell of body, had let every available corner o f the house . Before his departure for

r - Arafat , Bu to n had suffered from over crowding 0 11 but his return he persuaded his hostess , whose heart he had won by praising her grace son o f o ut less , the scamp the family , to clear a

- small store room on the first floor for him . o f There , between the hours ten and four, he no t retired . Even then he could transcribe his notes without keeping one eye fixed upon the a door . The heat w s unbearable during the day .

1 90 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

“ “ - long drawn faces and continual sighs . Pre paratio ns for departure began ; b askete d bottles o f fo r l Zem Zem water, presents distant kinsfo k , stood in rows in th e house . By some the close o f Moslem holy week was marked in a manner scarcely edifying . Having performed the pilgrim o u t o f age , their sins were wiped , and too many them lost no time in making a new departure “ down south . Of Burton ’s j ourney to J eddah there is l ittl e “ . 2 6th to record On September , worn out with ” a for fatigue and the fatal fiery he t , he embarked b o Suez . The y Mohammed accompanied him to “ Jeddah , and there , having laid in a large stock o f grain , purchased with my money, having

secured all my disposable articles , and having

hinted that , after my return to India, a present

of twenty dollars would find him at Mecca , asked fo r leave , and departed with a coolness which I n could o t account . The mystery was explained n ow by Shaykh Nur, Haj i Nur . On board the steamer in Jeddah harbour a suspicion had ’ crossed the boy Mohammed s mind , and he said

° “ to his fellow - servant N ow I u nder sta nd ; your m aster is a S ahib fr om I ndia ; he ha s la ughed a t ” ou r bea r ds .

— - N OTE . I e se v e to a note the e o n sto tha t on the r r w ll w r ry , ’ oa b e t e e n M e na and Me cca B u ton s s u se wa s e ne r d w di , r di g i p t rate d b a n A ab b ut that o tun a te fo r him th s ma n was y r , , f r ly , i

oun stab b e to a h n x m n n . f d d d e t e t o r i g The sto ry h ad a seque l . ’ At B u rton s we ddi ng b re akfast a d octo r a d dre sse d to him the ” “ ue st on H o w do ou e e a te k n a man ? u t q i , y f l f r illi g ! i e ” “ ” o o cto was the e how do ou ? j lly , d r , r ply ; y HEINRICH FREIHERR V ON

MALTZ AN 1 860 ,

(SI DI AB D- ER ROCHMAN B EN MO H AMM E D E S S KIKDI)

H E W N Burton , still in his Arab disguise , returned 1 8 c o n from his p ilgrimage in 53 , he met and ’ ou n G er m an versed with a y g at Shepherd s H otel , w as Maltz an Cairo . This Von . The germ of a ’ like undertaking had pre - existed in v o n Maltz an s mind , but it was stimulated and developed by ’ Burton s conversation . H owever, it required another seven years o f trav el in Oriental lands before he w as sufficiently familiar with Moham medan habits , and had mastered the M oorish w as dialect . It in the character of a Moor that he went to Mecca . Maltz an w as Von born near Dresden in 1 8 26 . o f H e studied law at the university Jena , but in

- fifth his twenty year his health broke down , and ’ he became a traveller . Succeeding to his father s 1 8 2 w as property i n 5 , he able to extend the o f range his travels , and visited many countries o f i n the Levant . The Spell the East grew upon

h im , and he began ardently to desire to visit f the centre o the Mohammedan faith . The years 1 9 1 1 92 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA following his eventful conversation with Burton were mostly Spent in Morocco and Algeria . ’ The framework o f von Maltz an s Pilgrimage is o n a curious e . At Algiers he met a Moor with an inordinate love o f haschish . They became friends ; and , in return for a passport to Mecca Maltz an and the use of his name , Von under took to make the Moor a present o f a sufficient ’ sum o f money to allow o f six months in du l w s gence in his favourite drug . The bargain a struck : Von Maltz an turned his face towards Mecca ; the Moor subsided into blissful stupe faction . Maltz an f Unlike Burton , von did not su fer from the rigo ur of the passport system . Habited like a Moor, and imitating as closely as possible the outward appearance of the man whose name he borrowed , there were physical discrepan cies , such as the colour of the eyes . Yet he eluded f f the vigilance of the o ficials without di ficulty . fo r H e embarked at Algiers Marseilles , and

- thence re embarked for Malta . At Malta he

finally assumed his disguise , and sailed in an

English ship for Alexandria . n H is adventures as a pilgrim o w began . H e avoided Europeans and made friends with an o ld Egyptian , Shaykh Mustapha , likewise bound fo r Mecca . They became companions of the road , lived together at Cairo in the Coppersmith o n 2 rd quarter , and 3 April started on a Nile Ke n n eh boat for . A further addition to the n altz party w as a Negro slave bought by v o M an . n e as 1 fe w Ke n h w reached on 3th May , and a

1 94 C H R I STI AN S AT MECCA

n rendi g ululations , he became aware that his Fo r neighbours were the howling dervishes . the remainder of his stay in Jeddah he was glad to

Share a room with the faithful Shaykh Mustapha .

He first saw Mecca in the early dawn , that uncertain glimmering called the Sahor, which

n o r . is neither night day I t is the time when , o f in the month Ramadan , it is lawful to eat .

I t lasts but a minute , but duri ng the minute , when by the soft ligh t a black thread cannot be distinguished from a white one , he saw , sk against the delicate flush in the y, a grey mass with an indefinite outline . It was more like a o f sea o f conglomeration rocks than a houses . A tumultuous shout o f joy greeted the apparition o f o f the nine times holy town , which every — stone is holy, the desire of all Moslems Mecca , Kaab ah where is the , the most holy thing in the “ w 0 11 orld , the fortress of God earth . There ” “ w as w ho n o t o ut no man , he writes , did call ‘ ’ his La bbay/e ( Here am I ) with all the strength o f his lungs ; the strong and healthy thundered it forth , and even the sick and fainting uttered it with convulsive exertion , making use of their last feeble breath at this holy moment . o n o u t Many fell their knees , holding their arms longingly towards the black mass o f houses ; others threw themselves in adoration on the earth and covered the sand o f the desert with ardent kisses . All gave vent to their w a emotion and enthusiasm in every possible y, but not like Europeans , who embrace each other when full of jo y. At such a moment the Moslem H E I N R IC H FRE I H ERR VON MALTZ AN 195

forgets the whole world round him , and also

- his fellow men . H e thinks only of the holy things , visible and invisible, which lie before him . The sight o f the Kaa b ah and its adoring crowds produced uncanny sensations in von

Maltz an . , as it had previously done in Badia H e compared the Mosque to a great citadel o f demons . After the first shock, the numerous prayers and prostrations appeared to him merely w as so wearisome . H e revolted by the filthy condition o f the Black Stone that with difficulty f he brought himself to kiss it . O the pilgrims saw : whom he performing the Sai , he writes “ It w as a sight certainly to be seen nowhere o r h outside Mecca p er aps a lunatic asylum . All

- these half naked people , covered with dust and dirt , panting, perspiring, and groaning, feverish from the heat o f the su n to which their shaved heads had been bared for hours , tired to death by the religious ceremonies , and yet frantically

- excited all these people , almo st delirious from religious ecstasy, ran panting , yet screaming ” loudly, up and down the street . During the twenty days that v o n Maltz an remained in Mecca he lodged in a house at the foot o f o n e o f the h ills in the north - western

. N o t quarter howling dervishes , as at Jeddah , ’ but his landlord s harem , occupied the adj oin ing apartment ; and he had Op portunities that are accorded to few of studying Arab women .

- o r w as The north western quarter, ward , usually l inhabited by Afghan pilgrims . V o n Ma tz an was 1 96 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

who thus unlikely to meet with Moors , might unmask him ; and it was easy to pass as a

Moor among Afghans . Fo r the same reason he n ow H an e fi affected the sect , whereas at Jeddah he had called himself a Maleki . The Moors being Malekis , he would have been in constant contact with them at the pavilion o f their sect ’ aa ah near the K b . H e alludes to Burton s Afghan disguise and soj ourn in the same quarter . Owing o f to the disturbed state Afghanistan , it had at o that time sent u t few pilgrims . H ad there been the usual number, he do ubts whether Burto n

could have sustained the character . Von Maltz an saw the Kaab ah without its covering : he refrained from seeking access to the interior . He did not attempt to note down his impressio ns : the many striking descriptions to be found in his pages must therefore have been stored in his imagination . Once , at the o f Cu fic risk his life, he reproduced a inscription o f dis on a column the Mosque ; but , to his w as appointment , when deciphered , it merely “ the Moslem formula , There is no God but ” G o d & c . , H is eye took pleasure in the externals — o f the great religious festival in the variety and o f multiplicity the mingling race streams , and the kaleidoscop ic changes o n the surface o f the

human river that flowed past him . H e con traste d the average European town and its mono tony o f population with the five o r six diverse nationalities that rub shoulders in the most

uniform Eastern town , which strike the eye and are sharply distinguished from one another by

1 98 C H RI ST IAN S AT M ECCA

H is last words were hailed by a loud La bbayh ; the pilgrims rushed down the mountain like a water - spout ; and several who could n o t keep th step were trampled to death . On e road to ’ v on Maltz an s se t M una, cotton Ihram was on o f w as fire by a torch . So much it saved as to enable him thenceforth to describe himself f as a quarter instead o half dressed .

H aving stoned the Devil , he was anxious to return to Mecca for the l uxury of a bath . Th e astonishment of his guide at th is excessive haste was allayed by a reference to the crowded ’ e condition o f the barbers shops . H e was a com an ie d p to M ecca by the guide, who dignified “ o f him by the title Prince of Algiers , possibly because he app eared to be well provided with money . We all know that a nickname , used harmlessly among friends , when extended to a larger circle , may appear in questionable taste . ’ v o n Maltz an s What , then , was horror , on reach o f ing the baths , wh ither a party Algerians had to preceded him , hear his guide acquainting them

- with his pseudo title . They stared at him , were

convinced that they did not know him , and , as Algerians are quick to detect a foreign Hi . s accent , engaged him in conversation mono

syllabic answers awakened further suspicions . A “ o u whispered discussion took place . What do y ” “ think of this Prince of Algiers ? H ow could this wretched man be the son o f o u r Pasha ? ” “The thing is not as it should be ! Since n ot dis he possessed ample means, he had

guised himself to beg . H e must be a Christian ! H E I N R I C H FRE I H E RR V ON MALTZ AN 1 99

’ V o n Maltz an s hearing was abnormally acute . his H e overheard the entire conversation , and hair stood on end at the terribly significant word hr t n i ia . C s While the Algerians , with Oriental indolence , proceeded to the baths before de n o u n c in g him to the authorities , he made a his o s hurried exit from Mecca . Abandoning p set o ut for sessions and h is slave , h e the suburbs , and having chartered a Bedouin and donkey, n reached Jeddah in fourteen hours . An E glish a ship from Glasgow was in the h rbour, and he secured a passage to Bombay . H e was his obliged to relinquish journey to Medina, but he duly sent his passport to his h asc hish eating friend in Algiers : and this man doubted ever after whether Or n o t he had h imself made the j ourney . V o n Maltz an travelled to see rather than to know . H e wished to visit Mecca, but in all probability would have retired content with a picture in h is brain o f the forbidden city in o f its folding the granite hills , and the sombre outline o f the Kaab ah with the multi - coloured waves of humanity that surge about it . The little zest with which he entered into the ritual , and the o ft- repeated confession that the prayers

and prostrations palled upon him , makes us doubt whether he had any genuine passion for the

esoteric . The rest o f his life w as Sp ent in travels o f

a more conventional order . H is end was tragic .

Having long been tortured by neuralgic pains ,

he died by his o w n hand in 1 87 4 . ! VI I

M B K 1 8 2 HER AN IC NELL , 6

( HAI AB D- E L- WAH ID)

H ERMAN BI CKN E LL is said to be the only English i p ilgrim w ho did n ot disguise h s nationality . H e his went to Mecca Openly as a convert , and knowledge of Mohammedan customs and religion enabled him to pass without remark among the crowds o f all nations .

Author , Oriental ist , and traveller , Bicknell was

1 8 0 . born in 3 He was educated at Paris , Hanover , ’

U . Ho s niversity College , and St Bartholomew s b e pital . H e became an army surgeon , explored o f parts Java , Thibet , and the H imalayas , he travelled in Persia and translated H afiz, he j oined in an expedition to the Arctic regio ns , and to the Andes . His death took place prematurely in 1 8 o f 7 5, from hardship , vicissitudes climate and temperature , and an accident in ascending the

Matterhorn . Bicknell Spent the earlier months o f the year 1 2 o n 22nd 86 in Cairo , and May , embarked at t he Suez in the steamer conveying Sacred Carpet .

2 th . On the 5 , the Ihram was assumed A certain amount of merriment detracted from the solemnity o f the proceeding : pilgrims running about and 200

202 C H R I STI AN S AT M E CCA adds that it is necessary to be a Moslem— at least external ly, to have an Arabic name , and to be conversant with the prayers , formulas , and customs o f the Mussulmans . H e admits that the authorities would be powerless to protect o n e wh o declared himself to be an Unbeliever ; and that a Jew who refused to repeat the creed was recently crucified by th e populace . 1 8 0 1 8 a Burton died in October 9 , and in 93 p “ ” r pea e d the Memorial edition o f his Pilgrimage . It occasioned a controversy in the A thena u m between Lady Burton and H erman Bicknell ’s n o f brother o the respective merits the pilgrims . ’ In the ap pendix to Burton s book, H erman ’ Bicknell s account o f his journey was reprinted

f . without mention o his name A . S . Bicknell

imputed the omissio n to j ealousy . He contended ’ that Burton s disguise exposed him to u n ne ce s o w n f sary risks , that he created his di ficulties , and appeared in the eyes o f the world like Don

! uixote tilting at windmills . I t was time , he

- added, that the drum beating about the deadly peril o f the exploit Should be estimated at the true value his brother modestly and exactly as

signed to it . Lady Burton retorted that Moslem

converts were looked askance at in the H ej az ,

were refused information , and forbidden access

to the inner sacred places . She asserted that Herman Bicknell had expressed envy for her ’ husband s fuller experience , and concluded with the statement that his father had cut him o ff

with a shilling for renou ncing his religion . A . “ S . Bicknell duly thanked her for these kind H E RM A N B I C KN E LL 203 revelations about his deceased father and ” brother . ’ Lady Burton s accuracy w as n o t above su s picio n . I n no other authority do we find corro b o ratio n of her views o n the questionable position o f Moslem converts . She also once made the astounding statement that the pilgrims at Mecca had secret passwords in order to detect an im postor . But in extenuation of her attitude in the above co ntroversy, it must be remembered ’ that Bicknell s narrative o f his Pilgrimage took the form of a letter to The Times . H e signed it with his assumed Arabic name , and this name ’ o nly was reproduced in Burton s reprint . The controversy was terminated by a former brother ’ f o f w ho o ficer Bicknell s , denied that the pilgrim claimed any credit , since he went as a renegade . H e described him as a Catholic in the West and i n a Mohammedan the East ; and , although a o f man strong individuality and high intelligence , he lacked fixed principles , and was of an emo i t o nal and experimental nature . H e finally co r ’ r ob o rate d the truth o f Lady Burton s statement that Bicknell ’s pecuniary position in his father ’s will had been affected . ! V I I I

O F Y K 1 8 — 8 J HN R ER EANE , 7 7

(HAI MO H AMM E D AMIN)

THE first o f living European pilgrims is Keane . 1 8 so n H e was born at Whitby in 54 , of the o f Rev . William Keane , sometime Senior canon

. H is the Cathedral , Calcutta career of adventure o f dates from the age twelve , when he ran away to sea . Seven years spent among Mohammedans qualified him for the Pilgrimage . The personal note in the volumes in which he has embodied his experien ces makes their perusal a delight . 0 11 arriving at Jeddah Keane was at on ce struck by the helplessness and gullibility of the

p ilgrims . Besides heavy duties on their baggage , they were charged a rupee a head before they t landed , for no apparent reason . H e was fortuna e in being able to attach himself to the suite of an I ndian Ameer who was bound for the holy cities ; and thus all minor difficulties were smoothed

away .

H e assumed the Ihram , and in the most matter

o f- w a o ne fact y found himself, among a crowd , walking o ut of the eastern gate o f Jeddah b e

tween two Turkish sentries . Camels and Bedouin

had been chartered by the Ameer ; and , sharing

! V I I

M B K 1 8 2 HER AN IC NELL , 6

(HAI AB D- E L- WAH ID)

H ERMAN BI CKN E LL is said to be the only English i p ilgrim who did not disguise h s nationality . H e O as went to Mecca penly a convert , and his knowledge of Mohammedan customs and religion enabled him to pass without remark among the crowds o f all nations .

Author, Oriental ist, and traveller, Bicknell was

1 8 0 . w as born in 3 H e educated at Paris , Hanover , ’

. Ho s University College , and St Bartholomew s p ital . H e became an army surgeon , he explored o f parts Java , Thibet , and the H imalayas , he travelled in Persia and translated H afiz, he j oined t in an expedition to the Arctic regio ns , and o the Andes . H is death took place prematurely in 1 8 o f 7 5, from hardship , vicissitudes climate and temperature , and an accident in ascending the

Matterhorn . Bicknell spent the earlier months of the year 1 862 o n 22nd in Cairo , and May , embarked at t he Suez in the steamer conveying Sacred Carpet .

th w as . On the 25 , the I hram assumed A certain amount o f merriment detracted from the solemnity of the proceeding : pilgrims running about and 2 00 H E RMAN B I C KN E LL 20 1

’ shrieking the prayer in each other s ears . Next w as day, at Jeddah , he struck forcibly by the o f utter sterility Arabia , with its dunes and rocky hills . The intense lustre of the water in the harbour coloured the sails o f the small fi shing boats that were darting about , an emerald green . A j ourney o f twenty hours brought him to

Mecca . He proceeded at once to the Mosque , “ o f a vast unroofed quadrangle , in the centre “ Kaab ah which rose the , a cubical structure of ” “ ” massive stone , whose funereal shade con trasted vividly with the sunlit walls and precip ices

o f . the town Advancing, he kissed the Black o f Stone , and performed the initial ceremo nies the Pilgrimage . The encircling wall and the terrace on the f slope o Arafat gave it an artificial appearance . The tents o f the pilgrims were scattered f over two o r three miles o the country . After the stonings and sacrifice , Bicknell departed for “ Jeddah , not sorry to relinquish a shade tem p er ature o f and having requested some brother p ilgrims to recite a prayer for h im at ’ the Prophet s Tomb at Medina . H is tranquil narrative concludes appropriately with the re commendation o f a trustworthy and courteous o f w ho guide , to those h is countrymen might come after him . “ “ I n penning these lines , he remarks , I am e s e c i anxious to encourage other Englishmen , p ally those from I ndia , to p erform the Pilgrimage , without being deterred by exaggerated reports ” concerning the perils of the enterprise . H e 202 C H R I STI AN S AT M E CCA adds that it is necessary to be a Moslem— at Arab ic least external ly, to have an name , and to be conversant with the prayers , formulas , and customs of the Mussulmans . H e admits that the authorities would be powerless to protect o n e wh o declared himself to be an Unbeliever ; and that a Jew who refused to repeat the creed w as recently crucified by th e populace . 1 8 0 1 8 a Burton died in October 9 , and in 93 p “ ” peare d the Memorial edition of his Pilgrimage . It occasioned a controversy in the A thena u m between Lady Burton and H erman Bicknell ’s f brother o n the respective merits o the p ilgrims . ’ In the appendix to Burto n s book , H erman ’ Bicknell s account o f his journey was reprinted

without mention o f h is name . A . S . Bicknell

imputed the omissio n to j ealousy . He contended ’ that Burton s disguise exposed h im to u n ne ce s o w n f sary risks , that he created his di ficulties , and appeared in the eyes o f the world like Don

! uixote tilting at windmills . I t was time , he

- added, that the drum beating about the deadly peril o f the exploit should be estimated at th e true value his brother modestly and exactly as

signed to it . Lady Burton retorted that Moslem

converts were looked askance at in the H ej az ,

were refused information , and forbidden access

to the inner sacred places . She asserted that Herman Bicknell had expressed envy for her ’ husband s fuller exp erience , and concluded with the statement that his father had cut him o ff

with a Shilling for renou ncing his religion . A . “ S . Bicknell duly thanked her for these kind

! V I I I

O F Y K 1 8 — 8 J HN R ER EANE , 7 7

( HAI MO H AMM E D AMIN)

THE first o f living European pilgrims is Keane . w as 8 so n He born at Whitby in 1 54 , of the

Re v . o f William Keane , sometime senior canon

. H is o f the Cathedral , Calcutta career adventure of dates from the age twelve , when he ran away to se a . Seven years spent among Mohammedans f qualified him o r the Pilgrimage . The perso nal note in the volumes in which he has embodied h is experien ces makes their perusal a delight . On arriving at Jeddah Keane was at once struck by the helplessness and gullibility o f the

. o n p ilgrims Besides heavy duties their baggage , they were charged a rupee a head before they

fo r . t landed , no apparent reason H e was fortuna e in being able to attach himself to the suite of an I ndian Ameer w ho was bound for the holy cities ; and thus all minor difficulties were smoothed

away .

H e assumed the Ihram , and in the most matter

o f- w a fact y found himself, one among a crowd , walking o ut o f the eastern gate o f Jeddah b e

tween two Turkish sentries . Camels and Bedouin

had been chartered by the Ameer ; and , sharing JO H N F RYE R KEAN E 205

S hu duf - w as a g with a fellow servant, he Soon crawling over the sandy plain . Old sailor as he w as o f , he was actually made sick by the j olting the camel . Twenty - eight miles was the distance to

- H addah , the halting place between Jeddah and

Mecca . It was reached at dawn , and the caravan did not depart again till sunset ; but little sleep w as u n possible , owing to the incessant and musical chanting of the pilgrims . The seco nd ’ night s j ourney was more rough and difficult . The camels moved up steeper ascents and through defiles cr ies rockier , where their moaning and the o f the pilgrims were echoed with weird effect .

At dawn of the se cond day Mecca w as reached . The pilgrims dismounted and walked through streets wide at first , but becoming narrow and dirty as they continued downhill , to the sacred o f enclosure the Mosque . The house prepared for the Ameer w as o ne of those built into the outer arcades . I t had three large recess windows overlooking the Temple ’ court and the Kaab ah . Keane s feelings as a “ “ o f Britisher, within close quarters the H ub o f . the Universe , may well be imagined H ow ever , there was l ittle time for reflection . It was t necessary to do th e Tawa and the Sai , and w a drink Zem Zem water . He s struck by the of diversity races , and compared the procession ’ round the Kaab ah to Madame Tussaud s w ax works out for a walk . Keane utterly denied the saying that commerce and gain played a greater part in the Pilgrimage 206 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

than religion . H e insisted that those who under took the toilsome j ourney did so for the salvation o f their souls ; and consequently the pilgrims were the fanatical scum . At first he felt qualms o f conscience o n the subj ect o f his o w n im posture ; but he acted the lie so well that he

- b soon believed in it himself . Self reproach e came o f that trifling nature which springs from “ the infringement o f a petty rule such as Keep ” o ff the grass in a public park . H aving attended divine service in a dissenting chapel a few years

previously seemed to him infinitely more heinous . H e owned that his present expedition w as a w as wild and unscrupulous th ing , but there now “ o f ih no drawing back . Mecca might be full

u isitiv e l - q watchers and se f constituted spies , but he was master of the “ thousand little signs and

allusive phrases o f Mohammedan Freemasonry . To acquaintances he gave o u t that he came “ ” from a country called North ; but o n the few to o ccasions when it behoved him be explicit ,

he admitted that he was a recent convert . And

this drew forth nothing but praise . I n six weeks he felt as much at home as if he his had been a Mohammedan all life . H e had little tiffs and j ealousies with his companio ns ’ o f the Ameer s household, and acquired the habit of of eating with them out the same plate . H e in suffi found rice , the prevailing article of diet ,

cient , and frequently purchased from Turkish o f soldiers the leavings their rations . I n the

bazaars, neither his fair complexion excited “ r curiosity among the cheque ed masses , nor

208 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’ H e once cl imbed a hill whence a bird s - eye

View of Mecca could be obtained . The whol e “ o f the valley was packed and crammed with o f buildings all shapes and sizes , placed in no o f kind order , climbing far up the steep side of the surrounding hills , with here and there an out o n lying house the summit of some rock, looking as though crowded out and waiting fo r a chance to squeeze into the confusion below ; a curious ” “ grey mass , flat topped . Many of the houses

of - o f are great height , large and factory l ike , full l ittle windows ; seldom two adj acent houses face the same w ay or are the same height ; nothing resembling a row or street could by any stretch o f imagination be extricated from such a chaos ” of masonry . W ith the dusky crowds creeping “ in swarms about the dark lanes and streets, if ” such mere tortuous intricacies can be called so ,

- it resembled a gi ant ant hill . A change soon took place in the household of which Keane was a member . Th e Ameer de parted on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem . H e left, with the members of his suite whom he did not take with him , enough money to defray their expenses till his return ; and they, having cele b r ated the event by a much - needed cleaning o f his apartment , proceeded to enjoy themselves as they fancied . Keane had already become quite

. N ow acclimatised to Mecca , as a householder , he felt himself a person o f importance he affected fine clothes and wore resplendent tunics and turbans . Suddenly his confidence was shivered s at a stroke . H e w a walking in the outskirts of JO H N F RYE R K E AN E 209

th e town , and passed a college where the students were at play, when a little I ndian child exclaimed , ” “ ! Oh , look at the Christian What suggested the idea to him will always remain a mystery .

The other students took up the cry, and an Arab bully, stepping up , demanded a profession of

u n - to faith . Keane was Mohammedan enough seize the man by the shoulders , turn him about , and administer a hearty kick . It brought a yell “ ” o f ! Ya , Christian and next moment a stone

flew past his ear , and another struck him on the head with force enough to fracture his skull , had it not been protected by the thick folds of a turban . A ring was formed round him ; stones w as flew faster and faster ; he hit on the knee , o f in the small the back , on his hands which he held before his face . Fl ight w as the only r e source ; and there w as a Turkish guard - house at hand , into which he ran for cover . But a crowd of Arabs and Negroes collected without ; and the affair was becoming serious . The soldiers gave f him black looks , and an o ficer, hastily summoned , ’ addressed him in French . H owever, Keane s o f presence mind never deserted him for long . “ ” H e replied , I cannot speak Turkish , made of the profession faith , and , borrowing a stick, out rushed upon the crowd , pouring forth a torrent of abuse . H is proficiency in Arab swear ing turned th e scale in his favour . The soldiers w helped to disperse the mob , and sho ed him a w a r back y whe e he could walk home unmolested .

After this sinister experience , Keane kept his for room three weeks . He had secured for him 0 2 1 0 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

self a small chamber eight feet by four , and there w as he remained , telling his companions that he

o f . sick, but, in reality, under the influence Opium H e dreaded that the affair might reach official ears ; and he knew that, if serious inquiries were

made , he would be unable to give a satisfactory ’

o f . account himself On the Ameer s return , he

discontinued the drug, and found his nerves

much affected . He was startled by th e entrance o f b e a stranger , and disliked any one to pass

. o f hind him However, the presen ce the Ameer w as a safeguard . There were p ilgrims now assembled in

Mecca . This unusually large number was due to the ceremony at Arafat falling on a Friday : it w as as hence known the Greater Pilgrimage . Of

the various races , Keane deemed the Turk as superior to his Eastern c o - religionists as other saw Europeans were to him . H e never a Turkish

soldier , with his European uniform and accoutre

ments and Sh aven chin , without an impulse

to Shake hands with him . Once he addressed

- - in English a red haired , blue eyed sentry ; but

happily received only a vacant stare in reply . Afghans and Persians were under a cloud : the

first , for their tendency to murder and rob ; the

second , as usual , for unorthodox doctrines . Malays “ ” were the Scotsmen o f the East . They never 0 11 started Pilgrimage with inadequate means ,

and therefore never begged . Arabs from North u Africa were malodoro s and brawling , neglecting

religious practices , especially ablutions . Syrian sword - Sharpeners toiled across the desert fro m

2 1 2 C H R I ST I AN S AT M E CCA

among them o n e of the chestnut horses that had ' drawn the Pasha s barouche . Of the scene at “ : Arafat , Keane writes I Shall not be surprised

- if it flits across my mind on my death bed . w as When he cl imbed the mount , he as if on the stage of a mighty theatre with miles o f of audience before him . The sides Arafat were

thickly clothed with men , and thence they ex

tended one mile and a half to the south , and “ se a half a mile across , a rippling of black heads

and white bodies . The distant countries from

which they came , and the obj ect which brought “ them , filled him with awe . Could all this be o f n o ? so avail , and all this faith be in vain If , it w as enough to make a man lose faith in ” of everything the kind . The enthusiasm o f the audience during the

sermon , the waving of Ihrams , mentioned by

Burckhardt and Burton , the frantic emotion dis w as played by individuals , an eerie , almost

a horrible , Sight for him , an unimpassioned

observer . H e felt like a sane man among lunatics ; yet he simulated rapture with

of . 7 the best them When the meeting broke up , saw n o w as although he accident, it more than likely that such things should result from the of indiscriminate firing guns , and descent of

- - twelve foot rocket poles on the congested masses . “ H is patron , the Ameer, exp ended fifty rounds

of ball cartridge , impartially distributed over the ” - 1 thick peopled plain .

After a night spent at Muzdalifah , Keane

pushed straight on to Mecca . The streets were JO H N F RYE R K E AN E deserted and the Shops closed . Near the Mosque o f lay a few beggars , some in the last stage weakness , others dead and half devoured by t dogs . After p erforming the Tawa and the Sai ,

and roaming about the lifeless lanes and passages , to t0 Keane returned Muna , | stone th e Devil and f sacrifice a ram . About three tons o shingle

ballast were thrown at the stone obelisks . There ’ was no lack o f butcher s meat during th e two t w as following days . A common Sigh a gorged vulture which could scarcely flounder o u t of the

way . I t was after Keane ’s return from Muna that

he entered the Kaab ah . H e waited two hours to force his way up the step s ; but the heat within w as so intense and the atmosphere unendurable , b e o u t that instantly plunged his way again , as if struggling to the surface after a dangerous

dive .

Mecca still had surprises in store for him .

One day , riding in a narrow lane , he beheld a sight wh ich nearly sent him over his donkey ’s

head . I t was a large black board , and painted

o n G GS . it in yellow, the word LOD IN H e investi o f gated , and discovered the owner to be a Cape Good H ope Malay w ho had learnt English at w as school . Th e man taken aback on being

addressed in this tongue , and warned Keane that Englishmen turned Mohammedan to see the : Pilgrimage , and then wrote books about it there n o w were three , with iron collars round their “ necks , chained among the hills . I did not tell ’ him I thought that was a lie , was Keane s C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’ comment ; but , not liking the man s manner , he

disclaimed his nationality . They spent a morning to o together , but the Malay knew much to be

. To o f pleasant company get rid h im , Keane f resorted to the infallible device o begging . H e began by speculating o n the cost of his watch d chain , admired h is rings , and contraste his

o w n poverty . The Malay suddenly recollected a

business engagement . ’ But the most astonishing o f Keane s adventures was the discovery o f an Englishwoman resi in dent Me cca . The literal translatio n of her “ ” name from the Arabic is Th e Lady Venus . w as o f A barber , with whom he in the habit o f chatting , told him her existence , and arranged ’ - - a meeting at his brother in law s house . The t f / hought o a countrywoma n buried alive in Mecca was an unpleasant shock to a man in ’ Keane s position . H e himself was well content o f while the novelty lasted , but twelve months

it would kill him . H e had experienced little difficulty in reaching Mecca : there might be more i n attempting to leave it ! H is first inter view with the Lady Venus w as somewhat painful ; w as their conversation guarded , but she was ’ evide n tly in tears behind her veil . The barber s rich relation w as a genial old man with a pleasant f i o h s . face , ill suggesting the consp irator youth

Yet he had been an Ind ian mutineer , conspicuous

w as . at Lucknow, and an exile from his country

H e took Keane into favour , invited him to o f din ner , and dismissed him with the tip a

dollar . A second meeting between Keane and

2 1 6 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

s last he came to Mecca, where he had re ided eighteen months , and frequently seen the Lady

Venus . A short while ago , he died suddenly . “ She suspected foul play, and darkly hinted at ” a cup of coffee . After this interview Keane met the Lady Venus regularly in the arcades o f w as in the Mosque , but there danger so public

. 0 11 a place the last occasion but one , she caused some trouble by a display o f emotion . “ Catching him by the arm , she repeated , Ah , ’ child , you don t know what it is to me to see ! ” “ you and , I would not hurt you , I would not do you any harm ! ” H alf such a scene in

Lo ndon would have drawn an admiring crowd .

w as S l - Keane obliged to hurry away, as a y looking

hr istia n . Arab had used the nasty word , C in On his return to England, Keane gave fOI m atio n o f the Lady Venus at the Foreign

Office . I nstructions were immediately sent to the British Consul at Jeddah to make inquiries w as through a Mohammedan agent . The story for verified , but the Lady Venus had left Mecca n f iii I ndia . The I dia O fice then took up the u irie s q . The Lady Venus was traced , inter f viewed , and o fered the chance of returning to

England . This She declined , proving to the satis faction o f her interlocutors that She was living at peace and in easy circumstances . One more remarkable Sight Keane w as to see before leaving Mecca : the flooding of the Temple court by the violent rains . There was a depth six of three feet in the western arcades , and Kaab ah feet in the lower level round the . The JO H N FRYE R KEAN E 2 1 7

o f rains were followed by outbreaks cholera ,

- typhus , and small pox . Pilgrims died like flies .

- o n e . In day alone , Sixty three funerals took place “ Keane now began to feel a longing for Chris tian ity and cleanliness he w as weary o f his

Mohammedan disguise . Much against his will , he was chosen by the Ameer to accompany him ’ to Medina . They travelled by the Sultan s road ,

00 . along the coast , a distance of 5 miles The 00 0 caravan numbered 9 pilgrims and 7 3 camels ,

- o f in a line three quarters a mile long . On both Sides o f the line walked the poorest classes o f w ho pilgrims , were entirely destitute and begged o r for food , who had no money to spare for defile s transport . The road ran through rocky o r over sandy plains ; marching took place by night . Many ghastly spectacles were revealed in : the torchlight skeletons of camels, or corpses o f stragglers from former caravans decapitated

- by the Bedouin . By the time the halting place o f fift - Rabigh was reached , y two pilgrims and nine camels had fallen by the way .

There was a Turkish garrison at Rabigh , and several soldiers Spoke to Keane in th e bazaars . As the members o f the caravan were mostly

I ndian , his fair skin was more noticeable . An offi cer inquired if he were a Malay ? He replied f in the a firmative . On another point Keane also displayed great : w as circumspection his liking for Irish stew . I t an occasional and unpopular dish , and he did not wish to draw attention by favouring it . I t chanced to be served up fo r the last meal at 2 1 8 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

Rabigh ; and he , purp osely arriving late , secured an ample portion and retired to a secluded spot to enjoy it . H e was rudely interrupted . A Bedouin camel - driver had j ust concluded a r e v o ltin g surgical op eration on his beast . Wiping his hands in his hair , he walked quickly up , and ” dived his loathsome paw into the middle o f

the dish . Keane could stand a great deal ; at Mecca he had grown used to se e a black hand “ scratching m er r ilv among his food but this

was beyond endurance . H e dashed the scald

ing stew, plate and all , with such force into the Bedouin ’s face that it threw him to the

ground .

H e paid dearly for this outburst . While e n

gaged in cleaning the plates with sand , he felt a his sudden p ain in right thigh , and knew that he

had been transfixed with a spear . I n vain he

strove to staunch the flow o f blood . Friends gathered round him ; all his clothes were torn up and tied tightly over the wound ; but still the

blood oozed through . H e grew weaker and weaker ; the crowd began to go about their busi ness as if no more could be done ; and he saw

preparations fo r starting the caravan . The mad dening thought that he would be left to die

alone in the desert co nfronted him . With great “ difficulty he scribbled on a piece of pap er , The

bearer o f this will give further information . No

blame whatever to any one . This n ote he made his remaining friend promise to deliver to the

British Co nsul at Jeddah . The effort greatly ex

ha uste d him . H e did n o t then know that a hole

2 20 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

inconvenience from his wound . H e was able to pay but one visit to the Mosque ; and it im as p ressed him much it had done Burton . H e “ its - fl ash contrasted tawdry, dirty appearance f with the grand simplicity o Mecca . I have ’ mentioned how Joseph P itts s patroon w as robbed

in this place . The custom had persisted through the centuries : the Ameer now had the silver C ff lasps cut o his belt while at prayer .

saw . Of the Tomb , Keane all that was possible

H e looked through the hole , at the sto ne wall

hung with five red screens . H e then inserted “ his arm and waved it about , that it might absorb by contact the more o f the hallowed

excellence . H e confessed himself tired and

disappointed by a sight , after seeing which , hundreds have been known to pluck ou t their F eyes . or the first time there was a diminution

f - f o his light heartedness . H e thought o himself as w ounded and helpless , alo ne in a nest of

fanatics .

Ten days were spent at Medina , and then the return j ourney began over the drear miles o f

rocky and arid desolation . One desert space they passed through w as absolutely without r animal life . Not a pelican o vulture could be seen ; the swarms o f flies deserted the caravan ; ’ and , to use Keane s inimitable phrase , there seemed even a cessation in the activity o f their “ w as inside passengers . Such the dry heat that the flesh 0 11 the carcases o f fallen camels became hard as wood ; and the corpse of a w as to man found , distended and light enough JO H N FRYER KEAN E be lifted with o n e hand : when moved it emitted a creaking and drumming Sound like leather .

r e- o f Keane entered M ecca with feelings relief . Its steep and narrow streets greeted him with a

- . w as home like air After four days , a start made for Jeddah . At Jeddah he spent as much time as possible among Europeans . H e co n c e iv e d a repulsion for the life he had been ” o f “ living, and hated the title H aj , by which his companions ostentatiously addressed each other .

While at Jeddah , Keane alludes to the treat f ment o pilgrims in English ships . H e narrates some shocking barbarities perpetrated by officers 1 o n and sailors men and women alike . H e heard 7, the story told as a good j oke , how twelve 5’ pilgrims were once washed overboard , and the o f ; property and supplies the remainder and f, how the captain refused all succour till they , began to j ump into the sea, and then gave them / f a few buckets o beans . Keane did not doff his Mohammedan disguise till he reached B ombay . A few days later he met the Ameer walking in the street , and was

— - cu t by him either through non recognition o r as an undesirable acquaintance ! ’ The Pilgrimage does n o t exhaust Keane s ex

- plo its . He has also been a cane cutter in the

- 0 northern cane brakes of ! ueensland . I n 1 9 3 he o f 1 2 worked for 95 days hours each , to prove that such work in such a climate could be done

by a white man . C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA Even in this commercial and scientific age o f there are men living strange experiences . I venture to say that few can equal and none surpass those o f him who has heard in Mecca hr isti the terrible cry of C a n .

2 24 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

H e wished to study the effect of I slam o n social and political life , in a society untouched by

Western influences . The perception of a defect o f in the methods the European Orientalist, whose knowledge is derived wholly from books , led to his sojourn in the spiritual centre of the f of Mohammedan world . The e fect this sojourn o n w as his subsequent studies , a result more important to him than the productio n o f what is n now the standard book o Mecca . “ An editor once described H urgr on je as animal disputax in the highest degree . It is true that he has contributed numerous controversial articles to periodicals ; but impersonality is the prevail ing tone o f his book o n Mecca . It is written in

German , and he anticipates in h is preface the censure o f his countrymen for writing in a “ “ foreign language . Our fathers , he says , wrote so in Latin , as to appeal to a wider audience and such w as his aim . H e did not commit for literary suicide his own pleasure, being aware that it is no more possible to have an equally tw o w o good style in languages , than to have t characters . H urgron je w as a competent Arabic scholar b e ac fore starting for the East , but , in order to quire the local dialect , he spent five months at

Jeddah in the house of the Dutch Consul . On o f 2 1 1 88 the evening February , 5, he left Jeddah with a Javanese and four camels , and travelled o f by the usual route H addah . H e entered Mecca o n z 2u d February, and remained there until o f o f August, in the character student the Koran .

2 26 C H RI ST I AN S AT M E CCA

- or mystics , to expiate Sins , to atone for ill gotten riches by devoting a large portion o f them to o f o n pious uses , to spend the last years life o f holy ground . D wellers in the interior Arabia rarely settle in Mecca : they fear the corrupting influence o f its society . Subj ects o f European powers do not represent themselves as such . Turkish rule is absolute ; and yet the various nationalities do not intermingle ; and the diver sity o f language and customs justifies the exist ence of Meto uafs o r guides for strangers . Of “ o f the various neighbours Allah , as the citizens o f Mecca are called , those from the east of I ndia excel in piety and are freest from lower

motives . There is not a beggar among them . The prospect of advantageous trade allures many to the holy city ; and the presence o f imported luxuries in so barren a country seems miraculous in to the more ignorant p ilgrims . The Skilled dustr ie s o f so are in the hands foreigners , that ’ B adia s reproach o f mechanical incompetence f would still hold good o the native population . I t is a compliment to say of a carpenter o r

- pipe maker that he is from abroad , from the “ ” culture lands o f I slam . Numerous beggars have followed both artisans and rich pilgrims to Mecca : their dress is a patched cloak o f many colours ; in o n e hand they hold a begging f bowl or cocoanut shell ; in the other , a sta f , and the wooden instrument with metal rings whose

rattling accompanies their monotonous litanies . o w n Each beggar has his cry, ranging from o humility to impudence . A cert ain number f C H R I ST IAN S NOUCK H URGRONJE 227 them drift into poorly paid and despised employ o r ments , such as doorkeepers , perform odd

duties neglected by slaves . There are several settlements of poor Bedouin in Mecca w ho are i known to be trustworthy and honest . It s melancholy to think of a so n o f the desert filling the office o f doorkeeper . Others contract for

camel transport , or sell sheep , milk, butter ,

& c . dates , , which they procure from their relatives o f o f the Black Tents . South the town is a e settlement of Negroes , free Takruri , and eman i w ho pated slaves , work as porters , sweepers ,

of - potters , and makers palm leaf mats and

brooms . Finally, of those who settle in Mecca fo r a re secular reasons , women , especially from w ho f Egypt, o fer themselves to men willing

to marry, and in some cases contract marriage

of a doubtful character . Between the different quarters o f the town

faction fights take place . They spring from the as most trivial causes , such quarrels among boys ,

and occasion standing feuds . The weapons used

are stones , daggers , and cudgels ; and a proud man is he who can exhibit scars on his shorn

scalp . On feast days such fights are numerous ,

as crowds assemble in remote places . If a man o f is killed , the Shaykhs the two quarters settle

of - the amount blood money . Th e lowest figure 800 o f is dollars , to which every inhabitant the t o guilty quarter is forced contribute . Foreigners , f o f o ficials , and men high rank, stand aloof from f such a frays . o n The faction fight is the decline . A pious 228 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA but uncultivated Meccan once lamented the de ’ e ne rac of H u r ro n e s g y the times , in g j presence . o ld In the days , he said , it was inconceivable that the festival at the end of the month o f Ramadan Should pass o ff without a fight ; but “ now, a tedious solemnity has taken the place of i su ch l vely doings . o f The chief occupation the Meccans , from the Sherif to the poorest beggar, is the exploita f “ ” f o . o tion pilgrims Thus , the guests Allah “ ” see only th e worst side o f the neighbours o f

Allah . Pious men with lofty ideals are dis illusioned by the universal , feverish striving after H ur ro n e gain . g j pleads in extenuatio n that Mecca o f has no other source revenue , and competition

o n . is the increase During the p ilgrimage , the ’ Meccans become like merchants on Change ; f but at other times they are a fable , hospitable to even lavishness , intellectual , and fond of social o f intercourse , entertainments and picnics . Among the good families are men of noble character and 111 sincere p iety . religious zeal they fall short o f of the people Medina . A proverb describes Me dinite s fo r the as all the other world , the e ddani J for this , the Meccans between the two . To some privileged persons the holy places are o f an assured source gain . The Sheba family are f hereditary guardians o the Kaab ah . They sell the o r disused Kiswah , covering, in small pieces , and charge fees to the pilgrims who enter . The authorities determine the date o n which it shall be Opened ; but they make an exception at times f “ in favour o a distinguished visitor . The Kaab ah

230 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

o f w ho title Allah , and so warning any woman his may be about of approach . Custom obliges mutual help among families w ho occupy the same

: . house rooms , furniture , even clothes , are lent “ This explains the proverb : I nquire after the ” neighbour before you ask after the house . The o f terrace is the most private part a house , and is partitio ned o ff for each family . Women enj oy greater freedom in Mecca than in most Eastern cities . A guest may even con ’ verse with his host s wife in the next room , with the door ajar . U nder certain conditions , a man may allow his wife free intercourse with his her t so friends : he adopts them as rela ions , that marriage would be impossible were both parties free . Divorces are easily obtained ; and most Meccan women are married o ne or two dozen times during their l ives . Marriages for love are by no means rare . Up to the age o f eight or ten , when they are veiled , girls are permitted to associate freely with boys . Attachments , ending in marriage , frequently result . Polygamy is the custom only o f the rich ; looseness o f the mar r iage tie is a more noticeable feature o f Meccan society . H urgro nje has a high opinion of the mental endowments o f these women . A few examples convinced him that great results might be pro u d ce d by educatio n . The men insisted that such exceptions were miraculous phenomena , and that systematic education would be cast o f ing pearls before swine . We the West w ho have seen the unfolding o f the Suffragette C H R I STI AN S N OUC K H URGRON JE 23 1

banners , and have read the laments in the daily press o f men crowded o u t o f the labour market by women , cannot help drawing a certain inference from these words . And yet, the M eccan husband o n frequently consulted his wife his affairs , and had great confidence in her exp erience and know ledge o f human nature . The following text of the Koran was universally known among Meccan “ women : Either retain them with humanity or

dismiss them with kindness . It was quoted to

the husband w ho complained of extravagance . Hysterical attacks are common among the fair

population . Ascribed to possession , and known o f Z a r o ld by the name , they were exorcised by

women . The occasion is made the excuse for a

musical entertainment , and the evil spirit , before o f departing, frequently stipulates for an article ’ o r jewelry a new dress , as essential to the patient s

. o f H u r r o n e recovery A friend g j , a doctor , when of his young wife showed symptoms an attack , treated her with a rigour worthy of the selfish ’ o n e o f husband in Balzac s novels . H e ordered

a chafing dish to be brought in , heated the

cauterising irons , and muttered to himself that devils were created by fire and could be expelled

by fire . The difficulty w as to locate the exact

spot of Skin , but it might be solved by cauterising r e the whole body . The terrified wife at once

covered , and promised to have no more attacks . The husband completed his victory by an inter o n view with the professional exorcist the stairs , in which he threatened her with death if she

entered h is house again . Th is is an exceptional 23 2 CH R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA case ; but orthodox divines look askance at the o f ceremony Zar exorcism , which is made up o f o f a dance , drumming, and the sacrifice sheep . The superior freedom of women in Mecca H n extends even to slaves . u rgro je makes the curious statement that slaves are more valued as wives than free women . There is a preference w ho for Abyssinians , have many good qualities , o f and abound , all Shades from light yellow to dark brown . Circassians , of whom a few are brought from Constantinople , and sold otherwise h than i n the Open market , at hig prices , are little valued o n account o f their enormous pretensions . The children o f the slave wife are equal to those by free mothers ; and a stranger can see no differen ce i n their treatment . Circassian slave w ho o r boys , become the personal attendants o f o f favourites men high rank , are freed when im grown up , and started in business . More portant , as workers , are the African slaves . They se t come mostly from the Soudan , and are to f o u & c . the heavier tasks building, q arrying,

They live at the rate of fourpence a day, spend their weekly holiday in drumming and dancing , and are fanatical in their attachment to I slam . When

as - o r o dd emancipated they work water carriers , at

to . duties , but they prefer remain in slavery Negro women , from their superior strength , are selected for cooking and housework . The numerous slaves in the houses o f the rich are lightly tasked even the man - of- all - work in a modest household is not overworked ; and all slaves are treated as

234 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

o f bring honour , but little profit . Most boys the middle class are eager to become guides . The study o f the Law takes precedence o f all i others . It s impossible fo r the Meccan to devote too much time to its religious side . The artisan need only have a kno wledge o f its essential doctrines ; but the scholar, in the interest of the community, must arm himself with dialectics and philosophy, against the unbelief and heresy that have Spread of late years . This alo ne does n o t f su fice for the attainment of true faith . I t must be won by discipline in the mystic life , for which : various religious exercises are prescribed fasts , o f o n vigils , concentration the mind the divine essence . But the highest stage is only conquered o f M u r shid o r under the guidance a , advanced teacher . Popular ideas differ from those taught by the learned . Hu rgro nje was present at a lecture where the Mufti informed his audience that Wine had n o t always been forbidden by

Allah , and that i n the days before the abrogation of the Christian revelation , even religious p eople could drink a glass with a clear conscience . “ Was the Christian religio n ever lawful ? asked “ I the company in consternation . s not wine by ” its very nature a product o f the devil ? The

Mufti explained with a smile , adding that it was sufficient fo r them to believe that I slam was true and all else false . A much venerated art is that o f reciting the f co m Koran . On an uninitiated ear the e fect is to H ur ro n e w as parable Pandemonium . g j con v in ced that o n e recital would thus impress a C H R I STI AN SNOUCK H URGRONJE 235

European ; and that only after many repetitions would the spirit o f harmony be apprehended

amid the din . There are famous Koran reciters ; and performances take place weekly o n a Thursday

evening . his H ur ro n e w as Through doctor friend , g j able to obtain information o n the medical profession . It is learnt like any other trade ; a doctor gives

so n o r . practical instruction to , nephew, pup il o r A barber may bleed cup , but is regarded as

a quack if he prescribes for internal ailments . But a doctor need n ot concern himself exclu ’ siv e l r r n s w as y with medicine . H u g o je friend a physician of standing , yet he repaired watches

fire - t and arms , dis illed perfumes , gilded jewelry,

made fireworks , understood how to coin money, and was an expert i n opening up gold and silver mines ; it will be remembered that a friend of ’ S e etz e n s possessed an equally varied assortment o f f faculties . This doctor was the owner o a

small el ectrical machine , to which he owed his high medical reputation . And yet he w as curi ou sly ignorant o f the physiological function o fthe f o o f o w n . organs , and the effect his medicines

H e was shrewd enough to learn from foreigners , o w n b e but , in his interests , encouraged the general Opposition to the Frankish methods o f the Turkish army surgeons . I nadequate knowledge o f exact science may account for the numerous sup erstitions , such as

& c . w as amulets, charms , There a belief in spells that cause sickness or misfortune ; and much of the infant mortality is due to the fumigation o f 230 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

children to save them from the evil eye . Malays ,

Javanese , and African and I ndian Slave women have introduced many of these superstitions ; but much has been handed down from the past

— - as seen in the pre I slamic stone worship , the o f rites the Black Stone , and the three cairns in the valley of M una . “ ” “ is H u r r o n e f I t Islam , co ncludes g j , the o ficial religion , which brings together and amalgamates all the heterogeneous constituents o f Meccan o society, which is unceasingly in pr cess of de t v elo m e n . p On the other hand , this society itself welds into a chaotic whole the prej udices and o f superstitions all countries . Hur ro n e Like every other Visitor to M ecca , g j praises Burckhardt . H e thoroughly studied his book , and without it could scarcely have written ’ his own . The few changes , since the Switzer s o n o n e time , h e duly underlined ; and noteworthy re point the two are at variance . Burckhardt marked that the Meccans rarely used terms of abuse ; Hurgr o nje foun d them uniformly foul

. o f mouthed Even children six, on the smallest

provo cation , uttered the coarsest expressions . Both writers agree o n the blatant immorality which pervades the streets and even the Mosque . ’ w as There a further change , since Burckhardt s

o f . day , a physical character The depression in which the Mosque stood had become greater ; o r , more exactly, the level about it had been raised by the detritus washed down from the

mountains by the torrential rains . ’ H u rgro nje s social and topographical studies

238 C H R I STIAN S AT M ECCA

o f . Mohammed , related the story his death It was Huber ’s custom to make detours with his two f guides for the purpose o observation . When

- M ohammed arrived at the agreed halting place , he remarked his master lying at full length under an Arab cloak, as if asleep . But he was dead he had been Shot in his sleep . The motive o f w as the crime robbery . Mohammed was over powered by the murderers and dragged away .

The corpse remained unburied for several days .

- b At last some passers y dug a grave for it . From o f Jeddah , H uber had sent his copy the stone to Renan in Paris ; but Euting had done likewise to N oldeke in Berlin : he accompanied it with a letter saying that he had discovered the stone and was sending it to Germany . It happened that the French Vice - Consul at Lo stalo t w as Jeddah , Felix de , in Paris , and h is

t . assis ant , the student interpreter, at Aden An

Algerian exile , named Si Aziz, then living at

Mecca, seized the Opportunity to take the matter

- u p . H e was a cunning and not over scrupulous Lo stalo t man , yet he far excelled de in practical f good sense . H e o fered his services to the r e Netherlands Consulate , by which France had

ce ntl . y been represented But soon after, de o stalo t L arrived at Jeddah , charged by the French ’ Government to secure the punishment o f Huber s his f u murderers , and to recover e fects , incl ding the Teima Stela . H e was bound to conduct these negotiations in secret , as H uber had undertaken his j ourney in opposition to the will o f the w as Turkish authorities . No man less suited to C H R I ST I AN S NOUC K HURGRON JE 239 the task than de Lo stalo t. H e was wanting in n o r tact , spoke neither Turkish Arabic , and was inexcusably ignorant of Oriental manners . H e corresponded with the Wali of the H ejaz in such terms o f discourtesy that he w as ultimately com p e lle d to apologise . ’ De Lo stalo t s most intelligent act w as the ac ce ptan ce o f the offer o f Si Aziz to deliver the ’ stela and Huber s effects at the French C o n w as sulate . I n return for this Si Aziz naturally s to receive h is travelling expenses . The u m he w as 000 stipulated for 5 francs , but it was wrung with difficulty from the “dry (stingy) Vice Consul ; and Si Aziz had to resort to the common Oriental device o f stating that a nother had offered twice the amount . Whose name he thought fit to use in this connection will shortly transp ire . ’ H ur ro n e s Of g j sojourn at Jeddah , previous to his departure for Mecca, a word has already

been said . H e had then taken no part in “ ” to the affaire Huber, except translate a letter

o r two for the French Consulate . H e also to o ld wrote hi s friend , Professor Euting, to reassure him about his property and its p r o

bable safe arrival i n Jeddah . From that hour , de Lo stalo t suspected him o f compl icity i n the fo r design to secure the Teima Stela Germany . H r n e I n vain urg o j protested . With charming frankness de Lo stalo t affirmed his op inion that no sav a nt had any scruples about appropriating the discoveries o f a colleague : he knew these

sa v a nts & c . , they were all alike , Fearing that s uspicions o f this kind might compromise his 240 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

H u r ro n e o f safety in Mec ca, g j , on the eve his departure from Jeddah , wrote a letter to the Vice - Consul i n which he pledged his faith that neither he himself wished to gain possession o f w as d the stela, nor he commissioned to o so by others . The letter met with a friendly Lo stalot reception . De promised in return to make no mention o f his residence i n the holy city . H urgro nje and Si Aziz became acquainted w as in Mecca . Si Aziz about to leave for

H ail to prosecute his mission . I t was then “ that he complained to H u rgro n je of the dry

o f - ness the French Vice Consul , and borrowed from him 200 fran cs for his expenses . This sum was afterwards repaid , and the two men did not meet again until June . By that time Si o f Aziz had accomplished the obj ect his j ourney, ' and had delivered up H uber s effects . Ibn o f Rashid , the Emir H ail , had honourably kept the property of his foreign guests intact during their long absence , and he handed it over to Si Aziz as the representative o f the French ’ H u r r o n e Government . g j listened to his friend s narrative , and reassured him , as he had done o n e o n more than occasion before , that his expenses would be reimbursed by the proper w as authorities . The stela despatched to Paris , and is n o w in the Louvre . ’ Such was the extent of H u rgro nje s connec im tion with th e Teima Stela . I t did not mediately occur to him that from it sprang the mortifying episode in his career that I shall n ow

24 2 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

released . After leaving M edina, he evaded his o n pursuers by doubling his steps , and taking a southward course . By th is means he escaped assassination . The utmost excitement prevailed , and the whole country had risen . H u r r o n e Of this article , g j says that more than o f half is untrue . Its false versio n the discovery o f and purchase the stela , and the extraordinary account o f the journey o f Si Aziz (differing from o w n H ur ro n e his sober narrative to g j ) , j ustify such o r a verdict . H owever , false not , and although H urgr o nje w as able to exonerate himself with the Turkish authorities , whose action he cannot blame , and for whose politeness he has nothing but praise , it made his continued residence in

Mecca impossible . The article had mentioned him by name . I t would soon be noised abroad that he was no Moslem convert given up to the o f study the Sacred Law, but a Christian in dis o f guise , whose obj ect was the stealing antiqui to ties . Needless say what fate overtakes the

Frank detected in Mecca . De Lo stalo t attempted to vindicate and excuse his act . H e denied that the article in the Temps was wholly inspired by himself ; and by means H ur r o n of misquotation , he employed against g je w n H a phrase in his o letter . u rgr o nje had “ ’ promised de me pas s o ccu pe r with the Teima “ ” o f stela . The substitution plus (no more) “ fo r Lo stalo t pas (not at all) , by de gave a f widely di ferent signification . Finally de Lo stalo t adduced the testimony o f Si Aziz that the counter f f Fe s o fer o . for the stela had emanated C H R I ST I AN S N OUCK H URG RON JE 243

H from u rgro nje . Si Aziz had indeed used H ur ’ ro n e s g j name , never thinking that the false h ood would injure him . And , according to Arab o f w as standards , this method sending up prices ne N ow H u r ro n e e n a permissible o . g j vainly deav o u r ed to extort from Si Aziz an official w as denial . Si Aziz an exile from Algeria by command o f the French Government from whom he received a pension . I t was paid by the Vice n ot Consul , and he dared risk the loss of it .

It is from them I receive my sustenance , he “ p leaded ; h ow can I testify whether truly o r falsely against the Consul o f the Fren ch Govern ” ment ? The utmost he could do was to it cam e ' face promise , he to face with the Wali , to speak the truth . Return to Mecca w as impossible ; therefore r n H u gr o je sailed from Jeddah . H is studies were w as cut Short , and he unable to be present at ’ the Pilgrimage . H e took with him H uber s o f skeleton , except the bones the hands , which were never recovered . The skull , in the left w as temple of which a perforation from a bullet , ’ Lo stalo t s was buried at Jeddah . De modesty in allowing so much praise to fall to the lot o f Si Aziz w as fitly commended by two eminent

w - fello countrymen . V - COURTELLE MONT 1 8 GE R AIS , 94

(ABDALLAH )

“ EY B OND the East known to Europeans , far away in the heart of Arabia , enfolded in the depth and mystery of deserts , lies Mecca , the holy town of I slam . It lies in the hollow of a savage valley, straitened between two sharp and arid mountain chains , as if Nature had conspired with the Mussulman faith to hide its secrets from " the profane . This subtle suggestion o f a profounder mystery that the East held in its keeping, began to

- haunt the French Algerian photographer , Gervais Co urtellem o n t , when he had exhausted the coun tries that are easy o f access . H e had travelled from Tangier to Constantinople ; and the fruit o f fi v e his travels lay before him in volumes . He longed to make Mecca and Medina the su b je cts of a sixth . To him the fascination of the East resembled the delight o f an o ld man in childish r e co lle c o ld tions . Our races crave a return to the

countries which gave them birth , and to their sad gaily bedizened peop les , whose towns are

and whose cemeteries are gay . Religions , lan 244

V - COURTELLE MONT 1 8 GE R AIS , 94

(ABDALLAH )

“ EY B OND the East known to Europeans , far away in the heart of Arabia , enfolded in the of depth and mystery deserts , lies Mecca , the holy town of I slam . It lies in the hollow of a savage valley, straitened between two sharp and arid mountain chains , as if Nature had conspired with the Mussulman faith to hide its secrets from ” the profane . This subtle suggestion o f a profounder mystery that the East held in its keeping, began to

- haunt the French Algerian photographer, Gervais Co urtelle m o nt , when he had exhausted the coun tries that are easy o f access . H e had travelled from Tangier to Constantinople ; and the fruit o f fi v e his travels lay before him in volumes . He longed to make Mecca and Medina the su b je cts of a sixth . To him the fascination of the East resembled the delight o f an o ld man in childish r e co lle c o ld tions . Our races crave a return to the

countries which gave them birth , and to their sad gaily bedizened peop les , whose towns are

and Whose cemeteries are gay . Religions , lan 244 GERVA I S - COURTE LLE MONT 245

guages , the noblest races , perhaps all humanity , have issued from the East . But the inhabitants o f countries where the tide of life w as once strong are now as though asleep . They pass through life as in a dream . is : sk And yet the East unchanged the blue y, the tawny sands , the camel , the wandering Arabs , uncorrupted by contact with Western civilisation , o f o f in their garments many colours , sup ple

- movement , and proud featured . Cou rtelle m o nt Steeped in these sensations , hi nursed s proj ect for years . At last came an f o u t exceptional opportunity o carrying it . I n 1 8 0 w as 9 , at Algiers , he the means of saving ' im riso n m en t a n from p Arab named Haj Akli . ou t Cholera had broken in the H ej az, and the French Government had forbidden its Algerian subjects to make the Pilgrimage . H aj Akli had already visited Mecca eighteen times . I t w as his f custom to purchase stu fs there , which h e after

in . wards sold France , Egypt , and Algeria Being at Damascus , he j oined the Syrian caravan , and , in

o f . defiance the prohibition , proceeded to Mecca his w as On return to Algiers he arrested , and , ’ but fo r C o u r telle m o nt s intercession with his friend the Prefect, he would have suffered the privations and humiliations o f a prison . A less w a t fortunate pilgrim s made to endure the penal y .

H is heartrending letters , and the stories he told o n regaining his liberty, co nvinced Akli , a man o f proud spirit , that he would never have sur r fl w d v iv ed . ov e o e the ordeal H e , therefore , C o ur tellem o n t with gratitude towards and , hear V - COURTELLE MONT 1 8 GE R AIS , 94

(ABDALLAH)

“ EY B OND the East known to Europeans , far o f away in the heart Arabia , enfolded in the depth and mystery of deserts , lies Mecca , the f h oly town o f I slam . I t lies in the hollow o a savage valley , straitened between two sharp and arid mountain chains , as if Nature had conspired with the Mussulman faith to hide its secrets from " the profane . This subtle suggestion o f a profounder mystery that the East held in its keep ing, began to

- haunt the French Algerian photographer, Gervais Co ur te llem o n t , when he had exhausted the coun tries that are easy of access . H e had travelled from Tangier to Constantinople ; and the fruit f o his travels lay before him in five volumes . He longed to make Mecca and Medina the sub je cts of a sixth . To him the fascination of the East resembled the delight o f an o ld man in childish r e colle c tions . Our old races crave a return to the

countries which gave them birth , and to their

gaily bedizened peop les , whose towns are sad

and whose cemeteries are gay . Religions , lan 244

240 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

o f f ing his Mecca proj ect , o fered himself as guide . It was unfortunate that a delay of two years intervened before the j ourney could be attempted .

Akli already suffered from a liver complaint , and his energies steadily diminished with the lapse ’ o f . Co ur telle m o nt s time Meanwhile , Mussulman friends warmly urged h im to venture . They knew fo r that his love them was sincere , and that more intimate knowledge would enhance it . H e applied to the Ministry of Public I nstruction for a scientific mission ; but this was refused b e o f f cause the hazardous nature o the undertaking .

The Government , however, p rovided him with a e n passport under an Arab name , and warmly c o uraged a journey wh ence unique information o n the Hejaz would accrue . H e also , like Roches, received a private commission from the Govern o f ment , the nature which he is unable to dis

. Its o n close satisfactory fulfilment earned him , o f his return , the appointment of Chevalier the

Legion o f H onour .

1 1 8 Co ur telle m o nt . On 4th July 93 , reached Suez H e was there to meet Akli : but Akli could not be found . I nquiries elicited that a p erson answer a ing to the description , but with the p pearance o f a walking corpse , had been seen in the town . H e therefore repaired at night to a caravanserai f where Arabs o West Africa were wont to lodge .

Admitted to a large , low room , smoky and sordid , filled with recumbent h uman figures clothed in

f . rags , he was rebu fed by a susp icious innkeeper ’ o ut Akli s About to withdraw, he cried name GE RVA I S - COURTE LLE MONT 247 aloud whereupon a woman rose from the ground w and asked w ho called her brother . But it as in vain that Co urte lle m o nt endeavoured to extort

information from her . All he gained was a state

ment, no doubt purposely misleading , that Akli f had left or Cairo . Co ur te lle m o nt was greatly depressed . H e thought nothing remained but to return to his “ country with droop ing ears . H e therefore se t

out by rail for Alexandria . On arriving, to his o f great surprise , the cadaverous face Akli looked

in at the window . Matters were soon explained .

Akli had thought h imself dying, and wished to f to . o return Algeria Meanwhile , hearing Cour ’ tellem o n t s and search , guessing his movements , he awaited every day the arrival o f the train from

Suez . C o ur tellem o n t at once took his friend to th e

leading hotel in Alexandri a . As the director and h is staff of servants evinced some hesitation in

attending to their wants , they removed next day w as to a humbler domicile . A doctor convened ; o n his to and , advice , it was agreed postpone the

journey for a year . f They Spent the time in travel . At Ja fa Cour te lle m o nt associated with pirates and smugglers ,

l ived the Arab life , and generally familiarised him

self with its customs . o f 1 8 I n the autumn 94 , the two at last sailed 0 11 Gla ucus from Algiers , board the , bound direct f r w as o Jeddah . The voyage to extend over ten o f w as o n days , and much the time spent a

- w wooden bed . But never ceasing interest i n fello 248 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

f r f travellers compensated o lack o comfort . The “ ” ship was a veritable museu m of eth nology . Two Turkish o fficers alone stood severely aloof the remaining passengers , whether natives of Bey rout , Cairo , Medina , Damascus , Up per Egypt , the

Soudan , even two H ej az Bedouin returning to their country after co nducting back the Egyptian — o n . Mahmil , consorted terms of fellowship At o f C o u rte lle m o nt the close each day, confessed himself gorged with numberless complimentary f cup s o tea . A commo n front w as p resented to Turkish arrogance . Reminders that Mohammed was an

Arab , that their own Sultan was p owerless , o n remarks their discourtesy, assailed the ears f o f the two haughty o ficers .

More than all , the Hej az Bedouin fascinated

Cou rtelle m o n t . Drap ed , and crowned with gold

fillets , they appeared like true Magian kings . They w ho were attended by a Negro slave , chanted far into the night the barbaric airs o f his native land . Much confusion attended disembarkation at

Jeddah . The experienced Akli would have over f C ourtellem o n t come all di ficulties alone ; but , left in a corner to guard the baggage , contrived at to get himself into trouble . H is appearance tracted the suspicions of some Turkish soldiers he was taken to the .police station and interro It w as gated . a critical scene on which Akli f arrived a few minutes later . The o fi cers , unable ’ o urtelle m ont s to understand C Algerian Arabic , su c were growing angry and impatient . Akli

250 C H RI STIAN S AT M E CCA

so served with fish Sharp , that , although it is n o t the custom to drink at dinner, he persistently l asked the slave for water . Ak i , whose irrita b ilit y increased with his complaint , admonished “ h im severely o n their return home . Y o u are “ o u not clever , he said ; y do not know how to ! ” behave at table Sadly the pair went to rest . Late at night they were disturbed by the irr u p o f w a tion an unexpected visitor . I t s their host “ o f . a few hours ago Do not go to Mecca , he pleaded . Bread and salt had created sacred ties , and against all his habits he had left his house “ . n o t after sunset to give this warning Do go , “ he continued . You will never return . The sand o f the desert is white with the bones o f w ho those , like you, have p ersisted in penetrating ” “ to o u r holy city . I have pro nounced the ” “ Co u r tellem o n t. sacred formula, replied Who ever strikes me will be a bad Mussulman , and ” God will punish him . The host withdrew in consternatio n . “ Go to Mecca ; the more you know us the ” more yo u will love u s ! had been the chorus ’ o f Co u rtelle m o nt s Algerian friends . H e had n o w complied , and must have felt something l ike the home - nurtured boy on his first plunge into school— the realities o f which contrast with the ideal p icture drawn by well - meaning friends of

- o f prize winning , games , and companionship open and generous young souls . The Christian convert was earning unwelcome notoriety in Jeddah . Akli , therefore , determined to start for Mecca the following evening . Donkeys GERVA I S - COURTE LLE MONT 2 51

! were chosen for the j ourney , not the came “ fo r that animal created specially for the desert , the desolation o f these dead countries and endless solitudes . Clad in the Ih ram , the pair, with a few companions , left the town and entered upon

- u a road like a dried p river bed . Mountains like extinct volcanoes succeeded each other along it . “ o f r o ck Masses , black and scorched , chaotic

w a . Y o u landslips , seem to bar your y approach , and suddenly you discern a cleft through which

. Y o u the road winds follow it, and again find yourself i n a black circus , round and traplike .

Night fell suddenly, and the stars and constella sad tions shed a pale , light , in which the sinister 1 obj ects 0 1 all sides were vaguely distinguished . o f Now, the red eye a lantern marked the post of “ o n its a Turkish soldier the hills , with wicked

N o . silhouette . w they traversed vast sand plains o f The moon rose , and an endless file camels , treading without noise , and led by phantoms , met

t o f . them wi h a mingling shadows Again , dark “ o f tunnels rock closed round them . What shall ” - C o u r te lle m o nt I be to morrow ? thought . H is mind busied itself with memories of travel and home , of family and friends . Suddenly a halt was H is called . companions rolled themselves up in linen garments and fell asleep like inert masses .

At dawn they renewed the march , and , at a turn o f . the road , without warning , entered Mecca C o u rte lle m ont proceeded through the town and Kaab ah passed into the Mosque, where the rose His maj estic before him . guide informed him that o f he was at the centre the earth , where the ' 252 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

o f p rayers all Mussulmans co nverged , and rose Taw af straight to heaven . After performing the , and kissing the Black Stone , h e drank largely f ’ o Zem Zem water . The guide s countenance cleared : this w as the final test . Water from the holy well would have choked a Christian . These ceremonies were succeeded by the Sai . Co ur telle m o nt lodged with his guide at a dis

tance of fifty yards from the Mosque . Towards

sunset he returned to the vast court . Listening to the melodious voices o f the Muezzin calling

to prayer from the corner minarets , he ex e rie n ce d p something like a trance . Everything

was bathed in a rosy light , and p ilgrims were noiselessly circling round the Kaab ah like white

phantoms . The horizon was contracted by the mountains which girded the city : almost sheer w a s o f the descent their precip ices , on which the su n l ight played from the setting . A ruddy glow n o f trembled o the rocks . The marble the domes and arcades o f the Mosque threw a fringe o f n gold o the ground . The sacred buildings were

. Kaab ah on fire Only the , aloof , maj estic in its

black draping, was untouched by the transient

splendour . Twenty thousand perso ns were gathered for even

ing prayer . The measured slowness of their pros ltratio ns added to the impressiveness o f the scene .

A rosy afterglow succeeded the gold , and this

- faded to violet and iron grey . Then night de o n scended the mystic things , and in the dark

ness , white phantoms rose up and began silently

to circle round the Kaab ah .

254 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

Co u rte llem o nt began to excuse his strange conduct to his friend . H e explained that he w as - o n e longer sighted with eye than the other, and the camera was an optical instrument which

- el- Wahad he used as a corrective . Abd replied

that he had seen such instruments at Tangier , and knew their nature well . H e exhorted Cour telle m o n t to h ide his camera , lest they should be suspected as political Spies and massacred . ’ The population o f the city in Cou rtelle m o nt s day was The houses were built o f good masonry, strengthened by beams , and adorned

- with well worked moucharabiehs in Indian wood .

The stre ets were well kept and lighted . Lamps o n burned all night, and refuse was removed t donkeys . These reforms were due to priva e enterprise and the spirit o f mutual Obligation not to municipal trading . The London house holder will hear with a pang o f envy that there are no rates and taxes i n Mecca . Commerce was almost entirely in the hands o f I ndians and ffans a . J Of imported articles, English and Dutch

p redominated .

Books on theology, ancient history, medicine ,

m a ic & c . g , were brought yearly from I ndia . No printing was done in Mecca ; the natio nal p ress AS u r l was at a standstill . Co te le m o nt passed

° the silent building which contained it, he mused “ Will these o ld sleeping races ever awake ? Who o ne can tell what these presses may print day, ” should the holy w ar ever break out ! But the Bedouin quarter had the deep est sign i “ fi an ce of c for him . These black phantoms the GE RVA I S - COURTE LLE MONT 255

o f past were out place in a great Arab city . o f o f They were men the infinite desert , dead f solitudes and burnt horizons . The problem o the origin of the Arabic language n ever ceased : o n e o f to preoccupy h im that it was the oldest , perhaps the oldest i n the world , he was con v in c e d . And it was the H ejaz Bedouin who guarded the secret buried in the rock tombs of “ Fo r their ancestors . a long while yet they will hinder us from p enetrating the country o f the o f o f ! ueen Sheba , and lighting up the mystery that ancient and brilliant Arabian civilisation , o f which , unlike that Egypt and Assyria , remains ” unkn own to us . ’ One o f Cou rtelle m o nt s walks led him to the ’ Maala cemetery , where Mohammed s mother and his favourite wife Aicha are said to be buried .

Of this cemetery he relates a charming story .

An I ndian prince had made Mecca his home , that he might die there and be buried in the holy precin cts . H e would thus further h is chances o f attaining Paradise . But a learned friend assured him that he was mistaken , and advised him as a test to Spend the hours o f darkness in the Maala . The prince complied , and at midnight beheld the cemetery fill with gigantic shadowy forms . They were phantom o f camels returning from the ends the earth , bearing 0 11 their backs the bodies o f the de wh o serving, had died i n distant countries , to o f who exchange for those the undeserving, had performed no act of merit except to die in the w as h oly city . All night passed in unloading 256 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

and recharging , and before the dawn , the ghostly saw caravan went forth . The I ndian prince how vain w as his attempt to cozen fortune and be honourable without the stamp o f merit . Closely connected with this legend is that of so n o f the a Moorish king , taken prisoner in a as war with Christians , and compelled to work a gardener . There he fell in love with a Christian princess , and his love was returned . Each strove w ho to convert the other , but it was she finally yielded . After a time their love was discovered . f The prince su fered still deeper degradatio n , the lady was imprisoned . She fell ill and died . I n despair the lover visited her grave . H e wished to remove from her wrist a plain silver bracelet r e which he had given her , and keep it as a m e a mb r nce . To his surprise and horror, on o ld displacing the earth , the form of an and

- white bearded Arab met his View . By his side was a magnificent pearl rosary . Scarcely aware o f r e what he did , the prince seized th e rosary, arranged the earth , and fled . H e wandered over e many countries , and at last cam to Mecca . As he entered the main street , a young man rushed “ : o f ! towards him , crying out Violator tombs VV he n ce did you obtain that rosary ? It was ’ o f my father s , the o nly one its kind , and was buried with him in the Maala . A crowd gathered , the prince was taken before the Kadi and in ate d terro g . With every appearance of truth he told his story . Whereupon , the Kadi and his audience repaired to the Maala, opened the ! grave , and lo the phantom camels had don e

258 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

two black guardian slaves . But that there w as no vegetation , it might have been a bathing station in the Pyrenees . H e had expected the valley o f Muna— the shambles o f the Pilgrimage — to present a terrifying appearance , and was surprised to discover no trace o f the bones o f o f slaughtered animals . The action the sand had o f reduced all to powder . The outbreaks cholera at Muna he attributed less to emanations from the carcases of Victims than to its being the last o f the ceremonies . The pilgrims reached it i n o f a weakened condition, from want hygienic pre Se e . cautions , the deadly climate , fatigue , crowding , It w as not without feelings of relief that Cour lle m n t te o fi nally quitted Mecca . A few days

before , he had been accosted in the street by an f o ficial , and , as at Jeddah , taken to a police — station . H is answers satisfied the inquisitor but

at the cost of unpleasant emotions to himself . his H ad he been followed , room searched , and

the camera discovered , the result might have

been disastrous . And if the authorities had de term ine d upon making investigations , they would have done so when he w as about to take his w as departure . It , therefore , a pleasing experience to exchange the streets o f the holy city fo r the

Open desert and freedom . The j ourney to Jeddah was made with only a ’ f - C ourtelle m o nt s few halts at co fee huts . chief adventures on the road were seven falls from

his donkey . He was scarcely consoled by the would - b e conciliatory speech of the accompany : “ ing Bedouin Do not be angry, my brother ; it GE RVA I S - COURTE LLE MON T 259

is yo u who do n o t know h ow to ride . As they neared Jeddah , the Bedouin himsel f had a fall . Co u rte llem o nt w as seized with a laughing fit o f ’ co n two hours duration . Other causes may have j oined to promote merriment in a man who had just come scatheless out o f Mecca ; but he was severely reprimanded by the indignant Akli for the fo r scandal he was occasioning , and h is bad taste . At Jeddah C o ur te lle m o nt hastened to telegraph to his mother and to his friends in France . H e next paid a Visit to the French Consulate ; and this he described as “the sweetest emotion of his life . On one of the few days he Sp ent at Jed dah , he visited the Christian cemetery and photo ’ m graphed H uber s to b . But in wending his way w as homeward , the camera detected by a Turkish f To o ficer . the chance that he was well dressed C o u rte llem o nt attributes the leniency with which f f t the a fair was treated , and h e was su fered o go w a his y in peace . ’ It w as C o urte lle m on t s wish to proceed to

Medina, and he embarked with Akli in an Austrian

- Yamb u cargo boat . was signalled by the strangely indented line of mountains that bound th e desert beyond it . The ship glided between coral reefs into the harbour ; but by then the Medina pro ’ jce t had been abandoned . Akli s state of health made the fatigue of a land j ourney impossible . ’ Co urtelle m o nt s disappointment w as keen he had been told that the entire side o f a wall which formed one o f the fortifications at Medina was covered with inscriptions dating from the war between H ebrews and Christians . 260 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

se t fo r They sail Suez , and thence Courtelle t w as mont returned o Marseilles . The weather cold and rainy as he replunged into the busy world— still haunted by visions o f the torrid o f countries , the desert , the camels , the gaily bedecked turbaned Arabs .

Shortly after his return , he lectured upon his j ourney at Bordeaux . Among the audience was no less a person than Léon Roches : living o n o ld in a gree n age , he still p ossessed the frame and poise of an athlete .

N ote — I n o m at o n has ea che me that s nce his ou ne f r i r d , i J r y t o Me cca G e rv a iS - Courtellem ont has b e co m e a t ue con e t to , r v r 0 V Me na on the occa s on o f I s am . In A u ust 1 8 he s te l g 9 i i d di , i the o e n n o f the H e az R a i a as s e c a co e s on e nt of p i g j lw y , p i l rr p d

the I llustr a tion .

262 C H R I ST IAN S AT M E CCA Keith is no doubt identical with the young

Scottish convert , Othman , mentioned by J . S . 1 8 1 Buckingham . Buckingham was at Jeddah in 4 , where he met both Burckhardt and Othman . o f He describes Othman as a native Perth , and a drummer in a Scottish regiment at the time o f General Frazer ’s disastrous expedition and defeat at Alexandria . Assigned as slave to a Mameluke

o n . chief , he succeeded to his prop erty his death

H e had light eyes , a fair complexion , and sandy hair . H e still preserved his love of home , and carried with h im a pocket Bible ; but his attempts to reconcile Biblical and Koranic teaching fre quently aroused laughter . When Burckhardt and “ Othman dined with Buckingham , forbidden ” o f wine stood o n the board . Burckhardt drank it without hesitation ; but Othman refused , until , being gently bantered by his brother Mo ham m e

‘

o f o n e . dan , he partook glass H e afterwards became Sick, and this he attributed to divine wrath . To Captain George Forster Sadlier belongs the distinction o f having seen at least the exterior o f o f o r Medina, with no disguise religion nation n f . 8 1 so o ality I n 1 9 I brahim Pasha, eldest

Mohammed Ali , had inflicted some notable de o n feats and losses the Wahhabis , and captured their C hieftain S o o ltan bin S ao o d . Sadlier was sent by the East I ndia Comp any on a mission to Ibrahim . H e was to congratulate the Pasha o n f o f his victories , and o fer the assistance British ship s and men in suppressing piracy in the

Persian Gulf, and punishing the Wahhabis . H e M I SCE LLAN EO U S 203

landed at Mascat, only to find that Ibrahim had departed into the interior . Then began what has

- - n been called a point to point race . I brahim u flitted consciously ahead, and Sadlier followed , o f i with a suite Pers ans, I ndians , Portuguese , th and Armenians . At last, on September 7 , the w as quarry was run to earth at Medina . Sadlier f not su fered to approach near the city, but , by o f w as order I brahim , conducted to Bir Ali , three miles to the west . H e felt strongly tempted o r to enter Medina obtain a good View, but he remembered that he was in the land of Moham medan superstition and fanaticism , and prudence forbade him to expose himself to insult . H is Turkish guide offered to lead him by a road near the city, but counselled him against it, lest he should be “displeased ” by the remarks of o r zealots devotees . Strange to say, his European dress did not attract attention , and he safely o f reached Bir Ali . H e had snatched a glimpse o f the walls and minarets Medina , conspicuous , in their dreary situation , by plaster and white wash . All that he heard of the inhabitants im “ ” pressed h im ill . Th e Mohammedan world, he “ o f wrote , contributes to the support these lazy , t idle beggars , who , as hey are rich , conceive they have a right to be arrogant, and to treat even their benefactors with contemp t and disdain . I n their houses they are said to fare sumptuously for although they are proverbial their avarice . two Had Thomas Keith lived years longer , there might have been an eventful meeting— to quote — “ again from The Times between the ex - private 264 C H R I STI AN S AT M ECCA and the rather rigid Sahib who held H is Majesty ’s ” b u Yam . commission . Sadlier left Bir Ali for H e w as the first European to cross Arabia from

sea to sea . B urton tells us that the only European , known to him , to visit Mecca without apostatising, was

Bertolucci , Swedish Consul at Cairo . On his w a y to Tayf , he persuaded his Bedouin camel i men to introduce him in disguise . H e na vely owned that his terror of discovery prevented him

from making observations . V o n Maltz an , in his list of pilgrims , mentions Te n ett an Englishman named , who went to Mecca 1 86 Wahad in 3 , under the name of Haj Abdul ,

and lived subsequently in Algiers . I am unable

to discover any record of his journey . “ ” References to the direful city are frequent

in the pages of Doughty . H is setting forth from Damascus o n his Arabian travels in 1 87 5 coin cided with that o f the annual p ilgrim caravan

for Mecca . H e obtained permission to ride with

it as far as Medain Saleh , whither he was bound to o f collect ins criptions . The presence a Frank (Doughty made no attempt at disguise) attracted “ h unwelcome attention . I s this one w o should ” go with the H aj ? exclaimed a zealous p ilgrim ; and a passer - b y addressed to those w h o rode “ with h im the Significant question : Yo u that H a come along with him , what is this for an jjy w as When the caravan encamped , he advised not

to go abroad from his tent, but otherwise he was

. e l unmolested As far as Maan , the Darb Haj “ (pilgrim road) consisted of a multitude of cattle

266 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

o u ? French language , will y understand me I shall understand it ! but what countryman ” art thou ? H e beheld a pale alien ’s face with “ u he ard a chestn t . The man replied : I am an ” “ Italian , a Piedmontese of Turin . And what brings you hither upon this hazardous voyage ? Good Lord ! you might have your throat cut ” “ ” “ Y o u among them ; are you a Moslem ? Ay.

N one ila h b ut A lla h a nd M a confess , then , their , hou nd a ostle o A lla h , p f , which they shall never ” ! hear me utter, may Allah confound them The ' in Italian s name was Francesco Ferrari , and he tended to publish an account o f h is travels o n “ his return to Europe . When , in the favourable ” o f w as revolution th e stars , Doughty come again ” o f to peaceable countries , he left notice Ferrari

at h is consulate in Syria, and vainly inquired “ fo r him in Italy . I thought it my duty, he “ says , for how dire is the incertitude which hangs over the heads o f any aliens that will adventure themselves in Mecca ! ” ’ But the most fascinating of Do ughty s stories was told to him by a former custom - house o n watchman board ships at Jeddah . This Arab , w as saw whose name Aman , on ce among the passengers o f a steamship a N asra n y (Christian) “ sat who weeping, weeping , and his friends

could n o t appease him . H e inquired the cause . “ ! ” “ Eigh me replied the stranger, I have asked of the Lord that I might Visit the city of his

holy house and become a Moslem . Is not ? Mecca yonder Help me , thou good Moslem ,

that I may repair thither , and pray in the sacred M I SCE LLAN EOU S 207

— places but ah ! these detain me . Under cover o f night, Aman contrived that the man should be got ashore in a Wherry and mounted upon an o f ass for Mecca . With the dawn the next day “ ” the Fr e njy entered the holy city . The few people in the streets looked earnestly upon him : and asked Sir , what brings thee hither , being , ” “ N asran ? : it seems , a y H e replied I was o f a Christian , and I have required it the Lord that I might enter this holy city and become a ” ! 3 o ut Moslem Then they broke into rejoicings , and took him to their houses to perform the “ o f o r rite initiation . Years after, this renegade ” w traveller a s living either in Mecca o r Medina .

H is godfathers had made a collection for him , co n and h e became a tradesman . Doughty “ cluded : Wh o may interpret this and the like strange tales which we may often hear repeated among them ’ The final act in the drama o f D o ughty s Arabian wanderings , lasting as they did nearly two years , took place as near Mecca as it is lawful for a o u t Christian to approach . H e had set from El Kasim with a butter caravan that was going down to Mecca . When within one stage of the f : holy city, the di ficulty arose who was to be ’ Do ughty s guide to Tayf o r Jeddah ? By chance they met some cameleers from Tayf, with whom they opened negotiations . One of them unthink in gly offered to conduct Doughty to Tayf through

Mecca . He w as recalled to himself by these “ words , Spoken in a tone of fanatical strange 268 C H RI ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’I ness This one g oes not to M ecca . The cameleer thereupon withdrew ; another refused to a e com pany him to Jeddah ; and he found himself about “ to be abandoned in the sinister passage . H e “ writes : I w as now to p ass a circuit in whose pretended divine law there is no refuge for the alien ; whose people shut up the ways o f the common earth ; and where any felon of theirs in comparison with a N asra ny is o ne o f the ” - . ez Z e m a people of Allah They reached Aym y ,

f - the boundary, and there , at last , in a co fee hut , “ ” w as : a guide found a venerable Negro , who, w as when the agreement made , rose and took w as Doughty by the hand . But it too late . Tidings spread that a Christian w as in the neighbourhood . A mad Sherif arrived with a

“ - butcherly sword knife, and made feints at ’ Do ughty s throat ; and a throng of loitering

Mecca cameleers , clad in coarse blue cotton tunics , gathered in a row before him to see the o f novelty . H is late friends the butter caravan ’ Do u ht s rode on and left him to his fate . g y firmness overawed the Sherif ; and the more moderate among the Spectators strove to arrest “ his murderous intentions . Remember Jeddah ” “ ! w as bombarded they cried , and that for the ’ blood of some o f this stranger s people ; take ” heed what thou doest . They decided to lead him to Tayf to be j udged by the Sherif o f

Mecca . The mad Sherif put up his knife , but o r on the slightest provocation drew it again , broke out into cursing and reviling, and shook

27 0 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA sent two o f his men to the authorities to offer o f explanations . After a weary Space waiting ac they returned , having achieved nothing on o f count the unusual hour . The following day he sent his servant Mohammed with a letter to the Sherif , asking for an escort to Jeddah .

Meanwhile he observed all that he could . He did not catch Sight of a single building belonging to the city ; but this is n o t surprising when so

many travellers have remarked upon its seclusion , and the suddenness with which its streets are

entered . H is curiosity was confined to the

surroundings , and he was impressed by their

ugliness . The mountains were barren , and of : monotonous shades a blend of dirty yellow, pale o ne o f brown , and dull grey . H e climbed these saw o ff h ills , and far Mohammed returning with

a soldier clad in white . This man dismissed the groups o f curious persons who had straggled out N asr n from the city to stare at the a y. Mohammed brought the welcome news that he had confuted ' the accusers , and the desired escort to Jeddah o was about t arrive .

Lastly, I may mention a story told to me , while

travelling in the East, by my Arab guide . A of party pilgrims , between Jeddah and Mecca, o n e o f t remarked that, after a halt , heir number

invariably resumed the march with his right foot .

I t is the Arab custom to do so with the left . Examination proved him a Christian but as he o f had not entered the precincts the holy city, he was adj udged the lesser penalty o f the basti M I SCE LLAN EO US 27 1

nado . H is bruised and swollen feet incapacitated him from further exertion , and he died in the desert .

188 2 D r. Mo rsl a F e nchman n in A e a y, r livi g lg ri , m a d e the P ilg rimage . H e is wo rthy o fme nti o n as a E u rope an w ho has se en Mecca b ut he w as o e a Moham me an , p r p rly d conv e r t . ! ! I I TH E HEJAZ RAILWAY

CON CLUSI ON

IN August 1 908 the news came that the Hej az

Railway had reached Medina , and that another see two years would it carried to Mecca . Its nominal starting - point is D amascus ; but when o f the last section the Baghdad Railway , across the Taurus Mountains , is complete , it will be p ossible to take the train from Constantinople

- to Mecca . There will thus be a linking u p of ' the Sultan o f Turkey s temporal and spiritual capitals . The idea o f the H ej az Railway was broached 1 00 was in April 9 , and work started a few months later . The Sultan , in his capacity of Caliph of

I slam , subscribed and issued an appeal

his c o - to religion ists in all parts of the world . The project w as acclaimed with unparalleled enthusiasm ; money p oured in ; and , in sp ite of proverbial Ottoman corruption , not a piastre subscribed for the railway has been diverted o f elsewhere . Under the direction the German engineer , M eissner Pasha , the work went forward with extraordinary rapidity . M ilitary men were

27 4 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

railway, came the news of great political changes “ E in Turkey . The Prophet , exclaimed an gyp “ tian orator at the ceremonies , did not permit the railway to reach Medina until the Caliph had ” granted a Constitution to his people . Whether o r not there is a slackening o f auto

cratic ties in the near future , the Hejaz Railway is a strategic base of fi rst- rate importance to o f T urkey . By means it She will be able to p our

an uninterrupted stream of troops into Arabia . de s H itherto , both men and sup plies have been patched by sea to Jeddah ; a n d a threat to block ade that p ort has more than once silenced the ’ Sultan s voice in the European chorus . The removal o f such a vulnerable point should facili o f tate the settlement Arabia , and perhaps lead

to the opening up of that country to Europeans . The following passage from a writer in a c o n temporary j ournal may be a Shade too Optimistic : “ Now that the electric light burns over the o f w e Tomb the Prophet , may hope some day to see with our o w n eyes the sacred cities o f ”

. se e the Moslems Let us , however , pray to his

prophecy fulfilled .

Should such things be , Should tourists flock fo r o f to Mecca, and invalids the benefit its dry

climate , should hotels rise in a European quarter

- as the traveller, he sees , framed in the window

of his saloon carriage , a picture of the terrifying o n Arabian landscape , will reflect what manner o f men were those w ho first took such danger o us p athsf Among the thoughts that crowd upon TH E H EJAZ RAI LWAY 27 5

him , h e will recall the small band of Christians , whose stories I have endeavoured to tell , and o ne whose experiences , and all have not failed “ to graze the brink of horror . H e will agree that a man must p ossess either the mercurial o f Fin ati temperament a , the ready wit and light o f heartedness a Keane , the weariness of life that o r made Roches despise danger , be a host in himself like Burton , not to succumb in such a o f struggle with the forces nature , and with that race - hatred barbed by religion which is called fanaticism . It is possible to divide Christian pilgrims to\\

Mecca into three groups . First come those from B artem a to Pitts , inclusive , whom I have already compared to a cloud o f light skirmishers . They o f — are followed by the votaries science Badia ,

S e e tz e n H u r ro n e . , Burckhardt , g j I n a parallel l l column advance those impelled by love o f adv e n l

or — Maltz an ture curiosity von , Bicknell , Keane , f C o urt ll e e m o nt . Burton belongs to both the latter o n groups ; Wallin to the first , but he fell evil days ; and it is hard to classify Roches . It would tax the ingenuity of most o f us to find such another heterogeneous collection o f men devoted to one theme . I t is a far cry from the to humble Pitts the princely Badia , from the scientific Burckhardt to the poetical Co u rtelle H u r r o n e mont , from the impersonal g j to the autobiographical Roches , from the obscure Wild

- to the world famous Burton . Such contrasts might be pursued to the written records that 27 6 C H R I ST I AN S AT M ECCA

’ remain : between Burckhardt s orderly accumula ’ tion o f facts and Keane s rollicking narrative . But suffice it that the members of this select f company, di fering i n time and country, aim and temperament , are united by the single bond of a strange adventure .

27 8 B I BL I OGRAP H Y

H . B ckne . The Times Au u st 2 1862 . i ll , g 5,

F . Kea ne . S ix 1 8 M . M onths in M eccah Lon on 8 1 . J ; d , y ou r ne t M edi a h ‘ o n Lo n on 1 88 1 . j y , d ,

M . M hha is C . S nouck H ur ron e . ebb a The H a ue 188 e n che g j ; g , 9

S r uchw or ter u n d R edensa r n Th H a ue 1886 . p te ; e g ,

‘ - ll m on M n a e ue Pa s 1 8 6 v our e la M c . . G e a s C t e t . o V o e a r i y g q ri , 9

’

N i b u r. D s r i tio de l A r a bie Am s m 1 . C . e h e c n &c . te a p , rd , 7 7 4

B uck n h m A to io a h . Lon o n 18 . . S . a u b r J i g . g p y d , 55

o m F a . D i a a ou r ne a cr oss A r a bia . B o b a . S r G . e dli r y f j y y ,

1 866 .

h Tr a v ls a ia m e 1 888 M Dou t . e in Ar b Deser ta . a b . C . C . g y ridg ,

’ — C . H ub e . our na l d u n V o a e en A r a bie 1 88 Pa s r j y g , 3 4 . ri , 1 8 1 9 .

’ A . P o st . L Or ienta tion N ou v elle de a P o iti u e S a ta ir r u l l q ni e . P a s 18 1 ri , 9

D . . H The P e etr a ti n o A r a bia . Lo n on 1 0 . G o a th . n o g r f d , 9 4

The Times S e te m b e 2 1 0 8 . , p r , 9 I N D E !

A SSID ES the 8 22 Be ch H a 12 BBA , , 4 , 9 ir , j, 7

Ab a ah e l S ukkath 6 6 0 Be o u n I O 1 1 . 2 6 1 1 d ll , 7 , 9 , 7 d i , , 4 , 3 , 94 , 4 , — - - Ab d e l a e 1 2 6 1 1 . K d r , 4 3 , 37 , 39 ua te in Mecca 8 22 q r r , 4 , 7 ,

d - e l- Wahad 2 2 2 2 2 Ab , 53 , 54 , 57 54 1 55 Ab aham 6—8 1 Be ai s in ecca 2 6 8 88 r , , 5, 37 gg M , , 7 , , 93 , Ab u Ba the Ca h 20 2 1 kr , lip , , I 1 Be nz on 7 4 1 7 5 i , 7 3

Ada m 6 Be to ucc . 26 , r l i 4 B e t A lla h H ouse o f A e n 2 28 God . S ee d 7 , y ( ) Ain a h l o ~ ea t os ue M d i , 3 5 Gr M q

A ab a ounta ns B c ne A . S . 202 20 k M i , 35, i k ll , , , 3 A H a 2 2 II e nn an 2oo kli , j, 4 5 59 ,

A b an an co s in Ca o 1 10 Bi r Ali, 26 l i rp ir , 5 , 4 , 3 16 B sse b attle a t 1 16 1 1 7 i l , , 9 3 , , 7

A e x an a 0 1 2 16 B ac S tone 1 . 6 6 80 l dri , 44 , 4 5, 5 , 5 , 5, l k , 7 , 4 5 , 9 , , 1 1 18 1 20 1 20 2 6 5, 3 , 95, , 7 , 3 , A e s 0 122 1 6 1 2 2 lgi r , 4 , 4 5. , 3 , 37 , 5 B osari 6 — , 7 , 7 7 9 A ma n o te ct on 1 2 B uc n ham ames S 2 8 1 ( pr i ), 3 ki g , J ilk , 7 , , ’ A mee the eane s at on 20 262 r , ( K p r ) , 4 , 20 208 2 10 2 12 2 1 2 1 B u eaud Ge ne ral 1 1 8 1 5, , , , 7 , 9 , g , , 37 , 3 , 39 , 1 2 1 5 1 54 A a at ount 1 1 26 B u c ha dt ohn Lu w 10 6 r f , M , 4 , 5, , 37 , 4 4 , r k r , J d ig , , 3 , 6 0 80 1 1 1 66 2 — 10 1 1 6 1 2 5 , 57 , 7 . , 9 , 92 , 5, , 7 . 7 3 , 7 4 , 4 , 6 , 1 1 0 18 18 1 1 8 1 18 1 2 12 22 2 6 49 , 5 . 4 , 5, 97 , 9 , 7 5, 9, 93, , 3, 3 ,

A ch o fS a at on 8 1 Bu ton La 202 20 r lv i , , 4 r , dy , , 3 A t sans ea th of in ecca and R cha d 8 1 1 1 r i , d r M i r , 7 , 4 , 9 , 57 , e d na 8 8 8 226 1 6 1- 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 6 M i , 5 , 4 , 5. 97 , 9 , 9 , 9 , 93 , 9 , A thena’u m ou na the 2 16 1 20 2 2 12 220 22 26 2 j r l , , 7 , , , , . 3 , 4 , 7 3 , 202 27 5

B D I Y E LIC H 8—6 80 I 6 10 A A , , 8 , C R O 8 0 6 1. 0 , 4 A , , , , L B 4 4 35 3 , 5 7

B a e . B t sh C onsu at Cam e a in ecca &c . dan e s k r , Mr ( ri i l r M , , g r A e s lgi r ) . 4 5

' Banke s Wi lli 1m ohn 1 1 Ca a an Damascus S an I o , J , 9 r v , ( yri ) , ,

Barte ma . Lu o co I 2 8 d vi , 7 , 3 3 , 8 2 E t an 10 1 1 1 4 7 5 gyp i , , , 35, 5 280 C H R I ST IAN S AT M ECCA

Ca a ans m sce aneous 1 1 2 H DD H the sta e b e tw e en r v , i ll , , 4 , A A ( g e d ah and ecca 20 43 J d M ) , 53, 5, , a s 0—2 22 C s i s, 3 4 Chateaub an 0 H a a 8 1 ri d , 5 g r , 7 , , 4 C ho e a u n the m a e H a 1 1 8 2 2 0 26 l r d ri g Pilgri g , il , 57 , 5 , 37 , 4 , 9 H aj . S ee Pilgrimage Co m me ce o f e ah 6 H a or H a i the t t e assume r J dd , 7 , 7 7 j j ( i l d ecca 8 86 226 2 b m 1 6 16 2 1 M , 5, , , 54 y Pilgri ) . 4 , 7 . . 97 , e na 6 1 6 22 1 M di , 9 , 9 7 , 7 u n ma e I 2 H ahim o cto 2 1 d ri g Pilgri g , 7 , 5, (d r) , 9 1 H am 1 Sha h 1 6 1 1 3 d , yk , 9 , 7 3 , 7 7 , Co n u ta 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 I 8 f , , 3 , 7 7 Coulo u lis 126 1 2 1 0 H amz a Sha h 1 g , , 7 , 3 , yk , 7 a r a m n S e H ( I vi ol ab l e ) . e Great C 2 0 2 2 os ue DA MAS US , , 6 6 , 3 3 , 4 M q D ar b - a l- S har hz 1 H e i r a os e m e ra I , 7 7 g ( M l ) , De c ne o f e ous z ea 0 1 H e az the 2 2 2— li r ligi l , 9 , 47 , j , , , 7 4 1 8 Ra w a the 1 1 260 2 2— 4 il y , , , , 7 4

D o ce in ecca 2 0 H o a th D . G . 162 2 6 1 iv r M , 3 g r , , , Dou ht Cha es o nta u 2 H ub e C harles 2 - 2 2 g y, rl M g , , r, , 37 43, 49, 59, —9 D ou lha a m onth o f the m H u o V cto 6 j ( Pilgri g , i r , 3 ’ a e 10 1 H r a S ee ohamme s To mb g ) , , 5 uj M d

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N E D e se t 1 1 8 162 1 SAC RED Ca e t 6 1 1 0 0 J d r , 57 , 5 , , 7 7 rp , , , 43, 5 , 9 , N e b uh Ca ste n 1 26 1 i r , r , 7 , N oldeke 2 8 Law stu o f 2 , 3 , dy , 34 ’ N ur Sha h B u ton s se ant Sac S e st e de 1 0 1 1 , yk ( r rv ) , y , ylv r , 4 , 4 S a e e o e Fo ste 262- dli r , G rg r r , 4 ' S a a S ee a z f . S O MA R the C a h 20 2 1 1 S a il or 1 , lip , , , 7 4 , 94 ' os ue o f at e usa em 8 S a z ce em on o f unn n se e n M q J r l , 3 , ( r y r i g v 6 1 62 t me s b etw ee n S a a and [Wa r , i f Omr afi L tt e ma e 16 8 1 w a/z 1 1 1 88 1 ( i l Pilgri g ), , , ) , 4 , 4 5, , 95, I 1 88 20 2 12 2 2 45u 5, , 5 O an 1 6 S a m Be 106 10 r , 3 i y, , 7 O eans Du e o f 1 1 S ana 2 rl , k , 3 5, 37 , 7 thman 8 1 262 man of 2 O , , I , 7 , 7 3 O u e - b en- Ali 1 1 S ects o tho o x ohamme an 8 l d , 43, 44 , r d M d , S eetz en U ch as e 6 — , lri J p r, 5 7 3, 7 4 , A SSPORT ficu t es 166 16 P dif l i , , 7 , S e ants ofthe os ue at e cca rv M q M , at a ch the 8 86 at e na 1 P ri r , , 3 59 , ; M di , 97 , 7 5 ’ P eiresc 2 S e x tant sco e e in Bu ton s , 3 di v r d r e s ans s ke o fin A ab a 1 8 b a a e 168 P r i , di li r i , 5 , gg g , Sheb a am 228 22 f ily , , 9 ma e the —18 1 1 8 Shee s au hte of at una 16 i g g , , 9 , 4 7 , 4 p, g M , , P l ri ” l r ma e ass 1 Pilgri g P , 7 3 ms d ffe ent aces of 1 1 She s o f ecca 60 1 12 Pilgri , i r r , , 57 , rif M , 54 , , , 6 2 10 2 1 1 1 6 9, , 4 Ex o tat on of 1 8 S hu du a tte 1 1 1 8 pl i i , 3 , 4 , 3 , 5, g f ( li r) , 7 , 7 — S Az z 2 8 i i , 3 43 H a sh s o f 1 1 12 1 S O b a uni e s t oun e b rd ip , , , 43, idi k , v r i y f d d y, 1 22 1 I 1 0 44 , 39 , 4 tts ose h 0 220 2 S n d 16 Pi , J p , 4 , 4 7 , , 7 5 i , 3

o e e o ! V I . 1 S a es os tion of in ecca P p Gr g ry , 54 l v , p i , M , 59, nt n ess in ecca 2 Pri i g Pr M , 54 S a e t ade in ecca 18 18 1 0 l v r M , , 9, 9 UA RANTI N E e u at ons 1 Sm na ! r g l i , 3 yr , 45 S nouck H ur ron e Ch st an 22 g j , ri i , 3 R I H 2 1 A B G , 67 , 7 R a ns o e nce o f in ecca 6 S ton n the Dev x l 1 16 i , vi l M , 3 , , i g , 5, , 37 , 57 , 8 2 2 1 2 6 , 7 , 3 R ama da n 2 8 1 166 22 S uez 1 168 16 2 6 , 4 , , , 8 , 5 , , 9, 4 ’ Ras e l o a 1 S u tan s oa 2 1 K r , 7 7 , 47 l r d , 7 Renan 2 8 Su e st t ons in ecca 2 2 6 , 3 p r i i M , 3 5, 3 I N D E! 283

TA FN A T eat o f 12 1 V s tat on the e na ma e , r y , 4 , 35 i i i ( M di Pilgri g ), Ta u m s 1 8 1 2 1 I kr ri pilgri , 7 , 7 9 , 7 S Ta ab a 1 1 1 18 r , 5, Ta wa ce e mon ofwa n oun WA H H A B Ab d al oun e o f f( r y lki g r d , (f d r Kaa b ah 1 16 6 6 80 Wahhab sect ) , 4 , , 5 , 9 , , i ) , 55 ahhab s the os em u tans W i , ( M l P ri ) , Ta 6 1 1 I 1 8 6 60 6 1 6 68 6 0 yf: 7 51 7 1 5, 47 1 4 1 55, 5 , , , 7 , , 9 , 7 , 6 0 10 10 - 18 1 7 , 9 , 93, 4 , 9 , 7 5, Te d n S ohamme E 1 0 ji i , idi M d l , 3 , Wa n e o e Au ustus 1 6—60 lli , G rg g , 5 , Te ma sto ne 2 — 26 i , 37 4 3 , 9 Tam s a t c e in the 2 1 2 2 W oha nn — p , r i l , 4 , 4 ild, J , 34 9 Te ne tt 26 ne o en so d in e cca 8 , 4 Wi p ly l M , 3 Th e s 1 1 Wo m e n os t on o f in ecca i r , 35, 37 , p i i M , Thurb urn ohn 16 2 — , J , 5 30 2 Tu nes m e 20 26 1 26 26 , , 3 , , 3 , 4, 2 YA H YA E end 6 7 3 ff i , 7 , 95 T e m cen 12 Yamb u the o t of e na 22 l , 7 ( p r M di ) , , Touns Sha h 1 1 6 8 10 m 1 1 1 i , yk , 43, 54 7 , 9 , 99, 9 , , 44 , 7 , Tousoun asha 6 10 108 P , 7 , 95, 7 , , 109 I Tu s in A e a 1 2 ZAC H Ba on v on 6 6 rk lg ri , 7 , r , 5, 7 Zar (hyste rica l attack s a mong Me c can w om en 2 1 2 2 ULE MA S ea ne b o e s 1 1 0 ) , 3 , 3 (l r d di ) , 39, 4 , Z e m Ze m w e of 8 1 1 2 , ll , 7 . , 4 , 7 , 5, 2 8 80 8 1 I 6 4 , 53 , 5 , , 3. 45» 4 , 18 1 0 20 2 2 2 2 3 , 9 , 5, 9 , 5 LLE VA E, a sha l , 1 1 ua d an o fwe M r 35, 37 G r i ll , 54 e nus - V , the La , 2 14 17 Ze mz e mis u of 22 dy , G ild , 9

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