CHAP. XVII. that the door of the sepulchre, which was of stone, and similar After leaving these Tombs, we again made the circuit of the whole city, keeping as close to the walls as possible, and post occluditur. quod si alio tempore aperire conatus fueris, effringas facilius, quam (2) Ibid. (3) "Quòd si apud priscos, sepulchrum dirutum fuisse, res fuit habita mali ominis, ut testatur Livius, et Alexander conciso sermone retulit; Hannibali, inquit, cùm ex Italia Africam peteret, sepulchrum diruptum auspicium ferale." Quaresm. Elucid. T. S. lib. iv. c. 8. Antv. 1639. CHAP. XVII. Omar. and remaining all the while on horseback. In this manner we were exactly one hour and a half employed, from the time we left the Gate of Damascus until we returned to it again, our horses proceeding at a foot's pace. When we regained the city, we waited upon the Governor, to thank him for the civilities we had received. Upon this occasion we used all the interest we had with him, by means of Djezzar Pacha's own interpreter, to obtain admission into the Mosque of the Mosque of Temple of Solomon, or mosque erected upon the site of that temple by the Caliph Omar, in the seventh century. He entreated us not to urge the request, saying his own life would certainly be required as the price of our admission : we were therefore compelled to rest satisfied with the interesting view it afforded from his windows, which regarded the area of the temple. The sight was so grand, that we did not hesitate in pronouncing it the most magnificent piece of architecture in the Turkish empire; and, considered externally, far superior to the Mosque of Saint Sophia in Constantinople. By the sides of the spacious area in which it stands, are certain vaulted remains: these plainly denote the masonry of the Antients; and evidence may be adduced to prove that they belonged to the foundations of Solomon's Temple. We observed also that reticu⚫lated stucco, which is commonly considered as an evidence of Roman work. Phocas believed the whole space surrounding p. 649. A VOL. II. (4) A. D. 637. 4 H this CHAP. XVII. this building to be the antient area of the temple'; and Golius, in his Notes upon the Astronomy of Alferganes', says, the whole foundation of the original edifice remained'. As to the mosque itself, there is no building at Jerusalem that can be compared with it, either in beauty or riches. The lofty Saracenic pomp so nobly displayed in the style of the building; its numerous arcades; its capacious dome, with all the stately decorations of the place; its extensive area, paved and variegated with the choicest marbles*; the extreme neatness observed in every avenue towards it; and, lastly, the sumptuous costume observable in the dresses of all the Eastern devotees, passing to and from the Sanctuary, make it altogether one of the finest sights the Mahometans have to boast. We afterwards visited the Greek and Armenian convents. The former consists of many separate establishments, which, though small, are well supported. The Armenian Monastery is well worth seeing, being the largest in Jerusalem: it is maintained in a degree of splendor, accompanied at the Greek and (1) Ἐν τῷ ἀρχαίῳ δαπέδῳ τῷ περιωνύμε ναῦ ἐκείνο το Σολομῶντος θεωρέμενος. And again, in another part of the same chapter, Ἔξωθεν δὲ τῷ ναῶ ἐστι περιαύλιον μέγα λιθόστωτον τὸ παλαιὸν, ὡς οἶμαι, το μεγάλο ναῦ δάπεδον. Phocæ Descript. T. S. cap. 14. Colon. 1653. (2) Alferganes, Alfragan, or Alfergani, flourished about the year 800, of our æra. Golius, Professor of Mathematics at Leyden, published the third and best translation of his writings, in 1669. See Lalande's Astronomy, tom. I. p. 122. Paris, 1792. (3) "Totum antiqui sacri fundum.” "Intus (4) Ἐντὸς καὶ ἐκτὸς, ποικίλοις μαρμάροις, καὶ ψηφίσιν ἐγκαλληνόμενος. exteriusque variis marmoribus, et tessellato opere condecoratum." Phocæ Descript. T. S. cap. 14. Colon. 1656. He the same time with neatness, cleanliness, and order, very CHAP. XVII. surprising in this part of the world; and particularly so, because every thing belonging to it is Oriental. The Patriarch makes his appearance in a flowing vest of silk, instead of a Monkish habit, and every thing around him bears the character of Eastern magnificence. He receives his visitors in regal stateliness; sitting amidst clouds of incense, and regaling them with all the luxuries of a Persian Court. We conversed with him for some time, and were much struck with his polished manners and sensible conversation. seemed to be quite as well aware of what was passing in the Western world, as if he had regularly received the Gazettes of Europe, and had himself figured in the Cabinets of its Princes'. The approaching downfall of the Turkish empire State of is an event which of course every reflecting mind must contemplate with eager anticipation; and every means conducive to this end is hailed as an instrument in the hand of God. Whether the armies of France or the fleets of England occasion signs of its approximation, the universal Church of Syria, howsoever distributed and divided by sects,Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, Abyssinians, Copts, Nestorians, Catholics, Syrians, Druses, Maronites, together with all distinctions of Jewish worshippers, Samaritans, Karaites, Rabbinists,-are ready to bestow upon them their praises and their blessings. Thus, if a Frenchman arrive in Jerusalem, Politics in (5) A monk at the Convent of St. Saba, near the Dead Sea, Mons. De Châteaubriand "the secrets of the Court of Russia." pp. 405, 406. Lond. 1811. began to reveal to See Trav. vol. I. CHAP. XVII. Jerusalem, as in the recent instance of De Châteaubriand, they talk to him of the victories of Buonaparté, and the prowess of Frenchmen in the Holy Land, as if they were preaching for a new Crusade. If an Englishman, they lavish commendations and benedictions upon the heroes of the British Navy; dwelling with enthusiasm upon the exploits of Nelson at Aboukir; upon those of Sir Sidney Smith at Acre; and upon the glorious fate of the lamented Abercrombie. See the Sikap. 465. |