Part 71

From the Damascus Gate (p. 473) the road leads past the _Dominican Monastery of St. Stephen_ (on the right; Pl. E, 1) and then, beyond the Anglican _Bishop’s House_, past the so-called _Tombs of the Kings_ (on the right). This large subterranean burial-ground, with its tomb-chambers and shaft-tombs, probably belonged to queen Helena of Adiabene and her family (1st cent. A.D.). The road to Nâbulus soon diverges to the left; ours ascends in a wide curve northwards to the top of the _Scopus_ and to the Mt. of Olives.

On the N. height of the Mt. of Olives, to the left of the road, is the new German _Augusta Victoria Institute_ (sanatorium and church).

On the E. summit (2665 ft.) are the Russian Buildings, a pilgrims’ hospice, the _Russian Church of the Ascension_, and a six-storied _Belvedere Tower_ (214 steps). The *Panorama embraces the city and the hills around Jerusalem and Bethlehem (the latter itself not visible). Towards the E. lie the Dead Sea (1293 ft. below sea-level) and the Jordan valley (Arabic El-Ghôr), and among the bluish Mts. of Moab rises Mt. Nebo (2644 ft.), whence Moses beheld the promised land before his death (Deut. xxxiv. 1–4).

A little to the W. of the Russian Buildings lies the poor village =Kafr et-Tûr=. Near it is the _Chapel of the Ascension_, built in 1834–5, to mark the scene of the Ascension (in contradiction to Luke xxiv. 50, ‘He led them out as far as Bethany’). Of the earlier churches here, one a round building of Emp. Constantine, the other built by the Crusaders, few traces are left.

To the S. of the village are the LATIN BUILDINGS, including the _Credo_ and _Paternoster Churches_ (1898).

A steep path descends hence, to the W., to the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE (Pl. K, 4), now the property of the Franciscans. Near the entrance (E. side) a rock marks the spot where Peter, James, and John are said to have slept (Mark xiv. 32 _et seq._), and the fragment of a column close by indicates the traditional scene of the Betrayal. (A monk acts as guide; fee 3–6 pias.) A little higher up the Greeks have their own Garden of Gethsemane, containing the many-domed _Church of Mary Magdalen_ (Pl. K, 4).

A few paces to the N.W., on the road to the upper bridge over the Kidron (Pl. I, 3) and to St. Stephen’s Gate, rises _St. Mary’s Church_ (Pl. K, 3; Arabic Kenîset Sitti Maryam), built by queen Milicent or Melisendis (d. 1161) on the site of an ancient church mentioned as early as the 5th cent.; it contains the ‘coffin of the Virgin’, in which she lay until her Assumption.

The =Valley of the Kidron=, identified from a very early age with the _Valley of Jehoshaphat_, has been supposed, ever since pre-Christian times, owing to a misinterpretation of Joel iii. 2, to be the future scene of the Last Judgment. The Moslems bury their dead on the E. slope of the Haram esh-Sherîf, and the Jews on the W. slope of the Mt. of Olives.

From the Jericho road, to the S. of the Garden of Gethsemane, a path diverges to the right to the lower bridge over the Kidron (Pl. I, 5). To the left of the path are the so-called _Tomb of Absalom_, a cube of rock, with a curious conical roof expanding at the top; _St. James’s Cavern_, a rock-tomb; and the _Pyramid of Zacharias_. All these date from the Græco-Roman period.

Farther on, to the S.E., passing below the hill-village of _Siloah_ (Pl. H, I, 7–9; Arabic Kafr Silwân), we come to _St. Mary’s Fountain_ (Pl. H, 7; Aïn Sitti Maryam), an intermittent spring, probably the _Gihon_ of the Old Testament. Since the time of Hezekiah (about 700 B.C.) its water has flowed through the underground _Siloah Conduit_ to the _Pool of Siloam_ (Pl. G, H, 9), within the Jewish town-wall.

Farther down the valley we reach in a few minutes ‘_Job’s Well_’ (about 2035 ft.; Bîr Eiyûb).

We return thence to the town by the =Valley of Hinnom= (p. 472). The ‘_Zion Suburb_’ (p. 473) rises steeply on the N.W.; to the left is the slope of _Jebel Abû Tôr_, covered with rock-tombs. Near (12 min.) the _Sultan’s Pond_ (see below) we join the Bethlehem road.

The EXCURSION TO BETHLEHEM, by a good road (half-a-day; carr. about 12 fr.; horse, see p. 471), will even repay walkers.

The road descends to the S. from the Jaffa Gate (p. 473) into the _Valley of Hinnom_ (see above). Beyond the _Birket es-Sultân_ (Pl. C, D, 8), an old Jewish reservoir restored by Suleiman the Great (16th cent.), the station-road diverges to the right.

Our road leads to the S.W. across the tableland of _El-Bukeia_ (p. 470), past the traditional _Well of the Magi_ (Matth. ii. 9), to the (3 M.) Greek convent of _Mâr Elyâs_ (left). Bethlehem appears in the foreground. Fine view of the Dead Sea (p. 479) to the left.

At (4 M.) ‘_Rachel’s Tomb_’ (Kubbet Râhîl), built like the welis or tombs of Moslem saints, the Hebron road diverges to the right.

5 M. =Bethlehem= (2550 ft.; pop. about 11,000, almost all Christians), the home of David and the birthplace of our Saviour, has a situation resembling that of Jerusalem. It consists of eight different quarters, containing many monasteries, hospitals, and schools. Fine view from the German Prot. _Weihnachtskirche_ (‘Christmas Church’, 1893), on the W. outskirts.

Over the traditional birthplace of Christ rises *ST. MARY’S CHURCH, now occupied by the Greeks, Latins, and Armenians jointly. The original columnar basilica of the time of Constantine, with its double aisles, is still the nucleus of the present church. It was thoroughly renovated by the Crusaders, and the superb wallmosaics were restored by the Byzantine Emp. Manuel Comnenos (1143–80). The Greeks, who were in sole possession from 1672 to 1852, unfortunately added the transept wall.

INTERIOR. The entrance is by the old central portal, approached from an open space once occupied by an atrium. Three passages lead through the transept, with semicircular apses at either end, to the semicircular choir. Among the almost obliterated mosaics is a quaint representation of the Entry into Jerusalem in the S. apse.

Adjoining the choir are two flights of steps descending into the Crypt, or Chapel of the Nativity, and to the ‘Chapel of the Manger’, the ‘dwelling of St. Jerome’ (b. about 340 in Dalmatia, d. in 420 at Bethlehem), and his tomb, which also are highly revered.

The stairs on the N. side ascend to the Latin Church of St. Catharine, through which we return to the principal church.

For full details, see _Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria_.

74. Beirut. Excursion to Damascus.

ARRIVAL. The steamers anchor in the harbour (Pl. F, G, 1). The landing is better managed than at Jaffa. Boat for 1 pers. 2 fr.; less for a party, as may be arranged. The hotels and tourist-agents send their men on board. The _Douane_ (Pl. F, 1; passport and custom-house formalities; comp. p. 537) is close to the landing-place.—To the E. of the Douane lies the RAILWAY STATION (_Gare_; Pl. F, G, 1).

HOTELS. *_Hôt. d’Allemagne_ (Pl. a; E, 1), well spoken of, _Hôt. d’Orient_ (Pl. b; E, 1), both near the sea; _Gassmann’s Hotel_ (Pl. c; F, 1), in the Sûk ed-Jemîl; pens. at these 12–15 fr. (less for a prolonged stay); _Hôt. Victoria_ (Pl. d; E, 1), plainer, etc.—RESTAURANTS. _Blaich_, _Jean Schröter_, both near the Hôt. d’Allemagne.

ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS. Four different lines traverse the town (comp. Plan); of these the _Blue Line_ runs from the Place des Canons to the Lighthouse (Phare; Pl. A, 2), near the Râs Beirût (p. 483).

CARRIAGES. Drive 1 fr.; per hr. in town 2, in country 2–3 fr. (more on Sun.). Longer drives as may be arranged.—HORSES. Half-day 1, whole day 1½ mejidieh.

POST OFFICES. Turkish (_Poste Turque_; Pl. F, 1); British, French, German, and others, Khân Antûn Beg (Pl. F, 1).—TELEGRAPH OFFICE (Internat.; Pl. F, 2), Derb el-Kebîreh (p. 483).

BANKS. _Banque Ottomane_ (Pl. F, 1), _Anglo-Palestine Co._, _German Palaestina-Bank_, all at the harbour.—For the Turkish money, see p. 536.

CONSULATES. British (Pl. 2; G, 2): consul-general, _H. A. Cumberbatch_; vice-consul, _H. E. W. Young_.—United States (Pl. 6; C, 2): consul-general, _G. B. Ravndal_; vice-consul, _L. Memminger_.

STEAMBOAT AGENCIES. _Khedivial Mail_, opposite the custom-house; _Austrian Lloyd_, _Messag. Maritimes_, and _Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co._, all in Khân Antûn Beg (Pl. F, 1); _Società Nazionale_, opposite the German Bank.—TOURIST AGENTS. _Thos. Cook & Son_, in the Hôtel d’Orient; _Agence Lubin_, Khân Antûn Beg (Pl. F, 1).

CHURCHES. _American Presbyterian Mission_ (Pl. F, 2); services on Sun. at 11 a.m. in English and at 9 a.m. in Arabic. Among the many other missions and schools are the _British Syrian_, the _Ch. of Scotland Jewish_, the _Syrian Prot._, and a number of German, French, etc.

_Beirut_ (Fr. _Beyrout_, Arab. _Beirût_; pop. 190,000), the chief commercial place in Syria (_Esh-Shâm_), and the capital of the Turkish vilayet (province of a _vali_ or governor) of that name, is beautifully situated, in 33° 50′ N. lat. and 35° 30′ E. long., on the S. shore of _St. George’s Bay_, between _Râs Beirût_ (p. 483) and _Mt. St. Dimitri_. To the E. rises _Lebanon_ (p. xxxiv), with _Jebel Keneiseh_ and _Jebel Sannîn_ (p. 483). The climate is mild and pleasant (mean temperature of Jan. 56° Fahr., of Aug. 81°), and the rainfall is considerable (34 in.). The sea-breezes render the summer bearable, but they are apt to fail in August and September. Many of the citizens then seek refuge in the summer quarters of Lebanon, to which Egyptians and Cypriotes also resort.

_Berytus_ (‘fountain’) is mentioned in the tablets of Tell el-Amarna (p. 456) as the seat of the Egyptian vassal Ammunira. It lay in the territory of the _Giblites_, a northern branch of the Phœnicians. In 140 B.C., during the wars of the Diadochi, the town was entirely destroyed. The Romans rebuilt it and named it _Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Berytus_, after the daughter of Emp. Augustus. In the 3rd cent. its school of Roman law became renowned. From that time down to the present day it has been noted also for its silk-industry, which was transplanted to Greece and to Sicily. In 529 the prosperity of the town was destroyed by an earthquake. Since its conquest by the Arabs in 635 it has been in the possession of the Moslems, except during the brief Crusaders’ occupation. Like Saida (p. 469) it was a favourite residence of the able Druse prince _Fakhreddîn_ (1595–1634), who in league with the Venetians wrested Central Syria from the Turks. They, however, later recaptured Beirut. During the 19th cent. Beirut gradually attained a new lease of prosperity. Under the Egyptian rule its sea-borne commerce increased, while Saida and Tripoli declined. In 1840 the town was bombarded by the British fleet and recaptured for the Turks. After the massacre of Christians in 1860 (see p. 485) many Christians from central Syria settled at Beirut.

The Moslem inhabitants (about 65,000) are in a considerable minority. Among the Christians there are 64,000 Greeks, 40,000 Maronites, and 2100 Protestants. The Jews number about 5500. An unusually large percentage of the natives can read and write. The chief language is Arabic.

Beirut offers few sights. The poor and closely built _Old Town_ contains the _Great Mosque_ (Pl. F, 2), once a Crusader’s church, the _Greek Churches_, and the _Maronite Cathedral_ (Pl. F, 2).

The _Sûks_ or markets have lost much of their Oriental character. Most of the genuine native products come from Lebanon (keffîyehs or head-cloths, embroidery, woven stuffs, slippers, bridal chests, etc.). The filigree-work has long been noted (sold by weight).

The native population may be studied also in the large _Place des Canons_ or _Place de l’Union_ (Pl. F, 2), on the S. side of the _Serâi_ or government-buildings. The numerous Arabian cafés are for men only.

The broad streets of the NEW TOWN skirt the picturesque hill-sides. Palm, orange, and lemon trees abound in the beautiful gardens. The _Damascus Road_ (tramway; Pl. G, 4, 5) leads to the S. in ½ hr. to the _Bois de Pins_ (Pl. G, F, 6), a pine-wood planted by Fakhreddîn for protection against the sand of the dunes.

The finest point of view is *_Mt. St. Dimitri_ (Pl. H, 3–5; best by evening light), ½ hr. to the S.E. of the old town. From the Place des Canons we follow the Derb en-Nahr (Pl. G, 2) and the Tripoli road, turn to the right beyond the Greek Orthodox Hospital (Pl. H, 2), and then ascend to the left.

From the Place des Canons (tramway, see p. 481) the Derb el-Kebîreh (Pl. F, E, 2) and Derb el-Prusiani lead to the W., below the dunes, to the _Râs Beirût_. After ½ hr. we reach the _Lighthouse_ (Phare or Fanâr; Pl. A, 2). Thence the road descends in windings to the sea and farther on to the ‘_Pigeons’ Grottoes_’ (reached by boat from the harbour in ½ hr.; 1½ mej.). The light is best near sunset.

* * * * *

FROM BEIRUT TO DAMASCUS, 91½ M., narrow-gauge railway (20 M. being on Abt’s rack-and-pinion system). Two trains daily in 9¼–11 hrs. (fare 110 pias. 10 or 75 pias.). The passenger should have the exact fare ready before booking. _Reyâk_ is the diningstation for the day-train.

This Railway Company (French) has its own rate of exchange: 1 napoleon = 87 pias.; 1 sovereign = 110 pias.; 1 mejidieh = 18½ pias.

The train runs from the harbour to the E., close to the sea, to the (1½ M.) _Chief Station_, and through the valley of the _Nahr Beirût_ at the E. base of _Mt. St. Dimitri_, soon turning to the S. to (4½ M.) _El-Hadet_. It then rapidly ascends the slopes of _Lebanon_.

10½ M. _Areiya_, 13 M. _Aleih_ (2460 ft.), two summer resorts in the Lebanon. The train threads a tunnel to the highest point of the line (4879 ft.). We then descend, enjoying fine views, to the right and left, of _Jebel el-Barûk_ (6749 ft.) and _Jebel Keneiseh_ (6660 ft.), to (35 M.) _El-Muallaka_, a large village, and station for the Christian town of _Zahleh_ (3101 ft.) on the S. spurs of _Jebel Sannîn_ (8556 ft.; snow-capped in early summer).

We next traverse the lofty valley of _El-Bikâ_, the ancient _Bucca Vallis_, watered by the _Nahr el-Lîtânî_ (_Leontes_), once the most fertile part of _Coelesyria_ (‘hollow Syria’).

41 M. =Reyâk= or _Rayak_ (Buffet; halt of ½ hr.), junction for Baalbek (Heliopolis) and Aleppo (Haleb).

Passing through the narrow _Wâdi Yahfûfeh_ we next ascend the _Anti-Lebanon Mts._; 54½ M. _Sarrâyâ_ or _Zerghaya_ (4610 ft.) lies between their two main ranges, on the watershed between the Bikâ and the plain of Damascus.

Beyond (61 M.) _Ez-Zebedâni_ (3888 ft.) the train enters the valley of that name, famed for its fruit and watered by the _Nahr Baradâ_ (Gr. _Chrysorrhoas_, ‘gold stream’). 71½ M. _Sûk Wâdi Baradâ_ (‘market of Baradâ vale’), at the end of a defile.

76½ M. _Aïn Fîjeh_, the chief source of the Baradâ, has remains of a Roman Nymphæum (see p. 241). 85 M. _Dummar_, a villa-suburb of Damascus. The city with its minarets soon comes in sight.

The floor of the Baradâ valley, between (left and right) _Jebel Kâsyûn_ (p. 489) and the hills of _Kalabât el-Mezzeh_, is well planted with trees. At the mouth of the valley the river divides into seven branches which water the great plain of Damascus.

Skirting large meadows (_merj_), then orchards, and a _Roman Aqueduct_, the train reaches (89½ M.) _Damascus-Beramkeh_ (see below), where it is usual to alight, and lastly runs past the W. side of _El-Meidân_ (p. 487) to (91½ M.) _Damascus-Meidân_.

* * * * *

=Damascus.=—RAILWAY STATIONS. =1.= _Beramkeh_ or _Baramki_, near the hotels and the Serâi.—=2.= _Meidân_, near the Bauwâbet Allah, chief station of the Beirut line.—=3.= _Kadem_, for the Hejâz line (p. 469; no cabs).—Cabs and tramway, see below.

HOTELS. _Hôt. Victoria_, _Hôt. d’Orient_, _Palace Hotel_, all near the Beramkeh Station and the Serâi; _Hôt. d’Angleterre_, to the E. of the Serâi Square; pens. 10–15 fr. (or more when crowded), in the quiet season 6–10 fr.; good wine of the country (from Shtôra) 1½–5 fr.

ARABIAN CAFÉS, the largest and most interesting in the East, mostly on an arm of the Baradâ, in the Serâi Square, on the Beirut road, the Aleppo road, etc.—Visitors should beware of the cold night-air from the river after a hot day.

CABS in the Serâi Square, 6–7 pias, per drive, or 10–12 pias. per hr. (always to be agreed upon beforehand); but more on holidays and in the height of the season.—ELECTRIC TRAMWAY (3¼ M.) from the El-Meidân quarter viâ the Serâi Square to the suburb of Es-Sâlehîyeh (p. 489).

POST OFFICE and INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE, Serâi Square.

CONSULS. British, _G. P. Devey_, near the Beramkeh Station.—United States Consular Agent, _N. Meshâka_, in the Christian quarter.

DRAGOMANS (Arabic _terjumân_), about 10 fr. a day during the season, desirable for new-comers (comp. p. xxvi), and essential in visiting the Omaiyade Mosque. Travellers should beware of trusting them with money or purchases.

BANKS. _Banque Ottomane_, _German Palaestina-Bank_, both in the Sûk el-Asrunîyeh (p. 486).—PHOTOGRAPHS sold by _Suleimân Hakîm_, at the E. end of the Straight Street (p. 487).—BATHS. The _Hammâm el-Khaiyâtin_ and the _Hammâm ed-Derwîshîyeh_ or _el-Malikeh_, among others, are worth seeing.

CHURCHES. _English Church_ (_St. John’s_), of the London Jews Society, in the Hammâm el-Kari Quarter; _Rev. J. E. Hanauer_; Sun. service at 10.30. Also Edinburgh Medical, British Syrian Mission, Irish Presbyterian, and other missions, with excellent schools, hospitals, etc.—The Latins, the Greeks, and the Jews also have their own schools.

SIGHTS (when time is limited). 1st Day, in the forenoon, _Serâi Square_, the _Bazaars_, and _Meidân_ (pp. 486, 487); afternoon, _Es-Sâlehîyeh_ and _Jebel Kâsyûn_ (p. 489).—2nd Day. _Mosque of the Omaiyades_ (p. 488).

_Damascus_ (2268 ft.), formerly called _Dimishk_, a name still sometimes used, but commonly called by the natives _Esh-Shâm_ (a term applied also to the whole of Syria; p. 482), lies on the borders of the _Syrian Desert_ (p. xxxiii) in the _Rûta_, a beautiful oasis between Anti-Lebanon and the ‘_Meadow Lakes_‘, into which fall all the branches and canals of the Baradâ. As the Koran pictures paradise as a garden, where luscious fruits drop into the mouth, the Arabs have ever regarded Damascus, with its luxuriant orchards, as the prototype of that blissful abode. The Rûta does not, however, and least of all in winter, impress Europeans quite so favourably. Yet in May, when the walnut-tree is in full leaf and the vine climbs exuberantly from tree to tree, or still later, when the apricot-trees in the midst of their rich carpet of green herbage bear their countless golden fruits and the pomegranates are in the perfection of their blossom, the gardens are truly beautiful.

HISTORY. With regard to the foundation of Damascus, which like the whole of Syria belonged from about 1500 B. C. onwards to Egypt and to the Hittite empire (p. 547) alternately, countless traditions are current among the Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans. After David had temporarily extended his sway to Damascus, there arose here, in Solomon’s time, an independent Aramæan kingdom under Rezon (1 Kings, xi. 23–25). In the protracted struggles between the neighbouring kingdoms of Israel and Judah the Syrian kings generally succeeded, by means of judicious alliances, in maintaining their independence. In the annals of the Assyrians, who destroyed Damascus in 732, the town is called _Dimaski_ and the kingdom _Imîrisu_. From that time onwards Damascus lost its political importance; but it continued, especially under the sway of the Seleucides of Antioch during the period of the Diadochi, to prosper as a trading and industrial city and as the starting-point of the caravan traffic with Mesopotamia and Persia. When it became a Roman provincial city it formed a political bulwark against the Arabs (Nabatæans) and Parthians. In 611 A. D., under the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, many of its inhabitants were carried into captivity by the Sassanide _Chosroes II._

With its conquest by the Arabs in 635 begins the most brilliant period in the history of the city. Under _Mûawiya_ (661–79), founder of the dynasty of the _Omaiyades_, the greatest of Arabian princes, it became the seat of the caliphate. But when the _Abbasides_ removed their residence to Mesopotamia in 750 Damascus again sank to the position of a provincial town. It fell successively into the hands of the Egyptian Tulunides and Fatimites (p. 443), and at length in 1075 succumbed to the Seljuks (p. 542). In 1148 it was unsuccessfully besieged by Conrad III. Under _Nûreddîn_ and _Saladin_ (p. 443) Damascus was the chief base of all the wars against the Crusaders. During the conflicts between the Mongols, who under _Hûlagû_ had captured the city in 1260, and the Egyptian Mameluke sultans, Damascus was specially favoured by _Beybars_ (1260–77). During the great predatory expedition of the Mongols under _Timur_ (1399–1400) many scholars and artists, including the city’s famous armourers, were exiled to Samarkand. In 1516 the Turkish sultan _Selim I._ (p. 542) entered the city as its final conqueror. In 1860 there took place a great massacre of Christians in which the Christian quarter was utterly destroyed and about 6000 Christians killed.

Damascus consists of several different quarters. The _Jews’ Quarter_, as in the time of the Apostles, adjoins the ‘Straight Street’ (p. 487), on the S.E. side of the city; to the N.E. of it is the poor _Christian Quarter_. The other parts of the town are Moslem. Far towards the S. stretches the suburb of _Meidân_, inhabited by peasants. The Arabian houses in the old town are noted for their splendour. They usually contain a spacious court, adorned with fountains, flower-beds, orange-trees, etc., and flanked on the S. side by a lofty open arcade (_lîwân_) with pointed arches.

The population is roughly estimated at 300,000, of whom four-fifths are Moslems, and there is a garrison of 12,000 men. The Damascenes are notorious for their ignorance and fanaticism. The city was once a great centre of learning, but of about a hundred old _medresehs_ or colleges five only now remain. The famous old weaving industry of the place (still employing about 10,000 primitive looms for silk, woollen, and cotton stuffs) is being steadily ousted by European competition. The busy bazaar traffic here is hardly less picturesque than at Cairo.

We begin our visit at the SERÂI SQUARE, the centre of business, built over the main branch of the Baradâ (p. 484). A _Monument_ here commemorates the opening of telegraphic communication with Mecca.

To the E. of the square are the *=Bazaars=. Through the covered _Sûk Ali Pasha_ (fruit and tobacco) we reach the _Sûk el-Hamîr_ (donkey-market), beyond which is an open street where corn is sold.

At a large plane-tree here we turn to the right to visit the interesting _Sûk es-Surûjîyeh_ (saddlers’ market), which ends near the citadel at the _Sûk en-Nahhâsîn_. This is the bazaar of the coppersmiths, who make the handsome _kursi_, or trays placed on wooden stands (p. 487) to serve as tables.

The =Citadel= (no admittance), a huge castle in the style introduced by the Crusaders, was built in 1219 and was afterwards restored by Beybars (p. 485). The thick walls stand on ancient substructures of massive blocks. At the corners rise square towers with bartisans. The chief gate is on the W. side.

From the W. side of the Citadel the chief thoroughfare of the city (tramway, see p. 484) leads past the _Military Serâi_ and the _Hammâm el-Malikeh_ (or _ed-Derwîshîyeh_) to the Meidân suburb (p. 487). On the left is the _Sûk el-Kharrâtin_, or Turners’ Market.