Part 72

Opposite the Military Serâi is the entrance to the ‘_Greek Bazaar_‘, a covered market restored in 1893, one of the largest in the city. Among the wares, for which buyers can hardly offer too little, are weapons, antiquities, clothing, pipe-stems, and ‘damascened’ daggers (made in Germany).

Straight through the Greek Bazaar we come to the _Sûk elHamîdîyeh_, also renovated, with its attractive Arabian sweetmeatshops. A side-street leads thence (l.) to the bazaar for _Water Pipes_ (a kind of hookah smoked by the peasants) and the _Sûk el-Asrunîyeh_, for utensils, glass, henna (p. 108), and attar of roses (p. 335).

Beyond the _Sûk Bâb el-Berîd_ (on the left) we pass the almost deserted bazaar-street of the _Booksellers_ (leading to the Omaiyade mosque, p. 488), with an old _Triumphal Arch_; whence a double row of columns once led to the ancient temple (see p. 488). We then turn out of the Hamîdîyeh, to the right, into the _Cloth Bazaar_ (chiefly imported goods). On the right is the _Tomb of Nûreddîn_ (p. 485; unbelievers not admitted).

Adjoining the S. side of the mosque are the bazaar of the _Joiners_, where we note the kabkâbs, a kind of patten, the kursistands, and the bridal chests, and that of the _Goldsmiths_.

To the S. of the great mosque is the region of the KHÂNS (p. 445). We come first to the _Khân el-Harîr_, or silk-bazaar, now that of the furriers. Near it is the _House of Asad Pasha_, one of the finest in the city (admittance with the aid of a dragoman). The *_Khân Asad Pasha_, with its superb stalactite portal, is the largest of all.

Near this point runs the ancient ‘STRAIGHT STREET’ (Acts ix. 11; now Sûk et-Tawîleh, or ‘long market’), connecting the Meidân road with the Bâb esh-Sherki (see below). A few paces to the W., towards the Meidân road, on the left, is the _Khân Suleimân Pasha_, for Persian carpets and silks. On the right, where the cloth-bazaar (see above) diverges, is the _Silk Bazaar_ proper, for the sale of keffîyehs (head-cloths, ‘kerchiefs’), table-covers, embroidery, woollen cloaks (abâyehs) for peasants and Bedouins, etc.—We next come to the _Sûk el-Attârîn_, or spice-market, and to the _Meidân Road_.

At the point where we join this road rises the =Jâmi es-Sinânîyeh=, one of the most sumptuous mosques in Damascus. The chief portal (E. side), with its rich stalactites, and the minaret enriched with fayencetiles (kishâni, p. 477) are interesting.

The road forks farther on. We follow the Meidân Road (at first called _Sûk es-Sinânîyeh_) to the S. Close to the _Jâmi el-Idein_, where the Meidân Road trends somewhat to the right, we pass, on the left, the Moslem cemetery _Makbaret Bâb es-Sarîr_, where women weep at the tombs on Thursdays.

The poor suburb of =Meidân= is modern. Its numerous mosques, including the fine _Kâat el-Ûla_, are in a ruinous state. The sûk is frequented by corn-dealers, whose grain is heaped up in open barns, and by smiths. The arrival of caravans here presents a picturesque scene. The long strings of camels are attended by ragged Bedouins. Among them are seen Haurânians, bringing their corn to market, and here and there a Kurd shepherd with his square felt-mantle driving his sheep to the shambles. The Bedouins, armed with guns or with long lances, sometimes ride beautiful horses. The wealthy Druses from Lebanon have a most imposing appearance. Twice a year almost all these types may be seen together: on the departure, and again, better still, on the return of the Mecca pilgrims.

If time permit we may now retrace our steps to the cemetery Makbâret Bâb es-Sarîr (see above) whence we take a short walk along the =City Wall=, on the S.E. side of the old town, beyond the Jewish and Christian quarters (p. 485). Its foundations are Roman, the central part dates from the days of Nûreddîn and the Egyptian sultan El-Ashraf Khalîl (1291), and the upper part from the Turkish period. Passing the camping-ground of the caravans from Bagdad and the _Bâb esh-Sherki_ (E. Gate, originally Roman), we come to the well-preserved _Bâb Tûmâ_ (St. Thomas’s Gate). [About ¾ M. to the S. of the Bâb esh-Sherki are Christian burial-grounds; in one of which _Henry Thomas Buckle_, the eminent English historian (d. 1862), is interred.]

Near the Bâb Tûmâ on the Aleppo road, beyond the Baradâ, are public gardens and pleasant cafés patronized by Christians. We return thence to the _Citadel_ (p. 486), passing between the Baradâ and the N. side of the town-wall, here probably Byzantine.

The great *=Omaiyade Mosque= (_Jâmi el-Umawî_), the finest monument of that dynasty in Syria next to the Dome of the Rock (p. 477), deserves close inspection. Entrance by the W. gate (_Bâb el-Berîd_), at the end of the booksellers’ sûk (p. 486). Gratuity to the sheikh who acts as guide ca. 1 mejidieh each person; addit. charge for slippers 1–2 pias. each person.

On the site of the mosque there once stood a Roman temple within a large quadrangle. This was succeeded by the church of St. John, a three-aisled basilica built by Emp. Theodosius I. (379–95), and so named from the ‘head of John the Baptist’ (Arabic Yahyâ) preserved in the Confessio, by which the Damascenes still swear. After the conquest of the city by the Arabs (p. 485) the E. half of the church was assigned to the Moslems. Caliph Welîd (705–15) deprived the Christians of the W. half also; and in 708, with the help, it is said, of 1200 Byzantine artificers, he transformed the church into the present mosque, which was so magnificent that Arabian authors extolled it as one of the wonders of the world. Adjacent to it the earliest school of learning was built by caliph Omar II. (717–20). The mosque was carefully restored after fires in 1069, 1400, and 1893, but its ancient glory has departed for ever.

We enter the great COURT, which with the mosque itself forms an immense rectangle of 143 by 104 yds., and is flanked by two-storied arcades in the Byzantine style. Behind these are the sleeping-apartments and studies of the teachers and students. The old marble pavement of the court, the mosaic incrustation of the walls, and the crown of pinnacles have disappeared. The fountain of ablution (_Kubbet en-Naufara_) and the two smaller domed buildings are modern.

Of the three TOWERS the ‘bride’s minaret’ (_Mâdinet el-Arûs_; now being rebuilt) on the N. side of the court is said to date from the time of Welîd. The ‘minaret of Jesus’ (_Mâdinet Isâ_), at the S.E. angle of the mosque, recalls the Crusaders’ edifices. The _Mâdinet el-Rarbîyeh_, at the S.W. angle, in the Egypto-Arabian style and famed for its view, was added by Kâït Bey (p. 458).

The INTERIOR (143 by 41 yds.), with its three span-roofs, still has the form of an early-Christian basilica. Above each of the two rows of columns, 23 ft. high, which separate the aisles, rises a row of ‘colonnettes’ with round-arch openings, to which similar round-arched windows in the outer walls correspond. In the centre a threefold transept, with four huge pillars supporting the dome (Kubbet en-Nisr, eagle’s dome), indicates the direction of Mecca. The Byzantine glass-mosaics of the time of Welîd, the superb timber ceiling, and the mihrâb and mimbar (15th cent.) were all sadly damaged by the fire of 1893. In the central aisle on the E., over the ‘head of John the Baptist’, rises a modern dome in wood.

On the N. side of the mosque, near the _Bâb el-Amâra_, are the handsome _Tomb of Saladin_ (Kabr Salâheddîn; adm. 6 pias.) and the _Medreseh_ and _Tomb Mosque of Sultan Beybars_ (p. 485), the latter, according to the inscription, built by his son in 1279.

The suburb of =Es-Sâlehîyeh= (tramway, see p. 484), l–1/4 M. to the N.W. of the Serâi Square, has about 25,000 inhab., mostly descended from Seljuks, reinforced later by Kurds and by Moslem refugees from Crete. The finest of the ruinous mosques, but not readily shown, is the tomb-mosque of _Muhieddîn ibn el-Arâbi_ (d. 1240), adjoined by the tomb of Abd el-Kâder (p. 221).

From the Cretan quarter at the W. end of the suburb we may ascend, past a platform affording a good view, to the (1¼ hr.) top of the _Jebel Kâsyûn_ (3718 ft.). The *View at the small _Kubbet en-Nasr_ (‘dome of victory’) embraces the city, encircled by the broad green belt of the oasis of the Rûta, the barren heights of Anti-Lebanon, with the long chain of _Mt. Hermon_ (9052 ft.; generally snow-capped) to the S.W.; and to the S.E., beyond _Jebel Mâni_, the distant hill-country of the _Haurân_.

Fuller details in _Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria_.

75. From Beirut to Smyrna (_and Constantinople_).

713 M. STEAMERS (agents at Beirut, see p. 481; at Smyrna, p. 531; at Constantinople, pp. 538, 539). =1.= _Messageries Maritimes_ (N. Mediterranean Marseilles and Beirut line), from Beirut every alternate Sat. (from Constantinople on Thurs.) viâ Rhodes, Vathy, and Smyrna to Constantinople in 4 days (fare 205 or 140 fr.).—=2.= _Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co._ (see also R. 72; Syria-Egypt circular line, coming from Alexandria) from Beirut on Thurs. night (in the reverse direction Thurs. aft.) viâ Tripoli, Alexandretta, Mersina, Chios, and Smyrna to Constantinople in 8½ days (fare 284 or 212 fr.; to Smyrna 198 or 148 fr.).—=3.= _Khedivial Mail Steamship Co._ (comp. also R. 72; from Alexandria and calling at Port Said) leaves Beirut every alternate Wed. foren. (returning Sat. aft.) for Constantinople (in 7 days) viâ Tripoli, Alexandretta, Mersina, Rhodes, Chios, Smyrna, Mytilini, the Dardanelles, and Gallipoli (fare £E 9¼ or £E 6½; see p. 431).

_Beirut_, see p. 481. The French steamers make straight out to sea in a W. direction. Astern Lebanon remains long in sight.

About half-a-day’s steaming brings us in view of the mountains of =Cyprus= (Turk. _Kibris_; pop. ca. 243,000), culminating in the bare _Troodos_ (6408 ft.). Under the Phœnicians and Greeks _Kypros_, the third-largest island in the Mediterranean (3613 sq. M.), was the seat of the cult of Aphrodite and the scene of a peculiar civilization, the product of Egyptian, Phœnician, and Greek influences in succession. In the middle ages the island was governed by kings of the house of Lusignan and was for a time the seat of the Knights of St. John (1292–1308; see pp. 475, 469, 490). Since 1878 it has been under British protectorate and only nominally Turkish.

Far away to the right we see the table-shaped _Capo Greco_ and the bays of _Larnaka_ and _Limassol_. We then pass, on the S. coast of Cyprus, the prominent peninsula of _Akrotiri_, with _Cape Gata_ (lighthouse) and _Cape Zevgari_. Beyond _Port Paphos_ (lighthouse) we skirt the rocky W. coast of the island.

On the coast of =Asia Minor= (Anatolia), on a clear day, we sight the beautiful ranges of the _Lycian Taurus_ (10,500 ft.; p. xxxiii); at night the lighthouse on the island of _Kasteloryzo_ (ancient _Megiste_), with the seaport of _Mandraki_, is sometimes visible.

To the S.E. of Rhodes we cross one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean (12,683 ft.).

Nearing =Rhodes= (562 sq. M.; ca. 30,000 inhab.), the eastmost island of the _Greek Archipelago_, we sight its S.E. coast as far as _Attáiros_ (4068 ft.; formerly _Atabyrion_) and _Cape Lartos_. The latter rises beyond the small bay of _Lindos_, which together with Ialysos and Kamiros, ancient Greek towns on the N. coast, and with Cnidus, Cos, and Halicarnassus, once formed the league of the Doric Hexapolis.

The French steamers call at _Rhodes_ (Hôt. Karayannis, good; Brit. vice-cons.), the capital of the island, picturesquely situated at its N.E. point. Founded in 408 B. C. by the three older towns (see above) it became famous in later Greek times for its navy and for the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue of Helios 112 ft. high, which was accounted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The ruinous mediæval *Fortifications and the Strada dei Cavalieri, with the old ‘Houses’ (places of assembly) of the different nations, recall the mediæval glory of Rhodes under the sway of the Knights of St. John (1308–1522) after their expulsion from Cyprus (p. 489).

We next steer through the _Ægean Sea_, where the scenery and the historic associations are alike most attractive. We pass the _S. Sporades_, Greek islands off the coast of ancient _Caria_ and _Lydia_, once ruled by the Knights of St. John, and now called _Dodekanesos_ (‘twelve islands’), which enjoy autonomy under Turkish suzerainty.

Steaming to the W.N.W. we cross the inland sea of the ancient _Doris_, between Rhodes and Cos, noted for its sponge-fishery. On our right lies the Anatolian peninsula of the ancient _Chersonesus Rhodia_, with _Cape Alupo_ (_Cynossema_) and the island of _Symi_ (_Syme_); to the W. rise the precipitous and fissured island of _Telos_ (_Tilos_; 2008 ft.) and the volcanic island of _Nisyros_ (2268 ft.), with its huge, still smoking crater and its hot springs. To the N.W. stretch the long outlines of _Chersonesus Cnidia_, with the ruins of _Cnidos_ and _Cape Krio_ (_Triopium Promontorium_).

The steamer rounds the E. coast of Cos (2871 ft.; Turk. _Istankiöi_; not one of the Dodekanesos group), once the seat of the most ancient shrine of Æsculapius and of a famous medical school (Hippocrates), and passes the peninsula of _Budrum_ (_Halicarnassus_). To the W. appear in succession the islands of _Kalymnos_ (2248 ft.), _Leros_ (1086 ft.), _Lipso_ (902 ft.; _Lepsia_), and _Arki_ (_Acrite_).

To the E. of the island of _Gaïdaronisi_ (696 ft.; _Tragia_), where Cæsar was captured by pirates in 76 B. C., opens the _Latmian Bay_, belonging to the ancient _Ionia_, now silted up by the deposits of the Mæander. A little inland are the ruins of _Miletus_ and _Priene_.

The French steamers now pass through the _Straits of Samos_, between the _Samsun Dagh_ (4150 ft.; _Mykale_) and the island of =Samos=, whose old capital, _Samos_, now _Tigani_, with its walls of the age of Polycrates and its new harbour (1908), is seen in the distance.

=Vathy= (Xenodochion Hegemonia tēs Samu, a good inn; pop. 9500), the new capital of Samos, lies in the bay of Scalanova (set below), on the N. coast. Above the narrow bay rises the distant Samsun Dagh. On the shore stands the plain palace of the Samian princes. Since 1832 the island has formed a Christian-Greek state under Turkey. The _Museum_, in the court of the high school, contains antiquities from the famous shrine of Hera and from Tigani.

The French vessels, soon after starting, offer a retrospect of _Mt. Kerki_ (4725 ft.; _Cerceteus Mons_), the highest in Samos, and then cross the _Bay of Scalanova_ (_Sinus Caystrius_). In the hill-country on the mainland, to the E. of this bay, near the mouth of the _Cayster_ or _Kaystros_, once lay the rich Ionian towns of _Ephesus_ and _Colophon_ and, to the N. of these, _Lebedus_ and _Teos_.

Passing the _Bay of Sighajik_ and _Cape Koraca_ (_Carycium Promontorium_) we soon reach the _Straits of Chios_ (comp. p. 492).

_Smyrna_, see p. 530; voyage thence to _Constantinople_, see p. 533.

76. From Alexandria to Athens and Smyrna (_and Constantinople_).

FROM ALEXANDRIA TO THE PIRÆUS (Athens: 590 M.): =1.= _Khedivial Mail Steamship Co._ (Alexandria and Constantinople line), from Alexandria on Wed. (returning from the Piræus Thurs.) aft., in 42 hrs. (fare £ E 5 or £ 3 E 25 pias.).—=2.= _Rumanian Mail Line_ (Alexandria and Constantza line), from Alexandria on Frid. aft. (returning from the Piræus Sat. aft.), in 2 days.—=3.= _Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co._ (Odessa, Constantinople, and Alexandria line), from Alexandria on Frid. aft. (from the Piræus Tues.), in 2 days (130 or 90 fr.).

FROM ALEXANDRIA TO SMYRNA (623 M.), steamers of the Belgian company _La Phocéenne_ (between Alexandria and Constantinople), every Sat. aft. viâ Rhodes, Leros, and Chios.

Agents in Alexandria, see p. 432; at the Piræus, p. 494; at Smyrna, p. 531. Passports for Turkey should be _visés_ before starting, or a Turkish passport (_teskeré_) may be obtained at the government buildings (p. 434).

_Alexandria_, see p. 431. The ATHENS STEAMERS steer to the N.W. to the _Strait of Kasos_, 28 M. broad, lying between _Kasos_ (1706 ft.; one of the Dodekanesos group, p. 490) and _Crete_ (p. 415). Behind Kasos rises the lofty island of _Kárpathos_ (4003 ft.; Ital. _Scarpanto_, Turk. _Kerpe_), like the former one of the southmost of the Sporades. Fine view of the _Sitía Mts._ (4852 ft.), continued by the _Lasithi Mts._, together called _Dikte_ in ancient times. Off the E. coast of Crete we see the flat islet of _Elasa_.

We steer close by _Cape Sídero_ (lighthouse), the N.E. point of Crete, and past the _Gianitsades_ (_Insulae Dionysiades_). As we steam across the _Cretan Sea_ (_Mare Creticum_) the high mountains of Crete long remain visible.

We next pass _Askania_ (469 ft.) and _Christiana_ (916 ft.), the southmost islets of the _Cyclades_ (p. xxxii), which belong to Greece, and which, like the S. Sporades (p. 490) in the _Ægean Sea_, rise from a submarine barrier running between the extremities of Attica and Eubœa (p. 529) and the coast of Asia Minor.

Beyond Christiana we have a striking view of the immense prehistoric crater-basin formed by the islands of _Therasía_ (952 ft.) and _Santorin_ (p. 417). To the N. appear the wild rocky island of _Síkinos_ (1480 ft.) and the distant _Iós_ or _Niós_ (p. 417), and to the N.W. _Pholégandros_ (1349 ft.) and the large volcanic island of _Melos_ or _Milos_ (2537 ft.).

We steer between Pholégandros on the right and _Polinos_ (1171 ft.) on the left, a broad passage marked by lighthouses at night, and then through the strait between _Kímolos_ (1306 ft.) on the left and _Siphnos_ (2280 ft.; lighthouse) on the right, both of which, like _Sériphos_ (1585 ft.; on the right; with iron-mines), have retained their ancient Greek names.

Passing at some distance from _Thermiá_ (1148 ft.; the ancient _Kythnos_) and _Kea_ (p. 529) we steer close by the islet of _Hágios Georgios_ and through the _Bay of Ægina_ to the _Piraeus_ (p. 494).

* * * * *

On the VOYAGE TO SMYRNA we steam to the N.N.W., 370 M. from Alexandria, to _Rhodes_ (p. 490).

Beyond Rhodes on the left are the island of _Charki_ (1954 ft.), off its N.W. coast, and then _Telos_ and _Nisyros_ (p. 490). A little farther on we pass through the strait between the _Syrina Group_, on the left, and the islets of _Kandelëusa_ and _Pantelëusa_ (181 ft.; lighthouse), adjoining Nisyros, on the right.

To the W. we sight the double-peaked island of _Astropalia_ (1660 ft.; ancient _Astypalaea_) and _Amorgós_ (p. 417), and to the E. _Cos_ and _Kalymnos_ (p. 490). Beyond the lights on the islet of _Lévitha_ (548 ft.) and beyond _Leros_ (p. 490), at which the steamer calls, the rocky isle of _Patmos_ or _Patínos_ (870 ft.), St. John’s place of exile, becomes more conspicuous.

We next steer round _Cape Papas_, the W. point of the bold island of _Nikaria_ or _Ikaria_ (3422 ft.), and then to the N.N.E. through the _Straits of Chios_, 4½ M. in breadth, between the island of =Chios= (Turk. _Sakis Adasi_; 318 sq. M. in area) and the mainland of Anatolia or Asia Minor. The S. entrance of the straits, beyond _Capo Bianco_ (right; once _Argennon_), is flanked with the islets of _Páspargon_ (lighthouse) and _Panagia_. On the right lies the harbour of _Cheshmeh_, a little town with a mediæval castle.

We now enter the harbour of =Kastro=, or _Chios_ (Xenodochion Nea Chios, a good inn; pop. about 14,000, mostly Greeks), the capital of the island, on the E. coast. Once a most important member of the Ionian league of cities, Chios belonged in the middle ages to the Venetians (1204–1345), and then to the Genoese (1346–1566), and only became Turkish under Suleiman the Great (p. 542). The fruitless Greek struggle for independence ended with the massacre of Chios in 1832. The hill-country of Chios is extremely fertile. A valuable export is the gum of the mastic-shrub.

We next pass close to the _Goni Islands_, lying in front of the bay of _Lytri_ (_Erythrae_), and the _Spalmatori Islets_ (_Œnussae Insulae_), at the N. end of the straits of Chios.

Sail up the _Gulf of Smyrna_, see p. 530.

77. From (_Marseilles_, _Genoa_) Naples to Athens (_and Constantinople_).

774 M. FROM NAPLES TO ATHENS (steamboat-agents at Marseilles, see p. 120; at Genoa, p. 114; at Naples, p. 137; at the Piræus, pp. 494, 495). =1.= _North German Lloyd_ (Mediterranean & Levant Service, RR. 23, 24, 80) from Marseilles every other Thurs. viâ Genoa (Sat.), Naples (Mon.), and Catania (Tues.) to the Piræus in 6 days (fare from Marseilles 180 or 120 marks, from Genoa 168 or 112 marks, from Naples 120 or 84 marks, from Catania 96 or 64 marks).—=2.= _Messageries Maritimes_ (Marseilles, Constantinople, and Beirut line), from Marseilles every second Thurs. viâ Naples (Sat.) to the Piræus in 4 days (fare 225 or 150 fr.); also (Marseilles, Constantinople, and Black Sea line) every second Sat. viâ Kalamata and Canea (p. 415) to the Piræus in 5 days.—=3.= _Società Nazionale_, lines X and XI (Genoa, Constantinople, and Odessa line), from Genoa, Tues. night, viâ Leghorn (p. 143), Naples (Frid.), Palermo (p. 147), Messina, Catania, and Canea (p. 415) to the Piræus in 11 days (fare from Naples 155 fr. 50 c. or 109 fr.).

From _Marseilles_ and _Genoa_ to Naples, see RR. 23, 24.

From Naples (see R. 27), after half-a-day’s sail, we reach the superb _Straits of Messina_. On the right, at the foot of the _Monti Peloritani_, lie the ruins of =Messina= (p. 156); to the left is _Reggio_ (p. 159); to the S.W. towers _Mt. Ætna_ (p. 159).

The German and Italian boats steer to the S.S.W. to =Catania= (p. 160).

Sailing to the E.S.E., and gradually leaving Ætna behind, we lose sight of land for a whole day. At length, on the left, we sight the _Messenian Peninsula_ of the Peloponnesus, flanked by the _Œnussae Islands_; beyond it, the _Bay of Koronē_, the ancient _Messenian Bay_, runs far inland. We then steer to the E. towards _Cape Taenaron_ or _Matapán_ (p. xxxii), the S. point of the peninsula of _Mani_. To the N.E. looms the bold rocky crest of _Mt. Taygetos_ (7903 ft.), whose top is free from snow in summer only.

Beyond Cape Tænaron the _Bay of Marathonisi_, the ancient _Sinus Laconicus_, opens to the N. We next pass between _Cape Maléa_, notorious for its storms, and the island of _Kythera_ (1660 ft.; Ital. _Cerigo_), and turn towards the N. For a short time we see the mountains of _Crete_ (p. 415) to the S.E. The bleak S.E. coast of the Peloponnesus is now gradually left behind, while to the right a few small rocky islands, belonging to the Cyclades (p. 492), come into sight.

Off _Hydra_ (1942 ft.; lighthouse), near the peninsula of _Argolis_, opens the _Bay of Ægina_, the ancient _Saronic Gulf_. To the left is the island of _Poros_; in the background rises Mt. Hágios Elias (1748 ft.), the highest hill in _Ægina_. On the right, beyond the islet of _Hagios Geōrgios_ (1050 ft.; lighthouse), the ancient _Belbina_, appears the hilly S. extremity of Attica with _Cape Colonna_ (p. 529). The barren rounded hill in Attica, much foreshortened at first, is _Mt. Hymettos_; straight in front of us is _Mt. Parnes_, forming the N. boundary of the Attic plain.