THE PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA ad. 



c. 1580. 

 honest living, so that this place is very pleasant and 

 delightfull. This city hath three gates, one of which 

 is an hospitall caused to be built by Cassachi, called the 

 Rose, who was wife to Sultan Soliman grandfather to 

 this emperour. The sayd hospitall hath nought els 

 woorthy mention, save that it is fairely built, and hath 

 large revenues belonging thereunto, and nourisheth many 

 poore people. A mile from the city are certaine houses 

 whereof they affirme one to be the same, where Mahumet 

 in his lifetime dwelt. This house hath on every side 

 very many faire date trees, amongst which there are two 

 which grow out of one stocke exceeding high, and these, 

 they say, their Prophet graffed with his owne hand : 

 the fruit thereof is alwayes sent to Constantinople, to 

 be presented unto the Grand Signior, and is sayd to be 

 that blessed fruit of the Prophet. Nere unto the date 

 trees is a faire fountaine of cleere and sweet water, the 

 which by a conduct pipe is brought into the city ot 

 Medina. Also there is a little Mosquita, wherein three 

 places are counted holy, and greatly reverenced : the first 

 they affirme, that their Prophet made his first prayer in, 

 after he knew God : the second is that whither he went 

 when he would see the holy house of Abraham, where 

 when he sate downe to that intent, they say the moun- 

 taines opened from the toppe to the bottome to shew 

 him the house, and after closed againe as before : the 

 third holy place is in the midst of the sayd Mosquita, 

 where is a tombe made of lime and stone fouresquare, 

 and full of sand, wherein, they say, was buried that 

 blessed camell which Mahumet was alwayes woont to 

 ride upon. On the other side of the city are other 

 tombes of holy Mahumetans, and every one of them 

 hath a tombe built upon foure pillers, amongst which 

 three were the companions of Mahumet, to wit, Abu- 

 bacar, Ottoman, and Omar ; all which are visited of the 

 pilgrims as holy places. 



[The offering 

 3^3 



