MIXTA. 187 



Earts are .slrpngtlioned with broad iron lioops or 

 ands, as in ninny other bnildiny-s in llie Kast.* 

 The arches lluit front the g^reat court are all 

 crowned with small conical domes, plastered and 

 whitened on the outside ; beyond these is a second 

 row of low spherical cupolas, amounting- in all to 

 15C ; and above them rise seven minarets or steeples, 

 from the summits of which a beautiful view is ob- 

 tained of the busy crowd below. These are irreg-u- 

 iarly distributed, one being at each angle, and the 

 rest at ditforent parts of tlie mosque. Some parts 

 of the walls and arches, as well as the minarets, are 

 gaudily painted in stripes of yellowy red, or blue. 

 Around the whole colonnade lamps are suspended 

 from the arches, part of which are lighted every 

 night. The floors of the piazza are paved with large 

 stones, badly cemented. The area of the court is 

 below the level of the street, and surrounded by a 

 flight of stairs eight or ten steps in descent. From 

 the colonnades seven paved footpaths lead towards 

 the centre, elevated about nine inches above the 

 ground, and of sufficient breadth to admit four or 

 five persons to walk abreast. The intermediate 

 spaces are covered with fine gravel or sand. 



* The annexed engraving of Mecca and the Temple is from 

 the splendid work of D'Ohsson (Tableau de I'Emp. Ottoman). 

 The appearance of the town has altered materially since the 

 ravages committed by the Wahabees in the present century ; 

 but the view of the temple Burckhardt has pronounced to be 

 tolerably accurate, only the Kaaba is somewhat large in propor- 

 tion to the rest of the building. The view given in Kiebuhr, 

 copied from an ancient Arabic drawing, is less accurate than 

 that by D'Ohsson. The ground-plan of the mosque in Ali Bey 

 IS perfectly correct ; but his views in Mecca and the Hejaz are 

 not faithful. The view of Medina (vol. i. p. 262) is also from 

 D'Ohsson. That city has also been altered in its appearance 

 by the fate of war. The .suburbs are entirely omitted by the 

 latter writer ; and the mosque of the Prophet, being copied from 

 an old Arabic drawing, differs in several particulars from the 

 modem structure. It is to be regretted that Burckhardt was 

 prevented by severe illness from giving a correct plan of it 



