MECCA. 195 



place resemble an hospital rather than a temple ; — 

 even the Kaaba itself is rendered the scene of such 

 indecencies as cannot be particularly described, and 

 which are practised not only with impunity, but it 

 may be almost said without concealment. 



Near the gate of Bab es Salem, a few Arab sheiks 

 daily take their seat, with their paper and inkstands, 

 ready to write for any applicant, letters, accounts, 

 contracts, amulets, billet-doux, or any similar docu- 

 ments. They are principally employed by the Be- 

 douins, and demand an exorbitant remuneration. 

 One species of inviolable property belonging to the 

 mosque are the flocks of wild pigeons with which 

 Mecca abounds, and which nobody dares venture 

 to kill. Several small stone basins are regularly 

 filled with water for their use ; and as it is consid- 

 ered an act of piety to feed them, there are women 

 who expose corn and dhourra for sale on small 

 straw mats, and who occasionally embrace the op- 

 portunity of intriguing with the pilgrims, under 

 the pretence of selling them corn for the sacred 

 pigeons- 



The service of the temple employs a vast number 

 of people, consisting of khatibs, imams, muftis, mu- 

 ezzins, ulemas, eunuchs, lamp-hghters, metowafs, or 

 guides, with a host of other menial servants, all of 

 whom receive regular pay from the mosque, besides 

 their share of the presents made to it by the hajjis. 

 The first officer is the Naib el Haram, or guardian, 

 who keeps the keys of tlie Kaaba, and superintends 

 the repairs of the building. Burckhardt says he 

 was one of the heads of the three only families de- 

 scended from the ancient Koreish, then resident in 

 Mecca. Next to him is the aga or chief of the eu- 

 nuchs, who performs the duty of police-officer in 

 the temple. His attendants prevent disorders, and 

 daily wash and sweep the pavement round the 

 Kaaba. Their dress is the Turkish kaouk, and they 

 carry a long stick in their hand, with which they 



