JERUSALEM. 



731 



menians, who sought, by these means, to gain possession 

 of the whole edifice, which was partitioned into churches 

 and rhapeU belonging to various sects protes>intr the 

 Chmtian religion. The monks who superintended the 

 lepulchre were particularly the objects of Turkisli op- 

 presMon, which the sincerity of their devotion alone 

 could enable them to support. They not only suffered 

 grievous exactions, but were repeatedly exposed to per- 

 sonal insult and danger. The Mu&sulmen of Jerusalem 

 themselve* revere the tombs of many saints, which af- 

 ford a profitable speculation to individuals, either from 

 the piou* endowments annexed to them, or the collec- 

 tion of alms. 



At present the Jewish synagogue is a miserable 

 structure, consisting of three or four apartments, with 

 roof* so low that they may be reached by the hand ; the 

 whole is covered with tilth and cobwebs, and disgust- 

 ingly dirty. The Jews of Jerusalem are restricted to 

 a certain quarter, and are represented as living in a very 

 Miserable condition. 



This city is equally sanctified in the eyes of Maho- 

 metans as of Christians. They call it el Kodt, or the 

 holy, and have a magnificent temple here, whose inte- 

 rior has been anxiously veiled from the latter. Their 

 ntMCUce would be deemed profanation ; and although 

 Dr Clarke was furnished with the most powerful of all 

 recommendations, the governor of Jerusalem declared, 

 that the forfeiture of his own life would follow his con- 

 sent to give him access. But we are now in possession 

 of a detailed description of it from an enterprising tra- 

 veller, who more recently traversed much of the east 

 under the guise of a Mahometan. 



The disciples of the prophet acknowledge two sanc- 

 tified temples, that of Mecca, and that ot Jerusalem ; 

 both are named el Hiram by way of distinction, and 

 are alike prohibited to Jews, Christians, and all who do 

 not profess the Mussulman faith. Mosques are merely 

 named the place of assembly ; and although the en- 

 trance of infidels is not specially prohibited, it is un- 

 welcome, and must be sanctioned by an order of some 

 public authority. " But no Mussulman governor dares 

 to allow an infidel to pass into the territory of Mecca, 

 or into the temple of Jerusalem. Such a permission 

 would be deemed a horrid sacrilege ; it would not be 

 respected by the people, and the infidel would become 

 the victim of his own temerity." Solomon's temple, 

 which has so often been held up to admiration, while 

 many superior works have passed unnoticed, was to- 

 tally destroyed when the city was sacked by the Ro- 

 BMDS. An Arabian historian relates, that, on being 

 taken by the Caliph Omar, he enquired, what would be 

 the most suitable place for erecting a mosque, of the 

 patriarch Sophronius, who led him to the ruins of the 

 temple. A new edifice was raised upon their site, 

 which consists of a court, or enclosed square, 1369 feet 

 long by 8S5 broad. The whole has not been construct- 

 ed at once, however, as it is a group of mosques erected 

 at different times. Access is gained by nine gates, en- 

 tering on the north and west sides. The principal part 

 of the structure is composeJbf two piles of magnificent 

 building*, called el Akta and el Sahara, which, in their 

 respective situation, may be considered as two distinct 

 temples, but together form one consistent and symme- 

 trical whole. El Akia is composed of seven naves sup- 

 ported by columns, and the centre nave is surmounted 

 by a fine spherical cupola, with two rows of windows, 

 and richly ornamented with arabesque paintings and 

 gildings of exquisite beauty. This cupola u 32 feet 



in diameter, and is sustained by four arches, reposing Jerusalem. 

 on four square pillars, the different sides of which are '*"' "Y""' 

 enlarged with handsome columns of brown marble. 

 Each side of the nave which it crowns rests on seven 

 arches slightly pointed, springing from cylindrical pil- 

 lars above two feet and a half in diameter, and sixteen 

 high. The walls rise thirteen feet above the tops of 

 the arches, and each contains two rows of windows. 

 A frontispiece, inlaid with pieces of beautiful marble, 

 ornaments the niche from whence the Imam directs the 

 prayer, with six small columns of white and green de- 

 corating the entrance. In a vault at one side the Ca- 

 liph Omar was accustomed to pray. A causeway, 284 

 feet long, fronts the principal gate of the temple, in the 

 middle of which is a fine marble bason, with a foun- 

 tain in form of a shell that formerly supplied the wa- 

 ter ; and at the end of the causeway is a fine staircase 

 leading to the other temple Sahara, which takes its 

 name from a rock greatly revered in the centre of the 

 edifice. This temple is octagonal, 61 feet of a side, 

 and 159 in diameter. Jt occupies a platform 4-60 feet 

 long, 399 broad, raised 16 feet from the ground, which 

 is ascended by eight staircases. The exterior is en- 

 crusted to half its height with various kinds of marble, 

 and the remainder covered with small bricks, or squares 

 of different colours. On each side of the octagon are 

 five large windows filled with glass finely painted in 

 arabesques.' The temple is entered by four gates, on 

 the north, east, west, and south, and is surmounted by 

 a cupola also, elevated 93 feet above the surface below, 

 which is a superb spherical segment, with two rows of 

 large windows, and is supported by four large pillars, 

 together with 12 magnificent columns ranged in a cir- 

 cle. The rock of Sahara approaches the segment of a 

 sphere 33 feet in diameter ; it is of its natural shape ; 

 the surface rugged and uneven. Here the Mahome- 

 tans exhibit the print of their prophet's foot when he 

 came to pray ; and they believe, that, next to the tem- 

 ple of Mecca, the prayers of mankind offered up at the 

 rock of Sahara are the most acceptable to heaven. It 

 la surrounded by a high gilt railing, and the sacred 

 impression itself is protected by a cage of gilt wire. 

 The Mahometans are taught that it is surrounded by an 

 ordinary guard of 70,000 angels, which is daily relieved, 

 and that other invisible troops of angels and prophets 

 resort hither to offer up their prayers. In the pave- 

 ment near the rock is a piece of waved green marble or 

 jasper, fastened down by four or five gilt nails, which, 

 however uninviting, they affirm is the gate to paradise. 

 Some of the nails they relate to have been removed by 

 the devil attempting to pass, but he was overheard in 

 time, and beaten back for ever. In this temple there 

 is preserved a koran of enormous size, being four feet 

 long, and above two and a half broad, which was used 

 by the Caliph Omar. Every night 180 lamps are light- 

 ed up here, and 175 in the mosque Aksa. Besides 

 these two structures, there are several others, and also 

 platforms for oratories, within the spacious limits of 

 the Mahometan temple, on one of which the throne of 

 Solomon is supposed to have stood. Not tar from the Hospital. 

 centre of the city is a magnificent building called the 

 hospital of St Helena, which is still devoted to charita- 

 ble purposes. Every Mahometan presenting himself 

 at the gate formerly received a supply of food, but the 

 extent of the charity has declined. 



It must not be conceived, that the few edifices hi- Environs of 

 therto named exhaust the curious and venerable remains Jerusalem, 

 of the capital of the Jews. On the contrary, they are 



