256 



THE MOHAMMEDAN PILGRIMAGE. 



Poor haj j is, worn out with disease and hunger,, are 

 seen dragging their emaciated bodies along the co- 

 lonnades ; and when no longer able to stretch forth 

 their hand to ask the passengers for charity, they 

 place a bowl to receive alms near the mat on which 

 they lie. All the sick, when they feel their last 

 moments approach, are carried to the Temple, that 

 they may either be cured by a sight of the Kaaba, 

 or have the satisfaction of expiring within the sacred 

 enclosure. The friendless stranger thinks paradise 

 secure if he can obtain a sprinkling of the Zemzem 

 water, and breathe his latest sigh " in the arms of 

 the Prophet and the guardian angels." For a month 

 subsequent to the conclusion of the haj, dead bodies 

 are carried forth almost every morning, and buried 

 by persons in the service of the mosque. 



Before bidding adieu to the capital of Islam, there 

 are several holy spots in the town and suburbs which 

 the pilgrims visit. Among these are the mouleds, or 

 birthplaces of Mohammed, Fatima, Ali, Abu Beker, 

 and Abu Taleb who is the great patron of the city, 

 and whose name is held most sacred. The tombs of 

 Kadijah and Amina the Prophet's mother are also 

 objects of veneration. The guardianship of these places 

 is shared by several families, principally sheriffs, who 

 attend by turns with a train of servants, and generally 

 expect a contribution from the purse of the visiters. 

 Most of the hills in the vicinity are held as consecrat- 

 ed ground, from being the scene of the miracles or 

 revelations of the Apostle. On the top of Gebel Ko- 

 beis, the haj j is are shown the place where the moon 

 was split ; at Gebel Tor, the cavern where the fugi- 

 tive Prophet and his companions took shelter in their 

 flight to Medina ; and at Hira, now called Gebel 

 Nour or the Mountain of Light, the small grotto is 



