CH. II. HOUSES OF TETUAN. 49 



with the Christian, trade, in which the Jew serves as 

 intermediary, has become a practical necessity, and it has 

 procured for him foreign luxuries which he is now little 

 inclined to forego. 



In point of fact, Tetuan boasts of being the cradle of 

 more wealthy Jewish families than any other town in the 

 world ; and among the practical concessions enjoyed by 

 them, there now appears to be no difficulty in the way of 

 Jews leaving the empire and returning to it, and frequent 

 intercourse is carried on between the city and Europe by 

 the way of Ceuta. The ceremonial observances of the 

 Mosaic law are strictly adhered to. The first question 

 put to us on our arrival was to know whether we had with 

 us leavened bread, as such could not be admitted to the 

 house during the feast of the Passover ; and during our 

 stay we were given cakes, some of plain flour, others 

 prepared with orange juice. 



The houses are quite on the same plan as those of the 

 Moors, or in other words they merely differ in architec- 

 tiual detail from the ancient type that is preserved for us 

 in the smaller houses of Pompeii. A single court (atrium) 

 has several small rooms or closets used for kitchen, offices, 

 and sleeping place for servants, and one large apartment, 

 the chief living room of the family, filling one side. This 

 remains open to the court by day, but is closed at night 

 by a curtain. On the upper floor a gallery surrounds the 

 court, and into this open upper rooms of moderate size. 

 In Nahum's house a second floor above the first had been 

 added, but this appeared to be an unusual arrangement. 

 On our arrival we had been struck by the superior neatness 

 and cleanliness of the Jewish, as compared to the Moorish, 

 quarter, and the same remark applied to their persons. 



No European traders appear to have settled at Tetuan, 

 and such trade as it possesses is in the hands of the 

 Jews. Oranges, and a sort of brandy, called Mahaya, dis- 

 tilled from the grape, are the chief exports. The coarse 

 pottery made here is much the same as that produced 



