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to the namauz, or prayer; such reservoirs and fountains are made 

 near most of the mosques for the convenience of the congregation. 

 The other sides of this spacious area are rendered useful and orna- 

 mental by a surrounding corridore, of elegant columns, support- 

 ing a roof of light columns, forming a cloister round three parts 

 of the square; its interior walls and cornices are ornamented 

 with sentences from the Koran, emblazoned in a beautiful 

 manner. 



An uncommon degree of solemnity characterises this jumma 

 musjed. Grandeur and simplicity unite, and fill the mind with 

 reverential awe. Whatever may be the general characteristic of the 

 Mahomedans, their demeanor from the moment they enter the 

 house of prayer is truly exemplary. They seem conscious of 

 having approached the immediate presence of the Supreme Being, 

 and all ranks conduct themselves throughout the service with pious 

 humility. 



Near the jumma musjed is a grand mausoleum, in memory or 

 sultan Ahmed and two of his sons. Beyond it is the cemetery of 

 the sultanas, princesses, and favourite eunuchs in the royal haram. 

 No domes or temples cover their marble tombs, they are shaded 

 by cypresses and pomegranates, surrounded by flowering shrubs. 

 Certain lands, called wukf, are appropriated for the maintenance 

 of the mullahs and dervises who constantly reside there, to pre- 

 serve the tombs, keep the lamps burning, and strew flowers on 

 stated anniversaries. 



The mosque built by Sujaat Khaun, though less magnificent, 

 is more elegant than sultan Ahmed's; the columns and arches 

 are finely proportioned, and the whole structure, of the pures 



