.fnotograpn trom diaries E. Aloser 



A VIEW OF ADEN FROM THE TANKS : ARABIA 



This British seaport, which stands guard at the southeastern entrance to the Red Sea, 

 nestles in the crater of an extinct volcano, whose rugged walls are plainly seen in the back- 

 ground. The tanks provide a part of Aden's limited water supply. 



Dhu'l Hajj, 1327 A. H. (1909). The 

 water reached nearly to the door of the 

 Ka'aba and the whole court was inun- 

 dated. 



The Ka'aba proper stands in an oblong 

 space 250 paces long and 200 broad, sur- 

 rounded by colonnades, which are used 

 as schools and as a general meeting place 

 for pilgrims. The outer inclosure has 

 nineteen gates and six minarets : within 

 the inclosure is the well of Zem Zem, the 

 great pulpit, the staircase used to enter 

 the Ka'aba door, which is high above the 



ground, and two small mosques called El 

 Kubattain. The remainder of the space 

 is occupied by pavements and gravel, 

 where prayers are said by the four ortho- 

 dox sects, each having its own allotted 

 space. 



In the southeast corner of the Ka'aba, 

 about 5 feet from the ground, is the fa- 

 mous Black Stone, the oldest treasure of 

 Mecca. The stone is a fragment resem- 

 bling black volcanic rock, sprinkled with 

 reddish crystals, and worn smooth by the 

 touch of centuries. It was undoubtedly 



164 



