440 A . " 



This ornament is compofc ii chequered work.,, of very fmall tjles, 



painted alternately with bh 1 yellow colours of a ■ moll br"-lliar.f 



huej the continuity of wh . 'relieved m the cehtre of each ' -:? , 

 by ornaments,- in whiefe tht ■ . a more graceful aod Yariegatec 

 polition of the tiles. Over tlie arches which face the caba ot lectii-^ 

 and above the band, are three illuminated infcriptioa in Togra, (j) 

 The fide infcriptions are. immediately above the fide archesj and 

 in Arabic characters difpofed. in a circular form. The central orna- 

 ment, which is above the centre arch, partakes more of the' form of a 

 Barrow oval/ and contains the following infcriptioDj in large letters. 

 J >^r A"^ ^ J^ ^ I JT'^ ^ AllaBj Murammed, Ab.ubacr, OmaRj 

 OsMAN,HYDER,'(i.e.Ali) (k) by which we find that Sultan Muhammed^ 

 by whofe order all the ornaments in the mofque were executed, was a 

 Sunni{\) though all his predecefTors except the laft, were of the Skiah (m) 

 feft. The recefs itfelf is molt richly decorated with a profufion of gils 

 and enamelj and covered with beautiful infcriptions, all in- Arabic, with 

 the exception of a flanza inPcrfian, on the inftabililty of this life, and this 

 chronogram, ^ ^-^o-^i U ^ tiaU^/*-^^ jU «* -the building of the mofque 

 of the Sultan whofe end was happy" which makes the date of the com« 

 pletion of the mofque to be 991 Hijri, (n) The whole of the builds 

 iQg is. raifcd upon a terrace about 15 feet from the ground^ 

 which has vaults underneath ir. The height of the top - of the dome 

 from the furface of the ground is 140 feet. The outfide of the building 

 prefents a double arcade in each- face: the lower one is clofed, 

 the upper row is opeDj, and conditutes the front of a fpacious 



(J) A large on»ameotal eharacter io, arabic writing. 



(k) The nam?, of t'lie prophet a@d his four iisj-mQiiiatd Sttccessorr, in tha ©rder So wBicfe the/ succeeded 



to tile khaliphat, 

 (I) OrthodoK. 

 (m) The principal -sect of Dissent^ra. A fulUccouat of 60m sests is caalw'asi la B^Ohsiea^s Tables - '- 



i'Empire Oitomaa. 



