TURKEY IN ASIA. 



905 



Mosque of Mrnham. 



and their horses, whicli are sU oiig and beautiful, are also articles of exportation. Mosul, which 

 is situated on a plain near the Tigris, was once a flourishing town ; but it is now declining, 

 though it still has about 60,000 inhabitants ; among whom, besides Turks, are many Curds, 

 Arabs, Jews, and Armenians. 



Diarbekir\ the ancient Jlmida, formerly the capital of an independent State, is now the seat 

 of a powerful pacha. It is surrounded by a wall, supposed to be a Roman work, famous for 



its height and solidity. 

 Many of the houses are 

 handsome, one mosque is 

 magnificent, and the cas- 

 tle is an ornament to the 

 town. Manufactures and 

 commerce are prosecuted 

 with some degree of spir- 

 it ; and the inhabitants 

 amount to 60,000. 



Or/a, in Mesopotamia, 

 is one of the finest cities 

 in this country. It is the 

 ancient Edessa, and is 

 supposed to be the Ur of 

 the Chaldees, where Abra- 

 ham dwelt before he came 

 toHaran. The city stands 

 on the slope of a hill, and 

 is 3 or 4 miles in com- 

 pass. The streets are 

 narrow, but well paved, 

 and tolerably clean. The 

 houses are all of stone 

 and well built, and the 

 city has numerous excel- 

 lent bazars or markets. 

 A small lake at one ex- 

 tremity of the city sup- 

 plies it with excellent wa- 

 ter. On the bank of this 

 lake stands the JWosque 

 of Abraham^ the most 

 splendid and regular edi- 

 fice of its kind in Asiatic 

 Turkey. It is a square 

 building, surmounted by 

 3 domes, and a lofty min- 

 aret rising from amidst a 

 grove of tall cypresses. 

 Every place of conse- 

 quence in the city bears 

 some relation to the name 

 of Abraham. The inhabitants are well-bred, polite, and tolerant, and the place is said to be 

 the most agreeable residence in all the Turkish dominions. Population, 50,000. 



Mardin, in Mesopotamia, is remarkable for its situation. It stands on the summit of a lofty 

 mountain, composed of white limestone. It is approached by a stairway cut in the rock, more 

 than 2 miles in extent. It is a saying of the Turks, that the inhabitants never see a bird flying 

 over their town. It has manufactures of silk and cotton. Population, 20,000. 



Beer, in Mesopotamia, stands on the Euphrates, and has a castle commanding the passage 

 of the river. It stands on a mountain full of immense excavations, many of which are fitted up 



Jlpproack to Mardiii. 



