Travels into /i?^ L e v a n t- 
Part I. 
The New 
Mofque. 
A fair Fortko, 
Neceffary 
Houfes about 
tlie Mofyue, 
And Water 
near them. 
is the body of 2 Sultana., whom Solyman loved extremely, and the body alfo of a 
Son of Selim^ the fon of Solyman the Second. This Mofque hath a mofc lovelv 
Cloyfter with Bagnios and Fountains. The new Mofque built by Sultan 
Achmet^ is one of the faireft and moft rasgnificent in Conft^nmofle : The entry 
into it is through a large Court, that leads to a Portico^ which hath a gallery 
covered in length by nine Domes, and in breadth by fix, fupported by marb!e 
pillars and leaded ; then you enter as into a fquare Cloyfler, having many 
neceflary houfes about it, with each a cock, that gives water for purifying 
thofe that have done their needs there, according to the cuftom of theTurks - 
and there is alfo a lovely Fountain in the middle of the Cloyfter; the Mofque 
joyns to this Cloyfter, and the door of it is in it .• It is a very great Mofque, 
and hath a ftately Dome and it is full of Lamps, and curiofitics in glafs balls' 
of which one for inftance, contains a little galley well rigg'd, another the 
model of the Mofque in wood, and the reft a great many pretty knacks of that 
nature; at the back of this Mofque there is a Turbe, wherearc the bodies of 
Sultan Achmet and his children j upon their Coffins there is a great Chiaoux 
Cap, a big wax Taper ftanding by each of them, and alwaies fomebody there 
prayingfor the reftof their fouls* The chief entry into that Mofque is in the 
Atmeidm. There are befides feveral other fair Molques in Con^ianrnwfle^ as 
the Mofque of Sultan near the angle at the end of the Port j that 
of Sultan Se/m a little more remote from it; that which is called Chahz,ndeh 
Mefdgtdi, that's to fay, the Kings Sons Mofque, becaufe a fon of Solyma» built 
it near the Oda of the Janifaries ■• And the Mofque built by Bajazet, near to the 
old Seraglio •• All thefe Mofques have hofpitals and fchools, where a great 
many poor fchoUars, who have not means of their own to keep them, are 
maintained and educated. 
Mof([ue o^Sul- 
un Mehemmt. 
Mofque of Se- 
Urn. 
Mofque of 
Chahiadeh. 
Mofque of Ba- 
pxet, 
I'oor Scho- 
lars maintai- 
ned at the 
Charge of the 
Mofque. 
CHAP. XVII. 
Cftb 
Hyppodrome, tbe Piilarf and Obelish 
of Conftantinople. 
h'yppàrome. 
Atmeidan. 
An Obelisk. 
A Pillar of 
three Ser- 
pents. 
TaVifnwi a- 
gainft Ser- 
jjents. 
Hiftorlcal 
Pillar. 
Burnt Pillar. 
IN former times, there were a great many fair [Statues, Obelisks and Pillars 
in Con(l:antmople.y but they have been all fo ruined, that there are but a few 
ofthem remaining •• The ancient Hyppodrowe is ftill to be feen, and of the 
fame dimenfions as it was formerly of ^ it is a very large fquare, longer than 
broad,which was called Hyppodrome becaufe horfes were exercifed to run there, 
and the Turks IHllexercife them there daily, and call it the Atmeid^n, which 
is as much as tofay,the place or field of horfes ; in the middle of this place there 
is an Obelisk pretty entire, marked with hieroglyphick Letters, and feme 
fieps from thence a pretty high pillar, all made of Stones, layd onz upon 
another, without any ciment ; A little further, towards the end of the 
Square , there is a Pillar made of three brazen ferpents twifted together, 
the heads of which at fome diftance from one another, make the capi- 
tal of the pillar : Mahomet the fécond having taken Conftantinople., with the 
blow of a Zagaye or Mace of Arms, beat off the under jaw of oneof thofe 
heads, and fome fay that this pillar being placed there fora Tali [man againft 
ferpents, that breach is the caufe that ferpents have come there fince, which 
before they did not; however they do hurt,becaufe ( fay they ) the pillar isftiU 
in being there. There are two other fair pillars in the Town, the one very 
ancient, called the Hiftorical Pillar, becaufe all round from the bottom to the 
top, it is full of figures in bas relief, like thofe of Antoninus and Trajan at Rome.^ 
audit is faid to be the Hiftory ofan Expedition of Arcadim-, who erefted it, 
and put his Statue on the top; you maygoupto the top bya v^inding ftair- 
cafe that is within it. The other is called the burnt pillar, becaufe it is all 
black, having been fcorched by a fire that broke out in fome adjoyning 
houfes which fpoiPd it fo much, that they have been forced to gird it about 
with 
( 
