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CHAPTER VIII. 
4 
1 HE appearance of Mocha from the sea is tolerably handsome, as 
all the buildings are white-washed, and the three minarets of the 
mosques rise to a considerable height. The uniform line of the 
flat-roofed houses is also broken by several tombs, which are called 
Kobas, after the celebrated mosque at that place, which was con- 
secrated by Mahommed himself, and was similar to them in its 
construction, being a square edifice covered with a circular dome. 
On landing at a pier, which has been constructed for the conveni- 
ence of trade, the effect is improved, by the battlements of the 
walls, and a lofty tower on which cannon are mounted, which 
advances before the town, and is meant to protect the sea gate. 
The moment however that the traveller passes the gates, these 
pleasing ideas are put to flight by the filth that abounds in every 
street, and more particularly in the open spaces, which are left 
within the walls, by the gradual decay of the deserted habitations 
which once filled them. The principal building in the town is 
the residence of the Dola, which is large and lofty, having one front 
to the sea, and another to a square, where, on a Friday, he and his 
chief officers amuse themselves in throwing the jerid in the manner 
described by Niebuhr. Another side of the square, which is the 
only regular place in the town, is filled up by the official residence 
of the Bas Kateb, or Secretary of State; and an extensive serai built 
