91 
grims make their turns round the house of God, is the 
lowest part of the temple. 
If we suppose, then, the ground that surrounds the 
Kaaba raised to its original height, to the level of the 
streets that surround the temple, or as high as it was 
when this ancient edifice stood alone, and before the 
construction of the remainder of the temple, we shall 
find that the height of the hall, and the door in ques- 
tion, answer exactly to the general level of the earth 
at that period, and that consequently there was then no 
occasion for a staircase to enter it. 
It is true that we must then imagine, that the black 
stone was placed in another situation to that in which 
it is at present, since it is nearly two feet beneath the 
level of the door. An infidel would say perhaps that it 
did not exist, or that it was under ground: for myself, 
I cannot have such an idea concerning this precious 
pledge of divinity. 
The wooden staircase that they place before the 
door of the Kaaba, during the two days that it is open 
to the public, is mounted upon six large rollers of 
bronze, and has rails upon each side. It is about eight 
feet wide, and consists of ten steps. 
Near the door of the Kaaba, and on the side oppo- 
site the black stone, there is a small excavation, about 
a foot deep, paved with marble, upon which it is 
reckoned a particular merit to say a prayer. 
El Makam Ibrahim, or the Place of Abraham, is a 
species of parallelogramic cradle, facing the centre of 
the wall, in which is the door of the Kaaba, and at 
thirty-four feet distance. It is twelve feet nine inches 
long, and seven feet eight inches wide, and is placed 
with its narrowest end towards the building. The 
