107 
Scherifs of Mecca, is a wicked cheat, named Seid 
Mhammed el Aatas. 
Monjim Baschi, or chief of the astronomers, is a 
person who enjoys a great deal of consideration at 
Mecca. He that filled that office at this moment did 
not understand astronomy himself, nor had he a single 
astronomer at his command. 
CHAPTER VII. 
Descz-iption of Mecca. — Its Geographical Position. — Topography. — Buildings.— 
Public Market Places. — Provisions. — Arts and Sciences. — Trade. — Misery. — 
Decline. 
The holy city of Mecca, the capital of Hedjaz, or 
the Arabia Deserta of the ancient geographers, the 
centre of the Mussulman religion, in consequence of 
the temple which Abraham raised to the Supreme 
Being, is the object of the affections of all true be- 
lievers. 
A great number of observations of the passing of 
the sun through the meridian, which I made, proved 
the latitude of Mecca to be 21° 28' 9"N.; and several 
others of the lunary distances proved the longitude to 
be 37° 54' 45" E. from the observatory of Paris. The 
house in which I lived, and upon the flat roof of which 
I made my observations, was situated almost in the 
middle of the city, at about 530 feet distance to the 
north from the Kaaba. 
Having observed several azimuths, my magnetical 
declination was 9° 43' 52'' W. 
The city of Mecca, called Mekka in Arabic, is situ- 
