108 
ated in a very narrow valley, the mean breadth of whi 
may be about 155 toises, that winds irregularly be- 
tween mountains from the north-east to the south-west; 
so that the city, which follows the windings of the 
valley, is quite irregular; and the houses being also 
built upon the sides of the mountains, render the plan 
of it still more so. It may be considered as an assem- 
blage of a great number of houses grouped to the 
north of the temple, prolonging themselves in the 
form of a crescent from the N. E. to the S. W. by S. 
It covers a line of 900 toises in length and 266 in 
breadth at its centre, which extends from east to west. 
The principal streets are regular enough; they may 
even be called- handsome, on account of the pretty 
fronts of the houses. They are sanded, level, and 
very convenient. I had been so long accustomed to 
live in the indifferent towns of Africa, that I was quite 
surprised at the fine appearance of the buildings of 
Mecca. 
I think they approach the Indian or Persian taste, 
which introduced itself during the time of the siege 
by the Caliph of Bagdad. They have two rows of 
windows, as at Cyprus, with balconies covered with 
blinds. There are even several large windows, quite 
open, as in Europe; but the greater number are 
covered by a species of curtain like a V enetian blind, 
made of palm tree. They are extremely light, and 
screen the apartments from the sun, without inter- 
rupting the passage of the air. They fold up at pleasure 
at the upper part, exactly like the former. 
The houses are solidly built with stone: they are 
three and four stories high, and even more sometimes. 
The fronts are ornamented with bases, mouldings, 
and paintings, which give them a very graceful ap- 
