Travels In Arabia

J >> John Lewis Burckhardt >> Travels In Arabia

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The town is supplied with sweet water by a fine subterraneous canal,
carried hither from the village of Koba, about three quarters of an hour
distant, in a southern direction, at the expense of Sultan Solyman, the
son of Selym I. The water is abundant, and, in several parts of the
town, steps are made down to the canal, where the inhabitants supply
themselves with water, but are not, like the people of Mekka, obliged to
pay for it. On the skirts of the Monakh, a large reservoir, cased with
stone, has also been made, on a level with the canal, which is
constantly kept full. The water in the canal runs at the depth of
between twenty and twenty-five feet below the surface; it is derived
from several springs at Koba, and, though not disagreeable to the taste,
is nevertheless of bad quality. If left for half an hour in a vessel, it
covers the sides of it with a white nitrous crust; and all foreigners,
who are not accustomed to it from their earliest youth, complain of its
producing indigestion. It is tepid at its source in Koba, and even at
Medina slightly preserves its temperature. There are also many wells
scattered over the town; every garden has one, by which it is irrigated;
and wherever the ground is bored to the depth of twenty-five or thirty
feet, water is found in plenty. Of some wells the water is sweet enough
for drinking; of others quite brackish. The fertility of the fields and
gardens is in proportion to the quality of the well-water; those
irrigated with brackish water, repay badly the labour of their owners;
the date-trees alone thriving equally well in any place.

In addition to the water of the wells and the aqueduct, the town in
winter time receives a supply from the considerable torrent called Seyl
el Medina, or Seyl Bathan, which flows from S. to N. passing across the
suburbs, and losing itself in a stony valley to the N.W. [All the
neighbouring torrents lose themselves in a low ground in the western
mountains, called El Ghaba, and also El Zaghaba. See Samhoudy.] A heavy
rain for one night will fill its bed, though it usually decreases as
fast

[p.329] as it swells. In that part of the suburb, called El Ambarye, we
find a good arched stone bridge thrown across its banks, where it is
about forty feet in breadth. The neighbouring country abounds with
similar torrents, which fill many ponds and low grounds, where the water
often remains till the summer months: these, together with the wells,
contribute to render the environs of this town celebrated for the
abundance of water, surpassing, in this respect, perhaps, any other spot
in northern Arabia, and which had made this a considerable settlement of
Arabs, long before it became sacred among the Moslims, by the flight,
residence, and death of Mohammed, to which it owes its name of Medina,
or Medinet el Neby.

The great abundance of water has made cisterns of little use in the
town; and I do not believe that more than two or three houses have them;
though it would be very desirable to collect the rain-water for
drinking, from the torrents, in preference to the nitrous water of Koba.
During heavy rains the Monakh, between the suburbs and the town, becomes
a complete lake, and the S. and S.E. environs are covered with a sheet
of water. The inhabitants hail these inundations as a sure promise of
plenty, because they not only copiously irrigate their date-trees, but
likewise cause verdure to spread over the more distant plains inhabited
by Bedouins, on whose imports of cattle and butter Medina depends for
its consumption.

The precious jewel of Medina, which sets the town almost upon a level
with Mekka, and has even caused it to be preferred to the latter, by
many Arabic writers, [This is particularly the case with the sect of the
Malekites, who pretend that Medina is more to be honoured than Mekka.]
is the great mosque, containing the tomb of Mohammed. Like the mosque of
Mekka, it bears the name of El Haram, on account of its inviolability; a
name which is constantly given to it by the people of Medina, while, in
foreign parts, it is more generally known under the appellation of
Mesdjed en' Neby, the mosque or temple of the Prophet, who was its
original founder. The ground-plan will show that this mosque is situated
towards the eastern extremity of the town, and not in the midst of it,
as the Arabian historians

[p.330] and geographers often state. Its dimensions are much smaller
than those of the mosque at Mekka, being a hundred and sixty-five paces
in length, and a hundred and thirty in breadth; but it is built much
upon the same plan, forming an open square, surrounded on all sides by
covered colonnades, with a small building in the centre of the
square. [The representations of this mosque, given both by Niebuhr and
D'Ohhson, are very incorrect, being copied, probably, from old Arab
drawings. I had intended to make a correct plan of it, but was prevented
by my illness; and I should not wish to add one from mere recollection.
Samhoudy states its dimensions as quite different, and says that it is
two hundred and forty pikes in length, one hundred and sixty-five pikes
in breadth on the S. side, and one hundred and thirty on the N. side. He
adds that there are two hundred and ninety-six columns. I am not quite
sure whether the building has been materially changed since his time,
and after the fire in A.H. 886; but I believe not, and regard his
account as much exaggerated.] These colonnades are much less regular
than those at Mekka, where the rows of pillars stand at much the same
depth on all sides. On the south side of this mosque, the colonnade is
composed of ten rows of pillars behind each other; and on the west side
are four rows; on the north, and part of the east side, only three rows.
The columns themselves are of different sizes. On the south side, which
contains the Prophet's tomb, and which forms the most holy part of the
building, they are of larger dimensions than in the other parts, and
about two feet and a half in diameter. They have no pediments, the
shafts touching the ground; and the same diversity and bad taste are as
conspicuous in the capitals here as in the mosque at Mekka, no two being
alike. The columns are of stone, but, being all plastered white, it is
difficult to decide of what species. To the height of about six feet
from the ground they are painted with flowers and arabesques, in a
coarse and gaudy style; by which means, probably, it was intended to
remedy the want of pediments. Those standing nearest to that part of the
southern colonnade called El Rodha, are cased for half their height with
bright glazed green tiles or slates, decorated with arabesques of
various colours: the tiles seem to be of Venetian pottery, and are of
the same kind as those used to cover stoves in Germany and Switzerland.

[p.331]The roof of the colonnade consists of a number of small domes,
white-washed on the outside, in the same manner as those of Mekka. The
interior walls are also white-washed all round, except the southern one,
and part of the S.E. corner, which are cased with slabs of marble,
nearly up to the top. Several rows of inscriptions, in large gilt
letters, are conducted along this wall, one above the other, and have a
very brilliant effect upon the white marble. The floor under the
colonnades, on the west and east sides, and part of the north, is laid
out with a coarse pavement; the other part of the N. side being unpaved,
and merely covered with sand; as is likewise the whole open yard. On the
south side, where the builder of the mosque has lavished all this
ornament, the floor is paved with fine marble across the whole
colonnade; and in those parts nearest to the tomb of Mohammed, this
pavement is in mosaic, of excellent workmanship, forming one of the best
specimens of that kind to be seen in the East. Large and high windows,
with glass panes, (of which I know not any other instance in the Hedjaz)
admit the light through the southern wall; some of them are of fine
painted glass. On the other sides, smaller windows are dispersed along
the walls, but not with glass panes. [The art of painting glass with
durable colours seems never to have been lost in the East.]

Near the S.E. corner stands the famous tomb, so detached from the walls
of the mosque, as to leave between it and the S. wall a space of about
twenty-five feet, and fifteen between it and the E. wall. The enclosure,
which defends the tomb from the too near approach of visiters, forms an
irregular square of about twenty paces, in the midst of the colonnade,
several of its pillars being included within it: it is an iron railing,
painted green, about two-thirds the height of the columns, filling up
the intervals between them, so as to leave their upper part projecting
above it, and entirely open. The railing is of good workmanship, in
imitation of filligree, and is interwoven with open-worked inscriptions
of yellow bronze, supposed by the vulgar to be of gold, and of so close
a texture, that no view can be gained into

[p.332] the interior, except by several small windows, about six inches
square, which are placed in the four sides of the railing, about five
feet above the ground. On the south side of the railing, where are the
two principal of these windows, before which the visiters stand when
praying, the railing is thinly plated over with silver, and the often-
repeated inscription of "La Illaha il Allah al hak al Mobyn," ("There is
no God but God, the evident Truth,") is carried in silver letters across
the railing all round these windows. This enclosure is entered by four
gates, three of which are constantly kept shut, and one only is opened,
every morning and .evening, to admit the eunuchs, whose office it is to
clean the floor and light the lamps. Each of these gates has its
particular name: Bab en' Neby, Bab Errahme, Bab et Touba, Bab Setna
Fatme. The permission to enter into this enclosure, which is called El
Hedjra, is granted gratis to people of rank, as Pashas, or chiefs of the
Hadj caravans, and may be purchased by other people from the principal
eunuchs, at the price of about twelve or fifteen dollars, distributed in
presents among them: but few visiters avail themselves of this
privilege, because they well know that, on entering the enclosure,
nothing more is to be seen than what falls under their observation when
peeping in at the windows of the railing, which are constantly kept
open; and I was myself not inclined to attract general notice, by thus
satisfying my curiosity. What appears of the interior is a curtain
carried round, which takes up almost the whole space, having between it
and the railing an open walk, of a few paces only in breadth. The
curtain is equal in height to the railing; but I could not distinguish
from below, whether, like the latter, it is open at the top. There is a
covering, (as the eunuchs affirm,) of the same stuff of which the
curtain is made; this is a rich silk brocade, of various colours,
interwoven with silver flowers and arabesques, with a band of
inscriptions in golden characters, running across the midst of it, like
that of the covering of the Kaaba. This curtain is at least thirty feet
high: it has a small gate to the north, which is always shut; no person
whatever being permitted to enter within its holy precincts, except the
chief eunuchs, who take care of it, and who put on, during the night,
the new curtain sent from

[p.333] Constantinople, whenever the old one is decayed, or when a new
Sultan ascends the throne. The old curtains are sent to Constantinople,
and serve to cover the tombs of the sultans and princes. [See D'Ohhson.
The historian of Medina says, that in his time it was changed every six
years, and that the income from several villages in Egypt was set apart
at Cairo for the manufacturing of those curtains.]

According to the historian of Medina, the curtain covers a square
building of black stones, supported by two pillars, in the interior of
which are the tombs of Mohammed, and his two earliest friends and
immediate successors, Abou Beker and Omar. As far as I could learn here,
these tombs are also covered with precious stuffs, and in the shape of
catafalques, like that of Ibrahim in the great mosque of Mekka. They are
said to be placed in the following order: [not included] The largest
being that of Mohammed, and the one above it Abou Beker's. The historian
says, that these tombs are deep holes; and that the coffin which
contains the dust of Mohammed, is cased with silver, and has on the top
a marble slab, inscribed, "Bismillahi Allahuma Sally aley." ("In the
name of God, bestow thy mercy upon him.") They did not always stand in
their present position: Samhoudy places them at different times thus:
[not included]

The stories once prevalent in Europe, of the prophet's tomb being
suspended in the air, are unknown in the Hedjaz; nor have I ever heard
them in other parts of the East, though the most exaggerated accounts of
the wonders and the riches of this tomb are propagated by those who have
visited Medina, and wish to add to their own importance by relating
fabulous stories of what they pretend to have

[p.334] seen. Round these tombs the treasures of the Hedjaz were
formerly kept, either suspended on silken ropes, drawn across the
interior of the building, or placed in chests on the ground. Among
these, may be particularly mentioned a copy of the Koran, in Cufic
characters, kept there as a precious relic, from having belonged to
Othman ibn Affan. It is said still to exist in Medina; but we may doubt
whether it escaped the conflagration which destroyed the mosque. I have
related, in my history of the Wahabys, that during the siege of Medina
considerable portions of the treasures, more particularly all the golden
vessels, were seized by the chiefs of the town, ostensibly for the
purpose of being distributed among the poor, but that they were,
finally, divided among themselves. When Saoud took the town, he entered
the Hedjra himself, and penetrated behind the curtain, where he seized
upon every thing valuable he found; of this he sold a part to the Sherif
of Mekka, and the rest he carried with him to Derayeh. Among the
precious articles which he took, the most valuable is said to have been
a brilliant star set in diamonds and pearls, which was suspended
directly over the Prophet's tomb. It is often spoken of by the Arabs,
who call it Kokab ed'durry. Here were deposited all sorts of vessels,
set with jewels, ear-rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments,
sent as presents from all parts of the empire, but brought principally
by great hadjys who passed through Medina. There is no doubt that the
whole formed a. collection of considerable value, but far from being
inestimable, as the people are inclined to fancy. Sherif Ghaleb
estimated that part of it which he bought, at one hundred thousand
dollars. The chiefs of the town are said to have carried. off about one
hundred weight of golden vessels, at most worth forty or fifty thousand
dollars; and what Saoud took with him is said to have consisted chiefly
in pearls and corals, and was certainly not worth more than Ghaleb's
purchase. The total value, therefore, might have amounted to about three
hundred thousand dollars. Money never appears to have been deposited
here; for whatever presents were made to the mosque in cash, were
immediately distributed among its attendants. There is good reason for
supposing, however, that the donations of the faithful, which
accumulated here for ages, amounted to a much greater sun than what

[p.335] is stated above; but it would be strange if the governors of
Medina, who were often independent, or the guardians of the tomb
themselves, should not have made occasional draughts upon this treasure,
in the same manner as the olemas of Mekka, about three hundred years
since, stole the golden lamps of the Kaaba, and carried them out of the
temple, hid under their wide sleeves, according to Kotobeddyn the
historian.

Tousoun Pasha, on his arrival at Medina, made search for the golden
vessels, which had been re-sold by the chiefs of the town to some other
of the inhabitants, and not yet melted. He found several of them, which
he bought from the owners for about ten thousand dollars, and replaced
them in their original situation.

The floor between the curtain and the railing, and of all this part of
the mosque, is laid with various coloured marbles in mosaic: here glass
lamps are suspended all round the curtains, which are lighted every
evening, and remain burning all night. The whole of this enclosure, or
Hedjra, is covered with a fine lofty dome, rising far above the domes
which form the roof of the colonnades, and visible at a great distance
from the town; and the visiters coming to Medina, as soon as they catch
the sight of it, repeat certain prayers. The covering is of lead
surmounted with a globe of considerable size, and a crescent, both
glittering with gold. [The globe was gilt, and the crescent sent from
Constantinople, by the Sultan Soleyman ibn Selym. (See Asamy.) The
cupola, and the whole of the temple as it now stands, was built by Kait
Beg, Sultan of Egypt, from A.H. 881 to 892.]

It is reported that they are of massy gold; which can scarcely be
believed, if we consider the little inclination that even the richest
and most powerful of the Sultans have shown, to ornament with splendour
either the mosque of Mekka or Medina. The Wahabys, allured by the
appearance of the globe, and acting upon their invariable practice of
destroying all domes or cupolas erected over the tombs of mortals, among
whom Mohammed was to be reckoned, attempted to destroy the dome, and
throw down the globe and crescent; but their solid construction, and the
lead covering, rendered this a difficult undertaking two of the workmen
slipped from the smooth roof, and were precipitated

[p.336] below, after which the work of destruction was abandoned; a
circumstance which is now cited as a visible miracle worked by the
Prophet in favour of his monument.

Near the curtain of the Hedjra, but separated from it, though within the
precincts of the railing, which here, to admit it, deviates a little
from its square shape, is the tomb of Setna Fatme, the daughter of
Mohammed, and wife of Aly: it consists of a catafalque forming a cube,
covered with a rich embroidered black brocade, and without any other
ornament. But some difference of opinion exists, whether her remains
actually rest here or in the burial-ground called Bakya, beyond the
town. Till this dispute, however, be settled, the pilgrims are conducted
to both places, and made to pay double fees. On the E. wall of the
mosque, nearly opposite to this tomb, a small window is shown, at the
place where the archangel Gabriel is said to have repeatedly descended
from heaven, with messages to Mohammed. It is called Mahbat Djybrail.

Mohammedan tradition says, that when the last trumpet shall sound, Aysa
(Jesus Christ) is to descend from heaven to earth, and to announce to
its inhabitants the great day of judgment: after which he is to die, and
will be buried in this Hedjra, by the side of Mohammed: that, when the
dead shall rise from their graves, they will both rise together, ascend
to heaven, and Aysa, on that day, will be ordered by the Almighty to
separate the faithful from the infidels. In conformity with this
tradition, the spot is pointed at through the curtain of the Hedjra,
where the tomb of Aysa will be placed.

Outside the railing on the north, close by the tomb of Fatme, is a
square bench in the mosque, elevated above the ground about four feet,
and fifteen paces square, called El Meyda, or the table. Here the eunuch
guardians of the mosque sit; and the councils of the primates of the
town, or their principal assemblies, are often held here.

A wooden partition about eight feet high, and richly painted with
arabesques, runs from the western side of the railing across the mosque,
parallel with the south wall, and about twenty-five feet distant from
it, and terminating near the gate called Bab-es-Salam, thus extending
from the Hedjra nearly across the whole breadth of the mosque. It

[p.337] has several small doors, and is made to separate the holy place
called El Rodha from the common passage of the visiters, who, on
entering through Bab-es'-Salam, pass forward towards the Hedjra, along
the columns standing between this partition and the south wall. Next to
the Hedjra, that part of the southern colonnade north of the partition
is considered the most holy place in the mosque, and called Rodha, i. e.
a garden, or the Garden of the Faithful; a name bestowed upon it by
Mohammed, who said: "Between my tomb and my pulpit is a garden of the
gardens of Paradise." The pulpit of the mosque stands close to this
partition, about midway between the Hedjra and the west wall of the
mosque, and the name Rodha strictly belongs to that space only which is
between the pulpit and the Hedjra, though the whole southern colonnade
of the temple to the north of the partition is often comprised under
that appellation. It is on account of this name of Rodha, or garden,
that the columns within its limits are painted to the height of five or
six feet with flowers and arabesques, to assist the imagination, which
otherwise might not readily discover any resemblance between this place
and the Garden of Eden. Two mahrabs, or niches, towards which the people
turn when praying, as they indicate the exact bearing of the Kaaba, [The
Mahrab was turned S. 11 W. (variation not computed), which is therefore
taken here as the exact bearing of Mekka.] are placed on both sides of
the pulpit, and are, together with it, of exquisite workmanship, being
the finest mosaic. One niche was sent from Egypt as a present to the
mosque, by Kait Beg, and the other from Constantinople by Sultan
Soleyman ibn Selym. The floor of the Rodha is covered with a number of
handsome carpets, sent hither from Constantinople; and, as at Mekka,
they are the only articles of real value that I saw in the mosque, and
may be worth, altogether, about a thousand pounds. The upper part of the
colonnades is covered with mats.

The congregation assembles upon the carpets of the Rodha, this being the
favourite spot for prayers. No ceremony is observed in the seats; every
one may place himself where he likes: it is however understood, that the
first row nearest to the partition, and those especially

[p.338] in the immediate neighbourhood of the Imam, are destined for
people of rank, and no one who does not belong to that class intrudes
himself there. The entrance to the Rodha, near Bab-es'-Salam, has a
splendid appearance: the gaudy colours displayed on every side, the
glazed columns, fine carpets, rich pavement, the gilt inscriptions on
the wall to the south, and the glittering railing of the Hedjra in the
back-ground, dazzle the sight at first; but, after a short pause, it
becomes evident that this is a display of tinsel decoration, and not of
real riches. When we recollect that this spot is one of the holiest of
the Mohammedan world, and celebrated for its splendour, magnificence,
and costly ornaments, and that it is decorated with the united pious
donations of all the devotees of that religion, we are still more
forcibly struck with its paltry appearance. It will bear no comparison
with the shrine of the most insignificant saint in any Catholic church
in Europe, and may serve as a convincing proof, that in pious gifts the
Mohammedan have at no period equalled the Catholic devotees; without
noticing many other circumstances, which help to strengthen the belief,
that, whatever may be their superstition and fanaticism, Mohammedans are
never inclined to make as many pecuniary sacrifices for their religious
establishments, as Catholic, and even Protestant Christians do for
theirs.

The ceremonies on visiting the mosque are the following:--At first the
pilgrim, before he enters the town, is to purify himself by a total
ablution, and, if possible, to perfume his body with sweet odours. When
he arrives in sight of the dome, he is to utter some pious ejaculations.
When he intends to visit the temple, the cicerone, or, as he is here
called, Mezowar, leads him into the gate called Bab-es'-Salam, passing
his right foot first over the threshold, which is the general custom in
all mosques, and particularly insisted upon here. While reciting some
prayers, he steps forward into the Rodha, where he performs a short
prayer, with four prostrations, as a salutation to the mosque, during
which he is enjoined to recite the two short chapters (109th and 112th)
of the Koran. He then passes through one of the small doors of the
partition of the Rodha, and walks slowly towards the railing of the
Hedjra, before the western window of which, on its

[p.339] south side, he takes his stand; with arms half raised he
addresses his invocations to Mohammed, in the words "Salam aleyka ya
Mohammed, Salam ya Rasoul illah," &c. recapitulating about twenty of the
different surnames or honorable titles of Mohammed, and prefixing to
each of them "Salam aleyk." He next invokes his intercession in heaven,
and distinctly mentions the names of all those of his relations and
friends whom he is desirous to include in his prayers: it is for this
reason, that an inhabitant of Medina never receives a letter from
abroad, without being entreated, at the end of it, to mention the
writer's name at the tomb of the Prophet. If the pilgrim is delegated on
the pilgrimage for another, he is bound here to mention the name of his
principal. In this prayer an expression is used, as at all the places
visited for their sanctity about the town, but which appeared to me
little calculated to inspire the visiter with humane or charitable
feelings; among other favours supplicated in prayer to the Deity, the
following request is made: "Destroy our enemies, and may the torments of
hell-fire be their lot."