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Show ATHOS-LAND ATHOS LAND - OF MEN ONLY ONLYSpecial Special Police Bar Women , Wolves from Holy Community CommunityCapital CommunityCapital -Capital Capital --Capital - - - Called Karyes Iiaryes , Meaning "Nuts Nuts " to "Qr Qr " . Y Ycu cu " in English-Halliburton English Halliburton - Explores It Itd'st4 d'st4 dst4 & ' 4 4w 4s w s x a Yn . . i : i ir ii ' r irk f ftl tl tlR6 R6 R6y9vt , y9vt l .R'9 .R9 R9 . ' S ' . MAacukdkcorwx t ' w wfit fit } , 1 C m it & i i t t Kt Ktk k J C w wZr Zr ' { ' ( ' 4 , r y yi i . ' . t t.t .t t . ast t . d iii . i ik k , .Tp Tp * as Y Ykef kef . . ' &v v &v.nk & .nk nk . , rW4L- rW4L rW4La - r d * ? a k kr r , s sq q , w\ w waSc \ " aSc a _ Some of the monastenes monasteries are as bIg as small vIllages . ThIS one IS a thIrd of a mile around the walls . L Life e Is IsUved Islived Uved lived there exactly as It was B a thousand YCJ.rs YCJrs years . ago . By RICHARD HALLIBURTON HALLmURTON HALLIBURTONAuthor HALLmURTONAuthor HALLIBURTONAuthor Author of "The The "Tho Tho " Royal Roadto Road Roadto Roadto to Romance , " etc ctc . / " < HERE exists today in insoutheastern insoutheastern ini THERE . southeastern Europe a al1ttle alittle alittle l1ttle little country countryt countrywashed t , washed by the theAegean theAegean theAegean Aegean sea , so fantastically fantasticallydifferent fantasticallydifferent fantasticallydifferent different from all other coun coun- countries countries countries - - tries in tlie the world that in writ writ- writing writing writing - ing about it I am aware I shall shallbe shallbe shallbe be straining straming the credulity of ofmy ofmy ofmy my readers to the utmost . So Solet Solet Solet let me assure you at the out out- outset outset outset - set that every word of this thisstory thisstory thisstory story is strictly true , and canbe can canbe canbe be authenticated in any refer refer- reference reference reference - ence book on the subject . This country Is almost a thousandyears thousand thousandyears thousandyears years old , and has a government governmentwhIch governmentwhich governmentwhich whIch has functioned interruptedly interruptedlyover over a longer span of time than thanany thanany thanany any other government on earth But ButIn Butin Butin In . all this time it has never intro intro- introduced Introduced introduced - - duced a single new idea in polIhcs politics politicseducation , education , or science The four fourthousand fourthousand fourthousand thousand people who inhabit It occopy oc- oc occupy oc occupy - cupy copy the came same venerable bUIldIngs buildingsread , read the same parchment books bookswear , wear the same style tyle clothes , lead lead'ilie leadthe leadthe 'ilie ilie ' the same kind kmd of lives hves , to the mi- mi ml- ml minutest mlnutest mi minutest - nutest detail detalI . , , as their country's countrys country'sfounders country'sfounders country'sfounders countrysfounders ' founders in the Tenth century . In Inthe Inthe Inthe the midst of progress and evolution evolutionit , it has remained a medieval worldWhen worldWhen world worldWhen When we examine It we find , toour to toour toour our astonishment , . that every inhabi mhabi- mhabi mhabitant mhabitaat inhabitant - tant taat Is a male-has male has male - - has always been a amale amale amale male since the begmnlngUpon beginningUpon beginning begmnlng beginningUpon Upon its soil soU only one woman in inall Inall Inall all its long history has hes ever set toot foot tootAnd footAnd footAnd And she remained remamed just fifteen min mm- mm min- mmutes minutes minutes - utes . No child chlld has ever been born w1tlun within w1tlunthis withinthis withinthis this country's countrys ' boundaries Baby boys boysmay boysmay boysmay may have been brought here and andhave andhave andhave have grown up here , " "but but " never once oncea oncea a baby girl girlThis girlThIs girlThis This country is located entirely on ona ona ona a narrow peninsula pemnsula At the pomt point pomtwhere pointwhere pointwhere where the peninsula pcmnsula joins joms the main main- mainland mainland mainland - land the tbe inhabitants have placedspecial placed placedspecial placedspecial special police v/hose v hose whose / sole duty Is to tokeep tokeep tokeep keep wolves and women from cross cross-ias cross ias - . 1mt jug , the frontier . Rams But nut Bnt No Ewes . Not only are all females of the thehuman thehuman thehuman human race rigorously barred-fe- barred fe barred-fe barredfemales barred - fe females - males of any other sort are barred barredaa barredas as well . There are ore large flocks olroosters of ofroosters ofroosters roosters In the country , but not one onesmgle onesingle onesingle smgle single hen-plenty hen plenty hen - plenty of rams but no noewesherds noewesherds noowes ewes-herds ewes herds - herds of ot steers and bulls but butnot butnot bu1not not a cow can be found . There arethousands are arei arethousands arethousands i thousands and thousands thousandg of cats- cats catsall catsall cats-all cats all - - all torn tom ; : Innumerable dogs , all allmale allmale atmale male . Only female birds and fe- fe female fe tcmale - male Insects have been able to fly flyor flyor fl ; or crawl-to crawl to crawl - to the state's states ' great an- an annoyanceacross annoyanceacross annoyance - noyance-across noyance across - - across the border . All the tour four thousand inhabitants inhabitantswear inhabitantswear Inhabitantwear wear longblack long black beards and long Ion ; black robes . Hair cutting cuttmg Is now al- al allowed allowed allowed - - lowed . Instead , hair is gathered in- in into in into - . to a knot at the backot backof back of ot the neck neckand neckand necland and Eecurcd secured with hairpins halI'pms halIpms ' . Bald- Bald Baldness Baldness - . ness is unknown . . The people drink quantities of liq liq- liq liquor Uquor - uor , but singing smging surging is strictly prohIbit- prohIbit prohIbited prohibited prohibited - ed ed . . The capital Is 15 called Karyes Karyeswhich , which , when translated into Eng- Eng En EnUsh - lIsh EnglIsh Ush lish . . , gives It the lovely and mellli melill- melill meuif melillluaus - luaus luous name ot of Nuts . This community is the tbe Holy Com Com- Corn- Corn Community Cornmunity Community - munity of o ( Mount Athos . On maps territorybut It mapsIt Is Included in Greek territory , , but actually It Is as Independent as asthe asthe a ; the moon . . . East of ot Salonika the map of ofGreece ofGreece olGreece Greece shows EQOWS three long narrov narrow narrowmountainous narrowmountainous ; extendinglike extending1ike mountainous peninsulas extending 1ike like three Infuriated fnfurlated sausages into intothe intothe Intcthe the Aegean sea . Of these Athos Athas iithe is isthe Isthe the easternmost-thirty easternmost thirty easternmost - - thirty miles long longand longand loniand and fivo five wide . Its base . , however , is Isno iBO : 110 no flat fiat and narrow that King Xerxes Xerxesof Xerxeiof ' ot of Persia , bringing hla his . fleet to Ath Athens . ens tor for a et > conquest nquest of Gr Greece ce , casily easily casilycut easilycut casll ; I cut a canal across ncross the Isthmus to toI topave fi fiava pave ava ave his ships having to round the theptormy thestormy thptormy ptormy stormy point pQint . . . Rising above nbove the thepoint thepoint thpoint point la is an abrupt and epectaculapeak spectacular spectacularpeak spectacularpeak peak . 6.000 6000 6,000 , . feet high . , ot of pure whlte white whltemarble whitemarble whitmarble marble . And on the rugged sea slopes and an ' I ' shores of this peninsula penmsula , placed four fouror fouror fouror or five miles apart , are twenty twentylonel twentylonely twentylonely lonel lonely . } ' and Isolated communlhes communities communlhesEach communitiesEach communitiesEach Each is enclosed within withm a huge me me- medieval medieval . - dieval dleval stone building bulldmg , walled and andbattlemented andbattlemented andbattlemented battlemented , and built bu t around a acourt acourt acourt court These communities are mon mon- monasteries mon- mon monasteries monasteries - - asteries Several ot of them were werefounded werefounded werefounded founded between the years 900 and and1000 1000 . Several more In the 1100's 1100s ' . The monasteries are giants in insize insize insize size The largest measures nearly nearlyone nearlyone nearlyone one third of a m mile e around Its walls wallsAnother wallsAnother wallsAnother Another Is ten stories high Fort Fort- Fortresses Fortresses Fortresses - - resses , castle , college , church , all allin allin allIn in one , they were all built in beauty beautyand beautyand beautyand and In grandeur by the outpourmgs outpourings outpouringsot outpourmgsot outpouringsof ot of riches from the emperors of ot oldByzantium old oldByzantium oldByzantium Byzantium . It Is In these vast religious refuges refugesthat refugesthat refugesthat that the entirely masculine popula popula- - population population population - tion ot of Athos Athas lives . . . four thousandmonks thousand thousandmonks thousandmonks monks . And it has been their ab- ab abbots abbots ab abbots - - bots who have passed the unique uniquelaws uniquelaws uniquelaws laws forbidding forbiddmg any creature of the thefemale thefemale thefemale female sex from profaning the holi holi- holiness holiness holi- holi holiness - - ness of this long bearded heavenNoted heaven heavenNoted Noted for Cor Size , Splendor . ByzantlUm-now ByzantlUm now Byzantium-now Byzantium Byzantium - now Istanbul-in Istanbul in Istanbul - In the theyear theyear theyear year 900 was the most zealously zealouslyChnshan zealouslyChristian zealouslyChristian Chnshan Christian city ever known . . The TheEastern TheEastern TheEastern Eastern Orthodox church dominat dominat- dominated dominated dominated - - ed it completely . But for numbers numbersof of citizens In this excessively relig relIg- religious relIgious religious - ious metropolis metropohs , Byzantium was not nothall nothalf nothalf hall half pious enough These fanatics fanaticspr6tected , prbtected protected and supported by the thestate thestate thestate state , retreated to the wild w d and un uninhabited un- un uninhabitedand - inhabited-and inhabited and inhabited - and dramatically dramatlcalIy beauti beautl beauti- beautifulpeninsula beautiful . - ful-peninsula ful peninsula ful - peninsula of Athos Here , as asmonks asmonks asmonks monks , they turned their zeal into intothe Intothe Intothe the construction construchon of ot monasteries monasteriesIn In the center of each monastic monasticcourt monasticcourt monasticcourt court the monks built a church in inthe inthe Inthe the form torm of ot a Greek cross Into Intothese Intothese Intothese these churches were poured the goldand gold goldand goldand and silver and jewels which Byzan Byzan- Byzantium Byzantium Byzantium - tium , then mistress of the western westernworld westernworld westernworld world , had wrested from a hundred hundredsubject hundredsubject hundredsubject subject nations Not pounds , but buttons buttons buttons tons of gold were spread across the theikons theikons theikons ikons and the altars . Huge gold goldchandelIers goldchandeliers goldchandeliers chandelIers hung from the domes ; huge gold candelabra , higher than thana a man , lit 11t the holy treasuries . Once these churches v/ere v ere were / fin- fin finished finished fin finished - ished , the monks held gorgeous gorgeousservIces gorgeousservices gorgeousservices servIces , conforming conformmg rigidly . , , to the theritual theritual theritual ritual fixed by the Patriarch PatriarchThat PatriarchThat That was In the year 950 And Andwhat Andwhat Andwhat what remains remams today of all this gloryl glory glorylEvery ! EverythlI1g1 Everythingi EverythlI1g1Ever EverythingiEver thmglEver Ever fleck of gold , every jewel jewelevery . , every ikon ikon . , every slightest shghtest detail in inthe inthe Inthe , the services , exist m ill 1935 exactly exactlyas as 1,000 1000 , years ago . The first generations generatlons of ot Athonianmonks Athenianmonks Athonian Athonianmonks monks rendered an incalculable incalculableserVIce Incalculableservice Incalculableservice serVIce to humanity , for they pos- pos possessed pos pas possessed - . . sessed cultural as well as spintua spiritual spiritualstrength ; [ strength . Into their monasteriesthey monasteries monasteriesthey monasteriesthey they brought all the previously written wrIt- wrIt wrIttcn written - - . tcn ten books they could lay their hand hands handson ; ! on . Sixth , F Fifth th , even Fourth cen- cen century century - ' tury manuscripts , collected fron"Egypt fronEgypt trom from tromEgypt fromEgypt " 1 Egypt and Arabia , Syria and the theEast theEast thEast ( ? East East . , found tound their way to Mount MountAthos MountAthos MounAthos Athos . And what has happened to these thesethousands thesethousands thesithousands 2 thousands of scholarly books ? Have Havethey Havethey Havithey they been saved savedNearly ? Nearly everyone every onel onelBut oneBut ! But the monks themselves who whohave whohave whihave have preserved all these ancien ancient ancienttreasureswhat ancienttreasureswhat treasures-what treasures what treasures - what sort of people are arethey arethey ar they after thirty thll'ty thllty ' generations with with- without without - out women and w \ Ithout children ? They're Theyre ' Done With Women.To WomenTo Women . To answer that question queshon we must mustfirst mustfirst musfirst . . first understand what sort of ot men mencome me : come here-and here and here - - and v/hy v hy why / they come comeThey comeThey comeThey They come mostly because thEastern the theEastern theEastern Eastern Orthodox church In Greece GreeceRussia , Russia , Serbia and Bulgaria , has hasso hasso haso , so emphasized the literal bliss of ofphysical a aphysical aphysical physical heaven and literal toimenta tor- tor torments torments - . - ments of ot a physical hel4 hell , that sim- sim aim- aim aimple simple.and sinple-and sinple and . - ple.and pleand ple - . and susceptible minded mmded youths youthsparticularly youthsparticularly youthparticularly ( particularly In times past ) ) have havefled havefled havfled fled to Athos believing that only by bya bya ba a life lite of abstinence abstlnence and self sell morti- morti mortt- mortt mortification morttfleation mortflcatlon . - fication fleation can they bopo hope to escape escapetrom escapefrom escar ; > e from trom eternal frying trying In the fires of ofhell ofhell < bell hell . . With a lot of women around aromnself . , sell self mortification mortl1icaUon would bo be much muchharder muchharder mucharder ; h harder . There are other monks , with ro- ro romanticallyinclined romantlcallyincllned rimantlcauy-lncllned rimantlcauy lncllned - - mantically-inclined mantically inclined mantlcallyincllned - - natures , who wl have had their souls slain by theInfidelity the theinfIdehty theInfidelity infIdehty Infidelity and Inconstancy of some somewoman somewoman somewoman woman With broken hearts , seek seek- seeking seeking seeking - ing refuge in religion rel1gion and sohtude solitude solitudethey , they come to Athos They are arethrough arethrough arethrough through with women and never want wantto wantto wantto to see one againOne again agam againOne One "diabolical diabolical "diabohcal diabohcal " demon " who broke brokethe brokethe brokethe the law happened to be ( so the story storygoes storygoes storygoes goes ) a famous European queen queenthe queenthe queenthe ( the late Queen Elizabeth Ehzabeth of Rou- Rou Roumania Roumania Rou-mania Rou mania - - mania , who died In 1916) 1916 ) , whose whosecountry whosecountry whosecountry country had contributed so gener gener- generously generously generously - - ously to |