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Show MECCA 3H , "' "w Pilgrims Encamped Outside Mecca. iPrepmd by IU N.ilonal O.omphle So. cj'ty, Waihlndon, I C ) Though tho World war changed the temporal map of Arabia, raising tho narrow strip of the Hejaz, formerly a Turkish province, Into a kingdom,. It did not niter the place In tlie world of .Mecca, chief of tho Hejaz cities. Thnt mystic city under Arab control still Is the center of nil Mohammedan thought nnd action as It was under tho Turks. The Importance of Mecca Is not duo to Its resident population of pcrhnps 100,000, hut to the more than 'J00.000 pilgrims who visit It each year from ewry nation of Islnm. Statistics nro hopelessly contradictory and confusing confus-ing regnrdlng tho number of annuul visitors. According to Turkish ofllclnl estimates, In 1007 there were no less than JSO.OOO pilgrims. It Is n mnrvel how so many thousand.! can find food, shelter, and, most of nil, drlnlc, In such n desert city. The religious capital of Islam, and now ths tempornt capital of tho new kingdom of the Hejaz, affords an In-ilex In-ilex to the growth und strength of Mohammedanism In various parts of tho world, for one enn rightly gauge the strength of religious fervor In this great non-Chrlstlnn fnlth by the number num-ber of those who go on pilgrimage. From Java. Ilengnl, West Africa, Capo Colony ondltussla.aswellas from tho most Inaccessible prcnlnces of China, they come very year nnd return to their native land If they escape tho hardships of travel to tell of tho greatness nnd ulory of their faith, however much they may lunc been dhnppointed In the actual condition of the city nnd Its sacred buildings. When we consider Mecca, Mohammed's Moham-med's words of prophecy In the second chapter of his hook seem to hnve been literally fulfilled: "So wo bine made you the center of the nations thnt you should bear witness to men." Tho old pngan pantheon has become tho religious sanctuary and the goal of unlvcrsul pilgrimage fcr one-seventh of tho human race. Prnm Slimi Ioni In Pnnlmi nnil from Tobolxk to Cape Town, the faithful faith-ful spread their prajer carpets, bulhi their hoiiFes (In fulfillment of an Important Im-portant tradition, ciyi their outhouses!), out-houses!), nnd bury their deud oriented orient-ed toward Mecca. If the old world could be viewed from unother planet, Its details disclosed, the observer would see concentric circles of IMng worshipers covering on ever-widening area, nnd one would also see vust areas of Moslem cemeteries with every ev-ery grave dug with Its main axis toward to-ward the sacred city. It Mysteries Laid Dare. Mecca Is no longer u veiled city. A score of Intrepid travelers hnve un-veiled un-veiled It. From Hnrtemii, Wild and Joseph I'ltts to llurton, Ilunkhardt, Ilorgronje ami Courtt'llcmoiit, they took their lives In their hands, herded herd-ed with strange companions, underwent under-went untold hardships, am' by luck or pluck came scatheless out of this lion's den of Islam. According to l)otight, scarcely n pilgrimage tukes place with out some persom being put to itentn as Intruding Christians. An educated nnd pious Moslem In Oilro admitted recently Hint when he wwit on pilgrimage pilgrim-age and tooK pictures of th city his life was endangered more than ouco by the fanaticism of the Inhabitants. However, then' are many who bellevo that tho establishment of the new kingdom will mean the removal of io-stnctlons io-stnctlons against non-Moslem. The mixture of pices brought about In Hejas province for so many centuries cen-turies by be pilgrimages has not been conducive to morals or g"xl government. govern-ment. No one who has read the a.--count of social life at Mecca, as given by Hurgroiijo and other travelers. Ui-.i.wiii.f. Ui-.i.wiii.f. Miwleiii nllurlniN themselves, can doubt the need for social reform In that city. Mecca Is the microcosm of lslnm In Its religious life and ns-ilratlons. ns-ilratlons. According to Iliirgronje: It Is Islnm. the olllehil religion, which brings together nnd amalgamates all the heterogeneous constituents of Me-can Me-can life. On the other hand, this p-detv p-detv Itself welds Into u chaotic whole the 'prejudices and superstitions of all countries." lis other words, Mecca Is S sTnk-hole of islam. All wltnewM acrce ns to the flagrant Immorality which pervades the streets, and cyen e mosque, of the sacred city, be .,"enco of the slave trade, the fleecing of pilgrims, nnd tho corruption corrup-tion of tho Into Turkish government. The post ofllce nt Mecca, under Turkish regime, wns certainly unique. Sacks of letters wcro thrown out Into the nnrrovv street leading to tho post ofllce, nnd there sorted by tho pll. grluis themselves, who epened them nnd took their letters and those of their friends nlso. A similar system prevailed nt Medina, Yenbo nnd Jld-dab, Jld-dab, King Huseln of Hejaz, however, how-ever, has token steps to Join the Inter-national Inter-national I'ostol Union, nnd has had stumps printed In Kgypt bearing tho Inscription "HeJnz Tost." Foreigners Handle IU Commerce. The commerce of Mecca Is entirely In the hnnds of foreigners, mostly Indians, In-dians, who sell rosnrles, carpets and silk stuffs. Ono of tho mnln occuim-tlons occuim-tlons of the silversmiths Is tho innnu-facturo innnu-facturo of rings, which are supposed to bo constructed from sliver thnt wns onco part of tho sacred temple doors, nnd nro reputed to be an effective effec-tive remedy for certain Ills. Most of tho natives, however, earn their living liv-ing ns guides to tho pilgrims nnd grow wealthy during tho season. Sacred Mosque and Ka'aba. The sacred mosque, Mcsjld el Ha-rnm Ha-rnm with tho Ka'aba ns Its center, Is located In the, mlddlo of the city. Mecca lies In u hot, sandy vulley, absolutely ab-solutely without verdure nnd surrounded surround-ed by rocky, barren bills, destitute of trees or even shrubs. Tho vnlley Is about 300 feet wide, and 4,000 feet long, nnd slopes toward tho south. Tho Kn'aba, or IIouso of Gol (licit Allah), Is located In the bed of the valley. All tho streets slope toward It und It Btunds, us It were, In tho pit of a theater. Tho Ka'aba proper stands In nn ol lone space 250 paces long and 200 broad, surrounded by colonnades, which nro used ns schools nnd ns u genernl meeting plnco for pilgrims. The outer Inclosuro hns 10 gates nnd six nilunrets; within the Inclosuro It thowell of Zcm Zem, tho great pulpit, tho stalrcnso used to enter tho Ku'atm hor, which Is high above tho ground, and two small mosques called Ut Ku battuln. Tho remainder of the space Is occupied by pavements nnd gravel, grav-el, where prayers nro snld by tho four orthodox sects, each having Its own allotted spaco. In the southeost corner of the Ku'uba, about lite feet from the ground, Is tho fumous Ulack Stono, the oldest treasure of Mecca. Tho stono In a fragment resembling black volcanic rock, sprinkled with reddish crystuls. Arriving within n short distance of Mecca, orthodox pilgrims, mulo and female, put off their ordinary clothing nnd assHimo the Ihrnm, which consists of two piece of white cloth, ono tied urnund the loins und tho other thrown over the hack. Sandals may he worn, but not shoes, and tho bead must bo uncovered. After certain ablutions tho pilgrim enters the mosque, kisses tho lllock Stono, and runs around tho Ku'uba oven time. After special prayers he proceeds to the place of Abraham, then drinks from the holy well, and ouco more kisses tho Illack Stone. After this follows the nice between the two hills, Sara and Mlrvva. Little books of ritual prayers to be used by the pilgrims are sold to everyone, ev-eryone, and there Is great punctiliousness punctilious-ness In observing every detail coriect-ly. coriect-ly. On tho seventh day of the pll-grlmngo pll-grlmngo there Is a sermon from tho grand pulpit. On the eighth day the pilgrim goes to Minn, three mile dls-'taut dls-'taut from Mecca, and spends the night. Tho next morning he leaves for Arafat, Ara-fat, another hill n short distance from Mecca, and the following day is the great day of sacrifice, simultaneously observed throughout tho whole Moslem Mos-lem world. Early In tho morning the pilgrims go to Minn, whero they nro three pillars, called the Great Devil, tho Middle Hilar, and the First Ono. Here each pilgrim flings seven pebbles peb-bles to show bis hntred of Satan and his love of God. Ho then performs the sacrifice of a sheep, goat or cumel, according to his means, the victim being be-ing placed toward tho Ka'aba and the knlfo plunged Into the animal's throat with tho cry "Allnhu Akbar." This ceremony conclude tho pllgrlmnga proper nnd tho pilgrim then begins Ids Journey buck homo. |
