| Show 9 VW 0 the readers of the arabian nights and who has baa not read TO them bagdad the city of 0 baroud al conjures up an incomparable and delightful vision ot of stately palaces lovely women aandy courts and cool fountains such much as exist in n no other city of tho the world many a lover of the beautiful has laid down his book with a sense of weariness of occidental civilization and closed his bis eyes in order to revel in visions of oriental luxury oblivious of the fact that the east seen through the magic spectacles of fairy romance Is not the east in reality bagdad has a charm all its own for it Is not only the largest and best known city of mesopotamia tho the cradle of the world but it la is one of the few remaining cities still unspoiled by western innovations moreover the advent of the bagdad railway and sir william Wll cocks irrigation scheme have given the city of the caliphs so much prominence of late that a brief description of what Is to bo be seen and done in the city of a thousand and one nights may not prove uninteresting to that large circle of readers who can spare neither the time nor the money to undertake eminent reaps quite a rich harvest from the duty it levies on corr corp I 1 imported m for burial amongst the sat ut of shih shib mohammedanism no unbeliever la Is allowed within tho the precincts ot of this place of worship and only a glance can bo be obtained on ones way through the bazar of the splendid mo sales which cover ha facades of this mosque to stand and look at the building would arouse tho the fanaticism of the inhabitants and lead to unpleasant it if not dangerous consequences the natives look askance at every stranger entering the city and so fanatic aro are thel they that the writer of this article was unable to purchase ao a drink of water lest his bla lips should defile the bowl from Kazl Kazi maln main to bagdad there Is a very old fashioned system of tramways iram tram ways which passes near the tomb ot of haroun al ras calda devoted wife glories have departed at bastl and a liner finer sight eye never looked upon from a distance the stately palm trees swaying to and fro in the gentle breeze the strange goffas playing upon the river the minarets mina the bridge of boats with its ita crowd of passengers made me wonder whether my senses were enchant 3 IL V it a journey necessitating several weeks of travel how to get there one can reach bagdad either via the persian gulf or via po the latter being the most picturesque route prom from aleppo southward one must either proceed all the wa way by native carriage or go to eh and travel down the euphrates to feluta on a shak toor a vessel somewhat like a childs child s noahs ark arh borne downstream down stream by the river current the traveler who harkens barkens after pull man cars or upholstered seats had bad better return home once he be reaches aleppo for nothing more able can be imagined than a journey through the desert in a native carriage forced to lie he full length for 12 or 14 hours at a stretch dally daily jolt ed from one side to the other whilst the burning rays of the sun beat down upon one ones a head bead one gives a elgh of relief upon reaching a khan just before sundown in order to snatch a few hours sleep fleas permit moio over the roads are infested with robbers so that it Is necessary to travel with an escort of soldiers aft atair ir some 20 days of travel one at last approaches bagdad glad at heart Y natives native a railroad laborers to know that in a space apace of a few hours bours the sound of english french and german will again greet ones ears cars hence when the driver shouts In please god bagdad in three hourel ope one cranes ones neck in order to got get an early view of ct the mosques and minareta mina of story and legend within halt half an hour of bagdad the holy city of kazl Kazi maln famous for its mosque with domes of solid gold and the fanaticism of its inhabitants stands out against the clear blue sky annually thousands of sola shia pilgrims make their way from persia to pray et t this shrine and the ottoman gor ed ichabod when I 1 reached the city I 1 discovered that it was distance that led enchantment to tho the view and that the glories of bagdad had bad indeed depart edl with the exception of a portion of the custom house known as the aedras Me dras or high school nothing now remains of the bagdad of halouns Ha lia days this too Is shortly to be demolished in order to make room for more commodious buildings architecturally bagdad has little to offer and the british residency and the girls school of the alliance israelite are the only buildings that arrest attention it if little can be said in favor ot of the sights to be seen the social life in dadd bagdad amongst europeans has much to recommend itself everyone seems goo good tempered notwithstanding that tho the mean temperature in summer la is degrees fahrenheit thero there to la plenty of sport tennis badi minton polo whilst an occasional dance or garden party does a great deal to dispel that feeling of homesickness that overcomes the best and worst of us bagdad boasts three clubs the british german and french Il hospitality Is in written with a capital il II over each and anyone pitching his tent in that city will find a warm welcome extended him by his bis compatriots each of these clubs sets a day apart every week or month for the reception of guests one then bears such a babel of tongues that one might im am agine ones self in a berlitz school modesty precludes my saying anything about the british club I 1 cannot conclude this article however without paying a tribute to the german colony in bagdad not to have been to tho the german club on wednesday afternoons to la to have missed a social treat many a longerman non german will carry away with him pleasant memories of our charming hosts and hostesses so in de fatigable in their efforts to make their guests gueits as happy as possible im deutschen krels |
