VIEW OF THE MOSQUE OF OMAR AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
"The Haram includes nearly a fourth of the space enclosed in the walls of Jerusalem, and the Mosque of Omar rises so high in the air that it is the principal object in any outside view of the city. It is supposed to have been built by Sultan Omar. There is some doubt on the subject, but there can be no doubt that it is a very beautiful building, and the architect knew what he was about when he planned it. The mosque is on the highest part of the hill, and on the thrashing-floor that King David bought for fifty shekels of silver; on the inside the rock is preserved in its original state and enclosed in a railing. From its position, and also from having the original rock preserved as we have described, the building is called the Kubbet-es-Sukrah, or Dome of the Rock. It is an octagonal structure, and each of the eight sides is sixty-seven feet long.
"Doctor Bronson says this is probably the most interesting spot in the world, as it is revered by the adherents of three religions who have regarded it as a holy place through many centuries. The Jews revered it, as we learn from the Old Testament, and from many events in modern as well as ancient history; the New Testament tells us its intimate connection with the story of Christ's coming on earth; and the Moslems consider it the holiest place next to the Kaaba at Mecca. They believe Mohammed came here in person, and at one time commanded his followers to turn their faces toward Jerusalem when saying their prayers. It is for this reason that they refused to allow Jews and Christians to visit the temple grounds, just as they will not allow them to go to Mecca at the present time.
"The Haram, or temple enclosure, is about one thousand six hundred feet long by one thousand wide: it is not a regular quadrangle, and consequently this measurement is not exact. There are several buildings there in addition to the two mosques, but none are of much consequence, and we did not visit them. We were allowed to walk through the Mosque of Omar, and went from there to the Mosque El-Aksa. We were greatly interested in the architecture of the buildings, and quite as much in the story of the guide who accompanied us.
"At the Kubbet-es-Sukrah he pointed out the place where Abraham was about to slay Isaac as a sacrifice, and the spot where the ark of the covenant was deposited, besides other places interesting to readers of the Bible. Then he showed us the footprint of Mohammed, where his foot last touched the earth before he ascended to heaven, and the marks of the hands of the angel who held the rock down to prevent its ascent with the Moslem prophet. In a cavern under the rock he showed the places, which are marked by small altars, where Abraham, David, Solomon, and Elijah offered up their prayers, and he pointed to an impression in the ceiling which is said to have been made by Mohammed's head.
"The Moslems have a great many traditions concerning the rock, and it is very evident that they have allowed their imagination free-play in describing it. They say the rock was brought here from heaven, and that a river from Paradise flows beneath it and waters the palm on which it rests. They also declare that the trumpet of the last judgment will sound from this rock; and one of their stories is that the rock is suspended over a deep abyss without any support. Our guide was a native Christian, but it seemed to us that he had told these stories so often that he half believed them, in spite of their opposition to his own religious faith.
