Two Months in Palestine (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1870 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III. The manner in which I spent my week may be briefly referred to for the guidance of tourists whose time may be limited. The first excursion should be a sail across to Scutari, looking in on the "Howling Dervishes," and passing on to the great barracks, once the British hospital, immortalised by the noble labours of Florence Nightingale and her companions. A little beyond this is the English burial-ground, to which we are guided by the prominent, and what is called "ugly memorial," by the late Baron Marochetti. Here an hour may be passed in sorrowful contemplation among the graves and mementoes of the dead. One day will suffice for old Stamboul. The Seraglio, so well known through poets and painters, was burned down in 1866, and all that portion that skirted the sea is being cleared away. From the gardens of the old palace the hill rises in gentle undulations, and crowning one of these heights is the celebrated mosque of St. Sophia, the earliest and best specimen we have of Byzantine architecture; but, like all things Turkish, whether religious or secular, showing marks of neglect and decay. We had a special order to visit this mosque, which, with guide, cost us ten francs each. There is little left of the rich and beautiful details of the Church of Justinian, the description of which now reads like a romance, except it may be those ancient columns of marble, porphyry, and granite, brought from Ephesus, Baalbec, and other early Greek temples. A glance at the accompanying engraving, from a photograph, will serve better than any description to show the style of the building. The Mosque of Ahmediah is another fine specimen of architecture, and is cleaner and better kept than St. Sophia, and perhaps more attractive to the...