Traversing The Suburb Al-Ma’B’Dah (Ma’Abadah), In A
Valley Between The Two Barren Prolongations Of Kayka’An And Khandamah, We
Turned To The North-East, Leaving On The Left Certain Barracks Of
Turkish Soldiery, And The Negro Militia Here Stationed, With The
Saniyat Kuda’A In The Background.
Then, advancing about 3000 paces over
rising ground, we passed by the conical head of Jabal Nur,[FN#3]
And
entered the plain of many names.[FN#4] It contained nothing but a few
whitewashed walls, surrounding places of prayer, and a number of stone
cisterns, some well preserved, others in ruins. All, however, were dry,
and water-vendors crowded the roadside. Gravel and lumps of granite
grew there like grass, and from under every large stone, as Shaykh Mas’ud
took a delight in showing, a small scorpion, with tail curled over its
back, fled, Parthian-like, from the invaders of its home. At eleven
A.M., ascending a Mudarraj, or flight of stone steps, about thirty
yards broad, we passed without difficulty, for we were in advance of
the caravans, over the Akabah, or Steeps,[FN#5] and the narrow,
hill-girt entrance, to the low gravel basin in which Muna lies.
[p.180] Muna, more classically called Mina,[FN#6] is a place of
considerable sanctity. Its three standing miracles are these: The
pebbles thrown at “the Devil” return by angelic agency to whence they came;
during the three Days of Drying Meat rapacious beasts and birds cannot
prey there; and, lastly, flies do not settle upon the articles of food
exposed so abundantly in the bazars.[FN#7] During pilgrimage, houses
are let for an exorbitant sum, and it becomes a “World’s Fair” of Moslem
merchants. At all other seasons it is almost deserted, in consequence,
says popular superstition, of the Rajm or (diabolical)
lapidation.[FN#8] Distant about three miles from Meccah, it is a long,
narrow, straggling village, composed of mud and stone houses of one or
two stories, built in the common Arab style. Traversing a narrow
street, we passed on the left the Great Devil, which shall be described
at a future time. After a quarter of an hour’s halt, spent over pipes and
coffee, we came to an open space, where stands the Mosque “Al-Khayf.” Here,
according to some Arabs, Adam lies, his head being at one end of one
long wall, and his feet at another, whilst the dome covers his omphalic
region. Grand preparations for fireworks were being made in this
square; I especially remarked a fire-ship,
[p.181] which savoured strongly of Stambul. After passing through the
town, we came to Batn al-Muhassir, “The Basin of the Troubler,[FN#9]”
(Satan) at the beginning of a descent leading to Muzdalifah (the
Approacher), where the road falls into the valley of the Arafat torrent.
At noon we reached the Muzdalifah, also called Mashar al-Haram, the
“Place dedicated to religious Ceremonies.[FN#10]” It is known in Al-Islam
as “the Minaret without the Mosque,” opposed to Masjid Nimrah, which is the
“Mosque without the Minaret.” Half-way between Muna and Arafat, it is about
three miles from both.
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