Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/637

SABACENS. 571 SARASIN. Christian Era, when it was applied by Greek writers to some Arab tribes of the Syrian Desert, of Northwestern Arabia, and of the Uesert of Tih. In the hundred years following the Uejira (A.D. C2'2) a Saracen empire was establislied which ex- tended from Turkestan to the shores of the At- lantic, ^lohamnied made himself master of Mecca in 020; and the first caliplis, Abii-Bekr and Omar, l)etween 032 and 641, conquered Syria. Palestine, Persia, and Egypt. By 700 the Sara- cons had exten(led their sway over Northern Africa to beyond the Strait of Gibraltar. They then crossed over to Spain (711), nearly the whole of which they subjugated. From Spain they poured into Gaul, where their progress was arrested lv Charles Martel, near Poitiers, in 732. Sicily was conquered liy them between 827 and 878, and early in the tenth century they extended their incursions far into the Burgundian territories. The disruption of the great Saracen realm began about the middle of the eighth cen- tury, when the western portion tore itself away from the rest, becotning a separate State, with Cordova as its capital. For a general sketch of the history of the Saracens, consult: Freeman, The Saracens (London, 1876) ; Ockley, The .SVo-a- ccns (London. 1847). See Arabia; Caliph; OlIMIADS; ABBASSIDES; CRUSADE. SARAGOSSA, sa'ra-gos'sa (Sp. Zaragoza) . The capital of the Province of Saragossa. Spain, and formerly of the Kingdom of Aragon. situated on the right bank of the Ebro, 115 miles in a straight line from its mouth, and 105 miles northeast of Madrid (Map: Spain. E 2). It stands in the midst of a desert plain, but is im- mediately surrounded by a well-irrigated and fertile hiierta. Two bridges cross the Ebro to the northern suburb, one a handsome stone bridge of seven arches, the other a railroad bridge. The central nucleus of the town still retains its old aspect, with narrow, winding lanes, lined with old houses of solid construction and often richly decorated, many of them being the former palaces of nobles, but now generally in a dilapidated con- dition. The surrounding portions of the town are modern and regularly built, with broad streets and shaded boulevards. The most promi- nent buildings of the city are its two cathedrals, the old Gothic Cathedral of La Seo, built between 1119 and 1520, and that of Nuestra Sefiora del Pilar. begm in 1681. The latter contains the sacred pillar on which the Holy Virgin is be- lieved to have appeared to Saint James. Other notable buildings are the Church of San Pablo, in the Transition style of the thirteenth century; the Gothic Church of Engracia. partly destroyed during the siege of 1808; the Castillo de la Aljaferfa. built by the Moors and later used as the royal residence of Aragon; the Audiencia, formerly the palace of the counts Luna ; and the Lonja. or Exchange, a handsome and richly deco- rated Renaissance building. Saragossa has a uni- versity founded in 1474. with 800 students, a vet- erinary school, a superior normal school, schools of music and fine arts, as well as of com- merce and trade, and a botanical garden. The city is an important railroad centre, and its commerce and manufactures are thriving. It has iron foundries, machine shops, flour and paper mills, breweries, and manufactures of chocolate, preserves, glass, chemicals, soap, and candles. Population, in 1887, 02,407; in 1900, 98,125. Vol. XVll.— i)7. Saragossa is on the site of the ancient Iberian SalJiiha. Its strategic importance was recogniz<?d by the Romans, who made it a military colony under the name of Va;saiea AtigusUi, from which its Spanish name is a corruption. It was in the possession of the Moors from 712 to Ills, when it was taken by Alfonso 1. after a long siege. Saragossa is especially famous for the heroism with which the citizens, led by Palafox (q.v.), de- fended it against a large French army in 1808 00. The French finally captured the city after a hard- fouglit ceuiti'sl ill which they suffered great losses. SARAGOSSA, JFaid of. See Aof.sTi.NA. SARAJEVO, sii'ni-ya-vd. See Sera.ievo. SAR'ANAC LAKE. A village in Franklin County, N. Y., 130 miles northeast of Utica, in one of the most picturesque jjortions of the Adirondack Mountains; near tlu- head of the Lower Saranac Lake, and on the New York Cen- tral and the Delaware and Hudson railroad.s (Map: New York, F 1). It is a noted pleasure and health resort and the business centre of the Adirondack region. Near by are the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium for Consiunptives and the State Hospital for Incipient Tulierculosis. Popu- lation, in 1800, 70S; in 1900, 2594. SARANSK, sa-ransk'. The capital of a dis- trict in the Government of Penza. Russia, on the Saranka. 87 miles north of the city of Penza (Map: Russia, G 4). It is of some conunercial importance on account of its fair. Population, in 1S07. 13.743. SARAPTJL, sa'ra-pool'. A town in the Gov- ernment of Vyatka, Russia, situated on the Kama, about 225 miles southeast of Vyatka (Map: Rus- sia. H 3). It has extensive tanneries and boot factories and a considerable trade in grain. Pop- ulation, in 1897, 21,305. SARA SAMPSON, Miss. A play by Lessing ]irc]ihu'cd in 1755. Its sentimentality made it very popular in its day, but it is interesting now only as the first introduction of middle-class life in German tragedy. SARASATE, sa'ra-sil'ta, Pablo de (1844—). A Spanish violinist, born in Pamplona. He stud- ied the violin at the Paris Conservatory umler Alard. and harmony under Reber, winning prizes in 1857 and 1850. In 1889 he visited Ainerica with Eug&ne d'Albert, and played in New York and other cities, with great success. His playing is characterized liy a wonderful technique and a delicate and refined tone. Max Bruch wrote for him his Scotch fantasy and second concerto, and Lalo his concertos and si/mphonie espagnole. Sarasate's compositions are for his own instrument, and arc light and Spanish in character. SARASIN. s<i'ra'zi-iN', Paul (1856-). A Swiss naturalist and traveler, born in Basel, and educated there and in Wiirzburg. Together with his cousin, Fritz Sarasin. he explorc'l Ceylon (1883-86) and they published on their return Ergebnisne naturunssenxehnftlicher Fnrseh iiiigen atif Ceylon (1887-03). containing valuable zoidog- ical and ethnological data. After a second trip to Ceylon in 1800, they turned their atten- tion to the island of Celebes, which they ex- plored in 1803-06. and which they described in Materialien zur Naturgeschichte der Insel Celebes (1898).