Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/535

Bk. I. Ch. II. BARBARY. 519 It is wliolly without architectural ornament, and the upper part is covered by a black cloth, which is annually renewed. Next in im- portance to this is the Zemzem, or holy spring, which is said to have o-uslied out on this spot to the succor of Ishmael and his mother when perishing of thirst. These two objects are joined by a railing sur- rounding the Kaabah, except at one point, where it joins the Zemzem. The railing ])robably marks the enclosure of the old Pagan temple before Mahomet's time. These, with some other subordinate buildings, now stand in a court- yard, forming a perfect rectangle of about 380 ft. by 570 internally, surrounded by arcades on all sides. These vary considerably in depth, so as to accommodate themselves to the external outline of the build- ing, which, as shown in the Woodcut (No. 968) is very irregular. It is entered on all sides by nineteen gateways, some of which are said to be of considerable magnificence, and it is adorned by seven mina- rets. Tliese are placed very irregularly, and none of them are of particular beauty or size. On the longer sides of the court there are thirty-six arches, on the shorter twenty-four, all slightly pointed. They are supported by col- umns of grayish marble, every fourth being a square pier, the others circular pillars. Neither its ordonnance, nor, so far as we can understand, its details render the temple an object of much architectural magnifi- cence. Even in size it is surpassed by many, and is less than its great rival, the temple of Jerusalem, which was 600 ft. square. Still it is interesting, as it is in reality the one temple of the Moslem world ; for though many mosques are now reputed sacred, and as such studiously guarded against profanation, this pretended sanctity is evidently a prejudice borrowed or inherited from other religions, and is no part of the doctrine of the Moslem faith, which, like the Jewish, points to one only temple as the place where the people should worship, and towards which they should turn in prayer. Barbary. There may be — no doubt are — many buildings erected by the Moslems in the countries between Egypt and Sjiain ; but, strange to say, with their love of art, and opportunities for investigating them, the French have not yet made us acquainted with their peculiarities. Even if not magnificent in themselves, they must form a curious link between the styles of the East and the West. In so far as we at |)resent know, Moorish art in Spain is cut off from all connection with the East, and stands utterly alone. If for no other reason than for the light it would throw on the origin and progress of the Saracenic style in Spain, it would be extremely interesting to know what took