DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10357#0443
406
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
in with sun-dried bricks placed diagonally (as indicated in the little rudely built unfinished
room on the distant wall on page 410), and afterwards plastered. In good houses they are
well finished and smooth and more or less decorated, and it would not be supposed that they
were built of such rude materials. (On page 399 the appearance of buildings carelessly
constructed with these materials and injured by time is well shown.)
Nearly in the middle of the south side of the court there is always a wide and lofty arched
recess or alcove, with slightly raised flooring, and cushioned seats on its three sides. On each
side of this there is a closed reception room. The principal one always has a fountain in the
lower part of it, which is paved with marble and called the 'Atabeh. Here the guests put off
their shoes before they step on to the raised dais, which is cushioned and carpeted, and occupies
the larger portion of the apartment Over the 'Atabeh, in a grand salon, there is usually a
clerestory with stained-glass windows ; its ceiling should always be higher than that of the dais.
Some idea of the richness of the decoration of a modern house in Damascus may be formed by
examining the excellent illustration on page 420, which represents the 'Atabeh of a reception
room. Many of these houses are provided with a complete set of bath-rooms, but the public
baths, which are very numerous in Damascus, are generally preferred. The best ones are very
fine buildings, with marble walls and floorings, handsome divans, and good attendance.
The old houses in the Muslim quarter are less elaborate, but much more beautiful and
purer in style than the more modern structures in the Christian and Jewish quarters. The
costumes worn by the upper classes is quite in keeping with the houses which they inhabit.
Muslim gentlemen especially pride themselves on the scrupulous cleanliness as well as the
excellent material of their garments. Their long and ample pelisses are made of the finest
cloth, and lined with silk or fur, according to the season. Olive green, cinnamon colour, delicate
greys, and various shades of brown are the favourite tints ; the under garment is a long robe
of striped silk and cotton, like a dressing-gown. Their turban cloths are of snowy whiteness,
and carefully folded. On fete days not only the ladies, but all the servants are richly
apparelled, and wear a great deal of jewellery.
Damascus is famous for its workers in gold and silver, and they are nearly all Christians,
chiefly of the Armenian Church. Their bazaar, or khan, is one of the most curious and
mysterious-looking places in the city. It is a large and nearly square covered court. Its
shattered and blackened roof is supported by arches, ancient columns, and massive piers,
arranged apparently without any regard to regularity. This place is fitted up with a great
number of little parapeted stalls about four feet in height, and generally about four feet
square. They are just far enough apart to enable people to walk between them, except that
there is one passage through the centre of the bazaar which is wider than the others, and
looks like the middle aisle of a small old-fashioned high-pewed church. Each platform or
stall constitutes a separate workshop, and is furnished with a tool-chest which serves as a
work-table and counter, an anvil, a tiny furnace or an open terra-cotta stove or brazier, and
a cabinet with little drawers for valuables. A few of the stalls which are occupied by dealers
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
in with sun-dried bricks placed diagonally (as indicated in the little rudely built unfinished
room on the distant wall on page 410), and afterwards plastered. In good houses they are
well finished and smooth and more or less decorated, and it would not be supposed that they
were built of such rude materials. (On page 399 the appearance of buildings carelessly
constructed with these materials and injured by time is well shown.)
Nearly in the middle of the south side of the court there is always a wide and lofty arched
recess or alcove, with slightly raised flooring, and cushioned seats on its three sides. On each
side of this there is a closed reception room. The principal one always has a fountain in the
lower part of it, which is paved with marble and called the 'Atabeh. Here the guests put off
their shoes before they step on to the raised dais, which is cushioned and carpeted, and occupies
the larger portion of the apartment Over the 'Atabeh, in a grand salon, there is usually a
clerestory with stained-glass windows ; its ceiling should always be higher than that of the dais.
Some idea of the richness of the decoration of a modern house in Damascus may be formed by
examining the excellent illustration on page 420, which represents the 'Atabeh of a reception
room. Many of these houses are provided with a complete set of bath-rooms, but the public
baths, which are very numerous in Damascus, are generally preferred. The best ones are very
fine buildings, with marble walls and floorings, handsome divans, and good attendance.
The old houses in the Muslim quarter are less elaborate, but much more beautiful and
purer in style than the more modern structures in the Christian and Jewish quarters. The
costumes worn by the upper classes is quite in keeping with the houses which they inhabit.
Muslim gentlemen especially pride themselves on the scrupulous cleanliness as well as the
excellent material of their garments. Their long and ample pelisses are made of the finest
cloth, and lined with silk or fur, according to the season. Olive green, cinnamon colour, delicate
greys, and various shades of brown are the favourite tints ; the under garment is a long robe
of striped silk and cotton, like a dressing-gown. Their turban cloths are of snowy whiteness,
and carefully folded. On fete days not only the ladies, but all the servants are richly
apparelled, and wear a great deal of jewellery.
Damascus is famous for its workers in gold and silver, and they are nearly all Christians,
chiefly of the Armenian Church. Their bazaar, or khan, is one of the most curious and
mysterious-looking places in the city. It is a large and nearly square covered court. Its
shattered and blackened roof is supported by arches, ancient columns, and massive piers,
arranged apparently without any regard to regularity. This place is fitted up with a great
number of little parapeted stalls about four feet in height, and generally about four feet
square. They are just far enough apart to enable people to walk between them, except that
there is one passage through the centre of the bazaar which is wider than the others, and
looks like the middle aisle of a small old-fashioned high-pewed church. Each platform or
stall constitutes a separate workshop, and is furnished with a tool-chest which serves as a
work-table and counter, an anvil, a tiny furnace or an open terra-cotta stove or brazier, and
a cabinet with little drawers for valuables. A few of the stalls which are occupied by dealers