The New England magazine (1907) (14589867238)

Identifier: newenglandmagaziv37bost (find matches)
Title: The New England magazine
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston : (New England Magazine Co.)
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive



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huge letter;running about the circular tower is an illustration of the skill of the Arabian artistsThe gateway was bricked up in 1638, wheiSultan Murad IV. captured the city. A fevyears ago a native woman excavated a poof Arabic gold near the gate, and now th<ground in that vicinity is filled with hole:dug by the people who would follow heexample. The middle gate is well preserved, an(although the Arab prefers to enter the cit;by climbing down into the bed of the moatit is still capable of use. A fortified bridg,leads over the moat to the octagonal tower1and a second bridge, at right angles witlthe first, leads from the tower, over the surrounding arm of the moat, to the desert. Of the three Arabian women whosjnames will always live in story,— the Queei;of Sheba, Zenobia, and Zobeide,— the lasjis buried at Bagdad. It is with considerable awe that one passes through the largMohammedan cemetery in the desert tjthe right of the river, and approaches a: BAGDAD, HOME OF SINDBAD 179
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All that is left of the ancient walls of Bagdad octagonal brick tower surmounted with ajpineapple dome, for there tradition says(Zobeide, the favorite wife of Haroun-al-Raschid, was buried. Although the criticwould destroy our faith in the tradition, theJtomb was once worthy of the gentle lady(who ruled and deceived with her cunningthe greatest monarch of the Arabic world.The repair in which the tomb is now keptlis characteristic of the governing Turk.JThe door has disappeared; the stairwayleading to the top of the octagonal base isalmost impassable; the tower is slowly fall-ing to pieces; the carvings upon its walls(have been torn away to decorate modern(tombs; and the mound which marks thebrave is a shapeless heap of brick frag-ments. The open tomb is the hiding-placepr bats and a playhouse for young Mos-lems; at sunset it serves as a watch-towerfor the robber who would waylay the belatedtraveller. Poor Zobeide, with her beauty,lier charms, and her intrigues, was worthyhi a better f