A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 2 · Observations 2 · Section 15 – Section 16
Of Mecha and Medina.
MEcha is ſeven and thirty days Journey from Caire, and all over Deſarts; it is a days Journey from the Red-Sea; the Port of it is called Gidde, which is a little Town, wherein are two Caſtles on the two ſides of the Port, one on each ſide, and the Turks ſay that Eve lies buried there: They ſhew her Sepulchre, which is in length 38 or 40 ſteps of a man's walk, and hath no other Ornament but a Stone at each end.
Mecha is about the bigneſs of Marſeilles, in the middle whereof is the Kiaabe or Beytullah, that is to ſay, the Houſe of God, which (the Turks ſay) was firſt built by the Patriarch Abraham. This Houſe is about fifteen foot in length, eleven or twelve in breadth, and about five fathom high. The Threſhold of the Door is as high from the ground as a man can reach his Hand, being within filled up even with the Threſhold. The Door is about a fathom and an half high, and a fathom wide, and is in the corner to the left hand, when one faces the Houſe. This Door is of beaten Silver, and opens with two leaves; they go up to it by a Ladder ſupported by four Wheels, two whereof are faſtened to the lower end of the Ladder, and the other two to two wooden Poſts about the middle of it, by means of which Wheels the Ladder is run to the Wall, when any body is to enter into the Beytullah.
This Houſe has a flat Roof, ſupported by three Pillars of an Octogone Figure, which are of Aloes-wood, as big as the Body of a man, and about three fathom and a half long; they are of one entire piece each, and yet run in a ſtreight Line the length of the Building, which is hung with red and white Stuff, having here and there theſe words upon them, La Illah Illallah, Mouhammed Reſoul allah.
At the ſame corner where the Door is (but on the other ſide by the Wall) is the black Stone, which they call Hadgiar Aſuad, and is had in veneration by them, becauſe (as they ſay) Abraham ſtood upon it when he built that Houſe, and that it ſerved him for a Scaffold, to the end he might make no hole in the Wall, it riſing higher or lower as he pleaſed, and being for that purpoſe brought him by the Angel Gabriel.
There is a Court about this Houſe, which the Turks call Haram, and it is encompaſſed with Walls, with three rows of Pillars, and Arches on the inſide of it. The four Sects of Mahometaniſm have their places of Prayer in this Court, which are the Hanifi, Chafii, Maliki, and Hambeli, each in one of the four parts of the Court, with their Faces turned always towards the Beitullah, or Houſe of God.
This Houſe is begirt with two Belts of Gold, one below, and the other on high. On one ſide of the Terraſs that covers the Beitullah there is a Spout of beaten Gold, about a fathom long, that jets out, to carry off the Rain-water that falls upon the Terraſs.
The ſame Houſe is covered on the out-ſide with Hangings of black Silk, which is a kind of Damask, and every year there are new ones ſent from Caire, at the charges of the Grand Signior.
Ten days Journey from Mecha, upon the Road to Damaſcus, is the City of Medina, three days Journey from the Red Sea: The Port of it is called Iambo, which is a little Town of the ſame ſhape and bigneſs as Gidde.
Medina is about half as big as Mecha, but it hath a Suburbs as big as the Town it ſelf: Much about the middle of that Town there is a Moſch, in a corner whereof is the Sepulchre of Mahomet, covered in the ſame manner as the Monuments of the Turkiſh Emperors are at Conſtantinople. The Sepulchre is in a little Tower, or round Building, covered with a Dome, which the Turks call Turbe. This Building is quite open, from the middle up to the Dome, and all round it there is a little Gallery, of which the out-ſide Wall has ſeveral Windows with Silver Grates to them, and the in-ſide Wall, which is that of the little Tower, is adorned with a great number of precious Stones, at that place which anſwers to the head of the Tomb. There are rich things there alſo, of an ineſtimable value, ſent by the Mahometan Kings, during ſo many Ages, which are faſtened within this Gallery, all round the ſaid Turret. Among others, at the place which anſwers to the head of the Tomb, there is a great Diamond, half as long as ones Fore-finger, and two Fingers broad, over which is the Diamond which Sultan Oſman, the Son of Sultan Aſhmet, ſent thither, and is equal to that which the Ottoman Emperors wear on their Finger. Theſe two Diamonds were heretofore but one, which Sultan Oſman cauſed to be ſawed in two in the middle. Lower down there is a Half-Moon of Gold, ſet with Diamonds of great worth.
The Pilgrims ſee not Mahomet's Tomb, becauſe that Turret wherein it is encloſed hath no Windows, being only open above, as hath been ſaid; but ſuch as make any ſtay at Medina have liberty and leiſure to enter into the Turbe, and ſee it, when there is no clutter of Strangers there, that is to ſay, three or four months after the departure of the Pilgrims, who ſee no more but the aforeſaid Gallery, and the Riches that are within it, through the Silver Grates of the Windows, which we mentioned before. Thoſe then who enter into the Turbe, ſee that the Tomb hangs not in the Air, as many have falſly written, and (which is more) never did hang ſo, but is upon the flat Ground raiſed and covered like the Tombs of Turkiſh Emperors and Baſhaws.
The Turbe is hung all round with Hangings of red and white Silk, like Damask, which cover all the Wall, except at the place where the great Diamonds are, for there they are tuck'd aſide, that the Diamonds may not be covered. Round all theſe Hangings are the aforementioned words in Characters of Gold, La Illah Illallah, Mouhammed Reſoul allah. Theſe Hangings are renewed every ſeven years by the Ottoman Emperors, unleſs when a new Emperor ſucceeds, before the ſeven years be accompliſhed; for in that caſe the Emperor renews them ſo ſoon as he comes to the Throne.
The Door by which they enter into the Gallery is of Silver, and ſo is the other that goes out of the Gallery into the Turbe.
When the Pilgrims (to the number of Two hundred thouſand Souls) are come to Mecha at the uſual time, which is a ſhort while before the little Bairam, and that it is the day before the Vigil of the ſaid Bairam, they go and lye at a place called Myne, half a league from Mecha, and next day being the Vigil of Bairam, they go half a league farther off, to another place called Arafa, which is a great Plain, in the middle whereof there is a Rock, or riſing Hillock, and on the top of it a Member, or place for preaching in, into which ſteps a Scheikh, who preaches to all the People about in the Plain.
The Pilgrims being returned to Mecha, divide themſelves in ſeveral Caravans, becauſe of the different Countries they come from, and are to go back to them again. The Caravan that met at Damaſcus, upon their return paſs by Medina, and viſit Mahomet's Tomb, ſeeing it is upon their Road: Of the reſt, thoſe who are prompted by Devotion go thither, but a great part return back to their ſeveral Countries, without turning out of their way to viſit the ſaid Sepulchre, their Law not obliging them to that, as it does to viſit the other places above mentioned: So that they are groſly miſtaken, who have affirmed, that the Pilgrimage of the Turks is to the Sepulchre of Mahomet, who obliged them to it. For that falſe Prophet told his Followers, when he drew near his death, that if any one returning from Mecha, had the curioſity to come and ſee his Sepulchre, he ſhould ſay a Fatha for his Soul (which is a Prayer taken out of the Alcoran, reſembling in ſome manner our Pater Noſter) and be gone. Mecha is the place of Mahomet's Birth, Medina of his Burial.
An Extract of a Journey through part of Arabia Felix, from the Copy in Ramuſio's Collection.
WE travell'd in moſt places of Arabia by the help of a Compaſs, and were forty days and forty nights in going between Damaſcus and Mecha; Port Ziden is forty miles diſtant from Mecha, from whence it receives the greateſt part of its Proviſions by the Red Sea, from Aegypt, Aethiopia, and Arabia Felix, the numbers of Pilgrims and Camels being incredible, and freſh Water very ſcarce, and as dear as Wine in Europe.
I ſtole away ſecretly from Mecha in the diſguiſe of a Mammaluke, to Ziden, in order to paſs round Arabia by Sea into Perſia. Ziden contains about 500 Houſes; there lay at Anchor in the Haven almoſt 100 Brigantines and Foyſts, with divers Barks of ſundry ſorts, both with and without Oars. After ſix days ſailing we came to Gezan, a fair commodious Port full of Veſſels; the Soil is very fruitful and delicious, abounding with many rare Fruits and Flowers: The Inhabitants for the moſt part go naked. Leaving Gezan in the ſpace of five or ſix days, we reach'd an Iſland named Camaran, ten miles in circuit: In it is a Town of 200 Houſes, the Inhabitants are Mahometans; it hath great ſtore of Fleſh, and freſh Water: The Haven is eight miles from the Continent, and is ſubject to the Sultan of Arabia Felix. In two days ſailing we came to the mouth of the Red Sea.
The day after our arrival at Aden, I being ſuſpected for a Portugueſe Spy, was caſt into heavy Chains, and thrown into Priſon: After fifty five days Impriſonment, I was ſet upon a Camel with my Shackles, and in eight days Journey came to Rhada, a City where the Sultan then lay with 30000 men, to make War againſt the Sultan of Sana three days diſtant from Rhada. The Sultan's Guard were Aethiopians, with ſhort broad Swords, painted Targets and Darts, Slings and Ropes made of Cotton. Having obtain'd …y Liberty, I paſs'd through Almacaran and Lagh…, to Aden, where I embark'd for Perſia.
In this Journey I obſerv'd many Monkeys, Lyons, Sheep with prodigious great Tails; variety of Spices, Sugars, and a ſort of Grape without Stones, very delicious: Many ſtrange Gum Trees, as the Balſam, the Myrrhe, Frankincenſe, Coffee, Coco's, &c.