THE SUBLIME PORTE. 285 crucifixion, and several other sacred relics. The inscription placed the new capital under the protection of the Saviour of the world. The famous bronze horses which now adorn the portico of St. Mark's, at Venice, formerly stood at the corners of this place. The Atmeidan was the scene of the massacre of the janissaries, and here they met with their fate by order of Sultan Mahmoud, who saved his own life by this sad sacrifice of thousands of men. We now approached a marble gateway, which presents nothing very striking in its appearance, but which has afforded its name to the city and government, -"the Sublime Porte." We were here shown the ancient throne-room where the Sultan gave audience. The throne is not very unlike an old-fashioned fourpost bedstead, and stands in one corner of the room. It is gilded, and profusely ornamented with precious stones. The pillars at its corners are thickly studded with rubies, emeralds and turquoises. Leaving this, we entered the library, which has a flight of steps leading to it. The room was dark and cheerless. Our dragoman opened a huge genealogical parchment, which contains the pedigree of the Sultans and their portraits, to the time when Selim ascended the throne. The MSS. were closely arranged on shelves, guarded by an open net-work of iron wire. We were shown some beautifully illuminated copies of the Koran. When we were at the Sublime Porte, we saw a lad of about fourteen, reciting his lessons to a priest. The boy went on with a gentle recitative chant, book in hand, as he squatted down before a stool, accompanying his voice with a gentle uniform swaying of the body to and fro. He looked on us, and smiled, but by no means intermitted his employment. Our next visit was to the armory in the ancient Church of St. Irene. Here we found all descriptions of weapons, some of which were of great antiquity. We were much gratified at see 286 MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. ing in this place some links of the chain used by Xerxes at the Hellespont. And now we turned towards the renowned Mosque of Saint Sophia. The history of this wonderful structure of Greek architecture for more than one thousand five hundred years is very interesting, and I have condensed the leading features of its vicissitudes from Von Hammer. In the year 325, when the council of Nice was held, Constantine erected the Temple of Divine Wisdom. In 404 it was burned down. It was rebuilt by Theodosius, 415. In the fifth year of Justinian it was again burnt, and was reconstructed with greater splendor by that emperor. The building occupied seven years, and was completed in 538. Twenty years after, half the dome fell in; but Justinian restored it with an additional magnificence, and at Christmas, 568, it was solemnly reöpened. The walls and arches were of brick, and the marble columns were of the most admirable character; every variety of marble, porphyry, granite, white marble with rose-colored veins, green marble from Laconia, blue from Lybia, black Celtic with white veins, Egyptian granite and porphyry, was employed. Here were eight columns which Aurelius took from the Temple of the Sun, at Balbec; eight green columns from the Temple of Diana, at Ephesus; and several others carried off from Troas, Cyzicus, Athens and the Cyclades. Thus had the spoils of idolatrous worship been devoted to a Christian church; and the dome of St. Sophia proudly rested upon the pillars of the ancient temples of paganism. The cross was planted upon the column which supported the statue of Justinian. This cross fell in the great earthquake of 1371. In 987 a portion of the dome was again thrown down and restored; so that this magnificent work is partly composed of the first edifice of Justinian, partly of the second, and then was renovated by Basilius and Constantine. Mahomed the Conqueror erected the two pillars toward the sea, and one minaret. Selim II. built the next one, and Murad III. erected MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. 287 the other two minarets, at the north-east. All history testifies that this was the most splendid temple of the Byzantine empire. The tradition is that an angel delivered the plan of this church to Justinian, and also furnished large treasures for its completion. At the dedication, Christmas eve, 548, the emperor slaughtered one thousand oxen, one thousand sheep, six hundred deer, one thousand swine, ten thousand fowls; and, in addition to this, distributed thirty thousand measures of corn to the poor. Entering the church, he said, "God be praised who has thought me worthy to complete such a work. Solomon, I have surpassed thee!" This mosque is in the form of a Greek cross; three of its sides are surrounded by vaulted colonnades with cupolas, and the other side is the entrance. At entering, we had to put on slippers, or walk in our stockings. The walls are of stone, and highly polished; while the floor is of stone and marble, and covered almost entirely with matting. The dome is very grand, and its centre is one hundred and eighty feet from the floor, its diameter one hundred and fifteen feet, and its height one-sixth of the diameter. The extreme interior length of the mosque is one hundred and fortythree feet, and its breadth two hundred and sixty-nine feet. The eight porphyry columns from the Temple of the Sun, at Rome, support the dome; and, with smaller ones of white marble, the cupolas, also, on either side of the dome. Twenty-four Egyptian granite pillars sustain the galleries. The columns in all amount to one hundred and seven. On the vault of the dome are four . immense seraphim in mosaic work, and beside them are, in giant characters, the names of Ebubekr, Omar, Osman and Ali, the companions of the Arabian impostor. In the dome itself is inscribed a verse of the Koran, "God is the light of the heavens and the earth." These words are illuminated on the nights of the Ramazan by a large number of lamps. The cupola is lighted by twenty-four windows. The Minber, or pulpit, where 288 MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA. prayer for the Sultan is read on Friday, has two flags, one on each side, to denote the triumph of Islamism over Judaism and Christianity. The pulpit for instruction, but which is seldom employed, was given by Sultan Murad IV.; and it rests on, I think, four marble columns. On one column of this church is a large impression of a hand, made, it is said, by one of the early Sultans; and there is a popular notion that when that impression disappears the Turkish power will pass away. Two large vases, or fountains of water, are placed here, the gift of Murad III., for the refreshment of worshippers. The Sultan's seat is elevated, and enclosed in a gilded lattice-work. Many of the priests seem to live here day and night, and we saw many of the Turks reclining at full length on the floor, some evidently asleep. Several of the faithful were reciting their prayers in a loud and monotonous tone; and their eyes followed us in all our movements, with no very benignant expression. Certainly, if I had not placed implicit faith in the virtue of the firman, I should have had serious apprehensions of our personal safety. Never did I see men scowl at their fellow-men as did some of these worthies upon our ladies, as they walked through the mosque. We left it with emotions of thankfulness that men are not always to believe a lie, and glad to know that the crescent must surely give way to the cross, and the Crucified One yet prove the resistless attractions of his deathless love by drawing all men unto him. CHAPTER XX. MOSQUE OF ACHMET-MUZZEIN'S CALL COSTUMES OF THE JANISSARIES -REV. MR. BENJAMIN TOMB OF SULTAN MAHMOUD-BAZAARS SHOP- MISSIONARIES DER CEMETERY-WEDDING BULGURLU-SCENERY CHALCEDON -A KIOSK HOUSE IN WHICH THE LATE SULTAN DIED SOLDIERS COMING IN FROM ASIA DARK RIDE-SAIL TO BEBEK-AFFECTING INCIDENT-VILLAGE OF BEBEK MISSION PREMISES- EDUCATION OF BOYS IN MECHANICAL ARTS-PERSECUTION MR. HAMLIN -ARMENIAN PRIEST THE FAMILY CIRCLE" LIGHT ON THE DARK RIVER - MISS LOVELL MR. MINASIAN. We continued our exploration by a visit to the Mosque of Achmet. This building has one peculiarity: it is the only mosque in the empire with six minarets, and has two more than the famous one at Mecca. The location of this beautiful edifice is on a part of the ancient Hippodrome. The most impressive feature, on entering the mosque, is the group of massive columns which support the dome. The circumference of each of these four columns is not less than thirty-six yards. The cupola of the great dome is surrounded by four half-cupolas, each of which is joined by two entirely round cupolas, which form behind the four enormous pillars the four corners of the mosque, which therefore appears on the outside to be composed of nine cupolas. The Minber is a copy of the pulpit at Mecca, and is surmounted with a gilt crown, and over this a crescent. This mosque is the richest in Constantinople, and its treasures are said to be imAs we entered it the Muzzeins were calling aloud the hour of prayer from the minaret. mense. |