No account of Damascus, not even a bird's-eye-view, would be complete
without some mention of the great Mosque, whither I was wont now and
again to repair. When I went, I of course took off my boots at the
entrance, and put on my lemon-coloured slippers, and I was always careful
to be as respectful and as reverent as if I were in my own church, and to
never forget to tip when I went out. The Mosque was a magnificent
building, with a ceiling of beautiful arabesques; the floor of limestone
like marble, covered with mats and prayer-carpets. One of the most
beautiful domes had windows of delicately carved wood, whose interstices
were filled with crystal. There was a large paved court with a marble
dome and fountain; and there were three minarets, which it was possible
to ascend and from them to look down upon Damascus. It was up one of
these minarets that the Duchesse de Persigny ascended, and when prayer
was called she refused to come down. The Shaykh sent all kinds of
emissaries and entreaties, to whom she replied: "Dites as Shaykh que je
suis la Duchesse de Persigny, que jet me trouve fort bien ici, et que je
ne descendrai que quan cela me plaira." She did not please for three-
quarters of an hour. She also visited _cafes_ which Moslem women do not
visit, and shocked the kawwasses so much that they begged the French
Consul not to send them to guard her, as they were losing their
reputation! But to return to our muttons. This superb Mosque has
alternately served as a place of worship for many creeds: for the Pagans
as a temple, for the Christians as a cathedral, and for the Moslems as a
mosque. Like Damascus, it has had its vicissitudes, and it has been
taken captive by Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Assyrians, and Turks.

The Hammam, Or Turkish Bath, is another feature of Damascus, and was one
of my favourite haunts. I first went to the Hammam out of curiosity, and
was warmly welcomed by the native women; but I was rather shocked. They
squat naked on the floor, and, despoiled of their dress and hair and