Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/151

 visited the spot. It is a story of a skull — the tale of Tsum- tsum, which means ' skull ' in Turkish. As the legend runs, the hallowed feet of our Savior had trod this ground, and chanced to kick against the skull. ^ Being curious to know whose skull it was. He restored the owner to life by a miracle, and learned that he was Tsumtsum, a mighty potentate in ancient days. Tsumtsum, in turn, learned through conversa- tion who Jesus was, and thereupon embraced the Christian faith ; but feeling lost amid the newer world, where he knew no man and was known of no man, he begged the Savior to allow him to die again. His wish was granted, and ever afterwards this resting-place of the dead has borne Tsumtsum's name.^

I had begun to feel somewhat discouraged about finding any real traces of great antiquity, and was turning back toward the town and the station, when my guide caught sight of a huge gateway of stone in the historic wall we had been examin- ing not long before, and he asked if it might perchance interest me. In an instant we were driving to the spot. And lo ! there, sure enough, under the looming portal were two old inscriptions. My researches were now beginning to bear fruit.

All idea of returning early to Baku was instantly given up. I was full of excitement, and began at once a closer study of the gateway, feeling assured of its antiquity, though I did not know its history till I got back to my books at Columbia and could search among the Arab and Persian records of a thousand years ago.

The portal is an imposing arch of solid masonry, the stones being akin in material to those used for the walls, though somewhat smaller in size for convenience in building. The front, some fifty feet high, rears its head slightly above the top of the rampart. 8 A second arch, with a smaller vaulting and

1 There were Nestorian Christians * Olearius, p. 378 ( = tr. Davies, p.

early in the Caucasus, although Olea- 404).

rius (p. 377) states the contrary as * This feature of the towers over- regards Derbent. topping the rampart by scarcely a

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