Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/378

324 measures eighty paces by fifty, and is about five feet deep, with spacious walks extending round three of its sides, the fourth being occupied by the mosque. The pond swarms with fish, which follow the visitors with open mouths, instinctively seeking their accustomed treat. This generally consists of baked peas, of which there are always several venders squatted in the walks, and who are never in want of customers from among the pious Mussulmans. It was amusing to see the scramblings of the finny tribe when a handful of their favourite food was thrown in among them. The Mohammedans hold this reservoir in high veneration, and a heavy punishment would be inflicted upon any person found guilty of purloining from its sacred waters; even should the culprit escape inamediate chastisement retributive justice it is averred will certainly follow him, and sooner or later deprive him of his intellect. Notwithstanding these awful sanctions, I was told that the Christians often partake of the forbidden dainty, the fish being easily secured in the streams which flow from the pond through the gardens. They generally cook them with wine sauce, and declare them excellent. The mosque already mentioned is called Khaleel Ibraheem, Abraham the Friend [of ]; or Khaleel oor-Rahmân, the Friend of the Merciful.

We next walked towards the Armenian Church, where we were greeted by the Bishop, Mutran Agop, with a kiss on both cheeks. The church stands in a spacious court, used for a burial place, and is a relic of an ancient Roman edifice. Part of the dome over the sanctuary has been destroyed, and has been built up with a plain wall, resting upon the flat roof of the nave, which is also of modern construction. The interior is divided into three aisles by a double row of Saracenic pilasters. One of the aisles is partitioned off by a trellis-work, and forms the accommodation for the female part of the congregation. Near the altar is a picture of the holy Virgin and Child, encased in a rich silver frame, and believed by some to have been painted by S. Thaddeus of the Seventy. Connected with the church is a commodious episcopal residence, and a good schoolroom where we saw upwards of a hundred children receiving instruction from three clerical teachers. Stones were already brought to rebuild the church, and at the Bishop's request I spent a day in