Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 1.djvu/379

Rh drawing out a plan for the new building. I have since heard that the church is completed, and is now one of the most superb Christian temples in the East.

There are 1800 Armenian families within the walls of Urfah, and 200 in the village of Garamoosh, about three hours distant from the town. There are eighteen priests in the city alone.

From the Armenian we went to visit the Syrian Jacobite church, which like the former is situated in a spacious court, with a commodious residence for the Bishop and two priests. Here I returned the visit of Mutran Ibraheem, a simple but good hearted old man, who expressed his desire for the extension of education among his people in the strongest terms. The church is a small building dedicated to S. Peter and S. Paul, and contains four altars within the sanctuary. The school comprised from forty to fifty scholars, to whom the present of a case of books, chiefly from the press of the Church Missionary Society at Malta which I had brought with me, proved very acceptable. From the school we went to the new Syrian church which is being built without the city walls for the convenience of the Jacobites who reside in that quarter. The firman for raising this additional place of worship was obtained chiefly through the influence of Mokdisi Yeshua, our host, who is the richest member of the Syrian community here, and has himself defrayed the greater portion of the sum expended in its erection. At our suggestion he altered the original plan of the building, which was to have a part of the interior separated by a railing for the females, and has since added a gallery for the purpose over the western entrance. The Jacobites of Urfah number 180 families with six priests; there are no villages of this community nearer than Gerger Dagh, about two days distant.

On our way to the Oloor Jamesi we called upon the governor, Bahri Ahmet Pasha, who made many inquiries about our steamers and balloons. He is said to be a great reader, and to pay little attention to his official duties, which are confided to the mismanagement of his lieutenant and treasurer. The serai in which he resides is large, but poor and in bad repair; in the yard we saw one brass cannon and an old phaeton. The citadel is entirely destitute of artillery.

The mosque called Oloor Jamesi was an old Christian church,