. A trip to the Orient; the story of a Mediterranean cruise. onstantinople and make the city thecapital of his empire. His army besieged the decadentcity and captured it after a struggle of fifty-three the Turkish troops entered in triumph they torethe emblems of Christianity from their places and, insteadof the cross of the Christian, they raised the crescent ofthe Moslem. In the church of St. Sophia the conquerors toredown the golden altar, melted the silver plates, removedthe images of saints, painted over the sacred pictures,and took away the jewels and precious stones, changingt
. A trip to the Orient; the story of a Mediterranean cruise. onstantinople and make the city thecapital of his empire. His army besieged the decadentcity and captured it after a struggle of fifty-three the Turkish troops entered in triumph they torethe emblems of Christianity from their places and, insteadof the cross of the Christian, they raised the crescent ofthe Moslem. In the church of St. Sophia the conquerors toredown the golden altar, melted the silver plates, removedthe images of saints, painted over the sacred pictures,and took away the jewels and precious stones, changingthe interior to suit the simpler worship of the followersof Mahomet. The name of the building was changedand it was thereafter known as the Mosque of SaintSophia. For four hundred and fifty years the Mosque UNIVERSITY Of CONSTANTINOPLE. 147 has been in possession of the Turks. Its doors are openat all times for Moslems to enter freely; but the entranceis carefully guarded to keep Christian or foreign visitorsfrom intruding. The latter, however, may gain ad-. THREE MEN RAISED THE BURDEX TO HIS SHOULUEKS. mission by paying an entrance fee of forty cents, andremoving their shoes at the door or lacing over theirshoes the loose slippers that are provided for this pur-pose. 148 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT. On the porch of the Mosque we put our feet into theloose shppers, a Moslem attendant tied them on as care-fully as the clumsy things could be tied, and then, ac-companied by him, we entered the building. The im-mense floor, an acre in size, was covered with handsomeheavy rugs. As we slid, rather than walked, over thesoft Turkish carpets, our turbaned guide, with sharp,piercing, black eyes, watched carefully to see that ourslippers did not become unfastened and drop off, and ourinfidel shoes profane the holy enclosure. And when oneof the visitors laughed within the sacred edifice, theattendants black eyes flashed with anger. It w^as not the regular hour for prayer in the mosque,but a number
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