. The rulers of the Mediterranean. nd pray. On one of the last days of Ramazan I went tothe door of St. Sophia, and was led up a windingstaircase in one of its minarets—a minaret-towerso broad and high that the staircase within it hasno steps, but is paved smoothly like a street. Itseemed as though we had been climbing nearlyten minutes before we stepped out into a greatgallery, and looked down upon thousands of tur-baned figures bowing and kneeling and risingagain in long rows like infantry in close these worshippers and ourselves werefifty circles of floating tapers swinging fr
. The rulers of the Mediterranean. nd pray. On one of the last days of Ramazan I went tothe door of St. Sophia, and was led up a windingstaircase in one of its minarets—a minaret-towerso broad and high that the staircase within it hasno steps, but is paved smoothly like a street. Itseemed as though we had been climbing nearlyten minutes before we stepped out into a greatgallery, and looked down upon thousands of tur-baned figures bowing and kneeling and risingagain in long rows like infantry in close these worshippers and ourselves werefifty circles of floating tapers swinging from chains,and hanging like a smoky curtain of fire betweenus and the figures below. The voice of the priestrose in a high, uncanny cry, and the sound of thethousands of men falling forward on their facesand arms was like the rumble of the wavesbreaking on the shore. Outside, the tops of min-arets were circled with lights and lamps strungon long ropes, with the ends flying free, andswinging to and fro in the night wind like neck-. CONSTANTINOPLE 227 laces of stars. This was the most beautiful ot allthe sights of Constantinople; and as a matter ofopinion, and not of fact, I think the best part ofConstantinople is that part of it that is in the air. Before ending this last chapter, I should liketo make two suggestions to the reader who hasnot yet visited the Mediterranean and who thinksof doing so. Let him not be deterred, in the firstplace, by any idea of the difficulties of the jour-ney, for he can go from Gibraltar along the entirenorthern coast of Africa and into Greece andItaly with as little trouble and with as much com-fort as it is possible for him to make the journeyfrom New York to Chicago. And in the secondplace, should he go in the winter or spring, lethim not be misled by Italian skies, or theblue Mediterranean, or the dancing waters ofthe Bosporus, into imagining that he is goingto be any warmer on the northern coast of Africathan he is in New York. I wore exactly
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherharper, bookyear189
