But Before I Describe Amman
I Shall Subjoin Some Notes On The Neighbourhood Of Szalt.
A narrow valley leads up from Szalt towards the Mezar Osha, which I have
already mentioned.
Half way up, the valley is planted with vines, which
are grown upon terraces as in Mount Libanus, to prevent their being
washed away by the winter torrents. The Mezar Osha is supposed to
contain the tomb of Neby Osha, or the prophet Hosea, equally revered by
Turks and Christians, and to whom the followers of both religions are in
the habit of offering prayers and sacrifices. The latter consist
generally of a sheep, to be slain in honour of the saint, or of some
perfumes to be burnt over his tomb. I was invited to partake of a sheep
presented by a suppliant, to whose prayers the saint had been
favourable. There was a large party, and we spent a very pleasant day
under a fine oak-tree just by the tomb. The wives and daughters of those
who were invited were present, and mixed freely in the conversation. The
tomb is covered by a vaulted building, one end of which serves as a
mosque; the tomb itself, in the form of a coffin, is thirty-six feet
long, three feet broad, and three feet and a half in height, being thus
constructed in conformity with the notion of the Turks, who suppose that
all our forefathers were giants, and especially the prophets before
Mohammed. The tomb of Noah in the valley of Coelo-Syria is still longer.
The coffin of Osha is covered with silk stuffs of different colours,
which have been presented to him as votive offerings. Visitors generally
throw a couple of paras upon the tomb. These are
[p.354] collected by the guardian, and pay the expenses of illuminating
the apartment during the summer months; for in the winter season hardly
any body seeks favours at the shrine of the saint. In one corner stands
a small plate, upon which some of the most devout visitors place a piece
of incense. A wooden partition separates the tomb from the mosque, where
the Turks generally say a few prayers before they enter the inner
apartment. On the outside of the building is a very large and deep
cistern much frequented by the Bedouins. Here is a fine view over the
Ghor. Rieha, or Jericho, is visible at a great distance to the
southward. About half an hour to the N.W. of Osha, on the lower part of
the mountain, is the ruined place called Kafer Houda (Arabic).
As pilgrimage in the east is generally coupled with mercantile
speculations, Osha’s tomb is much resorted to for commercial purposes,
and like Mekka and Jerusalem, is transformed into a fair at the time of
the visit of the pilgrims. The Arabs of the Belka, especially the Beni
Szakher, bring here Kelly or soap-ashes, which they burn during the
summer in large quantities: these are bought up by a merchant of
Nablous, who has for many years monopolized the trade in this article.
The soap-ashes obtained from the herb Shiman, of the Belka, are esteemed
the best in the country, to the S. of Damascus, as those of Palmyra are
reckoned the best in northern Syria.
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