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. They are sold by the Arabs for
about half a crown the English cwt., but the purchaser is obliged to pay
heavy duties upon them. The chief of the Arabs of El Adouan, who is
looked upon as the lord of the Belka, although his tribe is at present
considerably weakened, exacts for himself five piastres from every camel
load, two piastres for his writer, and two piastres for his slave.
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