Both The Border And The Stone Itself Are
Encircled By A Silver Band,[FN#24] Broader Below Than Above, And On The
Two Sides, With A Considerable Swelling Below, As If A Part Of The
Stone Were Hidden Under It.
The lower part of the border is studded
with silver nails.”
“In the south-east corner of the Kaabah,
[FN#25] or, as the Arab
call it, Rokn al-Yemany, there is another stone about five feet from
the ground; it is one foot and a half in length, and two inches in
breadth, placed upright, and of the common Meccah stone. This the
people walking round the Kaabah touch only with the right hand; they do
not kiss it.[FN#26]”
[p.304] “On the north side of the Kaabah, just by its door,[FN#27] and
close to the wall, is a slight hollow in the ground, lined with marble,
and sufficiently large to admit of three persons sitting. Here it is
thought meritorious to pray: the spot is called El Maajan, and supposed
to be where Abraham and his son Ismail kneaded the chalk and mud which
they used in building the Kaabah; and near this Maajan the former is
said to have placed the large stone upon which he stood while working
at the masonry. On the basis of the Kaabah, just over the Maajan, is an
ancient Cufic inscription; but this I was unable to decipher, and had
no opportunity of copying it.”
“On the west (north-west) side of the Kaabah, about two feet below its
summit, is the famous Myzab, or water-spout,[FN#28] through which the
rain-water collected on the roof of the building is discharged, so as
to fall upon the ground; it is about four feet in length, and six
inches in breadth, as well as I could judge from below, with borders
equal in height to its breadth.
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