Appendix 2Selections from the Travel Accounts of Hamidullah Nawab Sarbuland Jung

Nawab Sarbuland Jung published several travel accounts based on his 1909–10 journey to the Middle East and Europe with his wife, including three books and several newspaper articles. These were written variously in English and Urdu between 1911 and 1914. These works in English and Urdu are not translations of each other. Rather, each work focused on a different moment in the journey and was carefully written to cater to distinct audiences. Thus, in his English-language travel accounts, which seem intended for a British readership, Nawab Sarbuland styles himself as an anglicized intellectual in the mold of Richard Burton who could, in his own words, “assume the incognito of ordinary Indian pilgrims” and maneuver the “old prejudices” of the Muslim world. By contrast, when writing in Urdu for a presumed Muslim readership, he feels no need to “assume” such a guise but rather embodies it. In Urdu he enthusiastically evinces the very same “old prejudices” and preferential treatment for Muslims that he so wryly invoked in English, as when he dedicates his Safarnama-e Qustuntuniya to the Ottoman “martyrs” of the Balkan wars, “for whom the world’s Muslims feel great sorrow due to their shared Islamic brotherhood” (fig. 13.1). Each of his accounts thus reveals new details about the couple’s trip and his responses to travel in the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire as a man who consciously straddled Muslim, Indian, and European intellectual worlds and who shifted his self-presentation according to his audience.

A book page that seems to be a title page. — **Fig. 13.1** The cover page of Hamidullah Khan’s travel account, *Safarnama-e Qustuntuniya*. *Source: Daniel Majchrowicz.*

Nawab Sarbuland’s collected works on the trip run to well over one hundred pages and cannot be included here in their entirety. This appendix brings together a selection of his English-language writings published between 1912 and 1914. While these pieces are far less frank and unguarded than his wife’s account, they nevertheless offer a fascinating counterpoint to her writing and a further window into the nature of their relationship. They draw particular attention to these authors’ different focuses and interests. There are very few overlapping moments between their accounts. One significant difference between them is that, while she mentions her husband and her servant repeatedly, he almost completely excludes both women from his writing. In the passages below, his wife is mentioned directly only once, and their servant Amina bi, not at all.

All the selections have been lightly edited for grammar and consistency with the style used to render Begum Sarbuland’s account above and to modernize the spellings where necessary. These selections follow the couple’s travels through Palestine, the Sinai, and Alexandria.

Excerpts from A Pilgrimage to the Near East

A Pilgrimage to the Near East was published in Secunderabad in 1912. Written in English, it is his longest work on this journey. The account focuses on his time in and around Suez. It is styled as a reflection on the changes that had occurred since his time living in the region in the 1880s. The following are selected excerpts from the book.

Arrival in Suez

Five and twenty years have rolled by, the young attaché has become a man of the world,1 and embarks from Bombay in the P&O SS Salsette at 2:30 p.m. on November 13, 1909. Aden is reached on November 17. From the distance, this place has been seen by all European travelers and needs no introduction. The passengers here transhipped to the SS China, which left about 7:15 p.m. the same day and approached Suez on November 21.

The land of the Nile is once more within sight. It is a beautiful day, though somewhat warm. What changes have taken place in Egypt since 1884? HH the Khedive Taufik Pacha has been succeeded by his son HH Abbas Pacha Hilmi; the noble (Thomas George) Earl of Northbrook GOSI is no more;2 Earl Cromer (formerly Sir E. Baring) PC, GCB, GCMG, etc., after a long and successful career has retired from Egypt;3 Nubar Pacha’s place is occupied by Boutros Pacha Ghaly. Minor lights, who played important parts in the making of Egypt, have also done their work and gone.4

As we intended to return to Suez, we left some of our heavy luggage with the agent of the Khedivial Line of Steamers, who had come to the China. For the sake of convenience, Egypt may be regarded as our center, whence short excursions were made between November 1909 and March 1910.5

The sea remains the same old “Reedy Sea”; but the approaches to the Suez Canal have been greatly improved. There is some talk about increasing the width of the Suez Canal, and excavation works are going on. In 1884 there was no traveling by night through the Canal, now we take electric light on board the steamer and go on without stoppages.

[NOTE:—We have traveled by water from Suez to Port Said and vice versa, and have had the advantage of practically seeing the entire 160 kilometers of the Canal by daylight. For the sake of convenience, we have put together the observations of both the journeys in one place.]

We passed the Gulf of Suez, which is extremely shallow, and proceeded through the Canal towards Port Said. The monument of Darius has been located about the 139th kilometer. Some time ago near Shaluf (139th kilometer), which comes next, were discovered crocodiles’ teeth and the remains of hippopotami in the sand. Also, in the next layer of the stone, vertebrae of sharks, bivalve shells, and the remains of the bryozoa. We saw two iron lighthouses 65 feet high. Then passed the two Bitter Lakes, which Brugsch has identified with the Marah of the Bible. We entered Lake Timsah (area 6 ½ miles) and passed the Gebel Maryam. We got a view of the mountains of the Peninsula of Sinai and traversed Lake Bolah. Close by, Professor Petrie carried out some excavations in 1886 and identified the site of Tehaphnehes of the Bible. We reached El-Kantara, which used to be on the ancient caravan route from Egypt to Syria. We passed through the Lake Menzaleh and reached Port Said.

We landed at Port Said and assumed the incognito of ordinary Indian pilgrims. Burton has described with great humor his adventures in obtaining a passport. The Indian pilgrim, who had previously obtained a passport in India, but who out of foresight obtained another at Port Said, had very little difficulty in obtaining it, the whole process taking a couple of hours.

Port Said in 1884 had a population of about 18,000, but now boasts of over 50,000 inhabitants, about a fourth being Europeans. The harbor occupies 570 acres and is protected by two piers. The lighthouse (174 feet) constructed of concrete being one of the largest in the world. The colossal statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps, by the sculptor Fremiet (unveiled in 1899), is an object of admiration for all travelers.

The stately dome of the palatial Suez Canal Company’s offices, the beautiful quay, the neat-looking streets, the solid blocks of commercial buildings have replaced the poor surroundings of the Arab town of the olden days. Rinks, theaters, hotels, electric tramways, and other accompaniments of the modern civilization have much improved the town. Extensive shipping works and railway stations have sprung up. A railway runs alongside the Canal from Port Said to Port Taufik, with branches to Cairo and other places. Everything is up-to-date, including dining cars and motor vehicles. Port Said has entirely lost its old character and except for the existence of an Arab quarter, and the sight of Egyptian faces, one might almost imagine oneself in a European port of the Mediterranean. Though outside appearances are European; there is still Egypt behind the veil.

East is East and West is West,
Never the twain shall meet [sic].

Remembering the old prejudices, we put on a fez when landing from the China. The effect is magical. We gained the sympathy of the children of the land by talking to them in Arabic. As soon as they found out that we were Muslims they opened their hearts to us. Verily, the bond of religion is strong. They talk far more English now than they did in 1884, but French has not yet lost its hold upon the people. Even in “English” places you find the clerks preferring the use of French.

Things progress more smoothly if you can talk Arabic to the Egyptians, and French, English, or German to Europeans, according to their nationality. “God be praised,” “I am a Muslim,” at once secures for you the land. Where a Christian would be in danger at Port Said, a Muslim is safe. Merchants lower their prices, your credit goes up with a bound, your word is trusted, and the respect shown to you becomes genuine. In any case of difficulty, you find yourself as if you were amongst sympathetic friends. Every Muslim house is opened to you and every Muslim ready to assist you.6

A Description of Suez

The food of the Suezians is not so characteristically Oriental as it was in Burton’s time, now foreign products are largely consumed. . . . Burton has described Suez, at the time of his several visits. Those who have read Chapter IX of his amusing work will hardly thank us for going into details of life at Suez; but his account must be accepted with a grain of salt.7 According to him the population was between 4,800 and 6,000; but Suez has now a population of over twenty thousand, including some 3,000 Europeans, about ten mosques, large docks, and extensive warehouses. The town has a governor and is now kept clean. To the north of the town the khedive has built a kiosk which commands a fine view. Close by is the mouth of the freshwater canal, and not far off the waterworks. According to Greek and Roman historians there existed a navigation canal 62 miles long in these parts; but the present canal, which in most parts is a restoration of the old one, is mainly used for the supply of drinking water.

Traveling through Sinai and Egypt by Train

The site of Pithom of the Bible has been located near the neighboring ruins of Tel-el-Maskhuta. Kasasin and Tel-el-Kebir, noted as the scenes of British victories in 1882, are also on the line. When passing this way in 1884 we remembered seeing the remains of the field of battle; bullets could be picked up in those days and shells imbedded in walls and roofs were plentiful; some of the fortification works had not till then been quite leveled.

Most of the railway stations in the olden days were without raised platforms, but now they equaled English stations in style and finish; peace reigned supreme everywhere, and the old places had such a prosperous look that one could have hardly identified them with the battlefields of yore. But the sky and the desert were the same and the dust in the railway carriages as bad as described by Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace in his excellent work on Egypt. At Abu-Hammad begins the Eastern Delta, which is even more fertile than the Western Delta. Zagazig is soon reached.

In Alexandria

We have paid many visits to the City of Alexander and found the place ever changing. We do not propose to describe at length its sights or to go into details of a political nature but will confine ourselves to a brief survey.

The Jews have been here since the fourth century BC and as long ago as 48 years before Christ, Alexandria had more than half a million inhabitants, the Greeks predominating.

In October AD 641, Amr-ibn-e-‘As, the great general of the famous Khalif Omar, conquered the city. Although he treated the inhabitants with great moderation the non-Muslims of Alexandria have ever since passively resisted Islamic rule. The Greeks have never forgotten their olden days. In AD 1800 only 4,000 inhabitants had been left on Alexandria; but the town improved again, and by 1880 when we first went there, it had assumed large dimensions. Burton calls it “a city of misnomers, whose dry docks are ever wet and whose marble fountains are eternally dry, whose Cleopatra’s Needle is neither a needle nor Cleopatra’s, whose Pompey’s pillar never had any earthly connection with Pompey.”

In 1880 we had found the site of the Serapeum, and the so-called Pompey’s pillar (which according to the latest theory was put up by Emperor Theodosius in AD 391) surrounded by filth and rubbish. The Indian Mails in those days went by railway from Suez to Alexandria and thence by steamer to Brindisi. Alexandria was quite a large place but not so much Europeanized as now. Some of the streets were well kept and Mehemet Ali Pacha’s Palace, which we saw by special permission, formed its greatest attraction. The Arab quarter was avoided by peace-loving tourists.

The bombardment of 1882 reduced the growing town to a most pitiable state, and tears came into our eyes when we saw it afterward. Even up to 1884 Alexandria had recovered from its misfortunes. Its best quarters were in a state of transformation and the town looked a forest of scaffolding. Thanks to mercantile enterprise the Place Mehemet Ali has become once more a beautiful square and over a dozen well-paved roads vie in elegance and wealth with the streets of European towns.

To the pilgrims, however, the shrine of Daniel, the Prophet, is pointed out at Alexandria, as formerly, though the Persians place the same tomb at Sus; and the tombs of Mahomed El-Busiri; the author of the famous poem called Al-Burdah, and of Abu Abbass El-Andalusi, are also shown.

In 1900 Schiess Pacha and Dr. Botti excavated the catacomb on the Kom-Esh-Shukafa. The Greek Rock Tombs, dating from 200 BC, to the North of the Ras-et-Tin palace have been lately (since 1901) cleared out. The splendid Museum of Graeco-Roman Antiquities, founded in 1903, has been enriched by the finds of excavators and collectors like Botti, Sieglin, Breccia, and others.

Music in Egypt

In every land, music hath its charms, and Egypt is no exception. The usual instruments are the tambourine with little bells, the semi-spherical tambourine, the haut-bois, the drum, the kettledrum, and the funnel-shaped drum made of earthenware or of wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoise shell, with a fish skin stretched over the broad end. A better class of instruments used for chamber music includes the flute, the two-stringed violin, the one-stringed violin, the zither, and the mandolin.

The common basic element of all music is the harmony of sound, but there is a fundamental difference in the ideas of the East and the West. What will appeal most as a concord of sweet sounds to one may repel the other. Their music and songs are the outcome of their national characteristics. The songs are generally of a lyrical religious description. The pleasures of friendship and enjoyment are sometimes made the theme of song, derision of an enemy, or contempt for the rustic fellah is expressed on other occasions.

Attitude toward Non-Muslims

On page 130, vol. II, his Lordship (Cromer) says: “On the other hand, the annals of Islam are not stained by the History of an Inquisition. More than this, when he is not moved by any circumstances especially calculated to rouse his religious passions, the Muslim, readily extends a half-contemptuous tolerance to the Jews and Christians. In the villages of Upper Egypt, the crescent and the cross, the mosque and the monastery, have stood peacefully side by side for many a long year.”

This is the key to the attitude which Muslims have assumed against non-Muslims. Islam, as a worldly power, rose at the expense of Judaism and Christianity and, in spite of its toleration, the conquered people never forgave the followers of the Prophet for having substituted Muslim governments for their own. Islamic rule was a tolerant rule, because every true Muslim believed that it was the will of God that, up to a certain time, people of different religions should exist. No Muslim could, therefore, refuse to tolerate those who professed other religions. What is assumed to be non-toleration is really the exclusiveness of Islamic doctrines and the fact of their not admitting of any compromise with Pantheism. As a political force Islam has always been tolerant. True Christianity is the same as Islam. Love and charity are as great virtues in Islam as in Christianity; but Islam puts the will of God and the command of God higher than everything. Attributing all improvements in Europe to Christianity and all backwardness in the East to Islam is to ignore the characteristics of race, climate, and country. The comparison of the character of Muslims and non-Muslims, as a whole, in the same country and of the same standing will be to the advantage of the former. The real cause of the Englishmen’s difficulty is the jealousy of powers and the self-interest of the Egyptian factions.

Excerpts from Newspaper Publication of “A Pilgrimage to Medina”

Nawab Sarbuland published at least four articles in the Allahabad newspaper The Leader in late 1913 and early 1914. Though the series is entitled “A Pilgrimage to Medina,” in these extant articles he never reaches any further than Jordan. Instead, the series seems to continue in an English-language addendum to an Urdu travelogue, Safarnama-e Madina.

Chapter I8

On a Monday in November 1909, at 6:00 p.m. we left Port Said by the Austrian Lloyd SS Imperatrice, which was not as tidy as the P&O boats. We had, however, a four-berth cabin all for ourselves. Here we met a retired Anglo-Indian officer who was now employed by Port Said. One of his duties being to inspect the Aust. Lloyd’s vessels. A number of peddlers and fruit sellers, etc., boarded the steamer at Port Said, and some remained on the steamer. A large number of Syrians, Turks, Arbs, etc. were among the deck passengers. The evening meal was served at seven in the usual German style.

We conversed freely with our saloon fellow passengers, who talked Arabic, French or English, and found most of them imbued with the spirit of making money. The deck passengers had made themselves comfortable in all sorts of warm nooks and corners. A Turkish dame traveling with her brother as a deck passenger was scarred on the face, and on being questioned related how she had been once attacked by robbers, who had branded her in this manner and relieved her of all her belongings. She was now a sewing mistress employed in some Syrian school.

There were passengers both male and female, some Church functionaries, and others following commercial pursuits. Some of the ship’s officers spoke French, and we were able to obtain some information from them about the new railway to Medina.

Jaffa

We reached Jaffa (the beautiful) before sunrise and anchored there all day, embarking passengers and discharging and loading cargo. Sheikh Ibrahim Hasan al-Ansari (of Jerusalem) boarded our steamer and offered us his assistance, but as we had no time to go to Jerusalem we declined his offer with thanks.

The surrounding views were most charming; the sunset magnificent. We sum up here the information obtained during our two visits to Jaffa. The Prophet Jonah is said to have just quitted this port when he was swallowed by the whale (Jonah 1–3). In the days of Solomon, it was the port for Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 11:16); after the end of the seventeenth century, a quay was constructed here. There is a very busy Arab bazaar here, various mosques and khans, the Latin Hospice founded in 1654, a public garden and a clock tower. Jaffa contains about 45,200 inhabitants and about 20,000 pilgrims pass through it yearly. The most conspicuous object is the tower of the Greek church rising above the flat-roofed houses of Jaffa, and the British Hospital built owing to the efforts of Miss Maugau and supported by voluntary contributions.

The steamer, which has to lie at some distance from the shore, is surrounded by a number of passenger boats and lighters for cargo. The scene is an animated one. We were struck by the skill displayed by the Jaffa boatmen in handling their craft. Passengers should look sharply after their luggage; they should avail themselves of the boatman belonging to some recognized tourist agency and make a bargain before leaving the steamer. The usual charge is two francs per person.

Jaffa provides for tourists, as well as for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, so every provision is made for travelers, during the pilgrimage and spring months. The house of Simon the Tanner is in a mosque near the lighthouse on the southern side of the town, where we recited some prayers. Orange gardens surround the town and the fruit forms the principal article of export. The trees are in full flower during the months of February and March, and the fruit ripens from the month of September onwards. Visitors should ask permission before entering the gardens.

There are German and Jewish agricultural colonies at Jaffa, Sarona, and Richon le Zion whose efforts are mainly directed to vine culture and whole grapes. The railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem has been completed in recent times and has been of great utility. There is only one train daily in each direction. In 1799 Napoleon I conquered Jaffa and laid siege to Acre. He defeated the Turks on the plain of Jezreel and penetrated as far as Safad and Nazareth. In 1840 Napier bombarded and captured Acre.

On the upward voyage, there is almost a straight line of coast to Haifa with the ancient ports of Apollonia and Caesarea, once the capital of Roman Syria, now almost filled up with sand. After passing the port of Caesarea, Mount Carmel is in full view, and below it Athlit or Castellum Peregrinorum, one of the main strongholds of the crusaders.

Chapter II9

Haifa

We reached Haifa (ancient Sycaminium) on Wednesday before sunrise. We saw Mount Carmel, which next to Zion has the most sacred associations for religious students. The monastery on the top of the hill was erected on the cave where Elijah took shelter from Ahab.

Haifa is a pretty little town, situated at the foot of Mount Carmel and at the southern extremity of the bay of Acre, population 16,000, half being Christians. There is a considerable German colony, to whose industry much of the present prosperity of the place is due, and as a port it has considerably diminished the importance of Saint Jean d’Acre. There is a considerable export in grain, oil, sesame, etc., extensive vineyards as well as soap factories.

The Carmelite Monastery, on Mount Carmel, is reached by an easy carriage road or by a shorter footpath in thirty minutes. It was used by Napoleon as hospital in 1799 when he was besieging Saint Jean d’Acre and was destroyed by the Turks in 1821, but afterwards, rebuilt. Owing to the heavy dew, which falls every night, Mount Carmel remains evergreen, an unusual thing in Palestine. It was known as the Mount of God, and Elijah (I Kings XVII) performed his miracle here.

From Haifa one can visit by carriage or on horseback the famous town of Akka, Saint Jean d’Acre (ancient Ptolemais) and it has a long record of sieges, battles, and conquests. It was the crusaders’ principal landing place, and part of the fortifications date from that period.

The visitors generally return along the shore, crossing the rivers Kishon and Belus. The bay of Acre yielded the shellfish which produced the famous Tyrian purple. From Haifa one can drive in six hours to Nazareth. We engaged a landau through a tourist’s agent with a Moslem driver. They use three horses instead of a pair. We drove through the suburbs of Haifa, traversed the plain of Kishon, running parallel with the new railway line, and the brackish springs of Es Sadi.

At the first village, three miles distant, we met a sheikh, who was evidently a great man in this neighborhood. He gave us names of Mufti Abdul Salam and Rais-ul Ballad Said Effendi, with some instructions as to what we should do at Nazareth and Tiberias. Our driver was much interested in him, and as there were some tombs there, like good Moslems, we said the fatiha.

Round about this village, Balad-es-Sheikh, we passed through beautiful olive groves. A well, known as Bir-Miryam, is also on the route, from which some Syrian women were drawing and carrying away water in their pitchers. They were good-natured creatures and as our coachman took some water from them, we gave to one of the damsels the equivalent of a three-penny piece, to her great delight.

We met a horseman going the same way as ourselves and as he looked like a sociable person, we entered into conversation with him and offered him tobacco and some sweets. We also passed some springs, where the driver watered his horses again. Many women, with oxen or donkeys, were also watering their animals there. We gave them some eatables.

Then we passed some extensive mulberry plantations, the village El-Yajur, the Wadi Es-Shomariyeh and the Tell-Omar. We got a good view of the country round. After passing less important places, we reached Al-Harithiyah, Harosheth of the gentiles (Judges IV:2).

There were many oak groves in the neighborhood of Wadi Zeida, Semuniyeh, Jebata Malul Mujeidil, and Yafa (Japhia of Joshua XIX 12), which is quite a big place, with various churches and schools. Josephus once fortified this place, and a tradition arose that this was the home of Zobeidee and her sons, James and John. From the neighborhood of the village Yafa there is a good view of the road to Nazareth. The Latin chapel of Maria De Tremore is passed before reaching Nazareth. There is a tradition that the Virgin was standing here when the Jews wanted to cast Jesus down headlong from the top of the hill (Luke IV:2, Ex. 29).

We reached Nazareth at 3:00 p.m. and [illegible] . . .

Chapter III10

Nazareth

El-Nasira is situated on the south slope of the Jebel as-Sheikh (1,600 feet). Cactus hedges, fig, and olive trees abound. The population consists of about 4,000 Muslims, 4,000 Orthodox Greeks, 1,000 united Greeks, 1,000 Latins, 200 Marionites and 250 Protestants. We saw all the churches and prayed at the chief mosque.

The Church of the Annunciation, situated within the Latin Monastery, was completed in AD 1800. It is twenty-three yards long, sixteen yards wide, with a nave and two aisles. The vaulting of the nave rests on four arches borne by four massive pillars. Among its many paintings are (1) an Annunciation and (2) a Mater Dolorosa, by Terallio (Spanish). The crypt is below the high altar. A handsome flight of marble steps descends to a vestibule called the Angel’s Chapel; on the right is the Altar of St. Joachim, on the left, of the Angel Gabriel. Between the two altars is the entrance to the Chapel of the Annunciation, with the Latin inscription, “Hic verbum caro factum est” [sic] (here the Word was made flesh). The round upright column of Mary, a fragment of red granite column depending from the ceiling, and said to be miraculously supported above the spot where the Virgin received the angel’s message.

On the rock here is said to have stood the house of the Virgin, now transported to Loretto near Ancona. Adjoining is a dark chamber called the Chapel of St. Joseph, which contains the altar of the flight into Egypt, with the inscription, “Hic erat subditus illis” (here he became subject to them), close by is the old cistern called the Kitchen of the Virgin, the mouth of which is said to be the chimney.

We also saw the workshop of Joseph and the synagogue in which Christ is said to have preached (Luke IV:16 et seq). We crossed the market and proceeded uphill to the table of Christ, on the west side of the town. The Latin Chapel here was erected in 1861. The table is a block of hard chalk (111 by 91 feet), on which Christ is said to have dined, with his disciples, both before and after the Resurrection.

After late breakfast on a Thursday, we left for Tiberias, visiting the Church of Gabriel, of the Orthodox Greeks. This was built about the end of the eighteenth century and is half underground. The spring is conducted past the altar on the left side. The Greek pilgrims use the sacred stream for bathing their eyes and heads.

Mary’s Well (Ain Miryam) is the only spring which the town possesses. From the hill of Weli Siman you get one of the finest views of the whole of Palestine; and the first thought that strikes you is that this must have been a favorite resort of Christ, who must have had constantly spread before him the great library of Biblical story.

Looking across to the west, you make out the beautiful Bay of Acre; the ridge running out into the sea is Mount Carmel, crowned with its convent; southward are the mountains of Samaria; southeast, the hills round Jenin; eastward, the mountains of Gilead; and in between lies the magnificent plain of Esdraelon, covered with the silver line of the ancient river Kishon; northward the view culminates in glory as Hermon, like a great wall of white crystal, stands out against the blue sky, with the Galilee hills below it, and everywhere round that region, scenery varied and picturesque.

From Nazareth to Tiberias it takes about five hours to drive. After leaving Mary’s Well we go uphill of Al Khavak, from which there is a fine retrospect and pleasing view of the quiet home at Nazareth. Descending the hill we reach Reineh and then Al-Meshheb, reputed to be the birth place of the prophet Jonah. We next reach Kafr Kenna (Cana of the Bible), where Jesus performed his first miracle feast.

The Latin Chapel occupies the site of a Church of the Crusaders, as was recently discovered during its enlargement, which in its turn had succeeded a still more ancient church. A Hebrew mosaic inscription (third or fourth century), in front of the altar, names a certain Joseph as its founder; possibly Count Joseph of Tiberias, a converted Jew who was created a count by Constantine the Great and built several churches. Some still earlier remains seem to have belonged to a synagogue, traditionally said to occupy the spot where the water was made wine (John II). In the Greek church stone jars are shown, which are said to have been needed on the occasion of the miracle. Tradition also points out the house of Nathaniel (John I:45).

[Chapter IV]11

From Kafr Kenna the route leads to the northeast through the broad and well cultivated Wadi Rimmaneh, a side valley of the plain of Sahel el-Battof. We pass the ruins and water basin of Birket Meskana and in twenty minutes more reach the foot of the hill, on which lies the village of Lubiyeh. In 1899 the French under Junot fought heroically against the superior force of the Turks, near Lubiyeh.

We now cross a low saddle, where a fine view is obtained of the trough-shaped plain of Sahel-el-Ahmar and of the mountains beyond Jordan. Here lies the traditional Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. It is declared by Dean Stanley to meet all requirements of the Joseph narrative.

The road past Lubiyeh becomes bad and in some places wild. The road is joined on the right by that from Mount Tabor. In about twenty-five minutes we reach the ruins of the Khan Lubiyeh. The Karn Hattin becomes visible to the North; we go along the base of this hill and after fifty minutes approach the edge of the plateau, whence we have our first view of the lake [the Sea of Galilee]. Near Hattin, Saladin inflicted a severe defeat on the crusaders from which they never recovered. Safed lies to the North, high up on the mountain, and Tiberias itself becomes visible in half an hour. It takes three-quarters of an hour more to descend to the town. Descending the slope by a winding road, we finally emerge at a point where the Sea of Galilee, a thousand feet or more below, bursts on our vision. Here we said our maghrib prayers.

The lake of Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee is 137 to 157 feet deep, about thirteen miles long and nine miles broad. Its surface is 681 feet below that of the Mediterranean Sea. It contains many kinds of fish, among them being the Chromis Simonis, the male of which carries the eggs and the young about in its mouth, the Coracinus of Josephus, and the Barbur of the Arabs, which emits a sound.

As we approached Tiberias by the carriage road, from Nazareth, at sundown, we first observed the sarai, with its many domes, to the left and the mosque to the right. The extensive ruins of the castle lie to the north; near it is a mosque, with a few palms. There are about ten Jewish synagogues and the tombs of various famous Jews. The Hotel Tiberias, where we put up, is well situated on the high land, surrounded with ruins and modern Syrian houses. Cook and Company have practically been the cause of its prosperity. The manager was not present when we reached there and a young lady of the family offered us two rooms for 10 francs each, including board. Soon after we had settled down and had our dinner, the manager’s wife put in an appearance and apologized for the young lady’s mistake in offering us rooms at the usual rate. She argued that as we were tourists, we should pay at a higher rate than the people of the land. Another resident at the hotel, who was dining with us, told us that he himself had paid at a lower rate and mildly remonstrated with the landlady, but her feminine logic was unconquerable. In this journey as a hajji [pilgrim going on hajj] I had made up my mind to quarrel with nobody, and so I told the landlady to please herself. We saw the town, explored the bazars, admired the view, and studied the old ruins. She knew Arabic; but as she herself could not give us reliable information about the Medina railway, she kindly took me to a Jew’s house later on in the evening. He was a contractor, and probably a moneylender; we did not find him at home. Next morning when we met, he told us that he too wanted to go to Samakh. I saved our Jewish acquaintance his expenses by offering him a place in our landau, but like a true Hebrew, our new acquaintance returned the compliment by taking us to an extortionate Greek hotelkeeper at Samakh.

Tiberias is the chief town of a kada [qaza] of the liwa of Acre, with 6,000 inhabitants, mostly Jews from Poland.12 Here every place is historically associated with the life of Jesus Christ. The Lake of Gennesaret, the most holy sheet of water in the land. With the exception of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene and the plain of Gennesaret, great uncertainty exists about the true positions of the [unclear] which lined the [unclear] in the . . .

In going north from Tiberias we have, after Magdala and the plain of Gennesaret, Capernaum Bethasida, and Chorazin all on the west shore of the lake.

At Tiberias we received a telegram in answer to one sent by us from Haifa to the following effect: “Khedivial agency Port Said accept your changing.” This referred to the change of dates for our departure from Suez to Jeddah. The delivery peon waited for bakhshish and the hotel people backed him up, but I did not corrupt good morals.

Close by are several hot-spring baths, with separate buildings for different classes of people at different rates. The principal spring has a temperature of 143oF, the water contains sulfur and chloride of magnesium. We drove to these baths close to the tomb of the famous Rabbi Meir and his two pupils. We then passed some historical ruins and a new Jewish colony. Beyond the baths is a synagogue of the Sephardim and a school of the Ash-Kemazim.

Crossing the River Jordan, on a Saturday at about 5:00 p.m., when the water was only about three feet deep at the crossing, close to the ford, known as Rab-et-Tumm, we reached the railway station.

We explored the neighborhood and revisited this extremity of the Sea of Galilee and the river. The Jordan (Arabic: Esh-Sheriba el-Kebir, “the large watering place”) rises on Mt. Hermon 1,700 feet above the sea. It has two main collecting basins, the upper at the lake of Huleh, and the lower and large one at the lake of Tiberias. Its main course, from the lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea, has a fall of 610 feet, and a length, owing to its numerous windings, of upwards of 185 miles; while the airline distance between the two lakes is little more than sixty miles. The deep valley of the river is called El-Ghor by Arabs. From time immemorial this has formed a natural boundary, as the paths descending to the river are all wild and rugged. Most of the northern part of the valley is fertile, while in the southern part barren tracts alternate with green oases. Many of the tributary streams, particularly those on the eastern side, are perennial.

The older channel takes half an hour to cross. The present and deeper channel averages only one hundred feet in width, but the river often overflows its banks after rain. The thicket which conceals the water from view harbors wild boars and birds and was formerly infested by lions (Jerem. XLIX:19). The water is of a tawny color from the clay, which it stirs up in its rapid course, and its temperature is high. It contains numerous fish. In ancient days, as at present, the Jordan seems to have been crossed almost exclusively at its few fords (1 Sam. XIII:7; 2 Sam. X:9,31). The most famous ford is that of Mahadet Hajleh; another ford, El-Henu, lies further to the south.

Samakh is 53½ miles from Haifa by railway. The stationmaster bore the famous name of Saucrat (Socrates); his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law became friendly to my wife. They have rooms over the station offices.

Beyond Samakh the line enters the mountains of the country east of the Jordan and commences to ascend the valley of the Yarmuk. This river, which derives its Arab name, Sheriet el Menadireh, from the Bedouin tribe ‘Arab el-Menadireh, was known to the Greeks as Hieromyces, a corruption of Yarmuk, the name given to it in the Talmud. It descends from the Jebel ‘Ajlum to the south. Its volume is nearly as great as that of the Jordan. The deep valley through which it flows penetrates rocks of limestone; but, after the channel had been hollowed out, the valley must have been covered with a stream of volcanic rock, through which the river had to force a new passage.

After twice crossing the river the line reaches El Hammi, with the famous hot springs of Gadara or Amartha. The sanitary properties of these springs are highly extolled by Eusebius and many other ancient writers, and they are to this day visited by many persons in April. The principal springs are situated in a small open space on the right bank of the river. Around the great basin, which is partly artificial, are traces of a vaulted bathhouse. The water smells and tastes of sulphur, and, though clear in appearance, deposits on the stones a sediment which is used medicinally. The Bedouins regard the bathing places as neutral ground. The ancient Gadara, now named Mukeis, lies on the height to the South of the river, one hour distant from the springs.

The line continues to follow the Yarmuk valley, recrossing to its south side. The passage of the narrow gorges with their steep rocky sides and (in the rainy season) rushing torrents present a series of picturesque views. A number of similar deep wadis debouch from both sides into the Yarmuk valley. Just before reaching the mouth of the Wadi Ain Ghazal (left; south), the line crosses again to the north side of the valley. It then threads several tunnels. The Wadi Kleit then joins the valley from the left (south). Station of Wadi Kleit (66½ miles). The Yarmuk is now joined on the right (north) side by the Nahr er-Rukkad, which rises on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon. Though this is the chief river of the Jolan, it is quite dry in summer. At the confluence of the two rivers, we are still 157 feet below the level of the sea.

Tell-el-Makarim lies at the junction of three important streams, the Wadi-Esh-Shallaleh, coming from the southeast; the Wadi-ez-Zeidi, from the east; and the main source of the Yarmuk from the northeast. The upper part of the last is known as the Wadi el-Ehreir. The line leaves the Yarmuk valley and ascends in deep and steep curves to Zeizum on the north side of the Wadi-ez-Zeidi, here named Moyet Zeizun.

On a Saturday about 1:00 p.m. we reached Dera, where we changed trains. It was very cold. There is a hotel close to the station and many shops. From the hotelkeeper we purchased a few articles of food; but with the exception of coffee, none of them were up to much. We bought several other things here, including a cardigan jacket and a sheepskin cloak to serve as a rug.13 The prices were about 50 percent higher than one would pay elsewhere. Our porter at this station was a gay Lothario, willing to accompany us wherever we would go; but we left him at Dera with a good tip. Some of the railway engineers here talked French and we got a good deal of information from them. From this place we telegraphed to Medina to the manager of the rabat where we intended to put up.

Dera (76½ miles from Damascus and 100 miles from Haifa) is the seat of kaimmukam14 with 4,000 inhabitants. It is the ancient Ebrawi and during the Christian period was the seat of a bishop. In the Wadi Ez-Zeidi lies a large reservoir (65½ x 50).

Pilgrimage to Medina

In 1914, Nawab Sarbuland published a book on his pilgrimage to Medina. The book is largely in Urdu, but it includes several pages of text in English, which are reproduced in full below. These passages seem to be a direct continuation of the series of newspaper articles given above.

Most European tourists to Syria have traveled from Damascus to Haifa via the Dera’ Junction of the Hijaz Railway. Dera’ is the Ebrewi of the ancients, and during the Christian period was the seat of a bishop. Finding ourselves there in November we proceeded to Medina as pilgrims. Trains run only thrice a week to Medina in the busy season. Ours left at 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday.

Crossing the Wadi-ez-Zeidi and skirting the side of the Zumleh we reached Kala Mefrak, where the railway line meets the old pilgrim route. Passing Fort Zerka and the upper end of the wadi of that name, we ascended the Wadi Aman. During the night we passed many interesting bits of scenery, and at different stations saw Arab sheikhs getting in and out of the train. Some of them were paid by the Turkish government to guard the line, and each saw the train through his own sphere of influence. Very few Christians come this way, but they are allowed to go up to Ma’an. When we were traveling, we only met one English-speaking tourist in the neighborhood of Amman, and he had the inevitable Cook’s dragoman, a Syrian Christian dressed as a Muslim companion. We met them on our return again in the Austrian Lloyd Mail steamer, traveling from Beyrouth to Port Said. This satisfied us that they met with no bad luck in the country.

Amman, the ancient Rabbath Aman, was once besieged and taken by Joab; but afterwards belonged to the Ammonites. Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) of Egypt gave it the name of Philadelphia and it thrived for centuries belonging to the Decapolis. The ruins of Amman are the finest on the Eastern side of the Jordan, but are disappearing with the increase of the Circassian colony. The citadel commands a fine view of buildings of the Roman times, the remains of Thermae, the Street of Columns, and the Odeum, etc. etc. There is also a mosque of the time of the Abbasids and a fine tomb (Kabres-Sultan) with a triple vestibule, the central hall leading to a chamber with three shelf tombs.

Katrane-El-Hasna, Djirouf-Derwiseh, Aneze, through which we passed in succession are all historical places.

Ma’an is a big place, as things go in this part of the world. Someday there will be disturbances here like those of old Port Said. The ever-enterprising Greeks etc. have opened liquor shops here to the great disgust of old-fashioned Muslims. Indian beggars wandering on foot have also found their way here, intending to follow the kafila [caravan] from Syria, but as the Mahmal (the sacred covering or carpet) went by railway these unfortunate people were stranded. As they are accustomed to a roving life, they took it calmly. It was cold and they were badly dressed, food was dear and they were unprovided with money. What an ideal life! Oriental food is obtainable here, and we provide ourselves with some. At Amman, Tabuk, and at Ula one can also buy in stores and cook on the route. We followed the general custom. Postage stamps are sold here; but we were unable to procure any, although we explored the town, which was a short distance from the station. As the railway station was not provided with a bathing house and I had an inch of dust on me, owing to the journey, I tried a novel experiment of seeking the help of the engine driver, who gave me some hot water and with cold water from the tap in the engine shed. I had a glorious bath in the open air on a very cold day. Ma’an is the station beyond which only Muslims are allowed to travel without special permission. We started thence on a Sunday afternoon, towards the Betn-Ghel country. We passed Akabah, Mudeweri, Zat-ul-Haj, Tabuk, Jenain-ul Kazi, Almoazzam, Daeel- Hamra, and Medain Saleh. The cities of the prophet Saleh, famous for his miracle of the “she-camel,” need thorough exploration. The appearances of the surrounding country are awe-inspiring and grotesque. Some huge volcanic upheaval must have occurred here, overturning mountains, towns, and buildings. [Number XXXI, Jeremiah XLIX 28]. Kalat-uz-Zamurrud, Hadish, the stables of Antar, Abu Jabir are all well-known places and the country gets somewhat fertile as we advance toward Medina.

An hour or so before the train reaches the holy city one begins to get a view of its buildings, the feeling is unique and thrilling, and every pilgrim recites the customary prayers. The military guards who accompany the railway for protection and travelers who have previously visited the city of peace take delight in pointing out the different objects of interest to the newcomers, whose exultation knows no bounds.

We reached Medina about 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday and were met by kind friends, who accompanied us to the Bagh Shamsiah in two small carriages; but before going to our quarters we performed the asr and maghrib prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque.15 We appointed members of the well-known Birzanji family of S. Abdul Karim as our mozawwir cicerones.

After the Maghrib prayers I went through the regular ceremony of the first presentation. Owing to the arrival of the Mahmal from Syria the mosque was lighted up in the evening and kept open all night, which was a lucky thing for us. With the exception of a short time for meals and a little rest we spent that night and the greater part of the next few days in reciting prayers of various kinds. The zuhr and asr prayers are performed in the mosque at the earliest hour for each, and there is ample time between the various services, for the recitation of the Quran and vazifas. I had the supreme felicity of securing an excellent seat in the first row just behind the imam. There I attended for the five daily prayers, as well as the special Friday service and various extra-devotional prayers. At night the city gates were closed; but as early as 3:00 a.m. after our patiently waiting and cajoling of the keepers, by calling them fathers or brothers and impressing upon them that we wanted to attend the tahajjud prayers, they used to let us in. Then we had to wait at Bab-un-Nissa of the Prophet’s mosque, which was the first gate opened on time to allow people to say the tahajjud prayers. We always stayed on for the morning prayers and had plenty of time for religious mediation and the reading of sacred formulae. I got enrolled among the various sets of attendants of the Prophet’s tomb and mosque and paid my respects to the learned men. The great doctors of learning, Syed Muhammad Amin Rizwan and Syed Ahmed al-Barzanji, honored me by accepting me as their humble pupil and granted me diplomas for the reading of ahadis and doas. Maulana Moulvi Abdul Baki Sahib and Muhammad ibn Yousuf Malak Bashli of the family of Maolana Syed Ali Hurari also kindly granted me permission for recitation of the Kasida Gousia and Dalail-ul-Khairat respectively, within the precincts of the sacred rauza.

Medina (Lathrippa of Ptolemy, approximately 25° N, and 40° E), has long been a famous city. Baki, Yakut, Ibn Abd Rabah (tenth century), Ibn Jubair (1184), Ibn Khallikan (thirteenth century) have all written about it. Burckhard (1815) and Burton (1853) have given their views after observation and other Christian writers by hearsay. Since 1908 it has become the terminus of the Hijaz Railway, about 820 miles from Damascus. Medina is one of the best watered spots in Northern Arabia, owing to the convergence of torrent courses in its neighborhood. Wadi Buthan, a tributary of Wadi Kanat, passes through the suburbs of Medina and Wadi Akik is some miles to the South. The city, with its main paved street (seventh century); its massive circling walls by Jamal-ud-din of Isfahan (twelfth century); its rock fort and tiny buildings, has a population of about 20,000 souls. The green dome of the Prophet’s tomb, his mosque (500 x 300 feet), and the date groves, which surround the town, would make any town picturesque; but its spiritual sanctity makes it a center for Muslims of the world, who can afford to disregard Burton’s sneers. Muslim architecture is the admiration of the world, and it was possible for them to have surpassed themselves at Medina; but the great merit of the Prophet’s last resting place is simplicity. Building or no building, the place is full of heavenly bliss for the true believers and the heart is nowhere so much at ease as in the Prophet’s presence. From the religious point of view the primitive mosque, which was first built there, will never be surpassed: but all the subsequent constructions have been things of beauty and joy to the true believers.

Volcanic eruptions (latest in 1266), fires (in 1256, 1481), and sacks (last in 1804) have only helped to increase the worldly magnificence of the place, while detracting nothing from its sanctity or real greatness. The description given by Burton of the city and its buildings is pretty accurate and no great point can be made by correcting him in details; but we cannot help entering a protest against his unwarranted sarcasms and cynicisms. As a worshipper of the same God as Muhammad, Burton deals fairly with the impressiveness of Mecca; but he makes no attempt to hide his prejudice against the “Servant of God” and makes remark after remark without justification when dealing with Medina. It is fortunate that the Prophet can afford to disregard the gallant colonel’s onslaughts. With all his knowledge of languages he misquotes Samanhudi, as explained by the editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and finds relief in relying upon other discredited authorities for his venomous remarks. Burton throws doubt upon the real tomb of Muhammad; but there is no reason to dispute the Muslim belief. There is no doubt about the grave. There is no proof of the Shias having ever removed the holy remains of the Prophet from Medina. Prophets are generally interred where they happen to die. It is said that Ali and the two sons of Abbas interred Muhammad close to the place where he had died and thence no earthly hand can remove him. Burton has discussed the position and the structure of the three tombs inside the Hujra; some of his remarks are based on weak traditions. There is no reason for attributing any mystery to them and the general belief of the Muslims is correct. There is no sepulcher, as distinct from the graves. The “light” associated with holy places and holy men is the spiritual Nur and not the sort of earthly light imagined by Burton. He finds a rational explanation for what he is pleased to call a Medinite Superstition “concerning the Column of Light which crowns the Prophet’s tomb.” He forgets that lamplight blazes in Medina only take place on fixed nights of the year and Orientals have keenness enough to discern between physical objects and heavenly ones. Spiritual light, or nur, is well-known and understood by professors of all revealed religions. Burton offends his own religious principles by scoffing at Islam. Burton evidently felt a pride in his successful disguise; but Europeans have an exaggerated idea of the difficulties of an adventure like his; many worse men have been to Mecca and Medina. As to the diploma of his murshid, it can be obtained from many printing houses, copyists and the so-called pirs, without getting oneself subjected to an examination of the inner man. They include a man in the category of Muslim, who openly pronounces the formula. There is a deeper significance in a Christian traveler having been permitted to see things. His writings have spread knowledge amongst Europeans, who can judge how noble, simple, and truthful are the practices of Islam.

Notes

1.He had worked as an attaché to the Earl of Northbrook during a mission in Egypt. See page 213 for further details.
2.Hamidullah had once served as his secretary in Egypt.
3.The couple met with him in London during this trip.
4.This reflection recalls his work with the British administration in Egypt alongside his father in the 1880s.
5.These “short excursions” apparently included London and Constantinople, since these dates encapsulate his entire trip through the Middle East and Europe!
6.Here Hamidullah seems at pains to emphasize Muslim unity before a European readership.
7.Burton, Personal Narrative.
8The Leader, October , 1913, 6.
9.The Leader, October 30, 1913, 6.
10.The Leader, November 28, 1913, 6.
11.The Leader, January 31, 1914, 6.
12.Both these terms refer to types of Ottoman administrative districts.
13.Begum Sarbuland notes that that he had bought clothing for their servant Amina bi here. He, however, does not mention this.
14.A kaymakam was a midlevel Ottoman governor.
15.This line suggests that Hamidullah’s use of “we” is the royal singular, for his wife did not in fact join him in these prayers, as indicated in her diary.

Glossary