Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present ConditionBucke, Charles
History
Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present Condition
Bucke, Charles
Cities and towns, Ancient
The gate of judgment was erected by Sultan Abu Yusuff, A.H. 749. or A.D.
1348, as appears from an Arabic inscription over it. On each side of
that inscription is a block of marble, containing (in Arabic) "Praise be
to God. There is no God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet. There is no
strength but from God."
In one of the windows on the right hand of the saloon are the following
verses, descriptive of its elegance:--
"I am the ornamented seat of the bride, endowed with beauty and
perfection.
"Dost thou doubt it? Look, then, at this basin, and thou wilt be
fully convinced of the truth of my assertion.
"Regard, also, my tiara; thou wilt find it resembling that of the
crescent moon.
"And Ibn Nasr is the sun of my orb, in the splendour of beauty.
"May he continue in the (noon-tide) altitude of glory, secure
(from change) whilst the sun sets and disappears."
At the entrance of the tower of Comares: "The kingdom is God's;" "The
tower is God's;" "Durability is God's."
In the middle of the golden saloon: "There is no God but God, the
Sovereign, the True, the Manifest. Muhamud is the just, the faithful
messenger of God. I flee to God for protection from Satan: the pelted
with stones.. In the name of God the merciful, the forgiving; there is
no God but He, the living, the eternal; sleep nor slumber seizeth Him.
To Him (belongeth) whatever is in the heavens, and whatever is in the
earth; who is there who shall intercede with him except by His
permission? He knoweth what is before them, and what is behind them; and
they comprehend not His wisdom, except what he pleaseth. He hath
extended His throne, the heavens, and the earth; the protection of which
incommodeth Him not; and he is the exalted, the great! There is no
forcing in the faith. Truly, righteousness is distinguished from error.
He, therefore, who disbelieveth in (the idol) T[=a]g[=u]t, and believeth
in God, hath taken hold of a sure handle, that cannot be broken. God
heareth, knoweth the truth of God."
The walls of the alcoves in the Court del Aqua, present, also, various
effusions of the Muse, which have been inscribed by various travellers;
amongst which this:--
"When these famed walls did Pagan rites admit,
Here reigned unrivalled breeding, science, wit.
Christ's standard came, the prophet's flag assailed,
And fix'd true worship where the false prevailed:
And, such the zeal its pious followers bore,
Wit, science, breeding, perished with the Moor."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account