'Personal Narrative of a pilgrimmage to Al-Madinah and Meccah. Vol. II' [‎310] (345/568)

310 Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah.
prevent their falling in. In El Fasy's time there were
eight marble basins in this room, for the purpose of ab
lution."
"On the north-east (south-east) side of Zem Zero
stand two small buildings, one behind the other, 1 called
El Kobbateyn; they are covered by domes painted in the
same manner as the Mosque, and in them are kept water-
jars, lamps, carpets, mats, brooms, and other articles used
in the very Mosque. 4 These two ugly buildings are in
jurious to the interior appearance of the building, their
heavy forms and structure being very disadvantageously
contrasted with the light and airy shape of the Makams.
I heard some Hadjys from Greece, men of better taste
than the Arabs, express their regret that the Kobbateyn
should be allowed to disfigure the Mosque. They were
built by Khoshgeldy, governor of Djidda a.h. 947; one
is called Kobbet el Abbas, from having been placed on the
site of a small tank said to have been formed by Abbas,
the uncle of Mohammed."
1 This is not exactly correct. As the plan will show, the angle of
one building touches the angle of its neighbour.
2 Their names and offices are now changed. One is called the
Kubbat al-Sa'at, and contains the clocks and chronometers (two of
them English) sent as presents to the Mosque by the Sultan. The
other, known as the Kubbat al-Kutub, is used as a store-room for
manuscripts bequeathed to the Mosque. They still are open to
Burckhardt's just criticism, being nothing but the common dome
springing from four walls, and vulgarly painted with bands of red,
yellow, and green. In Ibn Jubayr's time the two domes contained
bequests of books and candles. The Kubbat Abbas, or that further
from the Ka'abah than its neighbour, was also called Kubbat al-
Sharab (the Dome of Drink), because Zemzem water was here kept
cooling for the use of pilgrims in Daurak, or earthen jars. The
nearer was termed Kubbat al-Yahudi; and the tradition they told me
was, that a Jew having refused to sell his house upon the spot, it was
allowed to remain in loco by the Prophet, as a lasting testimony to
his regard for justice. A similar tale is told of an old woman's hut,
which was allowed to stand in the corner of the Great Nushirawan s
royal halls.