Identifier: travelsdiscoveri01bart (find matches)
Title: Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa. From the journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s government, in the years 1849-1855
Year: 1859 (1850s)
Authors: Barth, Heinrich, 1821-1865
Subjects:
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Bradley
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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uch as possible, to enjoy fresh air, and at thesame time to become familiar with the principal features ofthe town, through which I was not allowed to move about atpleasure, I ascended as often as possible the terrace of myhduse. This afforded an excellent view over the northernquarters of the town. On the north was the massive mosqueof Sankore, which had just been restored to all its former gran-deur through the influence of the Sheikh el Bakay, and gavethe whole place an imposing character. Neither the mosqueSidi Yahia, nor the great mosque, or Jingere-ber, was seenfrom this point; but toward the east the view extended over awide expanse of the desert, and toward the south the elevatedmansions of the Grhadamslye merchants were visible. Thestyle of the buildings was various. I could see clay houses ofdifferent characters, some low and unseemly, others rising witha second story in front to greater elevation, and making evenan attempt at architectural ornament, the whole being inter- ^
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(427) INACCURACY OF CAILLIEs VIEW. 429 rupted by a few round huts of matting. The sight of thisspectacle afforded me sufficient matter of interest, although,the streets being very narrow, only little was to be seen of theintercourse carried on in them, with the exception of the smallmarket in the northern quarter, which was exposed to view onaccount of its situation on the slope of the sand-hills, which,in course of time, have accumulated round the mosque. But while the terrace of my house served to make me wellacquainted with the character of the town, it had also the dis-advantage of exposing me fully to the gaze of the passers-by,so that I could only slowly, and with many interruptions, suc-ceed in making a sketch of the scene thus offered to my view.At the same time I became aware of the great inaccuracywhich characterizes the view of the town as given by M. Cail-lie; still, on the whole, the character of the single dwellingswas well represented by that traveller, the only error b

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