restored.]

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA, CONSTANTINOPLE,
TURKEY.--The whole interior of this noted structure is lined with
costly marble. To add to its splendor, the temples of the ancient
gods at Heliopolis and Ephesus, at Delos and Baalbec, at Athens and
Cyzicus, were plundered of their columns. To secure the building
from ravages of fire, no wood was employed in its construction
except for the doors. The visitor cannot fail to be impressed by
the bold span of the arches and the still bolder sweep of the dome,
while his eye is at once bewildered and charmed by the rich, if
not altogether harmonious, variety of decorations, from the many
colored pillars down to the mosaics and inscriptions on the walls.]

[Illustration: STREET SCENE, CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY.--The American
traveler upon entering this city is almost bewildered at the many
novelties that confront him before he reaches his hotel. Nothing
strikes him more forcibly than the awful silence that pervades so
large a place. The only sound heard is an occasional cry of some
vender, with a large wooden tray on his head, selling sweetmeats,
sherbet, fruit or bread. Dogs at intervals disturb the pedestrian.
Hundreds of them lie in the middle of the street, and only move
when aroused by blows. At ten o'clock at night, the city is as
silent as death.]

[Illustration: MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED, CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY.--Of
all the mosques in the Ottoman Empire, this is the principal one.
It is not as richly decorated as St. Sophia, but it is the only
one that possesses six minarets. It is located on a square called
the Hippodrome, named after the spot that was in former years used
for circus purposes. The exterior view gives it a magnificent
appearance. The place is one of the chief objects of interest in
the city. The crumbling monument in the foreground is a relic of
antiquity.]

[Illustration: TURKISH LADY, CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY.]

[Illustration: STREET MERCHANTS, CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY.]

[Illustration: SULTAN'S HAREM, CONSTANTINOPLE, TURKEY.--This photograph
represents an odalisque, one of the beautiful inmates of the harem
of the Sultan of Turkey. The photographer who took this picture
found her most courteous and obliging, and able to converse fluently
in English, French and German. Abdul Mezed, who ruled Turkey during
the Crimean War, had 1200 wives and odalisques in his harem. When
a Turkish Sultan wishes to show especial honor to a