John Fryer Keane – Notes on his first impression of Mecca

Right glad was I on this my first night in Meccah when we had said our last prayer and had laid down for
the night to sleep although the Amér and some thirty other True Believers packed head and tail in the
same room were snoring like pigs around me yes such was the thought even the name of the
unmentionable animal literally unmentionable to all strict Mohammedans Notwithstanding this impious
thought my conscience did not prevent my sleeping soundly Nor did I wake at the 2 A M meal for this
was the month Ramazan when all food must be eaten between sunset and sunrise but my well meaning
friends took sufficient interest in my spiritual welfare to turn me out for the morning prayer for which
service I appeared properly grateful exhibiting a great deal of cheerful alacrity in the shape of a cold
water wash before sunrise on a chilly morning and a quarter of an hour s gymnastic praying One
convenience was that the room in which we lived had three large recess windows looking straight into
the Haram so that we could see the Kaabah to which we prayed and which is known as the Ear of God
and by a dozen other flowery Eastern appellations without conver