Proceeding two days journey from the mountain of the Jews, we came to Medinathalhabi[38] or Medina.  Four miles from this city we found a well, where the caravan rested and remained for a whole day, that we might wash ourselves and put on clean garments to appear decently in the city.  Medina contains about three hundred houses of stone or brick, and is well peopled, being surrounded by bulwarks of earth.  The soil is utterly barren, except at about two miles from the city there are about fifty palm trees which bear dates.  At that place, beside a garden, there is a water-course which runs into a lower plain, where the pilgrims are accustomed to water their camels.  I had here an opportunity to refute the vulgar opinion that the tomb or coffin of the wicked Mahomet is at Mecca, and hangs in the air without support.  For I tarried here three days and saw with my own eyes the place where Mahomet was buried, which is here at Medina, and not at Mecca.  On presenting ourselves to enter the Meschita or mosque, which name they give to all their churches or temples, we could not be allowed to enter unless along with a companion[39] little or great, who takes us by the hand and leads us to the place where they say that Mahomet is buried.  His temple is vaulted, being about 100 paces long by 80 in breadth, and is entered by two gates.  It consists of three parallel vaults, which are supported by four hundred pillars of white bricks, and within are suspended about three thousand lamps.  In the inner part of this mosque or temple is a kind of tower five paces in circuit, vaulted on every side, and covered with a large cloth of silk, which is borne up by a grate of copper curiously wrought, and at the distance of two paces on every side from the tower, so that this tower or tomb is only seen as through a lattice by the devout pilgrims.  This tomb is situated in an inner building toward the left hand from the great mosque, in a chapel to which you enter by a narrow gate.  On every side of these gates or doors are seen many books in the manner of a library, twenty on one side, and twenty-five on the other, which contain the vile traditions of Mahomet and his companions.  Within this chapel is seen a sepulchre in which they say that Mahomet lies buried with his principal companions, Nabi, Bubacar, Othamar, Aumar, and Fatoma.  Mahomet, who was a native Arabian, was their chief captain. Hali or Ali was his son in-law, for he took to wife his daughter Fatima. Bubacar or Abubeker, was as they say exalted to be chief councillor and governor under Mahomet, but was not honoured with the office of apostle or prophet. Othamar and Aumar, Othoman and Omar, were chief captains in the army of Mahomet.  Every one of these have particular books containing the acts and traditions which relate to them, whence proceed great dissentions and discords of religion and manners among these vile people, some