The Holy
City itself, and all the sacred spots, were permitted to fall into their
hands; and though they did not profane the churches, the Khalif Omar
built a great mosque, or Mahometan place of worship, where the Temple
had once been, so as quite to overshadow the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
They conquered Persia, and spread their religion through that country,
putting down the fire worshippers; they seized almost all Asia Minor,
where the heretical Christians too easily became Mahometans, and they
obtained possession of Egypt, and the great library at Alexandria, where
they burnt all the collection of books, because they said, "If they
taught the same as the Koran, they were useless, if otherwise, they were
mischievous." Then from Egypt they spread all along the north coast of
Africa, where the Roman dominion had once been, and were only grieved
that the waves of the Atlantic Ocean kept them from going further to the
west.
In Spain the Gothic king, Rodrigo, mortally offended one of his nobles,
who, in revenge, called in the Saracens to punish him; and the whole
kingdom fell a prey to these Mahometan conquerors, except one little
mountainous strip in the north, where the brave Christians drew
together, and fought gallantly for their Church and their freedom
through many centuries.
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