MOSQUE, a temple, or place of reli gious worship, among the Mahometans. All mosques are square buildings, gene rally built with stone: before the chief gate there is a square court, paved with white marble, and low galleries round it, whose roof is supported by marble pil lars. In these galleries the Turks wash themselves before they go into the mosque. In each mosque there is a great number of lamps; and between these hang many crystal rings, ostriches' eggs, and other curiosities, which, when the lamps are lighted, make a fine show. As it is not lawful to enter the mosques with shoes or stockings on, the pavements are covered with piefes of stuff sewed to. gether, each being wide enough to hold a row of men sitting, kneeling, or pros. trate. The women are not allowed to enter the mosque, but stay in the porch es without. About every mosque there are six high towers, called minarets, each of which has three little open galleries, one above another; these towers, as well as the mosques, are covered with lead, and adorned with gilding and other orna ments ; and from thence, instead of a bell, the people are called to prayer by cer tain officers appointed for that purpose.
Most of the mosques have a kind of hos pital belonging to them, in which travel lers, of what religion soever, are enter. tained during three days. Each mosque has a place called Tarbe, which is the bu rying place of its founders: within which is a tomb six or seven feet long, covered with green velvet or sattin, at the end of which sre two tapers, and round it seve ral seats for those who read the koran, and pray for the souls of the deceased. .MOSS. See Muses.