About midway of a minaret is a balcony, and five times a day a priest appears on this balcony and calls the people of the city to prayer. 在塔的中层有一个阳台，宣礼员每天五次出现在阳台上，呼唤城里的信徒参加祈祷，

This is done instead of ringing church bells as they do in Christian churches, for Mohammedans do not use bells, even in their own homes. 而不是像基督教教堂用钟声来提醒基督徒做祷告，因为伊斯兰教徒不用钟，甚至在自己家里也不用，

When they want to call a servant they clap their hands. 需要召唤仆人时，他们就拍拍掌。

The first call to prayer is about five o'clock in the morning—sort of an alarm clock—when the priest says, 第一次呼唤祈祷大约是在早上五点——有点像闹钟的作用——这时宣礼员就会说,

Come to prayer. Prayer is better than Sleep. 来祈祷吧，祈祷比睡觉更有益。

Not many people get up at that time to pray, however. 然而，并没有很多人那么早起身去祈祷，

When he calls out, a very good Mohammedan goes into the nearest mosque to pray, 当宣礼员呼唤时，特别虔诚的伊斯兰教徒就会到最近的清真寺去祷告，

or he gets down on his knees and bows his head till it touches the ground. 或者双膝跪地，低下头礼拜直到头触到地面。

Whenever he goes into a mosque he must first wash his face, hands, and feet, so almost every mosque has a pool or fountain, 伊斯兰教教徒无论何时进入一座清真寺，都必须先洗脸、洗手、洗脚，所以几乎每座清真寺的台阶上或者院子里都有水池或喷泉，

sometimes on the steps, sometimes in the courtyard, where the people can wash before they enter. 让人们进寺前可以清洗自己。

For this reason also there are a great many fountains throughout Istanbul. 也正是这个原因，伊斯坦布尔有很多喷泉。

They are not for drinking—they are not for beauty; they are for washing. 它们不是用来饮用的——也不是用来美化环境的，它们是用来洗濯的。

The mosques are for men only. 清真寺只允许男人进入。

Women used to be allowed in little hidden cells in the mosque, 女人过去只被允许待在清真寺中隐蔽的小房间里，

where they could not be seen, for women and children were supposed neither to be seen nor heard. 待在那儿她们不会被别人看见，因为女人和孩子不应该出现在清真寺。

The Mohammedans' Sunday is our Friday. 伊斯兰教徒的星期天是我们的星期五。

The Mohammedan goes to the mosque every day if he can, but always on Friday. 只要有时间，伊斯兰教徒每天都去清真寺，但他们在星期五总是去清真寺。