area of the city is bounded only on the East and West by walls of rock; that on the East being the broad sandstone ridge extending south below the southern end of the mountain of Dibdiba; while that on the West is the similar ridge, which further north runs parallel to the same mountain, and is penetrated by the Sîk of Nemela. The brook of 'Ain Mûsa, rising above Eljy, flows down its valley and breaks through the midst of the eastern ridge, thus forming the Sik; then, crossing the open area near the middle, it passes off in like manner through the western ridge. Towards the North and South the view is open. Towards the N. E. is seen the high southern end of the mountain of Dibdiba, resting on white sandstone at its base; and more to the left the plain Sutûh Beida, through which we had approached. From the eastern part of the area of the valley, the summit of Mount Hor is seen over the western line of cliffs, bearing about W. by S.

On each side of the brook, the ground rises towards the North and South, as already described; at first gradually by irregular hillocks and eminences strowed with the scattered remains of former houses; and then, at the distance of a quarter of a mile, more rapidly. Towards the North, this latter ascent is cut up by several Wadys, and leads up through groups of sandstone rocks to the plain Sutûh Beida. Two of these torrent-beds, coming from the end of the mountain of Dibdiba, unite in the N. E. part of the area, having between them a promontory of red sandstone, in which are tombs. Further west are other small Wadys. Here, at the N. E. corner, the road from near Dibdiba comes in, by which our servants entered; and here, or somewhere in this quarter, must be the tomb described by Irby and Mangles, as having an inscription in the

unknown Sinaitic character; and also that with a Latin inscription, discovered by Laborde.

Towards the South, the ascent from the area of the city is steeper, and somewhat greater, perhaps a hundred feet. It leads up to a high plain of table-land, extending westward around the end of the western cliff (which here terminates) to Mount Hor or Jebel Neby Hârûn. This plain bears the name of Sutûh Hârûn, “Aaron's Plains," corresponding to the Sutûh Beida, "White Plains," on the North of Wady Mûsa. At the S. W. corner of the area of the city, a road passes out, ascending a long narrow Wady lined with tombs, to this terrace. It then leads along the southern foot of Mount Hor, and dividing further on, one path descends to the 'Arabah towards the left through Wady Abu Kusheibeh,2 and so to 'Akabah; while the other goes more towards the right, and descends through Wady er-Rubâ'y on the way to Hebron. At the foot of this latter pass, according to our Arabs, there is a small spring of good water, called et-Taiyibeh.

In looking at the wonders of this ancient city, one is at a loss, whether most to admire the wildness of the position and natural scenery, or the taste and skill with which it was fashioned into a secure retreat, and adorned with splendid structures, chiefly for the dead. The most striking feature of the place consists, not in the fact that there are occasional excavations and sculptures like those above described; but in the innumerable multitude of such excavations, along the whole extent of perpendicular rocks adjacent to the main area, and in all the lateral vallies and chasms; the

p. 555.

1) See in Note XVII, Vol. I. 2) This name is not quite certain. Laborde writes it strangely VOL. II.

67

enough "Pabouchèbe;" although the sound of p does not exist in the Arabic language.

entrances of very many of which are variously, richly, and often fantastically decorated, with every imaginable order and style of architecture. The cliffs upon the East and West present the largest and most continuous surfaces; and here the tombs are most numerous. But the spur from the eastern cliffs formed by the Wady below the Khuzneh, as well as other smaller spurs and promontories and single groups of rocks, both in the North and South, are also occupied in like manner. All these sepulchres of course looked down upon the city of the living; but others, again, are found in retired dells and secret chasms, or sometimes among the heights on either side, to which flights of steps cut in the rock lead up in several places. Thus the Deir lies high up among the cliffs of the western ridge, more than half an hour distant from the area of the city.

The most conspicuous of all the monuments, next to the Khuzneh and Deir, are those along the eastern cliffs north of the theatre. Here towards the North is the immense façade with three rows of columns one above another; then the Corinthian tomb depicted by Laborde; and further south, it would seem, the large tomb described by Irby and Mangles, with Doric porticos and ornaments, and arched substructions in front. The interior of this last, according to the same travellers, consists of one large and lofty chamber, which in later ages was converted into a Christian church; having three recesses for altars at the further end; while an inscription in red paint, near an angle, records the date of the consecration.1

The rock in which all these monuments are sculptured, is the soft reddish sandstone of this whole district; a formation which has been already described as resting upon lower masses of porphyry, and which

1) Irby and Mangles' Travels p. 429-431. To my great regret I

was not able to visit and examine this tomb.

appears to extend to a great distance both North and South. The forms of the cliffs are often exceedingly irregular and grotesque. The highest, and indeed the only high point, of all the sandstone tract, is Mount Hor. The softness of the stone afforded great facilities for excavating the sepulchres and sculpturing their ornamental parts; but the same cause has operated against their preservation, except where sheltered from exposure. The Khuzneh itself has been thus wonderfully preserved, only by the overhanging vault of rock which shields it.

Not the least remarkable circumstance in the peculiarities of this singular spot, is the colour of the rocks. They present not a dead mass of dull monotonous red; but an endless variety of bright and living hues, from the deepest crimson to the softest pink, verging also sometimes to orange and yellow. These varying shades are often distinctly marked by waving lines, imparting to the surface of the rock a succession of brilliant and changing teints, like the hues of watered silk, and adding greatly to the imposing effect of the sculptured monuments. Indeed it would be impossible "to give to the reader an idea of the singular effect of rocks, teinted with the most extraordinary hues, whose summits present us with nature in her most savage and romantic form; whilst their bases are worked out in all the symmetry and regularity of art, with colonnades, and pediments, and ranges of corridors, adhering to their perpendicular surface." This play of colours is strikingly exhibited, along the paths leading to the Deir, and to Mount Hor.

In the midst of the variety of architecture, which here astonishes the spectator, two styles are obviously predominant, the Egyptian and the Roman-Greek; or rather, it is the mixture and union of these two, which 1) Irby and Mangles p. 423.

here constitutes the prevailing style. The former is principally seen in the body or masses of the façades ; where the truncated pyramidal forms, and the slightly tapering fronts and sides, remind one continually of the majestic portals and propyla of the Theban temples. The more classic orders of Greece and Rome are conspicuous in the columns and other ornaments; and prevail also throughout in some of the more important monuments. But even here all is florid and overloaded, indicating a later age and a degenerate taste; when a feeling of the beautiful still remained, but without the simplicity of nature. This amalgamation of styles may be accounted for, by the prevalence, first of the Roman influence and then of the Roman dominion, which penetrated hither both by way of Asia Minor and Syria, and also from Egypt. This took place, as we know, about the Christian era; and to that period and the subsequent centuries, are probably to be ascribed the architectural skill and monuments, on which strangers now gaze with surprise and wonder.

An interesting question, which occupied much of our attention on the spot, was, How far these excavations are to be regarded merely as sepulchres? and whether any of them were probably intended as abodes for the living? I had formerly received the impression, that very many of them were to be so considered; and indeed, that a great portion of the ancient city had been composed of such dwellings "in the clefts of the rocks." But after attentive observation, we could perceive no traces of any such design. The smaller and unornamented excavations, are entirely similar to the numerous sepulchres around Jerusalem; and the one have no more the appearance of having been intended as dwellings than the other. Those with ornamental façades have in general a like character within; 1) Jer. xlix. 16.