Bartlett, William Henry: Forty days in the desert, on the track of the Israelites: or a journey from Cairo by Wady Feiran, to Mount Sinai and Petra (London, [1840])

bird's-eye view. 127

accuracy, and is intended solely to assist the conception of the
reader by comparison with the annexed map.

In this bird's-eye view, we are supposed to be looking down into
the lower part of the ravine, which formed one principal approach,
though not, as usually supposed, the only one. We can trace its
course across the area of the city, till it disappears in the other side
of the valley. Approaching by this narrow chasm, the first object
that meets the eye, is the rock-hewn tomb or temple of El Khusne ;
passing in front of this, the stream flows down until it reaches the
theatre, also hewn from the mountain, then bending at the end of
the rocks, crosses the valley, washes the few ruins of the city still
standing, and is finally lost to our view among the opposite cliffs.
The open central space was the site of the city itself; there is a
little level ground along the brink of the torrent, which we may sup-
pose, was appropriated to the principal buildings, and to have been the
chief place of concourse. On each side of this, the ground rises irregu-
larly, divided by minor ravines, terminating in the north with the high
mountains of Dibdibah, the central chain of Edom, and on the south,
ascending gradually towards Mount Hor, and communicating on this
side with the Arabah, by the pass already described, on the approach
from which, another branch goes off towards Hebron. The entire area
of ground, suitable for buildings, may have been about two to three
miles of circumference, of course very irregular. Scattered about it
are very numerous remains of former buildings; consisting, mostly,
of heaps of stones and substructions, but including a few more
important ruins, which we will take in detail. With this general
view of the site, we will now begin a more exact description of the
monuments successively, commencing at the head of the remarkable
ravine already noticed.

The upper part of the approach along the course of the stream,
which I did not see, is bordered by tombs, some of very singular
character. The valley is rather open, but soon the brook descends
among huge blocks of stone, overgrown with wild oleanders, almost
blocking up the passage, into the deep ravine, which piercing through
the chain of rocks, forms the only entrance to the city on this side-