D'Athanasi, Giovanni; Salt, Henry [Hrsg.]: A brief account of the researches and discoveries in Upper Egypt: To which is added a detailed catalogue of Mr. Salts collection of Egyptian antiquities (London, 1836)

34

THE HARBOUR

that this was really the temple, we took the
plan of it, and also one of the town itself, with
as much exactness as the sand which concealed
it from our sight would allow us.

The walls.of this city are only fifteen paces
from the sea. The stone of which the houses are
built is of a very singular kind;—it resembles a
sort of coral, full of small apertures like those of
a sponge; it is a sea-stone and not one of mountain
growth. It was probably cut away from the sea-
rock at the moment the tide was going out. All
the observations which we made at this place
related principally to the port of the town, which
is a very curious one.

The whole sea extending from the coast to a
considerable distance from land is studded with
shingle-banks, which render the approach very
difficult even for the smallest sized boats;—the
harbour on that side is entirely clogged up with
sand. A chain of mountains stands out into the
sea and serves as a sort of barrier to the harbour,
against stormy weather. Only that we had fallen
short of water and provisions we should have
gone on to see how far this beautiful promontory,
which formed such a fine harbour, extended; but
being forced by thirst to desist, we resolved upon