DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5541#0287
258
PETRA KALEH.
[Chap. xv.
it under the name of Kerasunt, and in giving that name
to a view which really is that of Tripolis, and to which
his description of Kerasunt, as he calls it, exactly ap-
plies.
At half-past one p.m. the boat was not yet ready; and I at
length discovered, after repeated inquiries, that the boat-
men were afraid of putting to sea with the wind and rain
against them; and I was obliged to make up my mind to
remain here all day. I accordingly started to visit the
entrance of an old mine, said to exist near the mouth of the
Tireboli Su, which had been abandoned in consequence of
the water having got in. I was also told that there were
ruins on a low hill opposite the mines on the other side of
the river; but on arriving there found nothing but a few
heaps of stones near the top, which, from their burnt ap-
pearance, were probably the ruins of works connected with
the mines. The situation, however, was very command-
ing, and the view up the river very striking. About ten
miles off I saw on the summit of a lofty hill a remark-
able-looking rock, which my guide called, in a strange mix-
ture of languages, Petra Kaleh, or rock-castle, the rooms
and apartments of which were all said to be cut out of the
solid rock. The hill on which I stood appeared, from the
identity of its formation, to have been once continuous with
those on the opposite side, when the river must have flowed
in another channel more to the east, a supposition fully
confirmed by the general appearance of the country, and
by the local traditions which were subsequently reported
to me.
As I returned by the ferry a heavy shower compelled me
to take refuge in the ferryman's hut, made of rough boughs
and sticks, where I was amused with a scene between the
owner and some peasants who were anxious to cross the
river. The hut was so small that they were obliged to re-
main outside; and the heavier the rain fell, the more eager
they were to proceed, while the old ferryman, who had re-
fused to stir until the rain was over, became more obstinate
PETRA KALEH.
[Chap. xv.
it under the name of Kerasunt, and in giving that name
to a view which really is that of Tripolis, and to which
his description of Kerasunt, as he calls it, exactly ap-
plies.
At half-past one p.m. the boat was not yet ready; and I at
length discovered, after repeated inquiries, that the boat-
men were afraid of putting to sea with the wind and rain
against them; and I was obliged to make up my mind to
remain here all day. I accordingly started to visit the
entrance of an old mine, said to exist near the mouth of the
Tireboli Su, which had been abandoned in consequence of
the water having got in. I was also told that there were
ruins on a low hill opposite the mines on the other side of
the river; but on arriving there found nothing but a few
heaps of stones near the top, which, from their burnt ap-
pearance, were probably the ruins of works connected with
the mines. The situation, however, was very command-
ing, and the view up the river very striking. About ten
miles off I saw on the summit of a lofty hill a remark-
able-looking rock, which my guide called, in a strange mix-
ture of languages, Petra Kaleh, or rock-castle, the rooms
and apartments of which were all said to be cut out of the
solid rock. The hill on which I stood appeared, from the
identity of its formation, to have been once continuous with
those on the opposite side, when the river must have flowed
in another channel more to the east, a supposition fully
confirmed by the general appearance of the country, and
by the local traditions which were subsequently reported
to me.
As I returned by the ferry a heavy shower compelled me
to take refuge in the ferryman's hut, made of rough boughs
and sticks, where I was amused with a scene between the
owner and some peasants who were anxious to cross the
river. The hut was so small that they were obliged to re-
main outside; and the heavier the rain fell, the more eager
they were to proceed, while the old ferryman, who had re-
fused to stir until the rain was over, became more obstinate