Howard-Vyse, Richard William Howard: Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: with an account of a voyage into upper Egypt, and Appendix (Band 2) (London, 1841)

APPENDIX.

333

EBN HAUKAL

wrote about the middle of the 4tH centura' a.11.

(963 Uris Catalogue.)

He describes the two larger Pyramids as the most extraordinary
buildings in the world. He also says, that a Prince of the Abas-
sides, either Al Mamoon or Al Motassem, reading upon one of
them the inscription, " I have built them," determined to take
them down, but found that all the tribute of Egypt would not pay
the expense, although it amounted to 4,279,000 dinars.4

ABOU ABDULLAH MOHAMMED BEN SELAMAH
ABOU AL KODI1AI,

died 454 a.ii.

He gives the account of the papyrus (see page 330) upon the
authority of Abou Ebn AH Hassan Ben Caliph Ben Hadid, who
got his information from Yahya Ben Othman, who received the
account from Mohammed Ben Soka el Temimi.5

ABOU ABD ALLAH MOHAMMED BEN ABDURAKIM

ALKAISI,

died about 565 a.h.,

In his work "Tohfat Alalbab" (MS.) says, that Al Mamoon opened
the Great Pyramid, which is opposite to Fostat. The author en-
tered it, and found a square chamber with a coved roof, and in it a
well, ten cubits deep, large enough for a person to enter; from
whence, at each angle, doors opened into large apartments, in
which bodies had been deposited, enveloped with many wrappers,
that had become black through length of time : they were entire

4 The author J-jj-^', who is quoted by Makrizi, and who gives the same
account, is probably the same person.

5 This is from the account of Makrizi; it is also mentioned by Yakut._

Dr. Sprayer.