The Roofs Of The Houses Appear To Have Been Entirely
Of Stone, Like Those In The Ruined Towns Of The Haouran, But Flat, And
Not Arched.
There were here about a hundred ruined houses.
Feiran was formerly the seat of a Bishopric. Theodosius was bishop
during the Monothelite controversy. From documents of the fifteenth
century, still existing in the convent of Mount Sinai, there appears at
that time to have been an inhabited convent at Feiran. Makrizi, the
excellent historian, and describer of Egypt; who wrote about the same
time, gives the following account of Feiran, which he calls Faran.[The
present Bedouins call it Fyran or Feiran [Arabic], and thus it is spelt
wherever it occurs in the Arabic documents in the convent. Niebuhr calls
it Faran, and I have heard some Bedouins pronounce it as if it were
written [Arabic, giving it nearly the sound of Fyran.]]
“It is one of the towns of the Amalakites, situated near the borders of
the sea of Kolzoum, upon a hill between two mountains; on each of which
are numberless excavations, full of corpses. It is one day’s journey
distant [in a straight line] from the sea of Kolzoum, the shore of which
is there called “the shore of the sea of Faran;” there it was that
Pharaoh was drowned by the Almighty. Between the city of Faran and the
Tyh are two days journey. It is said that Faran is the name of the
mountains of Mekka, and that it is the name of other mountains in the
Hedjaz, and that it is the place mentioned in the books of Moses. But
the truth is, that Tor and Faran are two districts belonging to the
southern parts of Egypt, and that it is not the same as the Faran
(Paran) mentioned in the books of Moses. It is stated, that the
mountains
[p.618] of Mekka derive their name from Faran Ibn Amr Ibn Amalyk. Some
call them the mountains of Faran others Fyran. The city of Faran was one
of the cities belonging to Midian, and remained so until the present
times. There are plenty of palmtrees there, of the dates of which I have
myself eaten. A large river flows by. The town is at present in ruins;
Bedouins only pass there.”
Makrizi is certainly right in supposing that the Faran or Paran
mentioned in the Scriptures is not the same as Feiran; an opinion which
has been entertained also by Niebuhr, and other travellers. From the
passage in Numbers xiii. 26, it is evident that Paran was situated in
the desert of Kadesh, which was on the borders of the country of the
Edomites, and which the Israelites reached after their departure from
Mount Sinai, on their way towards the land of Edom. Paran must therefore
be looked for in the desert west of Wady Mousa, and the tomb of Aaron
which is shewn there. At present the people of Feiran bury their dead
higher up in the valley, than the ancient ruins in the neighbourhood of
Sheikh Abou Taleb. There is no rivulet, but in winter time the valley is
completely flooded, and a large stream of water collected from all the
lateral valleys of Wady el Sheikh empties itself through Wady Feiran
into the gulf of Suez near the Birket Faraoun.
We rode for one hour from Feiran, and then stopped near some date trees
called Hosseye [Arabic], where are several Arab huts, and where good
water is found. Here I remained the rest of the day, as I felt very much
the effect of yesterday’s exertions. In the evening all the females
quitted the huts to join in the Mesámer, in which I also participated,
and we kept it up till long after midnight. My servant[This was the same
man who had accompanied me during my journey to Upper Egypt, as far as
Assouan. I again engaged him in my service after my return fro[m] the
Hedjaz.] attempted to join the party, but the proud
WADY ROMMAN
[p.619] Arabs told him that he was a Fellah, not of good breed, and
would not permit him to mix in the dance. He met with the same repulse
last night at Feiran.
June 3d.—We followed the valley by a slight slope through its windings
W.N.W. and N.W. Many tamarisk trees grow here, and some manna is
collected. The fertility of these valleys is owing chiefly to the
alluvial soil brought down from the mountains by the torrents, and which
soon acquires consistence in the bottom of the Wady; but if a year
passes without rain these alluvia are reduced to dust, and dispersed by
the winds over the mountains from whence they came. The surface was
covered with a yellow clay in which a variety of herbs was growing. At
two hours the valley, for the length of about an hour, bears the name of
Wady el Beka [Arabic], or the valley of weeping, from the circumstance,
as it is related, of a Bedouin who wept because his dromedary fell here,
during the pursuit of an enemy, and he was thus unable to follow his
companions, who were galloping up the valley to wards Feiran. The rock
on the side of the road is mostly composed of gneiss. At three hours and
a half we passed to our right Wady Romman [Arabic]. I was told that in
the mountains from which it descends is a fine spring, and some date-
trees about four hours distant. The road now turned N.W. b. W.; the
granite finishes and sand-stone begins; among the latter rock-salt is
found. At five hours we halted under a large impending sandstone rock,
where the valley widens considerably, and continues in a W. direction
down to the sea-side. Leaving this valley to the left, we rode in the
afternoon N.W. b. W. ascending slightly over rocky ground, until we
reached an upper plain at the end of
WADY MOKATTEB
[p.620] six hours.
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