A Traveller Ought, If Possible, To See Every Thing With His Own
Eyes, For The Reports Of The Arabs Are Little To Be Depended On, With
Regard To What May Be Interesting, In Point Of Antiquity:
They often
extol things which upon examination, prove to be of no kind of interest,
and speak with indifference of those which are curious and important.
In
a room adjoining the apartment, in which is the tomb of Haroun, there
are three copper vessels for the use of those who slaughter the victims
at the tomb: one is very large, and destined for the boiling of the
flesh of the slaughtered camel. Although there is at present no guardian
at the tomb, yet the Arabs venerate the Sheikh too highly, to rob him of
any of his kitchen utensils. The road from Maan and from Wady Mousa to
Ghaza, leads by the tomb, and is much frequented by the people of Maan
and the Bedouins; on the other side of Haroun the road descends into the
great valley.
In comparing the testimonies of the authors cited in Reland’s
Palaestina, it appears very probable that the ruins in Wady Mousa are
those of the ancient Petra, and it is remarkable that Eusebius says the
tomb of Aaron was shewn near Petra. Of this at least I am persuaded,
from all the information I procured, that there is no other ruin between
the extremities of the Dead sea and Red sea, of sufficient importance to
answer to that city. Whether or not I have discovered the remains of the
capital of Arabia Petræa, I leave to the decision of Greek scholars, and
shall only subjoin a few notes on these ruins.
The rocks, through which the river of Wady Mousa has worked its
extraordinary passage, and in which all the tombs and mausolea
[p.432] of the city have been excavated, as high as the tomb of Haroun,
are sand-stone of a reddish colour. The rocks above Eldjy are
calcareous, and the sand-stone does not begin until the point where the
first tombs are excavated. To the southward the sandstone follows the
whole extent of the great valley, which is a continuation of the Ghor.
The forms of the summits of these rocks are so irregular and grotesque,
that when seen from afar, they have the appearance of volcanic
mountains. The softness of the stone afforded great facilities to those
who excavated the sides of the mountains; but, unfortunately, from the
same cause it is in vain to look for inscriptions: I saw several spots
where they had existed, but they are all now obliterated. The position
of this town was well-chosen, in point of security; as a few hundred men
might defend the entrance to it against a large army; but the
communication with the neighbourhood must have been subjected to great
inconveniences. I am not certain whether the passage of the Syk was made
use of as a road, or whether the road from the town towards Eldjy was
formed through one of the side valleys of the Syk.
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