PREVIOUSLY to the arrival of the _Assurance_, we made several excursions
to different places in the Cyrenaica, the first of which was to Marsa
Sousah, for the purpose of examining the road, with a view to the future
transport of the Bacchus and other statues. Accompanied by Cesareo and
Amor, we started from Cyrene on the 14th of January, and reached Marsa
Sousah in four hours. The present Arab path follows the ancient road,
which is distinctly marked by the deep tracks of the chariot-wheels.
After crossing the lower plateau, the road approaches the head of the
Augubah, through a dense wood of juniper, carub, and olive trees; on
emerging from which it is carried across a sort of saddleback between
two exceedingly picturesque wadys, about 1,000 feet in depth. A sketch
of one of which is given in Plate 44.
[Illustration: PLATE 45.—EASTERN CITY WALL AND RUINS OF APOLLONIA.]
The remains of the ancient city of Apollonia are not of great interest,
and seem generally to belong to a comparatively late period. The city
wall can be easily traced throughout its circuit, some parts of it still
standing to a considerable height. Just outside the wall, on the eastern
side of the city, is a theatre in a very perfect state of preservation,
and within the wall the ground is almost covered with the ruins of
ancient buildings. Among these are the remains of two temples,
distinguishable by the heaps of fallen columns, capitals, and
architraves. Of the two, one is of white marble, and the other of a
coarse Cipollino marble streaked with green, which has probably given
rise to the erroneous report that large columns of _verde antico_ are to
be found among the ruins of Apollonia. In the immediate vicinity of the
city are a number of plain tombs cut in the rock, now used as grain-
stores by the few Greek traders who occasionally visit this place for
the purchase of the produce of the country. In a mass of ruins within
the city we found two Latin crosses engraved on blocks of marble, almost
the only decided relics of Christianity we met with in the Cyrenaica. On
the northern side of the city there were some ancient tanks, and traces
of an aqueduct could also be made out. The harbour, which is too small
and shallow for even the coasting vessels of the present day, is
protected from seaward by some rocky islets at its entrance.
As we had no tent with us, we took up our quarters for the night in the
outer chamber of an ancient tomb, where we were visited in the evening
by a neighbour troglodyte, a skipper from Candia. He spoke the
inarticulate Turkish patois common to all Candiotes, and, although he
looked more like a Greek than a Turk, called himself a Mussulman. He was
buying up all the grain and butter he could get from the Arabs, while
waiting for his vessel, which was gradually collecting a cargo at
different places along the coast. Some of his sailors were with him to
assist in keeping guard at night, as the Arabs were continually on the
look-out for an opportunity of robbing him. He told us he had
established himself in a tomb with a single narrow entrance, so that he
could defend himself against considerable odds. We gave him some powder
and bullets, for which he was very thankful, as his stock was by this
time nearly expended.
During the night we were aroused by a creeping, rustling sound close to
us, which made us instinctively seize our guns and revolvers. While
straining our eyes to detect an Arab assassin in the surrounding
darkness, the cause of alarm, in the form of a huge porcupine, suddenly
emerged from an inner chamber of the tomb, rushed through the
smouldering fire that was burning in front, and made his escape amid a
cloud of sparks and flame.
Our friend the Candiote told us there was a much better anchorage than
Marsa Sousah at a place called Sousa Hamema, about fifteen miles to the
westward. On further inquiry regarding it, he said that its excellence
consisted in the fact that a vessel could _get away_ from it if a storm
came on from seaward, whereas it was almost impossible to beat out of
Marsa Sousah in the teeth of a northerly wind. We resolved to visit it
on the first favourable opportunity.
We returned to Cyrene the following day in a perfect torrent of rain,
from which, however, we were well protected by our burnouses, which had
been equally serviceable as beds the night before.
Shortly after this, we visited a place called Imghernis, spoken of by
the Arabs as full of ancient ruins. It is situated near the edge of the
upper plateau, about eight miles from Cyrene. A number of walls and
buildings are still standing, some of them to the height of about thirty
feet. They seem, however, to be of a late period, and almost no traces
of marble are to be seen. In the neighbourhood are a good many tombs,
both built and excavated, some of which are of evidently much earlier
date than the ruins of the town.[4] There were also several large
reservoirs cut in the rock, and roofed over with long flags of stone.
On the occasion of a second visit which we paid to Imghernis some time
afterwards, we were greatly annoyed by a tribe of Arabs, who surrounded
us, and in the most dictatorial manner ordered us to leave the place.
They threatened to shoot us, and for some time seemed on the point of
actually trying to do so. Amor, however, meanwhile advised them for
their own sakes not to attempt violence, telling them quietly that all
who had in any way thwarted us at Cyrene, including the Mudir and Sidi
Mustapha himself, had suffered in consequence; and that they might rest
assured that the Consul at Benghazi would have ample vengeance for any
injury we might receive. After some time, they showed their faith in the
soundness of his advice by moving off; and although we remained at
Imghernis all night and part of next day, we saw no more of them.
[Illustration: Pl. 46.
RUINS OF IMGHERNIS
E. A. Porcher, delt., T. Picken, lith.
London. Published July 1st. 1864 by Day & Son, Lithographers to the
Queen &c., Gate Street Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen]
Our next excursion was to Derna; one object of our trip, among others,
being to pay a visit to Mr. De Fremeaux, the British vice-consul, who
had very kindly sent us from time to time such supplies as we required
which Derna could afford. We started with Cesareo from Cyrene on the
26th of February, taking with us Amor’s brother, Abderrahim, and a camel
to carry a tent and baggage. Two hours and a half after starting, we
passed a few indefinite ruins at a place called Labrak, the scene, some
thirty years ago, of the great battle between the tribes of Birasa and
Haasa, the former under their redoubtable Sheikh Bou Bakr Ben Hadood.
The Haasa were completely defeated, and 700 of them are said to have
been buried on the battle-field.
An hour and a quarter further on, and a little to the left of the road,
are a few ruins called by the Arabs Gabiout Younes, where there is an
arched gateway of recent date still standing nearly perfect. About a
mile beyond, are the ruins of what seems to have been a place of some
importance, now called by the Arabs Tirt, where we found a small Zauyah,
containing a rude building used as a mosque. The Arabs who were
loitering about the place gave us a malicious scowl as we passed, but
did not interfere with us. No traces of architectural buildings were to
be seen.
From Tirt we rode about seven miles through a wood of arbutus and
juniper, over a rough stony road, to Lamloudeh (Lebdis), where there are
the remains of a town of considerable extent. Among the ruins are a
number of very perfect arches and tombs, and also some large reservoirs
at which we watered the horses and filled our water-skins. From
Lamloudeh we continued our journey till sunset, when we halted for the
night, encamping on the side of a hill called Kubbeh, where we found two
fountains of good water, and some tombs excavated in the rock.
The following morning we started early, and rode about ten miles over a
monotonous undulating country containing neither shrub nor tree. In this
plain we passed some ruins on a slight eminence, close to the road
called Beit Thamr, and a little further on, some tombs cut in the rock.
We then entered a wood of arbutus, juniper, and olive, which, with a few
breaks, extended to the head of the Augubah, where we first came within
view of the seashore, and in the distance, away to the eastward, the
town of Derna. The neighbouring hills are perfectly bare, so that the
town, with its luxuriant date-gardens, forms quite an oasis in the stony
desert around. The Augubah is similar to that of Marsa Sousah, being in
fact part of the same range of mountains. The descent is very steep, and
in some places where the surface of the rock has been worn smooth, it is
very difficult for the horses to keep their feet. We got to the plain at
the bottom in half an hour, after which we had a two hours’ ride over
loose stones and shingle before we reached the town. The whole distance
from Cyrene is sixteen hours, or about fifty miles.
On our arrival we were most hospitably received by Mr. De Fremeaux, who
kindly furnished us with quarters at his house. He had himself arrived
only a month before to succeed Mr. Aquilina, who had occupied the post
of unpaid consular agent at Derna for upwards of a quarter of a century,
during which time he was generally the only European in the place. In
the course of the evening we were visited by the Kolaghassi (Major)
commanding the troops, and the recently appointed Mudir, to whom we had
given a passage in the _Boxer_ from Tripoli to Benghazi. The Kolaghassi,
who indulged in an amount of snuff perfectly astonishing, seemed, from
the compound effect of tobacco and raki, to be in an incipient state of
_delirium tremens_. The Mudir, an Albanian by birth, had spent the last
twenty years in Barbary and Fezzan. Both were profuse in their offers of
friendship, and the Mudir, on returning to the castle, sent us as a
present a Roman silver coin and a small silver sphinx which had been
found in the neighbourhood.
The town of Derna, with its gardens, covers a small triangular plain,
formed by a projection of the seashore from the base of the range of
hills already so frequently referred to. The shingly bed of a deep wady,
which recedes several miles into the range, divides the small plain and
the town into two distinct portions. On the eastern side are the two
villages of Upper and Lower Bou Mansour; and on the western, a village
on a spur of the hills called Il Maghar, Derna proper lying immediately
below, and a small detached village, called Gebéli, near the projecting
headland. The whole assemblage of villages constitutes the town of
Derna, which is supposed to occupy the site of the ancient Darnis. The
remains of a few ancient walls may be traced in different parts of the
town; and the name of the village on the spur, Il Maghar (the cave or
rock-tomb), denotes the existence there of ancient sepulchres.
The beauty and fertility of the little plain of Derna are owing to the
copious stream of fresh water which flows down the bed of the wady. Some
two or three miles above the town the water is collected into an
artificial aqueduct, by which it is led into the town, and thence
distributed over the surrounding fields and gardens by means of small
lateral branches. To insure the regular supply to every man’s property,
a “Chief of the Water” is appointed, whose duty it is to see that a
supply is sent to every district in succession, and to prevent any one
from diverting for his own use the stream that for the time belongs to
his neighbour. Water-stealing is very properly considered a serious
crime, and is punished accordingly.
The houses are built with lime, and are altogether much superior to
those of Benghazi. Most of them, too, are whitewashed, which gives the
town a clean, wholesome appearance. Derna proper is surrounded on all
sides by luxuriant gardens, and appeared to us a perfect Paradise after
the wild and uncultivated country we had been accustomed to; but whether
a stranger, coming direct from Malta or Candia, would be equally struck
with its beauty it is difficult to say. Fruits and vegetables of all
kinds grow in abundance, particularly dates, melons, figs, grapes,
pomegranates, and bananas. The thick groves of tall palm-trees form a
conspicuous and beautiful feature in the scene.
The town contains a large mosque, a bath, a market-place, a small
bazaar, and a castle built at the same time as those of Merdj and
Ghegheb. There is a considerable export trade in grain, butter, and
wool, chiefly to Canea, in Crete. In the bazaar are shops or stalls of
different kinds, most of which belong to Jews. The town Arabs being to
some extent civilized, look down on their brethren, the Bedouins of the
country, and think them fair game for any amount of deception and
practical joking. An instance of this occurred in the case of our camel-
driver. While lounging about the bazaar, an auctioneer showed him a pair
of pistols he was selling at the time, and asked him what he thought of
them. “Wallah! zain” (By God! good), was the reply. In a short time the
auctioneer returned, bawling out a large price as the last bid, and
handing the pistols to the camel-driver, again asked his opinion of
their quality. “Wallah! zain!” repeated the camel-driver. “Well, no one
has bid higher than you, so here they are, and give me the money.” “But
I never bid for them at all! I have no money to buy such pistols as
these!” “No money! Never bid! Did you not say ‘Wallah! zain!’ when I bid
a price for you? Wallahi! if you do not pay you go to prison.” The other
Arabs in the bazaar took up the chorus, “Wallahi! you shall go to
prison. We’ll have none of your Bedouin tricks here!” and to the castle
prison he was hauled off accordingly. He was, of course, released when
his companion, Abderrahim, came and told us of his misfortune.
[Illustration: Pl. 47.
DERNA
E. A. Porcher, delt., T. Picken, lith.
London. Published July 1st. 1864 by Day & Son, Lithographers to the
Queen &c., Gate Street Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen]
We returned the visit of the Mudir, and also called on the Kolaghassi,
who told us that if we would come to the castle the next day he would
have the troops turned out and put through their drill in our presence.
He considered himself a great tactician, and showed us a Turkish book on
military movements, illustrated with diagrams, by the study of which he
said he had acquired his proficiency. When we went to the castle on the
following morning, after the usual pipes and coffee, he showed us the
barrack-rooms, &c., which were all in very good order. He pointed out
with great pride some fantastic arabesques in red and black with which
the white-washed walls were covered, informing us that they were all
designed by himself. They forcibly reminded us of the way in which a
small boy delights to ornament a blank wall with a piece of chalk. The
two companies of infantry were by this time drawn up for inspection.
Their clothing was certainly not of the best quality, but their arms
were good and in excellent condition. Some manœuvres were then executed
in an open space in front of the castle. The men drilled very steadily,
although impeded in their movements by the clumsy formation of three
ranks, and the interference of the supernumeraries, whose chief
occupation seemed to consist in kicking the shins of the men in the rear
rank.
On the last day of our stay we rode about five miles up the wady,
accompanied by Mr. de Fremeaux. The sides are very steep, and in many
places quite perpendicular; and the stream which flows along the bed
causes a luxuriant growth of reeds and oleanders, which give the ravine
a most picturesque appearance.
[Illustration: PLATE 48.—CASTLE OF DERNA.]
Before leaving Derna we examined the shops in the bazaar and bought
everything useful we could find. On the fourth day after our arrival we
left for Cyrene, which we reached without incident the following day. It
was during our absence that our workmen made the first discoveries of
sculpture at the Temple of Apollo.
On the 3rd of April we visited Sousah Hamema (Phycus), the anchorage
spoken of by the Candiote skipper. It is confounded by Beechey with
Apollonia, which he calls Marsa Sousah Hamema. The one place is Marsa
Sousah and the other Sousah Hamema, so named from the number of rock-
pigeons (hamem) which frequent its neighbourhood. The distance from
Cyrene, seven hours or twenty-one miles, was greater than we had been
led to believe. From the foot of the Cyrene range we crossed the lower
plateau in a north-western direction, and descended the Augubah to the
plain on the shore by a steep rocky tract exactly similar to those on
the roads to Marsa Sousah and Derna. About two hours to the westward of
this point, we reached Sousah Hamema, which occupies the point called
Ras Sem, a name which seems to have become obsolete, as none of the
Arabs we spoke to were acquainted with it. The harbour is simply a small
bay not half a mile wide, and perfectly open to the north. We found a
small schooner from Canea at anchor outside. Remains of buildings were
to be seen on both sides of the bay, and also a considerable number of
rock tombs. The eastern side, however, which contained the greater
number of these, was occupied by one of those pests of Barbary, a
Zauyah, which prevented our making an examination of it. As there was
nothing of interest to detain us, we left in the evening to return to
Cyrene. Night overtook us in the plain at the foot of the Augubah; but
after dark we saw at some distance the light of a fire, which guided us
to an Arab camp, where we passed the night. The following day we
returned to Cyrene by a path some five or six miles to the eastward of
the one by which we had gone to Sousah Hamema the day before. In
traversing the lower plateau, both going and coming, we very often
passed the traces of ancient roads, and the remains of tombs and other
buildings, which clearly showed that the whole plain had at a former
period been thickly inhabited.
Having now examined the sites of all the cities of the Pentapolis except
Teuchira and Ptolemais, we proposed to visit those places before the hot
weather set in for the summer. The month of April is by far the most
agreeable season for travelling in this part of Africa. The water which
has collected here and there during the winter is not yet dried up by
the heat of the sun, so that a sufficient quantity for replenishing the
water-skins can always be obtained without much trouble. The heavy rains
which make a winter journey so unpleasant, are by this time past, the
weather is cool and bright, and the country is covered with a varied
vegetation which adds greatly to the beauty of the scenery. Later in the
year, the traveller would fail to recognize many a lovely valley which
he had admired only a month or two before.
We left Cyrene on the 13th of April, accompanied by Amor and three of
his friends in the capacity of guides and escort, with a camel to carry
our tent, bedding, and provisions. Taking the road to Merdj and
Benghazi, we passed close to the Zauyah El Beidah and along the
beautiful Wady Il Aggur to Gusr Biligadem, where we encamped for the
night. Many parts of the road, and particularly the eight or nine miles
through the Wady Il Aggur, were rich and beautiful beyond description.
Trees and shrubs were in full bloom, and flowers of endless variety hung
in clusters from the branches of the trees, twined up the faces of the
cliffs, and covered the fresh greensward at our feet, filling the air
with the most delicious perfume. Roses, honeysuckle, myrtle, and
oleander grew in great profusion. The country sometimes appeared a
literal bed of roses.
While riding along the wady, we noticed that the partridges, when
disturbed, had the peculiar habit of alighting on trees, in which
position we shot three or four of them.
Our next day’s journey was also through a very fine country, the road
passing over a succession of hills and valleys. The hills were generally
overgrown with juniper, arbutus, and brushwood, with occasionally trees
of larger growth, such as the oak, the carub or locust-tree, and the
olive; and the valleys were either sown with grain or left fallow for
pasture. After travelling eight hours and a half, we pitched our tent in
a gully near an Arab camp, where we were soon joined by a large party of
Arabs on their way to Benghazi. They were all very civil, and the women
in the camp prepared a huge dish of bazeen for our supper, besides
supplying us liberally with water and leben. We shared with the company
the partridges we had shot, and gave them what they had never seen
before,—a cup of tea. The partridges were cooked _au naturel_ in a very
primitive manner, being simply thrown into the fire as they were,
feathers and all.
It may be mentioned here that the Arabs are much more scrupulous than
the Turks regarding the sin of eating unclean animals, or such as have
not been killed by a Mahommedan according to the requirements of the
Koran. When an animal is to be killed, the operator, before cutting its
throat, turns its head in the direction of Mecca, and invokes a
blessing. The short prayer, the look towards the Gibli, and the letting
of blood afterwards, are the three essential forms which must in all
cases be complied with. The attention paid to this law was of great
convenience to us when shooting in the company of our Arab attendants,
as it saved us the trouble of picking up the game we killed. Whenever a
bird fell, one of the Arabs was sure to rush after it, knife in hand, to
take its life in an orthodox manner before it had given its final kick.
They could thus partake with a clear conscience of what we had shot
during the day; otherwise they had to content themselves with a piece of
dry bread or biscuit for dinner. The Arabs themselves hardly ever shoot,
powder and lead being much too valuable to throw away on any game less
noble than man.
About half an hour after starting on the following morning, the 15th, we
came to a group of ancient wells, some four or five in number, called
the “Libiar Il Gharib.” They were carefully lined with masonry, and
contained a good supply of excellent water. Many such wells and cisterns
still exist as the monuments of a former age; but, with a few rare
exceptions, they are now choked up and dilapidated. We halted here for
about an hour to draw water for the camel and the horses, and to let the
Arabs have their breakfast. From Il Gharib the same hilly country
continued for about three hours, after which the road emerged on the
large plain of Bograta, which is surrounded by hills, and contains a few
half-ruined wells. We halted a few minutes at a camp near the end of the
plain, where we drank camel’s milk for the first time. It is considered
wholesome, but is certainly not very palatable, as it tastes somewhat
like cow’s milk mixed with salt. Leaving Bograta, the road led through a
gorge in the mountains, from the mouth of which we looked down upon the
great plain of Merdj, stretching away to the south and west as far as
the eye could reach.
We had heard from Benghazi that our old friend Hadji Achmet Bin ’l Agha
had resigned his governorship, and was at Benghazi on his way home; so
that, on our arrival at the castle in the afternoon, we were most
agreeably surprised to find him back again as hearty and hospitable as
ever. He gave us a most cordial welcome, and seemed truly delighted to
see us. He had none of the ceremonial politeness so common in the East,
but was really a downright honest, good-hearted fellow, a perfect John
Bull, both in appearance and disposition.
As it was past noon when we arrived, we stayed all night at the castle,
where, besides Hadji Achmet himself, we found the newly-appointed Mudirs
of Ghegheb and Derna and a military kaimacam, who had been sent from
Tripoli as receiver-general of the miri, or tribute, from the country
east of Benghazi. They were accompanied by Suliman Captan, one of the
most remarkable men in the country. He was the grandson of a Scotch
captain, who had turned Mahommedan, and settled in Tripoli, where he
became a sort of admiral under the Beys of the Karamanli dynasty.
Suliman Captan was Mudir of Ghegheb immediately before Lemin Ben Sitewi,
and during his tenure of office acquired a great reputation for the
courageous manner in which he kept the Arabs under his control. The
tribes about Cyrene still retained a lively recollection of his own
rule. On one occasion, however, his boldness nearly cost him his life. A
tribe of Arabs having refused to pay their miri, he went to their camps,
attended by only eight soldiers, to insist upon payment. Thinking this a
favourable opportunity for paying off many an old score, the tribe
surrounded him in overpowering numbers, determined to take his life.
Nothing daunted, he cut his way through the whole mob, and succeeded in
gaining the castle, although with no less than four bullets in his body.
A broad scar right across his forehead marks the track of a ball from
which he can have escaped with his life only by a hair’s breadth.
The new Mudir of Ghegheb, as we were informed by a letter from Mr.
Crowe, had received the most stringent orders from the Kaimacam to
attend to our requisitions, and afford us every assistance in his power.
He seemed a weak, mild individual, not at all fitted for the difficult
task of extracting the due amount of tribute from the unruly tribes he
had to deal with, and still less to be of much use to us, should we ever
have occasion to require his intervention on our behalf. We were told by
Hadji Achmet that the Pacha of Tripoli, aware of his weakness, had
appointed as his official adviser the famous Bou Bakr Ben Hadood, the
head of the large tribe of Birasa, who had been governor of the Ghegheb
district for many years, both under the Karamanlis and the Turks. On our
return to Cyrene, we found that this appointment had stirred up the
wrath of our neighbours, the Haasa, who had never forgiven Bou Bakr for
their signal defeat by him at Labrak. Their mutual hatred and fear gave
rise, as we shall presently see, to serious disturbances.
[Illustration: PLATE 49.—ARAB CAMP NEAR TEUCHIRA.]
We remained at Merdj till the middle of the following day, when we
started for Teuchira. The road led, in a north-western direction, from
the castle over a level grassy plain, which gradually sloped up to the
brink of the Augubah, near which we pitched our tent for the night,
close to an Arab encampment. The country was better cultivated and more
thickly inhabited than any part of the Cyrenaica we had yet seen. Early
next morning, the 17th, we descended the Augubah by a much better road
than those at Marsa Sousah and Derna, and reached the ruins of Teuchira
in about two hours, the distance from Merdj being altogether about
eight. We encamped in one of the large quarries, to the eastward of the
city.
Teuchira, named by the Ptolemies, Arsinoë, is now called Tocra, an
Arabic corruption of its original name. It stands on the sea-shore,
about two miles from the foot of the Augubah, and about 38 miles from
Benghazi (Hesperis). The remains of the ancient city are of
comparatively little interest, and consist for the most part of
indefinite heaps of ruined buildings belonging to the period of the
Roman occupation of the country. The city wall, rebuilt by the Emperor
Justinian, is in good preservation, and in many places still stands to
its original height. In its circuit of nearly a mile and a half, there
are altogether twenty-six quadrangular towers, which project from the
general line of the wall, for the purpose of flank defence. Within the
walls, we could distinguish the sites of several temples and churches,
in one of which we observed a Greek cross deeply engraved on a stone;
but not a vestige of marble was anywhere to be seen. Outside the city
are a number of quarries, in the sides of which there are many excavated
tombs. These are generally plain chambers, devoid of ornament of any
kind; a few, however, are painted, and some of them contain inscriptions
cut on small faces sunk in the face of the rock, which have a remarkable
resemblance to mural tablets in churches at the present day.
[Illustration: Pl. 50.
RUINS OF PTOLEMAIS
E. A. Porcher, delt., T. Picken, lith.
London. Published July 1st. 1864 by Day & Son, Lithographers to the
Queen &c., Gate Street Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen]
The country in the vicinity abounded with partridges, quail, snipe,
pigeons, and doves. The weather on the day of our arrival was very
disagreeable, squalls and heavy showers coming on at frequent intervals.
Next day, the 18th, was little better; but as we had passed a most
comfortless and sleepless night amid swarms of fleas, and as nothing of
interest remained to be seen, we started about mid-day for Tolmeitah
(Ptolemais).
There was a very fair road following the line of the shore the whole
way. We saw no remarkable ruins, although we occasionally passed the
remains of ancient buildings. Towards evening we came within view of a
high building that marks from a great distance the situation of
Tolmeitah. As we approached, we found that it was a large tomb of
excellent construction, about half a mile to the westward of the city.
It was now getting dark, and we pitched our tent in an ancient quarry
between the large tomb and the western gate of the city, choosing this
spot, as at Tocra, on account of the shelter it afforded from the wind.
The distance from Tocra was altogether seven hours and a half, or about
twenty-five miles. Some Arabs, who had halted for the night in the next
quarry to ours, were very anxious to sell us part of a dead camel, and
seemed quite astonished when we told them we would not have it if they
offered it for nothing. The animal they said had broken down, and they
had cut its throat “to save its life,” so that the flesh was perfectly
good for food.
The two following days were spent in examining the ruins under the
guidance of the Arabs of a small encampment we found near the foot of
the hills. We were sorry to hear from them that we had just missed
meeting an English man-of-war, which had anchored off Tolmeitah the day
before our arrival. From their description we conjectured rightly that
it was the _Medina_, Captain Spratt, then surveying the coast,
preparatory to the laying of the Malta and Alexandria telegraph cable.
Three of the officers, accompanied by an interpreter, had landed and
remained on shore half the day.
The position of Ptolemais is very similar to that of Teuchira and
Apollonia, the only difference being that at Ptolemais the ground rises
more rapidly from the shore to the foot of the hills, which at this
point come to within a mile and a quarter from the coast. The city,
which is nearly square in form, occupies the whole breadth of the slope
between the hills and the sea, and is inclosed by walls which can still
be distinctly traced. The great gateway in the western wall is still
standing, and is remarkable for the excellence of its masonry. It is
built of massive ashlar-work without mortar, the stones of which are
laid in alternate courses of “headers” and “stretchers,” like English
bond brickwork. The faces of the stones are roughly dressed, and the
joints deeply sunk like the “rustic” work of the present day. The
otherwise unbroken surface of the walls is thereby relieved, and the
general appearance of the building greatly improved.
The eastern wall of the city follows the side of a small ravine leading
to the sea from one of the Wadys in the range of hills above. At a point
nearly opposite the centre of the wall, this ravine is spanned by the
arch of a bridge still standing, which appears to have been built for an
aqueduct, which we could trace distinctly for some distance from the
city. Within the walls the aqueduct led in the direction of a series of
enormous reservoirs near the centre of the city, which were pointed out
to us by one of the Arabs. Guided by him, we crept underground through a
small opening into a chamber, about one hundred feet long and twenty
feet broad, completely arched over, from which we passed through a
series of about half a dozen similar vaults, all of apparently the same
size, and connected with each other by doorways in the walls below the
springing of the semicircular arches of the roofs. They were beautifully
built of ashlar-work, and lined with cement, but were so filled up with
rubbish that we could not make out either their exact length or their
number, as only parts of them were clear enough to allow a passage. In
one or two of them there was a little water, to which some goats had
found their way by a larger opening than that by which we entered. They
were, doubtless, built by the Romans, and must have been of the greatest
benefit to the city, as the country along the shore is much more liable
to droughts than the high land beyond the Augubah. “We are informed,”
says Beechey, “that the town of Ptolemeta suffered at one time so
severely from want of water, that the inhabitants were obliged to
relinquish their houses and disperse themselves about the country in
different directions. The reparation of the aqueducts and cisterns of
the town, which, it seems, had fallen into decay, restored Ptolemeta to
its former flourishing state; and this act is recorded among many others
of a similar nature performed at the command of Justinian in the eulogy
of that emperor by Procopius. As Ptolemeta is unprovided with springs,
the care of its reservoirs and aqueducts must have been at all times
peculiarly essential; and we find that its buildings of this class are
among the most perfect of its existing remains.”
[Illustration: PLATE 51.—GATEWAY IN THE WESTERN WALL OF PTOLEMAIS.]
Close by the entrance to the reservoirs stand three Ionic columns, the
most conspicuous objects among the ruins of the city. They seem to have
formed part of a colonnade which surrounded a space paved with mosaic
immediately over the reservoirs. There are some Corinthian and Doric
columns lying on the ground, which also appear to have formed part of
the same colonnade. There is no trace of building within the inclosure.
Between the reservoirs and the sea are the remains of a very large
building, the walls of which are still standing to a considerable
height, although there is nothing left to denote with certainty what the
nature of the building was. It may, very probably, have been a Roman
bath.
[Illustration: Pl. 52.
TOMBS TO THE WESTWARD OF PTOLEMAIS
E. A. Porcher, delt., T. Picken, lith.
London. Published July 1st. 1864 by Day & Son, Lithographers to the
Queen &c., Gate Street Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen]
[Illustration: Pl. 53.
PTOLEMAIS. PLAN OF A CONSPICUOUS TOMB ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CITY.
BY COMMANDER E. A. PORCHER R.N.
Day & Son, Lith. to the Queen]
Close to where the western wall touches the shore, there is a small
harbour protected by a projecting point of land, and a small rocky
island, which were at one time connected by an artificial pier. The
space thus inclosed is so shallow, and so limited in extent, that it can
only have been available for a few light vessels.
Of all the remains of Ptolemais, the most prominent is the large tomb to
the westward of the city, which we passed on the evening of our arrival
(Plates 52 and 53). It is 55 feet in height, and is still in very
perfect condition. It is built on a square platform of rock with scarped
sides, about five or six feet above the surrounding ground, and contains
a central chamber which occupies the whole length of the tomb, with
lateral recesses for the reception of the sarcophagi. Close to the
entrance is a staircase, which we found sufficiently perfect to enable
us to climb to the top. In the neighbourhood are a number of quarries
containing excavated tombs similar to those at Teuchira, many of which
have the names of the occupants inscribed on the face of the rock.
[Illustration: PLATE 54.—INSCRIPTIONS OVER THE ENTRANCES TO THE TOMBS AT
PTOLEMAIS.]
Our last night at Ptolemais was a very uncomfortable one, on account of
a very strong gibli, or southerly wind, which nearly choked us with
clouds of dust and sand, and necessitated our turning out every half-
hour to hammer in the pegs of the tent. We packed up at daybreak, and
after paying a last visit to the ruins, started for Merdj about the
middle of the day on the 21st. After riding about two miles to the
westward of the city, we turned up one of the wadys to our left, and
commenced the ascent of the Augubah. The strong gibli was still blowing,
so that although we were greatly sheltered by the range of hills, it
made our journey very fatiguing and unpleasant. When about half-way up,
we found that our guides had mistaken the path, and brought us to a
regular _cul de sac_, from which there was no exit but by returning as
we came, or climbing what appeared the insurmountable hill in front. We
chose the latter alternative, and after nearly an hour’s exertions,
reached the top with our horses, where we lay down under some bushes to
wait for the camel. We soon found, however, that it was impossible to
get him up, so we left the drivers to seek the proper pass, while we
rode on in the direction of Merdj. It was difficult to find a way across
country among the almost impassable wadys by which we were surrounded;
but after a two hours’ ride we had the satisfaction of seeing before us
the great plain of Merdj, dotted over with Arab camps. Thoroughly
parched by the exertion of climbing, and the burning heat of the gibli,
we hurried to the nearest tents for something to quench our thirst. The
cool fresh leben, which was readily offered us by the women, was
peculiarly refreshing.
A little after sunset we reached the castle, where we were greeted by
the cheery welcome of our kind friend Hadji Achmet. A really sumptuous
dinner of bread, rice, mutton, and eggs, was soon prepared and most
heartily partaken of. Fatigued as we were with a hard day’s work after a
sleepless night, we thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of sleeping on the
soft bed-quilts so mindfully provided by our host.
The camel with our baggage arrived the following day at 11 o’clock; and
about the same time Amor, whom we had sent with letters from Teuchira to
Benghazi, made his appearance. As there was now nothing to detain us, we
started at three in the afternoon for Cyrene, after taking leave of
Hadji Achmet, who, as usual, loaded us with presents of corn and
provisions. The hot gibli was now blowing more fiercely than ever, and
felt as if it came from the mouth of a furnace. The air was so thick
with impalpably fine sand that even the sun was invisible. Several
square miles of the plain around us were covered with magnificent crops
of nearly full-grown wheat, which I found, on a subsequent visit, were
utterly destroyed by this day’s gibli. Between nine and ten o’clock we
reached the Libiar Il Gharib, near which we passed the night in a hollow
of the rock, which was preferable to the tent during the hot wind.
Wrapped up in our burnouses, we slept soundly, notwithstanding the rain
which came on in the night, and from which the overhanging rock only
partially sheltered us. The following day we continued our journey, and
encamped at night at our old halting-place, Gusr Biligadem. The gibli
had by this time given way to a fresh cool breeze from the north, which
completely transformed the aspect of the country. Next day (the 24th) we
reached our quarters at Cyrene, glad to find ourselves again at home.
During our absence of twelve days, we had travelled over about 250
miles, the distance in hours being as follows:—
From Cyrene to Zauyah El Beidah 3½ hours.
„ „ Gusr Biligadem 9 „
„ „ Gusr Merdj 25 „
„ Merdj to Teuchira 7¾ „
„ Teuchira to Ptolemais 7½ „
„ Ptolemais to Merdj 5½ „
„ Merdj to Libiar Il Gharib 7 „
„ „ Gusr Biligadem 16 „
During the fortnight that elapsed between our return to Cyrene and the
arrival of the _Assurance_, a serious disturbance arose in the country,
caused, as already mentioned, by the appointment of Bou Bakr Ben Hadood
as the official adviser and associate of the new Mudir of Ghegheb.
According to custom, the sheikhs of the different tribes, and among
others the ten sheikhs of the Haasa, among whom we lived, went to the
castle to pay their respects to the newly-appointed governor. Before
this time, however, Bou Bakr had told the Mudir that the Haasa sheikhs
were a rebellious, turbulent set, whom he should seize and imprison on
the first favourable opportunity. Their coming to the castle on a
peaceful errand was accordingly taken advantage of for carrying this
sage advice into execution. The men of the tribe, on learning that their
sheikhs had fallen into the power of their old enemy, appealed to us for
assistance, and requested us to write to the consul at Benghazi, to
obtain the liberation of their chiefs. We told them that, as the matter
in no way concerned ourselves or any one in our service, it was
impossible for us to interfere. They thereupon called a medjlis, or
assembly of the whole tribe, in which it was determined to release the
sheikhs by force before further evil should befall them. They
accordingly assembled, to the number of about 1,000, in the
neighbourhood of the castle, and attacked it at midnight. The gate soon
yielded to their blows, and the garrison was at their mercy. Some firing
had meantime taken place, in which six Arabs and two soldiers were
killed or wounded. The prisoners were immediately released; but the
castle was searched in vain for Bou Bakr, who had wisely retired the day
before to the camps of his own tribe of Birasa.
The sheikhs, however, were no sooner at liberty than they began to
reflect on the unpleasant position they were placed in by the rash zeal
of their followers. The Sultan’s castle had been attacked, and the
Sultan’s soldiers killed; and although they themselves had been
prisoners at the time, they knew that it would be vain to disavow their
complicity in the act of their tribe. Such an open and violent insult to
the Government must, they feared, be in some way avenged by the Pacha,
who might possibly send hosts of soldiers to exterminate the tribe. At
all events, they would suffer severely by being excluded from their only
markets, Benghazi and Derna, by the fear of their falling into the hands
of the Pacha. A Medjlis was called to deliberate on their difficulties,
at which it was determined to make a second application to us for
assistance. The sheikhs accordingly came to our quarters, and in the
name of the whole tribe begged us to intercede in their behalf. They
urged that they had been imprisoned simply to gratify Bou Bakr, and for
no offence of their own; nevertheless, that, to preserve the peace, they
had represented to the Mudir that they could not answer for the
consequences if at least one of their number were not allowed out of
prison to control the passions of the Arabs, while the remaining nine
were retained as hostages. As this was refused, and they were all kept
in close confinement, they knew nothing of what was going on until they
heard the firing and battering at the gate of the Castle during the
assault. It would, therefore, be unjust to punish them for a crime of
which they were perfectly innocent, and it would even be hard to hold
the tribe responsible for its actions when suddenly and treacherously
deprived of the advice and guidance of their only chiefs. It was
certainly wrong to attack the Castle; but what was to be expected in the
circumstances; and had they not warned the Mudir of the consequences of
his own act? Besides, by appealing to us in the first instance, the
tribe had taken the only peaceable means they had of obtaining the
release of their sheikhs.
We asked them why they did not tell or write all this to the Pacha, who
was the proper judge of their conduct. Their answer was, “You know
yourselves well enough what the result would be; our remonstrances would
never be listened to, and we or our messengers would only be seized and
imprisoned with irons: our only hope in a case like this is in the
Consul.” We said that if the Consul interfered, the Pacha had a perfect
right to say, “Are the Haasa Arabs Englishmen? This is none of your
business.” “There is no chance,” replied they, “of his saying anything
of the kind; when the Consul speaks, the Pacha must obey.”
As we knew very well that the Pacha had not the power to punish the
tribe, we thought it probable that he would be glad of any excuse for
saving his dignity by pardoning the offence. We therefore believed that
our intercession would be as welcome on the one side as on the other;
and, if successful, that it would be most useful to ourselves, by
establishing our influence over the tribe in whose country we resided.
Mr. Crowe having left for England, we wrote to the above effect to Mr.
Aquilina, then acting as vice-consul at Benghazi, and requested him to
use his own discretion in bringing the matter before the Kaimacam. He
immediately called at the Castle, and read a translation of our letter
to the Kaimacam, who, as we had conjectured, readily promised to pardon
the tribe. We soon after received a letter from the Kaimacam himself,
informing us that, in consequence of our intercession, he had been
pleased to forgive the Haasa the very serious crime of which they had
been guilty, on condition of their good behaviour and prompt payment of
the Miri in future.
This letter reached us soon after the arrival of the _Assurance_, when
Mr. De Fremeaux was with us on a visit from Derna. Immediately after its
receipt, we summoned the sheikhs to a meeting, at which Mr. De Fremeaux
read and explained the letter of the Kaimacam. Highly delighted with the
happy termination of their difficulties, they were profuse in their
expressions of thanks, and said that they and their tribe were now our
servants for ever.
Immediately after our return from Ptolemais, and before the above
disturbances took place, we went to pay a visit to the Mudir at Ghegheb,
where we also found Bou Bakr and some of his sons. Although nearly
seventy years of age, he seemed as strong and active as a man of thirty.
It is said that although Cyrene was the site selected for the existing
castle, Bou Bakr, who was Mudir at the time of its erection, had it
built, for obvious reasons, in the territory of his own tribe at
Ghegheb. It is exactly similar in construction to the Castle of Merdj,
and stands on a slight eminence in a sheltered position surrounded by
hills. The country in the neighbourhood is bare and desolate; the only
recommendation of the site being an abundant spring of excellent water,
which issues from the rock under the southern wall of the Castle. About
seven miles and a half from Cyrene, we passed a most remarkable place,
called by the Arabs Safsaf, where there are a number of reservoirs
similar to those at Ptolemais, but on a much larger scale. One of them,
which is cut in the rock and lined with cement, is about sixty yards in
length, and is still in very perfect condition. It is covered with a
continuous semicircular arch, which springs from near the ground-line.
Although in a great measure filled up, it contained a large quantity of
water when we saw it. These cisterns appear to have been built by the
Romans for the supply of Cyrene, as an aqueduct may be traced a great
part of the way to the large reservoirs, also Roman, at the south-east
corner of the city. Safsaf was evidently chosen as the site of the
waterworks of Cyrene on account of its position, which is rather above
the level of the city, and is surrounded by higher ground, which could
be easily drained into the reservoirs. The distance is considerable; but
there is no other point nearer Cyrene so well adapted for the purpose.
[Illustration: Pl. 55.
CYRENE. PLAN OF THE LARGE TEMPLE AT THE N.E. END OF THE CITY NEAR THE
STADIUM. BY COMMANDER E. A. PORCHER R.N.
_Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen_]