general very bare; but we passed some valleys affording a good deal of
herbage, or adorned with some fine batúm-trees. About five o’clock P.M.
we encamped in Wadi Talha, not far from a Roman castle or tower on a
hill to our left. On visiting the ruin, I found it built of rough stones
without cement, being about twenty feet square in the interior, with
rounded corners, and with only one narrow gate, towards the east. But
this was not the only remnant of antiquity in the neighbourhood, for in
front of us, on the plateau, there appeared something like a tower of
greater elevation; and proceeding early the next morning, when our
people had only begun to load, to examine it, I found it to be a Roman
sepulchre, originally consisting apparently of three stories; but of
these only the base and the first story remain, while the stones
belonging to the upper one are now scattered on the ground, and show
that it was ornamented with small Corinthian columns at the corners.
Even in the most desolate spot, everything left by the Romans has a
peculiar finish. The first story, being all that at present remains,
measures 5 ft. 4 in. on the east and west, and 5 ft. 9 in. on the north
and south sides. Not far from this sepulchre are the ruins of another
one, of which, however, nothing but the base remains, if, indeed, it was
ever completed. By the time my drawing was finished, the caravan had
come up.
[Illustration]
I then passed several detached cones, the steep precipitous sides of
which, formed by the breaking away of the strata, looked like so many
castles, and traversing Wadi Marsíd, reached the camels. They marched
to-day at a very good rate, the quickest we had as yet observed in
ordinary travelling—namely, half a mile in twelve minutes, making a
little less than 2½ miles an hour; but we afterwards found that this had
now become our usual rate, whereas before reaching Mizda we had scarcely
ever exceeded 2 miles an hour. The loads of the camels, of course, had
been heavier in the beginning; but this can hardly be the only reason of
the difference. The greater dreariness of the country, and the impulse
of our camel-drivers and their beasts to get to their homes, must be
taken into account. I must here observe that Overweg and I measured our
rate repeatedly, with a chain provided by Government, although it was a
very fatiguing labour, and injurious to our dignity in the eyes of our
people. Gradually the day grew very uncomfortable, a hot west wind
driving the sand into our faces, and totally obscuring the sky. Keeping
along the Wadi Téroth, sometimes more than a mile wide, we had on our
left a broad mount, rising first with a gradual ascent, but in its upper
part forming a steep and lofty wall called el Khaddamíyeh. Here too,
according to the information of my faithful Arab, there is said to be a
Roman sepulchre. Having passed a small defile, and crossed another
valley, we had other Roman ruins on our right, a castle as it seemed,
and near it something like a sepulchre; but the sand-storm hardly
allowed us to look, still less to go in that direction.
At three o’clock in the afternoon we turned off to the west into Wadi
Tagíje, and encamped near the bed of a torrent eight feet deep, which
amply testifies that, at times, a considerable stream is formed here, a
fact confirmed by the fresh and luxuriant herbage springing up in many
parts of the valley among thick bushes and brushwood. Nor was it quite
desolate even now; for the flocks of the Welád Bu-Séf were seen, and
their tents were said to be not far off. The upper part of the valley is
called el Khúrub.
This hot day proved a _dies ater_ to my Arab, who had gone to visit his
family. Having brought his old father with him, together with a goat, as
a present, and a skin of milk, he unluckily arrived too late in the
morning at our last night’s encampment. He then sent his father back
with the goat, and began to follow us in the hope of soon overtaking the
caravan; but he was obliged to march the whole intensely-hot day without
water, and he could not drink the milk in the skin, which became quite
hot, so that he suffered greatly, and arrived in a very exhausted state.
The fine herbage procured us a whole day’s rest, as the camel-drivers
were in no haste to bring up their camels. Not knowing this, but yet
convinced that we should not start at an early hour, as the well was at
some distance, and following the information received from the Zintáni,
who was himself too lame to accompany me, I had taken my gun and pistols
at an early hour in the morning, and gone in the direction of the valley
to look after a monument. After nearly two hours’ march I distinguished
something like a high pillar, and, proceeding straight towards it, found
it to be one of the richest specimens of this kind of monument
bequeathed to us by antiquity, and an indisputable proof that these
regions, now so poor, must have then supported a population sufficiently
advanced in taste and feeling to admire works of a refined character.
The monument rises, upon a base of three steps and in three stories,
nearly to a height of forty-eight feet. The base contains a sepulchral
chamber 4 feet 10⅓ in. long, and 4 ft. ⅛ in. broad, with three niches,
one on the north, and two on the east side. This side was the principal
face of the monument, forming its most ornamented part. The first story
measures at its base on the E. and W. sides 5 feet 5⅜ inches, and on the
N. and S. sides 4 feet 10⅛ inches: it consists of six layers of stones,
on the lowest of which is represented a pair of wild animals, probably
panthers, with their forelegs or paws resting upon a sepulchral urn, as
if they were watching it; on the next layer above is seen the handsome
bust of a young female; two layers intervene without sculpture; and the
fifth is ornamented on all the four sides with hunting-scenes. The
frieze on every side is formed by four rosettes; but that on the north
side has some additional decoration, the second rosette on that side,
from the east, exhibiting a group of centaurs, and the fourth a cock.
Upon this part of the frieze is a garland of clusters of grapes; then
follows the moulding.
[Illustration]
In the second story the third layer forms the sill and lower part of a
false door very richly ornamented, and on the fifth layer a pair of
genii hold a coronal over the door of the sepulchre, a representation
which seems to intimate Christian ideas. Above it a niche contains the
busts of a man and his wife; but on the north side an elderly woman
occupies a niche with her bust, probably in her character as
proprietress of the single sepulchral niche of the tomb below. Above is
an ornament with two bunches of grapes; and then follows the frieze, of
the common Ionic order. The moulding is surmounted by a pyramidal roof
about 12 feet high, which has lost its summit; otherwise the whole
monument, with the exception of the sepulchral chamber, which has been
broken up in search of treasures, is in the best state of preservation,
notwithstanding its very slender proportions,—a circumstance very
remarkable, after a lapse of at least more than sixteen centuries. No
wonder that the natives of these regions now regard these tall
sepulchral monuments, so strange at present in this land of desolation,
as pagan idols, and call them “sanem;” for I myself, when alone in front
of the monument in this wide, solitary valley, and under the shadow of
the deep, precipitous side of a plateau adjoining the Khaddamíye on the
east, felt impressed by it with a certain degree of awe and veneration.
My sketch being finished, I was still attracted to a greater distance up
the valley by something which seemed at first to be another monument;
but it was only a mark fixed by the Arabs, and served but to lengthen my
march back, which was more slow, as the heat had set in. But I was well
satisfied with my morning’s work; and my companions were greatly
astonished when they saw the sketch. In the afternoon I made with
Overweg another excursion in the opposite direction, when after an
hour’s march we ascended a height and obtained a most interesting view
over this singular tract, which seems to be the fragmentary border of a
plateau torn and severed by ravines and precipices, so that only wall-
like cliffs, rising like so many islands out of a sea of desolation,
indicate its height. A high craggy ridge towards the west, with
precipitous pinnacled walls, looked like a castle of the demons. Just in
a ravine on the border of this wild scene of natural revolutions, my
companion had the good luck to find some very interesting fossils,
particularly that beautiful specimen which after him has been called
Exogyra Overwegi; but our zeal had carried us too far, and it grew dark
as we commenced our return, so that we had some difficulty in groping
our way back to our encampment, where we arrived weary and fatigued,
after having caused our people a good deal of apprehension.
[Sidenote: April 14th.]
We were roused from our refreshing sleep as early as two o’clock after
midnight; but this was a mere sham of our camel-drivers, who feigned
making up for the loss of yesterday, and after all we did not get off
early. Our road carried us from wadi to wadi, which were generally
separated from each other by a defile, occasionally presenting some
difficulty of passage. We left a castle of Roman workmanship, as it
seemed, in the distance to the left, and further on to the right a
slight stone wall called Hakl el Urínsa, dating from the petty wars
between the Arab tribes. We had already passed a few small ethel-bushes;
but now we came to a most venerable-looking old tree called Athelet Si
Mohammed fi Useát, spreading out its weatherbeaten branches to a
considerable distance: under this I sat down quietly for a while,
waiting for our people, who were still behind. The caravan at length
came up; and continuing our march, we soon passed on our right hand the
chapel of a great Merábet of the Welád Bu-Séf, called Si Rashedán. The
Welád Bu-Séf in general enjoy great authority with the other tribes for
their sanctity of life and purity of manners; they allow no stranger to
come near their villages, but pitch a tent for him at a distance, and
treat him well. The person at present most distinguished among them for
learning seems to be an old man named Sidi Bubakr, who exercises great
influence, and is able to grant serviceable protection to travellers in
time of war.
The Welád Bu-Séf are remarkable for the excellent breed of their camels,
which they treat almost as members of their families. It is curious that
this tribe, intent upon right and justice, has waged war incessantly
from ancient times with the Urfílla, the most warlike and violent of the
tribes of these regions. It is difficult to make out whether they are
related to the Welád Bu-Séf of the western part of the desert, who are
likewise distinguished by their peculiar manners, but who it seems would
scruple, on religious grounds, to call a man ʿAbd e’ nebi (Slave of the
Prophet), which is the name of the ancestor of the Eastern Bu-Séf.
Emerging from a defile, upon high ground, early in the afternoon, we
obtained a view over Wadi Zémzem, one of the most celebrated valleys of
this part of North Africa. It runs in general from W. to E.N.E., and is
furnished with a great many wells, the most famous of which are El
Abiadh, Sméla, Nákhala, Urídden, Halk el Wadi, and, a little further
down, Téder. In half an hour we encamped in the valley, full of herbage
and with a goodly variety of trees. A caravan coming from the natron-
lakes, and carrying their produce to Tripoli, was here encamped. I could
not withstand the temptation of ascending, in the afternoon, a
projecting eminence on the south side of the valley, which was broken
and rent into a great variety of precipices and ravines; but its summit,
being on a level with the plateau, did not afford me such a distant view
as I had expected. The cliff was formed of strata of marl and gypsum,
and contained many fossil shells.
[Sidenote: Monday, April 15th.]
As soon as we left the bottom of the valley, the path, which became
rugged and stony, led up the southern cliffs, went round the east side
of the conspicuous promontory, and then continued to wind along between
the slopes of the higher level of the plateau. A hill, distinguished
from among the surrounding heights by the peculiar shape of its cone,
has here received the significant name Shúsh el ʿabíd—the Slaves’ Cap. A
little further on, the roads separate, that to the left leading along
the principal branch of the valley to the little town Gharíya, while the
eastern goes to the well Taboníye.
One might suppose that in a desolate country like this, and just at the
entrance into a desert tract of great extent, the caravans would gladly
avail themselves of those abodes of life which still exist: but this is
not the case; they avoid them intentionally, as if a curse were attached
to them, and those places, of course, fall every day more and more into
decay. After a little consultation, the path by Taboníye was thought
preferable, and we took it. The rough and stony character of the country
ceased, and we gradually entered a fine valley, called Wadi Tolágga,
richly clothed with a variety of trees and bushes, such as the sidr, the
ethel, the ghurdok, and several others. After meeting here with a
caravan, we caught the gladdening and rare sight of an Arab encampment,
belonging to the Urínsa, and obtained some milk. Without crossing any
separation or defile, but always keeping along the same valley, we
approached the well Taboníye. But near it the vegetation is less rich;
the soil is intermixed with salt, and covered with a peculiar kind of
low tree called by the present inhabitants of the country, frʿo,—a term
which in pure Arabic would only mean “a branch.”
While our people were busily employed pitching the tents, I went at once
to examine a monument which, for the last hour of our march, had stood
as a landmark ahead of us. I reached it at the distance of a mile and a
quarter from our encampment, over very stony and rugged ground. It was
well worth the pains I had taken; for, though it is less magnificent
than the monument in W. Tagíje, its workmanship would excite the
interest of travellers, even if it were situated in a fertile and well-
inhabited country, and not in a desolate wilderness like this, where a
splendid building is of course an object of far greater curiosity. It is
a sepulchre about twenty-five feet high, and rising in three stories of
less slender proportions than the monument above described, and is
probably of a later period. The accompanying sketch will suffice to give
an exact idea of it.
[Illustration]
Near this is another sepulchre, occupying a more commanding situation,
and therefore probably of older date, but it is almost entirely
destroyed; and a third one in an equally ruinous state, but of larger
proportions than either, is seen further S.E. These monuments serve to
show that the dominion of the Romans in these regions was not of
momentary duration, but continued for a length of time, as the different
styles of the remains clearly proves. It may be presumed that no common
soldier could pretend to the honour of such a tomb; and it is probable
that these sepulchres were destined to contain the earthly remains of
some of the consecutive governors or officers stationed at the
neighbouring place, which I shall soon describe.
Like a solitary beacon of civilization, the monument rises over this
sea-like level of desolation, which, stretching out to an immense
distance south and west, appears not to have appalled the conquerors of
the ancient world, who even here have left behind them, in “lithographed
proof,” a reminiscence of a more elevated order of life than exists at
present in these regions.
The flat valley below, with its green strip of herbage, stretches far
into the stony level; and beyond, north-eastwards, the desolate waste
extends towards Gharíya.
I returned to the encampment, which meanwhile had sprung up on the open
space round the well, and was anxious to quench my thirst with a draught
of the precious liquid; but the water was rather salt, and disagreed
with me so long as I continued to use it,—that is, for the next seven
days. That we might make good use of our leisure hours, all three of us
went the next day to Gharíya, or rather Gharíya el gharbíya—_i.e._
western, to distinguish it from the more distant eastern place of the
same name.
Cheerfully as we set forward, we were heartily glad when, after a three
hours’ march, we saw the northern tower of the place become visible over
the monotonous stony plain, the wide and unbounded expanse of which
seemed to indicate something above a single day’s excursion. After
having also descried the half-ruined dwellings of the village, we were
eagerly looking out for the palm-grove, when we suddenly reached the
brink of a deep ravine, in which, on our left, the fresh green
plantation started forth, while all around was naked and bare. We
crossed the ravine, leaving the grove on our left, and ascended the
opposite cliffs towards the ruined cluster of miserable cottages, when,
having traversed the desolate streets, we encamped outside the Roman
gate, the massive and regular architecture of which formed a remarkable
contrast to the frail and half-ruined structures of the village. We were
greatly astonished to find such a work here.[38]
[Illustration]
It has but little resemblance to the Roman castle or station at Bonjem,
such as it is seen in Captain Lyon’s drawing[39]; for while the latter
represents a single gateway flanked by two quadrangular towers, the
building at Gharíya consists of three archways, flanked by towers with
receding walls. The two smaller gateways have been almost entirely
filled with rubbish; the upper layer likewise is gone, and only those
stones which form the arch itself are preserved, the centre stone above
the principal arch, bearing the inscription “PRO. AFR.ILL.” (provincia
Africæ illustris), encircled by a coronal, while that above the eastern
side-gate is ornamented with a large sculpture, the lower part of which
it is difficult to make out distinctly, except the trace of a chariot
and a person in curious attire following it[40], while the upper part
represents two eagles in a sitting posture, with half-extended wings,
holding a coronal, and at each end a female genius, in a flying posture,
stretching out a larger and a smaller coronal. Besides this, and a few
Berber names[41], there is no inscription now on the building; but an
inscription found in another place, which I shall soon mention, and
which was probably originally placed over the small archway on the
right[42], seems to leave no doubt that this fortification dates from
the time of Marc. Aurel. Severus Antoninus[43], and if not built in the
years between 232 and 235 after Christ, at least was then in existence.
As the ground-plan, which is here subjoined, evidently shows, this is
not by itself a complete building, and could only afford quarters to a
very limited number of soldiers acting as a guard: in fact it can only
be the well-fortified entrance into the Roman station; but of the
station itself I was unable to discover any traces, though a great
quantity of stones from some building lie scattered about in the
village. The only ancient building which I was able to discover, besides
the gate, was a cistern at the N.W. corner of the wall, near the slope
into the wadi, which is here very precipitous. It was probably 60 ft.
long, for at 30 ft. there is an arch dividing it; but one half of it,
except a space of about 8 ft., has been filled with rubbish: its breadth
is 5 ft. 3½ in. Perhaps the whole fortification was never finished; the
inner edge of the stones would seem to intimate that not even the
gateway received its entire ornament.
[Illustration]
While I was busy making a drawing of the ruins, Overweg, who, in order
to measure the elevation of the place by boiling water, had directed his
steps to a rising ground at some distance north of the village, which
was crowned with a tower, sent to inform me that on the tower was a
large Roman inscription, which he was unable to make out; and as soon as
I had finished my sketch I went thither. It is a round Arab tower, only
two large ancient stones having been made use of as jambs, while a large
slab, covered with an inscription, is used as an impost, owing to which
circumstance the inhabitants generally regard even the tower as a
Christian or Roman building. The inscription, which was evidently taken
from the fortified station, is 32⁷⁄₁₂ in. long, and 15¹⁰⁄₁₂ in. high,
and consists of nine lines. It has been read and interpreted by Mr. Hogg
in the following manner.
I(mperatori) Caes(ari) M. Aurelio Severo Alexandro[44] P(atri) P(atriæ)
P(i)o Felici Aug(usto) Et pagus et senatus et castr(um) [_or_ castrum
munitum] et municipium . . . . d. d.; poni curavit Severianæ P. Nero
situs vexillationis leg(ioni)s IV. S(cythicæ); [_or_ legionis XXI.
Victricis Severianæ] dec(urio) Maurorum e(t) solo (o)pere (e)andem
vexillationem instituit.
“To the Emperor Caesar M. Aurelius Severus, Father of his Country,
Pious, Happy, Augustus, the district, the senate, the camp, and free
town of . . . dedicate (this). . . . . P. Nero Decurion of the Moors,
caused the station of the Severian regiment (horse) of the 21st Legion,
Victorious, Severian, to be established; and he instituted by his own
act the same regiment.”
Though in this interpretation many words are very uncertain, it is clear
from it—as it is more than probable that the inscription was taken from
the former monument—that here was the station of a squadron of horse, or
rather of an _ala sociorum_; but at the same time we have to regret that
the name of the place is among the words entirely effaced. I, however,
think it extremely improbable that it was a municipium. I will here only
add, that this direct western road to Fezzán and Jerma was not opened
before the time of Vespasian, and received then the name “(iter) præter
caput saxi,” most probably on account of its crossing the mountain-chain
near the coast at its steepest part.[45]
As for the tower, or nadhúr, it was evidently erected in former times in
order to give timely notice when a band of freebooters—“el jaesh” (the
army), as they are called here—was hovering around the solitary village;
for this seems to have been the chief cause of its destruction, the
Urfílla being said to have been always watching and lying in ambush
round this lonely place, to attack and rob small parties coming from or
going to it; they are said even to have once captured the whole place.
The consequence is, that it has now scarcely thirty male inhabitants
able to bear arms, and is avoided by the caravans as pestilent, the
water, they say, being very unwholesome. The small remnant of the
inhabitants have a very pale and ghastly appearance, but I think this is
owing rather to the bad quality of their food than to that of the water.
In former times it is said to have been celebrated on account of a
merábet of the name of Sidi Mʿadi.
As soon as I had sufficiently examined the ruins and the village, I
hastened to the bottom of the ravine. The contrast between the ruined
hovels of the village, perched on the naked rock, and the green, fresh
plantation, fed by a copious supply of water, is very great. Thick,
luxuriant, and shady clusters are here formed, principally around the
basin filled by the spring, which rushes forth from beneath a rock, and
gives life to the little oasis; its temperature I found, at half-past
one o’clock P.M., 70½° Fahr., while that of the air was 70°. The number
of the date-trees, though small, is nevertheless larger than in Mizda,
and may be nearer to 350 than to 300. The water of the ravine after a
heavy fall of rain joins the Wadi Zemzem, the principal valley of this
whole district, which together with Wadi Sófejín and Wadi Beḯ, carries
all the streams collected hereabouts to the sea.