[ed. Miiller], p. 13fi). The only difficulty is to determine which ruins are to be comprised within the actual limits of the ancient city.
1. The northern extremity of the principal collection of mounds on the eastern bank of the Tigris may be fixed at She- rif Khan, and the southern at Nimrud, about six and a half miles from the junction of that river with the great Zab, the ancient Lycus. Eastward they extend to Khorsabad, about ten miles north by east of Sherif Khan, and to Karamless, about fifteen miles north-east of Nim- rud. Within the area of this irregular quadrangle are to be found, in every direction, traces of ancient edifices and of former population. It comprises vari- ous separate and distinct groups of ruins, four of which, if not more, are the remains of forti- fied enclosures or strongholds, defended by walls and ditches, towers and ramparts. The prin- cipal are: (1) the group imme- diately opposite Mosul, includ- ing the great mounds of Kuyun- jik (also called by the Arabs Armushiyah) and Nebbi Yu- nus; (2) that near the junction of the Tigris and Zab, compris- ing the mounds of Nimrud and Athur; (.3) Khorsabad, about ten miles to the east of the for- mer river; (4) Sherif Khan, about five and a half miles to the north ofKuyunjik; and (5) Selamij-ah, three miles to the north of Nimrud. Other large mounds are Baaskeikhah, Ka- ramless, where the remains of fortified enclosures may perhaps be traced, Baazani, Yarumjeh, and Bellawat. It is scarcely necessary to observe that all these names are comparatively modern, dating from after the Mohammedan conquest. The respective posi- tion of these ruins will be seen in the accompanying map. We will describe the most important.
(1.) The ruins opposite Mosul consist of an enclosure formed by a continuous line of mounds, resembling a vast embankment of earth, but marking the remains of a wall, the western face of which is interrupted by the two great mounds of Kuyunjik and Nebbi Yunus. To the east of this enclosure are the remains of an extensive line of defences, consisting of moats and ramparts. The inner wall forms an irregular quadrangle with very un- equal sides — the northern being 2333 j'ards, the western or the river-face, 4533, the eastern (where the wall is almost the segment of a circle) 5300 yards, and the southern but little more than 1000; altogether 13,200 J'ards, or seven English miles and four furlongs. The present height of this earthen wall is between forty and fifty feet. Here and there a mound more loftj' than the rest covers the remains of a tower or a gateway. The walls appear to have been originally faced, at least to a certain height, with stone masonry, some remains of which have been discovered. The mound of Kuyun- jik is of irregular form, being nearly square at the south- west corner, and ending almost in a point at the north- east. It is about 1300 yards in length, by 500 in its greatest width; its greatest height is 96 feet, and its sides are precipitous, with occasional deep ravines
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or watercourses. The summit is nearly flat, but falls from the west to the east. A small village formerly stood upon it, but has of late years been abandoned. The Kliosr, a narrow but deep and sluggish stream, sweeps around the southern side of the mound on its way to join the Tigris. Anciently dividing itself into two branches, it completely surrounded Kuyunjik. Nebbi Yimus is considerably smaller than Kuyunjik, being about 530 yards by 430, and occupying an area of about 40 acres. In height it is about the same. It is divided into two nearly equal parts by a depression in the surface. Upon it is a Turcoman village contain- ing the apocryphal tomb of Jonah, and a burial-ground held in great sanctity by Mohammedaus from its vicinitj' to this sacred edifice. Remains of entrances or gateways have been discovered in the north- ern and eastern walls (b and c). The Tigris formerly ran beneath the western wall, and at the loot _^ of the two great mounds. It is now about a mile distant from them,but during very high spring floods it sometimes reaches its ^ ancient bed. The western face of the enclosure (o) was thus pro- tected by the river. The north- ern and southern faces — h and d — were strengthened by deep
and broad moats. The eastern (c), being most accessible to an enemy, was most strongly fortified, and presents the remains of a ver}' elaborate system of defences. The Khosr, before entering the enclosure, which it divides into two nearly equal parts, ran for some distance almost parallel to it (/), and supplied the place of an artificial ditch for about half the length of the eastern wall. The remainder of the wall was protected by two wide moats (A), fed by the stream, the supply of water being regulated
most the whole length of the eastern face, joining the moat on the south. An enormous outer rampart of earth, still in some places above eighty feet in height (i), completed the defences on this side. A few mounds outside this rampart probably mark the sites of detached towers or fortified posts. This elaborate system of fortifications was singularly well devised to resist the attacks of an enemy. It is remarkable that within the enclosure, with the exception of Kuyunjik and Nebbi Yunus, no mounds or irregularities in the surface of the soil denote ruins of any size. The ground is, however, strewed in every direction with fragments of brick, pot- tery, and the usual signs of ancient population.