this extraordinary spot, is ascribed by the natives either to the Pharaohs or to the din-, i. e. e\ il genii. Along tie' botl en of the valley, in which it almost vanisbt -.
winds the Stream. In ancient limes its lied seem- to
have been paved: and it appears to have been, in many places at least, covered in. so that the street passed
above it. In other wider portions of the ravine, espe- cially where it opens out into the city, it u .-.- -panned by frequent bridges, its Bides strengthened with stone wall- or quays, ami numerous small canal- derived from it supplied the inhabitants with water. But now its banks are overspread with hyacinths, oleander-, ami other shrubs, ami the upper portions of ii are overshad- owed by lofty trees.
Opposite the termination of the Sik. or narrow part of the ravine, just when' it turns at its junction with a second ravine-like hut broader valley, stands the chief attraction of the- whole place, th.' finest monument in fact in all Syria. This is the Kkusneh well pi
iph by the •
considering its age and site, and still exhibiting its del- icate chiselled work, ami all the freshness ami beauty of
its coloring. Like all the other wonders ofthe place, it is carved out ofthe face ofthe perpi ndicular cliff, which here rises about 150 feet high. It has two rows of six columns over one another (one of the lower ones has fallen i. with staiiies between, surmounted by capitals and a sculptured pediment, the latter divide d by a little- round temple crowned with an urn. The Arabs imagine that this urn contained treasure I khuzm h. hence the name of the entire structure), which they ascribe to Pharaoh. I he inh rior does not correspond with the magnificence ofthe facade, being a plain, lofty hall, with a chamber adjoining each of its three side's. It was either a mau- soleum or. more probably, a temple.
from this spot the cliffs em both shies ofthe' valley
an' pure. ,1 with numerous exca\ at ion-, tie chambers of which are usually small, though the' fronts an' eieva- sioually of some size and magnificence: scarcely two, however, an' exactly alike'. After a gentle curve the valley expands still more', and here on it- left side lies the' theatre', entirely hewn out ofthe rock. It- diame- ter at the bottom i- one hundred and twenty feet, and it has thirty-three rows of seats, capable of accommodat- ing three' thousand spectators. Strangely enough, it is
entirely surrounded by teunhs. ( hie of the' more' north-
i tly of these- is inscribed » itb the name' ot Q. Praefectus riorentinuB, probably the' governor of Arabia Petraea tinder Hadrian e.r Antoninus Pius. Another has a Greek inscription not yet deciphered. Travellers are agreed that these excavations, some' ofthe most strik- ing of which are in the' cliff directly opposite the thea- tre, were mostly tombs, though Bome think they may originally have served as dwellings. Indeed several
PETRA
of them have loculi sunk in the floor as if for burial- places. A few were doubtless temples for the worship of Baal, but subsequently converted into Christian churches. They extend all along the eastern cliffs.
^:f
^
ma/
The Theatre at Petra.
Proceeding still down the stream, at about one hun- dred and fifty paces from the theatre the cliffs expand rapidly, and soon recede so far as to give place to a plain about a mile square, surrounded by gentle emi- nences. The brook, which now turns again to the west. traverses the middle of this plain till it reaches a ledge of sandstone cliffs, through which it pierces, and is lost in the sands of the Arabah. This little plain was the site of the city of Petra, and it is still covered with heaps of hewn stones, traces of paved streets, and foundations of houses.
The chief public buildings occupied the banks of the river and the high ground, especially on the south, as their ruins sufficiently show. One sumptuous edifice remains standing, though in an imperfect and dilapi- dated state. It is on the south side of the river, near the western side of the valley, and seems to have been a palace rather than a temple. It is called Kasr Farun, or Pharaoh's palace, and is thirty-four paces square. The walls are nearly entire, and on the eastern side they are still surmounted by a handsome cornice. The front, which looks towards the north, was ornamented with a row of columns, four of which are standing. An open piazza behind the colonnade extended the whole length of the building. In the rear of this piazza are three apartments, the principal of which is entered under a noble arch, apparently thirty-five or forty feet high. It is an imposing ruin, though not of the purest style of architecture, and is the more striking as being the only proper edifice now standing in Petra.
A little east of this, and in a range with some of the most beautiful excavations in the mountain on the east side of the valley, are the remains of what appears to have been another triumphal arch. Under it were three passages, and a number of pedestals of columns, as well as other fragments, would lead to the belief that a magnificent colonnade was connected with it. In the same vicinity are the abutments of a massive bridge.