of Petra, a City excavated from the solid Rock. 233 



added much to the singularity of this scene. The tamarisk, 

 the wild-fig, and the oleander, grow luxuriantly about the 

 road, rendering the passages often difficult. In some places 

 they hang down most beautifully from the cliffs and crevices 

 where they had taken root. The caper plant was also in lux- 

 uriant growth, the continued shade furnishing them with* 

 moisture. 



Very near the first entrance into this romantic pass a bold 

 arch is thrown across at a great height, connecting the oppo- 

 site sides of the cliff. Whether this was part of an upper 

 road upon a summit of the mountain, or whether it be a por- 

 tion of an aqueduct, which seems less probable, we had no 

 opportunity of examining it ; but as the traveller passes under 

 it its appearance is most surprising, hanging thus above his 

 head Jbetwixt two rugged masses apparently inaccessible. Im- 

 mediately under it are sculptured niches in the rock, destined 

 probably for statues : and we suspect, that, by careful inspec- 

 tion, inscriptions might be found there ; but the position in 

 which they are viewed is disadvantageous, and the height so 

 great, that it would require a good glass to distinguish them. 

 Farther down, upon a much lower level, there is an object 

 frequently repeated in sculpture along the road-side, which we 

 were at a loss to explain. An altar is represented in a niche, 

 upon which is set a mass of a lumpish form, sometimes square, 

 and sometimes curved in its outline, or rising in other instances 

 ' to a sharp or obtuse cone. In one instance three of them 

 are coupled together in one niche. It might possibly be a 

 representation of the god Terminus, or perhaps one of the 

 stones which were objects of worship amongst the Arabs down 

 to the time of the coming of Mahomed. The number of 

 these representations on the face of the rock is very consider- 

 able. In some instances there are many almost contiguous 

 with Greek inscriptions on them, all of which are too much 

 defaced to be of use in explaining their object. 



The ravine, without changing much its general direction, 

 presents so many elbows and windings on its course, to which 

 the track of necessity conforms, that the eye can seldom pene- 

 trate forward beyond a few paces, and is often puzzled to dis- 

 tinguish in what direction the passage will open, so completely 



