310 Sketch of a Journey tkrough Nubia and North Ethiopia. [May I^ 



wall only are visible. This temple 

 contains, besides the vestibule, seven 

 chambers, of which the ccutial one 

 alone is sculptured. It seems to have 

 been dedicated to Iris ; and, its vicinity 

 to Philoe convinces me, that it is on the 

 scite of ancient Parembole, whicii was 

 only 10,000 paces from Syene. in 

 Wadi Dechmit, and Kartasa, nine 

 lcag;ues from Philoe, the hills on both 

 sides of the Nile become flat and low, 

 and babitalions are as scarce and 

 wretched as the vegetable productions. 

 In Wadi Tapha, (the ancient Taphis), 

 the mountains become again higher; 

 and, after having gradually withdrawn 

 from the b.inks, they suddenly turn 

 back to the Nile, appearing in the shape 

 of a crescent to the very bed of llie 

 liver. On tiifs space the ancient cily 

 was built, of which two temples alone 

 are left. Here is the first Nubian vil- 

 lage, consisting of about twenty huts. 

 For about three leagues, tlie Nile is so 

 hemmed in by the rocks on both sides, 

 that its breadth does not exceed tliirty 

 paces. The bed ol' the river is covered 

 with granite rocks, some of which rise 

 above the surface. One of the largest 

 of these is called Darnms. It contains 

 the ruins of an ancient village, or small 

 fort, built of unburnt tiles, and having 

 walls of some height and thickness. 

 Nubia contains many similar ruins, 

 which are called by tiie natives Ebuiet- 

 el-Kufera, (buildings of the infidels.) 

 On the Eastern shore, opposite Darnms, 

 other ruins are seen. The ai)pearance 

 of the scenery is wild and picturesque, 

 resembling the cataracts of Syene, with 

 the difl'crence, that vessels may conveni- 

 ently navigate between the cliffs. This 

 pass is called Dah-el-Kcliawshi, that is, 

 Gate of the Valley of Keliawshi, which 

 begins here. Beyond it the banks re- 

 assume their usual appearance ; and 

 stripes of land, from ton to twenty 

 paces wide, appear covered with barley, 

 (some of which had already been cut,) 

 a species of wheat, called dur ; wolf's 

 beans, and Turkish beans, grew against 

 the steep hanks. In Wadi Keliawshi is 

 a splendid temple, before which stand 

 two very large moles, leading info a 

 spacious yard surrounded by a colon- 

 nade, at the cntl of which is a beautiful 

 sanctuary, surrounded by twelve large 

 columns. The temple contains nine 

 large rooms, ornamented with sculp- 

 tures. Keliawshi (the ancient Tahnis) 

 is considered one of the most pictur- 

 esque ruins in li^^ypt, and is the only 

 one which will allow a comparison with 



the grand ruins of Thebes. Enormous 

 heaps of stones from the fallen vault, 

 overthrown pillars, capitals of remarka- 

 ble workmanship, impede the progress 

 through the first yard in grand disorder. 

 Some of the pillars, which have re- 

 mained, remind the traveller of the six 

 large columns of Baalbek, On be- 

 holding the immense masses of stone 

 vvith which tliis temple was built, we 

 are inclined to believe that it fell 

 through its own weight. The [)»intings 

 in the sanctuary, though injured in some 

 parts, possess yet all the freshness of'' 

 their colours; the faces of the gods are 

 blue, those of the priests red, and those 

 of the women yellow. In the first 

 ages of Christianity, this temple being 

 transformed into a church, all the 

 sculptures were covered over with 

 plaster, and painted with the figures of 

 saints. Even to this day the head of a 

 St. John is visible, on the hist wall 

 rising in the middle of the fem()le. A 

 great number of Greek inscriptions, by 

 pious travellers, in the time of Nero 

 and Hadrian, assure us that this temple, 

 probably built during tlie time of the 

 Ptolemy s, had been dedicated to the 

 Sun; which, in sothe insciiptions, is 

 Manduli ; in others, Serapis, One long 

 inscription is of one Silko, who calls 

 himself King of all ^Ethiopia. He 

 enumer:itcs his campaigns, aud tells the 

 ^Ethiopians, that, if they should revolt 

 again, he will destroy their temples aud 

 habitations, cut off the men, and lead 

 the women and children into a severe 

 captivity. Another temple is found in 

 Keliawshi, cut in the rock, and divided 

 into two parts. In the space leading to 

 the doors of the temple, which was once 

 adorned by a colonnade, is a piece of 

 sculpture, representing, on a triumphal 

 car, a warrior of extraordinary size 

 storming a fortress. The people appear 

 much smaller, and shepherds are seen 

 flying into the woods, or climbing oa 

 rocks. In another part are prisoners 

 with their hands tied behind their backs, 

 who are being beheaded ; sacrifices, and 

 other religious rites, are visible at a 

 distance. 



Beyoud Wadi Keliawshi the river 

 again contracts, and is here called Bab- 

 abuchor. Gate of the Valley of Abuchor, 

 where we spent one night under the 

 open sky. We see here a stone wharf, 

 which seems to indicate the scite of a 

 temple, or some other large place. 

 Now it contains a considerable village, 

 built on the sand which has rendered 

 this spot an unfruitful waste. The flat 

 Lybian 



