G00 
ere a as 
On coming within this traceable area, 
I found its irregular’ stfhiee’ thronged 
with the Kialtya’s horsemen? while the 
comnrander himself, with the leaders Of 
his troops, hal dismotnted, and were 
already aseeudéd itito the mount itselly 
This’ inteHigéenee’ did not delight me 
qiite sé nid as my informer seemed 
to anficipaté?’ for these were Compa-’ 
niois in iy researches Thad neither 
expéeted nordesired’; being well aware 
that (he formatity of court cerethonies 
wou illagree with the freedom of my 
paiposed niovements. I do not deny 
that their groups were eminently pic- 
turesque, and, from their magnificent 
or wildly various Asiatic costume, 
mingled more’ harmoniously with the 
cliuravter of this venerable wonder of 
the East, than the garb of a European 
stranger; but yet their presence was 
diseordant to me; for, perhaps, that 
strange European garb covered the only 
breast’ present, which felt the solema 
iniport- of that still existing pile, up 
wliose acclivities he was slowly ascend- 
ing’; and amidst whose awfully stricken 
summits be found the ‘Turkish com- 
matider, quietly seated amongst his 
officers, smoking his pipe, while await- 
ing the coffve his servants were prepar- 
ing in another part of the stupendous 
rain! ‘Pho moment E appeared before 
him, he rose and welcomed me ; declar- 
in®, with allthe pomp of oriental com- 
pliment, that, “thoagh be had accorded 
mea personal guard. for short excur- 
sions, lie valned my life too highly to 
prnuit Ws being exposed to the dangers 
of the ‘desert, without an escort ade- 
qiiate to his friendslfip,—himself! Of 
course) -Tedaly thanked him, though in 
far: humbler language; and, probably, 
therefore mach nearer the level of his 
real motive, which, I-suspect, was cu- 
riosity, rather than sach superabundant 
zeal in my: service. It is a common 
idea witly the Tarks here, that the true 
objeet with: Europeans, in’ visiting the 
hanks of the: Kuphrates, is not-to ex- 
plore antiquities, as we pretend, batto 
make a Jaborious’ pilgrimage to dlivse 
almost shapeless relics “of a’race of un- 
believers more ancient than ourselves 5 
and to perform certain mysterious re- 
ligious rites before them, which. excite 
no small curiosity amongst tlie faithful; 
to pry into. However, tiothing of this 
was shewn, by either’ my illustrious 
escort or any of his body-guard ; and, 
after civilly enduring an hour’s delay in 
my pursuits, by remaining in his com- 
pany, 1 left -him to-his repose, or his 
3 
Sir kK. Ker, Porter's Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, §c. 
own pious iblutions; and descended the 
sérvations,. © a eh P 
Hésent stipe anid dinionstons’ of 
from’ the ‘East, “appears ‘like’ 
hill, Sweeping irregularly ‘upwards 
wards its ‘western ‘aspect, ‘in a’ broad 
pyramidal form. Tt measures’ at the 
base 694 yards, (3082 feet ;) at least) as’ 
nearly that, as the dilapidated” state of 
the outline there would’ allow me 'to’as- 
certain. On looking towaris'its eastern 
face, ib extends in wiltli 153 yards (459 
feet,) and presenfs two stazes'of bill; 
the first shewing’ an elevation ‘of abort 
60 feet, cloyen in’ the ‘middle into a 
deep ravine, and intersected in! all dis 
rections by farrows,’ channelled’ there 
by the descending rains of saceceding: 
ages. ‘Phe’ sumarit of this first stage, 
stretches in rather a flattened’ sweep to” 
the base of the ‘seediid ‘ascent, which 
springs out of the first’in a steep and’ 
abrupt conical form, termisated at the” 
top by a solitary’standing fragment of! 
brick- work, like the fuin of a‘ tower’ 
From the foundation of thie whole pile’ 
to the base of this picee ‘of Truitt,’ i 
sures about 200 feet; and from 1hé 'bot?’ 
tom of the ruin to its shattere ig are: 
35 fect. On the western side, the entire 
mass rises at once from the plain im6ne’ 
stupendous, though irregular pyramidal 
hill, broken, in the slopes of its sweeping’ 
acclivities, by the devastations oftine 
and rougher destruction, ‘Phe southern 
and northern fronts “are ae eit’ 
abrupt towards the point of the brick 
ruin; but in both these views we have'a’ 
profile of the first stage of the Birs, 
which I fally described inv approaching 
the eastern face. My advance to the 
northern steep was much interrupted 
by large masses of fine and solid brick- 
work, projecting from amongst the far- 
spreading heaps of rubbish at its base, 
and which had evidently been’ parts of 
the original facing of the lower ranges 
of ‘the ‘pile. IT -shall’ deseribe* these 
fragments more particularly hereafter 5 
Meanwhile observing, that itis ouly'on 
the northern sidé'they occurs ora 
The tower-liké ruin on the extreme 
suinmit is°a solid mass, twenty-eight 
feet ‘bread; constructed of the ‘most 
jieatrtifal brick masonry, and presenting 
the apparent angle of some-strueture 
originally of a'square shape ; the remains 
of which Stand on the east, to abeight of 
thirty-five feet, and to ihe south twehty- 
two feef. Tt is rent from the ‘top to 
nearly balf-way to the bottom; unques- 
tionably 
£ 
