J44 M E M O I R S ^ ^;5^ 
or more probably the Jilamalukes, have built a roof, fupported 
by Ihnall pillars and arches 5 but a great deal lower, as well as in 
other refpeiSts dilproportionate, and inferior to what the ancient 
covering muft have been^ and they have converted the place into 
a molque, adding to the Ibuth end thereof new ornaments after 
their manner, with Arabic infcriptions and lentences out of the 
^korafij written in flourifhes and wreaths, not without art ^ but at 
the north end of the building, which makes no part of the mofcjue, 
are reliques of much greater art and beauty j they are beautified 
with the mod curious fretwork and carvings 5 in the middle of 
this is a dome or cupola, about 6 foot diameter, and above, of 
one piece, either hewn out of one entire rock, or made of fome 
artificial cement or compofition, hardened by length of time into 
a flony fubftance j in a word, it is a moll exquifite piece of work- 
manship. Upon paffing by the ruins of a handibme mofque, 
Mr. Halifax had the proipe6t of fuch magnificent ruins, that if 
one may frame a conjecture of the original beauty of that place, 
by what isftill remaming, it maybequeftioned, whether any city 
in the world could have vied with it in magnificence. Advancing 
towards the north, you have before you a very tall and flately 
obeliilc, or pillar, confiding of 7 large ftones, bcfides its capital, 
and the wreathed work about it 5 the carvings here, as in all 
other places, are extraordinary fine 5 its height is above 50 foot, 
and probably there ftood a ftatue upon it, which the TiirkSy zea- 
lous enemies to all imagery, have thrown down and broken in 
pieces^ it is in compafs, juft above the pedeftal, ii foot and a 
half 5 on each hand of this, towards the eaii and weft, two other 
large pillars are feen, each a quarter of a mile diftant, and a 
piece of another towards the eaft, which would incline one to 
think there was once a continued row of them j the height of that 
to the eaft was above 42 foot, and the circumference proportion- 
able 5 Upon its body is tlie following inlcription 5 
H BOTAH KM O AHMO^ AAIAAMENA nANOT MOKIMOT 
TOT AIPANOT TOT MA00A AiPANHN TON HATEPA 
ATTOT F.tCEBF.I^ KAI 4>IAOnATPIAA^ K[AI] HANTI TPO- 
n^[KT]rEIM«C APECANTA^TH HATPIAI KAI nATPIOI^; 
oEoiC t'eimhJxApin etot^;; nta mhnoC sanaikot. 
It leems evident from this and fome following infcriptions, that 
they were a free ftate, governed by a lenate and people, tho' per- 
haps under the protection of greater empires, as firft the Ta7'- 
thians, and afterwards the Romans, who for a long time con- 
tended fur the maftery here in the eaft 5 and this government 
might 
