240 THE MOHAMMEDAN PILGRIMAGE, 



not diminished, and fevers of a malignant kind pre- 

 vail during the spring and summer. It is very thinly 

 peopled, containing a mixture of Greeks, Copts, and 

 Arabs. At the time of the pilgrimage and the de- 

 parture of the fleet there is an influx of strangers j 

 but nobody will reside permanently except from the 

 temptation of gain. There are neither merchants 

 nor artisans, except a few Greek shipwrights, — this 

 harbour being one of the few in the Gulf where ves- 

 sels can be repaired. In ancient times the naviga- 

 ble canal (the bed of which, 115 feet wide, is still 

 visible) that connected it with the fertile banks of 

 the Nile made it an emporium of considerable celeb- 

 rity ; but the disadvantages under which it labours 

 from its situation at the extremity of a narrow sea, 

 down which the winds blow with great force nine 

 months in the year, render it unfit for the purposes 

 of extensive trade. The government was formerly 

 intrusted to a bey from Cairo, who kept a numerous 

 household, though the Bedouins might be called 

 complete masters of the place. Since the power 

 of Ali Pasha has been established in Egypt, the au- 

 thority of the native sheiks has ceased, and a dow- 

 lah nominated by the Turkish sultan is now the resi- 

 dent governor. 



In travelling fromyAkaba to Suez, the hajjis often 

 turn aside from the great route to visit the shrine 

 of St. Catherine and the pious monuments about 

 Mount Sinai. The convent, though bearing the 

 name of that saint as its vice-patroness, is dedicat'id 

 to the Transfiguration. According to the accredited 

 tradition of the place, it dates its origin from the 

 fourth century. Helena, the mother oif Cmistantine 

 the first Christian emperor, is said to have erected 

 here a small church to commemorate the spot where 

 the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush ; 

 and in the garden of the convent a small tower or 

 chapel is still shown, the foundation of which is 

 said to have been laid by her. The piety of the 



