MINERALOGY. 363 



selenite, almost transparent. The dark granitic rocks of 

 Sinai contain jasper, amethyst, and syenite ; macrnets are 

 frequently to be met with in the province of Kusma ; and at 

 Saade there are iron-mines which are still worked. Par- 

 ticles of this ore are also to be found among the sands that 

 are washed down from the hills by the rain. It was the 

 belief of the ancients that Arabia was entirely destitute of 

 iron ; but this opinion proves to be unfounded. Niebuhr 

 confesses, however, that it is coarse and brittle : and, from 

 the scarcity of wood, it sells at a higher price than that which 

 is imported from other countries. 



At Loheia, and near the isle of Kameran, to the north of 

 Hodeida, there are hills consisting almost entirely of fossil 

 salt. These masses are piled up in large transparent strata, 

 and enclosed in a crust of calcareous stone. The Arabs for- 

 merly wrought these mines ; but the galleries have been 

 allowed to sink down, although a considerable quantity of 

 that article is still quarried in the neighbourhood.* Burck- 

 hardt states, that rock-salt is found in the mountains south 

 of the Dead Sea, and in the sandstone strata in Wady Rom- 

 man, near Gebel Mokkateb. Oman possesses copper-mines ; 

 and in the neighbourhood of Mecca Ali Bey observed some 

 veins of sulphur that were open. In the northern Ghor, pieces 

 of native sulphur are discovered at a small depth beneath the 

 surface, which are used by the Bedouins for curing diseases in 

 their camels. Shaw was of opinion that lead-mines existed 

 near Sinai. 



The Arabs, in general, still believe in the foolish old super- 

 stitions respecting their gems and precious stones ; and are 

 more apt to wo-nder at their miraculous virtues than to turn 

 them to account in the way of commerce. In ancient times 

 they were used as antidotes, to which the wearer piously 

 ascribed his safety when surrounded with invisible danger. 

 Among other absurdities, it is recorded of the Caliph Soliman 

 that he wore constantly round his arm a bracelet composed of 

 ten of these magical stones, which never failed to strike one 

 against the other, and make a slight noise when any poison 

 was near.t The carbuncle was believed to possess many 

 pvonderful qualities. It was supposed to be an animal sub- 



* Capt. Head's Journey, p. 7. 



t Marigny, Hist, des Arab, tome ii. 



