THE ORIGIN OF MECCA, &c. 385 



lutely necessary to suppose the word Is i' or Esi 

 in compostion, in order to make it intelligible. 



Diodorus Siculus* informs us that she was born 

 at Ascalon : the Purdnds, that her first appearance in 

 Syria was at Asc'halana-sVhdn, or the place where 

 Li'le'sia or Ninus had Asc'halana. 



The defeat of Semi ram is by St au rob a tes, is re- 

 corded in the Pur anas with still more extravagant 

 circumstances; for Staurobates is obviously 

 St'ha'vara-pati, or Si'ha'wara-pati, as it is 

 more generally pronounced. 



The places of worship mentioned in the above le- 

 gends are Mocsbesa or Mocsba-st'han, Asc^hala-sVhdn 

 or Asc'halana-sVhdn, two places of the name of Lila- 

 si 9 ban or Lilesa-sVhdn, Andy dsd-devi-sf ban and Ma- 

 hd-bhdgd-st 'ban 



The Brdbmens in the western parts of India, insist 

 that Mo'csha-st'bdn is the present town of Mecca. The 

 word Mdcsba is always pronounced in the vulgar dia- 

 lects, either Moca or Muctai and the author of the 

 Dabistan says, its ancient name was Maca* We find it 

 called Maco Raba, by Ptolemy, or Moca the Great 

 or Illustrious. Guy Pat:; mentions a medal of An- 

 toninus Pius with this legend, <c vm iep axt. atto. , » 

 which he very properly translates Mora, sacra, inviola-, 

 bills, wis ut ens legibus, u Moca the boly y th? inviolable, 

 and using her own laws." This, in my humble opinion, 

 is applicable only to Mecca, or Mocsha-sfhan, which 

 the Purdnds describe as a most holy place. The 

 Arabian authors unanimously confirm the truth of 

 * Diodorvs Siculus, lib. 3, cap. 2. 



Vol. IV. C c the 



