AROUND BERBERAH. 29 



consisting of a low heap of stones in a line six feet 

 long, enclosed in a large circle of single stones, the 

 diameter of which sometimes exceeded twenty feet. 

 The direction of the graves were due east and west, 

 and a small space or opening in the circle invari- 

 ably to the south, formed a kind of entrance into its 

 area. They differed from the strictly Islam tomb 

 in not having the two little flat stones at the head 

 and foot, in their less conical form, and in the 

 circular enclosure. Their vicinity to the ruined 

 mosque told, however, of the profession of the Islam 

 faith during the life of the deceased, whilst in the 

 manner of the burial it appeared that surviving 

 friends had still adhered to the customs of their 

 forefathers. I might, too, have been mistaken in 

 the real character of the building, and that which I 

 hastily concluded to be a mosque, may have been 

 some remains of a temple of the ancient faith pro- 

 fessed by the Affah nation, and which I believe was 

 Sabianism. 



From the burial-place looking towards the south- 

 east, we had a view of the town and shipping of 

 Berberah, situated at one extremity of a spacious 

 triangular plain, which we were told extended one 

 hundred miles one way in the direction of Zeila, and 

 inland towards Hurrah nearly the same distance. 

 On our return to Shurmalkee's house, we walked 

 along the beach in front of the town, where were 

 numerous women drying sheep-skins, by stretching 

 them in the sun, pinning them down upon the hot 



