1837.] Facsimiles of Ancient Inscriptions. 875 



it gives when struck with a hammer. The surface had never been po- 

 lished and the engraver or stone-cutter took advantage of the natural 

 fracture of the stone, as it was sufficiently smooth for his purpose*. 

 The letters are so slightly raised, that the hand might be passed over 

 the surface without the idea being suggested that characters existed 

 upon it." 



In addition to these points of resemblance, the date of our epitaph 

 is but two years antecedent to Mr. Salt's — viz; in the year 1045 

 A. D., his being 1047 : and it might hardly be too much to assume 

 that our Muhammad was the father of the Fatima whose death that 

 monument recorded ! 



For the deciphering and translation which follow I am indebted to 

 my brother, Mr. H. T. Prinsep, one of our Vice-Presidents. It com- 

 prehends in fact precisely the selfsame passage from the Koran quoted 

 in the Roy. As. Society's description. 



The only doubtful reading is that of the name of Muhammad's 

 father, where the letters are slightly mixed. Ashafi wald Haida is the 

 best that can be made of it, but the d of wald is more like an r. 

 I ! 



L-* *\ ** & J b ^ \ 8 Jk — a£ «i — *£j <£ ™\ \j 



I — ^ — Jaa»» 8 J j~J i) j .jtf y )) \ j O ^ j. — 



* There is another advantage in the natural cleavage, viz. : that the surface is 

 black, whereas the interior is of a much lighter color, so that the letters become 

 visible as in the lithograph upon a very slight abration of the intervals.— -Ed. 



i 



