JOURNAL RELATING TO NUBIA. 



419 



vation. On the outside front of the pillars of the portico are the 

 lower parts of whole length statues in full relief, whose height 

 originally extended to the top of the entablature. They appear to 

 have been represented with a casque of a conical form, and stand on 

 square bases. The front of the excavation is seven feet thick. There 

 are two entrances, the largest between the two centre pillars is almost 

 blocked up by the stones of the ceiling; on the right is a smaller 

 entrance. The interior is divided by a lateral wall of rock into two 

 sets of chambers. The first is the largest, is about sixty-nine feet 

 in length, by forty in breadth ; its ceiling, the rock, is supported by 

 two rows of square pillars ; three in each, with a coarse entablature. 

 The front of the excavation and the interior have hieroglyphics and 

 symbolic figures ; there are also remains of colouring. 



In the neighbourhood of this excavation are several square holes 

 opening to vaults, the top of whose arches appear. Bones and pieces 

 of cloth like those which are seen in mummy pits are found lying 

 around. The sides of the openings are well finished ; on one I 

 traced a cross preceding some Greek characters, which mentioned 

 TOT AITOY ANTONIOT. These were the first Greek inscriptions I 

 had observed, relating to the early Christian inhabitants of this 

 country. 



Having made my remarks and sketches, I determined to set out 

 on my expedition to Ibrim. Leaving my servants in the boat, I 

 armed myself, and attended by Osman and two of the cashief's 

 servants, I set off at about eight o'clock at night. We proceeded by 

 the light of the moon over the barren and rocky mountains of the 

 desart in continual danger from the difficulty of the road. About an 

 hour after midnight we arrived at Ibrim*; but there was still some 

 distance to what the natives called the temple. As the moon had 

 gone down, and the rest of the road was over rocks by the river side, 



* Anciently Premnisparva, Strabo, lib. xvii. ; or, according to Pliny, Primis. — See 

 also Legh's Journey, p. 79. 



3 h 2 



