214 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. V. 
some curious story respecting it. At last it arrived, and Mohammed 
having begged that the way might be cleared, walked up to me 
with great importance, and opening his abba, set before me a goose, 
which waddled off with great dignity, hissing as it went ; while I, 
to the great disappointment of the company, fell back and laughed 
immoderately. 
We rode out of the town to see the extraordinary ruins, so 
much spoken of by the commentators on Horneman's travels, but 
which Horneman himself never saw or heard of, unless as two or 
three miserable mud edifices of the early Arabs. The one most 
esteemed by the Shreefs is an old Mosque, standing at about half a 
mile to the westward of the town. It is a large oblong building of 
evidently an early date, though certainly of Arab origin. The waUs 
are built with a neatness now unpractised and unknown, of unbaked 
rough bricks, and strong binding clay. At the north-west corner is 
the Mouaden (or minaret), much dilapidated, but still of a height 
sufficient to command an extensive view of the surrounding 
country. The length of the Meseed inside is 135 feet, and its 
breadth is 90, immense dimensions for an Arab building, which 
has no cross walls to support the roof It is quite open overhead, 
and nothing remains to give an idea of what it once was covered 
with. There are two niches for the Imaum ; one is in a partition 
built partly across, near one end, for that purpose ; the other is in 
the wall, and in the form of a pulpit, and I suppose has been used 
for the purpose of addressing the people when assembled on the 
plain below, a custom prevaihng at Morzouk after Khamadan, at 
Milood, and other feast days. 
From this Mosque we went to a spot half a mile east of the 
town, to examine five buildings, the appearance of which was much 
more interesting. These are in a line with one another, and have a 
passage between them of three or four feet in breadth. They are 
