HELIOPOLIS. 139 
reasonable to conclude, that very little labour chap. 
IV 
would be necessery to excavate even the pave- ■ 
ment of the temple*. From the observations 
made by Fdcocke, he deduces an inference, that 
the utmost height to which the soil has accu- 
mulated does not exceed seven feet and a half \ 
At the time of our visit to Heliopolis, all the 
area of the antient temple was under water ; so 
that any search of this kind was thereby pre- 
vented. 
Our road to this place from Cairo was along 
the southern side of the canal, through the most 
fertile gardens, and amidst thick groves of olive 
and orange trees. In our way, we halted at 
Malaria, a village which is generally believed Malaria. 
to occupy a part of the site of the antient 
city^ Here travellers are entertained with a 
number of absurd superstitions, similar to those 
already described in the account of the Holy 
iphinges, vicenis cubitis, vel paulo pluribus inter se distantes : ut altera 
sphin^um series sit a dextra, altera a sinistra." Strah. Geog. lib, xvii. 
torn. 11. p. 1142. JEdit. Oxon. 
(4) Ibid. 
(5) Descript. of the East, vol. I. p. 23. 
(6) This place is said by Quaresmius to be ten geographical railcs 
from Cairo, (Fid. Elucid. Terr. Sanct. torn. II. p. 948. Antv. 163.9.) 
meaning, probably, from Old Catro; as it is only five from Grand 
Cairo, according to Bernardino. 
