328 
TOWER OF BABEL; 
Besides the mound I have just mentioned, as that of the 
diadem, I saw from the height on which I continued to stand, 
many distant points, to which my companions gave the names of 
Koubbes and tombs, and added several curious traditions respect¬ 
ing them. But while I was following their remarks with my eye, 
a fog came suddenly on, and with such denseness, that objects 
scarcely two hundred yards from me became instantly obscured, 
and the Birs itself totally veiled from my sight. The effect was 
most extraordinary : and, thus abruptly interrupted in my ob¬ 
servations, I descended into the area, very unwillingly, to pre¬ 
pare for my return. In vain, at several times, I looked back 
for another even shadowy glimpse of the sublime tower ; it was 
as much lost as if the whole had been a mirage of the desert. 
But tolerably near objects were yet sufficiently distinct; and 
almost immediately without the line of the great canal, just 
beyond the boundary of the area, I observed, while passing along, 
a pretty high mound, rising from amidst the elevated traces of 
ruins in this direction. It was completely covered with frag¬ 
ments of pottery, and lumps of black vitrified matter, in quan¬ 
tities enough to have induced me to suppose it had con¬ 
tained furnaces for manufacturing the latter substance. And 
noting that appearance, reminds me not to omit mentioning a 
remarkable tradition amongst the Arabs, respecting the great 
triangular mound to the east of the Birs ; and which bears some 
affinity to the Bible account of the attempted burning of the 
three friends of Daniel by Nebuchadnezzar, for refusing to wor¬ 
ship the golden image he had set up. It is here said, that a 
terrible fire was made on this mound by order of Nimrod, and 
that he commanded the prophet Abraham to be cast into it, 
while he surveyed the dreadful spectacle from the top of the 
