PET 
802 
molt celebrated fcenes in Arabia, intends, it is underdood, 
to publilh an account of his excurfion to Wadi Moofa 
(the Valley of Mofes), with engravings of the drawings 
which he made, of the hitherto-undefcribed excavated 
temples there; as Well as of the ruins of Jerrafch, which 
excel in grandeur and beauty even thofe of Palmyra and 
Balbec. This gentleman, in company with feveral other 
Englilh travellers, left Jerulalem for Hebron, where they 
viewed the mofque erected over the tomb of Abraham. 
They then proceeded to Karrac, along the foot of moun¬ 
tains, where fragments of rock-falt indicated the natural 
origin of that intenfe brine, which is peculiarly defcrip- 
tive of the neighbouring waters of the Dead Sea. Karrac 
is a fortrefs fituated on the top of a hill. The entrance 
is formed by a winding palfage, cut through the living 
rock. It may be defcribed as a mafs of ruins. The in¬ 
habitants of the place are a mingled race of Mahometans 
and Chriftians, remarkably hofpitable, and living toge¬ 
ther in terms of freerintercourfe than at Jerufalem. The 
women were not veiled, nor feemed to be fubjeCt to any 
particular redraints. They palled into the valley of El- 
lafar, where they noticed fome relics of antiquity, which 
they conjeftured were of Roman origin. They purfued 
their journey partly over a road paved with lava, and 
which was evidently a Roman work, to Shubac. In the 
neighbourhood of this place, they encountered fome dif¬ 
ficulties from the Arabs. The travellers, however, after 
■home captious negotiation, at lad obtained permiflion to 
.pafs, hut not to drinli the waters. 
On eroding a dream, they entered on the wonders of 
Wadi Moofa. The fird objeCt that attrafled their at¬ 
tention, was a maufoleum, at the entrance of which dood 
two cololfal animals, but whether lions or fphinxes they 
coqld not afeertain, as they u'ere much defaced and mu¬ 
tilated. They then, advancing towards the principal 
ruins, entered a narrow pafs, varying from fifteen to 
twenty feet in width, overhung by precipices, which rofe 
to the general height of two hundred, fometiines reaching 
five hundred, feet, and darkening the path by their pro- 
jeCling iedges. In fome places, niches were fculptured 
in the ddes of this dupendous gallery; and here and there 
rude mafies dood forward, that bore a remote and myf- 
terious refemblance to the figures of living things, but 
over which time and oblivion had drawn an infcrutable 
and everlading veil. About a mile within this pafs, they 
rode under an arch, perhaps that of an aqueduft, which 
connedfed the two ddes together; and they noticed fe- 
veral earthen pipes, which had formerly didributed 
v.ater. Having continued to explore the gloomy wind¬ 
ings of this awful corridore for about two miles, the front 
of a luperb temple burd on their view. A datue of Vic¬ 
tory, with wings, filled the centre of an aperture in the 
upper part, and groups of colofl’al figures, reprefenting a 
centaur, and a young man, flood on each fide of the lofty 
portico. This magnificent drudlure is entirely excavated 
from the folid rock, and preferved from the ravages of 
the weather by the projedlions of the overhanging preci¬ 
pices. About three hundred yards beyond this temple, 
they met with other adonifhing excavations; and, on 
reaching the termination of the rock on their left, they 
found an amphitheatre, which had alfo been excavated, 
with the exception of the profeenium ; and this had fallen 
into ruins. On all fides the rocks were hollowed into 
innumerable chambers and fepulchres; and a filent wade 
P v E T 
of defolated palaces, and the remains of condrucled edi¬ 
fices, filled the area to which the pafs led. The travellers* 
having gratified their wonder with the view of thefe du¬ 
pendous works, went forward to Mount Hor, which they 
afeended, and viewed a building on the top, containing 
the tomb of Aaron, a fimple done monument, which an 
aged Arab fhows to the pilgrims. They finally proceed¬ 
ed to view the ruins of Jerrafch, which greatly exceed in 
magnitude and beauty thofe of Palmyra. A grand co¬ 
lonnade runs from the eadern to the wedern gates of the 
city, formed on both fides of marble columns of the Co¬ 
rinthian order, and terminating in a femi-circle of fixty 
pillars of the Ionic order, and eroded byanothercolonnade 
running north and fouth. At the wedern extremity 
Hands a theatre, of which the profeenium remains fo en¬ 
tire, that it may be defcribed as almod in a date of un¬ 
decayed beauty. Two fuperb amphitheatres of marble, 
three glorious temples, and the ruins of gorgeous palaces, 
with fragments of iculpture and inferiptions, mingled to¬ 
gether, form an aggregate of ancient elegance, which 
furpafles all that popery has fpared of the former grandeur 
of imperial Rome. Burclihardt's Travels in Syria, 1823. 
Gent. Mag. Aug. 1819. 
PE'TRA, a river of Naples, which runs into the fea 
13 miles north-ead of Bova.—A town of Sicily, in the 
valley of Mazara; two miles north-north-wed of Gir- 
genti.—A fea-port town, in the ifland of Metelin, fitu¬ 
ated on a rock almod inaccefiible. Lat. 39. 27. N. Ion. 
26. 14.. E. 
PETRzE'US (Theodore), a learned Dane in the 17th 
century, the time of whofe birth is unknown, was a native 
of Flenfburg, in the duchy of Slefwic. He was particu¬ 
larly attached to the dudy of the oriental languages, 
which he profecuted with great fuccefs at Leyden and 
other univerfities. That he might perfeft himfelf in 
them, Frederic III. king of Denmark, fent him to travel 
through Greece, Syria, Paledine, and Egypt. Having 
fpent feveral years in thofe countries, he returned to 
Denmark with a number of valuable manuferipts which 
he had collected, and which he began to publifh at Leyden, 
in conjunction with George Niffelius, in 1654. In 1660 
he went to London, where he remained two years; and 
he was afterwards invited to be profeflor of the oriental 
languages at Leyden, Kiel, Copenhagen, and other 
places; but all thefe offers he declined, and lived in great 
poverty, as a private individual, fometimes at Amder- 
dam, and fometimes at Copenhagen, till the year 1673, 
when he died. His publications confid of four feparate 
volumes of Ethiopic, Arabic, Coptic, and Armenian, 
tranflations of parts of Scripture, with Latin verfions an¬ 
nexed. 5. DoClrina Chrilliana Artnenice, cum verfione 
Latina, 1667, 8vo. 6. Diflertatio Guelphica de Lingua- 
rum drientalium dudio, 1669, 8vo. 7. Menfa Solis, feu 
Animas dapes falutiferas, ab JEthiopibus fupra ^Egyptum 
petitas, 166.9, 4 - t0> Gen. Biog. vol. viii. and x. 
PETRAHA'R,a town of Hindoodan,in Bahar: twenty 
miles ead of Ramgur. 
PETRA'LIA, a town of Sicily, in the Valley of De- 
mona : feventeen miles fouth of Midrella. 
PETRAL'TA, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra: 
five miles ead-fouth-ead of Cofenza. 
PETRAN'TA, a town of Etruria, near the fea-coad : 
fifteen miles north-wed of Lucca. Lat. 43. 58. N. Ion. 
10. 21. E. 
