BOUNDARIES OF PETRA. 169 CHAPTER XVIII. PETRA. Boundaries of the Vale of Petra.-Different Ways of Access.-The Sik.— Pavement.-Aqueducts.-Triumphal Arch.-Tombs.-The Treasury of Pharaoh.-Guard-house.-Tomb with Greek Inscription.-Theatre.-Sepulchre opposite.-View of the City Area.-Tombs in the Eastern Cliffs.— Corinthian Tomb.-Tombs in the Western Cliffs.-Unfinished Sepulchre. In order that the reader may obtain a clear view of the character and position of this celebrated valley, I present a short statement of its boundaries, which may be fully understood, I trust, with the aid of the accompanying Plan, taken from Laborde. I had received the impression from books of travels, especially from Laborde's account, that the city was enclosed on all sides by precipitous mountains. This is not true. It will be seen from the plan that a range of mountains limits the site on the east, and a similar one, not quite parallel to the first, on the west. These are precipitous red sandstone ridges, several hundred feet high. But on the north and south there is no such barrier; indeed, the country in those directions may be said to be comparatively open, as the hills of soft gray sandstone sink lower and lower as they approach the valley, and there are various gorges through which access is easy. An uneven tract on the north has obtained the name of Sutûh Beida, or White Plains, from the colour of the sandstone which forms its principal feature. In the northwest angle of the valley is a gorge (A), through which passes the way to El-Deir, a large temple cut in the face of a mountain. Farther south, still on the west side, is another wady (B), which extends no one knows VOL. I.-P where, as it has not been explored. A few hundred yards from the mouth of this ravine another opens from it northwardly, which also gives access through the hills to El-Deir. South of this gorge the range of sandstone rock is continued uninterruptedly for some distance. A little above the point E it begins to break down, and at that point where we ourselves entered, it is quite passable for caravans. Crossing the sandstone hills on the southern border, called Sutûh Haroun (Plains of Aaron), we come at the point (F) to the entrance of the Sîk or wady, which anciently, perhaps, formed the only regular road of access to Petra. Laborde marks it on his map the "only entrance to the town;" but this, as I have before remarked, is not true. We now reach the eastern rock barrier, which is continued without break to the northeast extremity of the valley. With this outline, the reader, I trust, will more readily comprehend the statements which follow. I shall deviate a little from the precise order of our observations in Petra, in order to give the reader a connected view of what we saw during our stay, commencing with the gorge or Sîk that forms the southeast entrance to the place. It will be seen from the plan that a small stream passes through it, and runs across the site of the city, going out by another ravine on the western side. At the time of freshets this brook rises, and makes the Sîk almost impassable; but at the time of our visit there was very little water: still, as the passage is very narrow, varying from twelve to perhaps twenty-five feet, and is choked with oleanders and other shrubs, we made our way with some difficulty, bearing down the bushes on either hand, and leaping from side to side of the brook. From the squared stones and fragments of masonry which lie in the bed of the stream and are found heaped up on its sides, it is obvious that it once ran in a regularly paved channel. Nor is this the only indication of the former wealth and importance of the city to which this narrow passage led. A few feet above the pavement, a channel is cut in the solid rock on the left-hand side, which doubtless conveyed the water, and at the height of some twenty feet on the right side are remains of an aqueduct of earthen crocks joined by cement, let into the face of the rock. The cliffs are of red sandstone, perpendicular, and varying in height from two to perhaps three hundred feet. Their rugged summits cast a deep shadow on the narrow pass, shutting out the sun even at midday. The whole length of the ravine, which changes its course frequently, is a little more than a mile and a half. Some terrible convulsion of nature must have rent the mountains asunder from the top to the bottom, leaving this narrow zigzag chasm between the cliffs. Supposing us to enter at the eastern extremity, passing amid lesser tombs on the right and left, the first striking object that arrests our attention is an airy arch of white sandstone, with a span of thirty-five feet, springing across the ravine at the height of about seventy feet. It rests upon the opposite sides of the chasm, in which, under the bases of the arch, are sculptured half columns as supports, and between them, on each side, is a niche for a statue. The northwest corner of the arch is somewhat broken away. What might have been the effect of this lofty arch when the pilasters below, and the cornices and ornaments above were complete, cannot be known; as now seen, it is pretty, but not magnificent; still, amid the savage wildness of the gloomy ravine which it spans, it is an impressive object. It has been called a triumphal arch, but there is nothing to indicate such a design; it was, probably, merely an ornament of the principal entrance to the city. As we came down the ravine westward, I observed occasionally square holes cut into the rock, as if to receive beams for barriers. There are many tablets sculptured on the sides of the cliffs: on two of them I perceived Greek inscriptions, which, however, I could not decipher. A great number of tombs are excavated from the rock, most of which have ornamented doors. Opening into the main ravine at different points are lateral gorges, which are occasionally smoothed with the chisel, and furnished with steps to pass into them. Before reaching the Khuzneh we observed a series of broad steps at the opening of one of these, leading southward, and determined to explore it. We had our labour for our pains, as we found nothing but various flights of steps and passages cut in the rock. I am persuaded, however, that thorough exploration of these numerous lateral gorges in and about the valley would lead to valuable results. We did our part, so far, at least, as labour and danger were concerned, for we narrowly escaped severe falls in several places. Our interpreter, Said, did not come off so well; he fell from a narrow ledge of rock, and came near breaking his neck. After this last expedition we thought it time to go home-that is, to our tents—as we were thoroughly tired, and the sun had gone down behind the summit of Mount Hor. Next morning we awoke early, amid the singing of birds, the only "dwellers in the clefts of the rocks" at this day in Petra. After an early breakfast we resumed our survey of the ruined city. Returning to the Wady Sîk, we passed down it westward to the site of the Khuzneh, or Treasury of Pharaoh.* It is situated * Plan No. 1. THE TREASURY OF PHARAOH. 173 in the precipice, at an angle of the ravine, or, rather, at the junction of four ravines coming in different directions, so that its fair proportions are visible for some distance. Yet the area in front is by no means great, and the effect of the façade is heightened by the perpendicular walls of rock that rise on either hand to the height of two hundred and fifty or three hundred feet. Language might be exhausted in a description of this beautiful monument, and yet no approach could be made to a picture of its exquisite colours and proportions. I had been prepared to expect much from the glowing accounts of travellers, and, to tell the truth, had set down many of their raptures and rhapsodies for the exaggerations in which they are sometimes allowed to indulge; but when we sat down before this splendid work of art in the early morning, just as the sun was pouring his first light obliquely upon its front through the southern chasm, and illuminating its elegant columns, graceful pediment, and delicately-chiselled ornaments, and bringing out the rich and graceful hues-the rose, white, yellow, orange, and purple tints of the variegated sandstone-the whole appearing as fresh and perfect as if finished yesterday, I was absolutely fascinated. No beauty of Pantheon or Parthenon rivals this exquisite front in the mountain gorge at Petra. Its wonderful preservation gives it a great advantage over other remains of ancient art. I could almost have imagined the artist of the fair work to be standing near me, enchanted with the product of his own genius. Its preservation is due to its position, defended by the overhanging rocks. The façade itself is a vast bas-relief, sculptured out of the freestone rock, which is hewn away so as to afford a recess some ninety feet wide and one hundred and forty high, leaving a lofty pile of one hundred and fifty feet of |