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 from Bussorato Aleppo.
COOTE'S Journey
198
oxen are to be met with; they are universallyemployedas beasts
of burden. The one is the commonhumpedspecies,and the other
a small race of a red colour, withouthumps: both kinds have
veryshort horns. rrhe firstoccurs black,white, and red. The
buialo, althoughextremelycommonin the domesticstate,is more
generallywild,the abundantpasturesafforditlg suchgreatfacilities
for their increase. Thosewild are of a much greater size than
thosedomesticated,and havehornsof enormoussize. They are
also endowedwithan extraordinary amountof strength,and it is
said can knockover a good-sizedelephant. The hornsand hides
of this, as well as the oxen, formarticlesof commerce.
Among the reptiles, one, the crocodile,is very common,alld
forms an article of trade with the Cochin Chillese. Boats go
annuallyfromthat countryfor the purposeof catchingthem: this
they do by adroitlyinsertinga piece of wood sharpenedat both
ends into theirmouths, they thenfastena strongline to themand
brilsg them on shore. As they endurewant of food well, they
arrivein good conditionat the end of the journeyto CochillChilla,
wherethey are highly prizedas food.

XVIII.-Diary opfa Jourileyuish Sir EIya7e C()otefronz s

Bussow
fo Alevpoin 1780 (?),fromthe07igi7tAl MS.
PARISE,B.C.H.,F.R.G.S.,&C.
Communicated by Sir WOODBINE
30tA1.$ SET out fromXebire with the caravan,in com-
Jawluary
pany with General Coote and Mr. Thompson. Our force con-
sistedof fortyArab camel-menaruledwithlong spearsand match-
locks, and forty armedwith matchlocksonly, exclusiveof camel
drivers with swordsand lances,and five Europeanservantswith
fusils Xebire is a considerabletown, containingabout fisre
thousandinhabitants,all Arales,but under the jurisdictionof
the Governorof Bus30ra,from whicllplace it is about 12 miles
distant to the westward. This has formerlybeen a very large
* Although this Diary is of old dateyit is interesting from the notices it con-
tains of the remains of ancient cities which the writer visited near Taibeh, and
in the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake, to the south of Aleppo, where he counted
as he says, above tttent,y greut mounds, covering in all pzobabilitythe ruins of
ancient temples and buildings which to this day are still unexplored, althouh the
e2tistenceof some of them has l)een known since the time of Pietro della Valle
who passed over much the same ground as the writer, and mentions having seen
the ruins which he describes near libe,7l.
Dr. Helfer, also of Col. Chesney's expedition, gave some account of an ancient
citg +shich he visited in 1836, about four hours south-east of the Salt Lake to the
south of Aleppo, the ruins of wl-lichseem to be the same as those mentioned by
the writer- bUt With this exception I am not aware that these rernarkable alld
extexlsive remains have ever yet beeil explored or particularly described by any
modern travellel.-W P.
 (:oowe's Jourazey
from Bussorato Aleppo. 199

place; there are still to be seen ruins for many miles round
it, particularlytowards Bussora, where a gateway and many
shafts and pedestalsof columnsare still stancling. 'rhe pillars
are of stone, and round; bllt the bases of them are hid in the
rubbish,and none of the ca.pitalsare to be seen. The walls may
be traced,as I was informedSabove 10 miles in circumference;
and thereappearsto have been a canal cut from the sea to this
place, leading, as the inhabitantssay, up to Korner,where the
Euphratesjoins the T;gris. The axlcientname of this place is
said to be Jama Ali, or the Churchof A1;,to whomit was pro-
bablydedicatedwherlall the trade of the Indies was carriedon
to Eurol)eby land. This place being the last fromthe ancient
Balsoratowardsthe Desert, it wasprobablythe stage fromwhich
the caravansset out on theirjourneywestward,andconsequentlya
place of collsiderabletrade. Ilaving lnentioTled Balsora,so famous
of old it will be necessaryto observethat it is not the sa.me
with the presentcity of Bussora,but the ruinsof it are to be seen
for an extent of 10 miles, on an island about 20 lrliles below
Bussora,at t.hejunctionof two great rivers,the Shat-el-Arab,and
the WarooIl,which descendsfromthe mountainsof Persia. The
islandon whichit standsis called HafEar. Nothingis now to be
seen of it but heapsof ruins,and the wholecountryroundcow-ered
with brokenbricks. This day,and the next as ourpeoplewerenof
all collected,we encampedabout5 milesfromXebire, at a small
village on the Desert; the soil is gravel,mixedwithflintandwhite
stones, rounded and polished,from which one might conclude
that they had been rollndedby the actioalof water, and that
in timesof old the Deserthadbeen coveredby the sea. Rounal
this village,at abouta quarterof a mile distance,the inhabitants
had dug wells,protectedby small clay turretsabout20 feet high,
capableof holdingten or twelvemen; these wells were not aboxre
15 feet deep; sorlleof tRlemhad a wheel and lcatfhernbucketfor
drawingwaterfor theirlittle Marms, consistingof about30 acresof
poor land generally,and somnwithbarley, that seemedto spring
up thinly,thoughthey appearedto take muchpainswithits culti-
vation: there were also some beds of onions. My reason for
noting these pavrticulars ls, to show that, as appearsto me, water
nay perhapsbe found at a 3mall depth in other parts of the
Deselt, and tllat thoughthe soil is in general the sameas above
mentionedtextremelypoor,it is not absolutelyincapableof culture,
and thatany partof it, whenwatered,will prouluce barleyor oats;
but the saild beingso predominant,and there being scalcelyany
rain in this climate, clliefly from the want of mountainsto COI1-
dense the vapours,the very grass, arld even the seeds of it, are
burnt up in summer?so that thereis scarcelyan herb to be seen
whenthe rainreturnsto renewvet,etation.
200 COOTE's Jour7ley
from Bussorato Aleppo.
Februarylst. We left ourencampment about8 o'clockill the
morning, course north-west;the road over gentle risings and
fallings, hardlyperceptiblfe;the soil generallygravel,but some-
timessmallsand,tuftedwitha kind of grass likebent,uponwhich
the camelsfeed. Travelledtill 3 in the afternoon.
Feb. 2nd. Set out at 2 past 7; the road muchthe same as
the precedingday. Saw some hares and several Desert rats.*
This animalresemblesa rat in nothingbut the tail and feet; the
tail is, however,somewhatlonger,and eilds in a tuft; the head
is like a rabbit's,and the mouthhas four prominentsmall sha}p
teeth,like a hare's; the colouris sandywhite,and the size is that
of a commonrat; but that which particularlydistinguishesthis
animalis the great length of its hind legs, whichare more than
threetimesas long as its fore ones; the hair is exceedinglysoft
and fine. Travelledtill about25 miles. Rain fell.
Feb. 3rd. Set out at 1 past 6; sawsomerisingground,and in
a bottomfounda pool of water our guides told us of; collected
all the caravanbeforewe approached it, lest any of the wild Arabs
shouldbe encampedroundit. Thiswasthe firstwaterwe had seen
since we left Nebire. We halted l an hourto water the camels,
but very few of themwoulddrink. We filledsome skins for our
own use, and foundit verygood. AboutV an hourafterwardswe
discovered,on leaving this place, ten Arabs; the sheik of the
caravanrode out to recorlnoitre,and found them to belong to
Xebire. Thfeyweregatheringtruffles,whichgrowin great plenty
in the Desert. 'rhis day travelledabcout24 miles.
Feb. 4th. Proceeded on our journey at past 6; the road2t

througha kind of heathor brushwood;the soil, a deep soft sand

as usual; in the distancewe sas hills graduallyrisingabout40 feet
abovethe level of the plain. In many places we discoveredthe
base-rock,whichwas of a Mardfree-stone. About 12 passedtwo
poolsof water, but the camels did not drink. Saw manytraces
of recentArab encampments.At 1 past 4 encampedbetweentwo
hills; wentto the top of one of them in order to look for some
high mountainsto the northwardstowardsBagdad, which the
sheiktold me mightsometimesbe seen fromthat place,but though
tEleair wasvery c]earwe could not discoverthem. The weather
verywarmfrom11 till 3. Travelledabout27 miles.
Feb. 5th.-Started about i before 7; in * an hour we de-
scended into the channelof a river,which was * a mile broad,
bllt quite dry, excepting some standing pools. The ground on
each side wasragged,and consistedof hillocksof chalkand lime-
* These creatures are called by the Arabs Jeribu'a(plural Jerbz'u), and are known
to European zoologists by the same llame) Jerboa. They are larger than a rat, and
resemble greatly the kangaroo in their construction and in their mallner of
hopping. They are esteemed a great dainty by the Arabs.-C. G.
 COOTE'S Jourmyfrom Bussorato Alpo. 201

stone. In * an hourmorewe crossedanotherwatercollrse,which

was probablya branchof the sameriver; afterwardswe got upon
the plain,whichwas beautifullyinterspersedwith green spotsof
grass,prettythickand long. About 12 we cameto the channelof
anotherriver, and dined upon the bank, which was green and
pleasant. The people filled the skillsin whichthey carriedtheir
water. Travelledover a fine grassyplain till i past 3, when we
encamped.
Feb. 6th.-The sheikof the caravaninformedus that his scouts
had duringthe night discoveredthe firesof the MllntifickArabs,
a nationso calledtromits beint,a confederacyof severaltribes,as
the nameimports. He said they were about two points to the
south^ardof our courseaand hoped, by keeping a little to the
northward,to avoid them; we marchedabout sunrise,and saw
severalante.lopes. In about i an hour came into a fine green
valley,in whichwe kept for sometime, but as it led too farnorth
we quittsedit aseendingthe hills, whichwerenothingbut heapsof
stones,till we cameupon the plain of the Desert. About 8 we
discoveredseveralflocks of cattle in an extensivevalley, and a
numberof men,camels,and horses,whichwenowapproached.We
knewthemto be the Muntificks,and being discoveredby them,it
wasin vainto endeavourto evadethem: we thereforecontinuedour
marchtill we cameinto the valley,wherewe collectedour small
forcetogether,keepillgour baggage upon the right, where there
appearedto be the fewestArabs. 'rhe plain, as far as we could
see, was coveredwith horses,oxen, camels, sheep, and goats, in
differentherds,under their variouskeepers; and to the left we
observedencampments. The sheik of our caravanhaving in-
terrogatedsome of the Arab horsemenwho came up to us, he
was told that SheikAbdailah,the chief of the nationSwas set out
on a pilgrimageto Mecca,and his eldestson to Bagdad,to settle
someaSairswiththe Bashaw,to whomthey do homage for their
pastureson the river,where they are ohliged to go in summer,
therebeing no waterin the Desert. The tribewasthereforerepre-
sentedby the secondson, who wasbut a boy, as we weretold, and
was then in anothervalley some miles in our front. Our sheik
sent of a messengerto informhim of his arrival,and in the mean
time, havingpreparedas well as svecouldagainst any attack, we
proceededoI1our marchthroughthe valley, and ascendedthe
whencewe
hills c)nthe other side, withoutthe least interruption,
could see the whole Desert beforeus, overspreadwith droves of
cattle; and as they were in motion to the eastward,we passed
throut,h the midst of them, and, excepting two or three mes-
sengers that came from the chief; the rest of the people passed
on, hardly noticing us. I have frequently,since I came among
the Arabs, observedthat they affiectnot to wouderat anything,
 s Journeyf konz
COOTE
Bussorato Aleppo.
202
in Europedo, deemingit, no
stare at novelties as people
nor to impertinentcuriosity.
mean and childishto give way
doubt, sortwere mountedon white
of their womenof the better
Several umbrella;thetrappings
onraisedseatsSshadedby a fringed
camels, cloth, quiltedand fringed
of scarlet
theircamels were chieflywith lollg tassels of various colours
of
withyellow, and adorned they managedthe camels them-
hung almostto the groulld;
that staff; they were all dressed
by a kind of halteranda hooked their faces, whichwere
selves
but some of them uncovered
blueveils,
irl The numberof animalsin sight
thoughin generalhandsome.
dark, certainlyexceeded400,000
we couldnot see the wholeof them) but the horseswere not
(for
headon the most moderatecomputation, so that theseflocksconsisted
numerous, nor did we see manycows, WVe inclinedto the northward,
of camels,sheep,andgoats. and about 10 o'clo&k
chiefly we had
keep as clearof themas possible,
to made our presentsto the chief;
passed themall; butas we hadnot we did in a smallvalley sur-
wewereobliged to erlcamp,which whichwasanythingbut a
rounded on everyside by high grounds, we might have takenpos-
safeplacein case of an attack,though hills, whichwere capableof
of some of the neigllbouring
session the sheikof our caravall
beingdefended. After we erlcamped,presentsS consistingof dressesand
setout for the chiefwith.somenot returnthat night.
of variouskinds,but did camp
fruit
Feb.7th.- Ill the morning, about8 o'clock,we shiftedour afternoon
on our course, and in the
tothe plain,about2 miles of our caravanarrived,but it wastoo
late
about2 o'clock the slleik
tomarchthat night. at day-lighti the roadvery
Feb. 8th.-Set out in the morning and low hills of limestone
and
good, over fine green plains, saw some Arabs, and having
gravel. About3 in thle afternoon
tiley belonged to the tribecalledBen;-
spokenwith them, founcl body
Khalid,and that a considerable
lihalid,or the childrenof journeya-headof us XVetherefore
of themwereaboutan hour's as clearof themas possible. Ollr
encamped,that we ulightsome keep a
with of the Ben-Khalids,and carried
sheikwent forward some sweetmeats, ad fruit, for one
presentof a dress,25 ducats, that part of the tribe; in with the
of the chieSssons who commanded our camp
meantime someshepherds and theirwivescameinto
and butter for sale, and our people bought
sheep,goats, camels, 8 piastres7 and somelambsfor eating; the
twofine milkgoats for was 20 zermaboobs,about lOs. of our
priceof the best camels remarkablylarge and fine,llaving very
rlloney. The sheepwere like th(vseof Africa. In themorningour
long earsand heavytails,
sheikreturned,havinC, obtaiIledleave to pass.
and in about an hour
Seb. St/t.- A;Vemarched at us coveredwithfl()cksgrazingin
3unrise,

discoveredall the countrybefore

 COOTE'S Journeyfrom Bussorato Sleppo. 203

separateherds. Oursheikendeavouredto keepclearof the thickest

of themby going to the southwardof our course; he informedus
that 15,000 horsemenhad gone the precedingevening against
sometribeswhohad invadedtheirterritorieson the side of Bagdad,
and that a body of their fighting men were in pursuitof the
AIuntificks whomvse had seen retreating. We werepassingfor
threehoursthroughtheircattleand tents,but saw nobodyin them
but old men,women,and children. When we occasionallystopped
beforeany of theirtentsto look at them,the womenran out to us
withbowlsof buttermilk, Szc.,someof whichwedrank. They were
not very elegalltlydressed,having only a gown and blue veil of
coarsecotton;theirfaceswerehalf coveredwithblackcrape, they
were extremelytimid to all appearance; the tents were mostly
madeof a black kind of cloth, fabricatedof coarsecamel'swool,
and they were pitchedsomethingiol the form of booths in a
fair, open on one side. The Ben-Khalidsare independeilt,and
seemed the strongesttribe ill the l)esert, being able to bring 3
hundredthousandmeninto thefield. It struckmethatpossiblythis
tribemightbe the descendant3 of the ancientChaldeans,fromtheir
nam>,as Khalid in the plural is Chaldean,*and it is but the
En^,lishplulal added to it, whichInakesChalideans. The road
verygood througha plain,coveredwithlorlggrass. We encamped
at 3 o'clock.
Feb.10th. Set outat 7 o'clock;passedsouleof the Ben-Khalids;
the roadverystonyall day,and the count3ny extremelybarren. \Ve
haltedat 1 o'clock,being obligedto fill 7ater at some deep wells,
at a distancefromwherewe encamped.
Feh. 11th. Set out in tElemorning at 7 o'clock; the road
throut,hlow hills and looserollingstones: we killed a numberof
hares. This day we passedbeyondthe boundariesof the Ben-
Khcllidsand entered those of the Arabs of Airac, who inhabit
the westernbanksof theEuphrates,oppositetoBagdad. Halted at
4 o'clock.
Feb. 12th. Proceededon our journeyat - past 6; the road
over low hillsand valleys,not so stony as the precedingday; in
the eveningsaw somet.hing like a cloud,which,fromits Inovement,
we took to be locusts,but on approaching nearerwe foundit to be
a flight of birds, like quails, that made a noise on the wing
like rooks,but not quite so hoarse. In an hour afterwardswe
cameto a ruin, wherewe encamped;it was a squarebuildingof
stone,about 30 fbet high; on three sides casementedwith very
goodarches,havingfourgood ehamberson each side, withGothic
doorsinwards;manyof the archeswere fallen in; nearit was a
* Khalid, plural in Hebrew Khaledim; but in Arabic the plural would be
Khalad or Khaled. It is possible that in this tribe we have the nanse of the
alsciellt Khaledllll preserved.-C. G.
 204 CO()TE's Journeyfrom Bussorato AleWpo.
deepwell-so deep thatwe couldscarcelyseethe water. About
feet of it, towardsthe top,wasbuiltupwithstoneandslime,to 10
the looseearth:iom fallingin; all the restwasdug outof the prevent
whichwasfull of holes in the sides, wherewe sawa great deal rock,
birds'dung,and concludedthat the birdswe saw either had of
nests there,or usedto descendfor water,and ascendby their
these holes, which they could not do if the sides weremeansof
Near the well was a large square reservoir,and twosmooth.
ones that seemed to have been archedover,froma small oblong
the curve of one that remained. 'rhey had stairs partof
to them, and it was evident, as they containedno to descend
that seasonof the year,that they could not at any other water at
fore they musthavebeenartificially there-
filledfromthewell,whenlarge
caraYans passedthat svay; and the bllildingbeforedescribedmay
havebeen a sort of fort for the protectiollof the people, whowere
probablystationedthere to fill thetnwith water when the great
annualcaravanpassedfromBagdadto ZIecca,for, upon
I founzlthis was the (lirectroadto that place5and that theinquiry,
had madewells and forts of a similarkind at the end ofCaliphs
stage. every
Beb. 13th.-We moved on at 7 oclock; in i an hour
scouts brought intelligenceof a large party of Arabs, our
horse. We continuedour march ready to receive them?in rtlostly
theyshould prove enemies; on comingup with them we case
they consistedof about 10() men, the guard of Abdallah, found
chiefof the Atuntifick the
tribe,who had, previousto his journeyto
Mecca,been to visit AlesjidAli, a famousplace of worship,
thebanksof the Euphrates,near Bagdad. He was now upon
directroadto Mecca. Ollr sheik presentedhim with some on his
andothertrifles,and we parted. About 10 oclock we came fruit
finereservoirof wateron the Bagdadroad,wherewe tookin to a
forthree days. Ourpeople got a great quantityof truffles.water
camped at 4. SeveralArabs mounteduponasses,clothedin deer En-
skills, cameinto camp: they werecalledGhizzias, we weretold
wereoutcastsfrom all the tribes; and wereveryand numerousin the
Desert;subsisflngupondeer,bares,and truffles,and robbing
companies of travellersas they could master. WYedid not suchlike
tosee themin ourcamp,and desiredthe sheikto turn
whether he was more afraid of permittingthem to go them out;
carryintelligencethan of watchingthemwell all night,away I know
to

IlOt but he gave thembod

and kept themin camp. Saw a large
black snakethis day.
Feb. 14th.-Set out at 7; saw somemorestragglingGhizzias
themorningand afternoon,the road very good, and the in
full of hares,someof whichwe killed. The groundthis day countly
the last wasfull of smallwhiteshellscsfthe sllail kind. an(l
 COOTE s from Bussorato Aleppo.
Jouraley 205

Feb. lSth. Zlarchedat sunrise; the Desert verylevel, and the

soil hard sand and gravel. Encampedat 4, and sent our four
scoutsto reconnoitrethe roads.
:Feb.ldth.-Marched at 7 o'clock; at 9 calneto the channelof
a riverwhichwas dry; we continuedto followit downwards till 1
o'clock,whenwe cameto thepOillt of a high clifE,underwhichthere
was a finesandydeep pool of water We encampednearit to fill
ourskins,and to waitthe returnof ourscouts. The hillsaboutthe
bankswereprettyhigh and white; the bankswerea kind of free-
stone,mixedwithstrataof flint and limestone;all the stratahori-
zontal,and appearedneverto have been movedsincetheiroriginal
formation. The nameof this river is Abhicate,or the Water of
Lib.
Feb. 17th. Proceededat 7 o'clock; the Desert very level till
towardsevening,whenwe encampednearsome hills of limestone,
and foundwaterat a smalldistance.
Feb. 18th. Set out at Wpast 6, and passeda remarkablelittle
hill uponourleft that rose like a steeprockout of the plain; at 12
passedthrougha ridge of whitehills like chalk. Encampedat 4
upon the bankof a dry river or watercourse, whereby diggingin
the sandwe foundgood water.
Feb. 19th. Movedat the sametime as yesterday;at 10 passed
an old fort,called Thamiel,near which was a small pool over-
grownwithreeds,andtwo yollngdate trees. At 12 passedthrotlgh
a numberof vFhitesand hills, one of which was remarkableby
havinga hole throughit, and being bigger at top than in the
middle. Our scouts broughtintelligenceof some Arabs on the
right; turnedof to the left, and encampedat 4; afterwhichwe
werestartledby fourArabs,WllO weregatheringtruffles.
Feb. 20th. Set forwardat a past 6; passedseveralwhitehills;
at 2 in the afternoonsaw a numberof camel3feeding,fromwhich
we concludedthat there was a txibe of Arabs near, on which
accountoursheikhaltedin a little valley,and thoughwe werevery
desirousto get on, he refusedto stir untilhe got intelligerlceabout
them; fourmen weresent off as soon as it was dark,and as the
sheiktold us he wouldmarchin the night, no tents mTere pitched.
We waited for the returnof the scouts till 2 past 12, whenthey
arrived,and informedus that the tribecalledBarge wereclose by,
they havingspokenwith someof them: we thereforegot as soonas
possiblein motion. The nighthappenedto be overcast,andwasex-
ceedinglydark,insomuchthat we couldnotsee one another; when
day appearedwe foundthatwehad lostone of the camels,on which
two servantsrode. People were sent out on all sidesto lookfor
them,and after losing two hourswe proceededwith all expedi-
tion the rest of the day. AVepassedseveralflat hills, and crossed
solne dry watercourses.In the eveningpassedthrougha ridge
 COOTE'S Jomr)zey
from Bmssorato
206 Aleppo.
of hillsintobeautifulgreenvalleys. This
Hauran,* or the sourees plaeewasealledHulet
of Hauran. These hillsdividetheterri-
toryof Bagdadand hiyria;fromtheTn we saw theDeserta
way beforeus. We encamped at sunsetin the channelofgreat
riverHaurAn, whichwasdry; theskywas nowmoreeloudy,the
theweather muehcolder. and
Feb. 21st. Proceeded in themorningat theusualtime,follow-
ing the rivertowards its soureetill l 2 o'eloek;we
somewater,andduginthesandfor it, but it expeeted to find
thatwewenton withoutfillingabove drailled in so slowly
eveningwe passedovera fineplaincountry, twoor threeskins. In the
good,thoughforwantof moisture, the soil beingvery
eovered like the rest of theDesert,only
withthingrassandpoorshrubs.Eneamped at 4, andsent
outin searchof water,butfoundnone.
Beb. 22nd.- Set outin the morningat g
verysharpandeold; passedseveralhillsflatpast 6; the weather
liketerrace-walks at top, andsloping
at the sides;in the afternooll sawa straycamel
andtherecenttracksof abouta hundred
people,and they consultedhowto proceed. horses, which alarmedour
course,however,and passeda fresh AVecontinued our
picked upa dog; wekepta goodlookout eneampment, wherewe
thatsurrounded all nightfromthehills
us; wehad no-ater this llig}:lt, andmanyof the
people hadhadnonethepreeeding day.
Feb. 2Srd. Setoutat sunrise, anddireete(lourcour3emoreto
thenorthward; at 10 eamein sight of somehills
under whichwe were told the Euphrates on the right,
erossed ran; at
the earavan,walkingtowardsthe river, lloona liont
bushes androeks,butwedidnotfollowhim; throughsome
tothecourseof a riverealledGibbut:like in the eveningearxle
seenin theDesert,dlsy:wefound,however, all the otherswe had
itwasas narrow a mrellby thesideof it;
as a chimney,builtwithfrce-stone,
fathoms deep. \\Tesoundedwitha rope,but it andabout15
nevertheless the Arabsdidnotdespairof findingwater eameup dry;
senta mandown,whofounda kind in it; they
sideof it, whichafterwards of horizontal galleryon one
doubtedly descended to thewater. Thiswasun-
an artificeof theArabsto prevent
it fromdrawingof the water. 'rhiswaterstrangersnotaware
of
theygot it so siowlythattherewasonly was clearandgood,
but
use.Sawa number enoughforourpresent
of wildhogs.
*This is very important. The rlame
that H6let Hauranwouldlead one to infer
the W&diSir Eyre crossedhad its source
coutinuation
of the WAdi-en-Nemareh, in the Haurttl. Mayit not be a
whichI discoveredin 1857,
fromwhereI left it ? I see a *NSdi
N.W. andwhich ran
must
be the samethat S;r Eyrecrossed.-C.Hauranmarkedin Chesney'smap: this
t Lionsare extremelyrare, G.
were I believe,in this Desert. The Arabs
a fear,bllt chieflyaboutBatylon.-C. toldme there
+Gibblet.I do not know the liame, G.
spelled.--C.
G. but from its appearanceit is wrongly
 from Bussorato AlepFo.
GOOTE'S Journey 207

Feb. 24th.-Marched at sunrise; the Desert level, and tlle road

good. Encamped about 5 o'clock. An ostrich passed the
caravan.
Feb. 25th.- In the morningpassedfive wells in a green valley;
they weredug in the rock,and the waterwas very clearandgood,
thoughthe Arabsdid not thitlkso, becausethey werenot used to
springwater. At noon sawthe mountainsof Tyba and Tadmor,
or Palmyra; we directedour coursefor the former,and eneamped
at sullset. 'rhe Desertlevel, and the road markedby heaps of
stones.$
Feb. 26th.-Marched beforesunrise; at noon entered a plain
betweenthe hills; passeda lion'sden; someshowersof rain. At
4 lnet withtwo Pahomarswith lettersfor Bussora; they had been
robbedof theircamelson the way to Aleppo. Encampedat 5 to
readthe E7lropeanGazettes.
Feb. 27th. Set out at sunrise; in half an hoursaw two round
buildingsuponthe plaingt they seemed small at a distance,but
as we approached llearerto that on the right we weresurprisedat
its magnificence;upon examinationwe found it consistedof twcs
squarebuildins, one of 200 paces, the other of 1()0; the walls
wereof finehewn stonesof a reddish colour,alld about 12 feet
thick and 40 feet high, all round,excepting some portionwhich
had fallendown. The largestbuildinghad 24 towers,the smallest
12; the entranceswere not very large, but elegantlyfinishedin
the Grecianstyle within. NVesawa numberof archessupported
by pillars of white marble finely polished;as the rubbishhad
covered up one half, we could only see the upper part; the
capitals had double flowers,exceedinglywell finished, several
brokenpillarsof marblewerescatteredaboutthe area,in one part
of which, where the Arabs appearedto ha+rel)een digging, we
foundlarge vaultsdoublearched,and it ls probablethe wholeof
the area xvasvaultedin the same manner. I was sorryI had not
time to take a plan of this building. There was the ruin of an
aqueductthat camefromthe mountainson the rightto this palace,
and fromthenceacrossthe plaininto the otherbuilding. WNTe re-
joined the caravall,and travellingabout tsvo hours, arrivedat
* " The road marked by heaps of stones." It is not clear whether by this is
meant the remains of an allcient road, or heaps of stotles placed at intervals to
mark the track. The Arabs often do this. C. G.
t Pietro della Valle melltioning this place says:-" On the 21st we passed by a
ruinous castle called Hheir, which I had fortnerly seen only by night, when I
went from Aleppo to Bagdad. I took a better view of it now, and found it to be
a great building all of good and large white marble stones; the form of it is a
lollg square with walls round about it, here and there distinouished with small
round turrets; within are many contrivances of rooms, all likewise of white stone,
but so ruinous that it cannot be known what they were.
" From heIlce ve travelled about three hours farther, and at night arrlved at
Taibeh."-W. P.
 COOTE's Journeyfrom Bussorato Sleppo.
208
Taiba, and encampedneara fountainof
had met with on our journey. The water,being the firstwe
having a slight mineral taste; it boiledwater up
was rather hot,
near the easterngate. The town of from under a hill,
appeareverto have beenlarge; the walls Tyba, or Taiba,does not
a mile in circumference;they have two of stone are abouthalf
manyinscription3, gates. On the easternare
some of which I copied, in an unknown
racter. They do not seem,however,to have cha-
building,as they were not in proper been coeval withthe
sideof the gate, cut in differentstones,compartments, but on the
ancientruins. The buildingshere arebrought perhapsfromsorne
seem to have been ever worth notice.en decadence,and do not
steepleof Mahomedanarchitecture,and There is a minaret or
westernwindow,near the top, I discovered upon the outsideof the
tion in relief, upon the upper part, on an Arabic inscrip-
not get near enough to copy it. On the outside, but could
to the southwardof this town we the high hill that stands
curiousto discoverwhat it was, we climbedsaw a building, and being
foundit to be the tomb of a Mahomedan the mountain,and
locked,but we opened it and went in, saint; the door was
and found
embalmed, stretchedupona bier,with a canopyover it.the saint
thewall, in niches, there were lamps Round
withoil and kept lighted. The roof ofwhich the Arabs supplied
withostricheggs, and the wall the cupolawas adorned
chiefly plastered round with writings
fromthe Koran; there werealso some
strant,e paintingsand paperscoveredwith
anastrologicalnature.mathematical figureswhich seemedto be of
The Arabsinformedme they weregiven
tothosewhohad performeda pilgrimage
future to Mecca,and contained
predictions. We left these holy relics
hill;it rained hard, and here I could and descendedthe
greatbenefit which the earth derives not but remark the
from
condensing the vapoursand occasioningrain, mountainsby their
Desert they are carriedalong by the winds whereasin the flat
which is the reasonthat it seldomor ever withoutinterruption,
diffierenceof climateas soonas we rains there. We founda
sky,which before svas iilvariablyapproached the mountains:the
serene, was now clouded,and
wehad small drizzlin(rrain. Tyba
years was inhabitedabout thirty
ago, and a place of refreshment forthe caravans;thegrounds
around still exhibitedthe signs of cultivation,
andcrossedin manypartsby smallaqueducts for they wereditched
fromthe fountains. Palmyra or 'radmor that conveyedwater
the standsabout60 milesto
south-westof thisplace; weweredesirousof
wholecountrywas over-runby a tribeof Arabs,visitingit, butthe
saidto be the most powerfulin the called the Anazi,
wasnecessaryto sec-ureby presents,andDesert, whosefriendshipit
moretime thanwe couldspare. Aboutwhich wouldhaverequired
10 milesto the southward
 'OOTE s Joacxne1yfrom Bllstsor. to Alelso. 209

of this there is an ancient city called Astachar, and by some

Stictina,* some part of which is still inhabited. On the way
towardsit thereis a mountainof whiteonarble,whichmay be seen
as you approachTyba fromthe Desert.
Feb. 28th.-Set out fromTyba, keeping prettynearthe range
of mountainson the left. At the foot of the hills on the right,
about 12 miles across the plain, we sa+vthe ruins of a city,
called El-Koom, wherewe were told there was a fine fountain,
calledAin-el-Koom,or the fountainof Koom,which had occa-
s.onedthe buildinffl of a townin thisplace. Thereis a magnificent
aqueductnearthis city, but we had not time to visit it, as it was
out of our route; it is now uninhabited,but from the olumerous
tlacks lewading to it, we bund it. was much frequentedby the
wanderingtribes on acoount of the water. The surrourlding
countryis possessedby a tribecalledthe SIouallies. A77efoundan
ostrichegg uponthe plain this morrling. Ollr coursewasdirected
to the north-west. We haltedin the eveningfor some hours,and
setting out at 8 o'clockat night, about 12 saw a numberof fires
in ourway: this obliged us to take anothercourse towardsthe
mollntainson our left. In the morningwe haltedwithin2 miles
of them.
ch 1st. Set outagainat 8, andin abouttwohoursdiscovered
1zlcz}
a bodyof peopletravellingto tllesouth-east.We sentoutour scouts,
whoreturnedwithinformation thatit wasthe Bagda(lcaravan{rom
Aleppo:it didnotappearto exceedourownforce. About10 o'clock
we saw a high mountainin front, and in the eveningencamped
within 4 miles of it; the groundthis day yvasratherbroken,and
full of rat holes. Bre foundthe cast skinsof severalsnakes.
Ma?7cAl 2r2d. In the morning,havillg turned the point of the
mountainsto the left, we keptprettyclose to them,and in a large
va]leyto the left of a salt lake we discoveredmany ruinsof great
townsgt in one placetherewas a templethatseemedto havebeen
overthrown by an earthquake,the pillar3of xvhichwereTuscan,
lying all on the ground,neartheirbases,in one regularline; they
wereabout60 in number,and of a hard,ironykind of stone,not in
the least damagedby-the weather. The lentth of the builtling
seemedto havebeell alsout60 -fEet,and the breadthbetweenthe
* Astachar,Stictinc6. Both these llaulelsare evidently not correctly given. It is
stl ikillg llow the eountly has become depopulated, and with the exception of Tad-
mor and Suhneh, there is not an inhabited place in the Desert, far or near.-C. G.
t 'I'he Salt Lake east of Aleppo is knowll, but many of these ruined cities are
rlknowsl* one of them, situated four hours south-east of the lake, was rTisite(lby
D. Helfel, who was attached to the Euphrates I?xpedition,and whose account of
it is given in Col. Chesney's book. The Arabs call the place " Betcd-CA^cen-Azrcz."
*he walls ale said to he nine miles in circumference. He mentions also having
been told of other ruiIls situated about six hours farther south, Co1. Leake has
suggested that they may be the remains of the ancierlt Androna and Seriane. (See
Col. Chasney's Work, chap. xsriii.)
VOL. XxX. P
 210 COOTE'S Journeyf7 om Bussorato Alep7)o.

pillars30 on each side. There was an aisle, having two doors,

exceedinglywell ornamentedand finished; the great doors seem
to have been at the ends of the building; without,on all sides,
there was a moundof rubbishabout16 feet high, so that the ruins
could not be seen till you came just upon them. Fromthis it
wouldappearthat some people musthave clearedthe ruinsthat
are nowvisible,for the rubbisharoundseemsto have beenthrown
out of the area. There were abovetwentygreatmoundsaround,
and I make no doubt but that each of them covered ruins,
thoughnone have been opened like the above-mentioned.The
plain,for severalmiles,is coveredwith fragmentsof hewn stone
and rubbishof buildings,so that this musthavebeena considerable
city, probablyfromcarryingon a tradein salt fromthe lake which
now suppliesa great part of Syria with that article; the whole
ground being encrustedwith it when the mTaters dry ur), as the
bankswereat that titne. \Ve came in the afternoonto a place
calledHat,la,afterturningthe last pointof the hills; herewe found
wells of waterand the ruinsof a tOWll; near it therewas a high
moundof earth risiIlg about100 feet fromthe level of the plain,
and from the top of it, in a line towardsthe west, we coulddis-
coverabout1thmoreof the samekind. They appearedto me to
be all artificial,for,havingexaminedsix of them,I foundruinsall
roundthemuponthe plain,and someLatin andGreekinscriptions,
thoughso defacedthat scarce two lettersremainedlefflible. An
Arab told me they were the lJuryingplaces of my ancestors,
but they did not appearto me to have been catatombs,but towers
or forts to protectthei towns near them from the incursionsof
the Desert Arabs. The soil here was exceedingly good, and
this immenseplain had been in formertimes full of inhabitants;
the labour of throwingup these mounds,or rather hills, must
have been immense. About 4 in the afternoonwe came into
cultivatedlands,and at 6 arrivedat the townof Suppine,built at
the footof one of the above-mentioned hills,whichhad a little forti-
ficationon the top of it. The townwas walledwithmud,and the
houses,everyone of whichhada coniccupola,appearedlike clumps
of beehives. Here we encamped,and irl the morningthe revenue
officer3exaWinedthe baggage of the caravan,but permittedours
to passon to Aleppoby an orderfromthe Bashaw. The weather
wasexceediloglycold, and the groundcoveredwithhoarfrost.
MarchAd. In the morning,about8 o'clock,we set 011t,and
in two hours discoveredthe city of Aleppo,whichmade a very
magnificent appearance.The first objectthat presenteditself was
thecastle,standillgupona hill, partly natural,partlyartificial,in
themiddleof the city. This hill is almost as high as that upon
whichEdinburghCastlestands,and the castle itself makesa finer
appearane,e, thoushit is olotilalf so strong. Thereare manyvery
 COOTE'S Jotcr)ley f?om Blessoru to AIeyJo. 211

fine minaretsor steepleslike the Monumentin Lon(lon,from the

galleryof whichthe hoursof prayerareproclaimedby the Rlollahs
witha loud voice. The buildinffls are large and flat-roofed,in the
Eastern manner, the streets are narrow,but well paved; the
bazaarsor marketsare arched overhead,and well suppliedwith
all kindsof commodities;the inhabitantslive chiefly in cains or
squares,havint,no windowsto the streeton accountof privacyfor
theirwomen; the ladiesare, however)permittedto go outin veils,
generallywhite,and the streets and avenuesto the townare full
of them. The wallsof this city have been prettygood, but they
have been suffieredto go to decay, like everythingelse in the
Tllrkishempire; they are about 4 milesin circumference, but thte
suburbsare verylarge, so that the place is said to contain above
120,000 inhabitants,Turks,Greeks,and Europeans;by thelatter
of these its commerceis chieflycarriedon. The environsof the
townare all taken up by burying grounds,as they never bury
twice in the same place, ar.d put a head-stoneto almost every
person. The numberof tombs is ineredible, and remind one
forciblyof the countlessnurtlbersof the dead comparedwiththose
of the living. The EuropeaIlsare but indifferentlytreatedin this
country; to threaten a ^Mahomedan is to run the risk of life,
and when they go out tlley are liable to be insulted by the
childrelland populace,whospitat them,throwstonesat them,and
call them names. \Yhat indignitieswill nl)t men suSer for the
advantagesof tradewith thesebarbarians ! This is one of the in-
conveniencesthat attend trade,to make a people great at home,
despised abroad,arld subjectto every kind of impositionand
insult. The merchantsof Aleppo,before our arrival,had been
confinedto theirhouses,on accountof the outragescomulittedby
the green heads or descendantsof Mahomed,whoaloneare per-
mittedto wear turbansof that colour. A;\Te hear they are again
oblited to shut themselvesup. The pro-consul,an{lall the gentle-
men of the Britishllationthere,cameout to a villageabout3 miles
fromthe city to contratulateGeneralCoote on his safe arrival;
theywereall well mountedon good horses,richlycaparisoned;we
joiIledthe throngandproceededto the city. About 12 we arrived
at the Consul'shollse; therewas a great mob of spectators,from
whom,however,we receivedno otherinsultbeyondthe appellation
of Cafferor Infidel,whichwe heardoftenrepeated. The General
was visitedby the French, Venetian,and l)utch Consulsin turn,
with all their several nations. The Frenchare the first in rank
here, and are most nllmerous,for they have supersededus in the
trade with'rurkey; they are prohibitedfrom marrying,lest they
shouldremainin the collntry,but the dragomenorinterpreters have
handsomeGreekwives.