loo
THE WEST SHORE.
April, 1879.
OUR KoKKIt.N CORRESPONDENCE.
Ilii.ioroi i, "City of ti Sun,"
Egrpt. ij, ibt. )
1" di Ton Wmr Siioiif: We trust it
li .1 pardftnabJt ranlty thai prompti im
Ii date this imumunicatioii al the site
of (MM "I the oldest cities in the world.
Away b.nk in (he ilim annals of time,
almost thirty six centuries ago, this eity,
then knOWfl as Off, flourished in :ill the
magnificence of I'-Jf vpt's primitive
glory. PmBMMi alike, in sacred and
lassica! history, though its imposing
temples have long since leen mingled
with the dust 11I the earth, its name is
embalmed fbftvei in the BTChfMlogy
if the future.
In the simplicity nf the world's early
It was situated on the east side of the
river Nile, about five miles ahove Grand
Cairo. Nearly two thousand years
go, when visited by Strabo, the place
of the city w as marked only by I heap
of magnificent ruins. Nothing remains
now, however, to suggest its former
grandeur but great dikes and mounds,
from which may he dug fragment of
marble, granite, bricks and pottery;
a portion of a sphinx, and a tingle
obelisk, which remains standing. This
obelisk reaches about sixty feet above
the ground, is six feet square at the
bate, and covered on its four sides with
the hieroglyphics common to such re
mains. This monolith was hewn out
of a block of reil granite, and, according
interest. From Cairo to the site of
ancient Thebes, on the right bank ot
the Nile, and to a still greater distance
on the left bank of that river, all such
portion of the country as is covered by
the annual inundations, is a land thickly
strewn with crumbling monuments,
pyramids, sphinxes, columns and tern
pies; the smouldering debris of the
world's glory, now long since passed
into the blackness of oblivion. Pha
raoh's Bed, a correct sketch of which
is hereby annexed, is an isolated point
of rare interest to the tourist abroad or
the antiquarian at home. This country
is full of the most impossible traditions
and legends, which, while they may
afford lodgment for some few grains
hti latuic. ktOM talk us that, "Pharaoh
called Josrph't name Zaphiuth
Mancah, and he nc bun to wife
.Wnath, the daughter of 1'uii phcrah, '
pthpl nf On," Qmmk li.. .
Bp here wr an, upon the vci toil
Hodden kjrjtatpk and Im htcthien, in
the once goodly land ,,f i;,,hen, as-'
signed by Phaiaoh to Jacob and his1
n.
Centimes latct, this litv M known
Avrn.and mi called by Eackiel; ler.
emiah call, it .VaV..ra-.ff, the win-1
mon Uchicw name, while in cUsical
'""I "t kavawu at HaUfjpalki All,
these names wm hrU to it, at one
tone ami auothn. on .mount ol its
ng the piuuij.,.1 i ,1 i ,K irarafetf at
the tun among the Egyptian.
niARAOtn BED, mij: RIVER, BQVIT.
, to a hasty calculation made on the
weighs not less than one bundled and,
twenty live t-ms. How this beautiful
sh.ilt MM 1. lived to its present potition,
is not the smallest curiosity which at
taches to it. Indeed, thfl highest ex-,
cellence of modern engineering skill
would be sadly taxed to discover a
practicable method of lowering it in
safety to a prone condition, saying
nothing about the work of quarrying,
hewing, engraving, p..lihi,ig, and
finally raising it lo its present nicely
adjusted parnwilHuilii position upon a
foundation that hat maintained its -i-.
bility for a peri.! of four thousand
yeais.
But wc mut jmm. io oIlMg l,jccU of
of truth, they are, in the main, but so
many tittuet of the strangest and wild
est superstition. The mass of ruins
collectively styled "Pharaoh's Bed," i
manifestly f later date than anything
which is really contemporaneous with
the hierarchy of ancient Egypt.
But it were useless to particularize.
The region we are now examining is
especially rich in broken vases and
time-w orn inscriptions. Within a scope
of territory whose radius would be but
few hours' travel, enough valuable
mateiial might be collected to stock a
hundred British museums. For nearly
a week, we have been strolling over
the fallow ground f departed great
ness. Cautiouv and timidly wc have