. Palestine and Syria with the chief routes through Mesopotamia and Babylonia; handbook for travellers;. a double-arched entrance in the wall of the rock. The roof is slightly vaultedand supported by a pillar. At the corners of each cistern are stepsfor drawing water. On the left is-a round-arched passage which leadshence through a rocky wall, 4/-2 ft. thick, down three steps into anopen court Jiewn in the rock at a depth of about 26 ft., 30 yds. longand 27 yds. wide. To the W. we perceive the richly hewn portal ofthe rock-tombs. The portal has been widened to 39 ft.; like that ofSt. Jamess Gr
. Palestine and Syria with the chief routes through Mesopotamia and Babylonia; handbook for travellers;. a double-arched entrance in the wall of the rock. The roof is slightly vaultedand supported by a pillar. At the corners of each cistern are stepsfor drawing water. On the left is-a round-arched passage which leadshence through a rocky wall, 4/-2 ft. thick, down three steps into anopen court Jiewn in the rock at a depth of about 26 ft., 30 yds. longand 27 yds. wide. To the W. we perceive the richly hewn portal ofthe rock-tombs. The portal has been widened to 39 ft.; like that ofSt. Jamess Grotto (p. 81), it was formerly borne by two columns,which relieved the open space. Some of the moulding:^ of the portalare still in admirable preservation, consisting of a broad girdle of 88 Route 5. TOMBS OF THE KINGS. Eiwirovs wrcatlis, fruit, and foliage. In the vestibule (1) are fragments ofcolumns, capitals, unci frngmonts of sarcophagi. We cross over a roundcistern ( k) ami desceml a few steps; on our left is an angular passage(b) with a movable rolliiiLi -t-;- f-) by wliirh the entrance to the. tomb could lie closed (said to be one of the only two sepulcbre-doorsof this kind still Intact; see Matth. xxviii. 2; Mark xvi. 3, 4;Lukexxiv. 2). The chamber (a) is about G/oyds. square, and fromit four entrances, two to the S., one to the W., and one to the N., leadto tomb-chambers. The chamber (d) contains rock-shelves onthree sides, and shaft-tombs (p. xciv) on the E. and S. In the we descend by 4 steps into a lower chamber (d) with 3 shelf-tombs. The second chamber (e) has a depression in the middle,three shaft-tombs on the S., and three on theW.; this chamberalso has a subsidiary chamber (f), and on the ground lie fragmentsof the lid of a handsome sarcophagus. The chamber (g) to the W. ofthe vestibule contains two sliaft-tombs on the right and on the left,in addition to the shelves in the walls. In the middle is a passageleading to a small chamber with 3 shelf-
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