Journey through Arabia Petraea, to Mount Sinai, and the excavated city of Petra, the edom of the prophesis . being ex-ceeded, we were enchanted by the view of anobject which I should in vain endeavour to grand triumphal arch, erected over the ravineafter the fashion of the ancients, who usually con-structed similar arches at the entrance to theircities, boldly spans the two lofty walls of rock oneach side. The savage wildness of the situationhas no parallel. The impression which it producesat the moment of entering this almost coveredway is inexpressible/ a A view of this arch on th
Journey through Arabia Petraea, to Mount Sinai, and the excavated city of Petra, the edom of the prophesis . being ex-ceeded, we were enchanted by the view of anobject which I should in vain endeavour to grand triumphal arch, erected over the ravineafter the fashion of the ancients, who usually con-structed similar arches at the entrance to theircities, boldly spans the two lofty walls of rock oneach side. The savage wildness of the situationhas no parallel. The impression which it producesat the moment of entering this almost coveredway is inexpressible/ a A view of this arch on the ravine is given in the LandscapeIllustrations to the Bible. ARCH OVER THE RAVINE. 173 The novel arrangement of this arch induced meat first to suppose that it served as a bridge fromone side of the ravine to the other, or as a conduitfor the waters to an aqueduct which was formedalong the face of the rocks. I ascended to it bya steep and rugged path with great difficulty; butI found nothing to justify the idea that the archhad been intended for any other purpose than asan ornament to the capital. 174. PYRAMIDAL TOMBS. CHAPTER XI. THE FELLAHS. PETRA FROM THE RAVINE. CORINTHIAN TOMB.— LATIN INSCRIPTION STAIRS IN THE MOUNTAIN. — EL DEIR. VIEW FROM EL DEIR. ACROPOLIS. SPIRAL STAIRS. — INTERIOR OF A TOMB. — DEPARTURE FROMPETRA. TOMB OF AARON. While I was engaged in drawing, our guidesacted the part of sentinels; apprehensive everymoment of discovering a band of those Fellahswhose fire arms and turbulence of disposition werethe continual theme of conversation. To these ap-prehensions was added the fear of the plague ; andas we were now approaching their habitations, itwas no slight token of fidelity on the part of ourguides to accompany us in this advanced recon- PETRA FROM THE RAVINE. 175 naissance. We found in the course of our expe-dition a funereal monument surmounted by somesmall pyramids or obelisks, the only example ofthe kind we had observed among the ruins ofWady M
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