. Five years in Damascus . could call our own, for the approaching soon found a small room in the sheikhs house,where our baggage was speedily stowed away andarrangements made for ourselves. The people we hadalready met with here, though not actually uncivil,showed us no attention or kindness; and some of themeven regarded us with scowling looks. We resolved tobe on our guard, but to take no notice of incivility; andwe at once engaged the brother of the sheikh to guide usover the ruins. This we deemed necessary to save usfrom insolence and abuse. That the reader may be able to fo
. Five years in Damascus . could call our own, for the approaching soon found a small room in the sheikhs house,where our baggage was speedily stowed away andarrangements made for ourselves. The people we hadalready met with here, though not actually uncivil,showed us no attention or kindness; and some of themeven regarded us with scowling looks. We resolved tobe on our guard, but to take no notice of incivility; andwe at once engaged the brother of the sheikh to guide usover the ruins. This we deemed necessary to save usfrom insolence and abuse. That the reader may be able to follow me in myattempts to describe the various ruins of this great city, Ihave constructed a plan, partly from general measure-ments, but chiefly from rough sketches made from severalpositions ; it will serve to show the relative positions of themore important ruins and the form of the city. In form the loalled city was almost rectangular; asnearly as I could estimate, a mile and a quarter in length,2 Trav. in Syr. p. Ciup. XII. FROM KUNAWAT TO BUSRAH. 143 by about, or nearly, a mile in breadth. Without thewalls, on the east, north, and especially the west, werelarge suburbs. Near the north-western angle are theruins of the mosk called el-Mahrdk, from the circum-stances under which it was erected. The Khalif Othman,when marching with his army and approaching Busrab,commanded that a mosk should be erected on the spot onwhich his camel might first kneel. This was the spot;and here are still the ruins of the mosk. A straight street intersects the city lengthwise; itsdirection, by compass, being S. 65 E. to N. 65° W. Thenorth and south walls are nearly parallel to this; and theeast and west at right angles to it. Another streetcrosses it at right angles, at a point east of the cenlre;and the most important buildings of the city were clusteredround the intersection of these two streets; extending alsosome distance eastward. The lines of many other streetscan still be traced ;
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectsyriadescriptionandt
