Edward Hull

“ We now commenced our preparations for a visit to Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabatheans, and to Mount Hor, the sepulchre of Aaron. No more grand monument could be erected to the memory of a man honoured of God than that which nature has here raised up. For, amidst this region of natural pyramids, Jebel Haroun towers supreme, and from its summit Aaron was doubtless enabled to look across the great valley to the hills of Judæa, which he was only to behold from afar. ”

“ A scramble over a rough slide of loose sandstone at the upper end of the valley, a treacherous sloping ledge of rock overhanging an awkward precipice, and a steep ravine which brings into play all one's gymnastic capabilities, leads to an extensive plateau broken up by many deep ravines and rising knolls. On one of the highest of these last is a heap of ruins—hewn sandstone walls, with broken columns, and numerous stelæ, in shape like ordinary English gravestones, standing or scattered at irregular intervals about the place, the whole being surrounded by the debris of an outer-wall. ”

“ So clear was the air, that the snow-clad plains of Moab and Jebel Attarus, though at a distance of thirty miles, were quite distinct; as were also the glens and promontories descending therefrom on to the Valley of the Jordan. The snow lay still undisturbed in the sheltered spots, and ice was on the surface of the Pool of Hezekiah below us; the well-known solitary palm flung its plumes into the cold air, high above the buildings, bravely defying the ungenial elements: under no circumstances could a better view be obtained. ”

“ In front to the north stretched a great plain, green with vegetation. To the right, in an open space, might be seen several large Bedawin camps, from which the shouts of wild men, the barking of dogs, and the bellowing of camels ascended. In the distance, but obscured by the haze, were the shores of the Salt Sea, a band of blue indicating the position of the waters; and on either hand of our pathway stretched the white terraces of the old sea-bed, indented by several deep channels, particularly those of the Kiver Jeib, on the west, and of the Butachy and Gharandel on the east. ”

“ It is well known that these great tombs of Egyptian monarchs are built on a platform of the nummulite limestone, which has been partially levelled for the foundations, but has never been entirely cleared from the accumulated rubbish. This platform of solid rock marks the limits of the Nile Valley. On driving up to the summit of the platform you are immediately beset by a crowd of importunate Arabs, who have mastered sufficient of your language to make you understand that independent action is out of the question, and that you may as well resign yourself submissively into their hands. ”

“ Looking away in the far distance, towards the table-land of Moab, past "the green domed mosque," and through the deep depression of the Kedron Valley, the upper terrace of limestone, and the lower of sandstone of a faint reddish hue, were clearly discernible; while the sunlight brought out in relief the bold headlands and ridges, and cast into shadow the deep furrows and glens which descend into the Jordan valley along the Land of Gilead on its eastern side. Amongst these, the cliffs bordering the gorge of the Wâdy Zerka Maïn were the most prominent. ”

“ From no other spot, perhaps, can the mind become so fully impressed by the fact that to the Nile, and the Nile alone, does Egypt owe all she has of fertility and wealth. Beyond is the desert of sand, a sea-bed without its animate forms, lifeless and waste. Dean Stanley has well observed, that the Nile, as it glides between the Tombs of the Pharaohs, and the City of the Caliphs, is indeed a boundary between two worlds. ”

“ At our feet the limestone hills resembled a continuous sea of ridges and furrows, tumultuously thrown together, and presenting every variety of brown, yellow, and light green shades amongst the hollows, while the dark brown beds of chert imparted definite form and outline to the ridges and scarps. The white table-land of Jebel Usdum, deeply scored and furrowed, was just visible behind the darker cliffs of limestone to the south of our position. ”

“ Looking across the valley, the horizon towards the west is bounded by the yellow ridge of the desert sands, in front of which, as if to mark the boundary between the region of verdure and that of drear sterility, are planted the Pyramids, in grand procession, headed by the greatest and oldest; those of less stature and of more recent date bringing up the rear throughout a tract of many miles up the river side. ”

“ No one who is not a sound sleeper should pass a night at Es Safieh! About midnight I was awakened by the most strange and appalling noises. At first I thought we were about to be attacked by the Bedawins; but on listening for a little, I distinguished the peculiar high-pitched dismal cry of the jackal, mingling with the howling of the village dogs. The whole jackal population of the adjoining thickets and valleys seemed to have congregated around our camp, and to be holding council whether or not to make a raid on us. ”

“ This feeling was intensified when, after winding along lanes in the suburbs of Jaffa, bordered by groves of orange and lemon trees laden with fruit, we found ourselves within the four walls of "the Jerusalem Hotel," and were able to stretch our limbs on a bed under cover of a roof, and to rest after a ride of thirty English miles. Perhaps it was ungrateful not to feel in boisterous spirits at the change in our surroundings which we had experienced; but, truth to tell, camp life had become, not only familiar, but pleasant to us ”

“ When gazing, now at the stupendous walls of rock which enclose the winding valley of Wâdy Mûsa, now at the architectural ruins, the work of the hand of man, I became profoundly impressed with the conviction that in originating and executing these works, man himself had been but an imitator of nature ”

“ We were now about to bid farewell for a time to the region of sandstone, and to enter one composed of much more ancient formations, consisting of grey or red granite, porphyry, and igneous rocks; giving rise to scenery of a bolder and more majestic character, and for the most part destitute of that grotesqueness which frequently characterises the region of sandstone. ”

“ It soon became pitch dark; but fortunately two of our Arabs from Hebron were well acquainted with the path, which they tracked with wonderful sagacity; while our horses managed to keep their footing, even when sliding down into a rocky ravine, the floor of which was quite invisible, at least to my eyes; or when climbing some slippery bank. Mile after mile was traversed in the darkness, and yet no kindly light gleamed forth amid the encircling gloom to indicate the place of our camp. ”

“ The rain came at first in heavy drops, and then poured down steadily. The tents, however, proved sound; not a drop entered, and we rejoiced to think that the parched and thirsty ground would drink in the refreshing rain; that plant-life would receive a fresh impulse, and cover the plain we were about to traverse with verdure and flowers. In the morning rain still fell, heavy clouds hung on the mountains, and we had to mount our new camels, and make our arrangements for a start, under a dripping sky. ”

“ On ascending to the top of the long valley, and turning a point of the road, we were able to look back through a gap in the hills, and we could see far-below us the plain of Ramleh and Lydda, and in the distance the blue waters of the Mediterranean.
Our road for many miles wound along the sides of these bare limestone hills, or overlooked the very deep ramifying valleys which penetrate far into the central table-land. ”

“ Every few yards brought us in front of still loftier cliffs of granite, occasionally capped by pyramids and tors of sandstone, until at about half-a-mile from our entrance to this grand cañon, and after winding from side to side, we found ourselves confronted by inaccessible cliffs, estimated by Kitchener and myself at 1,000 feet to 1,200 feet in altitude above the bed of the brook. ”

“ Next morning we crossed the low ridge under Jebel el Urf, and passing down a sandy valley at noon we came to a flat of mud which formed the end of the valley, a barrier of sand having been thrown up and thus stopping up the valley completely. Crossing this ridge an immense extent of sandhills appeared as far as the eye could reach. I do not think I have ever seen so desolate and dreary a country: nothing but ridge after ridge of sand dunes for an immense distance. ”

“ Who that visits the modern cities of Europe, and witnesses the monuments of ancient Egyptian art, of which that country has been stripped, in order that they may be adorned, can restrain a sigh of regret at the spoliation of the land where art of the grandest conception had its birthplace and its maturity while that of Greece and Rome was still in the future? ”

“ On returning to our camp in the evening, we were entertained to a prolonged chorus between the dogs of the village and the jackals of the thickets; while the discharge of distant guns amongst the hills, which we were informed came from the Haiwatats, announced the proximity of the foes of our present protector. Sheikh Ali.
The nocturnal noises of Es Safieh were indeed, to our unaccustomed ears, almost appalling. It is the custom of the cocks at this village to crow after sunset; and up to about bedtime the air was resonant with their voices. ”

“ From the summit of the ridge, which had been the sanitary camp of the British troops during the outbreak of cholera, we enjoyed an extensive view, and one full of variety and interest. To the right, at our feet, lay the capital of Egypt, with its streets, palaces, mosques, and churches, interspersed with gardens and groves of trees; and in the foreground, standing on a projecting platform, the citadel and the mosque of Mehemet Ali, with its exquisitely graceful minarets. To the left, and washing the eastern base of the hills, stretched the green and fruitful plain of the Nile ”

“ Instead of our escort from Jerusalem we had an unwelcome visit from the bandits of Petra, who came up to our camp next day brandishing their spears and demanding money. This demand we felt bound to resist even at some risk; and being unsuccessful with us they proceeded towards the village to quarter themselves for the night on the Ghawarneh, whom they ordered forthwith to kill a sheep for supper; and, as no news had come from Jerusalem, we retired to our tents that night with spirits far from cheerful. ”

“ Our traverses from the shores of the Salt Sea to Gaza, and again from Jaffa to Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, together with our excursions to Bethlehem and Solomon's Pools, had enabled us to obtain an approximately complete knowledge of the general features of the country and of its geological structure, and we looked forward to a further reconnaissance northwards to the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and thence across to Mount Carmel and onwards to Beyrût, to enable us to complete our geological survey of the whole country;—but this was not to be, as my narrative will show. ”

“ Here may be seen three grand natural facades of sandstone ranged side by side like a line of palaces, but severed from each other by intervening spaces; and one cannot help conjecturing that the examples of natural architecture here, as well as at other places, displayed along the sides of the valley, had suggested to the early Edomites and Nabathean inhabitants the idea of imitating in art what nature has so prominently placed before them.
The colouring of the sandstone cliffs of Wâdy Mûsa should not pass unnoticed; it is wonderfully gorgeous, possibly altogether unique. ”

“ The spacious plain we had been passing through, covered with herbage, would have afforded ample space for the people with their flocks and herds, and the mountain masses in front, reverberating with the thunders of heaven, would have been well calculated to impress them with awe and reverence. ”

“ Houses, temples, churches, may have been laid in ruins, the materials broken up and carried away, but a "potter's vessel" when once broken is useless for any purpose; no one cares for it, and it is left to add to the accumulations which take place at every town or village.
Soon we emerged on the Garden of Egypt, the fertile Delta of the Nile, without which, indeed, Egypt would be but a rocky or sandy desert penetrated by a deep gulf, as the Egyptian priests informed Herodotus was its original condition. ”

“ A plan of the hill has been made by Major Kitchener, and drawn for me by Mr. Armstrong (Fig. 16) .
On descending from the ruins for the last time down the mountain side, we were treated to a display of the gorgeous colouring characteristic of the eastern side of The Ghôr, when lit up by the slanting rays of the western sun. The evening had been cloudy, and some rain had fallen. Suddenly the sun burst forth through a gap in the clouds, and lighted up the cliffs along the northern side of the valley with tints of surpassing richness and brilliancy. ”

“ The whole aspect of the surroundings impresses one with the conviction that he is here gazing on the face of Nature under one of her most savage forms, in view of which the ideas of solitude, of waste, and of desolation contend with those of awe and admiration. The summit on which you stand is over seven thousand feet above the sea, but some distance to the south is the still loftier height of Katarina. ”

“ While travelling subsequently through the country to the south-east of Gaza on my way to Ismailia, I noticed the Arabs cultivating the ground extensively; they live, of course, entirely in tents, and the barley they grow is sent in to market, but the chopped straw is made up into numbers of small heaps on the ground and covered with earth, forming little domes exactly like the nawâmîs. There are few stones on the Gaza plain, and little earth to spare in the wâdies of the peninsula. ”

“ Now, to the north of the Gulf of Suez, and extending a distance of ten statute miles to the Bitter Lakes, there exists at the present day a neck of land, across which the Israelitish host might have marched into the wilderness of Etham on their way to Mount Sinai, and over which the army of Pharaoh, with its chariots, would probably have been unable to follow; at any rate (if the conditions had been the same then as now) there would have been no necessity for the performance of a miracle in dividing the waters of a sea which at the present day does not exist. ”