Printed by J. G. Cather

DJEBEL EL BERKEL

Published in the old style by John McVay, Altonnete street, March 6, 1923

A. Aguiar

MERAWE—DJEBEL EL BERKEL

125

In one hour more we came at last to the city of Malek Chowes, MERAWE; it is similarly built, but much larger, than Kádjeba. It was now nearly dark, and in passing through its long and gloomy streets, between the thick mud-walls, we were assaulted by multitudes of half-starved dogs, whose howling in the absence of all other sound, and whose adherence to the habitations which their masters had deserted, increased the dreariness, if not the solitude, of the place. Our guides here desire us to keep close together, and we advance for nearly an hour towards Djebel el Berkel, whose outlines are visible in the moonlight. At such an hour as this, and under such circumstances, we would willingly have made our first visit to the Sacred Rock, which we had long hoped was to be the reward, and perhaps the termination, of our labours. We approached near enough to see some of its fragments and projections, which by the uncertain light we mistook for columns and colossi; but all nearer examination was prevented by our guides, who obliged us to avoid the mountain, as well as the trees by the river side; as two soldiers had been murdered two nights ago by some of the natives, concealed there for purposes of plunder or revenge, and who might still be hid among the caverns of the rock. We therefore steered a middle course, and soon after heard the cannon from the camp, which we entered by the quarter of the Ababde, in five hours and a quarter from our leaving the boat. The distance is about sixteen miles in a N.N.E. direction.

We found the land universally rich and well cultivated, and

176

PYRAMIDS AT EL BELLÁL.

suffered little from time, and towards the top of the two most
perfect, we observed a smooth covering, like that on the second
pyramid of Djiza.

PYRAMIDS AT EL BELLÁL.

The pyramids of El Bellál are situated on the left bank of the
river, six or seven miles higher up than Djebel el Berkel.

The plan of these pyramids was taken from the summit of the
central one a, around which the others form an irregular line
standing all at some distance from a, but seldom far from each
other. There are remains of nearly forty, of different sizes;
eleven of them are larger than any of the perfect ones of Djebel
el Berkel, and the greater part of the rest are reduced to a
mere mound of decomposed stone and gravel and sand. That of
most importance in size and interest stands two hundred and
twenty feet distant from a; its base is one hundred and fifty-
two feet square, and its height one hundred and three feet seven
inches. It has been built in stories, but is most curious from its
containing within itself another pyramid of a different age,
stone, and architecture. This interior building, which the other
has enclosed like a case, seems to form about two-thirds of the
whole structure; it is of neat workmanship, and is composed of
a hard light-coloured sandstone, more durable than that which,
after sheltering it for ages, has at last decayed and fallen off,
and left it once more exposed to the eyes of men. May it have
happened, that some king of Ethiopia, jealous of the glory of
one of his predecessors, and wishing to conceal what he was

on Stone by Agio

GREAT PYRAMID AT EL BELLAL.

Published in the first volume of the Johns Hopkins University Press, March 6, 1922.

Traced by X. CHANER.