Page 74 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)

m.] T6R TO SINAI. 55

is more than ample space for them ; while, at
the same time, at its termination, Mount Sinai
stood forth in naked majesty, clearly exposing
to the uninterrupted view of all the effects of
that terrific elemental warfare, which pro­
claimed the presence of the Deity, and ac­

companied the gift of the sacred tables of the
Jewish law.
On my route from Sinai to Suez, on this
occasion, I visited the ruins of Feiran, situ­
ated on either side of an elbow formed by
the winding of the valley of the same name.
The houses are small, but well constructed,

and have remarkably low doors ; on a stone,
forming the upper portion of one of these, I
found a very antique Greek inscription, too
much defaced to admit of my transcribing it.
I examined several sepulchral grottos which
have been excavated in the mountain, but
found no remains of the dead bodies it was
evident they had formerly contained. Feiran
was formerly a large city, and had for its
bishop the famous Theodorus, who wrote
against the Monothelites.

My route on this occasion appears on the
map, which, I presume, will be found to pos-