Page 255 - Records of Bahrain (2)(ii)_Neat

Topography and archaeology, 1878-1379 581

200 THE ISLANDS OF BAHREIN.

sido had two coats, one of rough and the other of smooth
mortar, tho latter underlying the former, which still hero
bore the marks of the plasterer’s finger smears. The under­
coat was of different material, and so smooth and hard that
we had to use our picks to remove it. Tho transverse wall
of cemented blocks had been built in apparently after the
side-walls had been finished. We blew this out.
From the platform on which these blocks were placed, a
drop of three feet six inches brought us to the smooth and
mortared floor of tho tomb; here we turned up, among tho
stones and rubble masonry, a largo amount of charcoal in
such big pieces, that I think the roof must have been at
one time supported by date tree trunks. Soino pieces of a
thinner character presented the appearance of bamboo-matting
charcoaled.
On the right and left of the passage were two shelves on
either side, the lowest of which was carefully lined with
mortar, but held nothing but yellow dust, with which they
were filled up. These were four feet long, by eight inches
in depth, and were at a height of six feet nine from the
ground or platform. There is nothing to show to what use
these sholves can have been put. On descending from the
platform (the end of tho passage) the walls carefully
mortared still continued right and left for three feet two
inches, and then turned at right angles, forming small
mortuary chambers of tho same shape as those in the lesser
tomb previously described.
Tho dimensions of theso chambers right and left of the
passage are roughly seven feet three (length), by three feet
three (breadth), and five feet six (hoight). From tho interior
walls of theso chambers stretched back, through piles of
rubblo and fallen blocks, tho side walls of a passage some
four feet broader than tho gallery by which wo had entered.
To givo an idea of tho size of tho stones used, thcro is a
big mass now lying in tho passage, probably a whole stone,
and one of those that formed tho roof, tho dimensions of which
are fivo feet long by four feet broad, and two feet nine in depth,
and another lying alone in tho left-hand sido chamber, five feet