Page 28 - Travels in Arabia (Vol 2)_Neat

I.] t6r TO SUEZ. 11

dark and filthy, without furniture, and in­
fested with fleas and other vermin. Visitors
arriving here on their route to Mount Sinai
usually lodge at a house belonging to Malam
Nicoli, who certainly deserves the several
testimonials he has received for civility and

honesty; but I would, nevertheless, for the
reasons I have given, recommend those de­
tained here who can obtain materials for
constructing a tent, however rude, to give the
preference to El Wadi, where the air is purer
and the shade of the trees extremely grateful.
There are several objects of interest in the
vicinity of T6r, and we will first look at El
Wadi, “ the Valley.” It is situated in a north­
westerly direction, about a mile from T6r, at
the termination of the marshy tract I have
before noticed. It is shallow, about two
miles in length, abounding in water, and oc­

cupied by numerous groves of date-trees, one
of the most extensive of which belongs to the
monastery of Sinai, and a monk constantly
resides there as its guardian. At the period
of our visit we found an old priest, seventy
years of age, who had fulfilled that duty for
forty years. His habitation was a small