Identifier: historyofcolored00alex (find matches)
Title: History of the colored race in America : containing also their ancient and modern life in Africa ... the origin and development of slavery in the Old World, and its introduction on the American continent : the slave trade : slavery ... : the Civil War, emancipation, education and advancement of the colored race ...
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Alexander, William T
Subjects: Blacks African Americans Slavery
Publisher: Kansas City, Mo. : Palmetto Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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soundly,my Arabs watching by turns through the night. I awoke atdawn, and finding everything quiet, advanced through thetrees toward the ruins, which I discovered near at hand. Thefirst object which I saw was a temple covered with Egyptiansculptures, with its pylon, and a portico of Greco-Komauarchitecture with Egyptian ornaments. Still further were theruins of another grand temple, with finely sculptured decora-tions, and preceded by an avenue of sphinxes ; the substructionsof several other edifices, and those of a public tank. I recog-nized here the ruins of an ancient city, the importance of whichwas attested by the nature of the remains which still existed,and by the extent of territory which they occupied. Myguides arrived, and in order that we might not be seen by therebel Arabs, we established our residence in the westeratemple, I then began, assisted by my two servants, to makea more careful examination of the monuments. Cailliaud found the largest temple to be two hundred and
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>^ H 1—1 O A< O I—I <: w I—(o A< < ANCIENT AND MODERN LIFE IN AFRICA. 113 seventy feet in length, including the pylon and avenue ofsphinxes. The sculptures of the interior are almost entirelydestroyed. This state of degradation is owing, I suppose, tothe insignificant height of the walls and the action of the trop-ical rains. The figures are without the indication of a beardBO common in the sculptures of Egyptian temples. Thepeculiar character of their costume, and the cmhonpoint of theii-figures, give evidence of a people qiiiie distinct from the ancientEgyptians, but who, nevertheless, appear to have had the samesymbolic wiiting and the same religious ideas. For three daysand a half the traveler remained among these ruins, sketchingby day and writing by night, but his supply of water gettinglow, and the desire of examining El-Mesowurat before return-ing, obliged him to leave. The ruins of Mesowurat are about six hours travel north-east of Naga. I was struck with

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