"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٧‎٣] (٤٧٤/١٥٧)

OF BABYLON.
73
intersected by canals, the principal of which are the
Tajeea, or Ali Pasha's Trench, and the canal of Tah-
masia. There are a few small villages on the river,
inclosed by mud walls, and surrounded by cultiva
tion ; but there is not the slightest vestige of ruins,
excepting opposite the mass of Amran, where are
two small mounds of earth, overgrown with grass,
forming a right angle with each other, and a little
further on, are two similar ones. These do not ex
ceed a hundred yards in extent, and the place is
called by the peasants An To the north the
country has a verdant marshy appearance.
But although there are no ruins in the immediate
vicinity of the river, by far the most stupendous and
surprising mass of all the remains of Babylon is
situated in this desert, about six miles to the S.W.
of Hillah. It is called by the Arabs Hits
by the Jews Nebuchadnezzar s and has been
described both by Pere Emanuel and Niebuhr f (who
was prevented from inspecting it closely by fear of
the Arabs), but I believe it has not been noticed
* The etymology of the word Btrs((jwy) would furnish a curious
subject for those who are fond of such discussion. It appears not to
be Arabic, as it has no meaning which relates to this subject in
that language, nor can the most learned person here assign any reason
for its being applied to this ruin. rHM in Chaldean signifies
a palacej and rnMlPf par excellence, the Temple of Jerusalem.
yo m the same language, and^^ pi. Ar. mean the habi
tation of demons, or a sandy desert.
t See Appendix, No. 7.