'Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan, and on the Site of Ancient Nineveh; with Journal of a Voyage down the Tigris to Bagdad and an Account of a Visit to Shirauz and Persepolis.' [‎34] (59/450)

34
AREA OF NINEVEH.
[CH. XIII.
able, on the other side of which is another wall.
Under this wall is the well of Damlamajeh, noticed
before; and beyond it, leaving only a narrow
ravine or ditch, there is still another, and, I believe,
the largest wall.
We went no farther than the well to-day. It is a
few feet distant from the wall, in the ravine, and has
the remains of a little dome over it, in the inside of
which is an archway over the water, of massy stone
work. In the interstices over the entrance are the
remains of a great many nails, probably driven in to
hold shreds of cloth,—the signs of a person having
made a vow or promise, if he recover from any dis
order by the intercession of a saint, or the virtue of a
spring. The water appears to come out of a conglo
meration of pebbles and soil, of which also the base
of the wall seems to be composed, as may be seen
where it has been broken into at the foot. We saw
also some river shells among the pebbles.
From the well we rode north in the ravine, till it
opens a little at the river Khausser, which passes
through it. On the edge of the river, which in spring
sometimes swells so as to be unfordable for a short
time, is a piece of ancient stone-work, as if there had
been a bridge over it. From the Khausser we re
turned home, leaving Koyunjuk Tepeh on our right
and passing close under the tomb of Jonah.
The area oi Nineveh, on a rough guess, is about
one and a half to two miles broad, and four miles