'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎667] (766/905)

CHAP. XXV.]
ANCIENT RESERVOIRS.
667
was brought from Arabia, through Africa, into Spain; and in Sute „,«, us
urenada, Cordova, Seville, and Gibraltar, are tanks, similar to s eS ain 0irs in
those of the East, which were constructed by the Arabs or ^"
Moors^: these, from the perfection of their coating, continue to
be water-tight though some of them, as those under the castle
of Gibraltar, must have been in use upwards of eleven centuries.
They consist of a series of subterraneous apartments, contain
ing reservoirs which are connected together by means of earthen
pipes proceeding from the innermost tanks, which receive their
supplies of rain water from the heart of the limestone rock.
The ancient fortress, on the summit of Mount Agatha, in Reservoirs of
the Termino of Mercadel, in the island of Minorca, contains Minorca -
two remarkable cisterns for rain water; both unquestionably
Moorish, as is evident from the nature of their construction, as
well as an Arabic inscription on one of the towers of the
enclosure. These vast reservoirs differ from those of Gibraltar,
by being raised buildings, instead of excavations, and they are
at the same time of much greater dimensions, being together
capable of containing 2173 tuns, or upwards of half a million
of gallons. The enclosures to contain the water are con
structed of large blocks of concrete, known by the Moorish
name of Tapia, which is composed of sand, lime, and pebbles,
well tempered, thoroughly wrought together, and then moulded
in wooden frames ; walls of this kind possess strength, solidity,
and durability, equal to those of stone itself, 1 particularly when
covered with a coat of cement. The latter, which is called
Jabba, appears to have been nearly the same as that used in
the tunnels under the city of Alexandria, as well as in the
stone khanats occasionally met with in Barbary.
The Arab is raw-boned, rather below the middle stature. Complexion of
but muscular, well formed, very active, and particularly swift the Arabs "
of foot. His eyes are dark, approaching to black, which is
the colour of his hair and beard; the latter is particularly
scanty, whilst the former is generally thick, and frequently
left in its natural state. On the whole, he has an inquisitive
1 A wall on the Moorish castle at Gibraltar offers a fine specimen of this
kind of building, not only with respect to the nature of the materials, but also
to the manner in which the frame was removed as the work advanced.
4 Q 2