'Narrative of a journey to the site of Babylon in 1811, now first published: memoir on the ruins; with engravings from the original sketches by the author: remarks on the topography of ancient Babylon, by Major Rennell; in reference to the memoir: second memoir on the ruins; in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon. East India Company at Bagdad. Edited by his widow.' [‎78] (162/474)

78
MEMOIR ON THE RUINS
what part of Mehdy's life it relates, I am ignorant,
In the oratories I searched in vain for the inscrip
tions mentioned by Niebuhr : near that of Ibrahim
Khalil is a small excavation into the mound, which
merits no attention ; but the mound itself is curious,
from its position, and correspondence with others, as
I shall in the sequel have occasion to remark.
Round the Birs are traces of ruins to a consider
able extent. To the north is the canal which sup
plies Mesjid Ah with water, which was dug at the
expense of the Nuwaub Shujah ed doulah, and called
after his country Hindia. We were informed that
from the summit of the Birs, in a clear morning, the
gilt dome of Mesjid Ali might be seen.
To this account of the ruins, which are supposed
to have stood in the enceinte of the city itself, it may
be useful to subjoin a notice of some remarkable
places in the vicinity of Hi 11 ah, which bear some re
lation to the ruins of Babylon. Nebbi Eyoub, or the
tomb of the prophet Job, is a Koubbe or oratory situ
ated near the Euphrates, three leagues to the south-
waid of Hillah; and just below it is a large canal
called Jazeria said to be of great antiquity;
close to which are two large mounds or masses of
the last of the twelve Imams of the family of Ali. He was born at
Samara m the year 255 of the Hegira; and we are told by the
Mahometans that he is still alive ; that he was shut up at the age of
nine years by his mother, who still watches over him carefully, until
the time of his appearance at the end of the world, with the Lord
sus rist, to fight against Antichrist, and to unite Christians and
Mahometans in one.