"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." [‎٣‎٠] (٤٧٤/٥٧)

XXX
INTRODUCTION.
Here he landed, and proceeded across Irak Arabi
to New Babylon (Bagdad). On the way he passed
" the old mighty t city of Babylon, many old ruins
whereof are easily to be seen by daylight, which I
John Eldred have often beheld." He notices in
particular the Tower of Babel, which he describes
as a quarter of a mile in circuit, and about the
height of Saint Pauls, "but it showeth much
bigger." It was built of very large sun-dried bricks,
cemented by courses of " mattes, made of canes, as
though they had been laid within one yeere."
Rauwolff, a German traveller, who visited the ruined
city in the 16th century, speaks of the remains of an
ancient bridge, of the ruins of ancient fortifica
tions, and of the Temple of Belus. <f This tower,"
he adds, " is so much ruined, and so full of venom
ous animals, that it can only be approached during
two months in the winter, when they do not leave
their holes."
Another traveller, of the name of Boeventing, dis
tinguishes this tower from another square building
of 125 paces in circumference, which he takes to be
the Temple of Belus. Texeira, a Portuguese tra
veller, informs us that in his time there remained
very few traces of that once famous city; and that
there was no spot in all the country so little visited
as that upon which once stood Babylon.
In the year 1616 these ruins were visited by the
celebrated traveller Pietro della Valle; and though
it is true that he enters more fully into the de-