Part 59

Almost the only sight of Gabes is the beautiful, but in summer malarious *=Oasis=, once somewhat over-praised by Pliny, which extends 3¾ M. up the left bank of the river and is 1–1¼ M. in breadth. Among the remarkably tall and well-grown date-palms (about 200,000) are many bananas and other fruit-trees. The river and the small channels, often enlivened by women washing or carrying water, are crossed by numerous bridges of palm-logs. A walk or ride to the most interesting spots takes 3–4 hrs. (mule 2–3 fr.). From Menzel we go upstream to the _Barrage du Sidi el-Bey_ (1894), and past the remains of a Roman _Dam_, built of huge blocks, to the _Râs el-Oued_ (213 ft.), a hill at the W. end of the oasis often covered with clouds of dust, where the principal feeders of the river, 30 in all, form a number of waterfalls. Turning here, we follow the largest irrigation-conduit to the village of _Chenini_ (pop. 1000) and cross the Sfax road (p. 382) to the N.W. half of the oasis, where many of the palms are overgrown with vines.

The *=Monts des Ksour= (p. 320), bordering the Sahara on the S. side of the Arad, are well worth visiting from Gabes or from Médenine (p. 391; carr. tariff, see p. 389; an ample supply of food and rugs advisable; comp. also p. 278). These barren hills culminate in _Kef Toudjane_ (p. 391), which is almost everywhere conspicuous from the coast, and _Jebel Smerten_ (each about 2100 ft.), and in _Kef Demeur_ or _Jebel Demmer_ (2460 ft.). The inhabitants, the _Troglodytes_ of antiquity (see p. 320), are, in the N.W. part, the _Matmatas_, on the plateau of that name, and, in the S., members of the _Ouerghamma League_, Berber tribes which for centuries withstood the attacks of the Arabs and the predatory Sahara nomads. They still often live in caverns, with a court resembling a shaft as the centre of their dwelling, and cavities used as side-rooms or offices. The gardens, laboriously irrigated by dams and cisterns, yield olives, dates, and figs; in the valleys grain, chiefly barley, and vegetables are cultivated. The Matmatas often go to Tunis as porters or artisans but always return home in their old age.

A glimpse of this region is obtained by driving from Gabes to (28 M.) _Matmata-Kebira_ or _Kalaâ-Matmata_ (1838 ft.; p. 388; quarters at the Kaïd’s), on the Matmata plateau, whence an excursion (on mule-back) should, if possible, be taken to the picturesque rock-village of _Hadege_. A new but very hilly road leads from Matmata-Kebira through the mountains viâ (12½ M.) _Toudjane_ (919 ft.), a village grandly situated on the slopes of _Kef Toudjane_ (2090 ft.), direct to (37½ M.) _Métameur_ (see below).

* * * * *

The MÉDENINE ROAD (diligence, see p. 388) now leads to the S.E. through a steppe-like hill-country, fringing the Monts des Ksour (p. 390) and intersected by many valleys, passing the small oases of _Menara_ (200 ft.) and (55 M.) _Teboulbou_ (artesian wells; much olive-culture). Next come the valleys of the _Oued Merzig_ and _Oued Ferd_, with the small oasis of (56 M.) _Ketena_.

74 M. _Mareth_ (Bordj), a large palm-oasis on the _Oued Mareth_. We then cross the _Oued Zigraou_ to (77 M.) _Aram_. Beyond the spurs of _Jebel Touati_ and _Jebel Souinia_ rises the main range of the Monts des Ksour (p. 390).

Beyond the valleys of the _Oued Zeus_ and _Oued Hallouf_ the road rounds _Jebel Tadjera_ (968 ft.; Poste Optique). 97½ M. _Métameur_, formerly a ‘camp militaire’, on the brook of that name, below the small oasis and (½ hr.) Berber village of _Ksar Métameur_ (391 ft.), whose storehouses (rhorfas), with keel-arched vaulting, recall very ancient buildings in Asia Minor.

101 M. =Médenine= (361 ft.; Médenine Hôtel, R. 2½, B. ½, déj. 2½ fr., good; pop. 1000, incl. 100 Europeans), capital of the _Ouerghamma_ (see above), the league of the Berber tribes _Khezour_, _Touazine_, _Ouderna_, and _Accara_. The high-lying _Camp Militaire_, with its garrison of Spahis (p. 390) and Infanterie Légère d’Afrique (‘Joyeux’), is the largest on the Tripolitanian frontier.

The deserted and ruinous *_Ksar_, in a small palm-oasis, consists of a great number of the old storehouses of the League, some of them in four or five stories, now replaced by retbas or rabtas (p. 338). They are dug deeply in the hill-side, and are accessible only by stairs of mud or stepping-stones.

Travellers used to privations and content with such poor quarters as the natives can offer may, after consulting the military authorities at Médenine, visit the S. part of the _Monts des Ksour_ (p. 390). The best centre there is (34 M.) =Tatahouine=, the seat of the military and civil authorities, with an important market, well attended by caravans on their way from the Sahara and the Sudan by way of Ghadâmes in Tripolitania (p. 285). The chief villages of the cave-dwellers (Ksûr) near this are _Tlalet_, formerly _Talalati_, a frontier-fortress on the Limes Tripolitanus (p. 412), _Beni-Barca_, *_Chenini_, and *_Douirat_ (2090 ft.).

The ZARZIS ROAD (37½ M.) descends to the E. from Médenine through the sandy coast-plain to (15½ M.) _Aïn-Mader_, near the saline marshes of that name on the S. bank of the Mer de Bou-Grara (see below), and then traverses the hill-region of the _Accara_ tribe (p. 391), between the sea and the large _Sebkha el-Melah_.

To the left, a little off the road, 4 M. from Zarzis, are the ruins of the little Roman town of _Zita_, now _Zian_, where the small forum is still enclosed with the remains of its colonnade.

37½ M. (or from Graïba 138½ M.) =Zarzis= (accommodation at the Bordj), on the site of the Roman seaport _Gergis_, amidst extensive olive-groves famed for their oil, has two artesian wells and a small harbour for fishing-boats. Important sponge-fishery.

A road (the chief route to the island of Djerba) leads to the N.W. from Zarzis across the _Péninsule de Zarzis_ or _des Accara_ to (14½ M., or, from Graïba, 153 M.) _Marsa el-Kantara_, a village near the _Râs Marmor_, on the S. side of the E. entrance (1¼ M. wide) to the Mer de Bou-Grara (see below). The dilapidated Roman dam which crosses the strait here to El-Kantara is still used by camel-caravans at low tide (6½ ft. below high-water), but it is better to cross by fishing-boat. From El-Kantara to _Houmt-Souk_, see p. 394.

The DJORF BOU-GRARA ROUTE to Djerba is shorter (30 M.) and will repay antiquarians. The rough road (mule preferable to carr.) leads from Médenine to the N.E. viâ _Bir Saâdou_, and then past some small salt-marshes, to the _Mer de Bou-Grara_, a large landlocked bay between the mainland and the island of Djerba, accessible for large vessels by the _Canal d’Adjim_ only (not quite 1 M. across; see p. 393). This bay, in which fish abound, and Lake Bizerta (p. 352) are the best natural harbours in Tunisia.

17½ M. (or from Graïba 118½ M.) =Djorf Bou-Grara= (no inn) is near the site of *_Gightis_, a small Punic-Roman seaport, which attained great prosperity in the 2nd cent. A.D. The harbour, which was always shallow at low tide, is now entirely silted up. Excavations begun in 1896 have revealed the ruins of curiously cramped and irregular streets, with various public buildings, villas remarkable for their coloured incrustation and rich mosaics, and Byzantine houses built of Roman materials.

A broad street ascends from the harbour to the _Macellum_, with fountain and exedra similar to those at Timgad (p. 295). The small _Forum_, 60 by 44 yds., has on the E. side an archway, the _Curia_, and the _Market Basilica_, with the tribunal, while the _Severus Arch_ on the N. side formed a lateral entrance. On the S. side rises the _Capitol_ (see p. 288), in the style of the capitol or ‘Jupiter temple’ at Pompeii.

_The Temple of Mercury_, to the S. of the forum, has columns in its peribolos, or outer wall, with curious capitals adorned with cables, in allusion to the occupation of the founder. The building is curiously planned, having several small rooms or ‘sacristies’ behind the cella; it is adjoined by a chapel of Mercury and one of Minerva.

A _Temple of Isis_ (_?_), a _Temple of Hygiea_, the _Thermae_, and a late-Punic _Cemetery_ also have been unearthed.

If a fishing-boat is available at Djorf Bou-Grara we may sail direct to _Adjim_ (p. 394; 13½ M. in ca. 1½ hr.). If not, we must go 12½ M. farther to (30 M., or from Graïba, 131 M.) _Marsa el-Adjim_ at the _Râs el-Djorf_, the N. point of the peninsula, opposite Adjim (1⅓ M. distant; boat in ¼ hr.).

* * * * *

The =Island of Djerba= (highest point 118 ft.), 17½ by 14 M., is the largest on the N. African coast. From the lotus-tree (Zizyphus Lotus; Arabic nebga, Fr. jujubier), which thrives here, Homer called it the island of the _Lotophagi_. It was later named _Meninx_ and was the birthplace of the Roman emperors Vibius Gallus and Volusianus (251–3). It is now one of the most fertile and prosperous regions in Tunisia. Secure in their insularity against the attacks of the nomadic Arabs, the inhabitants (about 40,000), mostly Berbers of the Kharijite sect (p. 323), have retained their old language and customs. They vie in industry with their kinsmen the Mozabites (p. 216) and go forth as traders to all the seaports of the Orient. Agriculture also thrives. There are 1,300,000 date-palms, 500,000 olive-trees, and as many orange, lemon, and peach trees; early vegetables too are now largely grown. The sponge, polypus, and other fisheries and the oyster-beds in the Canal d’Adjim (p. 392) are very productive.

Djerba has four harbours, _Houmt-Souk_, _Adjim_, _El-Kantara_, and _Aghir_. The only towns are Houmt-Souk, _Hara-Kebîra_, and _Hara-Serîra_; the villages are merely local markets for their districts. The countless little mosques have white domes like most of the houses, but are distinguished by conspicuous slender minarets of the Turkish type, resembling lighthouses. The farm-houses (menzel) scattered throughout the island often have a castellated appearance. In the entire absence of brooks the soil is irrigated from cisterns and wells, among which are two very copious artesian wells. The winter climate (p. 321) is the mildest in Tunisia, but gales are frequent. For excursions there are few carriages available (20 fr. per day); the usual conveyance is an araba or country-cart; for a mule the charge is 4–5, for a donkey 3 fr. per day. The tourist should beware of the countless scorpions, especially in the warmer season.

=Houmt-Souk= (Hôt. de l’Oasis or Crolet; Hôt. de France; Brit. cons. agent; pop. 5900, incl. 560 Maltese, French, Italians, and Greeks), the capital of the island, lies on the sandy N. coast, ½ M. from the sea and 5 M. from the anchorage of the steamers (comp. p. 405). The dilapidated _Bordj el-Kebîr_ on the shore recalls the time of the Spanish domination. Near it is the _Christian Cemetery_, where repose the bones, collected in 1848, of the 18,000 Spaniards who were massacred here in 1560 after the naval victory of Dragut (p. 370) and Ochiali Pasha, and yielded trophies for the ghastly Bordj er-Rious (tower of skulls).

In the interesting _Souks_ (Mon. and Thurs.) are seen all the products of the island. Among the numerous religious buildings may be named the _Mosquée el-Gheriba_ and the _Mosquée des Turcs_.

A road leads to the S. from Houmt-Souk to the Jewish villages of (¾ M.) _Hara-Kebîra_ (pop. 3500) and (4½ M.) =Hara-Serîra= or _Hara-Sghîra_ (pop. 1500), where numerous goldsmiths make silver-gilt trinkets of antique and Byzantine patterns, with enamel and jewels (mostly imitation). The _Gheriba_, the synagogue of Hara-Serîra, where, according to an old tradition, one of the tables of the law of Moses was once found, is a great resort of Jewish pilgrims from S. Tunisia and Tripolitania, and is much revered by Moslems and Catholics also.—From Hara-Serîra the road leads to the S. to (14½ M.) =Guallala=, the centre of the pottery-manufacture carried on in Djerba ever since ancient times (oil-jars, porous water-jugs, vases, etc.). Near it is the hill of _Dahrat-Guallala_, which yields the clay.

A road leads to the S.E. from Houmt-Souk viâ _Hara-Kebîra_ (see above) and (10⅓ M.) _Cedouikeche_ (potteries) to (15½ M.) =El-Kantara=, the seaport for Zarzis (p. 392), not far from the extensive but unimportant ruins of _Meninx_, the ancient capital of the island.—Another road leads to the S.W. to (14 M.) =Adjim=, a rising little seaport and market (Wed.), with an artesian well 760 ft. deep. To _Djorf Bou-Grara_ (and _Gightis_), see p. 392.

Near the E. coast of the island, on the roads to the _Râs Taguermess_ (p. 406) and the small summer harbour of _Aghir_, lie the villages of =Midoune= (Frid. market) and _Mahboubine_, with many villas of the merchants of Houmt-Souk, situated amid palm and olive groves and charming *Fruit Gardens, where the oranges and lemons blossom in March. On the road to Midoune is the _Mausolée de Borgho_, the only intact Roman monument in the island.

VIII. SEA ROUTES IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN.

Route Page 63. From Tunis to Malta (Syracuse) 396 64. From Tunis to Syracuse viâ Sfax, Tripoli, and Malta 404 65. From Tripoli to Alexandria viâ Benghazi and Derna 412 Leptis Magna, 412.—The Cyrenaica, 413. 66. From Tripoli to Constantinople viâ Derna and Crete 415 67. From (Marseilles, Genoa) Naples to Alexandria and Port Said 417 68. From Venice or Trieste to Alexandria and Port Said viâ Brindisi 418 Miramar. Divača, 427. 69. Alexandria 431 70. Port Said 436 71. From Alexandria or Port Said to Cairo 437 Cairo 439 History, 443.—History of Art, 444.—a. Northern Quarters (The Ezbekîyeh Garden, the Muski, Gâmia el-Azhar, Muristân Kalâûn, Gâmia el-Muaiyad), 445.—b. The S.E. Quarters (The Arab Museum, Gâmia Ibn Tulûn, Gâmia Sultân Hasan, Citadel, Gâmia en-Nâsir, Gâmia Mohammed Ali), 450.—c. The New Town (The Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh Quarters, Egyptian Museum, Gezîreh), 454.—d. Environs (The Mameluke Tombs, Heliopolis Oasis, Heliopolis-On, Old Cairo, Pyramids of Gîzeh, Memphis, and Sakkâra), 458. 72. From Alexandria or Port Said to Beirut (Smyrna, Constantinople) viâ Jaffa 466 From Haifa to Nâbulus; to Damascus viâ Derât (Nazareth, Tabarîya), 468. 73. From Jaffa to Jerusalem 470 From Jerusalem to Bethlehem, 480. 74. Beirut. Excursion to Damascus 481 75. From Beirut to Smyrna (and Constantinople) 489 76. From Alexandria to Athens and Smyrna (and Constantinople) 491 77. From (Marseilles, Genoa) Naples to Athens (and Constantinople) 493 78. From Venice or Trieste to Athens (and Constantinople) viâ Brindisi and Patras 496 Corfu, 496. 79. Athens 502 History, 505.—a. Walk from the Palace round the S. side of the Acropolis (The Olympieion, Stadion, Monument of Lysikrates, Theatre of Dionysos, Odeion, Areopagus), 508.—b. The Acropolis (The Temple of Nike, Propylæa, Parthenon. Erechtheion, Acropolis Museum), 512.—c. Walk from the Palace to the Theseion. Dipylon. Hill of the Nymphs. Pnyx. Monument of Philopappos, 520.—d. The Modern Quarters (Academy of Science, University, Library, Polytechnic Institute), 525.—e. The National Archæological Museum, 526.—f. Walks (Lykabettos, Kolonos, New Phaleron), 528. 80. From Athens viâ Smyrna to Constantinople 529 81. Constantinople 536 History, 541.—a. Galata and Pera (Galata Tower, Petits Champs, Dolma Bagcheh Palace, Top Haneh), 542.—b. Stambul (Yeni Valideh Jami, Seraglio, New Museum, Chinili Kiosque, Aya Sophia, Mosque of Ahmed I., Great Bazaar, Mosques of Bayazid, Suleiman the Great, and Mohammed II., Land-Wall), 545.—c. The Golden Horn (Eyub, Sweet Waters), 555.—d. Scutari, 556.—e. The Bosporus, 557.

=63. From Tunis to Malta= (_Syracuse_).

258 M. STEAMERS (agents at Tunis, see p. 331; at Malta, see p. 400). =1.= _Comp. Gén. Transatlantique_ (Marseilles, Tunis, and Malta line, R. 21) on Wed. (returning Thurs.) afternoon, in 18 hrs. (55 or 40 fr.).—=2.= _Hungarian Adria_ (R. 22) once a month (cabin, without food, 25 fr.).—Other steamers calling at Malta (P. & O., German Levant cargo-boats, etc.) are mostly bound for distant ports. Embarking and landing, comp. p. 399.—English money is the currency at Malta, but French and Italian gold are in general use.

The steamers follow the Palermo and Naples course (comp. R. 26) as far as _Cape Bon_, and then steer to the E.S.E. into the _Straits of Pantelleria_ or _Sicilian Straits_ (p. xxx).

The island of _Pantelleria_ (p. 154), which is sighted in clear weather off Cape Bon, is passed by the French steamers at night. The lighthouse of _Spadillo_ (68 ft.), on the N. E. point of the island, long remains in sight. The distant _Linosa_ (610 ft.; ancient _Æthusa_), with a lighthouse, is visible only in very clear weather.

In the early morning the abrupt coasts of _Gozo_ (p. 403) and _Malta_ (p. 399) appear in the distance. The vessel rounds the island of Gozo, whose lighthouse on the _Giurdan Hill_ (499 ft.) on the N. side, is visible for 27 M.

Beyond _Râs el-Kala_, the E. point of Gozo, we sight the narrow _Straits of Flieghi_ or _Comino Channels_, lying between Gozo and Malta, and named alter the island of _Comino_ (p. 397).

On the N. E. coast of _Malta_, above which soon appears the huge dome of Musta (p. 403), we pass the _Baia di Melleha_ or _Mellieha Bay_, with the pilgrims’ resort of that name in the background, the _St. Paul’s Bay_ (p. 403), and _Salina Bay_, with its salt-works.

Next appear the village of _St. Julian_ (_San Giuliano_), on the bay of that name, and the town of _Sliema_ (p. 400). We then pass _Fort Tigné_ (p. 401; lighthouse) and the entrance to the _Marsamuscetto Harbour_ (p. 399). The entrance of the _Grand Harbour_, the chief harbour of _Valletta_, between _Fort St. Elmo_ (p. 400; lighthouse) and _Fort Ricasoli_ (p. 401; lighthouse), is protected against N.E. gales by the new _St. Elmo_ and _Ricasoli Breakwaters_.—Arrival, comp. p. 399.

* * * * *

The =Maltese Islands= (_Isŏle Maltesi_), composed of tertiary rock formation, were considered by earlier geographers to belong to Africa, but are now assigned to Europe. They lie halfway between the Straits of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, on the chief route from the Atlantic to the Levant and to India. The principal island is _Malta_, with the capital _Valletta_ and many small towns and villages (_casal_). It is 20 M. long, 9¾ M. broad, and, at its culminating point, 847 ft. in height. The island is much over-peopled. So is the island of _Gozo_ (600 ft.), which measures 10¼ by 5¼ M.; but _Comino_ (248 ft.), 1¼ by 1 M., is uninhabited. The mean temperature of the year is 66½° Fahr., of January 53½° (almost the same as that of Djerba and Tripoli), of August 79½°. Gales, particularly the dreaded N.E. wind (_Gregale_), often make a winter residence in Malta uncomfortable, while the _Sirocco_ (p. 321), here very moist, is specially trying in autumn.

At first sight the islands seem destitute of vegetation, the fields and gardens being enclosed by lofty walls, while the growth of trees is prevented by the violent winds. By means of laborious tilling and artificial irrigation about a third of the area of the islands has been converted into luxuriantly fertile arable land. After the corn and hay harvest in May and June the land is sown a second time, mostly with cotton, afterwards manufactured in the interior. Among other valuable products are early vegetables and potatoes, which yield two crops in the year. The oranges are excellent but other fruits are scarce. Cattle, poultry, and eggs are largely imported from Turkey, Tunisia, Tripolitania, and Barca (p. 412).

The population of Malta (96½ sq. M.), is ca. 184,000, apart from the garrison (nearly 9000 soldiers); that of Gozo (27 sq. M.) is 21,200. The British and foreign residents number about 10,000. The natives, especially in the seaports, Phœnician in origin, are partly descended from the various races that have here held sway. The _lingua Maltese_ is akin to Arabic, but has borrowed much from the Sicilian dialect of Italian, and of late from English also. The educated classes speak Italian which is used also in the law-courts. The language of commerce is English. The _faldetta_, the peculiar black head-dress of the women, is the sole relic of the old national costumes.

The Maltese are much attached to the church of Rome, and nowhere in so small a community are the churches so numerous and gorgeous. About one-third of the soil is said to belong to the clergy. The Maltese are well-known throughout the Mediterranean as enterprising mariners, merchants, and fishermen. Their island being the most densely peopled region in the Mediterranean next to Monaco, an immense number of the inhabitants have emigrated during the last century. From 1807 onwards they settled largely in the Tunisian seaports, from Tabarca to Zarzis, where they formed the bulk of the Christian population, but of late they have had to contend against the growing competition of the Sicilians and other Italians. In Algeria they have formidable rivals in the Italians and Spaniards. Within the last few decades the stream of emigration has flowed chiefly to Tripolitania, Barca, Egypt, and even to Zanzibar and Delagoa Bay.