BELBES.
5. Route. 395
pronomen and surname of the latter monarch (Ramses hak Aan) are of
frequent recurrence, and he was probably the founder of the ancient
sanctuary, of which but few traces now remain. Every vestige of that
edifice, as well as of the Jewish temple, which was built after the model
of the Temple of Solomon, and tended materially to widen the breach
between the Syrian and Egyptian Jews, had long been lost, when, in 1871,
Brugsch found under the rubbish here some massive substructions of
Oriental alabaster, and a number of interesting mosaic tiles with which
the walls had once been overlaid, and on which were not only rosettes
and decorative figures, but representations of battles and sacrificial and
other scenes. The well-known Oriental type of head, so characteristi¬
cally drawn by the Egyptian artists, was found to recur very frequently.
Cartouches of Ramses III. in fayence and his easily recognised iiortrait
in alabaster were also found at different places. The most valuable of
are now exhibited in the museum of Bulak. A walk to this spot is
pleasant, and the hills command a picturesque view, especially by
evening light, but of the ruins themselves there is very little now to
be seen.
Next stations (31'/'2 M.) Inshds, and (39 M.) Belbes, which is
supposed to be the ancient Pharbaethus. The town was formerly a
place of some importance from its situation at the junction of most
of the routes leading from Cairo to the East. The railway now ap¬
proaches the Fresh Water Canal, which was probably constructed
by the early Pharaohs, and certainly existed in the 14th cent. B.C.,
but afterwards fell to decay and was not again utilised until the
construction of the modern canal.
Near Zakazik were the sources of those streams which intersected the
land of Goshen, rendering it famous for its productiveness -, they then fell
into the Bitter Lakes, which were connected with the Red Sea by means of
an artificial canal. 'Now another canal', says Strabo, 'falls into the Red
Sea and the Arabian Gulf near the town of Arsinoe, which some call
Kleopatris. It also flows through the so-called Bitter Lakes, which were
formerly bitter. But when the canal was constructed they changed their
character through the blending of the waters, so that they are now well
stocked with fish and frequented by water-fowl'. The channel of the old
canal, which was re-discovered by the French expedition of 1798, is still
traceable at places, and its direction has frequently been followed by the
engineers of 31. de Lesseps. From the -not inconsiderable remains of the
old canal near Belbes, it appears to have been about 50 yds. (100 ells,
according to Strabo) in width, and 16-l7'/2 ft. in depth. The somewhat
steep banks are still strengthened at places with solid masonry. Ac¬
cording to Herodotus the canal was four days' journey, and according to
Pliny 62 Roman miles, in length. It certainly had a branch, towards the
N.E., to Lake Timsah ('crocodile lake'), or it may have flowed entirely in
that direction, and been continued thence to the Bitter Lakes. The name
of Lake Timsah (p. 421), moreover, indicates that it must once have been
connected with the Nile. In ancient times the canal was primarily con¬
structed for purposes of navigation, and it is now used by numerous
small barges which convey the produce of the Egyptian soil to Isma'iliya
for exportation, and bring back cargoes of coal and imported wares in
exchange-, but the canal is now chiefly important as a channel for con¬
ducting fresh water to the towns on its banks, particularly Isma'iliya
and Suez, and as a means of irrigating and fertilising the country through
which it passes (comp. p. 416). Near Cairo the canal diverges from the
Nile to the N. of the vieeroyal palace Kasr en-Nil. The volume of water
passing through it is regulated by locks, three between Nefisheh and
Suez, and another of larger size at Suez itself. The surface of the canal
is 54 ft., and the bottom 26 ft. in width, and it averages 7 ft. in depth. —
The construction of a new and larger fresh water canal between Cairo
and Isma'iliya was begun in 1876,
Permalink: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/m3tct
