Part 60

SECOND FLOOR. In the _Ante Room_ are Roman sculptures.—The _Chief Hall_ contains prehistoric, Phœnician, Punic, and Roman objects from tombs in Malta and Gozo. By the entrance-wall is a large collection of vases arranged in types. In the last case are potsherds from various neolithic stations. By the back-wall are prehistoric finds from Hal-Saflieni (see below) and Hagiar Kim (p. 403), vases, amulets, projectiles, flint implements, seven seated stone figures, etc.; adjacent, on the left, is the unique Phœnician-Greek dedicatory inscription in which Phœnician characters were for the first time deciphered (on the right, cast of a similar inscription in the Louvre). By the window-wall are copies and models of the so-called chief temple of Hagiar Kim and of Phœnician tombs; also an Arabian tombstone (1173), with a long Cufic inscription. In the first case in the centre is Phœnician glass; in the fourth, a Phœnician terracotta sarcophagus, with the recumbent figure of the deceased. The _Second Room_ contains memorials of the period of the Order.—In the _Passage_ are drawings of the Roman house at Notabile (p. 403) and its mosaics.—The _Third Room_ contains old plans, maps, and views of Malta of old; model of a state-galley of the Grand Masters; a collection of coins from the Phœnician age to the present day.

Each of the nine nations of the Order had its own ‘auberge’ or house of assembly. Most of these were built by Girol. Cassar. The _Auberge d’Aragon_ is in the Piazza Celsi. At the upper end of the town are the _Aub. de Provence_, at the corner of the Strada Reale and Strada Britannica, the _Aub. d’Italie_ (1574), in the Strada Mercanti, opposite the post-office, and the handsome _Aub. de Castille_ (1574; altered in 1744), in the Piazza Regina.—A few paces from the Piazza Regina are the _Upper Barracca Gardens_ (laid out on the large bastion of Barracca Superiore; lift, see p. 400), embellished with numerous statues, and affording a fine view of the Grand Harbour, especially by evening light.

Through the _Porta Reale_ (P. R. on the map) we reach the plateau between Valletta and the suburb of FLORIANA. Near the gate is the tramway-station (p. 400). On the right, farther on, is the _Parade Ground_. In the middle of the plateau, beyond the bronze statue of _Ant. Manoel de Vilhena_ (p. 401), runs the long narrow _Maglio Garden_, enclosed by high walls. Farther on we come to the bastions of Floriana, on which are situated the _Argotti_ or _Botanic Garden_, belonging to the university, and the _Sarrìa_, a handsome church of the Maltese Order (1678).

At _Casal Paula_ or _Paula_, 2 M. to the S. of Floriana, beyond the _Creek of Marsa_, lies the prehistoric _Hypogaeum of Hal Saflieni_, containing circular caves, some of them richly decorated, of the period of the neolithic civilization. Entrance (6_d._) in Catacomb Street, 5 min. from the tramway-terminus (p. 400).

RAILWAY (p. 400) from Valletta to Notabile (carr., see p. 399). After the long tunnel under Floriana come the stations of _Hamrun_, _Misida_, _Birchircara_, and (4½ M.) _Attard_ (Alb. Melita). About 10 min. to the N. of Attard is the _Palace of Sant’Antonio_ (1625), once the summer seat of the Grand Master (visitors admitted to the fine garden). The road in front of the palace goes on to (2 M.) _Musta_, with a remarkable church, whose huge dome, 118 ft. in diameter, was constructed in 1853–64 without the aid of scaffolding.

7 M. =Notábile= or =Città Vecchia= (Hôt. du Point-de-Vue, with fine view, pens. 7–8_s._; pop. 7500), still popularly called _Medina_ (Arabic for ‘town’), the seat of the bishop, was the old fortified capital of the island as far back as the Roman age.

From the Notabile station a road leads to the Piazza Sakkaya, on the hill between the old town and the S. suburb of _Rábato_. Thence we pass through the Porta dei Greci to _St. Paul’s Cathedral_ (San Paolo), before whose portal are planted cannons as in the time of the Order. The sumptuous interior contains many marble tombstones of Maltese bishops. Fine choir-stalls of 1480. The Strada dei Bastioni behind the church commands an extensive view.

In Museum Road, not far from the Piazza Sakkaya, is a Roman house, excavated in 1881, now converted into a _Museum_, containing mosaic pavements, statues, bronzes, and glass (fee 3_d._).—The adjacent _Esplanade_ affords a fine view of Musta, the town-walls of Notabile, and the pleasant green valley at the foot of the _Imtarfa Hill_, with the barracks and the Museum Station (terminus of the railway, which goes through a tunnel under Notabile).

The parish church of _San Paolo_, in the Piazza Parrocchiale of the suburb of Rabato, stands over a cavern, in which, according to the legend, St. Paul dwelt during his three months’ stay in the island in the year 62. From the church the Strada San Cataldo and Strada Sant’ Agata soon lead to the _Catacombs of St. Paul_ and the _Cemetery of St. Agatha_, both pre-Christian in origin but used in Christian times (fee 3_d._).

To the N.W. of Notabile rise the _Bingemma Hills_ (784 ft.), with Phœnician rock-tombs and a fort on the coast.—About 2 M. to the S.W. of Notabile, near _Casal Dingli_, is the _Naval Signal Station_ (847 ft.), the highest point in the island, whence we overlook the whole group of islands and the surrounding sea.—Some 2 M. to the S. of Notabile lies the _Boschetto_, a large public garden (carr., see p. 399), adjoining the _Verdala Palace_ (1586), once a summer seat of the Grand Masters (now that of the governors).—To the S.E. is (4½ M.) _Casal Krendi_ (carr., see p. 399), near the luxuriantly wooded gorge of _Makluba_, 132 ft. deep, probably formed by an earthquake. We may visit (20 min. to the W.) the prehistoric ruins of _Hagiar Kim_, buildings of huge blocks of stone without mortar. About 7 min. farther to the W. are the similar ruins of _Mnaidra_.

_St. Paul’s Bay_ (Baia di San Paolo; carr., see p. 399) on the N. side of the island, 5½ M. to the N. of Notabile, with the islet of _Selmun_ (colossal statue of the apostle), is the supposed scene of St. Paul’s shipwreck.

The sister island of =Gozo= (p. 397), to the N.W. of Malta, the ancient _Gaulos_, Maltese _Ghaudex_, which also was once fortified by the Maltese Order, is more fertile and varied than the main island. The coast is precipitous all round. The small local boat (p. 400) crosses in 1½ hr., affording a fine view of the N.E. coast of Malta, and, on the way back, of the caves on the W. shore of Comino. We land in _Migiarro_ or _Miggiar Bay_ (Malt. _Mjiar_), on the S. coast of Gozo, below _Fort Chambré_ (1750), where carriages are in waiting (to Victoria and back 3_s._, whole day 5_s._).

_Victoria_ (299 ft.; Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, and others; pop. 5000), called _Rábat_ down to 1887, the capital and episcopal residence of Gozo, lies in the centre of the island, 4 M. to the N.W. of the landing-place. The streets show a good many relics of mediæval architecture (comp. p. 402). The neglected _Citadel_ dates from 1600. The women of Gozo are much occupied with lace-making.

A branch of the road from the harbour to Victoria leads to the village of _Sciarra_ (486 ft.; Maltese _Casal Xaghra_). Below Sciarra, on a height covered with fruit-trees, rises the _Torre dei Giganti_ (Malt. _Ggantija_), similar to the ruins of Hagiar Kim (p. 403; adm. by leave of the proprietor, Marquis Cassar Desain).

64. From Tunis to Syracuse viâ Sfax, Tripoli, and Malta.

BETWEEN TUNIS AND TRIPOLI, 544 M.: =1.= _Società Nationale_, Line XIX (Linea Circolare della Tunisia e Tripolitania, see p. 142) from Tunis Wed. aft., from Susa Thurs. foren., from Sfax Frid. night, arr. at Tripoli Sun. morn. (in the reverse direction leave Tripoli Thurs. aft., arr. at Tunis Mon. morn.). Fare 103 or 75 fr.—=2.= _Comp. de Navig. Mixte_ (p. 128) leave Tunis Frid. even., Susa Sat. noon, Sfax Sun. midnight, Gabes Mon. noon, Djerba Mon. even., arr. at Tripoli Tues. morn. (in reverse direction leave Tripoli Tues. aft., arr. in Tunis Sat. evening). Fare 100 or 75 fr.—From Tunis to Susa viâ Sfax and back, also steamers of the Comp. Gén. Transatlantique (p. 128; leave Tunis Sun. aft., Sfax Mon. aft., Susa Tues, aft., regaining Tunis Wed. morn.).—Between Algiers and Tripoli direct, or viâ Malta, there are also the cargo-steamers of the German Levant Line.—At Gabes, Djerba, and Tripoli gales sometimes make landing impossible; passengers are then landed at the next port and sent back free, paying for their extra food only.—Agents at Tunis, see p. 331; at Susa, see p. 366; at Sfax, see p. 380; at Tripoli, see p. 406.

BETWEEN TRIPOLI AND SYRACUSE, 325 M.: _Società Nazionale_, Line XX (Linea Circolare, see above), also Line VIII (Catania, Syracuse, Benghazi, Constantinople; R. 66). The vessels of the principal line leave Tripoli Sun. aft., Malta Mon. night, arr. at Syracuse Tues. morn. (returning from Syracuse Mon. night, from Malta Wed. foren., arr. at Tripoli Thurs. morn.); steamers of the other line usually leave Tripoli every second Wed. aft., Malta Thurs. night, arr. at Syracuse Frid. morn. (returning from Syracuse every second Frid. night, from Malta Sun. foren., arr. at Tripoli Mon. morn.). Fare 74 fr. 50 c. or 51 fr.—From Malta to Tripoli there is a fortnightly steamer of the Banco di Roma and occasionally a cargo-boat of the German Levant Line.—Between Malta and Syracuse the Hungarian Adria (p. 132) plies daily except Mon. (from Malta after midnight, from Syracuse in the afternoon; in 8 hrs.; fare without food 25 or 15, return 37½ or 22½ fr.).—Agents at Malta and Syracuse, see p. 400, 162.

From Tunis to _Cape Bon_, see p. 153. Our steamer, generally at night, next skirts the steep E. coast of Cape Bon, passes _Râs el-Mirh_, and off _Râs el-Mustapha_ steers to the S.S.W. for Susa. On the latter headland lies the little town of _Kelibia_, the ancient _Aspis_ or _Clupea_, whose castle-hill is crowned with a lighthouse. The flat coast of the _Gulf of Hammamet_ (p. 364) recedes from view; beyond it, in the background, are the distant _Jebel Zaghouan_ (p. 359), _Jebel Zeriba_ (2412 ft.), and _Jebel Fadloun_ (1306 ft.).

Nearing =Susa= (p. 366), we have a pleasant view of the olive-clad hills of the _Sahel_, while the town itself presents a most striking picture with its great expanse of white houses.

Leaving the coast, where the low dunes conceal the salt-marshes of the _Sebkha de Sahline_, we steer to the E.S.E. towards the _Pointe de Monastir_, the S. limit of the bay of Hammamet.

The little town of =Monastir= (82 ft.; Hôt. de Paris, Hôt. de France, both primitive; Brit. vice-cons., A. B. Geary; pop. 9000, incl. 600 Europeans) lies superbly on the olive-clad headland. It owes its name to a monastery, which in early Moorish times still existed as the sole relic of the Roman seaport of _Ruspina_.

From the steamer we first sight the white pinnacled town-wall and the numerous shrines outside of it. Then, as we pass between the headland and the three islets off the coast (_Djezira Sidi el-Rhedamsi_ or _Ile Egdemsi_, etc.), appears the dilapidated Moorish _Kasba_ with the tower of _En-Nadour_. To the E. in very clear weather we descry the lighthouse on the distant _Kuriat Islands_.

After a short stay in the _Bay of Monastir_, on the S. side of the town, we steer to the S.E., past the _Dahar Cliffs_ (on the left), and across the bay; then, beyond the _Râs Dimas_, along the coast to =Mehdia= (p. 369), where the steamer seldom stops long enough to admit of our visiting the town.

Next (generally at night) we pass _Râs Kapoudia_ (p. 370), the N. limit of the _Gulf of Gabes_ (the ancient _Syrtis Minor_), where the discrepancy between flow and ebb (6½ ft.) is greater than in any other part of the Mediterranean. Avoiding the silted _Kerkenna Passage_, the vessel steers round the _Kerkenna Islands_ (_Ile Chergui_ and _Ile Gharbi_, the ancient _Cercina_ and _Cercinitis_).

The steamer usually arrives at =Sfax= (by way of the harbour-canal, p. 381) early in the morning. Beyond Sfax the vessel skirts the uninteresting coast as far as _Râs Tina_ (p. 383), and then steers to the S.S.W. across the bay to =Gabes= (p. 389), where it generally allows time for a short visit to the oasis.

Leaving Gabes we may in clear weather descry the _Monts des Ksour_ (p. 390) bounding the horizon. We then steer to the E. to the sandy N. coast of =Djerba= (p. 393), and anchor in the open sea off _Houmt-Souk_ (p. 393). The process of going ashore and returning takes so long that it is hardly ever possible to visit the place.

After losing sight of the lighthouse of _Râs Taguermess_ (or _Turgoeness_), the E. cape of Djerba, we steer for a long time to the E.S.E., at some distance from the sandy coast with its salt-marshes, where the _Râs Adjir_ marks the frontier of Tripolitania.

The monotonous sandy coast, with its numerous oases, with the little port of _Sansur_, and the watch-tower of _Gergârish_ (p. 411), is scarcely visible till we are nearing _Tripoli_. The _Lighthouse_, rising above the abraded terrace on the N.W. side of the town, and the ruinous _Spanish Fort_ (1510) at the end of the headland are the chief landmarks. Numerous reefs make it difficult, and in a N.W. gale sometimes impossible, for vessels to enter the harbour.

* * * * *

=Tripoli.=—ARRIVAL. The steamers anchor in the inner roads, more than ½ M. from the pier, and are at once boarded by the hotel-agents (charges should be asked). Landing or embarking 50 c., but with baggage 1–1½ fr. according to distance and bargain. Dogana at the pier (Pl. B, 1; comp. p. 537). For a prolonged stay a passport visé by a Turkish consul is necessary, but otherwise a ‘permis de voyage’ (1 fr.) from the Contrôle Civil at Tunis, or even a visiting-card, may suffice. The services of the importunate Jewish guides should be declined.

=Hotel.= HÔT. MINERVA (Pl. a, B 2; Maltese landlord; bargain advisable), déj. 2½, pens. 6–8 fr., tolerable.—CAFÉ-RESTAURANT: _Circolo Militare_ (p. 409; Maltese host), near the Bâb el-Khandek. Many small Arab cafés on the quay (Marina), near the clock-tower (Orologio), etc.; small cup of coffee (gâhua) 5 c., very sweet ‘hlu’, slightly sweetened ‘gídgid’; cup of tea (shâi) 10 c.; no gratuities.

=Moorish Baths= (comp. p. 175), tolerable; the best is the _Hammôm_ (_bagno árabo_) in Strada del Bagno (Pl. B, 2); Europeans pay 3 fr. or more according to their rank.

=Post Offices.= _Italian_, at the Ital. consulate (Pl. 7; B, 2), Strada del Consolato Italiano; _French_, at the French consulate (Pl. 4; B, 1), Strada del Consolato Francese; _Turkish_, on the quay (Marina). Poste Restante letters should bear the name of the office where they are to be found.—=Telegraph Office.= _Eastern Telegraph Co._ (Pl. 10; B, 2), on the quay; payment must be made in gold or in Turkish money.

=Consulates.= BRITISH (Pl. 5; B, 1): consul-general, _J. C. W. Alvarez_; vice-consul, _A. Dickson_.—UNITED STATES (Pl. 9; B, 4): consul, _J. L. Wood_; vice-consul, _A. E. Saunders_.

=Steamboat Offices= (comp. p. 404, and RR. 65, 66): _Società Nazionale_, Labi, Strada del Bagno; _Comp. de Navigation Mixte_, Fratelli Farrugia, Strada del Consolato Italiano; _German Levant Line_, Sûk el-Harrâra (Pl. B, 2; near Sûk et-Turk).

=Banks.= _Banco di Roma_ (Pl. 2; B, 2), in the Piazza (p. 409); _Ottoman Bank_ (Pl. 1; B, 2), on the quay; _Labi_, see above. Government offices accept Turkish money only, but Tunisian silver and copper, and in the town even Italian copper, besides 10 and 20 fr. gold pieces, are in general circulation.

=Carriages= (stand on the S.E. side of the Serâi, p. 409) 1½–2½ fr. per hour according to the quality of the vehicle; drive round the oasis 3–5 fr.; as few of the drivers speak Italian it is best to get a resident to make the bargain and specify the route.—DONKEYS (at the Sûk el-Khobsa, p. 410), ½ day 1–2, day 2–3 fr.—ROWING AND SAILING BOATS at the pier; about 2 fr. per hour.

The LANGUAGE of the natives is an Arabic dialect, interlarded with Berber and Italian words; many of the officials, however, speak Turkish only. In the European colony Italian predominates. This is largely due to the fact that the Italian state supports several schools, which are attended by Jewish and Maltese children as well as Italian. There are three French schools also.

ONE DAY should be devoted to a walk of 2–3 hrs. through the town and to an excursion to the oasis (p. 410). One must be very careful not to enter mosques, saints’ tombs, or Moslem cemeteries (comp. p. xxv). It should be observed also that the military authorities, dreading spies, are jealous of visitors near the fortifications (comp. p. 175). Otherwise the public safety is well provided for in the town and environs. For excursions in the interior the leave of the Sublime Porte must be obtained.

_Tripoli in Barbary_ (Ital. _Tripoli di Barbería_, Fr. _Tripoli de Barbarie_ or _d’Afrique_, Arabic _Tarabulus el-Gharb_, _i.e._ ‘Tripoli of the West’, to distinguish it from the Syrian Tripoli), the ancient _Oëa_, is the capital of the Turkish vilayet of _Tripolitania_, presided over by the Vali or governor-general. The town lies in 32° 54′ N. lat. and 13° 10′ E. long., on a triangular peninsula, which consists of quaternary dune-sandstone resting on tertiary limestone rock. A series of rocky islets and reefs, 1¼ M. long, running out from the peninsula, form a roomy but much silted harbour. The mixture of nationalities converging at Tripoli, as one of the chief portals to inland Africa, is unparallelled except in Egypt. Of the 46,000 inhab. two-thirds are Berbers (p. 94), Arabs, Moors (p. 171), and Turks; there are 10,000 Jews, 2000 Maltese, 800 Italians, 150 Greeks (besides many Greek sponge-fishers in summer), 200 other Europeans, and lastly some 2000 negroes, descendants of slaves from the Sudan. Negroes are to be found also among the very numerous officers of the garrison of 6000 men.

The town with its white houses, its slender minarets of the Turkish type, its green gardens and groups of palms, the reddish-yellow dunes of drift-sand from the Sahara, and the deep-blue sea, all bathed in dazzling sunshine, present a most fascinating picture.

HISTORY. The three Phœnician seaports between the Syrtis Minor and Major, _Leptis Magna_ (p. 412), _Oëa_, and _Sabratha_, together called _Tripolis_ by the Sicilian Greeks, were even in the Punic age connected by caravan routes with inland Africa and by a coast-road, 512 M. long, with Carthage. After their annexation to the Roman province of _Africa_ on the fall of Jugurtha (p. 321) the ‘three cities’ flourished anew. To them, as also to Tacape (Gabes), the Garamantes, or Libyan (Berber) inhabitants of Phazania (now Fezzan), brought from the Sudan ostrich-feathers, gold-dust, ivory, ebony, elephants, and black slaves, to be exported thence to Carthage, Rome, and the chief seaports of S. Europe. This region yielded also large supplies of corn, while the productive olive-trees were deemed the most abundant on the Mediterranean. To the Roman emperors _Septimius Severus_ (193–211) and _Alexander Severus_ (222–35), natives of this district, the three towns owed much improvement and embellishment. The Punic language and the Greek, which was that of the educated classes, were then still so prevalent that Alexander Severus, for example, was unacquainted with Latin till his arrival in Rome. Sept. Severus made Oëa the capital of his _Provincia Tripolitana_, and when the artificial harbours of the two sister towns fell into decay Oëa succeeded to their trade and their joint name.

After the Vandal period (p. 322) and after the domination of the Byzantines, who succeeded only in 567 in Christianizing the Garamantes, the repeated irruptions of the Arabs (p. 322) brought ruin and misery to the whole country. From 670 onwards, apart from the short periods of occupation by the Normans (1140–59), the Spaniards (1510–30), and the Maltese Knights (1530–51), Tripolitania remained for centuries under Arab or Berber sway, sharing the fortunes of Tunisia (comp. p. 322), while from 1216 onwards the Genoese had a monopoly of the coast-trade of Tripolitania and Barca. In 1551 the corsair Dragut (p. 370), driven out of Mehdia, founded a new Turkish tributary state at Tripoli. From that time down to 1816 the inhabitants took an active part in the depredations of the ‘Algerian pirates’, bringing down upon them the sanguinary reprisals of an English fleet in 1663 and of French fleets in 1685 and 1728, which caused the almost entire destruction of the town. In 1804 Tripoli and in 1805 Derna (p. 414) were stormed by the Americans. The native dynasty of the _Karamanli_, founded in 1714, was overthrown by the Turks in 1835, after which Tripoli became a usual place of exile for Turkish civil and military offenders and again lapsed into decay. At length, in 1899, the partition of the inland regions between Great Britain and France stimulated the Turks to renewed activity and defensive measures. In spite, however, of these, and of the very favourable situation of the town, the caravan trade with the interior is on the decline and the local industries are inconsiderable.

The OLD TOWN, a pentagon, is still enclosed on four sides by the mouldering Spanish _Town Wall_, 40 ft. high at places, built of sandstone from Gergârish (p. 411), and consists of three different quarters. Near the harbour, and behind the _Marina_ (Pl. B, 1, 2) skirting it from the Dogana or Custom House (Pl. B, 1) onwards, lies the quarter of that name, inhabited chiefly by the Christians, and therefore the least Oriental in appearance. To the W. is the _Hárra_ (_Kebîr_, the great, and _Serîr_, the little), the Jewish quarter, with its crooked and dirty streets. The purely Mohammedan _S.E. Quarter_ contains the main business streets, which lead to the outer markets and the new town (p. 409). The principal streets are paved and are lighted at night with petroleum lamps, but many others, especially in the Jewish quarter, being unpaved in Oriental fashion, are almost impassable after rain and pitch-dark at night.

In the narrow Strada della Marina (Arabic Bâb Bahr, sea-gate), leading from the Dogana and the fish-market to the S.W. to the Jews’ quarter, rises on the right the _Roman Triumphal Arch_ (Pl. B, 1), built by the consul C. Orfitus in the reign of Antoninus Pius (138–161) but in 163 rededicated to that emperor’s successors, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.

The arch, 41 ft. broad and 33 ft. deep, has four fronts (‘quadrifrons’; comp. pp. 315, 316), showing that it stood over cross-streets. Among the sadly mutilated sculptures are still seen statues of Victory, figures of animals, and trophies. The back, with the inscription, is half covered, and the fourth side is almost entirely built over. The lower half is buried in the ground. The interior is used as a shop. The vaulting of the passages is lacunar. The central space is covered with a flat dome, rising from an octagonal cornice.

We next come to the _Gurji Mosque_ (Pl. B, 1), with an octagonal minaret, and to the main street of the _Hárra Kebîr_ (see above), with its numerous workshops, where curious gold and silver trinkets are sold by weight.

From the _British Consulate_ (Pl. 5; B, 1) we follow the Church Street to the S.E. to the Italian Gothic church of _Santa Maria degli Angeli_ (Pl. B, 2), completed in 1846, belonging to an Italian Franciscan monastery. By leave of the superior we may ascend the tower, whose gallery (141 ft.) is a fine point of view.