Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855Barth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
Having thus obtained a glance into the interior of the town, I was
anxious to get a view of the whole of it, and ascending, the following
morning, the terrace of our house, obtained my object entirely, the
whole town being spread out before my eyes, with the exception of the
eastern quarter. The town is built on a level, which is only interrupted
by small hills formed of rubbish heaped up in the midst of it by the
negligence of the people. Excepting these, the line formed by the flat-
terraced houses is interrupted only by the Mesállaje (which formed my
basis for laying down the plan of the town), besides about fifty or
fifty-five dwellings raised to two stories, and by three dúm-trees and
five or six talha-trees. Our house also had been originally provided
with an upper story, or rather with a single garret—for generally the
upper story consists of nothing else; but it had yielded to time, and
only served to furnish amusement to my foolish friend Mohammed, who
never failed, when he found me on the terrace, to endeavour to throw me
down the breach. Our old close-handed friend Ánnur did not seem to care
much for the appearance of his palace in the town, and kept his wife
here on rather short allowance. By and by, as I went every day to enjoy
this panorama, I was able to make a faithful view of the western quarter
of the town as seen from hence, which will give the reader a more exact
idea of the place than any verbal description could do.
[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.
M. & N. Hanhart, lith. et impt.
ÁGADES.
Octr. 12th. 1850.]
About noon the amanókal sent his musicians to honour me and my
companions with a performance; they were four or five in number, and
were provided with the instruments usual in Sudán, in imitation of the
Arabs. More interesting was the performance of a single “maimólo,” who
visited us after we had honourably rewarded the royal musicians, and
accompanied his play, on a three-stringed “mólo” or guitar, with an
extemporaneous song.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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