SIWA, a town in Egypt, to the westward of Alexandria, built on a small fertile spot or Oasis, which is surrounded on all sides by desert land. A large proportion of this space is filled with date trees; but there are also pomegranates, figs, and olives, apricots, and plantains; and the gardens are remarkably flourishing. They cultivate a considerable quantity of rice, which,
however, is of a reddish hue, and different from that of the Delta. The remainder of the cultivable land furnishes wheat enough for the consumption of the inhabitants. Water, both salt and fresh, abounds; but the springs which furnish the latter are most of them tepid; and such is the nature of the water, air, and other circumstances, that strangers are often afflicted with agues and malignant fevers.
The greatest curiosity about Siwa is a ruin of undoubted antiquity, which, according to Mr Browne, resembles too exactly those of the Upper Egypt, to leave a doubt that it was erected and adorned by the same intelligent race of men. The figures of Isis and Anubis are conspicuous among the sculptures; and the proportions are those of the Egyptian temples, though in miniature. What of it remains is a single apartment, built of massive stones, of the same kind as those of which the pyramids consist; and covered originally with six large and solid blocks, that reach from one wall to the other. The length is 32 feet in the clear, the height about 18, the width 15. A gate, situated at one extremity, forms the principal entrance; and two doors, also near that extremity, open opposite to each other. The other end is quite ruinous; but, judging from circumstances, it may be imagined that the building has never been much larger than it now is. There is no appearance of any other edifice having been attached to it, and the less so as there are remains of sculpture on the exterior of the walls. In the interior are three rows of emblematical figures, apparently designed to represent a procession; and the space between them is filled with hieroglyphic characters, properly so called. The people of Siwa have no tradition concerning this edifice, nor attribute to it any quality, but that of concealing treasures, and being the haunt of demons. It has, however, been supposed, with some degree of probability, that Siwa is the Siropan of Pliny, and that this building was coeval with the famous temple of Jupiter Ammon, and a dependency on it. This may be so; but neither the natives of Siwa, nor the various tribes of Arabs who frequent that place, know any thing of the ruins of that temple, about which Mr Browne made every possible enquiry. "It may (as he observes) still survive the lapse of ages, yet remain unknown to the Arabs, who traverse the wide expanse of the desert; but such a circumstance is scarcely probable. It may be completely overwhelmed in the sand; but this is hardly within the compass of belief."
The complexion of the people of Siwa is generally darker than that of the Egyptians. Their dialect is also different. They are not in the habitual use either of coffee or tobacco. Their feet is that of Malik. The dress of the lower class is very simple, they being almost naked: among those whose costume was discernible, it approaches nearer to that of the Arabs of the desert than of the Egyptians or Moors. Their clothing consists of a shirt of white cotton, with large sleeves, and reaching to the feet; a red Tunicine cap, without a turban; and shoes of the same colour. In warm weather they commonly cast on the shoulder a blue and white cloth, called in Egypt malayé; and in winter they are defended from the cold by an ibram or blanket. The list of their household furniture is very short; some earthen ware made by themselves, and a few mats, form the chief part of it, none but the richer order being
smith, being possessed of copper utensils. They occasionally purchase a few slaves from the Murzuk caravan. The remainder of their wants is supplied from Cairo or Alexandria, whither their dates are transported, both in a dry state and beaten into mash, which when good in some degree resembles a sweet meat. They eat no large quantity of animal food; and bread of the kind known to us is uncommon. Flat cakes, without leaven, kneaded, and then half baked, form part of their nourishment. The remainder consists of thin sheets of paille, fried in the oil of the palm tree, rice, milk, dates, &c. They drink in great quantities the liquor extracted from the date-tree, which they term date-tree water, though it have often, in the state they drink it, the power of inebriating. Their domestic animals are, the hairy sheep and goat of Egypt, the ass, and a very small number of oxen and camels. The women are veiled, as in Egypt. After the rains, the ground in the neighbourhood of Siwa is covered with salt for many weeks. Siwa is situated in and