Written MOUNTAIN, Mountain of Inscriptions, or Jebel-al-Mokatteb, a supposed mountain or chain of mountains, in the wilderness of Sinai; on which, for a great extent of space, the marble of which the mountain consists is inscribed with innumerable characters, reaching from the ground sometimes to the height of 12 or 14 feet. These were mentioned by a Greek author in the third century, and some of them have been copied by Pococke and other late travellers; but, after all, there is still a very great uncertainty even of the existence of such mountain or mountains. The vast number of these inscriptions, the desert place in which they are found, and the length of time requisite for executing the task, have induced a notion by no means unnatural, that they are the work of the Israelites during their forty years wandering in the wilderness. Others are of opinion that they contain nothing of any importance,
Mountains importance, but consist merely of the names of travellers and the dates of their journeys.
M. Niebuhr, who visited this country during his travels in the east, made every attempt in his power, though without success, to obtain a sight of this celebrated mountain. On applying to some Greeks at Suez, they all declared that they knew nothing of the written mountain: they, however, directed him to an Arabian sheik, who had passed all his lifetime in travelling between Suez and Mount Sinai; but he knew no more of it than the former. Understanding, however, that a considerable reward would be given to any person who would conduct them thither, this Arab directed them to another; who pretended not only to know that mountain, but all others upon which there were any inscriptions throughout the desert. On inquiring particularly, however, our travellers found that he was not to be depended upon; so that they were obliged to have recourse to a fourth sheik, who by his conversation convinced them that he had seen mountains with inscriptions in unknown characters upon them. It does not appear, however, that this person was very capable, more than the rest, of leading them to the place they so much wished for; though he conducted them to some rocks upon which there were inscriptions in unknown characters. They are most numerous in a narrow pass between two mountains named Om-er-rifstein; and, says M. Niebuhr, "the pretended Jibel-el-Mokatteb may possibly be in its neighbourhood." Some of these inscriptions were copied by our author; but he does not look upon them to be of any consequence. "They seem (says he) to have been executed at idle hours by travellers, who were satisfied with cutting the unpolished rock with any pointed instrument, adding to their names and the date of their journeys some rude figures, which bespeak the hand of a people but little skilled in the arts. When such inscriptions are executed with the design of transmitting to posterity the memory of such events as might afford instructive lessons, greater care is generally taken in the preparation of the stones, and the inscriptions are engraved with more regularity."
When N. Niebuhr arrived at last at the mountain to which the sheik had promised to conduct him, he did not find any inscriptions; but on climbing up to the top, he found out an Egyptian cemetery, the stones of which were covered with hieroglyphics. The tomb stones are from five to seven feet in length, some standing on end and others lying flat; and "the more carefully they are examined (says he), the more certainly do they appear to be sepulchral stones, having epitaphs inscribed on them. In the middle of these stones is a building, of which only the walls now remain; and within it are likewise a great many of the sepulchral stones. At one end of the building seems to have been a small chamber, of which the roof still remains. It is supported upon square pillars; and these, as well as the walls of the chamber, are covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Through the whole building are various busts executed in the manner of the ancient Egyptians. The sepulchral stones and the busts are of hard and fine grained sand stone." M. Niebuhr is of opinion that this cemetery was not the work of the Egyptians themselves, but of some colony which came from Egypt, and had adopted the manners and customs
of the people. He supposes that it might have been built by the Arabs, who had conquered Egypt under the shepherd kings, and adopted the Egyptian manners during their residence there. As it must have belonged to an opulent city, however, he owns that there is a great difficulty in accounting for the existence of such a city in the midst of a desert.
The translator of Volney's travels ascribes these inscriptions to the pilgrims who visit Mount Sinai. But to this, as well as to every other conjecture, there is this objection, that whether the inscriptions be well executed or not, whether they contain matters of importance or not, they ought to have been written in a language which somebody could understand; but from the copies that have been taken of them by Dr Pococke and others, it does not appear that they could be explained either by him or any other person.
When Dr Clayton, bishop of Clogher, visited this part of the world about the year 1723, he expressed the greatest desire to have the matter concerning this written mountain or mountains ascertained, and even made an offer of 5000. sterling to any literary person who would undertake the journey and endeavour to decipher the inscriptions; but no such person has appeared, and the existence of the mountains is testified only by the superior of a convent at Cairo, who gave that mentioned in the beginning of this article. Until that part of the world, therefore, become more accessible to travellers, there is but little hope that we can come to any certainty in the matter. M. Niebuhr plainly, from his own accounts, had not influence enough with the Arabs to show him almost any thing, as they refused to conduct him even to the summit of Mount Sinai.
White Mountains. See New Hampshire.
Mountains of the Moon, a chain of mountains in Africa, extending between Abyssinia and Monomotapa, and so called from their great height.
Mountains of the Lions, also in Africa, divide Nigeria from Guinea, and extend as far as Ethiopia. They were styled by the ancients the mountains of God, on account of their being greatly subject to thunder and lightning.
Mountain of Forty Days; a mountain of Judea, situated in the plain of Jericho to the north of that city. According to the abbé Mariti's description, the summit of it is covered neither with shrubs, turf, nor earth; it consists of a solid mass of white marble, the surface of which is become yellow by the injuries of the air. "The path by which you ascend to it (says our author) fills one with terror, as it rises with a winding course between two abysses, which the eye dares scarcely behold. This path is at first pretty broad, but it at length becomes so confined, that one can with difficulty place both feet upon it at the same time. When we had ascended a little higher, we found an Arab stretched out on the path, who made us pay a certain toll for our passage. Here the traveller requires courage. One of the parapets of the path being broke, we clung to the part which remained until we had reached a small grotto, situated very commodiously, as it gave us an opportunity of recovering our breath. When we had rested ourselves a little, we pursued our course, which became still more dangerous. Suspended almost from the rock, and having before our eyes all the horror of
Mountain, the precipice, we could advance only by dragging one Mourning. foot after the other; so that had the smallest fragments given way under us, we should have been hurried to the bottom of this frightful abyss.
"This mountain is one of the highest in the province, and one of its most sacred places. It takes its name from the rigorous fast which Christ observed here after having triumphed over the vanities of the world and the power of hell. In remembrance of this miracle, a chapel was formerly constructed on the summit of the mountain. It may be seen from the plain, but we could not approach it, as the path was almost entirely destroyed. It, however, may be accessible on the other side of the mountain, which we did not visit. A great many scattered grottos are seen here; in one of which, according to Quercinus, were deposited the bodies of several anchorites, which are still entire. I have heard the same thing asserted in the country, but I could never meet with any person who had seen them. Here we enjoyed the most beautiful prospect imaginable. This part of the mountain of Forty Days overlooks the mountains of Arabia, the country of Gilead, the country of the Ammonites, the plains of Moab, the plain of Jericho, the river Jordan, and the whole extent of the Dead sea. It was here that the devil said to the Son of God, 'All these kingdoms will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.'"