A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and ...

KALABSCIII. 243
the quantities of broken blocks of stone wbicli
fill not only the several divisions of the edifice,
but encumber the ground all around it, and ren-
der its approach a series of break-neck feats and
hair-breadth escapes. But Kalabschi, besides
appearing to have been left off unfinished, bears
the traces of having undergone extreme violence
in an attempt to destroy as well as disfigure it.
As its date as a Roman construction negatives
the possibility of these injuries having been in-
flicted by the barbarian followers of Cambyses,
to whom is attributed the primary destruction of
all the Pharaonic fanes, it is admissible to sup-
pose that Kalabschi may have been injured by
the Saracen conquerors of Egypt. I should have
said the early Christians, or Iconoclasts, had I
perceived any traces of their religious paintings
covering the sculptures of the various chambers.
The architecture of Kalabschi is extremely strik-
ing, and even beautiful for an Egyptian temple,
which, bear in mind, is a description of structure
that I do not admire. It is perfect in all its
parts, by which I mean that it possesses all the
accessories requisite to complete a religious
edifice of the first class ; and besides these,
there is a magnificent paved avenue leading
from the river's side to the propylon. Over all