Christian Antiquities in the Nile Valley Henry Frowde, M.A
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com CHRISTIAN ANTIQUITIES IN THE NILE VALLEY HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF oxroan LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK TORONTO AND MELBOURNE 16 15 II[PLATE MASSAWARAT (TBMPLES) BANNAGA (TEMPLES) KAMLINO l JL DIPDT'DI\TA OMDURMAN I 32 16 15 A .02 mafia vm mm mm m7S<2mm Z<Frm~MIU 235 am *— ~Z<Qm=2 Q43 ~O<mm< “w. QHRISTIAN ANTIQUITIES IN THE NILE VALLEY/ A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE STUDY OF THE ANCIENT CHURCHES BY SOMERS QLARKE, F.S.A. HON. MEMBER OF THE COMITE DE CONSERVATION DES MONUMENTS DE L’ART ARABE, CAIRO, AND OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ALEXANDRIA ‘3?“ WITH MAPS AND PLANS OXFORD CLARENDON PRESS 1912 .00... $0... 0.... .O... l O O O O CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. HISTORICAL SKETCH 7 II. CONSTRUCTION 16 III. DESCRIPTION AND DRAWINGS. SOBA TO HALFA . 34 IV ,, ,, HALFA TO PHILAE . 56 V. ,, ASWAN T0 EL MADYNA . 95 CONC LUSION 189 APPE NDIx. LIST OF CHURCHES IN ARABIC AND TRANSLITERATED . 199 MAPS NO. PLATE I. SENNAR To SHENDI preceding title-page II. KABUSHIA TO 'ABU HAMED . between pages 16 and I7 XXVII. FOURTH CATARACT TO MURSHID . ,, , 94 ., 95 XXVIII. GEZIRET THET TO ASFUN ,, , 94 , 95 XLIII. ERMENT To DER EL BUKER ,, ,, I44 , I45 XLIV. FASHN TO THE MEDITERRANEAN . ,, ,, I44 ,, 145 169642 CORRIGENDA P. 31, line 15 from top should read (see Plates m, 1v, v, vm, x, xx, xv, xvx, xvm, xx, xxm, xxrv, xxxr, XLV—LI, uv-va) P. 32, line II should read (see Plates w, vn, xn, xm, xvn, xxx, xx, xxm) P. 52, line 3 should read GEZIRET THET . MATUGA ,, line 13, for (Plate xxx) read (Plate XXIX) CHRISTIAN ANTIQUITIES IN THE VALLEY OF THE NILE CHAPTER I HISTORICAL SKETCH THE remains of ancient Egyptian buildings have, not unnaturally, absorbed the attention of travellers and antiquaries, Christian antiquities, coming as they do between ancient Egyptian and Saracenic monuments, have been unduly neglected. In result, although the chain of history is, in fact, unbroken, we might almost have supposed that, after a certain period, Egypt had ceased to be. It may, however, be doubted whether elsewhere we have so continuous a series of links, each allied in one way or another with those which went before and with those which followed after. The buildings which grew up under Christian influence have as yet been but little studied, and it must be admitted that as we see them to-day, decrepit, neglected, and ruined, they are not very attractive. If, in Egypt itself, i. e. between Aswan and the sea, they are apt to be overlooked, how much more readily may they escape observation south of Aswan and far away into the Sudan, where they are much more difficult of access? Those who have studied that interesting and valuable work, The Ancient C optic Churches of Egypt, by Dr. A. J. Butler,1 will find that the plans of the churches I am about to describe differ considerably from many of those published by him, but this difference is greater in appearance than in fact.’1 The unproductive nature of many parts of the Nile valley and the sparseness and poverty of the population will account for the indifferent construction of the buildings. The intractable nature of the materials at hand, the great diffi culty in procuring timber, and the ignorance of the workmen have strongly influenced their methods, as I hope to show later on. The materials for study ‘ Clarendon Press, 1884. of Sitt Borbarah, p. 236; of El Adra, p. 273; ' See plan of Mari Mina, p. 48; of Abu-'s- of Amba Bishoi, p. 312; of Al Adra, Der Sifain, p. 78; of Amba Shntida, p. 136; Suriani, p. 321: all in vol.i of Mr. Butler's 0f Sitt Miriam, p. 149; of Abu Sargah, p. 182 ; book. do not come to an end at Wadi Halfa, for the Christian faith extended itself far away to the south into the Sfidan. ‘ Of the means by which Christianity was introduced into the Sudan, who the introducers were, and where they took up their abode in the country, nothing is known with certainty. All the evidence which exists on the subject goes to show that Christianity did not make its way down the Blue Nile from Ethiopia into the northern Sfidan, as some have thought and said, but that it entered Nubia from Egypt, as did the civilization of the ancient Egyptians, and that in the course of centuries it advanced to the southern end of the Island of Meroe, where the Christian kingdom of 'Alwa flourished in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Christianizing of the northern Sudan was the result of the preaching of S. Mark in Alexandria, and the phase of Nubian Christianity known to us bears the marks and character of the form of Christian belief and teaching which were promulgated by the Jacobite (or Monophysite) Patriarchs of that city. A considerable body of respectable tradition asserts that Christianity was preached in Egypt before the close of the first century, and it is certain that the new religion advanced southwards and spread quickly. The oldest authority for this view is Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. ii. 16.’ 1 The evidences I am able to give in subsequent pages will, I think, entirely support the view that Christianity entered the Sudan from Egypt. It is not, however, my business to give a history of the rise and spread of Christianity in the Nile valley, but only to approach the subject from the architec tural and archaeological sides. It will be sufficient to make a few bald statements by which it may be seen how quickly the new faith spread. In proof of these statements we find that early in its history it was considered necessary to establish bishoprics, from which circumstance we may suppose that sundry churches would also be built. Towards the end of the second century three bishops were appointed. Early in the third century this number had increased to twenty. Then came persecu tions under the edict of the Emperor Decius in the year 250, when doubtless no little destruction of buildings accompanied the persecution, nor did these troubles cease under the succeeding emperor Valerian. As persecutions began in the north of Egypt, so would many of those who could escape fly towards the south, and so spread the faith. In the reign of Diocletian (284—305) persecutions and destruction of extreme severity were instituted. It is beyond doubt that by this time Christianity, spreading throughout the country, had penetrated far to the south, both into the Sfidan and Abyssinia.’ T 0 account for the extraordinary paucity of Christian monuments in the valley of the Nile, the peculiar characteristics of that valley should not be over looked. The sites of many churches are known, a few ruins of no little antiquity ‘ The Egyptian dedn, its History and ‘ Those who would study this subject more Monuments, by E. A. Wallis Budge, vol. ii, closely can consult Gibbon (cap. xv), Eusebius, p. 288. Kegan Paul, Trench 8'. Co., London, Bar-chraeus, Butcher (The Story of the Church 1907. of Egypt), Budge (The Egyptian Siddn). 8 still may be seen, but bearing in mind what their number must once have been, the relics left to us are few and insignificant. I believe that there are two main factors in producing the results above referred to. One, the conformation of the valley itself. The other, the terrible vicissitudes which the valley and its inhabitants have undergone Since the beginning of the Christian era. In all countries we find that by neglect or violence the monuments have suffered more or less severely, but the entrance of an unfriendly tribe or people in one part does not necessarily involve that the whole area Of the country Shall be overrun and perhaps devastated. In our own times we have seen the victorious hosts of Germany entering France, but what a large part of that country never saw the enemy. A vast area of thousands of square miles is not easily overrun. But what are the peculiarities Of the Nile valley distinguishing it from most countries? They are that from Cairo to Khartfim there is not, in our acceptance of the term, any open country. We find but one long trough, length without breadth ; consequently all life, all buildings and monuments are perforce planted close to the river side, along the floor of this narrow valley. How easy, then, it has been for a devastating horde to overwhelm everything which lay in its path. It may perhaps be said by those who know the Nile valley well that when we find ourselves in the province Of Dongola, and far south Of it, the river is not hemmed in by hills and cragS—the valley is not a trough. This is true enough : the cultivable area is considerably wider than it is north of the Second Cataract, but, on the other hand, all life depends on the Nile itself and on the very limited distance to which its waters can be carried over or penetrate below the adjoining land. The population, the monuments, are and were at all times to be found very near the river ; the river was also a main line of traffic. The invaders, from whatever side they entered, always made their way up or down the narrow strip which owed its life to the river, destruction and violence were consequently centred on this strip ; no places could be found lying snugly far away to the right or left and which could escape the stream of devastation.