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and form as those which are most characteristic of the domestic and civil architecture of the whole district, and these bearing an undisputed date must give an approximate date to this class of buildings.
The next building of importance lies below the castle near tombs to the west. It is completely ruined but there may be found among the debris, fragments of richly carved mouldings and door lintels, large columns and capitals.
The building has no resemblance to a church in its plan and it is not oriented. It seems to have been a long colonnaded structure with broad portals.
On one of these lintels, which is decorated with a row of well cut acanthus leaves and a symbolical disc, we found a Syriac insc of early date. Of this E.L. made a copy and took squeezes.
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The remaining buildings of the place, which are detached and not contiguous? as in most of these towns, are of little interest. They are all in megalithic style with little decoration. One small house bears a rather interesting GK insc upon a decorated lintel of unusual form.+ Insc was copied and squeezed ^ & photo ^ by W.K.P
Another insc (in Arabic) was found built into a modern wall. copied etc by E.L.
A number of presses were found, one preserving its massive roller quite intact with sockets for wooden tackling.
+ See SK.
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Last edit 6 months ago by Visual Resources, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
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Ḳaṣr el-Gharbî October 30, 1899
To the west from Ma'sarti, a town which we visited on the 31st and which will be described on the following pages, lie three detached ruins which we visited returning from Beshindelâya via Ma'sarti. Of these, Ḳaṣr il-Gharbī is the most important - This was a huge mortuary chamber built entirely above ground, in two stories, and surrounded by colonnades of megalithic piers.
The chamber measures 15ft. 9in. x 24ft inside - Its walls are 3ft. 5in. thick, it is entered on one side and one end by arched doorways. The walls on the interior are occupied by arcosolia and their sarcophagi, on either side of each doorway, three in the east wall and two on the south - nine in all. ^ Over each tomb a † formation ^
Between the tombs are niches for water or ornaments. The second story had small windows and a door opening out upon the roof of the colonnades.
