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On the second we came to Bashmishli by way of Dêḥes, which will be visited later, and camped near the mohammeden village built among the ancient ruins.
The following day we visited three towns.
Tomb. First, Bamuḳḳa, only ten minutes walk to the N. W. of Bashmishli. On the way we passed a large rock-cut tomb very like the great tomb of Claudius Sosander at Beshindelâya - here however the super structure is preserved in large part.
There is first an open excavated chamber with steps leading down to the facade of the tomb which consists of two Doric columns, 2 pilasters and a moulded architrave all cut from the rock.
There is no insc, but in the centre of the architrave is a well executed wreath. Behind the facade is a large chamber surrounded with arcosolia with
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well moulded arches. All of the sarcophagi are parallel with their arches but two on the north side, which are embraced by a single large arch and are at right angles to it. The inside wall of the portico contains a number of hollows where bronze tablets were fitted.
Of the superstructure only the main portal and the north wall opposite it are preserved. The former is of massive proportions and consists of three pieces - monolithic jamb and a huge moulded entablature or lintel. The wall is of peculiar interest being double faced and laid in a polygonal style as perfect as the best specimens of early Greek polygonal work.
Bamuḳḳa was a small town on a level space at the edge of the mountain side. The fertile gardens are still cultivated by the peasants of Bashmishli but it is uninhabited. The ruins
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preserve a fair sized church partially destroyed, a house almost perfect and a group of houses of greater and less dimentions much dilapidated.
Church. The church was divided by two rows of three arches each, the front of the apse was arched but the east end terminated squarely with a small chamber on either side of the apse. The western portal and the ^ round headed ^ windows are provided with a moulding which terminates in a spiral loop on either side of the opening.
Sq. House. The house mentioned above is but 20ft sq. within but is peculiarly interesting. In front of the main wall of the house is a one story wall which forms a sort of atrium to the house. This is entered by a spacious doorway flanked by engaged Doric col's facing each other. These supported an ornamented lintel. To the right a stair case leads ^ by an angle ^ up, to the second story
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of the atrium which was doubtless a colonnade. In the middle of the front wall are two doorways, one above the other, both similarly decorated with a cornice lintel quite classic in design, the upper of course opened upon the upper story of the atrium. If this were roofed it was possible to ascend to the upper story of the house under cover. The lower story seems to have been divided, it received light only through a small slit window to the East. To the left of the door, from the interior, are two cupboards cut in the thickness of the wall with a shallow overhanging shelf in front bracketed out thus illustration of shelf The niches are provided on either side with grooves to receive wooden shelves. Over this closet is a plain ^ sort of ^ cornice. The upper story has two small windows to the north and another in the gable to the west, it was provided with a number of closets, like that