Garland Globe | 1906-03-31 | Page 4 | Studies Old Turquoise Mines

I STUDIES OLD TURQUOISE MINES. Prof. Petrle Carrying On Work of Great Interest. Tho goddess of turquolso and the turquoise mines In old Arabia are the things. Prof. Petrle, tho English archaeologist, has been studying. As a member of a scientific exploring party he spont several months among tho mountain ranges of tho Slnal district dis-trict ot old Arabia, on a stretch ot level ground somo 2,300 feet abovo sea level. Thero they pitched their tents, accompanied, by thirty workmen and the natlvo chief or the district. At tho top levels was tho sandstone in which were caverns worked by parties of ancient Egyptians for turquoise. Somo tablets still remaining showed that thoso parties were carefully selected se-lected and carried on their labor systematically. Here, In this desert region, to which supplies ot food and water had to bo brought from a long distance, tho men mined In companies of 500 or COO. The usual tlmo for tho search was from December to March. Ono expedition had conveyed to It dally something like five tons ot food. Tho caverns themselves woro examples exam-ples of patient Industry. Tho famous temple of tho goddess of turquolso to whom the workers did horaaro, was 250 feot long and contained a run go of chambers or courts. From ono of the tablets It appeared that a certain expedition went out of the recognized season. Dut Its labors wcro successful success-ful and wore thoreforo duly acknowledged acknowl-edged with great gratitude to the patron pat-ron goddess. Of the ancient inscriptions inscrip-tions 250 havo been copied. Thoy have an important benrlng'on tho ago of tho turquoise expeditions, long beforo the birth ot Christ, ns well as on tho Semitic Se-mitic form ot worship In voguo beforo tho establishment ot Judaism.