Anecdota Oxoniensia. Semitic series.

72 CHURCHES AND MAONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

until they reached a fortress, built of stone, between Upper Egypt and
the Delta2, which was called Bablin3. Here they pitched their tent,
and all of them prepared to meet the Romans and to fight with them.
And they called that place 'Al-Fustat' in their language; and the
meaning of this word is ' The Tent.' In this way the Arabs called
the Fort of Ash-Shama 4 at Misr 'Fustat Bablun.'
'Then [the Arabs] crossed the hills until they arrived at a fort built of stone,
between Upper Egypt and the Delta, which was called Bablfn, and there they
pitched their tents, that they might prepare to fight with the Romans. Then they
named that place, that is to say the fort, Bablun Fustat in their language; and
that is its name at the present time.' (Brit. Mlus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines
12-14.)
1 The Roman fortress referred to is built with alternate courses of stone and
brick, and has stone pediments over 'the gateways; so that the use of stone
predominates sufficiently to justify the expression in the text. I have given a plan
of this fortress in Cophic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4). (A. J. B.)
2 I translate..11 by' the Delta' because that is its obvious meaning here.
See note on fol. 12 a.
3 The Arabic form of Babylon (Ba3vXc0v,.&& tX(JOll), the name given by
the Greeks and Graecizing Copts to this town and fortress on the Nile; see
Diodorus, i. 56; Strabo, xvii. i, ~ 35; Josephus, Ani. Jud. ii. 15. Other Arabic
forms are Bablunlyah (ijA.L), Babliyun (4..J), Bab al-yun (J.\ I. l), but the
Arabs only knew the Greek form of the name, and never called the place Babil
(Je.) like the city on the Euphrates.
4 In my Coptic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4) I was unable to give any satisfactory
account of the name Kasr ash-Shara' or 'Castle of the Candle,' which is the
familiar designation of the place to-day. Now, however, I am inclined to think
that Shama' is a corruption of the old Coptic name XHJULI, 'Egypt.' The
town and fortress of Babylon were called by the Copts &B.'CrXW\1t ftKH.8I or 'Babylon of Egypt.' Thus, in the Acts of the Coptic martyr John of
Phanijoit or Zaitun, we read that the saint resolved to go to S&A.rtXWt1t ftT
XH. JI, to appear before the Sultan Al-Kamil (ed. Amelineau, p. 37). XHJ LI
is also used by itself to denote Cairo (op. cit. pp. 44, 45, 47, 48). See Quatremere,