SYRTES was the name given by the Greeks and Romans to two gulfs on the northern coast of Africa, one of which they called Syrtis Major, and the other Syrtis Minor. Both were the terror of the Ancient mariners. The name is said to be derived from tho Greek word for 'draw,' from their drawing in ships and swallowing them up in their sandy shoals. A more probable derivation is tho Arabic ' eert' (laud), which ie at this day applied to the district on the shores of the Sy rtes.
The Greater Syrtis, now called the Gulf of Sidra, is a very large bay on the northern coast of Tripoli, lying between the promontories of Boreum (Ras Teyonas) on the east, and Cephalie (Ras Kharra) on the west, the distauco between which is 264 miles : its greatest depth is about 126 miles. The Sahara, or Great Desert, comes down almost to the sea, leaving hero and there only a narrow strip of land inhabitable. The gulf is very shallow and full of quicksands, and the coast is covered by a chain of little islands. Ou this dangerous shore it was difficult to prevent ships from being driven by the north winds, to which the gulf is completely exposed, while the effect of such winds on the water made the soundings very uncertaiu.
The Lesser Syrtis, now the Gulf of Khabs, on the southern corner of Tunis, lies between the promontory of Brachodes, or Caput Vada (Rae Kapondiah), on the north, and the island 3leninx (Jerbab) on the south. Besides this island, those of Cercina and Cercinitie (Karkennali) lie in its mouth, the width of which from these islands to that of Meninx is 69 miles. This gulf is said by &pine to he even more dangerous than the Greater Syrtis. Its dangers however, says Rennell, arise not so much from quicksands as from "the variations and uncertainty of the tido on a flat ehelvy coast." Tho Syrtis known to the Cr ills in very early times. (Ilerod. ii. 32, 150; lv. 169.) The Lesser Syrtis is remarkable for the great variations of its tides, in consequence of the east winds, to which it lies open. The lake bordering upon it, which is now called EisSibkaii,101111111 to have been once connected with the Syrtis by a channel; and this lake must be Included under the Lake Tritouis of llorodotus, if we suppose the latter to be the Leaser Syrtis (Itennell, to Herod4ftss; Hoeren; Mennert; Shaw, Trarele, p. 191.) tl'AR. [PETtSIAN Gut.rd