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Marabic is the name of the "ancient language" in which the inscriptions in the temple of Mara (and various AT&T ads) are written. Mara, we found out with a fair amount of surprise, is a he. Or him. Whatever. Which is good, because the ominous voice that on occasion echoes through the halls is male as well.
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What follows is a full set of inscription translations in the halls of Mara's temple.
. . . Beside the courtyard outside the temple entrace are several artifacts that bear a resemblance to gravestones. Mr. Preston (a member of the archeological team) theorizes that these were placed as warnings, and actually have no direct connection with the dead ("direct" being the operative word). The translated text of the stones seems to corroborate this. (See "Headstone" appendix for translations and descriptions.)
On the other side of the courtyard flows the Lost River (named for the sense of humor that flows in and around it, especially affecting tour guides and their ilk). Tourists are advised not to use this for swimming, as it is a favorite hangout of crocodiles. (A point of interest: There is a secret, underground, underwater passage to a small room inside the temple, not far past the entry temple.) For those faring upon or in the water, if the crocodiles do not get you, the bad jokes surely will.
Within the courtyard can be observed tall columns with snakes carved onto their sides, topped by braziers. (That's "braziers," not "brassieres.") These were, of course, use for burning ceremonial fires. Unfortunately, the team has not yet located any descriptions or drawings of these ceremonies.
(Above the entrance to the temple, outside.)Beware the eye of Mara
(Around the top of the first room -- the "Entry Temple," the north wall of which bears the "Mural of Mara" -- a large painting of the idol Mara with his gifts. Mara, incidentally, is a name far more ancient than the idol and the temple. Originally a girl's name, its meaning is "bitter." Seems strangely appropriate, somehow.Look not into the eye of Mara and you shall receive the gift of eternal youth earthly riches or future knowledge
The journal in this room is interesting as well. It belongs to Dr. Jones, and has some interesting information about the temple and its excavation, including the above translation of the lettering on the walls. Most interesting is Dr. Jones' sketch of the entry temple, showing the upper chambers. Standing in the entry temple, one can look up into the Tomb of the Servants, in which the mummies of village elders reside. There is a second, much smaller chamber above that, which held a statue identical to the design of the mural. This has been moved to Dr. Jones' office further in, and for now sits on his desk next to his typewriter. For a sketch of the two upper chambers, observe Dr. Jones' notebook in this room.)It is forbidden to pass beyond this chamber without a servant of Mara to guide your p(ath) Heed this warning or risk incurring the wrath of Mara for doom awaits the unbeliever in the darkness beyond.
(A wall reading at a bend in the passageway, just past the entry temple.).
The next room encountered is actually a 4-way junction. The right fork is collapsed, and the secret passage directly across from the entrance has been bricked up (just inside the secret door) by Dr. Jones, as it leads to the Labyrinth of Chaos, which by itself accounts for Dr. Jones' first temporary (i.e. week-long) disappearance into the temple. (The secret door can be observed here as two recessed columns of bricks on this wall.) The right fork (which caved in due to the work of a careless excavator) leads (or led) down a long and narrow flight of stairs to a small, water-filled room -- the inner end of the crocodiles' passage, which they seem to view as a nice, relaxing place. In a sense, the cave-in was beneficial, as it has kept the crocodiles from interfering with the archaeology team's efforts.
The junction room holds an obelisk (dubbed the "Obelisk of Doom" by Dr. Goldstein) depicting a few of the dangers the temple holds, and has letters scattered somewhat randomly over the walls. My personal belief is that the letters are actually the initials of the temple's builders. The bas-relief carvings on the obelisk are as follows:
Facing the entrance: Person about to be eaten by giant cobra. By the proportions of the picture, the cobra appears to be sixty to seventy feet in length and three feet thick. One of the archaeological team commented that this picture is surely either exaggeration or legend. Dr. Jones said not to be so sure. He seemed unusually edgy on this subject.
Facing the collapsed right fork: 
Person (skeletal remains) being incinerated in huge flames. The archaeological teams have not reported any flame traps or fire pits thus far, although two stones outside the temple do threaten incineration of trespassers. We are not yet sure whether to take this seriously. Judging from the carving, you would think there was a giant lava pit hidden in here somewhere!
Facing the secret door to the Labyrinth of Chaos: Person being attacked by rats. We have encountered bats in the recesses of the temple, but no rats as yet. When talking about this particular bas-relief, Dr. Jones made some joke about his father that only a few of the team understood. I guess you would have to know Dr. Jones Sr. to get it.
Facing the open left fork: 
Person being killed by spikes. This, as we know, is no idle threat. Dr. Goldstein was almost severely injured in the hall of spikes early on in the dig.. . . The letters on the walls will be detailed in a brief appendix to this paper (the "Letters"appendix), to avoid being tedious to the uninterested.
(The next few wall readings are located in and around the flooded maze, also called the "buried collonade". The archaeological team has kindly provided a shortcut through this rather messy area. Excavation on this area has been put on hold in lieu of more pressing matters. See Dr. Jones' map of the temple -- which an enterprising local sells copies of just outside the temple area -- for more details.)
Only the blind shall see.
(Another wall reading, over a picture of a face with closed eyes, next to an opening leading to an unexplored area of the maze. I believe this text & painting represents the gift of future knowledge.)
(Wall reading above a statuette. Represents the second of Mara's gifts.)Earthly riches
Only one spring can restore youth and vigor. Choose wisely. Drink deeply the water of life.
(The first two lines are found on the wall above two fountains. Between these two lines is a small painting of a pouring pitcher. The third is on the wall to the right of
the fountains, which one passes when the fountains come into view. Despite the apparent warning, both fountains hold good water. The representation of the third gift.)MM(Inscribed by one of the temple's builders on a pillar by the fountains. One member of the archaeological team is convinced that these letters are a recent addition, and goes so far as to say that he has deduced that they were chiseled by someone wearing thick gloves who only had four fingers on each hand. The rest of the team thinks this is really silly.)
. . . You will next pass down a long, straight hallway. It has very little to look at in the way of carvings, but as the ceiling has long since caved in (the wreckage having been diligently cleared away by the team for safety purposes), you might pause to enjoy the beauty of the jungle above you. There is one letter repeated regularly along the course of this hall, and its unusual appearance caused quite a few disagreements among the dig staff with regards to what letter it was. Dr. Chelsea (a visiting scholar) finally settled the disputes when he quickly identified it as a sideways "M", presumably for "mara".
. . . This hallway has been identified elsewhere in the temple as "the Avenue of Voices." The reason for this is known, but will not be explained here since those who presently understand the origin of the name wish that they didn't.
(The following was inscribed on a wall that dead-ended the trail into Mara's domain. The archaeological team, sure there was more to this site than a couple of mazes, a series of dire warnings and a dead end, translated this text and realized that the reference to a hidden passage meant that one was very close. After much careful searching, Dr. Jones noticed a bat struggling out of a crack in the middle of the text. He directed the team to dig right through the middle of the inscription. Several inches into the wall, they broke through into the hidden passage mentioned in the writing. The loss of most of the text was unfortunate, but the gist of the writing is still fairly clear.)
(Letters in parentheses in these texts indicate those that have been dug through and have been deduced (guessed) from inference. Excercise caution when navigating the hidden passage. The bats are still resident (and are a veritible cesspool of rabies), and the spike and pillar traps have been proped and jammed with wedges and poles (courtesy of Dr. Jones and the archaeology team), but still should not be fooled with.)Beware the deadly booby traps that lie beyond the hidden passage.............(rab)id bats pois(oned...)............lead to death...........(eter)nal doom Mara.....................wealth evil.................(wo)uld quit as.......................eye kill.....................o jammed spikes...................desire you......................virtue
(Written on the wall off to the right of the above text.)True rewards await those who choose wisely
(The bat caverns hold an interesting little sculpture with geometric patterns to it, as well as some interesting rock formations. Dr. Chelsea of the British Museum wanted to study these some more, but was advised against it until something can be done about the bats. Dr. Jones gave strict orders not to move the statuette, but gave no explanation for this. Only a couple of people have attempted moving it since, but they were prepubescent tourists, and so could not be trusted anyway. Their parents have been notified, and thankfully the dig team will not be required to pay any funeral costs.)
(Also of note: The bat caverns seem deceptively small. They actually extend to the sides of the present passage for over a hundred feet, and riddle the hill above the heads of those who pass through in a sort of convoluted maze of their own. They open to the surface some fifty feet above, and the bats can sometimes be seen streaming out of this shrub-covered opening around dusk. Passages also extend below the feet of passersby, down to one part of the catacombs in which most of the present work is going on, ending in a chamber that is partially water-filled. This chamber has two different underwater passages leading down at angles (from opposite ends of the room), which are as yet unexplored. Volunteers are currently being sought to explore these passages, especially the east one. Dr. Bressler wishes to know what ate his equipment.)
(Around the edge of the stone disc that blocked the passage before the team opened it. An interesting phenomenon here -- some of the letters are flipped. Makes translation tricky...)The gates of doom are ever open
(The passages that lead from the stone disc to the next room are riddled with spike and pillar traps -- exercise caution. The pillars have all been wedged or propped up, although one can still usually observe the Less Intelligent stomping
on the diamond-shaped stones that would have otherwise triggered their stone-pillar induced death.)
Plow the fields Plant the seed Reap the harvest Grind it to meal
(Written across the middle of the same stone. Around the edge of the cupola of the room which holds this well is painted an interesting scene that may be experienced if one of your party has the misfortune to look into the idol's eyes. The picture is of Mara smiling down at a rickety bridge. If you encounter this bridge, be advised that it is not trustworthy to cross.)The pure of heart are protected beneath the watchful eye of Mara. Woe to the unworthy who pass beneath.
(Next one enters the chamber of the "Altar of the Stone Tablets," a long chamber with the altar at the far end. The stone table ("altar") has three stone tablets resting on it. For reasons which are largely Mr. Sallah's fault, the lighting in this room is very bad, and consequently it took two of us a large amount of time to decipher the writing on them.)
(Chiseled into the stone below the resting place of three stone tablets, each of which depicts a different one of Mara's gifts. The tablets read as follows.)Behold the gifts of Mara
(Lower left tablet.)The observatory of the future Behold the amulet of Mara and you shall see visions of the future But beware the eyes of Mara
(Lower right tablet.)The fountain of eternal youth One sip from the eternal spring shall renew vigor and youthful spirit But beware the eyes of Mara
The chamber of earthly riches Wealth beyond your wildest imagination lies within and is yours for the taking But beware the eyes of Mara(Upper tablet.)
. . . Through the doorway behind the stone table and its tablets is the location Dr. Jones chose for his office. This is kept locked up during tourists' visiting hours for security reasons -- not so much because of the tourists as because of a certain Mr. Belloq, an old "acquaintance" (to put it nicely) of Dr. Jones', who has been snooping around the premises recently. Dr. Jones has asked anyone being questioned by Mr. Belloq about the dig to direct him to the vestibule, where he can see the eyes of Mara for himself... hopefully.
(A wall reading as you near Sallah's jeeps.)
Only the pure of heart shall gain admittance into the chamber of destiny
(Another wall reading, in the chamber above the jeeps. Notice the frequent motif of the three gifts in conjuction in the bas relief carvings here.)
Mara shall guide you through the doorway of your most secret desire in the chamber of destiny
(A wall reading at the jeep area, as you step out. Always the optimist, I guess.)Beware the eye of Mara One look will lead through the tunnel of torment to the gates of doom
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Translations and commentaries by Barjesse@AOL.com
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