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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF THE
HOLY LAND.
BY
EDWARD ROBINSON, D.D. LL.D.,
PKOFBSSOR OF BIBLICAJL LITERATURE IN THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,
NEW YORK.
A SUPPLEMENT
TO THE LATE AUTHOR'S BIBLICAL RESEARCHES IN PALESTINE.
THE MAPS
OP THE LATER BIBLICAL RESEARCHES WILL SERVE FOR THIS WORK.
BOSTON :
PUBLISHED BY CROCKER AND BREWSTER,
51 WASHINGTON STREET.
1865.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by
CROCKER & BREWSTER,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
AIXEOVER :
STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED
BY W. F. DRAPER.
PREFACE.
The late author of the following work has repeatedly stated, both
m conversation and in writing, that he considered his books of travel
as merely preparatory to a " systematic work on the Physical and
Historical Geography of the Holy Land," to which he intended to
devote all his remaining energies. He commenced this labor very
shortly after his first journey to the East, the results of which were
communicated in the " Biblical Researches in Palestine," etc. The
" Physical Geography of the Syrian Coast," which is given to the
reader in the Appendix of the present volume, formed the commence-
ment of the above work.
The author's second journey, the motives for which are stated in
the Introduction to his " Later Biblical Researches," caused an in-
terruption in this labor. When, some years later, he resumed it, it
was on an entirely different and improved plan, of w^hich he places
before the reader an accurate statement in the " Introduction " that fol-
lows. This plan he regarded as the best and most appropriate ; but
he had also another more personal reason for adopting it. He felt
that, on account of his increasing years, he might perhaps not be per-
mitted to finish the whole of the great work comprised in this design,
and that in the case of his being taken away, he would rather leave
to others those countries which he designates as "outlying" than
IV PREFACE.
those of the " Central Hegion," which he had made for a quarter of
a century the object of his indefatigable investigations, and for the
thorough knowledge of which he could, as it were, be responsible as
an eye-witness.
This first part he had hoped to finish. But it was otherwise de-
creed above ; and a comparatively small portion — thorough and com-
plete in itself, however, without a missing note, without the omission
of a single word to be subsequently inserted — is all that is left to
the world from the hand of the earnest, faithful investigator.
The Physical Geography was to be followed immediately by the
Historical ; this again by the Topographical, arranged alphabetically.
Lebanon and Sinai, similarly treated, were to have succeeded, as parts
of the Central Region, this main portion. Whatever fragments and
sketches relating to this subject the author has left, the editor pre-
fers to withhold from the public, rather than give them, worked out
by another hand, in the shape of patchwork, as it were, and there-
fore so decidedly in contradiction to the author's peculiar spirit. All
that she does transmit to the world in the following pages, will, she
trusts, be welcome ; partly as a systematic presentation of the geo-
graphical researches of the author in the Holy Land, partly as a
Supplement to his former works.
The maps of the Later Biblical Researches will serve for this
book. Only the author hiniself could have furnished before its pub-
lication the materials for such improvements as the appearance of
this work may call forth.
Th. R.
New York, May, 1864.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
Palestine the central point of Biblical Geography, 1. Relations of the He-
brew people to Jehovah, 1, 2. World-wide influence, 1, 2. Position and isola-
tion of Palestine, 2. Its remarkable feature, the great longitudinal valley, 2.
Character of its sides, 2. Depression, 2. Assumed divisions of the region, 3.
Northern Syria, Lebanon, Palestine proper, Sinai, etc., 3.
First Volume : Palestine with Lebanon and Sinai, 3. These regions visited
by the author, 3. Second Volume : Outlying Regions, 4. Xoithem Syria; Ar-
menia, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia; Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt;
Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, 4. Relations of these countries to the Old and New
Testaments, 4; and to Central Palestine, 5.
Sources. The Bible, G. Its method, G. Works of Josephus, 6, 17. Native
names of places, a national tradition, 7. Epochs, 7. First Epoch : the Onomas-
ticon, about A. D. 330, 8. Other early works, travels, etc., 8, 9. Second Epoch :
the work of Brocardus, about A. D. 1283, 9. Travels of the next three centuries,
9. Tlnrd Epoch : the work of Quaresmius, A. D. 1625, 9. The storehouse of ec-
clesiastical tradition, 9. Travellers in the subsequent centuries : Maundrell, Po-
cocke, riasselquist, 10. In the nineteenth century, Seetzen, Burckhardt, Irby and
Mangles, Russegger, Schubert, 10. Biblical Researches in Palestine in 1838 and
1852, 10. Other later travellers, 10. Fourth Epoch : Ritter's Comparative Geogra-
phy of Sinai, Palestine, and Syria, 10. Notices by ancient Greek and Roman wri-
ters best in Reland's Palaestina, 10, 11. As to the present state, the author's o^vn
personal observations a chief source, 11.
PALESTINE.
Names : Palestine, 15. Canaan, 15. The Promised Land, 16. The Holy Land,
16. Other appellations, 16.
Boundaries and Extent. Originally extended only to the Jordan, 16.
Southern boundary, 17. Western, the sea, 17. Northern, 18. Eastern, the des-
ert, 17. Length and breadth, 18. Area, 18.
VI
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE SURFACE. GENERAL FEATURES.
Four long parallel tracts, two low, and two elevated, 19. The plain along the
coast; the Valley of Jordan. Hill-country on the west. Hill-country on the east, 19.
SECTION 1.
MOUNTAINS AND HILL-COUNTRY.
Hebrew word signifies both mountain and hill; sometimes used collectively,
20.
I. MOUNTAINS WEST OF JORDAN.
1. NORTH OF THE PLAIN OF ESDRAXLON.
Character of the hill-country in the north, spreads to the sea at the Promonto-
rium Album and the Scala Tyriorum, 20, 21. Belat in Ashur, a high point, 21.
Wild district, 21. Mount NaphthaU,2A. Jebel Jermak,'21. Hills and ridges. Tell
Hazur, Mount Asamon, 22. Kurun Hattin. wrongly Mount of Beatitudes, 22. Form,
22. Hills around Nazareth; legendary Mount of Precipitation, 23. Mount Tabor,
23. Appearance, prospect, history, 24, Parallel ridges south of Tabor, 25. LiltJe
Hermon, Jebel ed-Duhy, 26. Mount Gilboa, 27. Jebel Fuku'a, 27. Mount Carmel,
and connecting line of hills, 28. Form, 29. Wady el-Milh on S. E., 29. Fertility
and beauty, 29. Elijah's sacrifice, 30. Heathen altar, 31. Cells in the rock, 32.
2. SOUTH OF THE PLAIN OF ESDEAELON.
Hill-country interrupted by the plain, 32. Rises again towards the south, 32.
Eastern line, from Gilboa south, 32. Western line, from the plain south, 33. Line
of lower hills on the west, 33, 34. Breadth of mountain region, 34. Its steep
eastern slope, 34, 35. Divisions and names, 35. Mountains of Samaria, 36.
Mountains of Israel, 36.
Mountains of Ephraim, 36. Mount or Hill of Samaria, 36. Ebal and Geri-
zim, 36-40. History and ruins of Gerizim, 36-40. Mount Zalmon, 40. Sheikh
Salmon el-Farisy, 40. 3Tount of the AmaleJcites, 41. Mount Bethel, 41. Mount
Zemaraim, 41. Hill of Gaash, and brooks, 41, 42.
Mountains of Judah, 42. Hill of Gibeah, 42. Mount of Gibeon, Neby Samwil,
42. Mount of Olives, 42-44. Frank Mountain, 44; site of Beth-haccerem, 44.
Mount Perazim, 45. Mount west of the valley of Hinnom, 45. Mount Ephron, 45,
46. Mount Jearim, 46. Mount Seir, 46.
Hills near the seacoast of Judah, . Sandhill, 47. Mount Baasah, il. Mount of
Azotus^ 47. Mons Angaris, 47, 48. Hill towards Hebron, 48.
CONTENTS.
VII
8. MOUNTAINS OVERHANaiNQ THE GHoR AND DEAD BEA, ON THE WEST.
Wall of cliffs, etc., 48. Kfirn Sttrtabeh, 48, 49. Quarantana, Jebel Ktiruntul,
49, 50. Cliffs west of Dead Sea, 50. Mountains of Engedi, 50. Sebbeh, Masada,
51. Mountain of Salt, at S. W. comer of Dead. Sea, 51-53. Mountain of the
Amorites, 53. Ascent of Akrabbim, Scorpion Cliffs, 53, 54.
II. MOUNTAINS EAST OF JORDAN.
Jebel Heish, ending at Tell el-Feras, 54. Region east of the lake of Tiberias, 54.
Jebel ed-Derttz (Druze Mountain), Jebel Ham-an, 54. Form and summits, 55.
Kuleib Hauran, form, 55. Meaning of the name, 55. Character of the range, 55,
56. Is the Mons Alsadamus of the ancients, 5G. Bashan, kingdom of Og, 56.
Mount of BasJian, probably Hermon, 57. Jebel 'Ajlun, the northern Mount Gi-
lead, 57. Character, extent, elevation, 58. Table-land and valleys, beauty, 59.
Southern "hsdf Mount Gilead," or el-Belka, extent, 59. Jebel Jil'ad, Neby Osha,
prospect, 59. Country further south, 59. Western slopes of the mountain, 60.
Elevation, 61. Level-line as seen from the west, 61. Particular mountains, 62.
Moab and Sihon, 62. Reuben and Gad, 62. Plains of Moab, by Jordan, 62.
Mount Abarim, 62. Mount Fisgah, 63. Mount Nebo, 64. Mount of Peor, 65.
Ridge of Jebel 'Attarus, with the niins of Atarotlx, Kirjathaim, and MacJioerus, 66,
67. Iron Mountain, 67. Mountains of Moab, Jebel Shihan, 67, 68. Hill of Kerak,
elevation, 68. Mountains of Bether, Bithron, signification, position uncertain, 68, 69.
SECTION n.
VALLEYS.
Different Hebrew words rendered "valley," 70. Bik'ah, 70. 'Emek, 70. Ifa-
hal, 71. Gai, 71. Valleys mostly without permanent streams, 72.
I. VALLEY OF THE JORDAN, OR EL-GHOR.
Part of the great longitudinal valley, 72. Its extension north and south, 72.
Wady et-Teim, 73.
Ifame.— The 'Arabah, 73. • Plur. 'Arboth, wastes or plains, 74. The Aulon, the
Ghor, 74.
General Features, — Basin or Plain of the Huleh, 75. Its rapid descent, 75.
Its fertility, 75, 76. Ancient Names : Merom, Ulatha, 76. From the Huleh to
the lake of Tiberias, 77. Plain of el-Batihah, 77. Plain of Gennesareth, 78.
Character of the hills south of the lake, 79. Mountains of 'Ajlfin, etc., 78. Val-
vm
CONTENTS.
ley of Jezreel enters, 78. Hills and valleys south of Mount Gilboa, 78. Plain of
the Ghor, 78. Valley below Sakut, 79. Plain el-Kiirawa, 79. The Ghor contracted
by Ktirn Sflrtabeh, 79. The lower Ghor, a desert, 79. Breadth at Jericho, etc.,
80. Length, from lake of Tiberias to Dead Sea, 80. Depression and rapid slope,
80.
Valleys or Plains loithin the Ghor —The Hebrew word Kikkar, ' circuit,' of
Jordan, 80. The Bik'ah, plain or valley; e. g. of Lebanon, of Jericho, 81. The
Ghor also an Emek, 81 ; e. g. valley by Beth-Rehob, of Succoth, of Siddim, 81.
Valley of Achor, of Keziz, 82. The Ghor a Gai; e. g. valley over against Beth-
\ Peor, 82. Valley of Salt, 82.
II. THE GHOK : SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE EAST.
Two great valleys near Banias, 83. Wady el-'Asal, 84. Wady Khiishabeh, 84.
Wady Za'areh, 84. Merj Yafuny, and brook, 85. Land and valley of Mizpeh,
8-5. "Wady Semak and Wady Fik, 86. Valley of the Passengers, 86. Valley of
the Hieromax, 83. Brook by Raphon, 83. Wady Yabis, Jabesh-Gilead, 86.
Wady el-Hemar, 83. Wady Mahneh, Mahanaim, 83. Wady 'Ajlun, Bithron,
87. Valley of the Jabhok, 87. Wady Sha'ib, Nimrin, Beth-Nimrah, 87. Wady
Hesban, Heshbon, 87. Second valley over against Beth-Peor, 87, 88. Wady Zer-
ka Ma'in, CalUrrhoe, 88. Wady Mojib, the Amon, 88. Wady ed-Dera'ah, 88.
Wady el-Ahsy, brook Zered, 88. The valley in the country of Moab, 88. The
high plain, 89.
III. THE GHOR : SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
The Derdarab, from Merj 'Ayun, 89. Wady Hendaj, 89. Wady el-'Amfid,
89. Wady er-Rubudiyeh, 89. Wady el-Ham am, and its caverns, Beth-Arbel,
Arbela, 90. Wady el-Birch, 90. Valley of Jezreel, described, 91, 92. Wady Ma-
lih, 92. Wady el-Farl'a, 92, 93. Wady Fflsail, Phasaelis, 93. Wady el-'Aujeh,
Wady en-Nawa'imeh, and its upper branches, 94. Wady Kelt, its heads, 94. Is
probably * the river,' also * the water of Jericho,' 94. Probably also the brook
Cherith, 94, 95. Valley of Zeboim, 96, The brook Kidron described, 96, 97.
TJie valley of Einnom, described, 98-100. Tophet, 100. Gihon, fountain, brook,
100, 101. Valley of Shaveh, the King's dale, 101, 102. Valley of Jehoshaphat,
102. Valley of Vision, Jerusalem, 103. The river of the Wildermess, 103. Val-
ley of Berachah, 103. Deep valleys on the western coast of the Dead Sea, 104.
IV. VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
General character, 104. Wady el-'Ayun, or el-'Azziyeh, 104, 105. Wady Ha-
mul, 105. Wady el-Ktim, and fortress Kurein, 105. Wady Sha'ab, 105. Wady
'Abilin, or valley of Jiphthah-el, 106, 107. Wady Bedawiyeh, or Wady Melik,
CONTENTS.
IX
107. * River ' Kishon, 107. Wady Wesa, or Wady Abu Nar, 107. Wady Mus-
8in, 108. Wady Sha'ir, from Nabulus, 108, 109. Valleys next south, 109. Wady
'Azzuu, by Antipatris, 109. "Wady Kanah, river Kdnah, 109, 110. Wady Bir
Jcnab, or Wady Eibah, 110. Wady Belat, or Wady Ktirawa, 110, 111. Brooks
of Gaash, 111. Wady Ludd, or Wady Muzeiri'ah, 111, 112. Wady from Ram
Allah, 112. Wady 'Atallah, 112. Wady 'Aly, 112. Valley of Ajalon, 112, 113.
Valley ox plain of Ono, 113. Valley of Craftsmen, 113, Nahr Rubin at Jdbneh,
113. Wady Surar, 114. Wady Isma'il, 114, Wady Beit Hamna, 114. Wady el-
Werd, Wady Ahmed, Wady Bittir, 115, Wady Ghurab, 115. Valley by Glbeon,
115, 116. Valley of Bephaim or the Giants, 116. Valley of SoreTc, 116. Wady
es-Sumt, 116, 117; formed by Wady el-MiisttiT and Wady es-Stir, 117; is the val-
ley of Elah, 117. Wady Simsim, made from Wady Feranj and Wady el-Ha-
py, 118. Valley of Zephathah, 118. Place where Philip baptized the eunuch, 119.
Wady esh-Sheri'ah, from Beersheba, 119, 120. Made from Wady 'Ar'arah and
Wady el-Khulil, 120. Vale of Hebron, 120. Brook of Eshcol, 120, 121. The
brook Besor, Ziklag, 121, 122. Valleys south of Beersheba, valley of Gerar, 123.
Wady el-'Arish, river or torrent of Egypt, 123, 124. Note. Valley of Baca,
symbolical, 124.
SECTION m.
PLAINS.
I. PLAINS ALONG THE COAST.
Southern end of the Phenician plains, 125. Plain of 'Akka, 125. Plain south
of Carmel, or plain of Sharon, 126. Plain of Ono, 127. Plain south of Lydda
and Joppa, the Sephela, 127. Daroma, ' the south,' 128.
II. PLAINS IN THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GHOR.
Plain of Asor, Hazor, 129. Parallel plains, 130. Plain of Eamah, 130.
Plain of el-Buttauf, or plain of Zebulun, 130, 131. Plain of Esdraelon, form, ex-
tent, 131, 132. Three arms or branches towards the east, 132. Names in Scrip-
ture, etc., 133. Scene of battles, 134. Plain of Dothan, 135. Plain near Sanur,
135. Plain known as the Mixkhna, 136. Scriptural notices, 137. Plain at Gibeon,
137. Plain of Rephaim, 137. Level tracts of Judah, 138. 'Plains ' put for oaks,
138.
III. PLAINS IN THE GH^B.
Enumeration and references, 138, 139.
2
X
CONTENTS.
IV. PLAUsS EAST OF THE GHOR.
Plain of Mizpeh, 139. Great plain of Hauran, 139, 140. Plain of the Belka,
140, 141. Scriptural nofices, 141. Tlie plain, 142. Plain of Kiriathaim, 142.
CHAPTER n.
WATEKS.
General supply of water, 143.
SECTION I
RIVERS AND MINOR STREAMS.
The Jordan and its tributaries, the chief streams, 144.
I. THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
General characteristics, 144. Divisions, 144. Length, 145. The valleys, what,
145. Name, 145. Etymology, 145.
Upper Jordan. Sources. Three main streams, 146. The Hasbany, 146.
Source, 146. Bridge, 147. Its course below, 147, 148. 'Ain Seraiyib, a feeder,
147. Chasm and 'Ain Luweizany, also a feeder, 148. Tell el-Eddy, the Ledddn,
148. Form of the Tell, 149. Immense fountains, 149, 150. Mills, irrigation, 150.
Nahr Bdnids. The great fountain, 150-152. Ancient Panium, 151. Water-course
of the stream, 151, 152. Junction of the streams, 152, 1-53. Relative size, 153.
Historical Notices. Only two sources named of old, 153. The Hasbany not men-
tioned, 153, 154. Analogies, 154. Principle involved, 154. From the Huleh to
the lake of Tiberias, 154. Bridge,155. Geshur and Geshurites, 156. Rapid de-
scent and foaming stream, 155, 156. From Bethsaida (Julias), estuary, 156.
Middle Jordan : — Its issue from the lake, 156. Many rocks and strong rap-
, ids, 157. In August full of low dams ; river easily crossed, 137. Entrance of the
Hieromax; bridge, 158. Wmdings, the Ghor, 158, 159. Fords, 158, 159. Course
belo^v, 159.
Lower Jordan. — Character at Kiim Siirtabeh and below, 159, 160. Lower
fords, 160, 161. Bathing-places of pilgrims, 160. Course of the river more on
the east, 161.
CONTENTS.
XI
General Features. — Valleij and Channel, 161. Two terraces, or valleys,
101. Border of trees, etc., 161. Outer banks, 161, 162. The river winds, but not
its valley, 102. Pride of Jordan, 162. Descent and -Depression, amount, 162, 163.
Overflows of Jordan. The river in spring runs with full banks, 164, 10-5. Reasons
why there are no floods, 163, 164. Loneliness of Jordan ; no toAvns, 163, 104. No
boats, one raft, 165. No fisheries, 165, 166. Jordan as a boundary. Difficult to
be passed, 166. First mention, 166. Country 'beyond Jordan,' 166, 167. Recorded
passages of Jordan, 167, 168. Baptism of Jesus by John, 168. Twice Jesus
crosses over, 108. Explorations of Jordan, 168. Costigan, 169. Molyneux, 169,
170. Lynch, 170, 171.
II. THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
Wady Za'areh, 171. Head branches of the A'waj, 172. The Jarmuk or Hiero-
max, 172. Its sources and head branches, 173, 174. Its western part, 175. Hot
springs, 175, 176. Confluence with Jordan, 170. The Jabbok, ez-Zerka, 170-178.
Scriptural notices, 177, 178. The Zerka Ma'in, 178-180. Hot springs, Callirrhoe,
179, 180. The Arno7i, Nahr el-M6jib, 180. North branch, the Waleh, 180. The
Mojib proper, 181, 182. Scriptural notices, 182. Wady Kerak, 182, 183. Wady
el-Ahsy, or el-Kurahy, 183 ; is the brook Zered, 184.
* III. THE JORDAN : TRIBUTARIES FROM THE WEST.
The Derdarah, 184. Brooks, 185. Nahr el-Jalud, 185. 'Ain Jalud, 185. The
stream, 185, 186. Stream'of Wady el-Fari'a, 180. Water of Jericho, 186.
IV. RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
General character, 187. The JBelus, Nahr Na'raan, 187. The Kishon, Nahr el-
Muktttta' 187. Remote sources in winter, inundations, 188. Junction in the
plain, miriness, 189. Dry in summer, 188, 190. Permanent sources, 190. Estuary
and sandbar, 190, 191. Nahr Belka, 191. Nahr ez-Zerka, 191. Crocodiles, 191,
192. Is the Shihor-Libnath of Scripture, 192. Nahr el-Akhdar, 192. Nahr Abu
Zaburah, 172. Nahr Arsdf, or Nahr el-Failak, 192, 193. Nahr el-'Aujeh, 193, 194.
Streams south of Jafa: Nahr Rubin, 194. Wady at 'Askulan, 194. Wady el-
'Arish, 194. No permanent stream south of the 'Aujeh, 194, 195.
SECTION n.
LAKES.
The four lakes of Palestine, 196.
L The Phiala. — Now Birket er-Ram, situation, elevation, 196. Its basin or
xn
CONTENTS.
bowl, extent, 196, 197. Stagnant and slimy waters, 197. Wild fowl, frogs, leeches,
197. nir.rorical notices and position, 197, 198. Not a source of the Jordan, 198.
ir. Lake of the Huleh. — Situation and form, 198. Adjacent marsh, 198.
Extent, 199. Not deep and not navigated, 199. Is the ancient waters of Blerom
and lahe Semechonitis, 199.
III. Lake of Tiberias. —Form and extent, 199. Depression about six
hundred and fifty feet, 199. Variation of level, 200. The water sweet, 200. Fish
and fishing, 200, 201. A single boat, 201. Character of the shores, 201, 202.
High winds and tempests, 202. Volcanic tract, 202, 203.
Historical Notices, 203. Ancient names, 203. Its connection with the history
of the Saviour, 203. His excursions across the lake, 203, 204. Ancient naviga-
tion and sea fight, 204. Ancient fisheries, 204, 205.
Hie Hot Springs, 205. Situation, temperature, etc., 205, 20G. Ancient notices,
206.
IV. The Dead Sea. — Its remarkable features, 206. Ancient names, 207, 208.
Form and Extent, 207. Lies in a crevasse, between parallel mountains, 207. The
ends rounded, 207. Peninsular and southern bay, 208. Length and brcadih, 208.
Depth and Depression. Soundings, 208, 209. Variation of the surface, 209.
Level below the Mediterranean, 209. Results; depression of Dead Sea, 1316.7
feet, 209. Unsuspected before 1837, 210.
Views from the Western Cliffs. Approach to the Dead Sea from the. west;
great descent, 210. Cliff overhanging 'Ain Jidy; extensive prospect, 210, 211.
Shores of the sea like an estuary, 211. The peninsula, 211, 212. Mountains on
the western coast, 211. Kerak, the Amon, etc., 212.
Character of the Waters. General qualities, 212. Four analyses, 212, 213.
Cause of the excessive saltness, 214. Buoyant power, 215. Heavy waves,
quickly stilled, 215, 216. No trace of animal or vegetable life, 216, 217. Great
evaporation, 217. Deposits of salt at Birket el-Khiilil, etc., 217, 218. Legendary
reports, mostly without foundation, 218, 219. Many birds around, 219. Heat of
the climate unhealthy, 219, 220.
Asphaltum. Ancient accounts, 220. Appears only occasionally, as in 1834 and
1837, 220, 221. Rises from the bottom, 221.
Character of the shores. Parallel ranges of mountains enclosing the chasm,
221,222. Scenery, 222. Geological features, 222. The strands; no passage in
some parts along the water, 222, 223. Southern shore, a mud flat, 223. Northern
shore, 223. Belt between high and low water-mark, 223. Minerals occasionally
picked up, 224. Blocks of breccia, etc., 224. Stone of Moses, or stink-stone, 224.
Drift-wood, 225.
The Peninsula. Form and extent, 225. Appearance, elevation, etc., 225, 226.
The isthmus, irrigation, fertihty, 226, 227. Not mentioned by ancient writers;
notices, 227, 228. A small peninsula in the north, 228. Reputed islands, 228,
229.
. CONTENTS.
xm
The Ford. Two fords reported, 229, 230. They exist only where the sea is
very low, 230.
Navioation and Exploration. Hints of ancient navigation very slight; Josc-
phus, 230. Edrisi, 231. Voyage of Costigan, 231, of Moore and Bcke, 231, 232;
of Molyneux, 232. United States' Expedition; its labors and results, 232, 233.
Destruction of Sodom. The Dead Sea existed previously, hut only north of the
peninsula, 233, 234. Yale of Siddim, slime pits, 235. Probable manner of the
catastrophe, 235. The fertile plain now submerged by the southern bay, 235.
Apples of Sodom. The 'Osher, Asclepias gigantea, 236, 237.
SECTION m.
FOUNTAINS.
Palestine a land of fountains as compared with Egypt, 238. Reports to the
contrary, 238, 239. Fountains recorded in Scripture, 239-241. The word 'Ain
applied to villages, 241. Thirty fountains within ten miles around Jerusalem, 241,
242.
I. Fountains in or near the Western Plain, 243, 244.
II. Fountains in the Hill-Country West of Jordan. North of the Great Plain,
244. In and around the same plain, 245, 240. South of the Great Plain, 246. At
Nubulus, 247. Other fountains, 248. South of Jerusalem, 249. At Hebron, 250.
III. Fountains in or near the Ghor. West of Jordan, 250. North of the lake
of Tiberias, 2.51. At et-Tabighah, 251. 'Ain et-Tin,252. Round fountain, 252.
'Ain cl-Barideh, 253. Hot springs, 253. From the lake to Kum Surtabeh, 253.
At Fusail, 254. 'Ain Duk, 254. 'Ain es-Sultan, 255. 'Ain Hajla, 255. On the
west of the Dead Sea, 256. 'Ain Jidy, 257. Others further south, 258.
East of Jordan : few fountains in the north, 258. At Pella, 259. Waters of
Nimrim, 259. Fountains along the east side of the Dead Sea, 259, 2G0.
IV. Fountains of the Ulll-Countr]/, East of Jordan, 260. In the Lejuh, 2G0,
261. West of the Haj route, 201. In the plain and slopes of Hauran, 261. In
Jebel 'Ajlun, 201, 262. Around es-Salt, 262. At 'Amman and in the Belka 252,
263. At Kerak, etc., 203.
Warm and Mineral Fountains^ 263, 264.
SECTION lY.
WELLS. CISTERNS. RESERVOIRS. AQUEDUCTS.
I. Wells, 265. Wells of Abraham, Beer-sheba, 265. Wells of Isaac, Reho-
both, 266, 267. Jacob's well, 267-269. Other ancient wells, 269. Wells in the
XIT
COITTENTS.
fields, or by the roadside, 270. King Uzziah's wells, 270. Drinking-troughs for
cattle, 271. Pastoral scenes, 271. Modes of drawing water, 271, 272.
II. Cisterns, their frequency, 272. Usually hewn out in the rock ; form, 272,
273. Few in the plains, 273. Places where are found ancient cisterns, 273.
Around Hehron, 274, 275. Between Jericho and Bethel, 275. Various places, 275,
276. Water of cisterns usually not pure, 276. Cisterns used as dungeons, 276.
Cisterns for storing grain, 277.
III. Reservoirs, mostly ancient, or pools. Impurity of the water, 277, 278.
Pool at Hebron, 278. Pool at Gibeon, 279, 280. Large ancient reservoirs at Bethel
and Ai, 280. At various places, 280, 281. Solomon's Pools, 281. Measurement,
source of supply, 281, 282. Vaulted room under the lower pool, 282, 283. Object
of the pools, 283, 284.
IV. Aqueducts, modem, 284. Ancient, at Jerusalem, 284. Aqueduct from
Solomon's Pools to the temple, 285. Course, 285. The channel, 285. Remains
of a still earlier channel, 286, 287.
CHAPTER III.
CLIMATE.
Prehminary remarks, 288. Parallel climate, 288.
I. seasons.
Only winter and summer, 288. Duration of each, 288.
Winter or Raint Season.— Its beginning, 289. Time for ploughing and
sowing, 289. Characteristics of the rainy season, 289, 290. Observation in 1843,
and 1845, 290. Snow ; observations, 290. Hail, 291. Frost, 291. Roads muddy
and slippery, 291.
Early and Latter Rains. — Scriptural allusions, 291. Hebrew year, 292. No
distinct season; beginning and end of the rainy season, 292. Consequences of
their failure, 292.
Summer or the Dry Season. — Its variable beginnings. From May to
October no rain, characteristics, 293. Vegetation withered and dry, 293. All na-
ture longs for rain, 294.
Fogs, not unfrequent, 294. Deio, frequent and heavy, 294.
II. temperature.
Causes which affect the temperature; differences of elevation, 295.
Western Hill-Country. Jerusalem as a summer residence, 295. Record of
CONTENTS.
XV
thermometer, 296-297. Comparisons, 297. Other plains, further north, 298.
Western Plain. Higher temperature ; thermometer, 299.
Valley of Jordan. Sunken valley ; greater heat, 299. Thermometer, 299-300.
Southern production, 300.
Eastern Hill-Counti'y, temperature little known, 301.
Times of Harvest, as marking temperature, 301. In the Ghor, 301. In the
western plain, 301. At Hebron, Jerusalem, etc., 302. Results, 302. Melons at
Tiberias, 302.
III. WINDS.
Only four winds spoken of in Scripture, 302. These to be taken with latitude,
303.
Winds of the Rainy Season. The rain wind is from the S. "W. or W. S. "W., 303.
The east wind the next most frequent; brings a clear sky, 303. Other winds of
winter variable, 304.
Winds of Summer. The most prevalent is from the N. "W. quarter, cool and
pleasant, 304, South wind or Sirocco (east wind), disagreeable, 305. Character-
istics, 305. Duration, 305. Sirocco from the S. E., 305; from the S.W., 306, 307.
Is probably east wind of Scripture, 307. Other summer winds variable, 307.
IV. PURITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
Summer sun and sky, 307. Transparency of the air, distinctness of objects, 308.
Occasional haziness, 308. Climate generally salubrious, 308. Pestilence, 308.
In Jerusalem what causes produce fever and ague, 309, 310.
CHAPTER lY.
GEOLOGICAL FEATURES.
Preb'minary remarks, 311.
L General Limestone Formation, 311. The great masses forming the
basis are Jura limestone, 312. West of Jordan, 312. Aroimd Jerusalem and
Bethlehem, 313. East of the Dead Sea and Jordan, 313.
n. Sandstone, Conglomerate, Marl, 313, 314.
in. Volcanic Tracts. West of the Ghor, 314. Extent, Safed the centre,
315. Chasm of Jordan below the Huleh, 315. Wady et-Teim, 316. Tell el-Kady,
316. Clumps of basaltic rocks, 316. Extinct Craters, near Safed, etc., 317, 318.
XVI
CONTENTS.
East of the Ghor. I^eous rocks near Banias, Jebel Heish and its line of Tells,
318. Between tlie Huleh and the lake of Tiberias, 318. Eastern shore of the
latter lake, 319.
Haurdn, the plain, the Lejah, and the mountains, 319. The plain, 320. The
Lejah, 321; description of, 321, The mountain, volcanic, with many extinct
craters, 321. The eastern desert volcanic, extent, 321. el-Harrah, its character,
321. el-Safa, frightful, 322. er-Ruhbeh, an oasis, 223. Jebel 'Ajlun and el-Belka,
323. Lava and volcanic rocks on east shore of Dead Sea, 323. Great volcanic
tract of northern Syria, 324.
rV. Earthquakes. Not unfrequent, 324. Imagery of Hebrew poets, 324.
Four mentioned in Scripture, 324. Others recorded, 325. Many of northern
Syria did not extend to Palestine, 326. Earthquakes, of A. D. 1170, 1202, 1759,
1834, 1837, 326. Jerusalem comparatively spared, 327. Note of Editor, 327.
APPENDIX.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SYRIAN COAST.
Note by the Editor, 332.
General features of the Syrian Coast, 333. Syria proper including ancient
Phenicia, 334. Mountains, valleys, plains, ^25. Mount Amanus and the adjacent
country, 335. Mount Casius, 335. Valley of the Orontes, 337. Junia, Lebanon, 338,
344. Anti-Lebanon, 345, 346. Buka'a, 347. Wady et-Teim, 348. East of the moun-
tains, 349.
n. Tracers, 350. The Orontes or cl-'Asy, 351. The Leontes or Litany, 354. No
streams of importance north of Orontes, 358. Nahr el-Kebir, 358. Nahr el-'Arus,
the Sabbath river, 359. The Adonis, or Nahr Ibrahim, 360. The Lycus or Nahr
el-Kelb, 360. The Tamyras (Damouras) or Nahr ed-Damur, 361. The Awaly
(Bostrenus), 361. The Barada (Chrysorrhoas), or Amana, 362. The Pharpar,
362. Fountains, 365, 366.
in. Climate, 366. Rainy and dry seasons, 367-370. Winds, 370. Climate of
Syria healthy, 371.
IV. Geological features, 372. Formation of mountains, 373. Mineral pro-
ductions, 374 Mineral fountains, 376. Soil, 376.
V. Trees and plants, Til. Exuberance of Botany, 381. Beasts, Birds, e^c.,381.
Birds, 383. Reptiles, 384. Insects, 385. Note of Author, 386.
INDEX
387
INTRODUCTION.^
The Geography of the Bible has its central point in
Palestine, or the Holy Land. This was the seat of the
Jewish nation and of their history for more than fifteen
centuries. In accordance with Jehovah's promise to Abra-
ham, He brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, and planted
them in the Land of Promise ; converting them from a clus-
ter of nomadic tribes into a nation of fixed abode and agri-
cultural habits. They were Jehovah's own chosen people,
separated from all other nations. He was to them, in a
peculiar sense, their God and national Protector. His glory
was enthroned among them in the temple at Jerusalem.
Only among that people was the true God known, while all
the rest of the world was shrouded in the darkness of idola-
try. Only from that land has gone forth, to other nations
and to modern times, all the true knowledge which exists of
God, of his Revelation, of a Future State, and of Man's
Redemption through Jesus Christ.
What a mighty influence for good has thus proceeded
from that little territory, to afiect the opinions and destinies
of individuals and of the world, for time and for eternity !
1 The Introduction, as already stated in the Preface, was intended for the whole
of the great work but a small part of which the late author was allowed to finish.
See Preface.
2
IKTRODUCTION.
Compared with it, the splendor and learning and fame of
Egypt, Greece, and Rome fade away ; and the traces of their
influence upon the world become as the footprints of the
traveller upon the sands of the desert.
The land of Palestine, while it is thus the central point
and nucleus of all Biblical Geography, is itself only the
middle portion of that long and narrow tract which lies
along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and stretches
continuously from Asia Minor on the north to the Red Sea
proper on the south. The remarkable configuration of this
extended strip of territory binds its several parts together as
one whole ; but this whole tract is separated from all other
countries, and almost isolated, by seas upon the west and
by deserts on the east. Only at its northern extremity is it
connected with the mountainous ranges of Asia Minor.
The remarkable feature of the region here in question, is
the great longitudinal valley extending through nearly its
whole length, from Antioch to the Red Sea. The northern
portion is watered by the Orontes, flowing north, which at
Antioch breaks through the western mountain to the Medi-
terranean. Then follows the Buka'a, between Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon, with its stream, the Litany, flowing south,
which forces a passage around the southern end of Lebanon
to the sea near Tyre. The valley of the Jordan succeeds,
with its river and three lakes, the Huleh, the lake of Tiberias,
and the Dead Sea. Between the latter and 'Akabah, the
great valley, here known as Wady el-'Arabah, is without
water ; but further south it is occupied by the eastern gulf
of the Red Sea, the Gulf of 'Akabah. The sides of this
great valley sometimes rise to lofty mountains, as in Lebanon
and Hermon ; and again, in some parts, for a short distance
sink to plains, as at Hums and Bcisan. On the other hand,
INTRODUCTION.
3
the valley itself, along the Jordan, with its two large lakes,
is deeply depressed below the level of the Mediterranean.
Let us now suppose this long tract of territory divided
into four parts, by three lines, not wholly straight, drawn
from the coast towards the east. Let the first begin on the
north of the river Eleutherus, now Nahr el-Kebir, and pass
along the northern end of Lebanon, through el-Husn and
Hums. The second may be drawn on the south of Tyre,
and through the lower sources of the Jordan, at the south-
ern base of Hermon. The third may be carried from near
the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean along at some
distance on the south of Beersheba and of the Dead Sea.
Now, of the four divisions thus formed, the northernmost is
Northern Syria, which does not now come further under
consideration. The second comprises Lebanon and Anti-
Lebanon, with Phenicia on the west, and Syria of Damascus
on the east. The third is Palestine proper, lying on both
sides of the Jordan, and extending from Dan to Beersheba ;
including, also, in the southeast, the lands of Moab and Am-
mon. The fourth and southernmost, besides the desert and
Sinai, takes in also the land of Edom on the east of the
'Arabah.
The First Volume of this work treats specially of Pales-
tine, with the two contiguous divisions, Lebanon and Sinai.
These constitute the Central Region. The former, Lebanon,
is included because it was in great part comprised within
the original boundaries of the twelve tribes ; and the latter,
because it was the scene of the wanderings of Israel, as they
came up out of Egypt to take possession of the Promised
Land. Another reason why such should be the extent of
the first volume, is found in the fact that the author of this
work has visited and traversed in various directions just
4
INTRODUCTION.
these three divisions, — this Central Region, — and can there-
fore to a large extent speak of them as an eye-witness.
For the Second Volume there remain the Outlying Re-
gions ; which, though extending around Palestine on almost'
every side, are yet separated from it by intervening seas, or
deserts, or mountains. Beginning with Northern Syria, we
find this district connected towards the northeast with the
mountains which stretch -eastward from Asia Minor, and
spread into the rugged country of Armenia, in whose re-
cesses the great rivers Euphrates and Tigris have their
source. As these streams roll on southward to the Persian
Gulf, they traverse and embrace the vast plains of Mesopo-
tamia, so intimately connected with the earliest and latest
history of the Hebrew nation ; the seats too of the mighty
kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon. Eastward of these plains
rise the chains of mountains which separate them from
ancient Media and Persia. Proceeding from these regions
across the Persian Gulf, we reach Arabia, stretching along
the Red Sea, and beyond that sea, Ethiopia, on the upper
Nile, followed by Egypt in the lower valley of the same
river. Again returning to Northern Syria, we find it con-
nected towards the northwest with the provinces of Asia
Minor, followed in the west by Greece, w^ith its islands, and
Italy.
It is worthy of remark, in respect to the countries lying
out of Palestine, that the Old Testament has to do mainly
with those in the east and south, including Egypt ; while, on
the other hand, tlie New Testament refers almost exclusively
to those in the west.
It is seen at a glance, from tliis survey, that while Pales-
tine, the central region, was in ancient times in a manner
isolated from all other countries, it yet formed the middle
INTRODUCTION.
5
point of intercourse and communication between the most
populous and powerful nations of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The hosts of Egypt swept over it on their march to oriental
conquest ; those of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, in like
manner, overran it on their way to subjugate the valley of
the Nile ; while in later times the Macedonian conqueror
took his route across it into the east, and the Romans held
it as a convenient thoroughfare to their more distant oriental
dominions. All this implies, not an intercourse of war
alone, but also of commerce and the arts.
We may thus perceive the wisdom of the divine counsels
in planting in this narrow and apparently isolated land the
people to whom the knowledge of the true God and of the
gospel was to be revealed, in order that they should make
it known to other nations. Probably from no other spot in
the ancient world could this knowledge have been spread
abroad, in all directions, so widely, so constantly, and for so
long a series of ages.
6
INTRODUCTION.
SOURCES.
1. The main source of all Biblical Geography is, of course,
The Bible itself. The outline must be drawn wholly from
the pages of sacred writ, and is then to be filled up by in-
formation derived from every quarter possible.
The Bible does not usually specify distances, nor give
descriptions of places ; yet, in certain cases, the method of
enumeration may aid us to a certain extent. For example :
(a.) In the book of Joshua, xv.-xix., the enumeration of
cities and towns allotted to the different tribes proceeds in
no definite order ; yet they are often mentioned in groups,
showing that they lay near each other, but not in what
direction from each other ; see Josh. xv. 55, 58.
(h.) In naming places along a journey or the march of
an army, it is to be presumed that they lie in the order
specified. So the approach of the Assyrian host towards
Jerusalem, Isa. x. 28-32 ; the progress of Tiglath-pileser,
2 K. xiv. 20.
(c.) Rarely a special description is given; as of Shiloh,
Judg. xxi. 19. By following this description, Shiloh (now
Seilun) was first visited and identified in 1838.
2. Next to the Bible, the works of JosepJius, the Jewish
historian, are the most important source for the history and
geography of his people. Not that his accounts are always
fully reliable ; yet, when ho speaks of places and the dis-
tances between them along the great roads, we may well give
SOURCES.
7
liim credit : for these were matters of public notoriety. He
alone lias given a description of tlie city of Jerusalem as it
was in the time of Christ.
3. The existence, at the present day, of very many ancient
scriptural names of places, still current among the common
people of Palestine, has been a fertile and important source
of information. This is a purely native and national tradi-
tion ; not derived in any degree from the influence of foreign
masters or convents. The affinity of the Hebrew and the
modern Arabic has contributed greatly to J3reserve the an-
cient names. Indeed, so tenacious is this kind of tradition,
that all the efforts of the Greeks and "Romans to displace the
native appellations by others derived from their own tongues,
were unavailing. The sounding names Diospolis, Xicopo-
lis, Ptolemais, and Antipatris have perished for centuries ;
while the more ancient Lydda (Ludd), Emmaus ('Amwas),
'Akka, and Kefr Saba, are still current among the people.
Yet a very few Greek names, thus imposed, have maintained
themselves ; as Neapolis (Nabulus) for Shechem, Sebaste
(Sebustieh) for Samaria.
It was by tracing out these scriptural names, heard from
the lips of the common people, that most of the ancient
places identified within the last five and twenty years have
been discovered. Yet here, again, caution is necessary.
The mere name decides nothing, unless the other circum-
stances correspond.
EPOCHS.
The history of Sacred Geography, from its beginning in
the fourth century to the present time, exhibits four epochs,
dividing it into three unequal periods. These epochs are
marked by works on Palestine, each embodying all the
8
IXTRODUCTIOX.
knowledge of its time and period, and thus serving to show
the progress or decay of Biblical Geography.
I. The first epoch is marked by the Onomasticon of Eu-
sebius and Jerome. This is the earliest work on Biblical
Geography. It was written in Greek by Eusebius, bishop
of Caesarea, about A.D. 830 ; and was translated into Latin,
with a few corrections and additions, by Jerome the monk
of Bethlehem, towards the close of the same century. It is
an alphabetical list of names of scriptural places, with a
brief notice appended to each of its position, and often of its
distance from some other place. This little work is of high
importance, although the notices do not always rest on
historical facts, and are sometimes colored by legendary
tradition. Nor are the two writers always of one accord.
The Onomasticon is tlic work nearest to the times of the
New Testament ; yet there intervened three centuries which
are wholly blank. Nearly coeval with it was the Itinerarium
Hierosolijmitanum^ or Jerusalem Itinerary, written in Latin
by a pilgrim from Bourdeaux in A.D. 333. The part rela-
ting to the Holy Land is brief, but valuable.
During the fifth and sixth centuries, there is no record
of travels in Palestine. At the beginning of the seventh,
there is the Itinerary of Antoninus 3Iartijr of Placentia, about
A.D- 600 ; and at the close of tlie same century, about A.D.
697, the treatise of Adamnanus de Locis Sanctis, being a
report of the visit of the French bishop Areulfiis to the Holy
Land. In the eighth century followed the pilgrimage of
jSt. Willihald about A.D. 765 ; and in the ninth, the Itinerary
of the monk Bernhard the Wise, about A.D. 870. These are
all the travels in Palestine of which there remains any
record ; until the arrival before Jerusalem of the first host
of the crusaders, at the close of the tenth century, in June,
SOURCES.
9
1099. But although the Franks maintained a footing in
Palestine (in 'Akka, at least), for nearly two centuries, until
1291 ; yet the historians and travellers of the times of the
crusades have left comparatively few notices of importance
relating to the geography of the land.
II. The Latin treatise of the monk Brocardus, Locorum
Terrce Sanctce Description written about A.D. 1283, marks
the second epoch ; and gives us what was known of Pales-
tine by the Latin monks and ecclesiastics at the close of the
crusades. Though less brief than the Onomasticon, it is also
less full and complete ; and serves to show, that, during the
long interval of nine centuries, much had been forgotten by
the church which still existed among the common people.
The three following centuries served to extend and fix the
dominion of ecclesiastical tradition. The travellers, whose
works have been preserved, and who lodged in the convents,
repeated, for the most part, only what they had learned from
the monks. In the first quarter of the fourteenth century,
however, we have the important Arabic work of Ahulfeda on
Syria ; and that of the Jewish writer ParcM^ long a resident
in the land. Among travellers, the more important names
are, Ludolf of Sachem^ about 1340 ; Breydenhach and F.
Fabri, in 1483 ; Pierre Beloii, in 1546 ; and Cotovicus (Koot-
wyk), in 1598.
III. The third epoch is constituted by the work of Qua-
RESMius, Terrce Sanctce Flucidatio, completed in 1625, and
afterwards published in two folio volumes. Ecclesiastical
tradition was still in its palmy days ; and this work affords
the best exposition of it. It is interminably prolix, and, so
far as the true topography of the land is concerned, is
indefinite and of little value.
In the latter part of the seventeenth century we have the
2
10
INTRODUCTION.
valuable works of d^Arvieux and Maundrell. The monks
continued to be the main source of information. Even the
keen-sighted Maundrell, though he obviously places little
reliance on these accounts, yet gives nothing better in place
of them.
In the eighteenth century, the chief travellers were R.
Pocoche and Hasselquist. The latter, a pupil of Linnaeus,
turned his attention particularly to the Botany of the country.
The early part of the present century furnished several
travellers of the highest character, both as observers and
narrators ; such were Seetzen^ 1 803-10 ; Burckhardt, 1809-
16 ; Irb?/ and Mangles^ 1817, 1818. In recent years, a
more thorough exploration of the land has been undertaken
in almost every direction ; and very much of that which
had been long forgotten has already been recovered. Rusb-
egger in 1836 examined the Geology of Palestine ; and
Sehuhert, in 1837, the Natural History. In 1838 and 1852,
the author of this work, with Eli Smith, collected the ma-
terials for the Biblical Researches in Palestine. They were
followed, in various years, by U. G-. Schulz and W. M,
Thomson; in 1843 by J. Wilson; in 1845 by T. Toiler in
Jerusalem ; and in 1855 by J. L. Porter in Damascus and
Hauran. The American Expedition, in 1848, made known
the physical features of the Dead Sea and the Jordan ; and
gave rise also to the able Geological Report of Palestine
by Dr. H. J. Anderson. In 1852, Lieutenant Van de Velde
travelled throughout the countries west of the Jordan, to
obtain the materials for his new Map of the Holy Land.
TV. The middle of the present century may therefore be
regarded as a new and fourth epoch in the liistory of Biblical
Geography. It is distinctly marked by the great work of
Carl Ritter, Vergleichende Erdkunde der Sinai Halhinsel, von
SOURCES.
11
Palaestina und Syrien ; that is, " Comparative Geography of
the Sinai Peninsula, of Palestine, and Syria ; " four vols,
octavo, 1848-1855. This is a portion of the author's larger
work on Comparative Geography. In it, as a vast storehouse,
is brought together all that relates to the geography of Pales-
tine and Syria, gathered from the travellers and historians
of all periods and countries.
The notices of Ancient Palestine by Greek and Roman
writers are found best collected in the still classic work of
Hadr. Heland, Palaestina ex monumentis veteribus illustrata,
Traj. Batav. 1714, quarto. This has ever been, and yet re-
mains, the standard classic work on Ancient Palestine.
In respect to the modern state of the countries here treated
of, — the Central Region, — the chief source of information
and reference in this work is naturally the author's own
published volumes upon the Holy Land. Indeed, so far as
relates to the country west of the Jordan, the present volume
may be regarded, to a certain extent, as the systematic pre-
sentation of the author's own personal observations, made in
the country itself, and more fully recorded from day to day
in his Biblical Researches in Palestine.
Note. — The full titles of all the works referred to, and of many others
on Palestine, may be seen in the Appendix to the Biblical Researches.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF
THE HOLY LAND.
PALESTINE
NAME.
Palestine, or Palesttna, now the most common name for
the Holy Land, occurs three times in the English version of
the Old Testament ; and is there put for the Hebrew name
ndbs, elsewhere rendered Philistia.^ As thus used, it re-
. fers strictly and only to the country of the Philistines, in the
southwest corner of the land. So, too, in the Greek form,
IlaXaLaTLVTj, it is used by Joseplms.^ But both Josephus and
Philo apply the name to the whole land of the Hebrews ; and
Greek and Roman writers employed it in the like extent.^
The earliest and native name was Canaan, "ji'ss, Xavadv,
or Land of Canaan.^ This word signifies " a low tract ; " in
contrast perhaps to d-nx, Aram, or Syria ; that is, " the higher
tracts " of Lebanon and Syria. It would therefore strictly
apply only to the plains along the coast ; and it is so used
for Philistia and for Phenicia.^ But it is also frequently
used as comprising the whole country west of the Jordan.^
1 Ex. XV. 14; Isa. xiv. 29, 31; Ps. Ix. 8, Ixxxvii. 4, cviii. 9.
2 Antiq., 1. 6. 2; Ibid., 2. 15.2.
8 Joseph. Antiq., 8. 10. 3. Philo, Opera (ed. Mangey), II. pp. 20, 106, 457.
Hdot., 1. 105. Strabo, IG. 4. 18.
* Gen. xii. 5, xvi. 3; Ex. xv. 15; Judg. iil. 1.
5 Philistia, Zeph. ii. 5. Phenicia, Isa. xxiii. 11, in Hebrew and Septuagint.
Comp. Obad. xx.
6 Gen. xii. 5; Num. xxxiii. 51, xxxiv. 2; Josh. xxi. 2, xxii. 9; Acts xiii. 19.
Joseph. Antiq., 1. 6. 2; Ibid., 2. 15. 3.
4
16 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
Palestine is known as the Promised Land, because it was
promised of God to Abraham.^
It is called the Hohj Land, once in Scripture,^ and now
commonly ; as having been, with the Hebrews, its inhabi-
tants, a peculiar possession of Jehovah, where his glory was
revealed for ages, and where later the Messiah became flesh
and dwelt with men. For all who hold to the one only true
God it is to this day the Holy Land, as the original seat and
source of all true religion.
Other names, derived from the different appellations by
which the inhabitants were known, require no illustration.
Such are : Land of the Hebreivs, of Lsrael or the Lsraelites, of
the Jews, etc. So too the Land of Jadah, or Jiidea; which,
though strictly referring only to the southern part of the .
country, are sometimes in popular usage applied to the
whole.
BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT.
The country promised to Abraham, and described by
Moses, was bounded on the west by the Mediterranean, and.
on the cast by the Jordan.^ Only at a later period the por-
tion of two and a half tribes was assigned to them on the
east of the Jordan. The northern boundary, as we shall see
hereafter, included Phenicia and Mount Lebanon.*
Of the southern border we have two specifications, — one
by Moses, and the other, as the southern border of the tribe
of Judah, in the division of the land by Joshua.^ Accord-
ing to these accounts, the southeastern corner of the land
was the desert of Zin, in the 'Arabah, at the south end of
1 Gen. xii. 7, xiii. 15, xvii. 8; Ps. cv. 9, IL
2 Zcch. il. 12. ^ 3 Num. xxxiv. 6, 12.
* Num. xxxiv. 7, 8; comp. Josh. xiii. 5. ^ Num. xxxiv. 3-5; Josh, xv 1-4.
BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT.
17
the Dead Sea, adjacent to the border of Edom. The bound-
ary line began at the tongue or bay of the sea, looking ^^outh-
ward, and passed up the ascent of Akrabbim to Zin, and so
on southward to Kadesh-Barnea ; thence it was carried by
Hezron, Adar, Karkaa, and Azmon, to the brook or torrent
of Egypt, and ended at the Mediterranean. The earlier ac-
count omits Hezron and Karkaa ; and for Adar, it has Hazar-
Addar.
Of the places here enumerated, only a few are known.
By the " tongue " or bay of the sea is perhaps to be under-
stood the shallow portion on the south of the peninsula.
Perhaps the line began at the mouth of the Wady el-Ahsy,
which appears to have separated Edom from Moab. The
ascent of Akrabbim is probably the line of cliffs running
across the 'Arabah a few miles south of the Dead Sea, form-
ing merely the ascent to the higher level of the great valley
further south. ^ Kadesh is to be sought in the valley, on its
western side, probably at 'Ain el-Weibeh, the chief water-
ing-place of the Arabs iu the whole region. ^ None of the
other places towards the west are known, until we reach
" the brook or torrent of Egypt," near the southeastern
corner of the Mediterranean, afterwards the site of liJdno-
korura, and now called "Wady el-'Arish.
For the purposes of the present work, we assume as the
southern boundary the parallel of Lat. 31° X. This is suf-
ficiently near, and divides Moab and Edom correctly. But
there must be a slight curve towards the south in order to
include Kadesh.
The western border is of course the Mediterranean ; the
eastern is the desert.
1 Biblical Researches in Palestine, IT. pp. 116, 120 [II. pp. 494, 501]. — The sec-
ond numbers refer to the first, the first to the second edition of this work.
2 Ibid., II. pp. 174, 193 [II. pp. 582, GIO].
18
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
For the northern houndary, we assume a line begmning
near the northern base of the Promontoriiim Albimi, now
Ras el-Abyad, south of Tyre, in about Lat. 3o° 10' X., and
drawn slightly north of east, and curving so as to take in
Kana, the fortress Tibnin, and also Hunm, until it strikes
near Dan and Banias at the southern base of Hermon, in
Lat. 33° 16' N. On this parallel the line continues to the
eastern desert. This desert may be said to constitute the
eastern border of Palestine.
The length of the territory thus included, is, as we have
already seen, 136 minutes of latitude ; that is, 136 geograph-
ical miles, or 158 English miles. The breadth is greatest
near Gaza, in about Long. 34° 31' E. from Greenwich ; and
at the promontory of Carmel, nearly in Long. 34° 58' E. It
may be estimated as not far from 90 degrees of longitude at
these points, — equal to about seventy-five geographical miles,
or from eighty-five to ninety English miles. But if measured
by hours along the roads, both the length and breadth would
appear much greater.
The whole area of the land of Palestine, consequently,
does not vary greatly from twelve thousand geographical
square miles, — about equal to the area of the two States of
Massachusetts and Connecticut together. Of this whole area,
more than one half, or about seven thousand square miles,
being by far the most important portion, lies on the west of
the Jordan.
CHAPTER I.
THE SURFACE — GENERAL FEATURES.
The striking feature in the aspect of the country, consists
in the four long parallel tracts or strips of territory into
which the land naturally divides itself ; two of them low, and
two elevated. They are as follows :
I. The low plain along the coast, interrupted only at the
northern end and at Carmel. See under Plains.
II. The valley or plain of the Jordan, depressed in great
part helow the level of the Mediterranean. See Yalleys.
III. The range of hill-country and mountains west of Jor-
dan, extending from Lebanon south, throughout the land,
and interrupted only at the plain of Esdraelon.
lY. The range of hill-country and mountains east of Jor-
dan, extending from Hermon south, throughout Bashan,
Gilead, and Moab. East of the lake of Tiberias, the high
plateau spreads out into the plain of Hauran.
In describing more fully the features of each of the above
divisions, we begin always from the north.
20
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
SECTION 1.
MOUNTAINS AND HILL-COUNTRY.
The Hebrew word •nn , a mount, mountain, is used in a wider
sense than the corresponding English word. It is applied
not only to the loftiest mountain, but also to what in Eng-
lish is simply a MIL It is sometimes properly so rendered in
the English version ; as the lull Samaria ; and also, in the
plural, the mountains of Samaria would with more propriety
be rendered the hills of Samaria.^ So, too, the singular is
often used collectively ; as 3Iou7it Ephraim for the mountains
of Ephraim. Mount Judah for the mountains or hill-country of
Judah, and the like.
I. MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
1. North of the Plain of Esdraelon.
The hill-country between the plains of the coast and the
valley of the Jordan connects with the southern end of Leb-
anon near Sidon, and extends southward, at first as a broad,
elevated tract of rolling and mostly arable land, skirted on
the east by the great valley, and on the west by the narrow
Phenician plain. South of the parallel of latitude 38° IG' N.,
our northern boundary of Palestine, it rises gradually and
becomes more rugged. On the east, it overlooks the Jordan
valley by a steep descent. On the west, it spreads itself out
in masses of rocky ridges and cliffs, intersected by deep and
1 1 Kings xvi. 24; Jer. xxxi. 5.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
21
wild valleys quite to the sea, between the plains of Tyre and
'Akka. Here it forms the promontories Ras el-Abyad and
Ras en-Nakurah ; the former being the Promontorium Album
of the ancients, and the latter the Scala Tyriorum or Ladder
of Tyre.i
A high point in this district is a lofty hill just west of Ra-
mah in Asher, called Belat ; and having upon it the columns
and ruins of a rude, antique temple. The view from it is
extensive on every side, and includes the whole coast, from
Tyre on the north to 'Akka and Carmel on the south. It is
a wild district ; though with much tillage, and more pastur-
age.
More elevated is the region lying west of that part of the
Jordan which flows between the lake Huleh and that of Tibe-
rias. Here are the proper mountains of Naphtali ; though
the whole district, as far north as Kedesh, is once, and but
once, spoken of in Scripture, collectively, as Mount Naph-
tali? The town of Safed stands upon a lofty hill, and is con-
spicuous from every quarter ; the elevation being, according
to Symonds, two thousand seven hundred and seventy-five
feet above the sea. Further west is a higher tract of moun-
tains, terminating towards the north in a fine cliff or bluff,
near Gaza, called Jebel Jermuk from a village upon the ridge.
It is the highest peak hi Galilee, and rises not less than a
thousand feet or more above the level of Safed, or nearly four
thousand feet above the sea. The ridge runs off southwest
for six or eight miles, where it sinks into lower hills ; while
at the same point another elevated ridge runs from it west-
ward, at an acute angle, and as a high mountain skirts the
1 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 2. 10. 2. Comp. D'Anville's Map of Palestine. Ritter,
Th. XVI. pp. 809, 813, 814.
2 Josh. XX. 7.
22
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
north side of the plain of Ramah. As seen from the south,
these mountains appear quite lofty, and are, indeed, the
highest in Galilee. ^ The hill-country, which here skirts the
plain of 'Akka, is high, though mostly arable.
South of the plain of Ramah, a lower and narrow ridge
separates it from another plain. On this ridge is Tell Hazur,
a high point with no trace of ruins.^ Beyond the second
plain a broad ridge, or rather double range of elevated hills,
separates it from the beautiful plain of Zebulun, now called
el-Buttauf. This range of hills is probably the mountain
Asamon of Josephus, not far from Sepphoris.^ From this
plain southward the country is rolling, with some elevated
tracts, like the hill or ridge above Nazareth, the Wely on
which is everywhere conspicuous.
Eastward from the plain el-Buttauf, and situated in a lower
plain, is the village of Hattin ; above which, on the south,
Kiirun Hattin, Miorns of Hattm,' known in Latin tradition
as the Mount of the Beatitudes^ where our Lord is said to have
delivered the Sermon on the Mount. This tradition, however,
cannot be traced back beyond the age of the crusades ; and
the Greek church does not acknowledge it.^ The spot was
signalized, in 1187, by the complete overthrow of the host of
the Franks by Saladin.^ The singular character of the hill
may have given rise to the tradition. As seen from the high
southern plain, it is about a quarter of a mile in length from
east to west, with a higher point at each end ; but is nowhere
more than some sixty feet above the plain. On reaching the
top, however, it is found to lie along the very border of the
1 Lat. Biblical Researches, pp. 72-77. 2 ibid., p. 8L
3 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 2. 18. 11.
4 Biblical Researches, IL p. 371 [HL p. 238].
* See the account in Biblical Researches, H. p. 372 sq. [HI. p. 240 sq.].
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
23
southern plain, where this sinks down at once by a precipi-
tous offset to the lower plain of Hattm. From this latter the
northern side of the Tell rises, very steeply, not much less
than four hundred feet.^
The hills and rolling country bordering the plain of Es-
draelon on the north, sink down on its western quarter,
gradually, and run out as low ridges and disappear in the
plain. Further east, around Xazareth, the hills are higher.
That on the west of Nazareth rises to the height of about
sixteen hundred feet, and affords one of the finest views in all
Palestine.^ Those skirting the plain are also high and pre-
cipitous. One of them, a precipice of rock overlooking the
plain, is called by the Latins the Mount of Precipitation^ as
being the supposed spot where the people of Nazareth were
about to cast our Lord down " from the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built." A more clumsy legend
hardly exists, among all those which have been fastened on
the Holy Land. It does not reach back beyond the time of
the crusades ; and the spot itself is some two miles distant,
south by east, from Nazareth.^
Nearly S. E. by E. from Nazareth, at the southeastern
corner of these higher hills, but isolated from them, and
jutting out into the northeastern arm of the great plain,
which sweeps around it in the south and east, rises gracefully
the Mount Tabor of scriptural history, the Itahyrion or
Atahyrion of the Septuagint and Greek writers.^ Its name
among the Arabs is Jebel et-Tur. It is a beautiful moun-
1 Biblical Researches, II. p. 370 [III. p. 238].
2 See Biblical Researches, II. p. 336 [III. p. 189].
3 Luke iv. 28-30. Biblical Researches, II. p. 338 [III. p. 187].
* Sept., Hos. V. 1 'iTa^vpiov, comp. Pierson's Comm. in loc. Onomast., Article
Itahyrion. Polyb. 5. 70. 6. 'Ara^vpiov.
24
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
tain, wholly of limestone, standing out prominently •upon
its plain ; the latter being strictly table-land, several hun-
dred feet above the level of the lake of Tiberias. As seen
from the southwest, the mountain appears like the segment
of a sphere ; looking at it from the W. X. W., the form
inclines more to the truncated cone. A low ridge connects
it in the W. N. W. with the adjacent hills ; and from this
ridge ascends the ancient and still usual road to the summit.
This is the most feasible path, steps being in some places
cut in the rock ; yet there is no part of the mountain where
it could not easily be ascended on foot, and in most places,
also, without much difficulty, on horseback.^
There is good soil on the sides of the mountain all the
way up, and grass grows everywhere luxuriantly. The
sides are mostly clothed with bushes and orchards of oak
trees (ilex and cegilops)^ with also occasionally the Butm
(jnstacia terebinthvs), like the glades of a forest, presenting
a beautiful appearance and fine shade. The top of the
mountain now consists of a little oblong plain or basin, ex-
tending from N. W. to S. E., with ledges of rock on each
side. In ancient times it was the site of a city, Tabor;
remains of which, as also of fortifications out of different
periods, are still visible. The height of Tabor is given at
eighteen hundred and sixty-five feet above the sea, or about
thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the general level of
the plain.
I The view from Tabor is extensive and beautiful. In the
southwest and west are seen the great plain and Carmel,
the hills around Nazareth, and portions of the Mediterranean
more to the right. In the north and northeast are Safed
1 See generally the description in Biblical Researches, H. p. 3-51 sq. [HL p.
210 sq.J.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
25
and tlie mountains of Naphtali, with Hormon and its icy
crown beyond, while near at hand is traced the outline of
the deep basin of the lake of Tiberias, in which only a small
portion of the lake itself is visible. Beyond the lake the eye
takes in the table-lands of Jaulan and Hauran ; and further
south, beyond the Jordan, the higher mountains of Bashan
and Gilead. Towards the south, the view is mostly shut in
by the ridges of Little Hermon and Gilboa. As seen from
Tabor, Mount Gilboa lies to the left of the Little Hermon,
and appears somewhat higher.
Mount Tabor is mentioned several times in the Old Testa-
ment ; first as on the border of Issachar and Zebulun, and
then as the place where Deborah and Barak gathered the
women of Israel before their great battle with Sisera.^ The
Psalmist exclaims : " Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in
thy name ; " selecting these two as the representatives of all
the mountains of Palestine and its borders, — the former as
the most graceful, and the latter as the loftiest.^ There
was also in those days a city of the same name upon the
summit, which belonged to Zebulun, but was assigned to
the Levites.^ Xo mention is made of Tabor in the New
Testament.
The historian Polybius relates, that, about 218 B. C., An-
tiochus the Great of Syria " came to Atabyrion, a place
lying on a breast-formed height, having an ascent of more
than fifteen stadia ; and by stratagem he got possession of
the city, which he fortified.* According to Josephus, a
1 Josli. xix. 22; comp. vs. 12; Judg. iv. 6, xii. 14. Joseph. Antiq., 5. 1. 22.
Ibid., 5. 5. 3.
2 Ps. Ixxxix. 12; corap. Jer. xliv. 18; IIos. v. 1,
3 1 Chron. vi. 77. Perhaps the city is referred to in Josh. xix. 22.
4 Polyb., 5. 70. 6.
4
26
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
battle took place at Mount Itabyrion, about 53 B.C., between
the Romans under Gabinius, and the Jews under Alex-
ander, in which ten thousand of the latter were slain.^ At
a later period, Josephus himself fortified Mount Tabor,
along with several other places.^ Still later, and after
Josephus had been made prisoner, a great multitude of the
Jews took refuge in this fortress ; against whom Vespasian
sent Placidus. By a feint he drew off a large number to
the plain and cut off their return, and thus compelled the
remainder, who were straitened for water, to surrender.^
Tabor is often mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome in the
fourth century. At that time the legend had become cur-
rent that this mountain had been the place of our Lord's
transfiguration. This is contradicted by the fact that a for-
tified city then occupied the summit. The testimony of the
Evangelists also goes to show that the transfiguration took
place whilst our Lord and his apostles were in the region of
Cesarea Philippi.^
On the eastern part of the great plain of Esdraelon, rise
two parallel mountain ridges. Little Hermon and Gilboa,
running from west to east, and separating the whole tract
between Tabor and the hills of Samaria into three parts, like
arms, extending eastward from the plain. The northern
arm, between Tabor and Little Hermon, sweeps round on
the east of Tabor ; that in the middle, between Little Her-
mon and Gilboa, is the great valley of Jezrcel, and sinks
down as a broad and fertile plain to the Gh3r or Jordan
1 Joseph. Antiq., 14. 6. 3. Bel. Jud., 1. 8. 7.
2 Joseph. Vita, § 37. Bel. Jud., 2. 20. C.
3 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 1. 8.
* Onomast., Articles Thabor, Itahyrhm, etc. Matth. xvii. 1 sq.; Mark ix. 2 sq.,
Luke ix. 28 sq, Comp. Matth. xvi. 13; Mark viii. 27. See more in Biblical Re-
searches, H. p. 358 [IH. p. 222].
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
27
valley ; the southern one, between Gilboa and the hills of
Samaria, slopes up gradually eastward to a considerable
elevation.
The ridge of Little Hermon begins at a point north of
Zer'in (Jezreel), and rises rapidly to its highest elevation of
not far from eighteen hundred feet, about S. by TV. of Tabor.
Near the summit is a village, ed-Duhy, which now gives its
name to the mountain, Jebel ed-Duhy. The ridge soon sinks
again into a tract of table-land, which continues to the
border of the Jordan valley. This Hermon is not mentioned
in Scripture ; and the name Hermon is first applied to it by
Jerome, in the fourth century.^ But the towns of Shunem
(Sulam) on its western end, and Endor on its northeastern
quarter, belong to scriptural history.
The ridge of Mount Gilboa has its beginning a little S. E.
from Zer'in, and rises rapidly at ^rst, and afterwards more
gradually, till it attains its highest elevation in its eastern
part, near the village Fuku'a, from which it is now called
Jebel Fuku'a. It is higher than Little Hermon, and perhaps
than Tabor. A little further south is another village, now
Jelbon, representing an ancient Gilboa, from which, doubt-
less, came the ancient name of the mountain. The general
course of the ridge is E. by S. The northern side, over-
shadowing the valley of Jezreel, is very steep and rocky ;
indeed, little is to be seen except the bare wall of rock. Near
the Gliur, this northern side sweeps round in an arc of a
circle, and the mountain then forms the western side of the
Ghor for some distance south. The southern ridge of the
mountain rises quite gradually, and is everywhere cultivated
and inhabited.
Mount Gilboa is celebrated in Scripture as the scene of
1 Hieron. Opera (ed. Martianay), IV. ii. pp. 552, 677.
28
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the great battle between Israel under Saul and the Philis-
tines, in which the former were totally routed, and Saul and
his three sons slain. The Philistines pitched first at Shu-
nem. on the west end of Little Hermon, and Israel over
against them on the western part of Mount Gilboa ; but
afterwards they descended, the Philistines to Aphek, and
Israel to the fountain in the valley.^ A more than usual
interest is given to this battle, by the previous interview of
Saul with the witch of En dor, on the north side of Little
Hermon ; and by the touching lamentation of David over
Saul and Jonathan.^
About W. by S. from Tabor, and in the western quarter
of tlie plain of Esdraelon, rises the southern end of Mount
Carmel. This mountain runs as a long straight ridge of
compact limestone, from S. S. E. to N. N. W. about fifteen
miles in length, until it terminates as a high promontory on
the coast of the Mediterranean. It forms the southern head-
land of the bay of 'Akka. The ridge of Carmel is connected
with the northwestern part of the hill country of Samaria
by a range of lower rounded hills, about ten miles in length,
running between the two in the same line with the mountain
itself, and separating the plain of Esdraelon from that of
Sharon.
On its northeastern side the mountain falls off steeply, and
sometimes precipitously, with little of tillage except along
the foot, but sprinkled over with noble oaks, and rich in
pasturage. The southeastern line of hills is, on this side,
naked of trees, but grassy ; contrasting strongly with the
mountain itself. The long crest of Carmel is a tract of
table-land. Towards the S. W., the side of the mountain
1 1 Sam. x^jviii. 4, xxix. 1, xxxi. 1-13.
« 1 Sara, xxviii. 7-20; 2 Sam. i. 17-27.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
29
sinks down gradually into wooded hills, with well-watered
valleys, presenting to the eye a district of great beauty, rich
in tillage and pasturage, declining gently into the southern
plain and the adjacent lower hills. In the different character
of its two sides, Carmel greatly resembles Lebanon ; though
on a much smaller scale. Hence " the glory of Lebanon,"
and " the excellency of Carmel," are fitly spoken of to-
gether.^
The northwestern extremity of Carmel, a bold and lofty
promontory, rises imposingly from the sea to an elevation
of at least five hundred feet.^ On its top is a celebrated
convent of the Carmelite order. The crest of the mountain
rises gradually and evenly towards the S. S. E. for about
two thirds of the whole length. Tlie highest point is a short
distance northwest of Esfia, where the elevation is estimated
at eighteen hundred feet. It then sinks gradually in like
manner to the southeastern end ; having at that point near
the village el-Mansurah an elevation of sixteen hundred and
thirty-five feet.
At the southern end of Carmel, and along its eastern base,
comes down a narrow valley, Wady el-Milh, which lies be-
tween the mountain and the lower rounded hills, that stretch
off southeast as far as Lejjun. Up this valley lies the inland
road from 'Akka to Ramleh, on the east of Carmel ; and
by it the French army approached 'Akka in 1799. A road
along the shore, perhaps more travelled, passes around the
promontory of Carmel, between it and the sea.
Mount Carmel has its name ^ garden^ from its fer-
tility and beauty ; as also from its abundance of blossoms.
1 Isa. XXXV. 2.
2 Schubert gives six hundred and twenty feet; Symonds only four hundred and
eighty-nine feet. The mean is five hundred and fifty-four feet.
30
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Besides its oaks and other forest trees above, and its olive
and other fruit trees farther down, the mountain is gay with
multitudes of flowers, such as hyacinths, jonquils, anemones,
and many others.^ In ancient times, also, the vine flourished
on its southern slopes ; as around Hebron and on Lebanon.
Hence Carmel is often employed by the sacred writers as a
type of beauty. The head of the spouse in Canticles is as
Carmel ; and to the renovated wilderness is promised both
" the glory of Lebanon " and " the excellency of Carmel
and Sharon.2 As such, too, Carmel is coupled with Tabor,
with Bashan, and with Lebanon. ^ On the other hand, the
withering of Carmel marks utter desolation and the judg-
ments of God.^ The prophets Elijah and Elisha occasionally
resorted to this mountain ; and here the Shunamite found
the latter.^ At Carmel, likewise, took place the miraculous
sacrifice of Elijah ; at which the four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal were slain. ^
In respect to this sacrifice, it may be remembered that
the whole land was now suffering in the third year of
drought and famine ; ' and that, of course, all the streams
and fountains of the land were dried up, except the very
few which are perennial. The river Kishon was dry, as it
now is almost every summer, above its permanent sources ;
which lie along the foot of Carmel, below the point where
the river reaches that mountain. The direction of Elijah
1 0. V. Richter, p. 65. Schubert enumerates the names of nearly fifty species
of trees and plants, merely as a specimen of what a traveller meets with on
Carmel; Reise, HL iii. 212.
2 Cant. vii. 5; Isa. xxxv. 2.
3 Jer. xlvi. 18; Mic. vii. 14; 2 Kings xix. 23; Isa. xxxvii. 24.
* Amos i. 2; Nahum i. 4.
« 1 Kings xviii. 19, 42; 2 Kings ii. 25; Iv. 25.
6 1 Kings xviii. 17-46. ^ 1 Kings xviii. 1, 2.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF TIIE JORDAN.
31
was to gather to him all Israel unto Mount Carmcl not
to the summit, where there was no standing-jDlace for such
a multitude, and no water either for them or for the sacri-
fice.2 All these circumstances go to show that the trans-
action took place at the foot of the mountain, perhaps at
some Tell, near the permanent fountains of t jo Kishon. It
was also at the part of Carmel nearest to Jczroel ; and there-
fore near the southeastern quarter of the mountain.^ After
the fire of tlie Lord had fallen upon Elijah's offering, and
the priests of Baal had been put to dcuth, Elijah with his
servant went up for the first time to the top of Carmel.*
Josephus, in giving an account of the same sacrifice at
Carmel, says nothing to imply that it was offered upon the
summit.^
The New Testament contains no allusion to Mount Car-
mel. Among the heathen it was in high repute, and was
the seat of an oracle. Scylax calls it " a mountain sacred to
Jupiter : " and Jamblichus relates, that, because it was more
sacred and inaccessible than other mountains, Pythagoras
often resorted alone to its temple.^ Tacitus says, in speak-
ing of Carmel: " Thus they call tho rjountjin and the god.
Neither statue to the god, nor temple, so the ancients have
handed downjonly an altar and worship."^ " Here Vespasian
1 1 Kings xviii. 19. 2 i Kings xviii. 33-35.
3 1 Kings xviii. 44-40. * \ Kings xviii. 42.
* Joseph. Antiq. 8. 13. 5, 6. A recent hypothesis assumes, as the place of the
sacrifice, the summit of the southern point of tlie ridge of Carmel, distant tv.^o or
three hours (or at least five miles) from the permanent sources of the Kislion.
One writer thinks the water might have been brought from a fountain tv. o or
three hundred feet below the summit ; but this fountain the Rev. W. M. Thomson
afterwards saw nearly dried up, during the heat of an ordinary summer.
6 Reland, Palaestina, pp. 329, 432. Jamblich., Vita Pythag. c. 3.
5^ Tacitus, Hist. 2. 78: "Vsst Judneam inter Syriamque Carmdus ; ira vocant
montem deumque. Nec simulacrum deo, aut templum, sic tradiderc majores:
aram tantum et reverentiam." Comp. Movers, I. p. 670.
32 Pin^SICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
offered sacrifice ; and the priests prophesied that he would
become emperor.^ All this shows, tliat here was a heathen
altar and oracle ; and the place of it is, by all analogy, to
be souglit upon the promontory overlooking tlic sea.
In the days of monkish asceticism, Carmel was thronged
with hermits dwelling in cells in the rocks ; partly, perhaps,
iiatural, and partly excavated. Very many of these cells are
yet to bo seen.^
2. South of the Plain of Esdraelon.
The range of hill-country and mountains west of the
Jordan, as we have seen, is completely interrupted by the
great plain of Esdraelon. This plain, in its gdiieral level,
nowhere rises more than some four hundred feet above the
Mediterranean. Through its middle arm, the valley of
Jezreel on the cast, and the valley of the Kishon along the
base of Carmel in the west, it thus affords an easy and com-
paratively level roadway between the Jordan and the bay of
'Akka.
South of the plain of Esdraelon, the hill-country rises
again gradually until around Hebron it reaches an elevation
of about two thousand eight hundred feet above the Mediter-
ranean. South of Hebron it again declines, until the hills
terminate not far from Tell 'Arad and Bcersheba.
The eastern line of this hill-country, along the valley of
the Jordan, begins with the southeastern portion of the
mountains of Gilboa, which turns south along that valley
for a few miles. Then succeeds a tract of hills and broken
ridges, ending in the bluff el-Makhrud, on the north side of
1 Suetonius, Vcspas. c. 5: "Apud Judscam Carmeli Deioraculum consulcntcra,
ita confiimai vere sortcs, ut, quidquid cogitarct volveretque animo, quantum libet
magnum, id esse provcnturum, polliccrentur."
2 O. V. liichtcr, p. 05. Jac. dc Vitr. Hist. HicrosoL p. 1075.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
33
the plain of Wady Fari'a. South of that plain runs down
the frowning promontory of Kurn Siirtabeh ; and beyond it a
line of mountain wall skirts the valley, extending along the
Dead Sea and far beyond. This wall rises from one thousand
to fifteen hundred feet above the depressed valley, is every-
where steep and sometimes precipitous, and is often cleft to
its base by the deep valleys and gorges that issue from the
mountains. All is irregular and wild ; presenting, especially
along the Dead Sea, scenes of savage grandeur.
The western line of the same hill-country begins near
Lejjun and Um el-Fahm, where the range of hills coming
from Carmel unites with those of Samaria. From Um el-
Fahm there is a wide prospect over the western plain ; and
after travelling a short distance southeast, we have views of
the whole plain of Esdraelon. The western line is in gen-
eral less distinct - and marked than the eastern ; though in
some parts it is equally high and precipitous. Thus in the
northern portion it is much broken, and declines westward
rapidly into a tract of lower hills. Indeed, it is not till we
come opposite to Lydda and Ramleh that we find the steep
ascent or mountain wall. Here the height between the two
Beth-horons is not less than one thousand feet ; and the
same is the case between Latron and Saris. South of Zorali
the steep wall mostly ceases ; and the hill-country, as such,
terminates north of Beersheba.
Along the whole western base of the mountainous region,
lies a tract of lower hills, varying in breadth, forming the
middle region between the mountains and the plain, and
interrupted only occasionally, as at Zorah, by a spur or
promontory from the mountains. This tract is, for the most
part, a beautiful open country, consisting of low hills, usu-
ally rocky, separated by broad arable valleys mostly well
5
34
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
adapted for grain, as are also many of the swelling hills.
The whole tract is full of villages and deserted sites and
ruins, and there are many olive groves. In some parts, as
towards the north, it may be difficult to draw the exact line
between the mountains and this lower tract ; but as seen,
for example, from the tower of Ramleh, the dark frowning
mountains of Judah rise abruptly from, the tract of hills at
their foot.
The breadth of the upper mountainous region, from the
eastern to the western brow, is some fifteen or twenty miles.
It is strictly an elevated plateau, — a region of irregular
table-land. The surface is everywhere rocky and uneven ;
sometimes spreading into smaller plains, often rising into
mountain ridges which run in all directions ; and in every
part cut up by deep valleys and ravines, which cleave their
way to the lower tracts upon the east and west, to the Jordan
or the Mediterranean. The water shed along this high pla-
teau follows in general the height of land ; and is in great
part indicated also by the course of the great road from
Hebron to Jerusalem, Nabulus, and Jenin. Yet, in this
whole course, the heads of the valleys, which run off in dif-
ferent directions, often interlap ; so that sometimes a valley
which descends to the Jordan has its head a mile or two
westward of the beginning of other valleys, which run to the
western sea.
One feature of this high mountain plateau has been dis-
closed only since the discovery of the deep depression of the
Dead Sea and Jordan valley. That sea lies (in round num-
bers) thirteen hundred feet below the level of the Mediterra-
nean.^ The eastern brow of the mountain overhanging the
1 More exactly thirteen hundred and seventeen feet, according to the level of
Lynch and Dale.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
35
Dead Sea, is thirteen hundred feet above it ; or ahnost
precisely on the level of the western sea. Jerusalem is two
thousand six hundred feet above the Mediterranean ; while
the western mountain brow is two thousand feet above the
same.i Hence, in the slope from Jerusalem to the west-
ern brow, there is a descent of six hundred feet ; while in
that from Jerusalem to the eastern brow, a distance not
much greater, the descent is two thousand six hundred feet ;
a difference of two thousand feet ! This remarkable feature
is chiefly conspicuous south of Kurn Surtabeh. The enor-
mous descent of the eastern slope is very marked, as seen
from the hill of Taiyibeh and the Mount of Olives ; and is
fully felt by the traveller in passing from Hebron or Carmel
of the south to the Dead Sea
This whole tract of mountains south of the great plain,
is spoken of in Scripture in two divisions, under names
drawn from the larger Hebrew tribes which had them in
possession. The northern portion are the 3Iountains of
Uj)hraim, which in the EnglisliYersion are referred to only
collectively as Mount Ephraim ; ^ the southern are the Moun-
tains of Jadah^ or collectively (in the EnglisliYersion) once
as the Mountain of Judah^ and thrice as the Hill-Country of
Judah.^ Once the two portions are designated as the Moun-
tains of Juda\ and the Movniains of Israel.^ The line of
division appears to have been the border between the tribes
of Benjamin and Ephraim, which also was later the boundary
1 By the same level, the height of the road below Saris is nineteen hundred
and eighty-nine feet above the Mediterranean.
2 Comp. Biblical Researches, I. pp. 490^ 501 [11. pp. 202, 204].
8 Josh. xvii. 15; Judg. vii. 24, ix. 4; Jer. 1. 19, etc.
* Josh. xi. 21, XV. 48; 2 Chron. xxi. 11, xxvii. 4. Coll. Josh. xx. 7, xxi. 11.
Greek, fi hpeiv^ ttjs 'lovSa/a, Luke i. 39, 65.
Josh. xi. 21.
36 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
between the kingdoms of Judali and Israel. It lay between
Bethel on the north, and Ramah and Beeroth on the south.
The following places are said expressly to be in Mount
Ephraim ; namely, Shechem, Shamir, Timnath-Serah, Rama-
thaim-Zophim, and Deborah's palm-tree between Ramah and
Bethel.i
The Mountains of Samaria, in the plural, are once put by
.Jeremiah for Mount Ephraim, which stands in the next
verse. So also once in Amos.^
Twice in the book of Joshua the Mountains of Israel are
named, instead of what is elsewhere Mount Ephraim.^ But
in the prophet Ezekiel the phrase Mountains of Israel occurs
often ; and includes the mountains of both the kingdoms
Judah and Israel.*
From this general description, we now turn to enumerate
the particular mountains named in Scripture in connection
with this hill-country.
Mountains of Ephraim — TJie Mount or Hill of Samaria,
in the singular, is the fine mound-like eminence on which
the city of Samaria was built. It stands in the midst of an
extensive basin, shut in all around by higher hills and
ridges.5 The situation is one of great beauty. The hill
itself and the country around are fertile and highly culti-
vated.
Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim belong together, both in
1 Shechem, Josh. xx. 7; 1 Kings xii. 25. Shamir, Judg. x. 1, 2. Timnath-
Serah, Josh. xix. 50, xxiv. 30. Ramathaim-Zophim, 1 Sam. i. 1. The palm tree,
Judg. iv. 5.
2 Jer. xxxi. 5, 6; Amos iii. 9.
3 Josh. xi. 16, 21.
< Ez. xxxvii. 22; comp. vi. 2, xix. 9, Xxxiv. 13, 14, xxxix. 2, 4, etc.
« 1 Kings xvi. 24; Amos iv. 1, vi. 1. See Biblical Researches, II. p. 304 [IH.
p. 138].
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
37
position and in history. They form the highest part of the
mountain wall which skirts the long plain of the Mukhna
on the west. North of the middle of the plain, where this
wall is the highest, it is cleft to the bottom by the narrow
valley running up northwest, in which stands Nabulus, the
ancient Shechem. The mountain on the north is Ebal ;
that on the south, Gerizim. The valley is not more than
five or six hundred yards wide at the bottom ; and the
mountain brows are so near together, that persons upon
them might easily be heard form one to the other over the
deep valley below. The elevation of Gerizim only has been
measured, and amounts to two thousand six hundred and
fifty feet above the sea, or about eight hundred feet above
Nabulus. As seen from the east, Ebal appears to be a hun-
dred feet or more higher,^ — apparently the highest land in
all Mount Ephraim.
Both Ebal and Gerizim rise in steep, rocky precipices
immediately from the narrow valley. The sides of both, as
seen from the valley, are equally naked and sterile ; al-
though some have chosen to describe the side of Gerizim as
fertile, and that of Ebal alone as sterile. The only excep-
tion in favor of Gerizim, is a small ravine coming down
opposite the west end of the city, which is full of fountains,
fruit trees, and verdure. In other respects, the sides of
both mountains, as here seen, are desolate, except where a
few olive trees are scattered upon them. The side of Ebal,
along the foot, has many ancient sepulchres cut in the rock.
The modern name of the southern mountain is Jebel et-Tur.
A walk of twenty minutes leads from the city up along
the ravine to the top of Gerizim ; which is found to be a
tract of fertile table-land stretching off far to the west and
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 298.
38
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
southwest. Twenty minutes more southeast, along nearly
level ground, leads to the eastern brow (or angle) of the
mountain, where the ground is somewhat higher, overlooking
the large plain below with its smaller eastern arm, and all
the country in the east and northeast, with Hermon in the
distance. The top of Ebal is here seen to be of the same
character, — an extensive tract of arable table-land.
Before the Hebrews entered Palestine, the Lord com-
manded Moses that they should set up on Mount Ebal great
stones, plastered over, on which a copy of the whole law
should be inscribed, and at the same time they should build
an altar of whole stones, also on Ebal, and offer burnt offer-
ings and peace offerings in token of rejoicing. On the same
occasion the law was to be publicly read in the hearing of all
the people. Six tribes, Simeon, Levi, J udah, Issachar, J oseph,
and Benjamin, were to stand on Gerizim, to pronounce
blessings on obedience ; and the other six tribes, Reuben,
Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, were to stand upon
Ebal, to utter curses upon disobedience ; and to these all
the people were to respond, Amen.^ All these solemn and
imposing rites, including this public recognition of the law
and covenant by the whole people, were duly carried out
under Joshua, soon after the Hebrews entered the Promised
Land, and immediately after the destruction of Ai.^
These mountains are not further named in Scripture ;
except that Jotham is said to have uttered his beautiful par-
able from the top of Gerizim.^
From later history it appears, that when the Jews returned
from exile under Zerubbabel, and began to rebuild the
temple at Jerusalem, the Samaritans, who had been mostly
1 Dcut. xxvii. 4-8, 11-26; corap. Deut. xi. 29.
2 Josh. viii. 30-35. 3 judg. ix. 7.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
39
brought into the land by Esar-haddon, intermingled perhaps
with some of the lower class of people that had remained in
the land, proposed to aid the Jews in their good work: "Let
us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do ; and we
do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon." ^ It
was the refusal of the Jews to grant this request that gave
rise to the subsequent long-continued hostility and hatred
between the two races. About 330 B.C., while Alexander
the Great was occupied with the siege of Tyre, the Samari-
tans obtained from him permission to erect a temple of their
own on Mount Gerizim, in which an apostate Jewish priest
was made high priest.^ The mutual hatred continued to
increase ; each party contending for the sanctity of their own
temple. Wars occurred ; and the temple on Gerizim was at
length destroyed by John Hyrcanus, about 129 B.C.^ In
the times of the New Testament, the national enmity had
not abated. " The Jews had no dealings with the Samari-
tans;" and the Samaritan woman places before Jesus the
great question in dispute : " Our fathers worshipped in this
mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship." * In the subsequent centuries the
Samaritans made several insurrections against the Roman
power, until, in the reign of Justinian, about A. D. 529, they
were finally subdued, and a strong fortress erected around a
Christian church on Mount Gerizim.^
The site of their ancient temple is even now pointed out
and venerated by the little remnant of Samaritans that still
1 Ezra iv. 2.
2 Joseph. Antiq., 11. 7. 2. Comp. Neh. xiii. 28. Biblical Researches, II. p. 289
[in. p. 117J.
3 Joseph. Antiq., 13. 9. 1. Bel. Jud., 1. 2. 6.
* John iv. 9, 20.
« See generally, Biblical Researches, II. pp. 293, 294 [III. pp. 123-125].
40
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
survives in Nabulus. It is an area or platform of naked
rock, even with the ground, with slight traces of former
walls around it, and is regarded by the Samaritans as their
holiest spot, where they always put off their shoes. It is
their Kibleh, the spot towards which they always turn their
faces during prayer, wherever they may be. Three times a
year they also come up hither in solemn procession, to cele-
brate the three great Jewish festivals, — the passover, pente-
cost, and the feast of tabernacles.
The ruins of Justinian's fortress still exist in great con-
fusion ; exhibiting the massive Roman workmanship of a
late age. Some have held them to be the remains of the
Samaritan temple ; but the Samaritans themselves do not
acknowledge them, and have no respect for them.
Near by these ruins are also the foundations and remains
of an ancient town or village which once occupied the sum-
mit of Gerizim.i
From Mount Zalmon Abimelech and his followers
cut down branches, with which to burn the tower of She-
chem.2 This could only be some part of Gerizim or Ebal,
then covered with wood ; since there is no other mountain
near to Shechem. Whether the Salmon of the Psalmist was
the same, is uncertain. ^
At some distance S. W. by S. from the top of Gerizim,
rises a conical summit, crowned by a Wely, or tomb of a
Muslim saint, and hence called " Sheikh Salmon el-Farisy."
Its elevation, or that of a like neighboring summit, is given
by Symonds at two thousand three hundred and ninety-six
feet. It has not usually been seen by travellers.*
1 See generally, Biblical Researches, H. pp. 277, 278 [HL pp. 99-101].
2 Judg. ix. 48, 49. ^ Psalm Ixvlii. 14.
* We twice saw it from a distance, once from the northwest, and again from the
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JOPwDAN.
41
Abdon, one of the judges of Israel, was buried in the
Mount of the Amalekites, at Pirathon in Ephraim, now Fer'-
ata southwest of Nabulus. The town stands upon a Tell,
which is probably the mount in question. The name is
perhaps a reminiscence of Amalekites who anciently dwelt
there. 1
The phrase Mount Bethel can only refer to the elevated
ground around the city of Bethel, especially on the east,
north, and west ; but there is no particular summit or hill.
It occurs twice.2
Mount Zemaraim in Mount Ephraim, from which Abijah,
king of Judah, addressed the host of Israel, was doubtless
near the town Zemaraim, which was iii Benjamin, between
Jericho and Bethel.^ The mountain probably was situated
southeast from Bethel, near the border between the two
kingdoms. After the defeat of Israel, Abijah proceeded to
take Bethel and Ephraim (et-Taiyibeh) , farther north.
The Hill of Gaash, on the north side of which Joshua was
buried, was in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah
(or Timnath-heres) in Mount Ephraim.* The site and ruins
of Timnath in Ephraim were discovered in 1843 by the Rev.
Eli Smith, some distance northwest of Gophna. Over against
them, on the south, is a high hill ; in the north side of which
are excavated sepulchres, with porticos, of a higher style of
architecture than is usual, except around Jerusalem. This
is probably the hill Gaash.^ Elsewhere the " brooks [valleys]
southeast. See Later Biblical Researches, pp. 135, 296. Mr. Wolcott took a
bearing of it (S. 55° W.) from Gerizim. See Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 74.
1 Judg. xii. 15; comp. v. 14. Later Biblical Researches, p. 134.
2 Josh. xvi. 1; 1 Sam. xiii. 2.
8 2 Chron. xiii. 4-19; comp. Josh, xviii. 22.
* Josh. xxiv. 30; Judg. ii. 9; comp. Josh. xix. 49, 50.
« Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, pp, 484, 496.
6
42
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
of Gaash" are mentioned ; referring, I presume, to the
deep valleys round about this hill, through which the winter
torrents flow to Wady Belat.^
Mountains of Judah. — Thus far the particular mountains
described are among the mountains of Ephraim. Those
which follow belong to the mountains of Judah.
The Hill of Gibeah is not directly named in Scripture,
though it is referred to. Josephus speaks of it as a hill
(\6(/)09) thirty stadia north of Jerusalem.^ It is the present
Tuleil el-Ful, an isolated conical hill, just on the east of the
great northern road, where it forms a very conspicuous
object. On this hill the Gibeonites hanged the seven sons
of Saul before the Lord ; and this was followed by the touch-
ing manifestation of maternal tenderness by E-izpah, the con-
cubine of Saul.2
Epiphanius speaks of a mountain Gahaon (Gibeon), as
being higher thaii the mount of Olives. This could only be
the present height of Neby Samwil, near Gibeon, the proba-
ble site of ancient Mizpeh. The ridge begins not far towards
the northeast, and rises rapidly to the high point in question,
and then sinks off" gradually southwest into lower hills. To
judge by the eye, it is the liighest point of land in the whole
region. Symonds gives its elevation at two thousand six
hundred and forty-nine feet ; which is apparently too low,
being lower than the mount of Olives.*
The Mount of Olites, or Olivet,^ is several times referred
to, both in the Old and New Testaments. The present Ara-
1 2 Sam. xxiii. 30; 1 Chron. xi. 32.
2 Joseph. BeL Jud., 5. 2. 1.
3 2 Sam. xxi. G, 9, 10. Biblical Researches, I. pp. §77-579 fH. pp. 114, 115],
< Epiphan. adv. Hares, Lib. I. p. 394. Rcland, p. 345. Biblical Researches, L
p. 457 [H. p. 139].
« See Biblical Researches, I. p. 274 sq. [I. p. 405 sq.J.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
43
bic name is Jcbel ct-Tur. It lies on the east of Jerusalem,
from which it is separated by the deep and narrow valley of
Jehoshaphat. It here forms the steep eastern side of that
valley ; and is usually said to have three summits. Of these,
the middle one, and apparently the highest, is directly op-
posite the city, and has been wrongly assumed, by a very
early tradition, as the place of our Lord's ascension. From
this spot one looks down upon Jerusalem, as upon a map.
Further east is a somewhat higher point, with a Muslim
Wely, from which there is a wido view of the Dead Sea, the
Jordan valley, and the mountains beyond. The northern
summit is about a mile distant from the middle one, is
nearly or quite as high, and commands a similar view. The
ridge between the two curves somewhat eastwards, leaving
room for the valley below to expand a little in this part.
On the south of the middle summit, the ground sinks down
into a lower ridge, over against the well of Nehemiah, called
now by Franks the mount of Offence, in allusion to the idol-
atrous worship established by Solomon in the hill that is
before [eastward of] Jerusalem." ^ Across this part passes
the usual road to Bethany ; while another, more direct but
much steeper path, leads over the middle summit. The ele-
vation of the middle summit, near the church, is given by
Schubert at two thousand seven hundred . and twenty- four
feet ; being four hundred and forty-four feet above the valley
of Jehoshaphat.
Over Mount Olivet David took his way in his flight from
Absalom. 2 Here our Lord wept over Jerusalem.^ Near
Bethany, on its eastern slope, he ascended to heaven, and
1 1 Kings xi. 7, 8.
* Lake xi. 41 ; comp. vs. 37.
2 2 Sara. XV. 30; comp. Zech. xiv. 4.
44
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
from that spot the disciples returned to the city across the
mount. 1
Nearly south of Jerusalem, at the distance of seven or
eight miles, and southeast from Bethlehem, is seen the
Frank mountain, so called ; known among the Arabs as Je-
bel Fureidis. It is a striking feature in the landscape, rising
steep and round, precisely like the cone of a volcano, but
truncated. The height above the base cannot be less than
from three to four hundred feet ; and the base itself has at
least an equal elevation above the bottom of Wady Urtas in
the southwest. There are traces of terraces around the foot
of the mountain, apparently for cultivation. The top of the
mountain is a circle of about two hundred and fifty feet in
diameter. The whole of this is enclosed by the ruined walls
of an ancient circular fortress, built of hewn stones of good
size, with four massive round towers, standing one at each
of the cardinal points. The view from the summit is ex-
tensive towards the north, but less so in other directions.
On the east the prospect is bounded by the mountains of
Moab beyond the Dead Sea ; but of that sea itself only a
small portion is visible, because of intervening mountains.^
There is no reference to the Frank mountain in Scripture,
unless it was perhaps the site of the Beth-haccerem of Jere-
miah ; where the children of Benjamin were to " set up a sign
of fire," while they blew the trumpet at Tekoa.^ Jerome
says that there was a village Bethacliarma, situated on a
mountain between Tekoa and Jerusalem.* All this accords
well enough with the position of the Frank mountain ; and
it would be a most fitting spot for a signal fire. More defi-
nite, perhaps, is the account that here was the site of He-
1 Luke xxiv. 50, 51 ; Acts i. 12.
' Jer. vi. 1; comp. Neh. iii. 14.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 478 [XL p. 170],
* Hieron., Comm. in Jer. vi. 1.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF TIIE JORDAN.
45
rodium, a city and fortress built by Herod the Great, and
which also was his place of sepulture.^
In or near the valley of Rephaim, southwest of Jerusalem,
at a place called Baal-perazim, David twice defeated the
Philistincs.2 In allusion to these overthrows, the prophet
Isaiah speaks of a Mount Perazim (a*:f';5, breaches)^ appar-
ently near the same place. ^ It was very probably the high
ridge northwest of Bethlehem, between Wady Ahmed and
Wady Bittir ; which, as seen from the north, appears quite
elevated.*
Other single mountains, among the mountains of Judah,
are mentioned in connection with the northern boundary of
the tribe of Judah. Such are the following :
The northern border of J udah passed up through the valley
of Hinnom, on the south of Jerusalem, " to the top of the
mountain before the valley of Hinnom westward ; which is
at the end of the valley of Rephaim northward." ^ This
mountain or hill could only be tlie low hill west of the valley
of Hinnom, over against Zion, now terraced and planted with
fruit trees. It lies south from the upper part of the vaDey
of Hinnom, and north of the valley of Rephaim.^
From the top of that hill, the border passed to the fountain
of Nephtoah, " and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron ;
and was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim." ^ If,
now, the fountain of Nephtoah, as is probable, was at 'Ain
Karim, the largest fountain in that region, then the border
ran from the valley of Hinnom to Kirjath-jearim, in nearly
1 Joseph. Antiq., 15. 9. 4. Bel. Jud., 1. 21. 10; comp. Bel. Jud., 4. 9. 5. Bib-
Ucal Researches, I. pp. 480, 481 [II. pp. 172-174].
2 2 Sam. V. 18, 20, 22, 25; 1 Chron. xiv. 9, 11, 13, 16.
' Isa. xxviii. 21. * Later Biblical Researches, p. 159.
^ Josh. XV. 8, 9. * Later Biblical Researches, p. 159.
' Josh. XV. 9.
46
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAKD.
a straight line. If Neplitoali be sought at one of the small
fountains in Wady el-Werd, then the border made a curve
towards the south. In either case, however, the Mount Eph-
ron on its course could only be the high ridge running from
northeast to southwest, between the deep valley which passes
down by KulSnieh and 'Ain Karim on the east, and the east-
ern branch of Wady Ghurab on the west ; the same ridge on
which are now the lofty sites of Soba and Kiistul.
Towards the southwestern extremity of the same high ridge
is now situated the village of Kesla, representing the ancient
Chesalon, In this part the ridge bore the name of Mount
Jearim, — that is, mount of Forests, — as having been an-
ciently covered with wood.^
From Kirjatli-jearim, the border, it is said, " compassed
westward unto Mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of
Mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side ; and
went down to Beth-shemesh." ^ Here the natural explana-
tion would seem to be, that from Kirjath-jearim westward,
the border followed the high watershed, between the slope
towards Wady Ghurab on the south and the heads of valleys
running towards the western plain on the north,^ until it
struck the head of the northwestern branch of Wady Ghurab,
near Saris. Mount Seir, then, was apparently the ridge along
the southeastern side of that branch ; and the border followed
it to its termination in the fork of two branches. Thence
it crossed to the north side of Mount Jearim, which is Ches-
alon (Kesla) ; and so passed down through the deep enclosed
plain to Beth-shemesh.^ The territory west of this part of the
1 Josh. XV. 10. 2 Ibid,
s Later Biblical Researches, p. 156.
•* If Mount Seir was the high ridge on the northwest side of the branch valley,
looking towards the sea, along which we travelled, in 1852, from Mihsir to Saris,
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
47
border, from Kirjaili-jearim to Betli-shemesli, belonged to the
tribe of Dan.^
Hills near the seacoast of Judah. — The coast of the Medi-
terranean, from its southeast corner northward to the vicin-
ity of Joppa, is lined, with few interruptions, by sand-hills ;
some of which are large, and some in the course of ages have
become covered with soil. Of these, three or four are men-
tioned.
The northern border of Judah was drawn from Beth-she-
mesh by Timnah to Ekron, and thence to Mount Baalah,
Jabneel, and the sea. It passed through Ekron ; for Ekron
is named among the cities of both Judah and Dan.^ Not far
west of Ekron ('Akir), is a short line of hills, nearly parallel
with the coast ; west of which the great Wady Surar, here
known as Nahr Rubin, passes down from the left to the sea.
On one of the hills is the Wely, Neby Rubin ; and on the
west side of the stream is Yebna, the ancient Jabneel.'^ This
line of hills is apparently the Mount Baalah of Scripture.
In the Apocrypha a Mount Azotus is spoken of, to which
the right wing of Bacchides retreated ; referring probably to
the low round hill or Tell on which Azotus (Ashdod) was,
and still is, situated.* Josephus speaks of the same place as
Mount Aza ; and Epiphanius as Gazara or Gazarat ; mean-
ing, perhaps, the similar eminence on which Gaza stands.^
Pliny mentions a Mons Angaris in connection with Gaza
it is difficult to see why the border should have crossed again to Mount Jcarim,
instead of keeping along the same ridge, and so passing down to Beth-shemesh.
, 1 Josh. xix. 40-46.
' 2 Josh. XV. 11, 45; xix. 43.
8 Biblical Researches, II. p. 227 sq. [III. p. 21 sq.].
4 1 Mac. ix. 15. Biblical Researches, II. p. 33 [II. p. 368], Richardson's Trav-
els, II. p. 206. Tobler Dritte Wanderung, p. 26.
« Joseph. Antiq., 12. 11. 2, et Not. Biblical Researches, II. p. 37 [II. p. 375J.
48
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
and Antbedon, and apparently towards Askelon.^ It could
hardly have been more than one of tbe sandbills.
In tbe book of J udges, it is narrated that Samson took tbe
doors of tbe gate of Gaza, " and carried tbem up to tbe top
of the hill tbat is toiuards Hebron.^ About balf an bour
southeast of Gaza, near one of tbe roads to Hebron, is a
partially isolated bill, witb a Wely on it, called el-Muntar ;
tbe bigbest point in the vicinity. Latin tradition has fixed
upon tbis as tbe hill to which Samson bore off the gates ;
' and the supposition is not improbable.^
3. Mountains overhanging the Ghor and Dead Sea on the West.
The western side of the Ghor, or valley of tbe Jordan, in its
southern part, and also of the Dead Sea, is a succession of
mountains and precipitous cliffs, as seen from the east. But
as they thus overhang the deeply depressed valley and sea,
their apparent elevation is all on that side ; while, as seen
from the west, they rise little, if any, above the high table-
land and ridges behind them.
This general character of the western wall of tbe valley
begins south of Wady Fari'a, nearly east of Nabulus. Here,
skirting that low plain on the south, rises at once the high
and imposing ridge of Kurn Surtabeh, extending from north-
west to southeast, and consisting of naked limestone rock.
The northwestern end is the highest, and rises abruptly from
among the lower ridges and valleys coming down from the
west, so as to appear almost as an isolated ridge, only slightly
connected with the high western region. As seen from the
west, more in the direction of its length, it appears as a mass
1 Pliny, Hist. Nat., 5. 13. v. 14. Reland, p. 345.
2 Judg. xvi. 3. Not " before Hebron," as in the English Version.
8 Biblical Researches, H. p. 39 [H. p. 377].
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
49
of naked, jagged ridges huddled together, with one main
backbone running through the whole. This mountain ex-
tends far out into the Ghor ; and towards the southeastern
extremity, where it is still high, is the horn (Kiirn), not
unlike that of a rhinoceros in form. Beyond this is a large
shoulder ; and then a low rocky ridge, reaching almost to
the Jordan. Indeed, the valley of the Jordan^ is here con-
tracted to its narrowest limits ; and the ridge of Kurn Sur-
tabeli may be said to divide it into the lower and upper Gh6r.
The elevation of Kurn Surtabeh above the Mediterranean
is given by Symonds at one thousand and twenty-eight feet,
which makes it two thousand three hundred and forty-five
feet above the Dead Sea. Along the valley of the Jordan,
this mountain is everywhere a conspicuous object, whether
looking up or down the GhOr from the Dead Sea or from
the Lake of Tiberias. In the neighborhood of Nabulus it
is not visible, by reason of intervening hills. Surtabeh is
mentioned in the Talmud, as the station next after the mount
of Olives, where signal-torches wore lighted and waved to
announce the appearance of the new moon.^
Northwest from Jericho is the mountain Quarantana, so
called as the supposed place of our Saviour's forty days'
temptation. The Arabs have adopted this name under the
form of Jebel Kuruntiil. The mountain rises precipitously
from the valley, an almost perpendicular wall of rock, twelve
or fifteen hundred feet above the plain, and is crowned with
a chapel on its highest point. The eastern part is full of
grots and caverns, where hermits are said once to have dwelt
in great numbers. At the present day, as is reported, some
three or four Abyssinians from the convent in Jerusalem come
hither annually, and pass the time of Lent upon the moun-
1 See generally, Later Biblical Researches, pp. 293, 294, 318.
7
50
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
tain, living only on herbs. There is nothing else remarkable
about this naked cliff, to distinguish it from the other similar
ones along the Gh6r and the Dead Sea further south. The
tradition which makes this mountain the place of our Lord's
temptation, as well as the name Quarantana, appears not to
be older than the age of the crusades. ^
Several similar cliffs stand out along the western shore of
the Dead Sea ; none of which, however, are alluded to in
Scripture, and only one or two in other ancient writings.
One of these is Ras el-Feshkhah, a conspicuous promontory
jutting out E. N. E. into the northwestern part of the sea.^
Another is the cliff* above 'Ain Terabeh, affording one of the
finest views of the magnificent though desolate scenery of
the Dead Sea. This was the starting point of the level run
in 1848 by Lieut. Dale of the American Expedition, between
the Dead Sea and Mediterranean ; the elevation of the cliff
or pass above the surface of the sea below it being found to
be thirteen hundred and six feet.^ A third cliff" is Ras el-
Mersed, situated north of the little plain of En-gedi ('Ain
Jidy). This is perhaps the highest and most inaccessible of
all the cliffs along the western coast of the sea ; and its base,
projecting into the water, cuts off all further passage along
the shore, except when the water is quite low.^
This cliff, el-Mersed, and others adjacent, as also the high
broken region further back, would naturally be the mountains
of En-gedi^ which some suppose Joseplms to speak of.^ At
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 567 [II. p. 303] .
2 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 531, 532 [H. p. 250].
3 Biblical Researches, L pp. 528-530, 612 [H. pp. 245-248].
* Biblical Researches, I. p. 506 [H. p. 212].
« Joseph. Antiq., 6. 13. 4. Reland here reads 'Ej/ycSTjpoty ope<Ti, Palaestina, pp.
345, 763. But the only approved reading is 'Evy. '6pois, borders.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN. 51
any rate they include the narrow passes [ra arevd) of En-
gedi which he mentions in the same place ; and constitute
the wilderness of En-gedi spoken of in Scripture, where David
and his men dwelt " upon the rocks of the wild goats." ^
Over against the northern part of the peninsula of the
Dead Sea, rises conspicuously, like a large bulwark, the cliff
Sebbeh, the site of the celebrated ancient fortress Masada,
described by Josephus. It stands out a huge mass of rock,
nearly isolated, having deep precipitous valleys on the north
and south. The elevation above the Dead Sea is estimated
at one thousand two hundred feet. The top is a nearly
level area, about three quarters of a mile in length from
north to south by one third of a mile in breadth. Here
stood the ancient fortress ; of which traces still remain, as
well as of other buildings down to Saracenic times.^
Along the shore at the southwestern part of the Dead Sea
lies the long ridge or mound known to the Arabs as Khashm
Usdum ; which latter word doubtless represents the ancient
name Sodom. The remarkable feature of this mountain is,
that the main body of it is a solid mass of rock salt. The
ridge is about five miles in length by hardly more than one
in breadth ; and is strictly an outlier in front of the mountains
proper, separated from them by the desolate valley, Wady
el-Muhauwat, with its tracts of chalky, conical mounds. It
is in general uneven and rugged ; varying from one hundred
to one hundred and fifty feet in height. The upper part is
covered with layers of chalky limestone or marl, so as to
present mostly the appearance of common earth or rock ;
1 Joseph. Antiq., 6. 13. 4. 1 Sam. xxiv. 1, 2.
2 See Article Masada, in Part III. Joseph. Bel. Jud., 7. 8. 2 sq. Biblical Re-
searches, I. p. 525 [II. p. 241]. Wolcott, in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, pp. G2-G7.
Lynch's Narrative, pp. 330-334. Anderson's Report, pp. 177-179.
52
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
yet the mass of salt below often breaks out, and appears on
the side in precipices forty or fifty feet high and several hun-
dred feet in length, mere crystallized fossil salt. The side
of the mountain next the sea is often curiously furrowed into
many conical or tent-shaped knolls. Sometimes pillars are
thus formed in front of the precipices. Large lumps and
masses also, broken off from above, lie like rocks along the
shore, or are fallen down as debris. The very stones beneath
the traveller's feet are wholly of salt. The lumps of salt
are not transparent, but present a dark appearance ; precise-
ly like the salt obtained from the mines along the lower
Danube.
About midway of the ridge, a cavern opens in front, on
the level of the shore, and extends, as a narrow chasm,
several hundred feet into the mountain. The rock is all
fossil salt, and a torrent rushes through the chasm in the
rainy season.^
No direct mention is made of this mountain of salt, either
in Scripture or in Josephus. Yet its existence here enables
us to fix the position, in a good degree, of the " Valley of
Salt," where the Hebrews under David, and again under
Amaziah, gained decisive victories over Edom ; ^ and also of
the " City of Salt," enumerated along with En-gcdi as in
the desert of Judah.^ Both were doubtless so called because
of their proximity to this mountain. The only direct men-
tion in ancient times is by Galen, who, in speaking of the
salt gathered near the Dead Sea, calls it " Sodom Salt,
1 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 107-110 [H. p. 482 sq.]. Lynch's Nan-ativc, p. 30G
sq. Anderson's Geological Report, p. 181.
2 2 Sam. viii. 13; 1 Chron. xviii. 12; 2 Kings xlv. 7. Biblical Researches, II.
p. 109 [H. p. 483].
3 Josh. XV. 61, 62.
MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE JORDAN.
53
from the mountains round about the lake, which are called
Sodom." 1
In the book of Deuteronomy the mountain of the Amorites
is spoken of as lying between Kadesh-barnea and the interior
of the Promised Land.^ This seems to refer to that portion
of the western mountains south of the Dead Sea and along
the southern GhOr and Wady 'Arabah. While at Kadesh,
the Hebrews, contrary to the command of God, attempted to
ascend this mountain, and so enter Palestine ; but were dis-
comfited and driven back by the Amorites, who dwelt there.
This name is here used broadly, as including also the Am-
alekites and other Canaanites.^
South of the Dead Sea, we also read of the Maaleh ( Ascent
of) Akrabbim, or " Scorpion" Cliffs ; " to which the south-
eastern border of Judah Avas to be drawn from the Dead Sea,
" from the bay that looketh southward ; " and was thence to
pass on to Zin and Kadesh-barnea.^ This is apparently the
remarkable line of cliffs which crosses the Ghor obliquely
six or eight miles south of the sea, and forms the step or
offset, the dividing line, between the Ghor and the higher
level of Wady 'Arabah. This range of cliffs lies in an irreg-
ular curve, sweeping across the Ghor in a general course
from northwest to southeast ; the length being seven or eight
miles. The cliffs are of chalky earth, or indurated marl ;
and vary in height, in different parts, from fifty to one hun-
dred and fifty feet. The face of the cliffs, though very steep,
is not perpendicular ; and they are much furrowed by the
rains ; so that the upper part presents a jagged appearance.
1 Galen, de simpl. Medic. Facult., IV. p. 19. Reland, Palaestina, u. 243. Bib-
lical Researches, II. p. 109 [U. p. 483].
2 Deut. i. 19, 20, 44.
3 Deut. i. 40-44; comp. Num. xiv. 40-45.
* Num. xxxiv. 3, 4; Josh. xv. 2, 3.
54
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
All along their base, fountains of brackish water ooze out,
and form a tract of marshy land, overgrown with canes in-
termingled with shrubs and trees. ^
n. MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
From the southeastern base of Jebel esh-Sheikh, the an-
cient Hermon, there is thrown off a broad ridge towards the
south, which forms the eastern wall of hill-country along the
upper Jordan to the lake of el-Huleh. This range, although
at first as high as the western mountains, soon declines
towards the south. From the western base it rises, gradu-
ally and brokenly, to table-land on the top, on which, at some
distance back, are seen a line of wooded hills (Tells), ex-
tending from north to south : the southernmost of which
is Tell el-Feras. This broad ridge gradually sinks down
towards the south, until it is lost in the table-land east of
the lake of Tiberias. The present name of this mountain is
Jebel Heish ; but no mention of it has come down from
ancient times.^
On the east of the lake of Tiberias stretches the table-land
of Jaulan, the ancient Gaulonitis. As seen from the west,
from Safed, it presents the appearance of a vast uneven plain,
intersected by deep valleys and chasms running towards the
lake. The view extends even beyond this district, and em-
braces a great part of Hauran, quite to the borders of the
Lejah. Beyond, and towards the eastern desert, is seen
Jebel ed-Deruz (Druze mountain), so called hi the region
itself, and elsewhere known also as Jebel Hauran.^
This is a mountainous tract running from N. E. to S. S. W.,
1 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 116, 120 [IL pp. 495, 501].
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 397, 401.
s Biblical Researches, IL p. 432 [III. p. 336].
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
55
some forty or fifty miles in length. It rises gradually from
the north, is mostly volcanic, and lies in several ridges, in-
terspersed with many isolated higher hills or Tells ; some
of them having extinct craters. One of tliese, Tell Abu
Tumeis, in the northern part, is a lofty conical peak, perhaps
five thousand feet high, and, standing out alone, is visible
from a great distance.^ The summit of the main ridge is an
elevated plateau, on which rise the highest Tells or peaks of
the Hauran, the Juwelil, Jeneh, Jefneh, the Kelb or Kuleib,
etc. Until q.uite recently the Kuleib has been regarded as
the loftiest summit of Hauran ; and so it appears to those
viewing it (as is usual) only from the west. But the meas-
urements of Dorgens, in 1860, shows that Tell el-Jeneh,
which stands further east, and is covered by the Kuleib,
is still liigher, having an elevation of about six thousand
feet, while the height of the Kuleib is about five thousand
seven hundred feet.^ Still the Kelb or Kuleib Hauran,^ as
it is called, is the most conspicuous of all, rising as a lofty
and graceful cone, and seeming to overtop the whole range.
The Kuleib has an extinct crater opening towards the
southwest* The southern and eastern sides of the cone
1 Porter's Damascus, II. p. 51. Wetzstein in Berl. Zeitschr. f. Erdk., 1859,
Au^., p. 136.
2 More nearly, cl- Jeneh, five thousand six hundred and eighty Paris feet;
el-Kulcib, five thousand three hundred and seventy Paris feet. Dorgens in Berl.
Zeitschr. f. Erdls., Dec. 1860, p. 408.
3 These words, Kelb and Kuleib, are written by Burckhardt witli the letter Kaf;
and so too by Eli Smith, and Tannus his educated Arab companion, while trav-
elling through this region in 1834. Thus written, the words signify 'dog.*
Burckhardt, pp. 90, 92. Biblical Researches, 1841, App., p. 157. But according to
the later authority of Porter and Wetzstein, they are pronounced with the guttural
Kof, and so signify * heart.' Porter's Damascus, II. p. 133. Wetzstein, I.e., p.
136. Not improbably the pronunciation may vary in different districts.
* Dorgens, I.e., p. 408; comp. Wetzstein, I.e., p. 136.
56
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
are naked, the northern and western are clothed with oak
forests.
South of the Kuleib, a lower ridge stretches off southward,
as far as the eye can reach. The middle and southern por-
tions of this mountain range exhibit many picturesque fea-
tures ; the northern portion is more tame ; but all parts are
described as very fertile. The sides of the mountain rise
also very gradually, and with easy slopes and terraces of the
richest soil.^
This mountain of Hauran is doubtless the moimt Alsada-
mus of Ptolemy .2 But is it referred to in Scripture ? Once,
and once only, is there mention of a " mount of Bashan ;
but without any note of its position, whether within or upon
the borders of that country.^ The original district of Bashan,
afterwards the Batanaea of the Greeks and Romans, would
seem to have lain around and to have included the Jebel
Hauran ; and the northern portion of the same district bears
to this day the same name, Ard el-Beth any eh. ^ This was
the nucleus of the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, who, at
the time of the approach of the Israelites to Palestine, had
enlarged his domain so as to include the whole region east
of Jordan and north of the Jabbok ; extending from the
Jabbok to Hermon, and from Hermon to Sulchah, now Sul-
khad, on the southeastern quarter of Jebel Hauran.^ These
limits embraced Gaulonitis and Jebel Heish, or at least the
I 1 Burckhardt, pp. 90, 92. Biblical Researches, 1841, App., p. 157. Porter's
Damascus, H. pp. 51, 57, 133, 201.
^ 2 PtoL, 5. 15. Leake, Preface to Burckhardt, p. 12. Gesenius' Notes on Burck-
hardt, p. 505.
s Ps. Ixviii. 16, 17, Heb.
* E. Smith in Biblical Researches, 1841, App., p. 158. Porter's Damascus, II.
p. 57. Wetzstein, I.e., p. 194.
« Josh. xii. 4, 5, xiii. 11, 29 sq.; Deut. iii. 9, 10, 13; 1 Chron. v. 23.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
57
eastern slope of the latter, quite to the base of Hermon.
Tliis kingdom of Og was subdued by the Hebrews, and as-
signed to the half tribe of Manasseh ; ^ and it became the
Bashan afterwards known to the Israelites and the sacred
writers.
The Psalmist, in the passage referred to,^ introduces and
personifies the mountains of Palestine as jealous of Mount
Zion, because Jehovah had made it his chosen seat. One of
these, the mount of Bashan, he apostrophizes separately, ap-
parently as the loftiest of all, and worthy to be the seat of
Jehovah's worship. The force of the antithesis requires this
interpretation. The mount of Bashan, then, can only be
Mount Hermon, the loftiest of the mountains of Palestine
and its borders by several thousand feet, and which may be
said to cast its shadow over the whole land of Bashan.^
South of the river Yarmuk, the ancient Hieromax, the
mountains again rise, rather suddenly, along the valley of
the Jordan. Between the Yarmuk and the deep valley of
the Zerka, the ancient Jabbok, they are now known as the
district of Jebel 'Ajlan. There is no ridge nor range of hills
connecting them with Jebel esh-Sheikh or Jebel Heish. The
intervening tract, the plain of Jaulan, presents, along the
east side of the lake of Tiberias, the edge of a high plateau,
intersected by deep ravines.*
These mountains constitute the northern portion of the
land of Gilead, which lay between the Yarmuk on the north
and the Arnon on the south, and was divided at about one
third of the distance by the deep valley of the Jabbok, which
cleaves the mountains to their base. This territory, in its
1 Deut. iii. 13. 2 Ps. Ixxviii. 16, 17, Heb.
8 So too Gesenius, Ms. Lect. on Psalms, I.e. Hengstenberg's Comm. in loc.
< E. Smith in Biblical Researches, 1841, App., p. 1G2.
8
58 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
whole length, is often spoken of as the land of Gilead, and
rarely as Mount Gilead.^ The portions north and south of
the Jabbok are each spoken of as " the half of Gilead " ; 2
though the northern is only two thirds as long as the southern,
or about thirty geographical miles. This northern Gilead
was subject to Og, king of Bashan, and was given to the half
tribe of Manasseh.^ It was in this northern Mount Gilead,
that Laban overtook Jacob ; and here too dwelt Gideon ;
whence perhaps we may account for the manner in which
the latter once speaks of Mount Gilead.^
The chasm of the Jabbok is nearly opposite Nabulus ; and
the mountains of 'Ajlun, therefore, lie along the Jordan
valley over against the lower western hills, which skirt tlie
northern part of that valley. These higher eastern moun-
tains reach their greatest altitude in the south, in the district
el-Ma'rad, towards the Jabbok. The summits hero are the
loftiest beyond Jordan.^ The greatest elevation, as compared
with Jebel Jel'ad, may be estimated at about four thousand
feet above the Mediterranean ; equivalent to six thousand
three hundred feet above the Dead Sea. As seen from Hau-
ran and the desert further south, these mountains would
seem to be not more than from one thousand to fifteen hun-
dred feet above the plain.
The western side of this mountain ridge rises by rather
steep slopes or steps, with intervening terraces and fertile
tracts. The summit, in the northern part, forms a broad
ridge of uneven table-land. There are various ridges and
summits and isolated hills, and also deep valleys. Of these,
1 Gen. xxxi. 21, 23, 25; Deut. iii. 12; Judg. vii. 3; Cant. iv. 1.
2 Josh. xii. 2, 5, xiii. 31; Deut. iii. 12.
3 Josh. xii. 5, xiii. 31; Deut. iii. 13.
* Gen. xxxi. 21, 23, 25; Judg. vi. 15, vil. 3.
Burckhardt, Syria, p. 347.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
59
two main ones, Wady Yabis and Wady 'Ajliin, run down
to the Jordan. The whole mountain is well populated, and
cultivated. Large portions of it, especially in the south, are
still covered with forests and orchards of oaks of various
kinds ; among these, the oaks of Bashan. In 1834, Eli Smith
travelled through it, and thus writes : " Jebel 'Ajlun pre-
sents the most charming rural scenery that I have seen in
Syria. A continued forest of noble trees, chiefly the ever-
green oak (Sindian), covers a large part of it, while the
ground beneath is clothed Avith luxuriant grass, and decked
with a rich variety of wild flowers. As we went from el-
Ilusn to 'Ajlun, our path lay along the very summit of the
mountain ; and we often overlooked a large part of Palestine
on one side, and the whole of Hauran on the other." ^
South of the Jabbok, and extending from it to the deep
chasm of the river Arnon, is the range of mountains form-
ing the southern portion of Gilead ; and likewise spoken of
as " half Mount Gilead ; " ^ though it is longer by one half
than the northern Gilead ; being about forty-five geographi-
cal miles in extent from north to south. The modern name
of the whole district is el-Belka. From the Jabbok and from
the Jordan valley, the mountain rises steeply to a high un-
even tract, on which, after an interval of two hours, lies the
still higher ridge of Jebel Jel'ad (Gilead), so called from a
ruined town upon it. This mountain extends from east to
west six or seven miles in length, and its lofty western ex-
tremity overtops the whole of the Belka. On it is a Wely
of Neby Osha' (Hosea) ; whence the mountain is also called
Jebel Osha'. The elevation, according to Dorgens, is about
1 Biblical Researches, 1841, App. p. 1G2. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 317,
318. Irby and Mangles, 1847, pp. 93, 147. Lord Lindsay, 1808, p. 272.
2 Deut. iii. 12.
60
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAKD.
three thousand six hundred and fifty feet above the Mediter-
ranean. From this summit there is a very wide and splendid
prospect. 1 The slopes are clothed with forests of oak and
other trees.
Near the southern foot of Jebel JePad, surrounded by
steep mountains, is situated es-Salt, probably the ancient
Ramoth-Gilead, For six or eight miles south of es-Salt, the
country continues hilly, richly wooded, and picturesque.
Further south it spreads out into a high and wide plain, ap-
parently on a level with the eastern desert, and bordered
towards it by a chain of hills. This plain has many isolated
hills or Tells, but has few trees. On such Tells are the
ancient sites of the cities Eleale and Heshbon. The western
portion of this plain is intersected with deep Wadys and
precipices, affording at intervals a view of the Ghor below ;
and is overgrown in many parts with fine woods. Such is
the general character of this upper region, quite to the
chasm of the Arnon, midway of the Dead Sea.^
Along the valley of the Jordan, quite to the Dead Sea, the
western slope of the mountain rises gradually and by easy
ascents. But further south, along the eastern side of the
sea, all becomes more wild and precipitous. The line of
mountains on the east of this sea, is apparently higher than
those on the west ; the latter having, about Hebron, an eleva-
tion of not less than three thousand feet above the western
sea.3 The high plain, therefore, above described, cannot
1 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 348, 353 sq. Lord Lindsay, 1858, p. 283. Irby and
Mangles, 1847, p. 98. Dcirgens, more nearly, three thousand four hundred and
thirty Paris feet; Berl. Zeitschr. f. Erdk., 18G0, Dec., p. 417.
2 Seetzen, L pp. 407, 410. Burckhardt, pp. 3G4-3GG. Irby and Mangles, 1847,
pp. 142, 14G.
3 According to Roth, the elevation of Hebron itself is three thousand and twenty-
six English feet. Petermann, Georg. Mitth., 18-38, p. 3.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
61
well be assumed as of less elevation ; that is, three thousand
feet above the Mediterranean, or four thousand three hun-
dred feet above the Dead Sea. Along the western verge of
tliis plain, between the Wadys which here cut their way-
down to the Ghur, rise a series of heights and ridges, forming
a lofty crest, overlooking the deep caldron below. The high-
est of these is Jebel 'Attar us, south of the Zerka-Ma'in.
From this high brow, the ridges and precipices of the western
slope sink down in wild confusion to the shore of the Dead
Sea, some five thousand feet below, where they terminate in
a series of perpendicular cliffs rising from twelve hundred to
two thousand feet above the water. The steep and narrow
chasms of the Zerka-Ma'in and the Mojib or Arnon are seen
breaking their way down precipitously to the sea. It is true
that in this line of mountains, south of Jebel Jel'ad, as seen
from Jericho and the western coast of the Dead Sea, or also
from the Mount of Olives, there appears no summit standing
out prominently, no peak or point conspicuously higher than
the rest ; but all is apparently one almost level line of sum-
mit, without peaks and without gaps.^ This is probably the
effect of distant view ; for we know that such heights do
exist, as seen from the east ; like Jebel 'Attarus and others ;
though their elevation above the high plain on the east is not
great.
Within the limits of this southern " half Mount Gilead,"
were comprised also the particular mountains of Abarim, Pis-
gahj Nebo, and Peor, all mentioned in connection with the
death of Moses and the approach of Israel to the Promised
Land. At an earlier period, the territory of Moab had ex-
tended far north of the Arnon, and included also the south
eastern part of the Jordan valley. Of all this northern
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 569 [II. p. 30C].
62 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
territory Moab had been dispossessed by Sihon, king of the
Amorites.^ The Hebrews, approaching by the desert along
the eastern border of Edom and Moab proper, overthrew
Sihon ; and afterwards gave his land to the tribes of Reuben
and Gad.2 But the region continued to be spoken of as the
" land of Moab ; ' ' ^ and the plains along the lower Jordan,
being a part of the great ^Arabah, were called the ^Arhoth
3Ioab, signifying the ''wastes or plains of Moab."^ Here
Israel abode for a long time ; for it was during their sojourn
in these plains by Jordan, that Balaam uttered his prophecies ;
and here also took place the whoredoms with the daughters
of Moab (Midianites), and the war against Midian ; as like-
wise all the events recorded in Deuteronomy, including the
thirty days of mourning for Moses.^ From these plains of
Moab, the Hebrews, under Joshua, immediately crossed the
Jordan.^
Of the particular mountains above mentioned. Mount Aba-
rim, or the mountains of Abarim^ is but another name for
that portion of Mount Gilead lying over against Jericho and
further south. The name Abarim signifies ' regions beyond ; '
and on the lips of tribes dwelling west of Jordan, would be
an apt appellation for the '' mountains beyond Jordan." It
was on these mountains, near Xebo, that Israel encamped,
as the last station before descending to the plains of Moab
by Jordan ; ^ and it was into the same mountains of Abarim,
1 Xum. xxi. 26.
2 Xum. xxi. 11-13; Judg. xi. 18; Xum. xxi. 23-26, xxxii. 33.
3 Deut. i. 5, xxxii. 49, xxxiv. 5, 6, 8.
* Xum. xxii. 1, xxvi. 3, xxxi. 12, xxxiii. 48-50, xxxv. 1; Deut. xxxiv. 1.
5 Xum. xxii.-xxiv., xxv., xxxi.; Deut. xxxiv. 8.
6 Josh. i. 11, iii. 1, 2.
Xum. xxvii. 12; Deut. xxxii. 49; Xum. xxxiii. 47, 48.
8 Xum. xxxiii. 47, 48.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORD.VN.
63
that Moses went up from the same plains, to obtain a view
of the Promised Land, and die.^ The name Abarim was
apparently sometimes so extended as to include all the
mountainous tract east of the Dead Sea. A station of the
Hebrews, Ije-Abarim, is marked as in or near the desert east
of Moab proper ; and this ' lim of Abarim ' would seem to
be so called to distinguish it from the lim in the southeast
of Judah.2
Pisgah is nowhere said to be a mountain ; vet the phrase
" head [top] of Pisgah," ^ as well as other notices, imply
that it was a ridge or range of mountains, over against Jer-
icho ; and therefore so far identical with Mount Abarim.
Thus Israel, after leaving the eastern desert, is. said (in the
Hebrew) to have gone " from Bamoth to the plain
which is in the country (field) of Moab, to the top of Pisgah,
* which overlooketh (r!2;?rn) the wilderness." * Here the plain
is some part of the high table-land along the summit of the
mountains, and the wilderness is the desert plain of the 'Ara-
bah below, where Israel afterwards so long encamped.^ In
like manner, the mountains which Moses was to ascend from
the camp near Jordan, in order to obtain a view and die,
are twice spoken of as Pisgah, and twice as Abarim.^ Ac-
cording to Eusebius, the region between Livias near Jordan,
and Heshbon, still bore in his day the name Phusg-o (Pisgah).''
In Scripture the name would seem to be applied especially
1 Num. xxvii. 12, 13; Deut. xxxii. 49; corap. Deut. iii. 27, xxxiv. 1 sq. Ono-
mast., Article Abarim.
; 2 Num. xxi. 11, xxxiii. 44, 45; Josh. xv. 29.
3 Num. xxi. 20; Deut xxxiv. 1.
* Num. xxi. 20; comp. Num. xxxiii. 47, 48.
* Num. xxiv. 1, 2; Deut. i. 1.
6 Deut. iii. 27, xxxii. 49, xxxiv. 1; Num. xxvii. 12, 13.
7 Onomast., Article Abarim.
64
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
to the upper part of these mountains, to the serrated crests
or line of hciglits forming the brow of the mountains on the
west of the high plain.
The mountain which Moses ascended, to view the land
and die. Mount Nebo, is only twice certainly spoken of in
Scripture, — once as a summit in the Abarim, and once as
the top or " head " of Pisgali, over against Jericho. ^ In one
place it is uncertain whether the name Xebo is to be under-
stood of a mountain or a town.^ In all the other passages
relating to this region Nebo is undoubtedly a town or city ;
taking its name from the mountain, or giving name to the
latter, and of course situated near it. Thus Nebo is enu-
merated with other cities, mostly in connection with Hcshbon
and Eleale, and especially with Baal-Meon, now Ma'in, an
hour south of Heshbon.^ It follows, that both the mountain
and town of Nebo were on the western verge of the high^
plain, not far distant from Heshbon and Maon. With this
accords also the account of Eusebius and Jerome ; that in
their day Mount Nebo was pointed out six miles west of
Heshbon ; and also the deserted city Nebo eight miles south
of Heshbon.^ The obvious interpretation here is, that both
mountain and town lay in a southwest direction from Hesh-
bon ; and if the relative distances are correctly given, then
apparently the town must have been situated either further
south than the mount, or else below the high brow of Pisgah,
near the base of the height or clifi" Nebo. At the present
day there is enumerated among the sites of ruins in the
1 Deut. xxxii. 49, xxxiv. 1. 2 Num. xxxiii. 47.
3 Xam. xxxii. 3, SS; 1 Chron. v. 8; and so Isa. xv. 2; Jcr. xlviii. 1, 22. Thore
was also a town Nebo in Judah, Ezra ii. 29, x. 43; Xeli. viL 33. The idol Nebo
is mentioned Isa, xlvi. L
* Onoraast., Articles Nahan, Naho. In the former article the 'contra orienta-
lem plagam ' of Jerome, is obviously an error for occidentalem.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
65
Belka, a place called Nehd^ in near connection with Eleale,
Ileshbon, and Ma'in This is, without much doubt, the site
of the ancient Nebo ; and we may hope that the researches
of future travellers will bring it to light, and thus determine
also the true position of Mount Nebo.^
The height named Peor^ also, is nowhere in Scripture
directly termed a mountain ; yet the " head " or top of Peor
is once spoken of.* On it a Baal was worshipped, Baal-Peor,
or also simply Peor ; ^ and a temple or tower, Beth-Peor, lay
on or near it.^ From the few notices in Scripture and else-
where, it would appear, that this height, Peor, lay further
north than Nebo, and nearer to the encampment of the He-
brews along the Jordan, so as to command a view of the
whole host. It would seem to have been a projecting emi-
nence, on the western declivity of the mountain, and " over-
looked (rii^rsin) the wilderness ; that is, the 'Arabah, where
Israel was encamped " over against Beth-Peor." ^ This is
shown, also, by the movements of Balak and Balaam, in
order to obtain a full view of the host. From a city on the
1 Hebrew, Nebo; Septuagint, NojSoG; Deut, xxxii. 49, xxxiv. 1.
2 E. Smith's Arabic Lists, Biblical Researches, 1841, App., p. 170.
3 In 1818, Irby and Mangles went from their camp near Ma'in to a height not
far distant, which commands a fine view of the Dead Sea, and is nearly on a line
with its northern end. Below the height was a ruin of a square form. This
point, if the distances of the Onomasticon are correct, would seem to be hardly
far enough south for Nebo. Irby and Mangles, 1847, p. 143.
^ Num. xxiii. 28.
5 Num. XXV. 3, xxiii. 28, xxxi. 16; Josh. xxii. 17.
6 Deut. iii. 29, iv. 46, xxxiv. 6; Josh. xiii. 20.
^ Num. xxiii. 28; comp. xxiv. 2; Deut. ill. 29, iv. 46, xxxiv. 6. In these three
passages the Hebrew word K^a is used ; and is by some supposed to refer to the
high plain upon the mountain. But the transactions narrated just before, in
each case, all took place after the encampment by Jordan. So Deut. iii. 29;
comp. Num. xxvii. 12, xxvi. 3. Also Deut. iv. 4G; comp. v. 43; Num. xxxv. 1,
6, 14.
9
66
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Arnon, where they met, they first moved to Kirjath-huzzoth,
of which we know nothing ; and thence to " the high places
(ni^s) of Baal," where they could only see " the utmost part
of the people." ^ They next go to " the watcher's field, to
the top of Pisgah ; " which may or may not have been the
same with Mount Nebo, though more probably furtlier north ;
and here again they could still see only " the utmost part "
of the people, and not all of them .2 At last they repair to
" the top of Peor, tliat looketh toward the wilderness ; " and
there Balaam " saw Israel abiding according to their tribes ; " ^
implying a nearer and unobstructed view. Still more def-
inite are the statements of Eusebius and Jerome. In their
day a Mount Phogor (Peor, Septuagint ^oycop) was pointed
out over against Jericho, on the ascent between Livias and
Heshbon ; the city Beth-Phogor was six miles from Livias ;
another city, Danneba, lay on Mount Phogor, seven miles
from Heshbon ; while Heshbon itself was twenty miles dis-
tant from the Jordan.^ Hence it would follow, that the
height known as Peor lay between Danneba and Beth-Peor,
about midway between Livias and Heshbon.
Of all the heights and ridges which constitute the lofty
brow of the Abarim, or eastern mountains, the highest in
the southern quarter is Jebel 'Attarus, ah-eady mentioned.
Its northern end rises precipitously from the south side of
the Zerka-Ma'in, and its ridge extends southwest for six or
eight miles.^ Upon this ridge, about midway of its length,
are the ruins of an ancient town, Attarus, from which the
mountain takes its name. This marks the site of the ancient
1 Num. xxii. 36, 39, 41. 2 Num. xxiii. 13, 14.
3 Num. xxiii. 28; comp. xxiv. 2.
4 Onomast., Articles Abarim, Beth-Fogor, Damnaha, Esebon, Fogor.
* Seetzen, Reisen, H. p. 342. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 370.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORD.VN.
G7
Ataroth of Gad, wliicli is named in connection with Di-
bon.^ On the southwestern end of the ridge are the ruins
now called Kureiyat, marking the ancient Kirjathaim rebuilt
by Reuben.2 At the northern extremity, on a precipice over-
hanging the Zerka-Ma'in, are the ruins of an ancient castle,
now known as !Mkauer, the fortress Machaerus of Herod ;
where, according to Joseplius, John the Baptist was be-
headed.^ Hence, though this mountain is not expressly
mentioned in Scripture, it is yet connected with several
scriptural associations.
Josephus, in describing the line of mountains on the east
of the Jordan, stretching from the lake of Tiberias to Arabia
Petraea, speaks of one called the Iron Mountahi^ extending
quite to Moab.* The name would seem to be thus applied
to the mountain along the northern part of the Dead Sea, as
far as to the Arnon. The lower portion of that mountain
is comprised in great part of sandstone containing iron,
which gives it a reddish hue ; and in some places large
masses are seen of a dark brown or black color.^ Hence
perhaps the ancient name, Iron Mountains.
South of the Arnon, the land of Moab proper extended to
the Wady el-Ahsy, the brook Zered of Scripture.^ The gen-
eral character of the region remains the same as on the north
of the Arnon ; a wall of wild, desolate, precipitous moun-
1 Num. xxxii. 3, 34. Seetzen, Reisen, 11. p. 342.
2 Num. xxxii. 37; Josh. xiii. 19; Jcr. xlviii. 1, 23. Seetzen, Reisen, II. p. 342.
Burckhardt, Syria, p. 370.
3 Seetzen, Reisen,II. pp. 331, 334. Joseph. Bel. Jud., 7. 6. 1-4. Antiq., 18. 5. 2.
* Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 2, to 'Xi^ripovu Ka\ovfj.evov upos.
^ Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 36-3, 370, 372, 374. Eisenschiissiger .Sandstein, Eisen-
sandstein. Ibid., pp. 363, 374. Burckhardt supposes the name may have come
from the black, heavy stone found in the region, resembling basalt, Sjn-ia, p. 375.
6 Num. xxi. 12; Deut. ii. 13, 14; comp. 18.
68
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
tains, rising from the very water of the Dead Sea ; with a
high plain along the top, back of the lofty brow, less grassy
and more stony than that further north,^ and passing over
into the eastern desert. The steeps along the sea, south of
the Mojib, are described by Seetzen as peculiarly wild and
bare of vegetation, with gigantic terraces of naked sandstone
or limestone.^ Above, along the brow, only one particular
height is mentioned, seen by Burckhardt from the east, as
Jebel Shihan, not far from the Arnon ; not improbably the
same which Seetzen saw from the west, and heard named
only er-Ras.2
Further south, and on the brow of the mountain, stands
Kerak, the ancient Kir Moab, upon a cliff c^verhanging a
deep valley. It is distinctly visible, in a clear day, from the
Mount of Olives ; and its Wady also can be traced, as it
runs down S. W. and issues upon the peninsula of the
Dead Sea. The elevation of Kerak, according to Roth, is
about three thousand three hundred feet above the Mediter-
ranean, but it is apparently lower than the high plain further
north
There remain two words, as to which it is uncertain,
whether they are proper names of mountains, or not. These
are Bether and Bitliron.^ They both come from the same
Hebrew verb, and signify a cleaving, cleft, fissure. As to the
latter word, it is said of Abner, that he " passed over Jordan,
and went through all Bithron, and came to Malianaim."
Here Bithron may well be put for a "mountain-cleft" or
1 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 410. Irby and Mangles, pp. 141, 142.
2 Reisen, H. pp. 354, 363, 367.
3 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 375. Seetzen, H. p. 349. See also De Saulcy, I. p. 354.
4 Geogr. Mitth., 1859, p. 291. Irby and Mangles, p. 141.
5 'Mountains of Bether,' Cant. ii. 17; 'Bithron' 2 Sam. ii. 29.
MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE JORDAN.
C9
ravine ; implying that he followed up either Wady 'Ajlun
or Wady Mahneh ; either of which would have brought him
to Mahanaim, which lay high up on the acclivity. In like
manner, Bether may best be taken as an appellation, ap-
plied to mountains " cleft with valleys," rugged, precipitous.^
If, however, it be a proper name, the position of the moun-
tains of Bether is utterly unknown. .
1 Septuagint, ip-q koiKoiikxtiov^ Cant. ii. 17.
70
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
SECTION n.
VALLEYS.
Not less than four different Hebrew words are rendered,
in the English Version, by the term valley, with more or less
exactness. A few remarks upon the proper signification of
each of these Hebrew words, may here not be without use.
The first is Bik^ah strictly " a cleft " in mountains,
a valley ; and is so used in contrast to mountains.^ But in
common usage it is " a deep and wide plain between ranges
of mountains." Such is " the plain of Aven " or On,^ the
Syrian Heliopolis, now Ba'albek ; which plain or valley,
stretching between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, still retains
in Arabic its ancient appellation, el-Buka'a, " a cleft." The
same word is put for the broad valley or plain of the Jordan,
both at its northern end and at Jericho.^ Similar in signifi-
cation are the Greek Aulon (^Avkcov) and the Arabic Ghor,
both used later as appellations to denote the same valley of
the Jordan.
Another Hebrew word is ^Emek (P^3>), which signifies a
valley or low plain, similar to the Bik'ah, but generally on
a much smaller scale. It is strictly an open valley, " a long
low plain " between ranges of hills or mountains, with a
broad and level bottom, adapted for tillage, or also con-
1 Deut. viii. 7, xi. 11; Ps. civ. 8.
3 Josh xi. 17, xii. 7 ; Deut. xxxiv. 3.
2 Amos i. 5.
VALLEYS.
71
venient for battles.^ Such are the valleys of Jezreel, of
Repliaim, and of Elah, now Wady es-Sumt. Yet, as we shall
see further on, it is in a few instances spoken of the great
valley of the Jordan, which is strictly a Bik'ah,
A third Hebrew word is Nahal (^ns) the primary idea of
which is " a flowing," and then " place of flowing." Hence
it is put in a general sense for a flowing stream, a brook or
river.2 So the Kishon always.^ But usually, with a proper
name, the Nahal is rather " a place of flowing," a valley with
a stream ; that is, a narrow valley or chasm, often deep, the
bottom of which is occupied, in great part, by a water-course.
The stream may be permanent or transient. The Nahal
therefore differs altogether from both the Bik'ah and the
Emek. Such are the deep chasms of the Jabbok and the
Arnon, with perennial streams. Such is the ravine of the
Kidron (called by Josephus ^dpay^'), which has no stream
except after heavy rain ; and such also was the Cherith,
where Elijah was fed by ravens until the brook dried up.^
In like manner a water-course in the desert is called a Nahal;
being usually a gully or chasm worn by the torrents of the
rainy season ; or lying sometimes between low hills. Such is
the Valley of Gerar, and also that of Egypt, now Wady el-
'Arish.^ The English Version often puts " brook," where
the reference is rather to the valley.
The fourth Hebrew word, Gai ^t), is perhaps less def-
inite than either of the others. It seems to imply originally,
1 Job xxxix. 10; Ps. Ixv. 13; Cant. ii. 1; Job xxxix. 21; Judg. vii. 1 sq.;
1 Kings XX. 28, etc.
2 Deut. Yiii. 7; 2 Chron. xxxii. 4; Ps. Ixxviii. 20; Isa. xi. 15, xxx. 28; Jer.
xlvii. 2.
8 Judg, V, 21; comp. iv. 7, 13; 1 Kings xviii. 40; Ps. Ixxxiii. 9.
* 1 Kings xvii. 3, 5, 7.
5 Gen. xxvi. 17; Num. xxxiv. 5; Josli. xv. 4, 47.
72 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
a depressed tract, or basin, where waters flow together and
run off through a valley ; both basin and valley being com-
prehended under the name Gai. This is precisely the char-
acter of the Yalley of Hinnom by Jerusalem ; as also of the
Valley of Jiphthah-el, now Wady 'Abilin. The word then
further signifies ' a low plain,' level tract, with adjacent hills
or mountains ; as the Yalley of Salt southeast of Aleppo.^
Yet the word is sometimes employed for " valley" or plain "
in general ; and is so used in antithesis with hills and moun-
tains.2 The Seventy also render it sometimes by (pdpay^,
even as spoken of the Yalley of Hinnom.^
Most of the valleys of Palestine have in them no perma-
nent streams of water ; but exhibit merely the beds of tor-
rents, which flow only in the rainy season of winter ; and,
after the rains cease, soon dry up. In treating here of val-
leys, we include only those of this kind ; leaving those with
perennial waters to be described in a future Section on the
rivers and streams of the country. ' The only exception is
the great valley of the Jordan ; which has a character of its
own, quite apart from the river which flows through it.
I. VALLEY OF THE JORDAN", OR EL-GHOR.
Extent and Connections. — This valley is that portion of
the great inland longitudinal valley or chasm, stretching
from Antioch to the Red Sea, which lies in Palestine proper,
and is occupied by the river Jordan and its three lakes. It
extends from the southern base of Jebel esh-Sheikh (Hermon)
to the Scorpion Glifis (Akrabbim), some eight miles south of
1 2 Sam. viii. 13 ; Ps. Ix. 2. See Russell's Nat. Hist, of Aleppo, I. p. 55. Maun-
drell, p. 213.
2 2 Kings ii. 16; Ezek. vi. 3, xxxv. 8.
3 Isa. xl. 4, xxii. 1. Hinnom, Josh. xv. 8.
VALLEY OF THE JORDAN.
73
the Dead Sea. Its general course is very nearly from due
north to south. Its length, therefore, is the same with that
of the country itself, — about one hundred and thirty-six
geographical miles, or one hundred and fifty-eight English
miles.
Towards the south this valley is continued by the desert
Wady el-'Arabah, which extends from it, without water, to
the Elanitu Gulf. On the north the Jordan valley is con-^
nected with the Buka'a, the broad cleft and plain between
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ; through which flows the river
Litany. This connection is made by the narrower Wady et-
Teim, which enters the Jordan valley at its northwest corner.
It lies along the western base of Hermoil and Anti-Lebanon ;
being separated from the Litany valley by a narrow ridge in
the south and a range of hills in the north, until the two
meet and run together opposite the great fountain of 'Anjar
in the Buka'a.
Name. — The ancient Hebrew proper name of this valley
is altogether lost in the English Version ; being there ren-
dered, like several other Hebrew words, by the very general
term * plain.' But the Hebrew ^Arahah {r^'iyj)^ signifying,
in general * a desert plain, waste. Steppe,' ^ is in Scripture
applied with the article (the 'Arabah) directly as the proper
name of this great valley.^ This name strictly extends from
the lake of Tiberias southwards, quite to the Red Sea. We
find the Hebrew 'Arabah distinctly connected with the lake
of Tiberias in the north ; ^ and with the Red Sea and Elath
in the south ; * while the Dead Sea is called the sea of the
* Job. xxiv. 5, xxxix. 6; Isa. xxxv. 1, 6, xL 3, etc.
2 Josh. xi. 16; 2 Sam. ii. 29, i^^. 17; 2 Kings xxv. 4; Jer. xxxix. 4, lii. 7; Ezek.
xlvii. 8, etc.
3 Heb., Josh. xi. 2, xii. 3; Deut. iii. 17. * Deut. i. 1, ii. 8.
10
74
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAKD.
'Arabah.^ At the present day that portion of the great val-
ley, lying between Palestine proper and the Red Sea, retains
its ancient Hebrew name, Wady el-'Arabah.
The plural of the same Hebrew word (^Araboth, constr.
^Arboth), apparently in its primary sense, is employed, when
certain ' waste tracts ' in the great 'Arabah are spoken of.
Thus we read of ' the wastes (^Arboth} of Jericho,' west of
the Jordan ; ^ ' the wastes (plains ?) of Moab,' east of the
Jordan, over against Jericho ; ^ and ' the wastes of the wil-
derness,' or uninhabited district, apparently north of Jeri-
cho.^
In a similar way Greeks and Romans spoke of this valley
as the Aulon (6 AvK^v).^ Eusebius and Jerome describe
it as a long valley or low plain, shut in on both sides by
mountains, and extending from Lebanon and above quite
to the desert of Paran.^ Josephus speaks of it also as the
Great Plain, extending from the lake of Tiberias to the Dead
Sea."^ The present Arabic name, el-Ghor^ has a like signifi-
cation, — ' a long valley, or low plain, between mountains; '
and Abulfeda in the fourteenth century describes it as begin-
ning at the lake of Tiberias and extending to the Red Sea.^
But more usually the Ghur is understood as stretching be-
tween the lake of Tiberias and the Scorpion Cliffs south of
the Dead Sea ; and is put in a general sense for' the valley
of the Jordan.^ We shall often so use it for convenience.
1 Josh. iii. 16, xii. 3; Deut. iv. 49. .2 Josh. v. 10; 2 Kings xxv. 5.
3 Num. xxii. Ij Dcut xxxiv. 1, 8. See above, p. 62.
• 4 2 Sam. XV. 28, xvii. 16.
5 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 1. 21. 9. Antiq., IC. 5. 2. Comp. Antiq., 13. 15. 4.
^ Onomast., Article Aulon.
7 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 2, 3. Antiq., 12. 8. 5.
8 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr. (ed. Kohler), pp. 8, 9, and note 35.
^Edrisi, par Jaubert, p. 346. Vita Salad., pp. 221, 222, etc. See Biblical
Researches, H. p. 18G [H. p. 599].
VALLEY OF THE JORDAN-.
75
General Features. — The northern portion of the great
valley may properly be called the Basin or Plain of the
Iluleh. Its northern end is shut in, on the eastern part, as
with a wall, by the great southwestern buttress of Jebel esh-
Sheikh. Further west the plain of Wady et-Teim comes in
from the north. The whole width of the basin, between
B^nias and the western mountain, is about five miles. Its
length, to the southern extremity of the lake, is some sixteen
miles. The western wall of the basin rises steeply to the
plain of Kedes, from seven hundred to one thousand feet ; ^
and continues to rise further west to the elevation of Safed.
On the east of the basin the ascent is much less steep, but
rises higher ; the lake Phiala lying about two thousand six
hundred feet above the valley
The plain of Wady et-Teim has a very rapid descent, and
enters the basin of the Huleh by three steps or offsets run-
ning from northeast to southwest, with wide terraces between.
Tell el-Kady stands on the brow of another similar step ;
and there are still two others further south. The line of
these last three offsets runs more from east to west. The
difference of elevation between one plateau and another is
nowhere less than some fifty feet, and sometimes more. The
whole descent from the northern line of the basin to the
waters of the Huleh, in its southern part, a distance of about
ten miles, is hardly less than six hundred feet. At the north-
east corner of the basin, is the fine terrace on which Banias
is situated.
A prominent feature of this basin is its exuberant fertility.
1 Kedes has an elevation of thirteen hundred and fifty-four feet, while that of
Tell el-Kady is six hundred and forty-seven feet.
2 The elevation of Phiala above the sea is given by Roth at three thousand one
hundred Paris feet; Pctermann's Geogr. Mitth., 1859, p. 290.
76
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
The lake lies close to the eastern mountain. On the west
the land is rolling and arable. North of the lake is an ex-
tensive marsh, covered with canes and flags, into which noth-
ing can penetrate. This marsh extends westward, and north-
westward in some places, along the streams which enter it
from that quarter. Canals are also taken out from the
branches of the Jordan, for the purposes of irrigation ; and
these give rise in some places to spots of mire and marsh.
But in passing, in May, 1852, along the lower plain quite to
the junction of all the streams with the Jordan, a distance
of five or six miles south of Tell el-Kady, we found no trace
of marshy ground, although we forded several of the streams.
The region still merits the praise given to it by the Danite
spies : " We have seen the land, and behold, it is very good,
a place where there ' is no want of any thing that is
in the earth." ^
In Scripture the name of this region is Mero?n ; and the
lake is called the Waters of Merom? But the present name,
el-Huleh, was current in Aramaean in the time of our Lord,
and has been preserved to us by Joseplius in the Greek from
Ulatha (OvXd^a). Augustus gave to Herod the districts
which had belonged to Zenodorus, lying between Tracho-
nitis and Galilee ; namely, Ulatha and Paneas, and the region
round about." ^
On the south the basin of the Huleh is closed by a broad
tract of uneven and mostly uncultivated higher ground,
which shelves down from the base of the loftier hills around
Safed, and shuts up the whole valley ; leaving only a depres-
sion south of the lake, along which the Jordan rushes, in its
1 Judg. xviii. 9, 10. 2 josh.' xi. 5, 7.
3 Joseph. Antiq., 15. 10. 3 ; comp. Bel. Jud., 1. 20. 4. Comp. also Heb. bsiin ,
Sept. Oij\y Gen. x. 23.
VALLF.Y OF THE JORDAN.
77
deep and rocky volcanic chasm, to the lake of Tiberias ; a
distance, in all, of ten or twelve miles. The descent from
the upper to the lower lake, taking a mean of the various
levels of the latter, is not less than seven hundred and fifty
feet ; which compares well with the slope of the upper basin.
On the east the high tract terminates at the basin of the
lower lake, where the hills retreat, leaving between them
and the lake the fine alluvial plain known as the Batihah,
equalling in its richness and fertility that of the Huleh.^
,0n the west, the high tract above described continues for
about twelve miles in breadth, quite to the plain of Gennes-
areth, midway of the lake. It slopes down very gradually to
the shore of the lake along its northern part, and terminates
at the rocky promontory which juts down to the water, and
forms the northern limit of the plain.
The plain of Gennesareth, now called el-Ghuweir, * Little
Glior,' is described by Josephus, in glowing terms, for its
fertility and productiveness.^ It lies along the lake for about
three miles in length ; and extends back in the arc of a
circle for a mile or more, where it is shut in by hills. The
southern half is watered by several streams ; the northern
portion, now without water, was anciently irrigated by a
stream brought from 'Ain Tabighah, around the point of the
promontory.^
South of the plain of Gennesareth, the western hills re-
turn again to the shore of the lake, and so continue along
the Ghor to the junction of the plain of Jezreel. These hills,
however, are for the most part nothing more than the step,
or offset, from the table-land above, around Tabor, down to
the level of the lake and valley. Assuming that this table-
1 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 410-414 [HI. pp. 304-310].
2 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 8. 3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 344, 348.
78
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
land is not lower than the level of the Mediterranean, the
whole descent to the valley is not less than some seven hun-
dred feet. On the east of the lake, also, the wall rises steeply
from the water, perhaps one thousand feet to the table-land
of Gaulonitis ; and continues to rise gradually, further back,
to the higher plains of Hauran.
Two or three hours below the lake, and south of the river
Hieromax, the mountains of 'Ajlun rise up and become
thenceforth the eastern barrier of the Ghor ; interrupted only
by the valley of the Jabbok. As the mountains of 'Ajlun, of
Gilead and the Belka, or of old the Abarini, this range ex-
tends on beyond the Dead Sea.
The valley or plain of Jezreel, having reached the line of
the Gh5r at Beisan, sinks down to the lower valley, three or
four hundred feet, by a step or offset of easy descent. A
portion of the same higher plain stretches off south along
the base of the southeastern sweep of the mountains of Gil-
boa, which here lie somewhat back from the usual line of the
Ghor ; and then descends by steps to the lower valley.
South of these mountaius of Gilboa, the western hills are
lower, and broken up by valleys, for much of the way towards
el-Makhrud, the bluff on the north side of Wady Fari'a.
Below Sakut, spurs and ridges from these western hills run
down to the Jordan, where they terminate in bluffs ; the
river in this part being driven quite to the eastern side of
the Ghor.i From the lake of Tiberias to Sakut, the long low
plain of the GhOr, besides the Jordan meandering through
it, is full of fountains and rivulets ; and bears, in a high
degree, the character of a well watered and most fertile
region. Josephus speaks of it here as the Great Plain.^
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 209.
2 Joseph. Antiq., 12. 8. 5, fxeya irebiou.
VALLEY OF THE JORDAN.
79
Below Sakut the valley continues more or less contracted
quite down to el-Makhrud ; which promontory, for some dis-
tance, lies between the lower part of Wady el-Fari'a and the
Gh5r. Then follows the rich meadow-like plain of the Fari'a,
merging itself in that of the Ghc)r, and extending, as a lux-
uriant and beautiful tract, under the name of el-Kurawa,
quite to the Jordan. On the southwest it skirts the base of
Kurn Surtabeh.
This imposing mountain, stretching towards the southeast
far into the GhOr, contracts it to its narrowest limits ; and,
as we have seen, divides it into the upper and lower Ghor.^
Indeed, a low ridge or swell of land seems to extend across
the whole valley, from the end of Surtabeh to the base of
the eastern mountains. Where the Jordan finds its way
through this higher tract, the latter is broken up into laby-
rinths of deep ravines with barren, chalky sides, forming
pyramids and hills of various shapes, and presenting a most
wild and desolate scene. ^
South of Kiirn Surtabeh the character of the plain of the
Ghor changes, and becomes a parched desert ; except the
strip of verdure along the immediate banks of the Jordan,
and the tracts watered by the copious fountains which spring
up at the base of the mountains on each side. The eastern
mountains continue as before. The western wall is a series
of irregular and precipitous cliffs ranging from eight hun-
dred to twelve hundred feet in height, everywhere naked
and desolate. The mountains on both sides, as they enclose
the Dead Sea, become still loftier, and present, in a still
higher degree, a scene of stern and savage grandeur. The
1 See above, pp. 48, 49.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 293. Van de Yelde Mem. p. 125.
80
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
brow of the western cliffs is here about on a level with the
Mediterranean.
North of J ericho, the mountains begin to retire gradually,
especially the western ; so that at Jericho the breadth of the
valley is enlarged to ten or twelve miles ; and this continues
along the Dead Sea, with few exceptions. Along the north-
eastern side of Quarantana is a higher terrace, resting against
the western wall, and bordered in front by a low ridge of
rock, extending towards 'Aujeh. On this terrace are the
fountains of Duk. Indeed, so rapid is here the slope of the
great valley from the west to the Jordan, as well as towards
the south, that the village of J ericho is said to have an ele-
vation of four hundred and seventeen feet above the Dead
Sea.i
The length of the Ghor between the lake of Tiberias and
the Dead Sea, is fifty-six and one sixth geographical miles,
or about sixty-five English miles. The difference of level
between the two lakes, according to the United States Expe-
dition, is 663.4 feet. This shows a descent of 10.2 feet in
every English mile.
Valleys or Plains within the Ghor. — Besides the general
Hebrew name for the great valley, the ^Arabah, we find in
Scripture other names applied to different portions of it.
One of these is the term Kikkar (^^s? Gr. Trejotp^wpo?),
signifying ' a circle, circuit.' Hence, ' the circuit ' of the
Jordan ,2 is the region round aboiit Jordan, the low tract or
plain along that river, through which it flows. In this way,
it would seem to be as comprehensive, perhaps, as the Gh6r
itself. It is spoken of the region chosen by Lot, near Zoar,
south of the Dead Sea; of the plain around Jericho and
1 Symonds fixes Jericho at —900; the Dead Sea is —1317.
2 Gen. xiii. 10, 11; 1 Kings vii, 46; Matth. iii. 5; Luke iii. 3.
TALT.EY OF THE JORDAN.
81
further nortli ; and of tlic upper Gliur, near Bcisan.^ It is
rendered in the English Version by ' plain.'
Of the four species of valley described in the beginning of
this Section, the Bik'ah. the ^E/nck, and the Gai (but not
the Nahal) are applied in Scripture to portions of the GhOr.
The great valley itself is strictly a Bik'ah, ^ cleft ; ' but is
nowhere so spoken of as a whole. The term is only applied
to tw^o different portions of it. The Bik'ah (valley) of Leb-
anon under Hermon^ is unquestionably the plain or basin of
the Huleh, while the Bik'ah (valley) of Jericlio is the great
valley itself around that city.^
The Ghor is likewise spoken of several times in Scripture
as an ^Emek. The chief and decisive passage is in the book
of Joshua ; where the writer, after enumerating the cities of
Gad in Mount Gilead, goes on to say, " and in the valley
(p?::^;2) Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, .... Jor-
dan and border unto the edge of the sea of Chinneroth. " ^
All these lay in the GhDr. Once the term is applied to the
basin of the Huleh, in Avhich the Danites built their city
Dan, in the district of Beth-Rehob.^ Twice the " valley of
Succoth" is mentioned;^ and, if the present Sakut repre-
sents the ancient city, the valley as there contracted is prop-
erly an ^Eynek. In like manner, the "vale of Siddim,"
which was full of slime-pits, and " which is [now] the Salt
Sea," ^ could only have been the fertile plain chosen by Lot,
south of the Dead Sea, now occupied by the shallow southern
portion of that sea.
1 South of the Dead Sea, Gen xiii. 10, 11, 12, xix. 17, 25, 28, 29. To the plain
around Jericho, etc., Deut. xxxiv. 3; 2 Sam. xviii. 23; Neh. iii. 22; Matth. iii. 5;
Luke iii. 3. To the upper Ghor, 1 Kings vii. 46; 2 Chron. iv. 17.
2 Josh. xi. 17, xii. 7; Deut. xxxiv. 3.
3 Josh. xiii. 27. Judg. xviii. 28.
c Ps. Ix. 6, cviii. 7. « Gen. xiv. 3, 8, 10.
11
82
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
Two other valleys of the kind (p^t) are mentioned near
Jericho, apparently within the GhOr itself. One is the valley
of Achor or ' the Troubler ; ' in which was accomplished the
terrible doom of Achan and his family, as having troubled
Israel.^ This valley lay on the border between Judah and
Benjamin, which, after passing westwards from Beth-hogla,
a known point, by Beth-arabah, to the stone of Bohan the
son of Reuben, apparently at or near the foot of the moun-
tain, went up toward Debir, from the valley of Achor." ^
Hence, this valley is to be sought in the southwest of Jericho ;
for Jericho was in Benjamin ; and the same border went up
the mountain on the south of the Nahal, now Wady el-Kelt.
Jerome wrongly places the valley of Achor on the north of
Jericho.^
The second valley was the site of a town called ^Emek-
Keziz (Sept. 'AfjueKaa-l^}, English Version, ' valley of Keziz.' ^
It belonged to Benjamin ; and is mentioned between Beth-
hogla and Beth-arabah, which were on the southern border
of that tribe. It lay, therefore, apparently not far from the
same border, southeastward from Jericho, in a lower tract
or depression of the plain.
In a similar manner, the remaining species of valley, the
Gai (N"^^ t) is twice used of portions of the Ghur. Thus, ' the
valley over against Beth-peor,' where Israel was encamped,
and where Moses set the law and the testimonies before the
people, is obviously a portion of the same tract elsewhere
called * the plains of Moab.' ^ It lay apparently between the
Wadys Sha'ib and Hesban. Again, the valley of Salt, where
1 Josh vii. 24, 26. Symbolically, Isa. Ixv. 10; Hos. ii. 15.
2 Josh. XV. 6, 7. 8 Onomast., Article Achor.
* Josh, xviii. 21.
* Deut. iv. 46, iii. 29; corap. Num. xxii. 1, xxxiii. 48, 49; Deut. i. 1.
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE EAST.
83
Amaziali smote Edom, could only have been at the south
end of the Dead Sea ; probably in the western part of the
Ghur, at and around the mountain of fossil Salt.^
Another place or tract is mentioned in Scripture, in con-
nection with the sojourn of Israel in the ' plains of Moab.'
It is once called Abel-Shittim, ' meadow of Sliittim ; ' else-
where usually only Shittim ; where Israel committed whore-
dom with the daughters of Moab ; whence they sent spies to
Jericho ; and whence they broke up in order to pass the
Jordan .2 Josephus calls the place Abila, and says it was sit-
uated sixty stadia from the Jordan.^ Eusebius and Jerome
describe Shittim as being adjacent to Mount Peer.* It is
therefore not improbable, that this meadow-like tract of
Shittim was in part, at least, identical with the above ' valley
(x*;?*) over against Beth-Peor.' Once a ' valley (^na) of Shit-
tim' is spoken of; which, if anything more than symbolical,
would seem to be the ravine on the side of the mountain,
forming the head of the meadow-like tract in the plain
below.^
II. THE GHOR: SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE EAST.
The neighborhood of Banias, in the northeast corner of
the basin of the Huleh, is marked by the descent of two im-
mense ravines from Hermon, and of another smaller one,
with a brook, from Jebel Heish. They are not referred to
in Scripture.
1 2 Kings xiv. 7; 2 Chron. xxv. IL Another valley of Salt, mentioned in con-
nection with David (2 Sam. viii. 13; 1 Chron. xviii. 12), is more probably that
which still exists a few miles southeast from Aleppo; Russell's Nat. Hist, of
Aleppo, I. p. 55.
2 Num. xxxiii. 49; Num. xxv. 1; Josh. ii. 1, iii. 1; Mich. vi. 5.
3 Joseph. Antiq., 4. 8. 1; Ibid., 5. 1. 1.
* Onomast., Article Sattim. « Joel, iii. 18.
84
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
The westernmost is Wady el-'Asal, which lias its beginning
not far south of the village of Shib'a, about four hours N. N. E.
of Banias. It forms the mighty cleft between the upper
masses and summits of Hermon. and the lower western ridge.
It has no village nor hamlet in its entire extent : nor are
there in it any fountains. This vast chasm seems to cleave
the mountain to its base, and issues from it between two
lofty bulwarks, taking its course through the plain along the
base of the terrace of Banias.^
The second ravine, Wady Khushabeh, begins at the very
base of the southwestern peak of Jebel esh-Sheikh, and ex-
tends down southwest to the village of Jubbata. Below this
village it turns W. S. W. and cuts off from the very flank of
Hermon the thin sharp ridge on which the ancient castle
stands. The ravine, a deep and almost impassable gulf,
issues upon the terrace of Banias, north of the great foun-
tain. It has no permanent stream.^
The smaller valley, Wady Za'areh, has its beginning in
Jebel Heish, at the very base of Hermon, near Mejdel. It
runs southwest, with a fine brook, as a pretty, meadow-like
valley, called Merj Yafuny, until not far below the lake
Phiala it contracts into a wild volcanic glen. Afterwards,
sweeping around the end of a ridge, it turns northwest, and
descends to Banias. This valley, after reaching the base of
the higher hills, has a peculiar feature. It is apparently
covered over by a sloping plain, or gentle declivity of arable
land, stretching across it, through which, however, it breaks
down by a very deep and narrow chasm in the underlying
volcanic rock, with jagged perpendicular sides. This chasm
extends almost down to Banias, and is so narrow as hardly
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 396, 405.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 401, 403.
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE EAST.
85
to be noticed, until one comes quite near to it.^ The brook
in the upper valley was flowing with a full stream early in
June, and at that time reached Banias. But it can hardly
be regarded as perennial throughout.
In connection with the victory of Joshua over Jabin at
the waters of Merom, we find in Scripture the name Mizpeh
spoken both of a land and of a valley (nrp2).2 The land of
Mizpeh, it is said, was under Hermon ; and Joshua chased
the flying enemy as far as to Sidon on the west, " and the
valley of Mizpeh eastward." Hence it would appear, that
the land of Mizpeh (signifying ' a lookout, lofty place ') lay
along the lower southeastern declivity of Hermon, includuig
the higher portion of Jebel Hcish ; and corresponding nearly
to the modern district known as Akiim el-Bellan.^ These
limits comprise the two chief sources of the river A'waj, the
ancient Pharpar. The valley of Mizpeh, then, would proba-
bly be the ' cleft ' or valley by which one of those streams,
the Jennany or the 'Arny, issues upon the lower country
towards Sa'sa'. In this case, the valley of Mizpeh belongs
to the territory of Damascus, as does the Bellan at the present
day ; and it is treated of here only because Scripture names
it in connection with the Huleh. At a much later period,
this land of Mizpeh would seem very probably to have been
included in the southwestern part of the Iturea of the Greeks
and Romans.
Looking across the lake of Tiberias from the west, the
high table-land along the eastern shore appears like a wall,
rising boldly from the water ; and two deep ravines are seen
breaking down through it to the lake. That towards the
north is Wady Semak, the beginnings of which are in the
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 398, 400, 405. 2 josh. xi. 3, 8.
3 Biblical Researches, 1841, App., pp. 137, 139.
86
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
northeast near the end of Jebel Heish. The southern one,
nearly opposite Tiberias, is Wady Fik, having its head near
the town of that name.^ Whether the valley of the Passetv-
gers on the east of the lake, spoken of by Ezekiel, and also
called the valley of Hamon-Gog (multitude of Gog) ,2 had
anything to do with either of these ravines, or was perhaps
purely symbolical, is quite uncertain.
About two hours below the lake of Tiberias, comes in the
river and valley of the Hieromax ; draining the whole of the
vast plain of Hauran. This will be described under the head
of Rivers.^ One of the branches of this stream, a winter-
brook (xetficippoos) J near Raphon, a place not far from the
city Karnaim, is mentioned in the Apocrypha. It was there
that Timotheus and his pagan host were discomfited by
Judas Maccabaeus.*
An hour or more south of Pellex, the rather shallow Wady
Yabis comes down from the top of the mountain. It merits
notice here, as bearing the name of the SiUciei\tJabesh-Gilead;
which stood apparently upon its southern side, at a place of
ruins now known as ed-Deir.^
In like manner, after another hour and a half, the Wady
el-Hcmar descends from the mountain. One of its higher
branches bears the name of Wady Mahneh, from a place of
ruins upon it of the same name, Mahneh. This lies not far
nortli of 'Ajlun ; and the name corresponds to the ancient
Mahanaim.^
Next north of the Jabbok is Wady 'Ajliln, descending
1 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 343. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 279 sq. Biblical Researches,
n. p. 386 [III. p. 20'2].
2 Ezek. xxxix. 11, 15. 3 See Chap. H., Sect. L
4 1 Mace. V. 37, 39, 40, 42.
5 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 318, 319.
6 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 38-5. Biblical Researches, 1811, App., p. 1G6.
SIDE TALLEYS FROM THE EAST.
87
steeply to the GliGr ; having its heads above 'Ajlun. There
are fine fountains in it ; but their streams, in summer, do
not reach the Jordan. This valley may perhaps be the
Bithro?i, which Abner ascended to reach Mahanaim.^ — On
its northern side, on one of the high cliffs of the mountain,
stands the strong fortress Kul'at er-Rubud, forming a very
conspicuous object, and seen from a great distance.^
The valley (^"r)» of the Jahhok once called the river of
Gad,^ which breaks through the mountain range, will be de-
scribed under the Section on Rivers.*
Nearly opposite Jericho two Wadys descend to the Jordan
from the high plain at the top of the mountain. The north-
ern one is Wady Sha'ib, coming from the vicinity of es-Salt,
in a southwest course. In the plains below, it passes by a
site of ruins called Ximrin, the Ximrah and Bcth-niynrah of
Scripture. There are also fountains, corresponding to the
icaters of XI m rim.'' A strip of verdure marks the course of
the Wady through the plain to where it meets the Jordan,
about E. by N. of Jericho.
The other valley is Wady Hesban, coming down from the
neighborhood of that ancient city to the Jordan, about E. S. E.
of Jericho. Its course too in the plain is marked by a line
of verdure, which encloses the brook. The latter comes
from the tract west of Heshbon ; but whether it is perennial,
is not known. ^
We have already treated of one ^ valley over against Beth-
1 2 Sam. ii. 29. See above, pp. 68, 69.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 445 [II. p. 121],
3 2 Sam. xxiv. 5. 4 See Chap. II., Sect. I.
5 Xum. xxxii. 3, 36; Josh, xiii, 27. Onoraast., Article Xemra. Ximrim, Isa.
XV. 6; Jer. xlviii. 34. Biblical Researches, I. p. 5')l [II. p. 279]. Seetzen, Reisen,
II. p. 318.
6 Biblical Researches, I. p. 5.51 [II. p. 279]. Seetzen, I. p. 407, 11. p. 323.
88
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Peor,' towards the west, in the Ghor.^ Another valley, de-
scribed in the same manner, was the site of the lone and
unknpwn grave of Moses, after his decease on Mount Nebo.^
Beth-Peor was situated nearly midway of the mountain-slope,^
and this valley ' over against ' it was probably towards the
south, having its beginning under or near Nebo, and descend-
ing through a wild unvisited region.
On the eastern side of the Dead Sea two considerable
streams come down through deep and rugged chasms, the
Zerka Ma'm and the Mojib ; the former containing the hot
baths of Callirrhoe, and the latter being the river Arnon (^ns)
of Scripture. From Kerak, the ancient Kir Moab, there de-
scends a valley, Wady ed-Dera'ah, with a permanent brook,
issuing upon the peninsula. Still further south, and forming
the southern boundary of Moab, is the Wady el-Ahsy, with a
perennial stream, the ancient Zered (^n:). All the above
valleys are treated of in the Section on Rivers.^ Other
streams appear on the maps, but they all become dry in
summer.
One other valley or plain on the east remains to be con-
sidered. When Israel, on their approach to Palestine, passed
up through the desert on the east of Moab, having crossed
the head branches of the Arnon, they turned from the desert
to MaUanah, Nahaliel, and Banioth (heights).^ Thence their
further course was, according to the Hebrew, " from Bamoth
to the valley or plain (s^'l^n) that is in the country of Moab,
the top of Pisgah, and it looketh towards the wilderness ; "
that is, the 'Arabali. Elsewhere it is said, that they en-
camped at Dihon and Almon-Diblathaim and in the moun-
1 See above, p. 83.
3 See above, p. Of),
s Num. xxi. 13, 10, 19.
2 Deut. xxxiv. 5, 6; conip. xxxii. 50.
* See Chap. H., Sect. I. ii.
SroE VALLEYS FEOM THE WEST.
89
tains of Abarim,^ This Gai therefore would seem to be no
other than the high plain along the summit of the eastern
mountains, in which Dibon was certainly situated. It might
properly be called a Gai ; since on the west are eminences
forming the crest of the Abarim ; and at some distance on
the east is a chain of hills towards the desert.^
III. THE GHOR: SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
The northernmost valley which enters the basin of the
Huleh from the northwest, is that of the Derdarah, the stream
coming from Merj 'Ayun. This stream, though not strictly
perennial, will be described among the branches of the upper
Jordan.3
Opposite to the lake of the Huleh, the great Wady Hen-
daj breaks down through the western mountaiTi by a deep
and narrow chasm ; the steep banks of which are several
hundred feet high. It drains the region around el-Jish
( Giscala) and further west. In May, 1852, a fine brook was
flowing in it ; which, however, did not appear to be peren-
nial.*
Three valleys issue upon the plain of Gennesareth from
the adjacent hills. The northernmost is Wady el-'Amud,
which drains the region around Safed ; its bed was dry in
May, 1 852. The next, which also enters the plain from the
west, is the Wady er-Rubudiyeh, the continuation of Wady
Sellameh, which comes from the eastern portion of the plain
of Rameh.^ A fine brook flowing in it in spring and early
1 Num. xxL 20; comp. xxxiii. 45-47.
2 Barckhardt, Syria, p. 366. Comp. above, p. 60.
3 See Chap. II., Sect. 1.
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 364, 365.
« Later Biblical Researches, pp. 80, 81, 344.
12
90
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
summer is nearly used up in irrigating the southern part of
the plain. The third valley is Wady el-Hamam, coming in
from the southwest. It has its beginning in the hills north-
west of Hattin, and descends to the plain of that village ;
which itself is but a terrace or step between the high table-
land further south and the lower tract along the lake ; and
is skirted by a ridge along its northeastern side. Nearly
opposite the village the Wady breaks down through this
ridge by a deep and singular chasm. The sides of the upper
or southwestern portion of the chasm are precipitous rock,
five or six hundred feet in height. The length of the chasm
is over a mile ; its course about northeast ; and it becomes
gradually wider towards the lower end. About midway of
the passage, there are caverns in the cliffs on each side ;
though fewer on the left. On the right several of these
caverns are walled up in front ; and these are now called
Kul'at Ibn Ma'an. Further down, at the mouth of the
chasm, are many smaller excavations in the upper perpen-
dicular cliffs.^ The bed of the Wady, below the chasm,
turns to the lake near Mejdel (Magdala). On the southeast-
ern bank of Wady el-Hamam, just above where it enters the
chasm, is a site of ruins, now called Irbid. This is the Beth-
Arbel of Scripture, and the Arbela of Josephus ; near which
the historian describes caverns in the face of a precipice,
which was occupied by robbers as a fastness, from which they
were dislodged by Herod.^
South of the lake of Tiberias, and below the mouth of the
Hieromax, the Wady el-Bireh descends from the west to the
Jordan. It drains the country on the east and south of
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 312, 343.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 342, 343. Joseph. Bel. Jud., 1. 16. 2-4. Antiq.,
14. 15. 4, 5. Biblical Researches, H. p. 398 sq. fHL pp. 280, 281].
SroE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
91
Mount Tabor ; and is formed by two main brandies, both
deep ; one coming from Khan et-Tujjar on the northeast of
the mountain ; the other, Wady Sherar, having its begin-
nings in the plain south of Tabor and around Endor. The
united valley breaks down to the Ghor by a deep and sharp
chasm. ^
We now come to the great scriptural valley {p^^.) of Jez-
reel? This extends from the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon
eastward ; and is indeed the middle one of the three great
arms, into which that jDlain divides itself towards the east.
The valley lies between the mountains of Little Hermon on
the north, and Gilboa on the south. Its beginning, the
dividing line or watershed in the great plain, is near the
villages Fuleh and 'AfCileh. From this point it sinks rapidly
along the western end of Little Hermon, until it turns E. S. E.
along that mountain. Its southwestern bank, in this upper
part, is already more than a hundred feet high at the village
of Zer'in (Jezreel) ; and is a steep and rocky declivity. The
mountains on each side extend to the Ghor, being about an
hour apart. Jezreel in the west, and Bethshean in the east,
were in sight of each other, at the opposite ends of this great
avenue.
This valley forms a beautiful meadow-like plain, from two
to three miles in breadth by about fifteen in length, watered
by the great fountain of Jezreel, the Tubania of the crusaders,
now called 'Ain Jalud.^ There are also other fountains in
the valley lower down ; and the stream, as the Jalud, con-
tinues down to the Ghor. The valley is very fertile, and is
mostly cultivated, even to the top of the northern hills east-
1 Later Biblical Eesearclics, pp. 340, 341.
2 Josh. xvii. 16; Judj?. vi. 33; Ilosca i. 5.
3 1 Sam. xxix. 1. Biblical Researches, IL p. 323 [IIL p. 168J.
92 Pin\SICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
ward of Little Hermon. The southern side is everywhere
shut in by the bare rocky wall of Gilboa.^ Beisan stands
just upon the brow of the descent or offset by which this
upper plain drops down to the lower level of the Ghur.
Towards the south, a portion of the upper plain stretches off
along the eastern front of the mountains of Gilboa.^ It was
in the valley of Jezreel, that Gideon discomfited the Midian-
ites ; and here too was fought the battle between Israel and
the Philistines, in which Saul and Jonathan were slain on
Mount Gilboa.^ This valley and the plain of Esdraelon fur-
nish a direct and easy passage from the Jordan to the Medi-
terranean.
South of the mountains of Gilboa and of Sakut comes
in Wady Malih (Salt) ; so called from a place of salt
springs found upon it. It begins near Teyasir (^Asher)-,^ and,
passing down eastward for a time, afterwards winds off
among the low hills and ridges, which here constitute the
west side of the Ghor. South of the low bluff on which Sa-
kut lies, Wady Malih reaches the Jordan as a broad valley
with a deep channel.^
The next important valley is Wady el-Fari'a ; which has
its remotest head in the plain of the Mukhna near Nabu-
lus, of which it is the drain. Another head begins north-
west of Tulluzah, and is the main branch. The former,
commencing some distance south of Nabulus, and passing
along on the east of the low ledge which is before the little
plain of Salim, afterwards lies close to the eastern mountain,
and sweeping around its northwestern flank, breaks down to
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 338, 339.
2 Sec above, p. 77.
3 Judg. vi. 33, vii. 1 sq.; 1 Sam. xxix. 1, xxxi. 1-10.
4 Josh. xvii. 7.
« Later Biblical Researches, pp. 306, 309.
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
93
the level of the Fari'a by a deep and narrow chasm, along
which the rocky strata are singularly dislocated. Below are
several mills. The main branch comes down further north,
with a fine stream. Still another valley and stream come in
from the northwest, at Burj el-Fari'a, a small ruined tower
on a low bluff ; and here too is a mill, with immense deposits
from the water on the rocks. The streams unite some dis-
tance further down the valley. The general direction of the
valley is about E. S. E. In one part it is a beautiful basin
of meadow land, two or three miles in diameter, with the
stream meandering through it. Below this meadow the
valley is shut in by a spur from the northern hills and a
projecting rock on the south, forming a narrow gorge or door,
still an hour from the line of the Ghor. The extreme east-
ern point of the northern hills, forming the bluff in the angle
between the Fari'a and the Ghor, is called Makhrud. Be-
tween this and Kurn Surtabeh the broad plain of the Fari'a
merges in that of the Ghor, here known as the Kurawa.^
On the other side of Kurn Surtabeli, which projects to-
wards the southeast far into the Gliur, between it and the
next, and lower promontory of the western mountain, called
el-Muskurah, a broad bay or offset extends up from the Ghor.
Into this offset descend two deep and precipitous gorges (the
northern one is Wady Bursheh), which unite below, and form
Wady Fusail, from a site of ruins of that name, the repre-
sentatives of the ancient Phasaelis. In the northern chasm,
nearly an hour above the present village, is a fine fountain,
'Ain Fusail ; the water of which flows to the village, and is
there absorbed by irrigation.^
The deep gorge of Wady el-'Aiijeh enters the Glior south
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 301, 304. t
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 292, 293. Van de Velde Memoir, p. 122.
94
rHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
of el-Muskurah. It is known further up as Wady es-Sar
mieh and Wady Muhamch ; and drains the region above and
around Kefr Malik.^
The next valley is Wady en-Nawa'imeh. Commencing in
the northeast of Bethel, it passes between Deir Duwan and
Rimmon as Wady el-Mutyah or el-'Asas, and breaks down to
the Ghor as a deep and precipitous gorge. Along this gorge
we ascended in 1838 to Deir Duwan and Bethel from Jericlio.
The course of the Wady lies across the northern part of the
terrace at the foot of tlie mountain, just north of the foun-
tains of Duk.2
Directly back of Jericho lies the wild glen by which the
great Wady Kelt enters the Gh6r. This valley drains the
whole region east of Jerusalem as far north as to Bethel. It
receives many branches ; as Wady es-Suweinit, beginning be-
tween Bethel and el-Bireh, and passing down between Geba
and Michmash ; Wady Farah, having its head south of
Ramah ; and other shorter Wadys further south. These all
unite in the high table-land above, and form the Kelt, in
which, however, there flows no permanent stream. On the
south side of the deep gorge by which it issues from the
mountains, the road to Jerusalem climbs an 'Akabah (pass)
of seven or eight hundred feet, in order to gain the higher
region above. On this road, and within the gorge, is seen a
deserted tower, now called KakSn.^
• The stream of this valley in winter, with that of 'Ain es-
Sultanor Elisha's fountain, which flows to it, is doubtless
" the water of Jericho," which, at its confluence with the
Jordan, marked the point of departure for the border between
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 201, 292.
2 Biblical Researches, \. pp. 444, 568, 572 [H. pp. 120, 303, 309].
8 Biblical Researches, L pp. 557, 558 [IL p. 288J.
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
95
Benjamin and the sons of Joscpli ; namely, " from Jordan by
Jericho, at the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilder-
ness," etc.,1 and the 'river' (^ns) mentioned in Scripture,
as on the border between Judah and Benjamin, where this
border ascends the mountain.^ Wady Kelt would seem
also, with more probability than any other valley, to be the
' brook' (bn) Cherith, where Elijah hid himself and was fed
by ravens. The prophet being at Samaria, the residence of
Ahab, was directed to turn " eastward " to the Cherith, "that
is, towards Jordan."^ Josephus, speaking appa-
rently according to the natural tradition, says, that the
prophet went to " the parts towards the south " (ra tt/do? vo-
Tov fieprj^.^ In the indefiniteness of the ancients as to points
of compass, both of the above specifications may be taken as
referring to the southeast; and are thus reconciled. Further,
the names Cherith and Kelt are made up of corresponding
Hebrew and Arabic consonants ; the main difference being
the change of r to Z, which is not unusual.^ We thus have,
in favor of the proposed identity, this close resemblance
of names and a probable location. Christian tradition was
early at fault in respect to the Cherith. Eusebius and
Jerome place it on the east of the Jordan ; and, many cen-
turies later, the crusaders found it in Wady Fusail.^ But
in the latter case Josephus could hardly speak of the prophet
as going from Samaria towards the south.
In the time of Saul, while the Philistines were encamped
1 Josh. xvi. 1; comp, xviii. 12, 13. 2 Josh, xv, 7.
3 1 Kings xvii. 3-7. Not before nor east of Jordan; comp. Gen. xviii. 26, xix.
28; Judg. xvi. 3.
* Joseph. Antiq., 8. 13. 2.
* Gesen. Hcb. Lex., letter ^, Comp. also the name of the place "PivoKoKovpa
and 'PtvoJ/coupa.
6 Brocardus, c. 7, p. 178. Marin. Sanut., p. 247.
96
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
at Miclimash, and Saul and Jonathan with about six hundred
men lay at Gibeah of Benjamin, the Philistines sent out
three companies of spoilers : one towards the north, to Ophra
(Taijibeh) ; one towards the west, to Beth-lioron ; and a third
by " way of the border that looketh towards the valley of
Zeboim towards the wilderness." ^ As Saul and his men
lay at Gibeah, southwest of Michmash, the course of this last
company was probably towards the south or southeast ; and
the ' border ' spoken of was that between Benjamin and
Judah. The valley of Zeboim, or Hyenas, then, woul4
seem to have been an open valley lying in that direction
from Michmash, and forming one of the head-branches of
Wady Kelt. A town Zeboim is also named in Scripture as
belonging to Benjamin ; but, judging from the places with
which it is enumerated, it must have been situated further
west than Ramah, perhaps in or near the plain of Lydda.^
Of course it had nothing to do with the above valley.
We come now to valleys more frequently mentioned in
Scripture than any other ; namely, those round about the
Holy City. They are the ' brook ' (^n3) Kidron on the north
and east of the city, usually called the valley of Jehoshaphat ;
and the valley of Hinnom on the west and south. Upon
the broad and elevated promontory within the fork of these
two valleys, lies Jerusalem.^
The Kidron in Hebrew is a Nalial (^ri_3) ; which in the
Seventy, the New Testament, and Josephus, is rendered
* winter brook ' (^etfiappo^') ; and Josephus speaks of it also
as a ' ravine ' (^cpdpay^) It has its beginning just by the
1 1 Sam. xiii. 15-18. 2 Xeh. xi. 34.
3 Biblical Researches, I. p. 258 sq. [I. p. 380 sq.].
* Hcb. and Sept., 2 Sam. xv. 23; 1 Kings ii. 38, etc.; John xviii. 1. Joseph.
Antiq., 8. 1. 5. Also Joseph. Bel. Jud., 5. 2. 3, Ibid., 5. 4. 2.
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
97
tombs of the Judges, about half an hour N. by W. of the city,
in a slight depression through which one begins to descend
into the great Wady Beit Hanina which goes to the Medi-
terranean. The region here, around the head of the Kidron,
is very rocky, and full of excavated sepulchres ; and these
continue with more or less frequency on both sides of the
valley all the way down to Jerusalem. The valley runs for
fifteen minutes directly towards the city ; it is here shallow
and broad, and in some places tilled, though very stony.
It then turns nearly east, almost at a right angle, for about
ten minutes, passing on the north of the tombs of the Kings.
Here it is still shallow ; and is about two hundred rods dis-
tant from tlie present city. It then bends again to the south,
and following this general course passes between the city
and the mount of Olives.
Opposite the northern part of the city and above, the val-
ley spreads out into a basin of some breadth, now tilled, and
having plantations of olive and other fruit trees. Further
down, the valley contracts and descends rapidly ; and the
steep western side becomes steeper and more and more ele-
vated above the bottom. At the gate of St. Stephen this
elevation is one hundred feet ; at the southeast corner of the
Haram-area it is one hundred and fifty feet. On the east
the mount of Olives rises higher, but is not so steep. At tho
tomb of Absalom, so called, the bottom of the valley has be-
come merely a deep gully, the narrow bed as of a torrent,
from which the hills rise directly on each side. Beneath the
southeast corner of the Haram, the valley makes a sharp turn
for a moment to the right, and then passes down as before.
This part is the narrowest of all ; it is here a mere ravine
between mountains. The corner of the Haram-area over-
hangs this part ; the angle of the wall standing upon the
13
98 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
very brink of the steep declivity. Still further south the
western hill declines towards the south as rapidly as the
valley itself, the latter opens gradually, and receives from
the west the Tyropoeon with the rill from Siloam. Below
this it becomes broader, and is tilled ; and just below the
point where the valley of Hinnom comes in, is the well of
Job or Nehemiah, the ancient En-rogel.^
For about nve hundred yards below this well, the valley
continues its course S. S. TV., and is from fifty to one hun-
dred yards wide. It is here full of olive and fig trees ; and
is in most parts tilled and sown with grain. It then turns
S. 75° E. for about half a mile ; after which it takes a more
southern course for a time, and passes on as a very deep,
wild, rocky chasm, about E. S. E. to the Dead Sea, which it
enters just south of Ras el-Feshkhali. On the right bank
of this chasm, somewhat more than half way towards the
Dead Sea, is situated the celebrated convent of Mar Saba,
founded in the early part of the sixth century. From it the
valley is called in that part and above, by the Arabs, Wady
er-Rahib, ' Monks' valley ; ' while near to the Dead Sea it is
known as Wady en-Nar, ' Fire valley.' ^
At the present day the ' brook ' Kidron of Scripture is
nothing more than the dry bed of a winter torrent. No
stream flows in it now, except occasionally in the rainy
season of winter, when after heavy rain the waters rush down
into it from the neighboring hills, and form (though rarely)
a torrent. Nor is there any evidence that there was anciently
more water in it than at present.^
The valley (x'l^) of Hinnom is called in Scripture also the
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 268-272 [L pp. 396-400].
2 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 272, 382, 531 [L p. 402, H. pp. 26, 249].
8 Biblical Researches, I. p. 272 [I. p. 402].
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
99
valley of the son or sons of Hinnom.^ It has its beginnings
in a shallow depression or basin west of the northern part of
the city ; in the midst of which basin is the upper pool or
reservoir, usually filled with water.^ On the west a swell of
land divides it from the valley in which is the convent of
tlie Cross ; on the south is a low hill ; and beyond it the val-
ley or plain of Rephaim. From the basin the open stony
valley runs E. S. E. nearly to the Yafa gate of the city ; the
depth of the valley at this point being about forty-five feet
lower than the gate. It here turns south, and lies along
under the steep western declivity of Zion, quite to its south-
western corner. Here only a low ridge or swell separates it
from tlie plain of Rephaim. Higher up, nearly opposite the
south wall of the modern city, the whole breadth of the valley
is occupied by the ruins of an ancient reservoir, the lower
pool.^
At the southwest corner of Zion the valley sweeps around
to the east, and descends with great rapidity, between Zion
and the opposite hill in the south, to the valley of the Kidron ;
which it enters about one hundred yards above the well of
Job. The hill south of Hinnom is steep, rocky, and full of
sepulchres. The southeastern corner of Zion, between the
two valleys, runs down and out in a low point. At the junc-
tion of the two valleys there is an open oblong plot, reaching
from the gardens below Siloam nearly to the wall of Job,
and comprising also the lower portion of Hinnom. Its
breadth is one hundred and fifty yards or more. The west-
ern and northwestern parts of this plot are in like manner
1 Josh. XV. 8; Jer. xix. 2, 6; 2 Kings xxiii. 10, Keth.
2 Isa. vii. 3. Biblical Researches, I. pp. 238, 326 [I. pp. 352, 483].
8 Isa. xxii. 9. Biblical Researches, I. p. 327 [I. p. 485].
100
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
occupied by gardens ; many of which are on terraces, and
receive a portion of the waters of Siloam.^
In these gardens, lying partly within the lower end of the
valley of Hinnom, Jerome fixes the place of Tophet, where
the Jews practised the horrid rites of Moloch and Baal,
and " burned their sons and their daughters in the fire." ^
Tophet was not the name of the valley ; but was merely a
place in the valley of Hinnom.^ It was probably in allusion
to this detested and abominable fire, that the later Jews ap-
plied the name of this valley, Gehenna (tisn-'a, yeev^a), to
denote the place of future punishment, or the fires of hell ;
and thus it was also used by our Lord and others in the New
Testament.*
In the basin at the upper end of the valley of Hinnom,
west of the city and near the upper pool, there was anciently
a fountain called Gihon. A ' brook ' (^ns) appears to have
flowed from it down to the valley. This fountain Hezekiah
caused to be stopped ; and brought its waters " down to the
west side of the city of David." ^ This was done for the
purposes of military defence. The Son of Sirach also tells
us, that " Hezekiah strengthened his city, and brought in
water into the midst of it ; he dug with iron into the rock
and built fountains for the waters." ^ From all this it would
seem to follow, that Hezekiah covered over the fountain of
Gihon, and brought its waters into the city, and probably to
the temple, by a subterranean channel. This inference has
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 272-274 [1. p. 402^05].
2 Jer. vii. 31; 2 Kings xxiii. 10; corap. Jer. xxxii. 35 with Jer. xix. 5.
3 Ibid. Also Jer. vii. 32, xix. 6, 11-14. So ' the valley,' Jer. ii. 23.
4 Matth. V. 22; xvlii. 9; Mark ix. 43, 45; James iii. 6, etc.
* 2 Chron. xxxii. 4, 30; comp. xxxiii. 14, Heb. Biblical Researches, I. p. 346
[L p. 512].
6 Sirac xlviii. 17 [19], Cod. Alex.
SIDE VALLEYS FKOM THE WEST.
101
been strengthened by an aqueduct hewn in the rock, discov-
ered on Zion. Indeed, it is not impossible, that some connec-
tion may yet be detected, between the intermitting fountain
in the valley below the Haram, and some channel now
unknown bringing down the water of the ancient Gihon to
the temple. It was to Gihon, or more probably to summer
gardens below it, that Solomon was brought down from Zion,
in order to be proclaimed king.^
When Abraham was returning from the slaughter of the
kings, the king of Sodom went out to meet him " at the
valley (p^?) of Shaveh, which is the King^s dale ; " and of
Absalom it is related, that in his lifetime he erected for
himself a monumental pillar in the same King's dale.^ Jo-
sephus, speaking doubtless according to national tradition,
says that this monument was two stadia, a quarter of a mile,
distant from Jerusalem.^ Now a valley at this distance from
the city is found at three points, and no more. One is the
upper part of the Kidron, where it runs first southeast and
then east ; the distance being reckoned from the northern
(third) wall in the time of Josephus. Another is the head
of the valley of Hinnom, around the upper pool. The third
is the Kidron below the well of Job. The first of these is
still marked by the elaborate tombs of the Judges and many
other ancient sepulchres ; the remaining two have none.
The monument erected by Absalom was apparently in the
nature of a sepulchral column or cippus ; "for he said, I
have no son to keep my name in remembrance ; " ^ and a
natural place for it would be in the upper Kidron, among
other sepulchral monuments and sepulchres. The rock-hewn
1 1 Kinfrs i. 33, 38, 45. Joseph. Antiq., 7. 14. 5.
2 Gen xiv. 17; 2 Sam. xviii. 18. 3 Joseph. Antiq., 7. 10, 3.
^ 2 Sam. xviii. 18; comp. Gen. xxxv. 20.
102
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
tomb now known as Absalom's, in the Kidron valley below
and opposite the ancient temple, cannot here come into the
account, for the distance does not agree ; and its form is that
of the rock tombs of Petra, belonging to a period later than
the Christian era.^ The King's dale, then, was the upper
Kidron ; and here the King of Sodom met Abraham return-
ing from the north along the usual road, to reach his tents
near Hebron.^ If now the King's dale of Abraham and that
of Absalom be the same, it follows conclusively, that the
Salem of Melchizedek was Jerusalem ; and not, as Jerome
supposes, a Salem a few miles south of Scythopolis.^
The prophet Joel speaks of the Valley (P^>) of Jehoshapliat,
as the place where God will judge the heathen for their op-
pression of the Jews.* This would seem to be merely a sym-
bolical valley, in allusion to the signification of the name,
Jehovah judg-eth. There is not the slightest historical ground,
either in the Scriptures or in Josephus, for connecting it
with the valley of the Kidron. But it was very early so
connected ; for already in the fourth century we find Euse-
bius and others speaking of the Kidron as the valley of
Jehoshaphat.^ On a like slender foundation rests the popular
belief current among Jews, Romanists, and Muhammedans,
that the last judgment will be held in this valley.^ Yet after
tliis long usage of the name, there is now no valid reason
why we should not still so employ it.
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 349-352 [I. pp. 518-521]. 2 Gen. xlv. 13.
3 Hieron. Ep. ad Evang., 73. Opera (ed. Martianay), H. p. 573. Later Bib-
lical Researches, p. 333.
4 Joel iii. [iv.] 2, 12.
5 Onomast., Article Codas. Cyrill in Joel iii. [iv.] 2, 12. Itin. Hieros., p. 594
(ed. "Wess.).
6 Reland, Palaestina, p. 355. Quaresmius, IL p. 156. Mejr. ed-Din in Fundgr.
des Or., H. p. 381. Biblical Researches, I. p. 269 [I. p. 396].
SIDE VALLEYS FROM THE WEST.
103
The prophet Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem itself as valley
(N'l^) of Vision; and Jeremiah also once called it simply the
Valley (P^?) The temple at Jerusalem, where Jehovah was
enthroned , was properly the seat of vision ; but why the city
is addressed as a valley, is not so clear. Moriah, on which
the temple stood, was separated from the higher western hills
Zion and Akra, by a depression or valley within the city.
Did perhaps the valley of tlie prophets refer to the fact, that
from those higher points the temple appeared lower, and as
if in a valley ? Or did it refer to the more general feature,
that the whole city lies upon the upper slope of the Kidron,
and descends rapidly towards that valley ?
Another valley mentioned in Scripture is also to be re-
ferred to the Kidron. The prophet Amos, to express the
extent of the land from north to south, gives it as " from the
entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wilderness." ^
Another sacred writer, presenting the same idea, says " from
the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain," or Dead
Sea.^ In the first case it is the valley (^^i) of the ^Arabah;
in the second, it is in like manner the sea of the ^ Arahah ;
each being the southern limit. The former, therefore, would
seem to be the Kidron, which enters the Dead Sea not far
from its northern end.
There remains a single valley named in Scripture south of
the Kidron. It is the valley of Beracliah, or of Blessing, ren-
dered memorable by the rejoicings of the Hebrews after the
victory of Jehoshaphat.^ It was in the " wilderness of Te-
koa." At the present day there exists west of Tekoa a ruined
town on the west side of a broad open valley running north ;
and both the town and the valley in that part bear the name
1 Isa. xxii. 1, 5; Jer. xxi. 13.
8 2 Kings xiv. 25.
2 Amos vi. 14.
* 2 Chron. xx. 26; comp. v. 20-23.
104
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAKD.
of Beraikutj corresponding to the ancient Berachah. The
valley afterwards tarns southeast ; is then called Wady Khan-
zireh ; and appears to run to Wady Khureitun.^
Along the western coast of the Dead Sea, south of the
Kidron, several great valleys break down to the shore by
deep and wild gorges ; but as none of them are alluded to
in Scripture, it is not essential to describe them here. Such
are the Wadys Ta'amirah, Derejeh, el-Ghar or 'Areijeh, el-
Khubarah, es-Seyal, etc.
IV. VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
The valleys of the western slope, along the coast, present
in their upper portions the same general features as those
already described. Having their commencement in the
mountains and hill-country, they take their course some-
times for a long distance through the same, as deep chasms ;
and then break through and issue upon the western plains
by narrow gorges, like those along the Ghor. In the plains
they are, for the most part, only shallow water-beds ; by
which the waters of the rainy season are drained off to the
Mediterranean.
The northernmost valley to be mentioned here is found in
the hill-country southeast from Tyre. Three valleys, con-
verging from different points, come together in the plain
around the village of Rumeish ; one from the northeast near
Bint Jebeil; another from the S. S. E. from around Kefr
Bir'im and Sa'sa' ; and the third from the southwest. From
Rumeish the plain or broad valley extends N. N. W. for half
an hour, when it contracts ; but afterwards expands again
into a smaller plain south of Dibl ; after which it again con-
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 275. Wolcott in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 43.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
105
tracts. This valley is known as Wady el-'Ayun ; and the
direct road from Rumeish to Tyre passes along it as far as
to its junction with Wady Seribbin coming from the north-
east from towards Tibnin. Here the valley turns southwest,
along the southeastern base of the outermost ridge. After
following this course for some time, it again turns between
west and northwest, issues from the mountains by a deep
and narrow gorge, and as Wady el-'Azziyeh skirts the north-
ern base of the mountains to the sea near Ras el-Abyad.^
Between this promontory and Ras en-Nakurah further
south, a shorter valley, Wady Hamul, breaks down through
the mountains by a narrow gap to the coast.^
The great valley of the wild region back of Ras en-Naku-
rah and the plain of ' Akka, is the Wady el-Kurn. It drains
a large tract of country ; having one of its two main heads
above Beit Jenn in the southeastern angle of the mountains ;
and the other in the little plain of Bukei'a further west.
The valley forms everywhere a deep and wild chasm ; and
is described by the Arabs, in true oriental style, as so deep
and precipitous as to be impassable, so that even eagles con-
not fly across it. On an isolated cliff in this valley is situated
the fortress of Kurein, the ^Montfort of the crusaders ; now in
ruins and almost inaccessible. The great chasm by which
the valley breaks down to the western plain and sea, not far
south of en-Nakurah, is visible from 'Akka.^
The western part of the fine plain of Ramah, in the hill-
country east of 'Akka, is drained by a head branch of Wady
Sha'ab. It breaks through the ridge south of the plain by a
gap ; and is there joined by another branch, coming from
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. G2, G7, C8.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 05.
3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. GG, 7G, 77, 90.
14
106 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAKD.
Sukhnm and 'Arrabeh. The valley descends rapidly, and
becomes deep and narrow, but is not rocky. The hills sink
down gradually as it enters the plain ; through which it
passes on, as a meadow-like, marshy depression, to the river
Na'man, the ancient Belus, near its mouth. The perma-
nent sources of the latter are in the plain. Wady Sha'ab
has usually no water.^
The next important valley is Wady 'Abilin, which there is
good reason for regarding as the scriptural valley of
Jiplithah-el on the border of Zebulun and Asher.^ This val-
ley has its main head in the fertile basin east of the sightly
village of Kaukab, lying northeast from 'Abilin. Into this
basin there descends from the east a short open Wady, which
separates the hill Deidebeh overhanging Kefr Menda from
the line of hills further north. Just beyond the watershed
at the head of this Wady is the site of Jefat, the ancient Jota-
pata ; and from it a valley runs down southeast to the plain
el-Biittauf at Cana ; thus in a manner isolating the hill Dei-
debeh. From the basin above mentioned, Wady 'Abilin
sweeps off south and southwest around the high tract on
which Kaukab stands ; and turning northwest passes down
on the north of 'Abilin to the western plain ; where it goes
to the river Na'man. The northern border of Zebulun was
carried from Hemmon, now Rummaneh, in the plain el-
Buttauf, on the north to Hannathon ; " and the outgoings
thereof are in the valley of Jiphthah-el." Again, the eastern
border of Asher, coming from Beth-dagon south of Carmel,
" reacheth to Zebulun and to the valley of Jiphthah-el." It
seems probable, therefore, that the line of hills between Sukh-
nin and Kefr Menda was the northern boundary of Zebulun
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 78, 85, 87, 88, 103.
2 Josh. xix. 14, 27.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
107
ill this part ; and that the valley of Jiphthah-el. was no other
than the great Wady 'Abilin, which has its beginning in
those hills near Jefat. There may be also some correspon-
dence between the Hebrew Jiphtah, the Greek Jotapata, and
the Arabia Jefdt ; inasmuch as the Greek term came through
the corrupt dialect of the Galilaeans. Hence, the valley
may have given its name to the place, or vice versa}
The western part of the plain of Zebulun, el-Buttauf, is
drained by a water-bed called Wady Bedawiyeh ; which, still
in the plain, is joined by another, draining the tract of country
east of Seffurieh and around Tur'an .nearly to Lubieh. It
passes off as a narrow plain in a southwesterly course, among
low hills ; and further down unites with Wady Seffurieh,
coming from the great fountain south of that place, with a
fine brook. At some distance below it takes the name of
Wady Melik, becomes narrower, and winds among higher
hills, until it joins the Kishon, just as the latter enters the
plains of 'Akka. The stream in it is understood not to be
permanent.^
The ' river ' ( ^ns) Kishon itself passes in a northwest course
from the plain of Esdraeloii to that of 'Akka by a valley
between Carmel and the hills opposite. See in Chap. H.
Sect. I.
South of the plain of Esdraelon the hills for a time are
lower ; and, though there are many valleys running in
various directions, there are none at first which demand
notice here. The fine plain around Dothan and Ya'bud is
drained in that part by Wady Wesa', passing off west on
the south of Ya'bud. Further down it takes the name of
Wady Abu Nar ; and after a large bend to the south enters
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 105, 107.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 110, 112, 113.
108
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the western plain on the north of Jett ; and goes to the sea
as the river Abu Zabura, south of Caesarea.^
Another valley, Wady Mussin, coming down from the
plain of Fendekumieh, with a narrow and deep channel, was
said to join the Wady Abu Nar in the western plain. Others
regard it as uniting with the next valley, Wady Sha'ir.^
Then follows the great Wady Sha'ir, coming from Nabulus.
The narrow valley between mounts Ebal and Gerizim, in
which that city lies, has a gradual ascent for half an hour
from the plain of the Mukhna to the town, situated directly
upon the watershed, beyond which the valley descends
towards the northwest. Hence all the waters coming down
from Gerizim into the city, and all the fountains on that side,
flow off northwestward ; and the stream continues, even
in summer, for several miles down the valley. The chan-
nel skirts the southern and western sides of the basin of
Samaria, receiving all the waters drained from the adjacent
regions ; and passes out in the northwest by a deep valley
between high hills near Ramin. The bottom of this part of
the valley, as also the hills, are in many parts cultivated ;
and there are in the valley many very old olive trees. At
'Anebta, an hour below Ramin, are several mills, driven in
winter by the stream. Down this valley, by 'Anebta and
Tul Keram, passes the ordinary camel road from Nabulus to
Ramleh and Yafa ; which, though circuitous, affords an
easier descent and ascent of the mountain than any other.
This valley sweeps round in the plain on the north of Kal-
unsaweh ; and is marked on the recent maps as turning
southwestward to the sea at the marshes near the village of
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 121, 122.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 121, 125. Van de Velde's Map.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
109
Failiik. There is no permanent stream in its lower part,
nor at the mouth. ^
South of Nabulus and Wady Sha'ir, the valleys which
drain the western slope and brow of the mountains and enter
the plain, as far south as to the parallel of Jerusalem, all
converge in the plain, and run to the river 'Aujeh, north of
Yafa. Not one of them goes by itself to the sea. Among
the northernmost of these valleys is Wady 'Azzun, having its
head above the village of that name ; and winding by a deep
and narrow course to the western plain, which it enters
north of Hableh. The Wady here bends to the northwest,
and, passing very near to Kilkilieh on the north, then sweeps
round to the S. S. W. and leaves Kefr Saba QAntipatris)
just on the right. Thence its water-bed passes down, as a
depression in the rich and beautiful plain, to join the 'Aujeh.
This plain is separated from the level tract immediately
along the coast by a more elevated plateau, or range of low
swells, occasionally rising into low hills. The Wady from
the mountains is doubtless the ' river ' which Josephus men-
tions as flowing by Antipatris.^
The next valley is the deep and rugged Wady Kanah,
having its beginning in the southern part of the plain Miikh-
na, near Nabulus, which it serves to drain ; the northern
part of the same plain, as we have seen, being drained by
Wady el-Fari'a and the Jordan. Wady Kanah passes out
from the plain as a deep valley through the western hills,
between the villages Kuza and 'Ain Abus. Near Deir Estieh
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 125-128. Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II. p. 255.
Wildenbruch in Monatsh. der Ges. fiir Erdk., 1844, 1, p. 232, and Table V. Van
de Velde's Map.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 135, 136, 138. Joseph. Antiq., 16. 5. 2; comp.
13. 5. 1.
110
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
it becomes wide and is cultivated ; here several fountains
spring up in it. Further west it resumes its dark and rug-
ged character ; and enters the plain half an hour south of
Hableh, where it bears the local name of Wady Zakur, from
a ruined village on its northern side. It runs off just south
of Jiljulieh to the water-bed in the plain ; and so goes to the
'Aujeh.i There seems to be no reason to doubt but that
this is the ' river ' (^n:) Kanah of the book of Joshua, .which
was the boundary in this part between Ephraim and Manas-
seh. From the point where the valley leaves the mountains,
the border between these tribes probably was drawn directly
to the sea, at or near Arsuf.^
The next important valley has its head at 'Akrabeh, several
miles east of the Miikhna, at a watershed in the plain below
that village. From that point, one Wady goes eastward to
the Jordan ; and the other, as Wady Bir Jenab runs west-
ward, by Kubalan and south of the Mtikhna, and descends
to the western plain as Wady Ribah, about half an hour
north of Mejdel Yaba. In the plain it joins the water-bed
from Xefr Saba, and so goes to the ' Aujeh.^
Next follows the great Wady Belat, called also in its lower
part Wady Kurawa, from a village of that name on the north
of it. This valley drains a large extent of the mountain
region. It has three main head-branches. One begins south
1 Biblical Researches, IL p. 273 [HI. p. 93]. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 135,
139. See the next note but one.
2 Josh. xvi. 8, xvii. 9.
3 Biblical Researches, H. p. 272 [HI. p. 92]. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 139,
140, 296. The above account of Wady Ribah as also of Wady Kanah and "Wady
Belat or Ktirawa, is founded either on personal observation or on information
collected by Dr. Eli Smith and myself in 1838 and 18-52, and given to the public
in the Biblical Researches. The Map of Van de Velde (1859) represents them
somewhat differently; on what authority is not known.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
Ill
of Jufna (Gophna) ; and runs for a time in a northerly course,
receiving smaller Wadys from the east ; it is here deep, but
open and cultivated. After turning northwest it receives a
large and deep branch, coming down on the north side of
Sinjil and Jiljilia, and having its head in the plain of Tur-
mus 'Aya south of Shiloh. The third branch has its head
just in the north of Shiloh, passes down through the little
plain of Lubban, and as Wady Lubban breaks through the
western hills by a deep notch, and goes to join the Belat near
Kurawa. The united valley issues from the mountains ten
minutes south of Mejdel Yaba, as Wady Kurawa ; and pass-
ing down on the south of the great fountain at Ras el-'Ain,
goes to the southern side of the 'Aujeh.^ Northwest of
Gophna there is a shorter branch Wady, which runs west-
ward just south of Tibneh QTimnali), and joins the Belat
below. Across the valley from Tibneh is the hill of Gaash ;
and this and other deep valleys round about are probably
the ' brooks ' (^n:) of Gaash ^ so named in Scrip ture.^
Another large valley, draining a wide extent of the western
slope and brow of the mountains, passes down along the
plain on the east and north of Ludd (Lydda), and so north-
west to the river 'Aujeh. It is here known as Wady Ludd ;
or also sometimes as Wady Muzeiri'ah. Where the Sultana,
or great caravan road crosses it north of Lydda, it is spanned
by a long bridge of three or more arches, one of the best in
Palestine ; showing that although dry in summer, yet in the
rainy season a torrent of water rushes along its bed. One
head branch of this valley has its beginning beyond Ram
1 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 2G3-2GG, 271 [III. pp. 77-82, 90]. Later Biblical
Researches, p. 140. See the preceding note.
2 2 Sam xxiii. 30; 1 Chron. xi. 32. Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, pp. 484, 496. See
above, pp. 41, 42.
112
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Allah, not far from the southernmost head of Wady Belat,
and passing down as a rugged chasm north of that village,
issues from the mountain north of the lower Beth-horon ;
but whether it there turns south to the plain of Beit Nuba,
or goes on directly west to join Wady Ludd above the bridge
just described, is not certainly determined.^ The main trunk,
however, of the valley, above Ludd, is Wady 'Atallah, coming
from the southeast from the fine plain of Beit Nuba. Into
that plain descends Wady Suleiman, which drains the west-
ern portion of the plain around Gibeon ; and up which as-
cends the ordinary camel route from Ramleh and Lydda to
Jerusalem. From the western part of the plain of Beit Nuba,
Wady 'Atallah passes off about W. N. W. to the foot of the
ridge on which stands the village of Kubab. Here it receives
Wady 'Aly from the left ; and bending more to the N. N. W.
proceeds through the rolling plain to Lydda, where it becomes
Wady Ludd.2
Wady 'Aly has its head just on the brow of the mountain
back of Saris ; and receiving apparently other like Wadys
from the right, descends steeply to the region of hills below ;
and sweeping to the south around the river Latron, goes to
the 'Atallah on the north of Kubab. Along this valley passes
up the mountain the direct road from Ramleh to Jerusalem
by Kubab, Saris, and Kuriet el-'Enab ; less circuitous but
more difficult than the route by Wady Suleiman.^
Scripture makes mention of three valleys, which can only
be referred to some of the branches of the great Wady at
Lydda ; apparently to those near the mountains. Thus the
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 453, H. p. 250 [II. p. 133, III. p. 59]. Later BibUcal
Researches, p. 142.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 143-145.
8 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 156, 157, 160.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
113
vallry (p-cr) of Ajalon is certainly identified with the plain
of Beit Nuba (Merj Ibn 'Omeir) by the circumstance tliat
Yalo QAjalon) still lies upon the hills on its southern border.
This plain connects Wady Suleiman with Wady 'Atallah.
Joshua, pursuing the five kings from Gibeon, looked down
from the heights of the upper Beth-horon upon this beautiful
vale, and pronounced the sublime command : Sun, stand
thou still upon Gibeon ; and thou moon, in the valley of
Ajalon." ^ Another is the valley or plain (s^Vi?^) ^/
once named by Nehemiah ; Ono, of .course, being in or near
the plain. But the town Ono is several times mentioned ;
and is always coupled with Lod (Lydda).^ It follows that
Ono was not far distant from Lydda ; and as the word Bik'ah
signifies ' a plain shut in by mountains,' the plain of Beit
Nuba would seem to correspond both in respect to form and
nearness to Lydda. And as there is no other known plain
in the region of Lydda which does thus correspond, we may
assume the plain of Ono as lying around Beit Nuba. Men-
tion is twice made of the valley {i^^^) of Craftsmen (^Hara-
shini) ; which also is directly coupled with the place Ono.'^
It must therefore have been near Ono ; and may have been
a side valley opening into the plain of Beit Nuba.
The next estuary south of the river 'Aujeh and Yafa, is
the Nahr Rubin at Yebna, the ancient Jahneh or Jamnia.
The name Rubm comes from a Wciy on the hills north of
Yebna. The stream is not permanent. In October, 1817,
Irby and Mangles found the bed nearly dry above the bridge ;
but below there was a fine sheet of water. In October, 1857,
1 Josh. X. 10-12. Later Biblical Researches, p. 145.
2 Valley of Ono, Neh. vi. 2. Ono, the town, Neh. vii. 37, xi. 35; Ezra ii. 33;
1 Chr. viii. 12.
3 Neh. xi. 35; 1 Chron. iv. 14.
15
114
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Tobler found no appearance of water. ^ The Wady comes
from the southeast through the plain, from 'Ain Shems, the
ancient Beth-shemesh. It passes that place on the north
side, as a broad and fertile plain, at the foot of the project-
ing ridge on which Sur'ah QZorah) is situated. Here and
throughout the plam it is known as Wady Surar. This plain
of the Sui'ar extends up east and northeast far into the moun-
tains ; the projecting ridge of Zorah lying in front and enclos-
ing it on the west. The upper portion of this enclosed plain
is almost wholly shut m by lofty precipitous ridges. Into
the northeastern part of this recess, just east of the village
Yeshu'a (ancient Jeshua), descends the deep and narrow
chasm of Wady Ghurab ; and further south, with a high in-
tervening ridge, the still deeper and wilder chasm of the
great Wady Isma'il coming from Kulonieh. The large water-
courses of these two Wadys unite towards 'Ain Shems to
form Wady Siirar ; and the channel runs down on the north
of that ruin. The plains thus shut in, are beautiful and
fertile.2
These two great valleys, Wady Isma'il (or Isma'in) and
Wady Ghurab, drain the wkole mountain region south of el-
Bireh and west of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The former
has its remote beginning just south of el-Bireh in a hollow
way leading down to the open tract west of er-Ram ; while
other heads are in the plain north and west of Gibeon, drain-
ing them at first southeast into this valley ; which, as Wady
Beit Hanina, passes close under the village of that name ;
and so, in a southwesterly course, and afterwards W. S. W.
along the southeasterly base of the ridge on which are situ-
ated Neby Samwil, Kiistul, Soba, and Kesla. Opposite to
1 Irby and Mangles, 1847, p. 57. Tobler Dritte TTauderung, pp. 20, 25.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 153, 154.
\
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST. 115
the villages KulSnieh and Sataf, the great Wady is for a time
called by those names. Near the village 'Akur, another deep
side valley comes in from the east, made up of three branches.
One of these, Wady el-Werd, comes from the plain of Re-
phaim just southwest of Jerusalem ; another is Wady Ahmed,
coming from Beit Jala and the tract west of Bethlehem ;
and the third is Wady Bittir, which has its head near el-
Khudr (St. George) and joins the other near the village
Bittir. Beyond this village the whole valley is called Wady
Bittir, or also Wady Haniyeh, from the fountain in it near
Welejeh. Below 'Akur the great united valley passes off
W. S. W. as Wady Isma'il ; and breaks down through the
high ridge by a wild and rugged chasm to the little plain
above 'Ain Shems.^
Northwest of the ridge of Kustul and Soba, the whole tract
quite to the western brow of the mountain, is drained by the
two branches of Wady Ghurab. The longest and largest
begins at some distance northeast of Beit Niikkaba and north
of Kustul ; and lies close along the northwestern base of the
high ridge of Soba. The shorter branch, which also is deep
and rugged, begins just by Saris ; and leaves on the west
only the high thin ridge forming the western brow of the
mountain. 2
Three valleys named in Scripture appear to be connected
with the preceding great Wady Surar and its head branches ;
two of them on the mountains, and one in the plains. The
first is the valley (p^^:) of Gibeon, referring apparently to the
narrower plain between Gibeon and the ridge of Neby Sam-
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 455, 575, 11. pp. 4, 5 [II. pp. 136, 314, III. p. 325J.
Later Biblical Researches, pp. 158, 267. Tobler Dritte Wanderung, pp. 163, 197.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 155-158.
116 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
wil, probably as tbe scene of Joshua's overthrow of the five
kings.i The second is the valleij (p^^r) of Rephaim or the Gi-
ants, southwest of Jerusalem, on the border between Judah
and Benjamin. It is a broad valley or plain, separated from
the valley of Hinnom only by a swell of rocky ground ; and
in it Wady el-Werd' has its beginning. Here David fought
a great battle with the Philistines, as narrated also by Jose-
ph us.^ The remaining scriptural name, in or near the plain,
is the valley (^n3) of Sorek, where Samson found Delilah.
As Samson's home was at Zorah, overlooking the plain of
Wady Surar and also towards the east the plain or recess
shut in among the mountains, it is probable that the valley of
Sorek was in that region. In accordance with this, Eusebius
and Jerome testify, that in their day a village called Caphar-
sorech (Kefr Sorek) was still shown not far from Zorah.
The valley of Sorek, then, was probably either the Surar
itself, in that part, or some side valley opening into it within
the recess. The name appears to come from the excellence
of the vines and vineyards in this line southern exposure.
The great valley next south of the Surar, bears in the plain
the name of Wady es-Sumt or es-Sunt, Acacia valley, from
trees of that kind scattered in it. Two main branches unite
to form it, Wady el-Musurr in the northeast, and Wady es-Sur
in the south-southeast. Wady el-Musurr has its head not
far northwest of el-Khudr (St. George), and passes down by
Jeb'ah, having received several other deep Wadys which break
down from the brow of the mountain at and near Beit Saka-
1 Isa. xxviii. 21; comp. Josh. x. 10-12, Biblical Researches, I. pp. 454, 455
[IL p. 135].
2 Josh. XV. 8, xviii. 10; also 2 Sam. v. 18, 22, xxili. 13, 14. Joseph. Antiq.,
7. 4. 1. Ibid., 7, 12. 4.
3 Judg. xvi. 4. Onomast., Article Sorech.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
117
rieli.i Its course is there about west. South of Beit Ncttif
it receives Wad}^ es-Sur from the left ; and the united valley
becomes Wady es-Sumt. Wady es-Sur has its beginning
near Beit Nusib, and is a fine open valley or plain.^ After
the junction, Wady es-Sumt continues its course westwards
for an hour, as a broad, fertile plain with moderate hills on
each side. It then bends to the north, passing on the right
of Tell Zakariya ; and turning afterwards more to the left,
reaches the plain. We were told in 1838 that it runs to the
Surar ; but later information makes it continue by itself to
the sea, not far north of Esdud.^
On the south side of the noble plain of Wady es-Stimt, as
it stretches off for an hour below the junction of its two
branches, in a gap of the southern hill, are seen the ruins of
Shuweikeh, the ancient Socoh of the plain of Judah, coup-
led in Scripture with Jarmath and Azekah.* Scripture also
tells us that the Philistines " were gathered together at So-
coh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Socoh
and Azekah And Saul and the men of Israel were
gathered together and pitched by tlic valley (P^>) of Elah,
and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the
Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel
stood on a mountain on the other side ; and there was a
valley between them." ^ This graphic description enables
us at once to identify this part of Wady es-Sumt with the
valley of Elah, the scene of David's combat with Goliah, the
1 Biblical Researches, IL p. 5 [IL p. 327]. Later Biblical Researches, p. 284.
2 Biblical Researches, IL pp. 220, 223 [IL pp. 12, 16].
3 Biblical Researches, IL pp. 5, 20, 21 [IL pp. 326, 349]. Tobler Dritte Wander-
ung, pp. 181, 197.
* Josh. XV. 35.
1 Sam. xvii. 1-3.
118 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
first essay of the youthful warrior and poet as tlie champion
of Israel.^
On the north side of Beit Jibrin, the ancient EleutheropoUs,
a long valley comes out from the mountains, known as Wady
el-Feranj, lying between Idhna and Terkumieh. Its heads
are deep ravines breaking down on the north of Tefiuh (^Beth
Tappuali) and from towards Dura (^Adora) and Hebron in
the southeast. After passing Beit Jibrin it turns north as a
fine broad open valley among the low hills ; enters the great
western plain ; and sweeps around on the south of Tell es-
Safieh, the Alia Specula of the crusaders, towards the south-
west. It passes just on the east of the village Bureir ; then
turns west, having the village of Simsim on the north side ;
and bending more northwest goes to the sea, without a per-
manent stream, just south of Askelon. In the plain this
valley is known as Wady Simsim ; and has the character of
a broad and rich depression, with a gravelly water-course
usually dry. 2 Where it bends west around Bureir, it receives
from the east the similar valley, Wady el-Hasy, which drains
the region of lower hills as far south as the region of el-Burj,
and passes down on the north side of Tell el-Hasy, as a broad
meadow-like tract.^
There is no direct scriptural allusion to the great valley
just described ; unless, perhaps, a portion of it may be the
valleij (Ji'i-A) of Zephathah near Marcsha, where King Asa de-
feated the hosts of Zerah the Ethiopian.* Maresha, we know,
was situated about a mile southeast of Beit Jibrin ; and the
broad valley running from the latter nearly to Tell es-Safieh,
1 1 Sam xvii. Biblical Researches, H. p. 21 [H. p. 349].
2 Biblical Researches, U. pp. 24, 35, 46, 49, 71 [H. pp. 355, 371, 388, 391, 427].
8 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 47, 48 [U. pp. 387-390] .
4 2ChroD. xiv. 10.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
119
may well have been the battle-field in question, taking its
name, Zephathah, from the neighboring Tell.
Another remarkable event of scriptural history probably
took place in one portion of tliis valley in the plain ; I mean
the baptism of the eunuch by Philip. This evangelist, being
at Samaria, was directed by an angel to " go toward the
south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto
Gaza, which is desert." ^ This last expression cannot well
refer to Gaza ; it was not true in fact when the book of Acts
was written. It belongs, therefore, rather to the angel, spec-
ifying which of the several roads from Jerusalem to Gaza
Philip was to visit. It was the road leading through the
uninhabited district, without towns and villages ; and of
course the southernmost road. It corresponds to the present
road from Beit Jibrin to Gaza ; which now, as anciently, is
also the main route from Hebron to Gaza. This route lies
along on the north side of the meadow-like tract of Wady el-
Hasy, and also of Wady Simsim for a short distance below
the junction. In the gravelly bed of these valleys we saw,
in May, 1838, water percolating through the sand and gravel,
and forming occasional pools. It was probably on this road
that Philip found the eunuch, and baptized him. Philip
himself was next found at Azotus (Ashdod), a few miles north
of this very spot.^ This definite mention of the ' desert ' and
of Azotus, are decisive against the legendary traditions, which
fix the place of the baptism anywhere upon the mountains,
either north of Hebron or southwest of Jerusalem. ^
The next great valley in the plain, Wady esh-Sheri'ah,
comes from Beersheba, south of all the mountains, where it
1 Acts viii. 26; comp. v. 5.
2 Acts viii. 39, 40.
3 Biblical Researches, II. p. 514 [11. p. C40]. Later Biblical Researches, p. 278.
.120
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
is known as Wady es-Seba'. It takes its way northwest
through the plain to the sea not far south of Gaza, where at
its mouth it is called Wady Ghuzzeh, and is without peren-
nial water. It forms a depressed plain, with a gravelly water-
bed. Not far east of Beersheba its two branches unite, coming
from different points. One is from the southeast, having its
beginning beyond Aroer; it receives a tributary from the north-
east from beyond el-Milh, and passes around the southwestern
extremity or bluflf of the last ridge of mountains, south of
Kurmul.^ The other and larger branch comes from the north-
east from beyond Hebron. It has its heads east of Halhul ;
and extending down as a deep valley between Hebron and
Beni Naim, it continues on the same general course south-
westerly to the junction near Beersheba. The shorter par-
allel valley in which Hebron lies, runs into the same some
distance below the town ; and from that point, if not above,
the great valley bears the name of Wady el-Khulil.^
To the preceding valley or its branches there seem to be
three separate references in Scripture. Thus in Genesis, we
find Jacob abiding in the vale (p'2:>) of Hebron^ and sending
out Joseph to Shcchem to visit his brethren. ^ This valley,
of course, can only be that in which Hebron lies ; and which
runs to the great valley further south, f^cripture also names
the brook (5n:) of Eshcol, whence the spies cut down a branch
with one cluster of grapes, and bore it between two upon a
staff ; and, the valley, it is said, was called Eslicol (cluster),
because of the cluster of grapes thus cut down.^ This inci-
1 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 198-200 [H. pp. 61G-619J.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 281. Biblical Researches, I. p. 489, H. p. 206
[H. pp. 180, 629].
3 Gen. xxxvii. 14; comp. vs. 12, 13.
< Num. xiii. 23, 24; comp. Num. xxxii. 9; Deut. i. 24.
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
121
dent is related in connection with the visit of the spies at
Hebron ; and it is well known that to the present day the
vineyards and grapes of Hebron are superior to those of any
other part of Palestine. Further, of the three Hebronites,
Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who accompanied Abraham in
his pursuit of the five kings, the name of Mamre was con-
nected with the ^ oaks of Mamre,' where Abraham dwelt ;
and in like manner the name of Eshcol probably had some
relation to the rich valley of vineyards. ^ We may therefore
without hesitation identify the valley of Eshcol with that
valley near Hebron, which to the present day is marked be-
yond others by the number and excellence of its vineyards.
Such is the valley coming down towards the city from the
northwest, known as Wady TeMh ; up which leads the road
to that place and Beit Jibrin. In the same valley is also the
celebrated Sindian oak. The vineyards along this valley are
very fine, and produce the largest and best grapes in all the
country. Pomegranates also and figs, as well as apricots,
quinces, and the like, still grow there in great abundance.^
When David and his men returned from near Jezreel to
Ziklag, which had been given him by Achish king of the
Philistines, in the south of Judah, they found that city plun-
dered and burned by a horde of Amalekites from the south-
ern desert.^ David immediately pursued them " with six
hundred men, and came to the brook (^ni) Besor;^' where
1 Gen. xiv. 24, xiii. 18.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 214 [I, p. 316]. Van de Velde says he heard at
Hebron the name of a fountain, 'Ain Eskali^ a few minutes north of the city;
Mem., p. 310; Narr. II. p. 64. But the Arabic scholar G. Rosen, Prussian consul
at Jerusalem, in describing Hebron, writes the name of the same fountain as 'Ain
Eashkala, the k in each case representing Eof. Zeitschr. der morg. Ges., 18.j8,
p. 481, and plate.
3 I Sam. XXX. 1, 2; comp. xxvii. 6, xxix. 1, 11.
16
122
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
" two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they
could not go over the brook Besor ; " having just come from
a long march of three dajs.^ As the exact position of Ziklag
has not yet been determined, it is difficult to decide with
certainty as to the ' brook ' Besor. Yet we know that Ziklag
was one of the ' uttermost ' towns of the tribe of Judah,
' toward the coast of Edom southward ; ' and w^as afterwards
given with other cities of the same region to Simeon In
the lists of both tribes, Ziklag stands next to Hormah, which
we know to have been quite in the southeastern quarter.^
The Philistines had apparently come around by Beersheba
on the south of the mountains ; and made themselves mas-
ters of Ziklag and probably other places in the open region
north of Aroer and east of Moladah (el-Milh) ; both which
towns are named in connection with Ziklag.* The Amale-
kites, we are told, had " made an invasion upon the south
of the Cherethites [Philistines], and upon what belongeth to
Judah, and upon the south of Caleb ;" and thence had gone
to Ziklag.^ They would seem to have approached from the
southwest ; penetrated into Judah as far as to the neighbor-
hood of Hebron the possession of Caleb ; ^ and then turned
south across the mountain by Maon or Moladah to Ziklag,
which they destroyed.' From Ziklag they probably took a
southwesterly course, in order to regain the usual highway
of the desert, lying west of the mountains further south.
1 1 Sam. XXX. 9, 10; comp. vs. 1.
2 Josh. XV. 21, 31, xix. 5. All the towns of Simeon appear to have been
situated in this southeastern quarter of Judah.
3 Num. xiv. 45, xxi. 3; Deut. i. 44; Judg. i. 17. Biblical Researches, H. pp.
181, 198 [H. pp. 592, 017].
4 Josh. XV. 2G; xix. 2; 1 Sam. xxx. 26, 28.
5 1 Sam. xxx. 14. <5 Josh. xiv. 13; xv. 13.
7 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 97, 203 [H. pp. 4G6, 624].
VALLEYS RUNNING TO THE COAST.
123
This course from Ziklag would take them across the "Wady
'Ar'arah, the southeastern branch of Wady es-Seba', running
from Aroer to Beersheba ; and this in all probability was the
' brook Besor ' of the narrative.
South of Beersheba, the great valleys or water-courses are
known only along the main highway of the desert leading
from Sinai to Beersheba. Thus at el-Khulasah, the ancient
Elusa, passes Wady el-Kurn ; which lower down receives
Wady Ruhaibeh, coming from the place of ruins of that
name further south. Below the junction of these two, the
valley thus formed is called, according to one account, Wady
es-Suny, and goes to the Sheri'ah near the sea ; while accord-
ing to another account, it is Wady Khuberah, a fertile valley,
which goes to Wady el-'Arish.^ A valley also reaches the sea
at Khan Yumas, some distance south of Gaza.^ To some
portion or branch of these valleys south and southeast of
Gaza, is doubtless to be referred the valley (^n:) of Gerar^
where Isaac pitched his tent, after he left the city of Gerar.^
Only one more scriptural valley remains to be noticed in
this quarter ; and that is the river or rather torrent of
Egypt; which of old was the boundary between Palestine
and Egypt.^ At the present day it is called Wady el-'Arish ;
and comes from the passes of Jebel et-Tih towards Sinai,
draining the great central longitudinal basin of the desert.
It reaches the sea without a permanent stream ; and is still
the boundary between the two countries. Near its mouth
is a small village, el-'Arish, on the site of the ancient Rhi-
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 202 [I. p. 298].
2 Ii-by and Mangles, p. 55. Richardson's Travels, II. p. 195.
3 Gen. xxvi. 17; comp. xx. 1, xxvi. 1, 6.
* Num. xxxiv. 5; Josh. xv. 4, 47; comp. 1 Kings viii. 65; 2 Kings xxiv. 7; Isa
xxvii.; 2 So too, simply * the river,' torrent, Ezek. xlvii. 19, xlviii. 28.
124
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
nocolura ; as is shown by columns and other Roman re-
mains.^
Note. — In the book of Psalms mention is once made of a valley (pis^),
of Baca, that is, ' valley of weeping,' ' vale of tears.' ^ Here, under the
figure of a desert, joyless valley without water, the Psalmist would seem to
present human life, or some portion of it ; which the righteous journeying
through, by their trust in God it becomes to them a fruitful and joyous
valley gushing with fountains. Their suffering is changed into rejoicing,
their sorrow into joy.
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 199 [I. p. 2931. Irby and Mangles, 1847, p. 54.
Richardson's Travels, IL p. 191.
2 Ps. Ixxxiv. 7, Heb. See De Wette and Hengstenberg in loc.
PLAINS ALONG THE COAST.
125
SECTION III.
PLAINS.
Many of the Plains of Palestine are the bottoms of broad
valleys ; and, as such, have been described in the preceding
Section. Such are the plains included in the Ghor, and iii
the valley of Jezreel, Wady el-Fari'a, and others.
We begin with the plains lying along the coast, as the
most important.
L PLAINS ALONG THE COAST.
In the north, the southern extremity of the long and nar-
row Phenician plain, south of Tyre, first claims our notice.
On the east, low ridges run down into it from the hill-
country ; and leave an actual plain of only some three or four
miles in breadth. This is not specially fertile. On the
south, it is skirted by the higher ridges which go to the sea,
and form Has el-Abyad in the north and Ras en-Nakurah
(the Ladder of Tyre) in the south.
These ridges separate the plain of Tyre from the plain
of 'Akka ; which extends from the ridge forming Ras en-
Nakurah to the base of Carmel, a distance of about twenty
miles. The average breadth is from four to six miles.
On the east is the hill-country of Upper Galilee, occasionally
wooded, rising for the most part steeply from the plain ; but
yet with frequent ridges running out in low points and
126
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
gradually losing themselves in the plain.^ The whole tract
is fertile and well watered, having many fountains and two
larger streams, the Belus and Kishon. The region south of
'Akka is apparently lower ground, affording large tracts of
pasturage. Here in April, 1852, we saw, what is not usu-
ally seen elsewhere in Palestine, persons occupied in mowing
and hay-making. In the same region several isolated Tells
rise up in the plain.^ This plain, like the preceding, is not
directly referred to in Scripture.
On the southwestern side of Mount Carmel, the spurs and
valleys, which constitute its more gradual slope on that side,
fill up for a long distance the interval between the moun-
tain and the sea. For some time, and more towards the
south, a low ledge of rocks runs parallel to and near the
shore ; and the space between it and the water is mostly
covered with drift-sand.^ It is only in the vicinity of Caesa-
rea, that the hills recede, and the plain opens to the extent of
seven or eight miles. Here begins the celebrated plain of
Sharon, several times mentioned in Scripture for its rich
fields and pastures, in connection with Carmel and Lebanon.'*
It extends, with an average breadth of about ten miles, as far
south as to Lydda and Joppa ; a length of over thirty miles.
Jerome, in one place, makes the region lying between Lydda,
Joppa, and Jamnia, belong to it.^ The tract immediately
along the shore is low, and in some parts marshy ; the inte-
rior part, along the base of the hills, is everywhere fertile
and cultivated. Between these two tracts, north of the river
1 See Later Biblical Researches, pp. 88, 89.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 102, 103.
3 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, H. pp. 248, 249, 253.
4 Isa. xxxiii. 9, xxxv. 2, Ixv. 10; 1 Chron. xxvii. 29.
^ Acts ix. 35. Onomast., Article Saron. Hieron. in Jes., 65, 10. Reland, Pal-
aestina, pp. 188, 370.
PLAINS ALONG THE COAST.
127
'Aujeh, rises a low plateau, or range of low hills, some of
them wooded, but of less fertile laud. This extends half
way to Caesarea, and causes all the valleys from the moun-
tains, in that part, to turn southward to the 'Aujeh.^ Tlie
wood scattered in the plain is deciduous oak, rising in the
north into trees, but in the south exhibiting only bushes.^
It was probably from the frequenc}^ of this tree, that Ihe
plain was anciently also called Drumas ( Jpu/xoV) ; which the
Seventy have sometimes put for Sharon.^
Near to Lydda, and therefore probably in some connection
with the plains of Sharon, or rather perhaps with the Sepli-
ela, was the valley or plain of Ono. once mentioned in Scrip-
ture. This was apparently the plain around Beit Nuba,
north of Ajalon ; as we have already shown.*
The whole great maritime plain of the tribe of Judah,
south of Lydda and Joppa, comprising the country of the
Philistines, is called in the Hebrew the Sephela (M^s^'n, Gr. i)
^6<j)r]\d) ; signifying properly ' low country,' and sometimes
so rendered in the English Version ; as likewise by ' low plain,'
*plain,' and ' valley.' ^ Eusebius and Jerome describe it as
the great plain extending around Eleutlieropolis (Beit Jib-
rin), in tlie north and in the west ; it included Betli-she-
mesh and Ajalon.^ It extended to Gaza and beyond ; but
1 Later Biblical Resefwches, p. 138.
2 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II. p. 254.
3 Septuagint, Apv/xds, Isa, Ixv. 10; Sapwj', Isa. xxxiii. 9; Th neSlov, Cant. ii. 1.
Reland, Palaestina, p. 188 sq.
* Neh. vi. 2. See above, p. 113.
* So Enp:l. 'low country/ 2 Chron. xxvi. 10, xxviii. 18; 'low plain,' 1 Chron.
xxvii. 28; 2 Chron. ix. 27; ' plain,' Jer. xvii. 26; * valley/ Josh. xi. IG; Judg. i. 9.
Gr., 7] :S,f<pT}\d, Sept., Jcr. xxxii. 44, xxxiii. 13; 1 Mace. xii. 38. Sept. usually,
7] ireStfTj or rh TreSiov.
* Onomast., Article Sephela. 2 Chron. xxviii. 18.
128.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the southern border is nowhere specified ; and the coun-
trj in that quarter is often spoken of under the name of
Daroma^ 'the south' (Heb. ciTi, Gr. 6 ^apco/jud^'), ahhough
this name comprehended not only the plain, but all the
south of Palestine.^ We may assume the length of the
Sephela at not less than forty miles ; the breadth in the
north being about ten miles, and widening gradually to-
wards the south to some twenty miles at Gaza. On the west
a line of sand-hills separates it from the waters of the Medi-
terranean ; while on the east it is bordered by the tract of
lower hills intervening between the mountain and the plain.
South of the mountains, the plain extends up eastward to
Beersheba and beyond.
H. PLAINS IN THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GHOR.
Both the historian of the Maccabees and Josephus relate,
that the host of the Syrians was encamped at Kedesh of
Galilee ; that Jonathan with his host pitched by the " water
of Gennesar," apparently on the high ground northwest of
the lake of Galilee ; that early in the morning they made
their way to the plain of Asor, where the Syrians met them,
having set an ambush in the adjacent mountains ; that at
first, when the ambush rose behind them, Jonathan's troops
were discomfited and fled ; but afterwards recovered them-
selves, put the Syrians to flight, and pursued them to Kedesh,
even to their tents, and there encamped.^ This description
points quite definitely to the plain stretching south from
Kedesh for the distance of about three miles, to the brow of
the deep and almost impassable ravine of Wady Hendaj. On
1 Reland, Palaestina, pp. 185-187.
2 1 Mace. xi. C3, 67-75, Vulg. Joseph. Antiq., 13. 5. G, 7.
PLAINS IN TIIE inLL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GIIOR. 129
that brow, overlooking the ravine and the lake of the Huleh,
is the Tell witli ancient remains now known as el-Khuraibch.
This plain is accessible from the south, only by passing along
the basin of the Huleh as far as Wady Hendaj ; and then
ascending the mountains. The Syrians had set an ambush
in these mountains ; and came out in force from Kedesh
upon the plain to meet the Jews. They were finally driven
back ; and their tents at Kedesh captured. There can here
be no doubt that the Asor of this passage is a later form for
the earlier name Hazor, the city of the Jabins ; the plain
having thus retained the name, long after the city had passed
away. Hazor is twice mentioned in direct connection with
Kedesh; and overlooked the Huleh. Its site was in all prob-
ability at Tell Khuraibeh.i
South of the higher mountains of Naphthali, are several
parallel plains, stretching from east to west across the hill,
and separated from each other by ridges or ranges of hills.
The northernmost of these is the -plum of Ramah, which we
first saw from the brow of the mountain south of Beit Jenn.
It is shut in on the north by this mountain ; and on the south
by a lower ridge, on the eastern part of wliich is Tell Haziir.
At the western end of the plain are the rocky hills overlook-
ing the plain of 'Akka ; while its eastern end is skirted by
only a slight ridge. The length from east to west is about
ten miles, with an average breadth of less than two miles.
Through it passes the great road from 'Akka to Damascus,
by way of the bridge of the Jordan.
1 2 Kings XV. 29; Josh. xix. 35-37. Joseph. Antiq., 5. 5. 1. See Later Biblical
Researches, p. 3G5. The Greeli in 1 Mace. xi. G7 now reads, ds rh inBiou IJatrdpt
repeating apparently the final iV"u« of iredlov before the initial vowel of 'Ao-cSp,
This latter form is several times read in Josephus. So too the Vulgate. Reland,
Palaestina, p. 597.
17
130
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
This plain is very fertile ; and is full of very old olive
trees, called by the natives Rumy or ' Greek/ from an indefin-
able impression that they are older than the Muhammedan
conquest. The eastern part of the plain, as far as to Ramah,
is drained by a head water-course of Wady Sellameh, which
sweeps round from the east and passes out through a gap on
the west of Tell Hazur ; whence it runs to the plain and
lake of Gennesareth. The fine western basin of the plain is .
drained by the beginnings of Wady Sha'ab ; which latter in
like manner passes off through another gap in the southern
ridge ; and then turns west to the plain of 'Akka. The pros-
pect from the brow of the mountain above Ramah, over this
plain and the country further south, is very beautiful, and
is scarcely surpassed in Palestine.^
Passing over two or three ridges and ranges of hills, with
intervening smaller plains, we come to the noble plain now
known as el-Buttauf, and called by Josephus the great plain
of Asocliis? It was properly the plain of Zebulun ; the Rim-
mon of that tribe being still recognized in tlie Rummaneh of
this plain. ^ Its length is about ten miles from east to west,
by a breadth of about ten miles. On the north are the ranges
of hills, among which Jotapata was situated ; and at the
southern base of which, about midway of the plain, is still
found the deserted village of Kana ; the ancient Cana of
Galilee. The highest of these hills, now called Deidebeh, is
near Kefr Menda.
On the south the plain is shut in on its southeastern part
by a steep and almost isolated ridge, dividing it from the
lesser plain of Tu'ran beyond ; and ending towards the west
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 78-89.
2 Joseph. Vita, 41. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 110, 111.
3 Josh. xix. 13; 1 Chron. vi. 77 [02].
PLAINS IN THE IIILL-COUNTKY WEST OF THE GHOR. 131
near Rummaneh. West of this the plain is bordered on the
south by the low hills and broken tract towards Seffurieh.
On the east also are low hills towards Hattm ; and on the
west similar heights, with a conspicuous isolated Tell, called
el-Bedawiyeh. The whole eastern portion of the plain has
no outlet for its waters ; so that in winter it becomes a lake,
extending sometimes as far west as to the road between Kana
and Rummaneh. The western portion is drained towards
the southwest by Wady Bedawiyeh ; which, still in the plain,
receives the Wady coming from Tu'ran. Further down it
becomes Wady Melik, and goes to the lower Kishon. This
whole plain is of the richest fertility ; and was a glorious
portion of the inheritance of Zebulun.^
We come next to the great plain of Esdraelon, lying be-
tween Tabor and Carmel, and between the hills of Galilee
on the north and those of Samaria on the south. This plain,
as we have seen, completely interrupts the line of hill-coun-
try ; and forms, in connection with the valley of the Kishon
in the west, and its own middle arm in the east, an easy
roadway from the coast to the river Jordan. The elevation
of the watershed of the plain, near el-Fuleh, is about four
hundred feet above the Mediterranean ; but it cannot well
be less than one thousand feet above the Jordan.^
The great plain, in the proper sense, is triangular in form ;
having its southernmost angle at or near Jenm. A line
drawn from this place northward, along the magnetic merid-
ian, would touch the western extremities of the two moun-
tains Gilboa and Little Hermon, and strike the northern
hills a little east of the mount of Precipitation so called.
The length of this eastern side is not far from fifteen miles.
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 109-111.
2 See above, p. 32.
132
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
From Jenm, again, the lulls that skirt the southwestern side
of the plain stretch off from S. E". by S. to N. W. by N., and
the length of this side is eighteen or twenty miles. On
the north, the hills, which at first rise more abruptly, ex-
tend in the general direction from E. N. E. to W. S. W., and
run down at length into the line of lower hills over against
Carmel. The length of this northern side is about twelve
miles. This large triangle is everywhere an almost level
tract of unsurpassed fertility ; but its rich soil is now in
great part neglected.
East of this triangle, the plain of Esdraelon sends out
towards the brow of the Jordan valley three great arms, each
nearly an hour in breadth, and separated from each" other
by the ridges of Gilboa and Little Hermon. That is to say,
these two parallel ridges, rising in the eastern part of the
great plain, divide it into these three great branches. The
remarkable and distinguishing feature of these three portions
of the plain is, that while both the northern and southern
decline towards the west, and their waters flow off through
the Kishon to the Mediterranean ; the middle arm sinks
down between them eastward, so that its waters, from a
point within the triangle, run with a far more rapid descent
to the valley of the Jordan at Beisan.^
This great middle arm has already been described as the
valley of Jezreel? The northern branch, lying between Lit-
tle Hermon and Tabor, is definitely marked by the high and
steeper mountains which rise abruptly from its sides. It
extends around and beyond Tabor, quite to the brow of the
Jordan valley, and also towards the north ; but in this part
1 Biblical Researches, IL p. 362 [lU. pp. 227, 228]. See above, pp. 26, 27.
2 See above, pp. 91. 92.
PLAINS IN THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GHOR. 133
the surface is uneven, and sometimes rugged.^ The south-
ern arm or offset of the great plain runs up southeastward
from Jenin, between the hills of Samaria on the south, here
higher than farther west, and a range of naked rocky heights
on the north, forming the northwestern extension of the
mountains of Gilboa towards Jezreel. This branch of the
plain is about three quarters of an hour broad ; and rises
with a perceptible ascent towards the southeast for four or^
five miles beyond Jenin. On its sides are several villages ;
and on the higher ground beyond the arm, lies the village
of Jelbon, corresponding to the ancient name Gilboa.^
Singular as it may appear, this great plain is only twice
directly referred to in Scripture ; and then not as the plain
of Jezreel, as from later usage we might expect ; but as the
plain (i^^rp?) of Megiddo, so called from the place of that name
upon its western quarter.^ It is a Bik'ah, a plain shut in by
mountains and hills. When later, under the Romans, the
name Megiddo was lost, and the same place was called Legio,
the plain also was spoken of as the plain of Legio.^ It was
called by Josephus simply the Great Plain.^ In Greek" the
name 'Jezreel' appears also in the corrupted form Esdraela;^
and hence the name Esdraelon for the plain. It is found
already in the apocryphal book of Judith, in the form Es-
1 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 330, 331 [III. p. 180]. Later Biblical Researches,
p. 340.
2 Biblical Researches, II.'p. 31G [TIL p. 157].
s 2 Chron. xxxv. 22; Zech. xii. 11. The English Version has wrongly 'valley.'
* Eusebius, ireSiW t?)s Aeyewi/os; Jerome, 'campus Legionis,' Onomast., Arti-
cles Gabatha, Arhela, Cimon, etc.
5 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 3. 1. Antiq., 8. 2. 3. Reland, Palaestina, pp. 3GG, 367.
So too Eusebius, Onomast., Article Itahyrion.
^ ^Ea-Spa-nXd, Eusebius, Onomast., Article Jezrael. Hence the still more cor-
rupt form Stradela, Itin. Hieros., ed. Wessel., p. 586.
134
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
drelom ; and was current in the middle ages.^ At the pres-
ent day this noble plain is known as Merj Ibn 'Amir.
The great plain and its environs have been in every age
the scene of battles. We know from Scripture, that Deborah
and Barak, descending with their forces from Mount Tabor,
discomfited the host of Sisera with his " nine hundred
chariots of iron," from Endor to Taanach and Megiddo,
where the Kishon swept them away.^ It was in the broad
valley below Jezreel, that Gideon achieved his triumph over
the Midianites ; and again Israel pitched in the same valley
before the fatal battle in which Saul and Jonathan were slain
upon Mount Gilboa.^ It was likewise in the plain, not far
from Aphek, that Ahab and the Israelites obtained a miracu-
lous victory over the Syrians under Benhadad ; while near
Megiddo the pious King Josiah, attacking the Egyptian host
in spite of the warnings of their monarch, perished in the
conflict.*
South of the middle of the great plain, and at first sight
appearing like a bay or offset running up among the southern
liills, is another beautiful plain, not mentioned in Scripture ;
though once spoken of in the book of Judith, as lying around
Dothan.^ We may call it, therefore, the ' plain of Dothan.'
It is separated from the great plain by a narrow tract of
swells or rolling land ; through which pass one or more
valleys, draining the northern part to Esdraelon. The length
of the plain of Dothan, from Burkin in the north to its
southern end beyond Ya'bud, is five or six miles. Its
breadth is irregular ; since various offsets run up from it
1 Judith i. 8, iv. 5 [G], vii. 3. Brocardus, cc. 5, 6, Adrichom., p. 35.
2 Ps. Lxxxiii. 9, 10; Judg. iv. 12-15, v. 19-21.
S Judg. vi. 33, vii.; 1 Sam xxix. 1, xxx.
4 1 Kings XX. 26-30; 2 Chron. xxxv. 20-24; 2 Kings xxiii. 29, 30.
5 Judith iv. 6, toC TreS/ou tou irArjo-tou Aeoi^oi/x.
PLAINS IN THE IIILL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GHOR. 135
among the adjacent hills ; as at Kefr Kud (^Caparcotia) in the
northwest, and at Kiibatieh in the southeast.^ The plain
sweeps around the hill on which Ya'bud stands, towards the
S. S. W:, and is drained off in that direction by a valley. In
the broadest part of the plain, between Ya'bud and Kuba^
tieh, but nearer the latter, stands Tell Dothan, the site of
ancient Dothan^ with a fountain. ^ Here then is the plain
where Joseph's brethren were feeding their father's flocks
when Joseph visited them, and was sold by them to Midi-
anites, and carried into slavery in Egypt. The route of the
Midianites was obviously the same that is now followed.
Crossing the Jordan to Bethshean and Jezreel, their way then
led through this fine plain ; and down the valley at its south-
western quarter to the western plain, and so to Ramleh and
Egypt.3
Not far southeast of the plain of Dothan, on the east of
Sanur and overlooked by that fortress, is spread out another
beautiful plain, oval or round, in form, three or four miles
in diameter, and surrounded by picturesque hills not very
elevated. It is perfectly level, with a soil of rich dark
loam, exceedingly fertile. The plain has no outlet for its
waters ; which therefore in winter collect upon it and form a
temporary lake. The Arabs say, the plain drinks up its own
waters. It is planted chiefly with millet, a summer crop ;
though in some parts, where the surface is higher, wheat is
also sown. The plain is called Merj el-Ghuruk, equivalent to
Drowned Meadow.^
Along the eastern base of the mountains Ebal and Geri-
1 Wolcott in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 76. Biblical Researches, II. pp. 317,
318 [III. p. 154].
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 121, 122.
3 Gen. xxxvii. 17-36. Later Biblical Researches, p. 122.
* Biblical Researches, II. p. 313 [III. pp. 152, 153J.
136
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
zim lies the fine plain known as the Mukhna, extending from
S. S. W. to N. N. E. for eight or nine miles, with an average
breadth of one and a half or two miles ; it being narrower in
the south and north, and broader in the middle. A-t about
two thirds of its length from south to north, the valley of
Nabulus comes in from the west between Gerizim and Ebal.
The hills along the eastern side are lower but rocl^y, and
often project into the plain. Directly opposite the mouth
of the Nabulus valley, an offset or arm of the plain runs up
at right angles among these eastern hills, for nearly three
miles in length by half a mile in breadth. Between it and
the Mukhna lies a low ridge of rocks.
The southern part of the Muklina is drained by the be-
ginning of Wady Kanah, which passes out by a deep chasm
in the western mountains. But from a point considerably
south of Nabulus the water-course of the plain runs north,
near the base of the eastern hills. It passes on the east of
the low ridge between the MiiUhna and the eastern offset ;
receives the water-course of that arm ; and then passing out
again, lies close along the base of the eastern mountain.
North of the valley of Nabulus the Mukhna soon contracts,
and becomes rather a slope from the side of Ebal to the
water-course. The latter passes down northeast, by a nar-
row chasm with singularly broken and contorted strata, to
join Wady Fari'a. Both the Mukhna and its eastern arm
produce good crops of wheat and millet ; though the soil
seems to be less fertile than that of most of the other
plains.^
The Mukhna is not directly mentioned in Scripture. It
was, however, probably the place where the sons of Jacob
1 Biblical Researches, IL pp. 273, 274, 279 [HI. pp. 92-94, 101, 102]. Later Bib-
lical Researches, pp. 298, 299.
PLAINS m THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF THE GHOR. 137
fed their father's flocks at Shechem, before they went to
Dothaii.^ The Shalem near Shechem, to which Jacob first
came on his return from Padan-aram, was apparently the
Sahm of the present day, a village in the northwest part of
the smaller eastern plain. 2 Jacob's well, where our Lord
talked with the Samaritan woman, is still seen in the mouth
of the valley of Nabulus ; and around it is " the parcel of
ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." ^
In Isaiah we read of a valley of Gibeon, according to the
English Version ; but the Hebrew has it a vallei/ or plain at
Gibeon (p-^-'S p^.?).* The direct reference is probably to the
tract or valley between the ridge of Gibeon and the higher
one of Neby Samwil. This is strictly an ^Emek; but it is
only an arm of the fine plain which extends for two or three
miles on the north and west of Gibeon nearly to the brow
the mountains. The soil is fertile and productive. The
western part is drained by the heads of Wady Suleiman;
while the waters of the eastern portions flow off southeast to
the great Wady Beit Hanina, which after several changes of
name reaches the western plain as Wady es-Surar.^ The
allusion of the prophet is to the battles fought near Gibeon ;
especially that in which Joshua discomfited the five kings,
who had come up against Gibeon.^
The valley or plain (P^??) of Rephaim (the Giants^ is sit-
uated S. S. W. of Jerusalem ; and the road to Bethlehem
1 Gen. xxxvii. 12-14.
2 Gen. xxxiii. 18. Biblical Researches, II. p. 279 [III. p. 102]. Later Biblical
Researches, p. 298.
s John iv. 5, C; Gen xxxiii. 19, xlviii. 22; Josh. xxiv. 32. Biblical Researches,
n. p. 286 [III. p. lOS]. Later Biblical Researches, p. 132.
* Isa. xxviii. 21.
« Biblical Researches, I. p. 454 [IL p. 135].
« Josh. X. 1-11; comp. 1 Chron. xiv. 16. See more above, pp. 115, 116.
18
138 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
passes along on its eastern side. It is higher than the
valley of Hinnom ; and is separated from it only by a low,
rocky swell. The hills around it are also not elevated. It
is drained towards the southwest by Wady el-Werd. It has
already been described among the valleys.^
In speaking of king Uzziah's husbandry, it is said, " he
had much cattle, both in the low country and in the
plains." 2 The Hebrew word here rendered ' plains '(lii::^^)
signifies level ground^ a level spot or tract ; and as here
contrasted with the ' low country ' or Sephela, would seem
to refer to level ground or level tracts in the higher hill-
country of Judali.
In the English Version we read of the plains of Moreh and
the plain of the Magicians (^Meonemim~) , near Shechem; also
the plain of Tabor near Jerusalem, and the plain of Mamre,
near Hebron.-^ But the Hebrew word thus rendered
' plains,' refers rather to a strong durable tree, especially an
oak; and is so rendered by all the ancient interpreters.
The above passages ought therefore to read, the oak of the
Magicians, of Tabor ; the oaks of Moreh, of Mamre.
UL PLAINS IN THE GHOR.
The Ghor itself, as we have seen, is strictly a Bik''ah, or
plain between two ranges of mountains ; and as such its va-
rious portions have already been described. It is necessary
liere only to enumerate these different parts, and refer to
our former descriptions.
1. The basin of the Huleh ; including the valley or plain of
Lebanon, and the valley at Beth^ehob ; see pp. 75, 76, and 81.
1 Sec more above, p. 116 . ^2 Chron. xxvi. 10.
3 Deut. xi. 30; Judg. ix. 37; 1 Sam. x, 3; Gen. xiii. 18, xiv. 13.
PLAINS EAST OF THE GHOR.
139
2. The Plain el-Batihah, at the north end of the lake of
Tiberias ; see p. 77.
3. Tlie plain of Gennesareth, el- Ghuweir, on the west side
of the same lake ; see p. 77.
4. Opposite Beisan, from the lake of Tiberias to Sakut,
called by Josephus the Great Plain; see p. 78.
5. The plain el-Kurdwa in connection with Wadj Fari'a ;
see p. 79.
6. The plain of Jericho, south of Kurn Surtabeh ; see
pp. 79, 81.
7. Tlie plains (^Arboth') of Jericho, the plains (^Arboth') of
Moab ; see p. 74.
8. The plain or circuit QKikkar') of Jordan, in general ;
see p. 85.
For other valleys or valley-plains within the Ghor, see
pp. 81, 83.
IV. PLAINS EAST OF THE GHOR.
For the plain or valley (J^^ps) of Mizpeh, eastward of the
basin of the Huleh, see p. 85.
East of the lake of Tiberias lies the great plain of Haurdn,
now called en-Nukrah, an immense level tract, which may
be called table-land as compared with the depressed lake and
Ghor. It is bounded on the west by Jebel Heish, the lake,
and Jcl)el 'Ajliln ; and on the east by the Lcjah (the ancient
Trachonitis) and the mountain of Hauran. It extends from
the southernmost sources and affluents of the river A'waj
(the Pharpar) in the north to -the unexplored desert in the
south. The length is from forty to forty-five miles ; the
greatest breadth perhaps thirty-five opposite tlie lake. The
surface is greatly undulating, with occasional low Tells
rising in various parts. The whole plain is volcanic, being
140
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
an outlier of the vast volcanic region on the east. The soil
is of a dark brown color, almost without stones ; in general
exceedingly fertile, and arable throughout. With the higher
tracts of Haur^n it is regarded as the granary of Damascus.
The plain is drained wholly (except the few "Wadys that
run to the lake) by the river Yarmuk or Hieromax and its
many branches ; the chief of which have their beginning on
Jebel Hauran, and wind as deep chasms through the plain.
The elevation of the western part of the plain is estimated
by Russegger at about two thousand five hundred feet;
showing a rapid ascent from the borders of the lake.
This plain is the ancient Hauran of Ezekiel,^ the Amaritis
of the Greeks and Romans ; though some of the northern
portion may have been included in the districts of Iturea^
Trachonitis, and Gaulonitis. It was all. comprised in the
Bashan of the Hebrews ; and belonged to Manasseh.^
There remains to be noted the plain of the Bclka, as it is
now called, the elevated plateau along the summit of the
mountains which border the Dead Sea upon the east. This
tract was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. It extends
from near cs-Salt to Kerak and beyond ; a distance of some
forty-five to fifty miles in length, by a breadth of ten to fifteen
miles. As compared with the high land on the west of the
sea, around Hebron, the elevation of this plain cannot well
be less than about three thousand feet above the Mediter-
ranean, or four thousand three hundred feet above the Dead
Sea.3 On the west the plain is skirted by the hills and ridges
1 Ezek. xlvii. 16, 18.
2 Biblical Researches, 1841, IH., App., p. 150, Burclchardt, Syria, p. 285 sq.
Porter's Handbook, p. 499. "Wetzstein in Zcitschr. fUr allg. Erdk., Aug. 1859,
pp. 130, 131. Russe<?ger, IH. p. 215. Comp. above, pp. 54-56.
3 See above, p. 60.
PLAINS EAST OF TIIE GHOR.
141
forming tlio crests or brojv of the lofty mountains which rise
steeply from the sea ; while from the plain itself these crests
appear but little elevated. On the east is the desert, on
about the same level ; sometimes with chains of hills along
the border. Many water-courses, and some deep chasms (as
that of the Arnon) pass off through the plain westward, and
break down through the mountains to the sea. Through
tliese chasms there are frequent views of the Dead Sea and
the country beyond. In the plain there are isolated Tells ;
but it has not many trees, except along the western part,
where there is considerable wood in some places. The soil
is very fertile, but is left untilled ; the whole region being
given up to pasturage ; for the excellency of which it is
greatly celebrated.^
This high plaia of the Belka is several times mentioned
in Scripture, chiefly in connection with the approach of the
Hebrews to the Promised Land.^ The Hebrew word is here
Mishur ("ii'iii"*?), signifying ' a level tract,' and rendered in the
English Version, by ' plain, plain country.' Portions of this
' plain country ' are also definitely referred to in two other
passages.
When the Hebrews, in approaching Palestine, turned from
the eastern desert into the inhabited country north of the
Arnon, they went (according to the Hebrew) " from Bamoth
to the plain or basin Q^"^^^) which is in the country (field)
of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which overlooketh the wilder-
ness." ^ This Gai or basin was perhaps some depressed tract
in the plain near to the heights or crest of Pisgah, where the
1 Seetzen, Eeisen, I. pp. 407, 410. Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 364-366. Irby and
Mangles, 1847, pp. 142, 146. Sec above, pp. 59-61, 67, 68.
2 Deut. iii. 10, iv. 43; Josh. xiii. 9, 16, 17, 21, xx. 8; Jer. xlviii. 21.
3 Num. xxi. 20; comp. Num. xxxiii. 47, 48. Sec above, p. 63.
142 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
waters were gathered in winter, iind flowed off through a
common channel. Or, the word Gai might possibly be re-
ferred to the whole plain, as being skirted on each side by
hills ; just as the Ghor itself is spoken of as a Gai}
In Genesis it is related, that Chedorlaomer and the kings
with him " smote the Emims in the plain (!iv^) of Kiriath-
aun.^^^ The city Kiriathaim lay, as we have seen, on the
southern part of Jebel 'Attarus ; and the plain in question
was therefore probably along the eastern base of that moun-
tain.^
1 See above, p. 82.
3 See above, p. 67.
2 Gen. xiv. 5.
CHAPTER II.
WATERS.
When Moses led Israel towards the Promised Land, he
described it to them by way of contrast with Egypt ; where,
without rain, their supply of water had to be raised from the
Nile or from wells : " For the land is not as the land of
Egypt, whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed
and wateredst it with thy foot,^ as a garden of herbs ; but
the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and
valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven." " For
the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of
brooks of water, of fountains and depths, that spring out of
valleys and hills." ^ What Palestine was then, such it is
now ; a land of fountains and brooks in winter ; the flow of
which, however, from the warmth of the climate and the
unclouded sunshine of a long summer, is confined within
brief courses for a large portion of the year. While in sum-
mer there are few streams, there are yet many fountains ;
which supply water for man and beast, and sometimes for
irrigation.
1 RefeiTing probably to a machine for raising water, turned by the foot; see
Biblical Researches, I., Note II., at the end.
2 Deut. xi. 10, 11, viii. 7.
144
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND,
SECTION L
RIVERS AND MINOR STREAMS.
The River of Palestine is the Jordan. No other stream
in the coiintrj strictly deserves the name of river ; unless it
be one or two of the tributaries of the Jordan from the east.
On the coast the streams of the Belus, the lower Kishon,and
the 'Aujeh have considerable water ; but the permanent
course of each is very short.
I. THE JORDA^T AND ITS SOURCES.
The Jordan, after the junction of all its head streams,
expands into the lake of the Hdleh. Then, after rushing
down a rocky chasm for several miles, it again spreads out
into the lake of Tiberias. From this lake its course is
comparatively uninterrupted, until it enters the Dead Sea.
Hence the Jordan may be treated of in three divisions, viz ;
The Upper Jordan, extending from the sources to the lake
of Tiberias. The direct length of this part, from Tell el-
Kady and Banias to that lake, is about twenty-five miles ;
the source, at Hasbeiya, being some ten miles further north.
The Middle Jordan, from the lake of Tiberias to the nar-
row pass opposite Kurn Surtabeli ; a direct distance of about
forty-five miles.
Tlie Lower Jordan, from Kurn Surtabeli to the Dead Sea ;
a distance of about twenty miles.
TIIE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
145
The whole length of the Jordan, therefore, from H^sbeiya
to the Dead Sea, including the two lakes, is not far from
one hundred and fifteen miles.
Hie valley of the Jordan, as usually spoken of, is the Ghor,
the broad depressed plain shut in between two ranges of
mountains. But below the lake of Tiberias, the Jordan
flows in its own well-defined and still deeper valley, winding
through the plain of the Ghor. Along and within this deeper
valley, the channel of the river winds exceedingly ; and is,
in most parts, fringed by a narrow tract of verdure on
each side, made up of trees, bushes, reeds, and luxuriant
herbage.
N.AME. The name Jordan comes to us from the Hebrew
through the Greek QyT^'^, 'IopBdv7]<;), the Hebrew name being
always written in the Old Testament, except in two places,
with the article, the Jordan C'n*':?:). It comes from the root
'T^^j to g'O doivn, or spoken of a stream, to flow ; honce the
Jordan signifies ' the flowing,' perhaps witli some allusion to
its rapid descent and swift current. At the present day it is
called by the Arabs esh-SherVah, 'the watering-place;*
sometimes with the addition of el-Kebtr, ' the Great.' Yet
the name eZ- £/rc?w7Z (Jordan) is not unknown in Arabian
writers.^
An early and current derivation, coming down at least
from the time of Jerome, regards the word Jordan as mado
up from the names of the two streams from Banias and
Dan ; the former, it was said, being called Jor ('^i<']), and tho
other Dan. That all this is without foundation, is shown by
the fact that the name Jordan was current in the days of
1 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr. p. 147.
Jordanes.
19
Schulten's Index in Vit. Saladin, Article Fluvius
146
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
Abraham and the patriarchs, at least five centuries before
the name of Dan was given to the city in question.^
Upper Jordan. Sources. The Jordan is formed by the
junction of three large perennial streams, issuing from
immense, fountains, near Hasbeiya, at Tell el-Kady, and at
Banias. All along the base of Hermon, indeed, there are
springs and rivulets, which run to those streams ; and large
fountains also send their waters to the lake of the Huleh ;
but no one reckons these among the proper sources of the
Jordan. So too the brook in Wady Zaa'reh, wliich comes
down to Banias ; and the Derdarah,.the streamlet from Mcrj
'Ayun, are neither of them perennial in their whole course ;
and are therefore not to be regarded as permanent sources
of the Jordan.2
The Hdshdny. The stream from Hasbeiya is called Nahr
Hasbany. It flows along the great Wady et-Teim, which
runs up at the western base of Hermon as far as to the region
around Rasheiya ; and then, descending, continues on till it
is merged in the Buka'a, near the great fountain of 'Anjar.
The whole of Wady et-Teim is north of the line of Palestine
proper ; and we speak of it here only with reference to the
upper portion of the Hasbany.
The source of the Hasbany is ten or twelve miles in a
direct line above the mouth of Wady et-Teim ; near the
opening of the side valley which leads up east to Hasbeiya,
and almost a mile and a half distant from that town. Here
a ridge running down on the north side of the short lateral
valley, terminates in a volcanic bluff, at the foot of which
the fountain bursts forth in the very channel of Wady et-
1 Gen. xiii. 10, 11, xxxii. 10, 1. 10, 11; comp. Judg. xviii. 29. See Later Bib-
lical Researches, p. 412, note.
2 See above, pp. 84, 89.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
147
Teim ; sending forth at once a large volume of water. At
present a strong and permanent dam is thrown across just
below the fountain. A head of water is thus raised and a
small pond formed, from which the water is turned into a
wide mill-race. In this way all the beauty and romance of
the spot are destroyed. The fountain, as such, is not visible ;
except that just above the dam the water is seen boiling up
on the surface of the pool, and quite across it. There are a
few trees along the banks, and a large rock rises on the east
side of the pool. About thirty rods below the fountain there
is a bridge across the stream.
This fountain is the remotest perennial source of the
Jordan ; though never alluded to by any ancient writer.
There are, indeed, small fountains further up the valley, but
their waters do not reach this spot. Yet in the rainy season
a great body of water descends from the upper part of Wady
et-Teim and the heights of Jebel esh-Sheikh around Ra-
sheiya, causing a formidable torrent along the valley.^
Wady et-Teim is, in many parts, full of spurs and ridges
jutting out from the base of Hermon. Along the narrow
dell thus formed in the west, the limpid stream of the Has-
bany rushes murmuring, usually fordable, except as some-
times almost hidden in deep chasms. About six miles below
Hasbeiya a fine stream comes in from the east, from 'Ain
Seraiyib, a large fountain at the foot of Hermon. This is
regarded as one of the main feeders of the Hasbany ; and is
said to be far more copious in winter than in summer.
This stream, as we saw it in May, was about one fourth part
as large as the Hasbany.^
At some distance further down, and nearly opposite Khi-
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 378.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 415.
148 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
yam, the hills and ridges within Wady et-Teim disappear;
and the whole valley opens out into a wide and tolerably
level plain, which thus connects with the basin of the Huleh.
The rapid descent of this part of the valley, and the steps
and terraces by which it joins the lower plain, have already
been described.^ It is remarkable that the river Hasbany,
on issuing from its mountain glen into the great volcanic
plain towards the Huleh, does not follow the lowest part of
the plain ; but keeps along in its own deep chasm through
•the western and highest plateau. This chasm the river has
worn for itself, to the depth of from two to three hundred
feet, in the hard trap rock ; it is quite narrow, with very
steep and in some places perpendicular banks. Where the
river flows through the lower terraces, the chasm is of course
less deep. About a mile below Ghujar there is a bridge over
the stream.2
We forded the river above Ghujar, near Luweizeh ; de-
scending into the chasm steeply and with difficulty, among
the trap boulders and globular basalt. Five minutes below
the ford is another large fountain, called Luweizany, burst-
ing forth under isolated strata of limestone rock on the west-
ern margin of the stream. Thickets of oleanders and marshy
ground render access to the fountain difficult ; but it is evi-
dently quite large, and the stream below is very much aug-
mented.^
As the Hasbany reaches the lower terraces and plains,
much water is drawn off from it for the purposes of irriga-
tion.
Tell el-Kddy, The Ledddn. About a mile and a half
south by east from the southwestern corner of Hermon,
1 Sco above, p. 75. 2 Later Biblical Pvosearches, pp. 389, 390.
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 389.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
149
nearly in a line with its western base, and about midway of
the Huleli from west to cast, rises the isolated Tell el-Kady.
It stands connected with the step or offset between two pla-
teaus ; so that while its height on the northern part is only
some thirty or forty feet above the plain, the southern side
is twice as high as the northern, rising above the plain at its
•southern base' not less than eighty or ninety feet. The form
is oblong, but irregular ; stretching from west to east. The|
top is an area of several acres, somewhat highest towards the
east, and in part cultivated. Singularly enough, this Tell
and offset are the dividing line between the volcanic and
limestone formations. The Tell and all the plain north are
volcanic ; while all the plain of the Huleh further south is
limestone. Some have held the Tell to have been the crater
of an extinct volcano ; but geologists do not favor the idea.
Nor, if so, is it easy to account for the absence of all volcanic
phenomena on the southern and lower quarter. The eleva-
tion of this spot above the sea is given at six hundred and
forty-seven feet. The Tell was probably the main site of the
ancient city Dan.
On approaching Tell el-Kady from the west, the first object
which strikes the eye is an immense stream of the most lim-
pid water pouring from its western end. This portion of
the Tell appears as if built up with large trap boulders ; and
through these the water gushes out several feet above the
base. It forms a little lake at the bottom ; and then rushes
down a steep channel to the next lower plateau. This is
one of the largest fountains in the world ; the stream that
issues from it being not less than four times as large as the
Hasbany, even after all the accessions which the latter re-
ceives.
Not all the water, however, from the interior of the Tell,
150
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
escapes in this way. In the surface of the Tell, directly
above the great fountain, is a cavity of some extent, into
which the water also rises ; and runs off, as a considerable
stream, through a break in the edge of the Tell, tumbling
down its southwestern side. This stream drives two mills ;
and furnishes water-power enough for any number. It then
goes to join the other river. This of itself woul& be regarded
as quite a large fountain. Just in the break of the Tell
stands a noble oak (Sindian), with its vast boughs spreading
widely around, and supplying a grateful shade, under which
many travellers have rested.^
The water of the Leddan, as it rushes down the various
declivities or offsets, is used to drive several mills ; and large
quantities are taken out on both sides and distributed for
irrigation. A small branch or canal, called Bureij, is carried
along parallel on the west, which supplies water to the fields,
and also gathers up again the superfluous waters, and joins
the main stream some distance below.^
Nahr Bunids. In the angle of the mountains, formed by
the lofty sides of Hermon on the north, and the lower
mountains that skirt the Huleh on the east, on its own
beautiful terrace, is situated the town of Banias. Back of
the town, in the very nook of the mountauis, bursts forth the
great fountain, the most picturesque and celebrated of all
the sources of the Jordan. The fountain issues from the
lower western end of the thin, sharp ridge cut off by
Wady Kushabeh from the flank of Hermon, on which ridge,
higli up, stands the ancient fortress.^ The fountain, there-
fore, is wholly south of that Wady ; and has no visible con-
nection whatever with the mountain. The ridge terminates
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 390-392.
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 394, 395. ^ ggg above, p. 81.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
151
here in a precipice of limestone rock ; the whole terrace also
being of limestone ; but the volcanic rocks begin immedi-
ately above. The strata of the precipice are greatly in-
clined ; and the front would seem to have been, in the course
of time, much broken away, probably by earthquakes. The
main precipice faces about S. W. by W., and rises from a
hundred to a hundred and fifty feet above the water of the
fountain. At the base of this there appears to have been
anciently a cavern, from which the water probably issued.
But in consequence of the breaking away of the rock above,
the former front part of the cavern is now filled up with the
fallen rocks and stones, which also extend out for some
distance before it. Through the bottom of this mass of rocks
and fragments the water now gushes forth. Further to-
wards the south also, where apparently there was no cavern,
there is the same heaping up of debris along the foot of the
precipice ; and through this too, in like manner, the water
issues less abundantly, spreading itself perhaps from the
cavern.
This spot and cavern were the ancient Panium, and hero
the first Herod erected a temple in honor of Augustus.^ In
the face of the precipice, south of the cavern, and now only
just above the debris, are several votive niches, with in-
scriptions. Others may likewise exist, now covered by the
stones.
From beneath and through the mass of rocks and stones,
which thus fill up and hide the entrance of the cavern,
gushes forth the Nahr Banias, a full and rushing river,
twice as large as the stream from the fountain near Has-
beiya. The water is of the purest and finest quality, limpid,
bright, and sparkling. Some of the waters are carried in
1 Joseph. Antiq., 15. 10. 3.
152
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
channels through the village ; but the main stream passes
down on the north. Gathering to itself the other streams
just below, and yet itself distributing its waters over the
terrace and portions of the adjacent western plain for the
purposes of irrigation, it rushes onward in a ravine of its
own, with swift course, towards the southwest, down to the
plain below, and so to the lower Hulch. It is the most beau-
tiful of all the streams of the Jordan.^
Junction of the Streams. Until the year 1852, it was not
known whether the three head streams of the Jordan entered
the lake of the Huleh separately, or formed a junction above
the lake. To determine this problem, in May of that year
we struck down from Tell el-Kady into the Huleh, on the
east of the Leddan. After descending several steps and
terraces, through tracts of the richest fertility, well watered
by irrigation, but without a trace of marshy land, we came in
one hour from the Tell to the Nalir Banias. It was hero
flowing rapidly in a depressed but open valley. We then rose
to a somewhat higher plain on the right ; and soon fell in
with the Leddan, running, with a swift current, in a deep,
narrow channel, fifteen or twenty feet below the level of the
plain. It was almost hidden by the canes and bushes that
line the banks. Five minutes later, we came to the junc-
tion of the two streams, in a broad, open area, where the
river spreads itself out. TVe here forded the Leddan ; the
water coming nearly up to the horses' bellies. Ten min-
utes further was the very turbid Bureij, which was easily
forded.
At length, about a mile from the former junction, we came
upon the Hasbany at its junction with the other united
streams. This spot is about five miles distant from Tell
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 406, 407.
THE JORD^iN AND ITS SOURCES.
153
el-Kady ; and one third of a mile north of Tell Sheikh Yu-
saf, the southernmost Tell in the middle of the plain. From
the junction the river passes down on the west side of that
Tell ; and pursues its course southward through the flat,
marshy plain of the lower Huleh to the lake. Above the
junction the streams were all running swiftly in channels
fifteen feet or more below the surface of the plain.
The relative size of the three streams we estimated as fol-
lows : That from Banias is twice as large as the Hasbany ;
while the Leddan, including its branch, the Bureij, is twice if
not three times the size of that from Banias. Below the
junction the river is apparently about as large as the Jordan
at the bridge below the lake.
In the lower plain, the stream from Banias has the clearest
water, being less used for irpgation. The water of the Led-
dan is of a turbid ash color. That of the Hasbany is muddy
and of a dark yellow.^
The swiftness of the current in all the streams is ac-
counted for by the fact already given, that the descent along
the basin of the Huleh, from the base of Hermon to the lake,
is hardly less than six hundred feet ; or from fifty to sixty
feet in each mile.^
Historical Notices. The sacred writers of the Bible make
no allusion whatever to the sources of the Jordan. Josephus
speaks of the Panium, the fountain at Banias, as the main
source ; and several times mentions the stream from Dan
(Tell el-Kady) as the Lesser Jordan.^
But neither Josephus, nor any other ancient writer, makes
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 393, 395. 2 gee above, p. 75.
^ Panium, Joseph. Antiq., 15. 10. 3. Bel. Jud., 1. 21. 3. The Lesser Jordan,
6 fxiKphs 'lopB. Joseph., Bel. Jud., 4. 1. 1. Antiq., 1. 10. 1. Ibid., 5. 3. 1. Ibid.,
8. 8. 4.
20
154 PHYSICAL GEOGRxiPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
any allusion whatever to the Hasbany, the longest of all the
streams. This silence in the case of Josephus might perhaps
be referred to a national feeling ; inasmuch as the source of
this stream lies beyond the limits of Palestine proper, which
was reckoned from Dan to Beersheba. But whatever the
motive may have been, the like analogy exists at the present
day in the case of the other three Syrian rivers, which take
their rise in the Buka'a and Anti-Lebanon, — the Barada, the
Litany, and the Orontes. Thus the proper head of the
Barada is a lakelet in the plain south of Zebedany, in the
highest part of Anti-Lebanon ; while Abulfeda expressly says
that " the source of the river of Damascus " is at the great
fountain of Fijeh, half way down the mountain. The Li-
tany has one of its heads in the fine stream of Ba'albek ;
yet the great fountains near 'A^ijar are usually spoken of as
its sources. In like manner the large fountain at Lebweli is
the true head of the Orontes ; yet what are known as the
sources of that river are the abundant fountains near
Hurmul.
The idea which, in all these cases, lies at the foundation,
seems to be, to regard as the source of a river, not its re-
remotest head, but its most copious fountains. ^
From the Huleh to the Lake of Tiberias. For the lake of
the Huleh, see below, in Sect. II.
The character of the tract of higher uneven land, which
intervenes between the two lakes, has already been de-
scribed.i It is cut through by the deep rocky chasm of tlie
Jordan.
The Jordan, on issuing from the upper lake, flows for a
short distance along a narrow cultivated plain ; and then
enters the volcanic chasm, which leads down to the lower
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 412, 413.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
155
lake ; the direct distance between the lakes being about
twelve miles. The upper part of this chasm is devoid of
trees ; and the sides are strewed with black boulders. Thus
far the current of the river is swift, but without rapids.
Its breadth is from thirty to forty yards. A mile below the
lake of the Huleh there is a substantial bridge across the
river. It has four pointed arches, is sixty paces long, and is
built of the black volcanic stones of the regions. The bridge
is called Tisr Bendt Yalwb. ' Bridge of Jacob's daughters.'
The present structure was erected apparently early in the
fifteenth century. During the crusades there was here only
a ford. But this passage of the Jordan must always have
been an important one ; and it would seem probable that a
bridge must have existed here in ancient times. Hence,
perhaps, the adjacent district on the east took the name of
Geshur ('^^-a), as if ' Bridge-land ' ; at any rate Geshur and
the Geshurites were in this vicinity.^ At the present day,
this is the great caravan-route between Damascus and all
western Palestine from 'Akka to Gaza.
About two miles below the lake the more rapid descent
begins ; and the river rushes down its deep and somewhat
winding ravine until it meets the level of the lower plain at
or above the site of the eastern Bethsaida (Julias), two
miles north of the lake of Tiberias. This ravine is described
as full of trees and shrubs ; among which the plane tree
(jplatamis) and oleander are conspicuous. There is no path
within the chasm ; but the road along the west side leads
over the heights above ; so that the river is only occasion-
ally seen dashing and foaming along its rocky bed, with
much noise. It is described as forming a sheet of foam
throughout most of the distance ; but there appear to be no
1 1 Chron. ii. 23; 2 Sara. iii. 3, xiii. 37; Josh. xii. 5, xiii. 13; Dcut. iii. 14.
156
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
proper vraterfalls. The descent from the upper to the lower
lake is about seven hundred and fifty feet.^
Below Bethsaida, where the Jordan flows along the western
part of the plain el-Batihah, its channel winds exceedingly ;
and the stream is fordable in various places. The river is
here from sixty to seventy-five feet broad, sluggish arid
turbid, but not clayey, with low alluvial banks, which arc
often changed by the washing of the stream. The Jordan
enters the lake near the western hills. We visited the spot
in 1838. At that time the strong southerly winds had driven
up a bank of sand before the mouth, which rose above the
water ; and being connected with the eastern branch, ex-
tended out for fifteen or twenty rods southwest, forming a
channel for the river for some distance along the shore on
that side. 2
The story told by some, that the Jordan maintains its
course through the middle of the lake without mingling its
waters, is naturally nothing more than a fable.^
For the lake of Tiberias, see below, in Sect. II.
Middle Jordan. The Jordan issues from tlie lake of Ti-
berias at its southwestern extremity, east and south of tlie
mound on which stood the ancient Tarichaea. Pococke
describes the river as first running south for a furlong, and
then west for half a mile. Lynch represents it as flowing
west immediately from the lake. West of the mound of
Tarichaea the former traveller speaks of a marsh ; the latter
mentions an inlet or bay setting up north from the Jordan.*
1 See above, p. 77.
2 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 414, 415 [HI. pp. 309, .310]. Pococke, Description
of the East, II. i. pp. 72, 73. Schubert, Reise, IH. p. 259. Lynch, Official Report,
p. 43. Lynch, Narrative, p. 470. Van de Velde, Mem., p. 148.
3 Biblical Researches, H. p. 414 [HI. p. 309], note.
■* Pococke, Description of the East, IL i. p. 70. Lynch, Official Report, p. IG
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
157
This difference might possibly be accounted for by the
greater height of the water in the lake, as seen by the later
traveller ; or, not improbably, some changes may have here
taken place during the century intervening between the two
writers.
Just below the spot where the river bends south, are the
ruins of an ancient bridge of ten arches ; now called Jisr
es-Semakh, after the village a mile east at the south end of
the lake. Near by the bridge is a ford ; and there is an-
other just below the village 'Abeidiyeh. The river, in this
part and below, is from twenty-five to thirty yards wide,
with a swift current and many rapids. Some of these latter
are very strong, and have a great descent. There are also
several mills, fed by sluices taken out at the rapids. The
river everywhere winds exceedingly.^
Such was the Jordan as Lynch found it in April, when it
was running " with full banks," during the time of early
harvest. But when Molyneux passed down in the last days
of August, the case was very different. Duri-ng the first
day's journey, they scarcely had sufficient water to swim
the little boat for a hundred yards together. In many places
the river was split into a number of small streams, and con-
sequently almost without water in any of them. It was
also, at this time, full of small weirs or dams, built up tem-
porarily, to turn the water into narrow channels for irriga-
tion. In this upper part of the stream there were hundreds
of places where the party might have walked across without
wetting their feet, on the large rocks and stones.^
and Map. Comp. Molyneux, Journal of Royal Geograph. Soc, XVIII. p. 107.
Irby and Mangles, 1847, pp. 90, 91. Sectzen, Reisen, I. pp. 350, 351.
1 For the many rapids, see Lynch, Official Report, pp. IG, 17, et passim. Lynch,
Narrative, p. 173 sq. See Irby and Mangles, pp. 90, 91. Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 351.
2 Molyneux, Journal of Royal Geograph. Soc, XVIII. pp. 108, 100, 115.
158
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
Five miles below the lake, the YixQvYarmuk or Hieromax,
now called the Sheri'at el-Mandhur, comes in from the east ;
being here nearly as large as the Jordan itself. About a mile
further down is another bridge built of volcanic rocks, of
Saracenic construction, and still in use. The architecture is
very massive : with one large pointed arch and two smaller
ones below, and three small arches above each of the latter.
It is called Jisr el-Mejami'a, from the neighboring meeting ot
the waters. The river at this point is not so wide as at the
bridge below the Huleh. Here passes the caravan-route,
leading from Beisan to Damascus, through the country east
of the lake of Tiberias.^
The river continues of the same general character, though
with more water and fewer rapids, as far as Sakut and "Wady
Malih, where the long fertile reach of the upper Ghur termi-
nates. As seen from a high point southeast from Pella, this
upper portion of the GhDr presents a beautiful prospect ;
much of it apparently cultivated and yielding rich crops ;
and the whole enlivened by the very many windings of the
Jordan, as it meanders from side to side through the broad
valley. Opposite to Beisan is a ford, or rather three ford-
ing places, near each other, the southernmost of which we
crossed in May, 1852. The river at this ford spreads out
wider than usual, being about forty-live yards ; the water
came up to the middle of the horses' sides. The same-
morning we had crossed at another ford, not far north of
Sakut ; here the stream was divided by a long and narrow
island covered with trees and the rankest vegetation ; and
the water was somewhat less deep. At this point the lower
valley of the river was wider than usual, forming a little
1 Molyneux, Journal of Royal Geograph. Soc, XVIH. p. 112. Lynch, Official
Report, p. 20. Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 351.
THE JOEDAX AXD ITS SOURCES.
alluvial plain on the west of the stream. But in this plain
were two former channels of the river, now full of tamarisk
trees. In the rainy season the river still sends its waters
partly through these old channels ; hut never overflows the
little plain.i
Below Wady Malih, the- Ghur, as we have seen, is for a
time contracted ; and the Jordan passes down near the
eastern mountain to the lower plain of the Kurawa. Here,
over against the mouth of Wady Fari'a, is another ford ;
and just above it are the remains of an ancient Roman
bridge, Jisr Dumieh, not over the present course of the river,
but spanning an earlier, more eastern channel, now dry.
Several of the Roman arches remain. Here of course was
once a great route leading over from Nabulus (and perhaps
Jericho) to Gilead and Bashan ; as at the present day there
is a road by the ford from Nabulus to es-Salt and Jebel
'Ajlun.2
Tliis middle portion of the Jordan terminates over against
the low rocky ridge which extends out from the southeastern
extremity of Kurn Surtabeli, and contracts the whole valley
to its narrowest limits.^
Lower Jordan. To one looking up the Ghor from a point
below Kurn Surtabeh, or as seen from the brow of the west-
ern mountains, the valley opposite the Kurn appears higher
than further south ; as if a low swell extended across it from
the ridge at the end of Surtabeh to the base of the eastern
mountains. Where the Jordan finds its way through this
apparently higher tract, this latter is broken up, on both
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 316, 325, 334.
2 Lynch, Official Report, p. 28. Lynch, Narrative, p. 249. Van de Velde,
Mem., p. 124.
8 Later Biblical Researches, p. 293.
160
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
sides of the stream, into labyrintlis of deep ravines with bar-
ren chalky sides, forming cones and hills of various shapes,
and presenting a most wild and desolate scene. Here would
seem to be the great break-doivn in the bed of the Jordan
mentioned in this region by Lynch.^
The character of the Jordan continues much the same as
higher up. The stream winds greatly along its inner valley,
fringed usually by a border of trees and verdure. The cur-
rent is swift, deep, and strong, with fewer broken rapids.
But the GhOr itself has now become an arid desert, except
where a few fountains on its borders impart verdure to nar-
row tracts in their immediate vicinity. There are three or
four fords in the river below Kurn Surtabeli ; but at some
seasons, when the river is full, the Arabs are compelled to
swim their horses. One of the main fords is at the mouth of
Wady Sha'ib or Nimrin, E. N. E. from Jericho; here more
commonly the horses swim across. The ford cl-Helu, lower
down, which we visited in 1838, is never passed without
swimming. The stream was here about forty yards in
breadth ; the guides supposed it to be ten or twelve feet deep.
The current, though still, was very swift and strong ; so
that the stoutest swimmers were carried down many yards
in crossing. The water was of a clayey color, but sweet and
pleasant to the taste.^
Between these two fords, near the ruined convent of St.
John, is the spot where the Latin pilgrims bathe in the Jor-
dan. Tlie bathing-place of the Greek pilgrims, the el-Mesh-
ra'a of Lynch, is at some distance further down. Each party
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 293. Lynch, Official Report, p. 29. Comp.
Anderson's Geological Report, ibid., p. 148.
2 Biblical Researches, L pp. 535, 536 [H. pp. 255-257].
THE JOKDAN AXD ITS SOURCES.
IGl
claims to bathe at the very spot where our Lord was baptized
by John.
The course of the lower Jordan is in general along tlic
eastern portion of the GhOr. It enters the Dead Sea about
tliree miles below the ford el-Helu. It has there sluggishly
expanded to the breadth of eighty yards ; with a depth of
only three fect.^
General Features. — Valley and Channel. \\q have al-
ready referred to the inner and lower valley of its own, within
which the Jordan flows along the Ghur. Scientifically the
two valleys are spoken of as two terraces ; the upper, being
the*tevel of the Glijr, extending back to the mountains on
each side ; the lower being the level of the deeper valley in
which the river flows. ^ The slope or offset between the two
terraces, which is sometimes precipitous, and sometimes
composed of clayey pyramids or rounded sand-hills, is often
referred to as the upper or outer banks of the river, in dis-
tinction from the banks of the channel itself.
We have also alluded several times to the narrow line of
trees and herbage which in most parts borders the stream
along each bank. The breadth of this line of verdure seems
to be regulated by the extent to which the stream overflows,
or the water penetrates the soil. In some parts the ground
along the bank of the channel occupied by this border of
vegetation, is two or three feet more depressed than the level
of the lower terrace ; and in such places the water often rises
over it.^
The elevation of the outer banks, or upper plain above the
lower, varies g]'eatly ; in some places being not more than
1 Lynch, Official Report, p. 31.
2 Anderson's Geological Report, p. 140. See above, p. 145.
8 Biblical Researches, L pp. 535, 53G [L pp. 255, 256].
21
1G2
PHYSICAL GEOGRArHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
forty feet, while in other parts it is not less than one hundred
and fifty feet, or even more. This refers of course to the
brow of the upper terrace. In like manner the breadth of the
lower or inner valley is irregular ; it may be said in general
to vary from a quarter of a mile or perhaps less in some
parts, to half a mile in others.
Along this lower inner valley, the stream pursues its way
in mazy windings. But these belong only to the river and
not to its inner valley. The latter, as seen from the adja-
cent mountains, although it deviates much from a direct
course, has nothing of a serpentine character. In conse-
quence of the alluvial soil and many short turns, the stream
not unfrequently changes its course, cutting for itself a new
channel, and forsaking the old one. In the same way islands
are formed ; of which there is a large number in the river.
Scripture speaks of the thicket of trees and verdure along
the river, as the excellency or pride of Jordan. Allusion is
also made to it as the haunt of lions and other wild beasts,
by which the country was of old infested. ^
Descent and Depression. We have already seen that the
descent of the Jordan in the basin of the Huleh to the lake
is about six hundred feet ; and from thence to the lake of
Tiberias about seven hundred and fifty feet. Below the
latter lake the whole course of the Jordan and Ghor is
depressed several hundred feet below the level of the Medi-
terranean. The distance between the lake and the Dead Sea
is fifty-six and one half geographical miles, or about sixty-five
English miles ; and the difference in the depression of the
two lakes is taken at six hundred and sixty-six feet. This,
of course, marks the descent of the Jordan between the two ;
1 Zech. xi. 3. English Version, wrongly, * swelling of Jordan,' Jcr. xii. 5, xlix.
19, L 44.
THE JORDAN AXD ITS SOURCES. 1G3
amounting to nearest 10.2 feet, in each English mile of its
direct course.^
We thus have for the whole descent of the Jordan, from
the base of Hermon to the Dead Sea, as the result of obser-
vations with the barometer, the figures 6004-750 + G33,
amounting in all, to 2016 feet. Of this great descent, more
than two thirds lies above the lake of Tiberias.
Overfloiv of Jordan. In the English Version it is said
that Jordan, in the first month, " overfloweth all his banks
all the time of harvest." ^ The first month was Nisan,
beginning with the new moon of March or April ; and the
time of harvest in the Ghor was and is during April and
May ; the barley preceding the wheat harvest by two or
three weeks.
From this language the reader is naturally led to con-
clude that the Jordan, like the Nile, overflows its banks at a
certain season, covering with its waters all the lower valley,
and perhaps portions of the higher plain. Such, however,
is not the fact ; as appears from the preceding pages. Nor
indeed is such the meaning of Scripture. The Hebrew
simply declares that during the time of harvest Jordan is
" full [or filled] up to all his banks " ; that is, the river
runs with full banks, or brimful. This is precisely what is
seen at the present day. There are in some places depressed
spots along the banks, into which the waters rise, and thus
overflow ; but these are exceptions.
During the rainy season and the time of the melting of the
snows upon Hermon, there must of course be vast quantities
of water, from that mountain and the surrounding regions,
which would naturally find their way to the Jordan and
1 See above, p, 80.
2 Josh. iii. 15; 1 Chron. xii. 15; Sirac xxiv. 36.
164
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
its lakes. Still we have no accouut of any sudden or violent
rise or inundation of the river ; and there are natural cir-
cumstances to show that nothing of the kind would ever be
likely to occur.
In the first place, the heavy rains of November and
December find the earth in a parched and thirsty state ; and
among the limestone rocks and caverns of Palestine a far
greater proportion of the water which falls is absorbed, than
is usual in countries where rains are frequent. Of the
brooks which in winter flow down the side valleys, many
even then do not reach the Jordan ; their waters being swal-
lowed up by the thirsty ground.
Again, the waters which actually descend from Hermon,
and the hills around the upper Jordan, are received into the
basins of the Huleh and the lake of Tiberias, and are there
spread out over a broad surface ; so that all overflow and
violence is prevented. The stream that issues from the lower
lake, can only flow with a regulated current, varying in depth
according to the height of water in that lake. Indeed, these
lakes may be compared to great regulators, which control
the flow of the Jordan, and prevent its. violence and inun-
dation. As now the lake of Tiberias reaches its highest
level at the close of the rainy season, the Jordan naturally
flows with its fullest current, and " with full banks," for
some time after that period. As also the rise of the lake
naturally varies (like that of the Dead Sea) in different
years, so likewise the fulness of the Jordan. ^
Loneliness of Jordan. It is worthy of remark that there
has never been a city, town, or village of any note situated
on the immediate banks of the Jordan, below the lake of
Tiberias. This is true also of the upper Jordan, in respect
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 540-542 [IL pp. 2G1-264].
THE JORDAN AXD ITS SOURCES.
1G5
to its various channels ; excepting, of course, the towns
around their fountains. There may have been, and are still,
villages near the upper lake ; and the shores of the lake of
Tiberias were and are skirted with several towns. Among
these latter is to be reckoned the northern Bethsaida (Ju-
lias), which lay upon a Tell overlooking also the entrance
of the Jordan into the lake.
But below the lake of Tiberias, all the cities of the GhOr,
as Bethsliean, Phasaelis, Jericho, and those on the east, are
situated, not on the banks of tlie Jordan, nor near it, but on
the higher ground along the base of the mountains on each
side. The only exception perhaps was Succoth (now Sa-
kut), which stood upon a projecting bluff of the upper ter-
race, overlooking the lower valley. At the present day there
are three miserable villages near the stream, between the lake
and the entrance of the Hieromax ; and that is all. From
that point to the Dead Sea, the Jordan is utterly lonely.
In like manner, it does not appear that a boat ever floated
on the waters of the Jordan until the present century. Nav-
igation of course was impossible from the strong current and
violent rapids. But even for the passage of the river, boats
do not seem to have been in use ; the stream was everywhere
forded. The English Version once mentions a ' ferry-boat ; '
but this was evidently nothing more than a raft to carry
over the king's household ; " and was not used by the king
himself, nor by his attendants. ^
Nor does it appear that this river has ever been fre-
quented as a place of fishing. Molyneux remarks, that " the
muddy Jordan is, throughout, full of small fish ; " but they
are apparently too small to be worth taking for food.^ The
1 2 Sam. xix. 18 [19].
2 Journal of Royal Geograph. Soc, XYIII. p. 115.
166
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
lake of Tiberias is celebrated in the New Testament and at
the present day for its numerous and fine fish of various
kinds ; but none of these apparently pass out of the lake and
down the rapids of the Jordan.
Jordan as a Boundary^ etc. The Jordan, winding through
its great depressed plain, formed naturally not only the di-
viding line between Palestine on the west and the country
on the east ; but presented also serious difficulties to those
who would pass from one hill-country to the other. The
traveller, for example, who would journey from Jerusalem
to Heslibon, had first to descend nearly four thousand feet,
then cross a rapid river, througli which his animals must
swim ; and again ascend to an equal elevation. However
difficult the descent and ascent, the main point always
spoken of in Scripture, is the passage of the Jordan.
The earliest mention of Jordan in Scripture has reference
only to the fertility of its plain or circuit (">23), before the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. For this reason it
was chosen by Lot on his separation from Abraham. The
plain thus chosen was situated in, or at least included, the
tract then on the south of the Dead Sea, and now covered
by the shallow southern bay of that sea ; for it is expressly
said to lie " as thou comest unto Zoar." ^
The river being the dividing line, the phrase ' beyond
Jordan ' is more commonly used to denote the country on
the east, as distinguished from the ' land of Canaan' in the
west.2 This is the prevailing usage ; inasmuch as the sacred
writers lived, for the most part, in the west.^ Yet in several
1 Gen. xiii.'lO, IL See above, p. 80.
2 Num. XXXV. 14. In this passage, and some others, the English Version
wrongly has * on this side,' instead of ' beyond.'
3 Gen. 1. 10, 11; Josh. ix. 10, xiv. 3, xvii. 5; Judg. v. 17, and often; Matth. iv.
25; Mark iii. 8; John i. 28, x. 40, al.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
1G7
instances, where the writer or speaker was on the east of the
river, the phrase ' beyond Jordan ' marks western Palestine ;
the word ' west ' or ' westward ' being sometimes appended.^
The earliest recorded passage of the Jordan is that of
Jacob : With my staff I passed over this Jordan ; and now
I am become two bands ; " but when or where he again
forded the river, with his two bands, to reach Shalem and
Shechem, is not said.^ The next was the miraculous pas-
sage of the Hebrew host under Joshua, over against Jeri-
cho, when " Jordan was driven back," after their long en-
campment in the wastes of Moab in the Ghor.^ It was at
the fords of Jordan that Jephthah slew^ the Ephraimites, who
could not pronounce the Shibboleth^ David with his army
passed over Jordan, probably in the north, to march against
the Syrians to Helam.^ Later also, fleeing before Absalom,
David crossed the river, apparently from Jericho, on his way
to Mahanaim ; and again returned, when Judah came down
to Gilgal to meet him. At this time a raft was used to carry
over the king's household.^ In the same quarter, too, Elijah
and Elisha smote the waters with the mantle of the former,
so that the flood parted, and they went over on dry ground.*"
Naaman, returning from Samaria to Damascus, bathed in
the Jordan at one of the upper fords ; and the Syrians,
fleeing panic-stricken from the same city, must have passed
the river in the same vicinity.^ Judas Maccabaeus and his
hosts returning from Gilead, crossed to Bethshean ; but it
was apparently opposite Jericho that Jonathan and his fol-
1 Deut. iii. 20, 25, xi. 30; Josh. v. 1, xii. 7, etc.
2 Gen. xxxii. 10, xxxiii. 18. 3 Josh. iii. 1-17; Ps. cxiv. 3.
4 Judg. xii. 5, 6. 5 2 Sam. x. 17.
6 2 Sam. xvii. 22; comp. 16. 2 Sam. xix. 15, 18 [19]. See above, p. 165.
2 Kings ii. 8, 14; comp. 4.
8 2 Kings V. 14; comp. 3. 2 Kings vii. 15.
168
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
lowers swam through the river, to place themselves in safety
from Bacchides.i
John the Baptist, whose early life had been passed in the
desert of Judali, on the west of the Dead Sea, came first
baptizing in Jordan ; and there " went out to him Jeru-
salem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan."
Here J esus also came to be baptized of John ; and then went
up into the adjacent desert to be tempted.^ These circum-
stances, the neighboring desert, and the mention of crowds
only from Jerusalem and Judea, serve to show that the
place of baptism was probably at one of the lower fords, near
Jericho. According to the common (and perhaps best) read-
ing, John's headquarters were at Bethabara (house of the
ford) beyond Jordan. The place had its name doubtless
from the vicinity of the ford ; and is not improbably the
same with the Beth-barah of the Old Testament.^
Twice afterwards our Lord passed over into the country
east of Jordan. Once, to escape the plots of the Jews, he
withdrew to the place where John at first baptized ; whence
he was recalled by the death of Lazarus.^ Retiring for a
time to Ephraim on the border of the desert, he seems from
thence to have crossed the Jordan, and having passed down
through Perea, he recrossed the river near Jericho, and so
made his way to Jerusalem.^
Explorations of the Jordan. It has been said above, that,
1 1 Mace. V. 52. Joseph. Antiq., 12. 8. 5. 1 Mace. ix. 48. Joseph. Antiq., 13.
1. 3.
2 Luke i. 80, iii. 21; Matth. iii. 5, 6; Mark i. 5; Matth. iii. 13-lG, iv. 1; Luke
iv. 1.
3 John i. 28, x. 40; Judg. vii. 24.
* John X. 39, 40, xi. 3, IG, 17.
« John xi. 54; Mark x. 1, 46; Luke xix. 1, 28. See also the author's Harmony
of the Gospels in Greek, pp. 200-204.
THE JORDAN AND ITS SOURCES.
1G9
SO far as is known, no boat appears to have ever floated on
the Jordan until the present century. ^ But, as if to mark
the modern spirit of progress, during the second quarter of
this century boats passed down the Jordan no less than three
times, from the lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea.
I. Costigan. In July, 1835, Mr. Costigan, an Irish trav-
eller, contrived to have a small boat carried over, on camels,
from the coast to the lake of Tiberias ; and thence followed
the Jordan with it down to the Dead Sea. Here he
launched forth alone with his Maltese servant upon these
waters ; and succeeded in reaching the southern extremity.
By some mismanagement they were left for two or three
days without fresh water, exposed to the fierce rays of the
burning sun ; and were compelled to row hard to get back
to the northern end. On reaching the shore they lay for a
whole day too weak to move, and trying to regain strength
by laving each other with the heavy waters of the lake. At
length the servant made shift to crawl to Jericho, whither
Costigan was also brought, and was, as soon as possible,
conveyed to Jerusalem, under the excitement of high inter-
mittent fever. He died, two days afterwards, in the Latin
convent ; and lies buried in its cemetery. No notes, nor
any account of his voyage, were found among his papers.
The enterprise was wholly without fruit in respect to both
the Jordan and the Dead Sea.^
II. Molyneux. In the latter part of August, 1847, Lieut.
Molyneux, of the British ship of war Spartan, succeeded in
transporting the smallest boat of the ship, on camels, from
'Akka to Tiberias. Accompanied by three English sailors
and several Arab servants, he proceeded down the Jordan
1 See above, p. 165.
2 See Biblical Researches, I. pp. 229, 230 [I. p. 339].
22
170
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
with the boat ; having also a land party with the baggage on
camels and mules. The water was low, and the passage of
the boat, for the first days, difficult. On the sixth day, not
far from the mouth of the Zerka, while Lieut. M. was with
the land party, the boat was attacked and plundered by a
large body of Arabs, and the three English sailors put on
shore, to find their way back to Tiberias ; which they did.
Two Arab servants were permitted to go on with the boat ;
which they brought safely to the ford opposite Jericho.
Lieut. M. embarked on the Dead Sea, with only Arab assist-
ants ; proceeded as far south as to the neighborhood of the
peninsula ; took three deep soundings (225, 178, 183 fath-
oms) ; and returned. He left the entrance of the Jordan
Aug. 24 ; and reached the northern shore of the sea, on
his return, Sept. 5. He was able to take back the boat on
camels, by way of Jerusalem, to the ship, then at Yafa.
But the anxiety and excessive fatigue to which he had been
exposed in the " misty oven " (as he calls it) of the Ghur
and Dead Sea, had worn him out ; and he died soon after
his return to his ship, from the combined effects of climate
and over-exertion.
A brief journal of the voyage, drawn up by Lieut. M. him-
self, was published, in 1848, in the Journal of the Hoyal
Geographical Society.^
HI. Lynch. On the 10th of April, 1848, a well-appointed
expedition from the United States, under the authority of
the government, embarked in two metallic boats upon the
lake of Tiberias, and entered the Jordan ; having also a land
party on camels and horses. This expedition consisted of
Lieut. Lynch as commander, Lieut. Dale as second in com-
mand. Midshipman Aulick, a botanist, and ten chosen sea-
1 VoL XVIH. pp. 104-130; comp. ibid., p. xxxvi.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUT.UilES FROM THE EAST. 171
men. They were accompanied by Dr. H. J. Anderson as
geologist, and Mr. Bedlow, a traveller. Tlie season of the
year was favorable ; the Jordan then usually having the
most water. They experienced great difficulties in the de-
scent of the river, from rocks and strong rapids. They
reached the Dead Sea in eight and a half days, on the 1 8th
of April. Their examination of that sea will be noticed
further on, in connection with our account of those waters.
A level was afterwards run from the Dead Sea by Jerusalem
to the Mediterranean at Yafa, according to the suggestions
of the author of this work. The party proceeded by way of
Tiberias, Mount Hermon, and Damascus, to Beirut. Several
were already ill from exhaustion and exposure ; but all re-
covered exc3pt Lieut. Dale, who died of fever in the house
of Itcv. Eli Smith at Bhamdun. His grave is in the Ameri-
can cemetery at Beirut.
Two works embracing the journals and results of this
expedition have been published by Lieut. Lynch. The first
appeared late in 1849, entitled Narrative of the United
States Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.
The second was not published until 1852, with the title,
Official Report of the United States Expedition to explore the
Dead Sea and the River Jordan. This latter volume con-
tains the scientific reports ; including the very important
geological report of Dr. H. J. Anderson.
II. THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
From the east, the Jordan receives its largest and most
important tributaries.
Wadij Za'ureh. The fine brook which flows down this
valley to Banias is understood not to be perennial ; and has
already been sufficiently described. ^
1 See above, p. 81.
172 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Before turning to the next stream, the Hieromax, it may
be remarked, that some of the head branches of the A'waj
(^Pharpar^, which flows towards Damascus, lie within the
northern border of Palestine proper. On the great road
leading northeast from the bridge over the Jordan to Da-
mascus by el-Kuneitirah and Sa'sa', the country between
these two places slopes towards the east and north. At an
hour or more from el-Kuneitirah, the way crosses a Wady
with a stream, having two bridges on the ancient road, still
passable, over the two branches or channels of the rivulet.
An hour before Sa'sa', the stream Mughanniyeli in like
manner crosses the road ; and also has a bridge. On ear-
lier maps, all these streams are made to run south to the
Hieromax. The latest map, however, represents them as
flowing together on the right of the road, and forming one
stream, which, coming from the south, joins the otlier
branches of the A'waj at Sa'sa'. This is more in accordance
with the slope of the land, and the testimony of travellers.^
Tlie Yarmuk or Hieromax. No perennial stream flows to
the upper Jordan or the lake of Tiberias from the east. The
first and largest tributary on that side, the Hieromax, enters
the Jordan about five miles below the lake.
There is no allusion to this river in Scripture or in Jose-
phus ; but its Hebrew name, Jarmuk {Ty^^^^)-, occurs several
times in the Talmudists.^ From this name the Greek form
(^'lepo/jLa^^ is an obvious corruption, having the correspond-
ing consonants. It is not found, however, in Greek writers ;
i
1 Wetzstein's Map, by Kiepert, in Zeitschr. fiir Erdk., Auj?. 18-59. W. ]\[. Thom-
son, in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1849, p. 3G7. Comp. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 313. Por-
ter's Handbook, p. 46-5. Van de Velde's Map merely copies that of Berghaus,
in 1835.
2 Lightfoot, Opera, fol. H. pp. 172, 173.
THE JOUDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
173
and tlio Latin Hicromax appears to be only once read in
Plinj.^ Arab writers have tlic name Yarinuk ; but the com-
mon appellation is now the Sheri'at el-Mandhur, from a
tribe of Arabs who pitch their tents along its lower course ;
and in order to distinguish it from the Sheri'at cl-Kebir or
Jordan.
The remote sources of the Yarmuk are the Wadys, or
winter-torrents, wliich descend from the western slopes of
Jobol Hauran. Those Wadys are numerous, and many of
tliem run together in the great plain ; but their course and
number have been as yet very imperfectly explored. Among
these doubtless is the brook by Raphon.^ Still some of the
more important ones have been pointed out ; all running
with deep channels througli the wide plain.
The northernmost is Wady Kunawat. It has its begin-
ning near the city of that name, and sweeps along northwest
on the border of the Lcjah, and south of Nejran, to Edhra',
the ancient Edrei. There turning southwest to Eshmiskin,
it receives Wady Hiireir, coming from the swampy ground
near Tell Dilly on the Haj route, between es-Suname'n and
Eshmiskm. In winter and spring the district arouu'l Tell
Dilly is a deep bog or swamp ; the proper source of tlie
stream is two hours west, at Tell Serraya.^ The Wady
Kunawat continues the same course to el-Meziirib. An-
other valley, Wady el-Gliar, also begins near Kunawat, and
runs west directly through the plain to Wady Kunawat,
between Eshmiskin and Mezarib. The Wady ed-Dau ,is
made up of two branches ; one coming from the neighbor-
hood of Suweideh, and the other from beyond 'Ary. The
1 " Gadara, Hieromace praefluente/' Plin. Hist. Nat., V. 16. v. 18,
2 1 Mace. V. 37, 39, 40, 42. See above, p. 86.
s Burckhardt, p. 656.
174
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
united Wady goes to the Kunawat, near Mezarib ; and then
the valley below the junction takes the name of Wady 'Awei-
rid. The southernmost branch, Wady Zeidy, begins in the
mountains east and north of Kureiyeh, and passes down on
the north of Busrah (^Bozrali) ; while another valley, Wady
el-'Akib, has its rise near Sulkhad, and, sweeping round far
to the south of Busrah, joins the Zeidy further west. The
latter then runs with a winding course by Der'a, and unites
with Wady Aweirid. The joint stream now flows westward,
and becomes the Yarmuk.^
Several lesser streams or Wadys are named as running to
the Yarmuk, from the north, cliiefly from Jaulan. Wady
'Allan, a permanent stream, unites near Tesil with the Ru-
kad, not permanent, coming from Tell Shak-hab in Jeidur.
Next west is Wady Ilamy Sukker, which has a great fall,
and runs through a deep chasm of precipitous rocks. Then
Wady Sideh ; and lastly Wady Mu'akkar, coming from the
southern parts of Jebel Heish.^
In summer the waters from the mountain dry up in the
plain ; and then the stream of the Yarmuk is wholly sup-
plied from the fountains at Mezarib, the marsliy tract near
Dilly, and the 'Allan and perhaps one or two other per-
manent sources in Jaulan. At Mezarib are a number of
fountains ; the waters of which flow together and form a
pond or lake nearly half an hour in circumference, with an
island in the middle. Tlie water, as it issues from the
sprhigs, is slightly tepid ; in the lake it is as clear as crystal.
The lake is deeper than a man's height, and full of fish.
The lake and springs are known also as el-Bujjeh.^
1 Porter, Five Years in Damascus, IT. p. 212 and Map. Burckhardt, Syria,
p. 273. Wetzstein in Zeitschr. fiir Erdk., Aug. 1859, p. 150, and Map.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 282, 284, 273. Seetzen, Reisen, L pp. 352, 353.
3 Porter's Handbook, p. 321. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 241.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
175
In its western part, the Yarinuk flows through a deep
and wild ravine, the sides of which are rugged cUffs of ba-
salt, in some places more than one hundred feet high. The
banks along the deep valley are cultivated by the Arabs
Menadhereh (sing. Mandhur), who dwell in tents. Further
down, the Wady becomes so narrow as to leave no space
between the stream and the precipices on each side.
North of Um Keis, the ancient Gadara, which lies on the
summit of the mountain ridge between the Yarmuk on the
north and the Wady el-' Arab in the south, in the deep
chasm of the river, and an hour distant from Um Keis, are
the warm springs of Gadara or Amatha (Heb. Hammath,
warm springs), mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome, and by
other early writers.^ They rise up in the bottom of the chasm,
between the stream and the northern precipice. Three prin-
cipal fountains are spoken of at intervals of an hour between ;
one N. N. E. of Um Keis, one north, and the third X. N. W.
from the same place. There is also a fourth fountain on
the south side of the stream. The westernmost spring is the
hottest of all, being 43° C. or 109° F. The hand cannot be
held in it for any length of time. The water emits a strong
smell of sulphur ; and deposits a yellow sulphurous crust
upon the stones. The spring bubbles up in a basin some
forty feet in circumference and five feet deep, surrounded
by a dilapidated wall. The water is so clear, that minute
objects at the bottom of the basin can be distinctly seen.
Near by are the remains of an ancient building for baths.
In the last days of May, 1858, Roth found here three hun-
dred people, many of them families, who had come to use
the waters ; most of them Christians from the region west of
the lake. They were living in booths. The upper spring,
1 Onotnast., Articles JEmath, Gadara. Reland, Palaestina, p. 775.
176
rilYSICAL GEOGKAniY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
ill like manner, bubbles up in a similar basin ; its tempera-
ture is only 34° C. or do° F., and the odor of sulphur is less
strong. Copious streams flow from all the fountains to the
river : which thus receives large accessions to its volume of
water. The Arabs reckon ten springs in all.^
An hour below the fountains, the Yarmuk issues from the
mountaijis upon the Ghjr ; and after another hour receives
the WaJy el-' Arab. The river in the mountains runs with
great swiftness along its rocky chasm ; in the Gh^r it has
its own lower valley, like the Jordan : and is everywhere
thickly skirted with oleanders. The stream is here about
forty yards wide : and in the spring of the year is four or
five feet deep. It enters the Jordan five miles below the
lake of Tiberias ; and has there nearly as much water as the
Jordan. Xot far above the junction is a bridge over the
Yarmuk. built of volcanic stone, with five arches. It belongs
to the same great road, which coming from Beisan crosses
the Jisr-el-Mejami'a, and leads to Damascus through tlie re-
gion east of tlie lake.-
T/ie Jahhok. The next permanent tributary of tlie Jor-
dan on this side is the brook Jabbok of Scripture, once
called ' the river of GacL' ^ now the Xahr ez-Zerka, which en-
ters the Jordan nearly opposite Xabulus, and about half
way between the two lower lakes. It has its remotest sources
on the plateau east of the mountains ; and breaks down
through the latter by a deep and sometimes wild cliasm, bor-
dered on each side by the loftiest heights of Jebel 'Ajliin and
1 Sectzen, Eeisen, I. p. 3o0. Biirckliardt, pp. 270, 277. Iiby and Mangles, p. 00.
Buckingham, Palestine, pp. 442-444. Koth, in Petermann's Gco^aph. Mittlieil.,
18-59, p. 2S4-
- Seetzen, Reiscn, p. 3-31. Lurckhardt, Syria, pp. 273, 274. Lynch, Official
Kcport, p. 20. Roth, in Petcnuann's GeOaTaph. Mittheil., ISjO, p. 2S3.
3 Gen. xxxii. 22, 23 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 5.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
177
the Belka. The source mostly spoken of, is at the ruins of
'Amman (^Rabhath-ammon) ; from whence the valloy is said
to sweep OiT northeastward by 'Ain Ghazaleh to Kid'at ez-
Zerka, a castle four hours distant from 'Amman, on the Haj
route. Here in winter is a considerable stream, gathered
mainly from the north and east. Turning here northwest
and then west it passes down through the great notch of the
mountains, receiving the stream coming from Jerash, an
hour north ; and, according to Seetzen, no less than nine
other minor streams. In winter the river is often swollen
and impassable ; its immediate bed through the mountains
is a deep, narrow, and sometimes wild ravine. In summer,
the upper branches become dry ; and the stream then dwin-
dles to a small and shallow river. The channel is every-
where bordered with canes and oleanders. The Zerka issues
from the mountains an hour south of Abu 'Obeida ; and
Burckhardt speaks of a smaller northern branch a quarter
of an hour only from that place ; perhaps originally nothing
more than a mill-race, for which it is still used. The main
stream, according to the same writer, enters the Jordan
about an hour and a half southwest of the spot where it
issues from the mountain. This is doubtless a correct ac-
count; as Burckhardt had the stream in view for several
hours. In the Ghor it has its own lower valley, like the
Jordan, with white, chalky-looking clifFs on each side.^
The earliest mention of this river in Scripture, is where
Jacob with his whole family " passed over the ford Jabbok,"
on his way back from Syria, and then wrestled all night
I Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 347, 3C8, 657. Seetzen, Reisen, I. pp. 392, 393. Lord
Lindsay, pp. 278-280, 287. Molyncux, in Journal of Royal Geograpli. Soc,
XVIII. p. 119.
23
178
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
with the angel. The next day he met his brother Esau.^
The Jabbok was the northern border of the children of Am-
nion, and afterwards of Sihon king of the Amorites.^ Moses
passed over the Jabbok to subdue Og king of Bashan ; and
the river was tlie boundary between northern and southern
Gilead, as also between Manasseh on the north and Reuben
and Gad on the south. ^
Other Wadys. Tlie courses of Wady Sha'ib and Wady
Hesban have already been described. It is uncertain whether
they may not have small perennial streams.*
Streams flowing to the Dead Sea. These are strictly
not tributaries of the Jordan, but they run to the Ghor, and
mingle their waters with those of Jordan in the Dead Sea.
The Zerka Ma'in. This stream is not mentioned in Scrip-
ture. It collects its waters from several branches on the
high plain of the* Belka, and passes down along the northern
end of Jebel 'Attarus, by a narrow and precipitous chasm,
to the Dead Sea. One source is near Ma'in, the ancient
Baal-Meon, which thus gives name to the stream. Its course
from Ma'in is about southwest for two hours, and then west.
The Wady is here deep, but an ancient highway from Ma'in
crosses it, and passes down on its left side. At four hours
from Ma'in, and below the end of Jebel Attarus (on which
are the ruins of the ancient fortress Machserus), the way
becomes impassable for liorses, terminating at what seems a
precipice. A narrow zigzag path leads down to the cele-
brated hot springs. These are about two hours distant from
the Dead Sea. The valley is very narrow, and on both sides
1 Gen. xxxii. 22-28, xxxiii. 1-20.
2 Josh. xii. 2; Deut. iii. 16; Num. xxi. 24; Judg. xi. 13, 22. Joseph. Antiq.,
4. 5. 2, 3.
3 Deut. iii. 1, 2. Joseph. Antiq., 4. 5, 3.
* See above, p. 87.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST. 179
are high, rocky cliffs. The stream enters the Dead Sea
through a chasm of sandstone, and has before its mouth a
low point or delta. The chasm is one hundred and twenty
feet wide, with perpendicular walls of red and yellow sand-
stone, at first eighty feet liigh, but rising further back to
one hundred and fifty feet. The stream is a copious brook,
twelve^ feet across by ten inches deep, and descends along
the chasm with great velocity, and with several cascades.
The water is turbid, with a temperature of 94° F.^
The hot springs above in the valley are the Callirrhos of
ancient writers, to which the first Herod repaired during his
last illness, without benefit.^ They have been visited in
modern times only by Seetzen and the party of Irby and
Mangles.3 On the north side of the wild and narrojv chasm
no less than four principal springs burst forth in a distance
of half a mile, with many smaller ones. In one place a con-
siderable stream of hot water falls over a high, perpendicu-
lar rock, the sides of which are colored of a brilliant yellow,
from the deposit of sulphur. At the bottom of the chasm
rushes down what may be termed a hot river. The water is
quite hot, but not boiling ; the hand cannot be held in it for
half a minute. Seetzen compares the temperature with that
of the hot baths near Tiberias, Avhich is 144° F.^ It is here
probably somewhat higher. The chasm is filled with steam,
which in this confined spot combines with the burning rays
of the sun to produce an insufferable heat. The water de-
1 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 408, 11. pp. 330, 333, 336, 370. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 309.
Irby and Mangles, 1847, pp. 143, 144. Lynch, Narrative, p. 370
2 Joseph. Antiq., 17. 6. 5. Bel. Jud., 1. 33. 5. Ibid., 7. 6. 2, 3. Plin. Hist. Nat.,
5. 15. V. 16. Onomast., Article Beehneon.
3 Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 336, 337. Irby and Mangles, 1847, pp. 144, 145. Legh,
in American Biblical Repository, 1833, p. 648.
* Biblical Researches, II. p. 384 [III. p. 259].
180 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
posits sulphur, but is itself tasteless. The bottom is filled
with a thicket of canes, aspines, and wild palms, which spring
out of the crevices of the rocks. The ancient name Callir-
rhos refers rather to the springs, and not to the place. In-
deed, there could have been here no permanent town ; noth-
ing more, probabl}^, than booths or temporary dwellings for
those who us5d the waters. The whole surface of the shelf
where the springs are, is strewed over with tiles and broken
pottery, and four Roman medals of copper were also found.
Josephus speaks of the place (tz^tto?), not the fountains, as
called Baaras, which Eusebius and Jerome also name, writ-
ing it Baris or Baru}
Seetzen relates, that half an hour south of the mouth of
the Zerka Ma'in, another large brook of hot water enters the
Dead Sea, coming from a second cluster of hot springs not
far above. 2
The Arnon. This river, so often mentioned in Scripture
as a Nahal (^^5)? called cl-Mojib, and is made up
of two main branches, — one, the largest, being the Mujib
itself, and the other, on the north, called el-Walch.
The Waleh rises in the eastern part of the Belka, and
passes on the north of Dibon. It has a little more water in
this part than the Zerka Ma'in, and runs in a rocky bed at
tlic bottom of a deep ravine, the brook being overgrown with
willows, oleanders, and tamarisks. The Walch glides down
the mountain side in just such a deep bed of basaltic rock,
and unites with the Mujib at the distance of about two hours
above the shore of the Dead Sea.^
* Joseph. BcL Jud., 7. 6. 3. Onomast., Articles, Beelmeorij CariatJiaim. Irby
and Mangles, 1817, p. 144.
8 Seetzen, Relsen, IL pp. 3G8-370.
« Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 409, IL pp. 342, 343. Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 370, 371.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST.
181
Tho Mqjib itself has its principal source near Kul'at cl-
Kutraneli, a station on the Haj route ; it has in this upper
part, where it flows northwest, several names, and takes that
of el Mojib about an hour above the bridge Aroer. There it
receives another head branch from the northeast, which, ris-
ing not far from the Haj route, at first is called el-Lejum ;
but after receiving two or three brooks, takes the name of
Enkheileh, and flows in a deep bed. This last name sug-
gests the ancient Nahaliel, the second statian of the Hebrews
in this region after quitting the desert.^ Near the confluence
of the two streams forming the Mojib, is a tract of pasture
ground in the valley, having in the middle of it a hill with
ruins upon it ; near the stream -are several wind-mills. The
common road from Hesban to Kerak crosses the Arnon and
its valley near the remains of Aroer. There is here a com-
paratively modern bridge in ruins, and a wind-mill.
The view of the Mojib and its chasm at this point is very
striking. The river flows at the bottom along a narrow strip
of verdant, level ground, about forty yards across. From
this the steep and barren banks rise up to a great height,
covered with immense blocks of stone, which have rolled
down from the upper strata. Hence, when viewed from
above, the valley looks like a deep chasm formed by some
tremendous convulsion of the earth, into which there seems
no possibility of descending to the bottom. The river flows
in a rocky bed, and, when Burckhardt saw it in July, was
almost dried up ; but the bed bore evident marks of its im-
petuosity in the rainy season. The valley has few oleanders
or other shrubs.^
* Num. xxi. 19.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 372, 373. Comp. Seetzen, Reisen, I. pp. 410, 413.
Irby and Mangles, p. 142.
182
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
The chasm of the river as it passes down the mountain
side is less deep, but rocky and wild. Seetzen in January
found the stream here only a few paces wide ; but it flowed
with great velocity, roaring and foaming over the rocks in
many places.^
The Mojib enters the Dead Sea through a chasm similar
to that of the Zerka Ma'in, having before it a low delta,
across which the stream flows. The chasm is nearest a hun-
dred feet in width, formed by high, perpendicular cliffs of
red, brown, and yellow sandstone, all worn by the water hito
fantastic forms, like Egyptian architecture. The chasm runs
up in a direct line for one hundred and fifty feet, and then
turns slowly, with graceful curves, to the southeast. Seetzen
waded through the stream late in January, and gives it at
forty feet wide, and only knee-deep. Lynch early in May
found the stream eighty feet wide, and four feet deep. The
chasm is a striking object, as seen from 'Ain Jidy on the
opposite shore .2
In Scripture the Arnon marks the boundary between Moab
and the Amorites ; as at the present .day it divides the district
of Kerak from the Belka.^ It became, of course, the south-
ern border of the tribes of Reuben and towards Moab ;^ and
at the same time the southern border of Palestine on this
side. Hence, as in the west the land of Israel extended
" from Dan to Beersheba ; " so, on the east, it was said to
reach " from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon." ^
Wady Kerak or W. Der'a'ah. Both these names would
1 Seetzen, Reisen, 11. pp. 346, 347.
2 Seetzen, Reisen, H. pp. 364, 366. Lynch, Narrative, pp. 367, 368. Biblical
Researches, L p. 502 [H. p. 206].
» Num. xxi. 13, 15, 26; Josh. xii. 2; Judg. xi. 22. Seetzen, Reisen, H. p. 348.
* Deut. iii. 16; Judg. xi. 13, 26.
* Josh. xii. 1; Deut. iii. 8, iv. 48.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE EAST. 183
be common on the eastern side of the Dead Sea ; on the
western, we heard only the former. Burckhardt has both.
The Wady has its beginnings in the deep ravines immedi-
ately around the cliff on which Kerak stands ; and runs
down in a winding course about W. N. W. to the isthmus of
the peninsula in the Dead Sea. The stream flows upon the
isthmus to the northern bay. In January, Seetzen found
in.it more water than in the Arnon ; early in June, Irby and
Mangles speak of it as a considerable brook ; but the people
of Kerak told Lynch that water flows in it only in the rainy
season. The valley is, in many places, a deep and wild
chasm ; and is distinctly traceable from the opposite coast.
The usual path between Kerak and the peninsula passes
along above the cliffs on its southern side. There is no
allusion to this valley in Scripture.^
Wadij el-Alisij or W. el-Kardhy, This Wady has its be-
ginning east of the Kul'at el-Ahsy, or el-Hassa, on the Haj
route. It is there dry in summer, but there are fountains
not far west of the castle. Like the streams further north,
it breaks down by a deep chasm through the high table-land,
and descends by a deep gorge through the mountain to the
Ghor just south of the Dead Sea. In a side ravine, just
above the point where the road from Kerak to Tiifileh
crosses, is a hot spring. The stream, in the lower part, is
permanent. In the Ghor it takes the name of "Wady el-Ku-
rahy ; and runs to the southeast corner of the Dead Sea as
a small river, fertilizing the adjacent tract.^
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 519 [II. p. 231]. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 390. Seetzen,
Reisen, I. p. 417, II. p. 350. Irby and Mangles, pp. 109, 137, 138. Lynch, Narra-
tive, p. 354.
2 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 112, 157 fll. pp. 488, 555]. Burckhardt, SjTia,
pp. 400, 401, G58. Seetzen, Reisen, I. pp. 417, 427. Irby and Mangles, pp. 108,
114, 137.
184
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Wady el-Alisy forms the natural boundary between the
district of Kerak or ancient Moah on the north, and the
district Jebal or ancient Gebal, Gebalene, or Edom^ on the
soiith.i The mountains of Moab are high, and terminate
here in a conspicuous bUiff ; those on the south are for a
time lower. In all probability, therefore, this Wady is the
Nalial or brook Zered of Scripture, over which the Hebrews
went in order to enter the land of Moab from the south.
They doubtless crossed, as in the case of the Arnon, some-
where in its upper part, where it would present no difficulty
in. THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE WEST.
The streams which enter the Jordan from the west, are
fewer and much smaller tlian those coming from the east.
Tiie Derddrah. Tiiis stream drains the region of Mcrj
'Ayun, a fine oval basin surrounded by ridges of higher
ground ; by which it is separated from Wady et-Teim in the
east, and from the chasm of the Litany on the west. The
main source is in the northern part, where large fountains
break forth under a bank ; and in front of these arc the re-
mains of a thick wall or dam, intended to raise the water to
a sufficient height for mills or for extensive irrigation. The
stream is carried through the middle of the plain, sometimes
in artificial channels ; and afterward breaks down as a con-
siderable brook, by a deep ravine, through the high ground
in the southeast of the Merj. It is understood to run to the
Hasbany, before the junction of the latter with the other
streams ; but has not always water in the lower part of its
course.^
1 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 401. Seetzen, Rcisen, I. p. 427.
2 Deut. ii. 13, 14; comp. v. 18; Num. xxi. 12. Biblical Researches, 11. p. 157
in. p. 555]
8 Later Biblical Researclies, pp. 372, 374, 395.
THE JORDAN: TRIBUTARIES FROM THE WEST.
185
Besides two or three fine brooks of the rainy season and
spring, as in the Wadys Hcndaj, Rubudiyeh, and el-Bireh, we
meet with no stream from the west until we reach the valley
of Jezreel. This valley, as such, has already been described.^
Nahr el-Jdlud, This stream, which flows down through
the great valley of Jezreel, has its highest source in the ' Ain
el-Meiyitch or Dead fountain, which springs up at the foot
of the rocky wall just under the village of Zer'in (Jezreel) .
But the main source is the great fountain 'Ain Jalud, twenty
minutes further down the valley, flowing out from under a
sort of cavern in the wall of conglomerate rock, which here
forms the northern base of Gilboa. The water is excellent ;
and spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool, forty or fifty
feet in diameter, with multitudes of small fish in it. From
this reservoir a copious mill-stream flows off eastward down
the valley. There is every reason to regard this as the an-
cient' fountain by Jezreel,' where Saul and Jonathan pitched
before their last fatal battle. It is also the fons Tubania of
the crusaders.2
Lower down, the brook flows along the northern part of
the plain or valley ; and receives another mill-stream com-
ing from the southwest, from near the base of the mountain.
But the water is mainly taken out by several canals for irri-
gation, leaving the bed of the brook a mere ditch of mud
and water. We crossed it as such in 1852.^ It receives
further supplies from various small fountains ; and likewise
from the marsh which exists on the southwest of Beisan.
At the site of ancient Beth-shean or Scythopolis, north of
1 See above, pp. 91, 92.
2 1 Sam. xxix. 1. Will. Tyr., 22, 26. Biblical Researches, II. p. 323 [III.
p. 1G8].
8 Later Biblical Researches, p. 338.
24
186
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the present village, the Jalud flows along, as a considerable
stream of brackish water, between the northern wall of the
vailej and the dark Tell on which stood the ancient citadel
of the place ; and breaks down by a ravine to the Ghor,
where it runs to the Jordan. A stream coming; from the
the south, apparently from the marsh, joins it on the lower
side of the Tell ; and two others, one passing at the village,
and another a mill-stream further south, tumble down the
slope and go to join the Jidad in the plain below. The
one by the village is" obviously an artificial course ; and per-
haps the other likewise. The water of both has a slight odor
of sulphur, and a darkish hue.^ Scripture makes no allusion
to the Jalud below the fountain.
Stream of Wady el-Fdria. This valley has been already
described.^ Its fine brook in winter drains the whole north-
ern part of the plain Miikhna by Nabulus, and receives
branches from several side valleys. It is a beautiful stream,
fringed with oleanders, and meandering through the rich,
meadow-like plain, until it enters the Jordan, just north
of Kurn Surtabeh. The Kurawa has several rivulets ; but
whether there is always water in the lower part of the main
channel, is uncertain, though probable.^
Water of Jericho. This water, mentioned in the book of
Joshua, is, doubtless, the winter stream of the Wady Kelt,
which passes down by Jericho, and receives the waters of
Elisha's fountain.*
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 327. 2 See above, pp. 92, 93.
8 Later Biblical Researches, pp. .303, 304. Tan de Velde, Memoir, p. 124.
* Josh. xvi. 1. See above, p. 94.
RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
187
IV. RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
The rivers which enter the Mediterranean are few, and
their permanent streams in no case reach back further than
the plain along the coast.
The Belus. The Belus, celebrated in ancient times for
the accidental discovery of the art of making glass, is men-
tioned by Pliny, Josephus, and other ancient writers, but
not in Scripture.^ It is now called Nahr Na'man, and has
its rise near Tell Kurdany in the middle of the southern
part of the plain of 'Akka. Here is a marshy tract with
large fountains ; there is an ancient dam below the marsh,
which raises the water so as to form a small lake, and drive
several mills. This is doubtless the marsh, palus Cendevia,
spoken of by Pliny as the source of the Belus. It runs as a
small river about N. N. W. through the plain, and enters
the sea about fifteen minutes south of the gate of 'Akka. Its
whole course is about six miles. It receives Wady 'Abilin
(Jiphthah-el) and Wady Sha'ab, both coming from the
mountains, but they bring to it no water save in the rainy
season. 2
The Kishon. " That ancient river, the river Kishon,'*
renowned as it is in Scripture, is mentioned only five times ;
referring in four passages to the victory of Deborah and Ba-
rak, and once to the slaughter of the prophets of Baal by
Elijah.^ It is worthy of remark, that all these notices relate
to the Kishon in or near the plain of Esdraelon, where for a
great part of the year it is wholly dry. The Kishon is called
1 riin. Hist. Nat., 5. 17. Ibid., 3G, 65. Joseph. Bel. Jucl.,2. 10. 2. Later Bib-
lical Researches, p. 104.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 104. Thomson, Land and Book, I. p. 480.
3 Jadg. iv. 7, 13, v. 21; Ps. Ixxxiii. 9 [10]; 1 Kings xviii. 40.
188
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
a Nalial apparently from the deep gully or ravine in
wliicli it flows.
The remote winter sources of the Kishon, now called Nahr
el-Mukutta' (the ford), are the water-courses which drain the
northern and southern tracts or arms of the great plain ex-
tending eastward from this latter. That from the southern
arm is the most distant, having its beginnings from up to-
wards the height of ground, and receiving also the brook from
Jenm and from similar fountains further west. The begin-
ning of the water-course in the northern valley is less deli-
nitely marked. From the village of Endor, over against
Mount Tabor, a shallow Wady passes down northeast to
Wady Sherar, and so to Wady cl-Bireh and the Jordan.
Not far west of Endor another small Wady descends north-
west, draining its waters to the Kishon. In this northern
arm of the plain, therefore, the division of the waters would
appear to be, in general, not far from a line drawn from the
summit of Tabor to the summit of Little Hermon.
The waters of the rainy season, which descend from the
western slopes of Tabor and the hills around Nazareth, not
only render this the larger branch of the Kishon, but also
sometimes inundate the northern part of the plain towards
Iksal and Deburieh. It was thus inundated at the time of
the battle of Mount Tabor, April IG, 1799, between the
French and Arabs, where many of the latter are expressly
said to have been drowned in the stream coming from Deb-
urieh, which then overflowed a part of the plain. ^ One
traveller, in crossing from Solam to Nazareth early in June,
describes himself as passing, in half an hour from Solam, a
considerable brook from the eastward, and afterwards some
1 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 339. Biblical Researches, IL p. 328 [HL p. 177].
RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
180
others, which flowed into a small lake on the north side of
the plain. ^
The place of junction of the two arms of the Kishon is not
specified, but it would seem to be near the middle of the
plain, not far east of the road between Lcjjun and Nazareth.
Along the course of the stream in this part, in early spring,
the ground is miry and difficult. Prokesch, passing from
Lcjjun to Nazareth in April, came upon the Kishon flowing
in a deep bed through marshy ground, and wandered about
for some time to find the way, until he was set right by an
Arab. On this route arc the ruins of a Saracenic bridge
The brook from Lejjun (' the waters of Mcgiddo'),^ and also
the frequent brooks from the southern hills between that
point and Carmel, all conspire to render the soil in many
places wet and miry in the rainy season, and for some time
later. The Kishon in its course strikes the base of Carmel,
and then passes down to the plain of 'Akka by a narrow val-
ley between that mountain and the low hills west of Naza-
reth.
All these circumstances, especially the inundations and
the marshes further down, fully bear out the sacred poetess
in affirming that the forces of the enemy were swept away
by the Kishon, swollen as the stream doubtless was by the
tempest and rain, with which " they fought from heaven ;
the stars in their courses fought against Sisera." *
On the other hand, later in the season, and earlier or later
in different years, the case is altogether reversed. In the
middle of June, 1838, in travelling from Jenin to Nazareth,
1 Monro, Summer Ramble, I. p. 281.
2 Prokesch, Reiso ins li. Land, p. 129. Wildenbruch in Monatsb. dcr Ges.
fiir Erdk., 1844, p. 233. Biblical Researches, IL p. 3G4 [IIL p. 230]. Comp.
Thomson, Land and Book, IL p. 141.
8 Judg. V. 19. < Judg. V. 20, 21.
190
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
we found not a drop of water in the plain. Wildenbrucli,
passing still later from Lejjun to Nazareth, crossed midway
of the plain the broad and dry bed of the Kishon with its
ruined bridge. In the middle of April, 1852, we crossed the
Kishon on our way from Tell esh-Shemam to Lejjun ; it was
then a pretty brook, flowing in a deep gully in the plain,
over a bed of gravel. Not far above were pools and miry
places, and the Arabs said the gravel here was only a few
inches thick, and treacherous. Early in April, too, W. M.
Thomson once crossed the Kishon below its entrance into
the plain of 'Akka, and found its bed quite dry. Of course,
TVady Melik was also dry.^
The permanent sources, then, of the Kishon or el-Mu-
kutta', are below the point where its course enters the plain
of 'Akka. Shaw was the first to speak of them. They flow
out, as large fountains, from the roots of Carmel, about three
miles east of Haifa. They are called Sa'adeh or Sa'adiyeh,
are very little above the level of the sea, and the water is
brackish. A deep, broad stream is formed at once, which
winds sluggishly through a tract of marsh to the sea. Dur-
ing the rains of winter it is of course greatly enlarged by the
river which then comes from the plain of Esdraelon.^ These
sources ' of the Kishon thus have a resemblance to those of
the 'Aujch at E,as el-'Ain.
The passage of the Mukutta' near its mouth, on the way
between 'Akka and Haifa, differs greatly, according to the
season of the year. In winter and spring, when the stream
1 Biblical Researches, 11. pp. 3G3-365 [HI. pp. 229-233]. Later Biblical Re-
searches, p. 116. "Wildenbruch in Monatsb. dcr Ges. fUr Erdk., 1S44, p. 233.
Thomson, Land and Book, p. 141. See above, p. 107.
2 Shaw's Travels (4to.), p. 274. Thomson, Land and Book, IL p. 141. Porter's
Handbook, p. 383.
RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
191
is swollen, the traveller has to cross in a boat, and let liis
animals swim after it. The western winds drive up tlic sand,
and form a bar across its month. This renders the river
fordable later in spring, with three or four feet of water on
the bar. Still later in the season, when the river is lowest,
the sand-bank rises above the surface of the water, and forms
a causeway through which the water percolates, and on which
the traveller may pass over dry shod, until the swelling-
stream again washes the bank away.^
South of Mount Carmel the streams, with one exception,
are not large, and only a few are permanent.
Nahr Belka. This stream is half an hour south of Tan-
tura,- the ancient Dor. Though small, and of no great
length, it is deep and miry, so that travellers ride into the
sea and pass around its mouth. It seems permanent, and is
known also as Nahr Tanturah and Nahr Kurajeh.^
Nahr ez-Zerka. Some forty minutes north of Cesaraea is
the longer river Zerka, a deep and permanent stream, though
not large, with the ruins of a Roman bridge higher up.^
Connected with this river, there is a popular tradition tliat
it is inhabited by crocodiles; and the natives sometimes
still call it Maat Temsah, ' crocodile water.' Strabo speaks of
the name of a former town Crocodilon, between 'Akka and
Cesaraea ; Pliny has the same, and gives the name likewise
to a river.* . The tradition first appears in the time of the
1 Thomson, Land and Book, I. p. 492. Biblical Researches, XL p. 305 I III.
p. 232].
2 Biblical Researches, IL p. 528 [III. p. 469]. Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II.
p. 250. Porter's Handbook, p. 3C8. All these have the name Nahr Belka.
Wildenbruch has JSfahr Tantura, Monatsb. der Ges. fiirErdk., 1844, p. 232. Po-
cocke has Nahr Kurdjeh, II. p. 58.
8 Biblical Researches, II. p. 528 [III. p. 469]. Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II.
p. 250. Porter's Handbook, p. 368. Prokesch, p. 28.
4 Strabo. 16. 2. 27, p. 758. Plin. Nat. Hist., 5. 17.
192
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
crusades ; and is also mentioned by travellers down to the
present time. There is much strong assertion ; but it does
not appear that any person, whether native or foreigner, has
ever himself actuall}'" seen a living crocodile in this region.^
The Nalir ez-Zerka seems to be, without much question,
the stream Shihor-Libnath of Scripture, on the southern
border of the tribe of Asher.^ The town of Dor (Tantura),
which was assigned to Manasseh, lay within the territory of
Asher;3 and the river Zerka would be the natural southern
boundary in that quarter. This is the only stream south of
Carmcl mentioned in Scripture.
Nahr el-Akhdar. About one hour south of Cesaraea the
unimportant stream el-Akhdar enters the sea.
All the streams thus far are enlarged in winter by torrents
from the southwestern slopes of Carmel.
Nahr Abu Zaburah. This is a permanent stream running
to the sea nearly three hours south of Cesaraea. Just north
of its mouth is a littl-e bay or port, called Mma Abu Zabu-
rah. This river, the permanent sources of which are in the
plain, serves in winter as* the drain of various Wadys from
the southern part of Carmcl, and likewise for Wady Abu N^r
coming from the plain of Dothan ; if not also, perhaps, for
Wady Mussin and Wady Sha'ir.* Recent maps, however,
make the two latter run to the Failak.
Nahr Arsuf or Nahr el-Failak. This stream is midway
between Cesaraea and Joppa ; and is fed by several marshes
and ponds along the plain near the sea, full of gigantic
1 Vinisauf in Bohn's Chronicles of the Crusaders, p. 230. Pocockc, IL i. p. 58.
See other historical notices in Toblcr Drittc "Wanderung, pp. 375-378.
2 Josh. xix. 26. 3 Josh. xvii. 11.
* Biblical Researches, H. p. 528 [IH. p. 4G9]. Later Biblical Researches, pp.
121, 125, 126. See above, pp. 107-109. Thomson, Land and Book, H. pp. 255, 259.
RIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
193
reeds and rushes. These ponds swarm with leeches ; which
are collected bj persons who wade in and let them adhere
to their bare legs. In autumn no stream reaches the sea.
The earlier name, Nahr Arsuf, so called from the village
near its mouth, has been supplanted on more recent maps
by that of Nahr el-Fail ak, from a small village near one of
the ponds. The position of Arsuf coincides with the site of
ancient Apollonia, twenty-two Roman miles from Cesaraea,
as given in the Peutinger Tables.^ According to the recent
maps, this stream, in winter, receives also the waters drained
from the district between Sanur and Nabulus.
Nahr el-Aiijeh. The 'Aujeh, though short, is the longest
permanent river in Palestine, next to the Jordan. In winter
it receives the waters brought down from the mountains by
the numerous Wadys which descend between 'Azzun and
Saris.2 This river is also spoken of as Nahr Budrus or
Butrus (Peter), as receiving the great Wady from Ludd,
which is sometimes called by that name.
The proper source of the 'Aujeh is at a place called Has
el-'Ain, at the base of the hills a little northwest from Mej-
del Yaba, and about eight or nine miles distant from the
sea. Here, on a low mound, is a ruined modern fortress, in
the form of a parallelogram. At the foot of the mound, in
the west, are the immense fountains constituting the source
of the river 'Aujeh. They form a marshy tract, covered
1 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, XL p. 254. Thomson, Land and Book, II. pp.
267, 2C8. Wildenbmch in Monatsb. der Ges. fur Erdk., 1844, p. 232. Porter's
Handbook, pp. 364, 365. There is some confusion in recent maps and books, in
consequence of the positive assertion of Wildcnbruch that Arsuf lies further
south, and is only a quarter of an hour north of el-Haram. But this is contra-
dicted by the express testimony of Wilson, Thomson, and Porter; as also by the
position of Apollonia, with the site of which Arsuf has long been identified.
2 See these valleys described above, pp. 109-112.
25
194
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
with reeds and rushes. These and other fountains below
furnish, in summer, the whole supply of water for the river ;
which is nearly as large as the Jordan at J ericho. The water
has a bluish tinge ; the stream is dark, deep, and usually
sluggish ; and is hardly to be forded at any place. The
river sweeps off about W. N. W. until it reaches the hills or
higher plateau, between the inner plain and that along the
shore. Just here are several mills, a mile from the source.
The stream then passes on about W. by S. under steep
banks formed by low cliffs, to the sea. About two miles
from the mouth is an old bridge, on the great road from
Yafa along the coast.^ Xo allusion to the 'Aujeh is found
in Scripture. Its permanent sources are similar to those of
the Kishon and Belus.
Streams South of Ydfa. No permanent stream enters the
sea from the Sephela, a great plain south of Yafa. The Nahr
Rubin, which has already been described as the estuary of
the great Wady es-Siirar,^ runs northwest by Yebna (^Jabneli)
to the sea ; but in autumn it sometimes dries up. In Octo-
ber, 1817, Irby and Mangles crossed it near the ruins of a
Roman bridge west of Yebna ; it was then nearly dry above,
but had a handsome sheet of water below. In November
1857, Tobler found no trace of water. ^ The case appears to
be similar with the estuary of Wady Simsim, near 'Askuliin.
Tbe river or torrent of Egypt^ which drains the interior of
the southern desert, now Wady el-'Arish, has no permanent
stream ; and has already been described.*
Indeed, strictly speaking, none of the Wadys and water-
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 140. Porter's Handbook, p. 364.
2 See above, p. 113.
3 Irby and Mangles, 1847, p. 57. Tobler Dritte Wanderung, pp. 20, 24, 25.
* See above, p. 123.
KIVERS ALONG THE COAST.
193
courses south of the 'Aujeli, require any mention here under
the head of Rivers ; inasmuch as none of them have peren-
nial waters. Yet, as they are usually marked upon the
maps with all the fulness and distinctness of permanent
streams, this explanation is not inappropriate.
196
Pm^SICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
SECTION II
LAKES.
Of the four lakes of Palestine,' the northernmost, Phiala,
was long accounted one of the sources of the Jordan. Two
others, the lake of the Huleh and that of Tiberias, are merely
expansions of the waters of the Jordan. The fourth, the
Dead Sea, is the recipient of the waters of that river, as also
of the Arnon and other streams from the eastern mountains.
The Phiala is the smallest of the four, and the Dead Sea the
largest ; the relative magnitude of the four lakes increasing
from north to south in the order in which they lie.
I. PHIALA.
The little lake Phiala^ now called Birket er-Ram, is on
the mountain, nearly east by south from Banias, and two
hours distant from that place. Its elevation above the Med-
iterranean is given by Roth at about three thousand three
hundred feet, or some two thousand six hundred feet above
the valley below. ^
The lake is at the bottom of a deep bowl, apparently an
extinct crater ; not less than from a hundred and fifty to two
hundred feet below the level of the surrounding tract. The
form is an irregular circle ; the diameter of the water being
1 Petermann's Geograph. MittheiL, 1859, p. 290. See above, p. 75.
PHIALA.
197
a mile, and perhaps more. The tract around is high table-
laud, rising on the south of the basin almost at once into
wooded or bushy hills ; and skirted at some distance on the
east likewise by a wooded range. The declivities of the
basin itself, consisting mostly of ancient lava, are dreary and
desolate, with only an occasional shrub and a few patches of
tillage ; but the country round about, though not fertile, is
more cultivated.
The lake has no outlet nor inlet, and is not deep. The
water, which is stagnant and impure, looks and feels slimy.
As we saw the lake, late in May, 1852, it was muddy for a
few feet just at the margin; and did not seem to be clear
and pure in any part. At a short distance from the shore
was a broad belt of water-plants, already turned brown, and
in some places resembling islands. The middle of the lake
was free. Wild ducks were swimming in different parts. A
large hawk was sailing above them, and occasionally swoop-
ing down to the surface of the water, as if to seize a duck
or a frog. Myriads and myriads of frogs lined the shores ;
and it was amusing to see them perched thickly along the
stones, as if drawn up in battle array to keep off intruders.
It is the very paradise of frogs. The lake supplies the whole
country with leeches ; here too they are gathered by men
wading in and letting the leeches fasten themselves upon
their legs. The ground along the margin is mostly without
reeds or rushes ; and is covered with small black volcanic
stones. The shores and sides of the crater exhibit every-
where small glistening black crystals, resembling hornblende.^
According to Josephus, the Phiala, so called from its bowl-
like form, was situated on the road leading over the moun-
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 399, 400. Anderson's Geological Report, p. 110.
198 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
tain from Cesaraea Philippi (Banias) to Traclionitis, and not
far distant from tliat road upon the rigid. Tliis description
at once identifies the Phiala with the present Birket er-Ram,
since there is no other body of water whatever on the right
of that road. The position, too, was such, that popular be-
lief regarded the Phiala as the true source of the great foun-
tain at Banias, and Josephus relates, that the tetrarcli Philip
once caused chaff to be thrown into the Phiala, which was
carried down and found at Paneum.^ This story helps to
confirm the identity of Phiala with Birket er-Ram ; but the
supply of such a fountain as that of JBanias would exhaust
this lake in a single day. Nor can the bright, limpid, spark-
ling waters of that fountain be supposed to have any connec-
tion with the dark, stagnant, slimy fluid which fills the, lake.
Seetzen heard of the lake, but did not visit it. Irby and
Mangles were the first to examine it, in passing from Damas-
cus to Banias, in I8I8.2
n. LAKE OF THE HULEH.
This lake occupies the southern and lowest part of the
basin of the Hulch already described. The nature of the
country around imparts to it a triangular form, the apex be-
ing towards the south, where the Jordan issues from it. The
eastern side lies along near the eastern mountain and paral-
lel to it, while the western side runs off in a northwesterly
direction, skirted by a plain somewhat higher than the lake.
The northern side is bordered by an extensive marsh, stretch-
ing in some parts quite across the whole valley, and covered
with gigantic reeds and canes, through which the waters of
the upper Jordan lazily find their way. The length of the
1 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 7. Later Biblical Researches, p. 400.
2 Seetzen, Reisen, I. pp. 334, 335. Irby and Mangles, p. 87.
LAKE OF TIBERIAS.
199
lake itself from north to south is some four or five miles ;
its breadth is from three to four miles. The marsh extends
up northward five or six miles, after which succeeds the
fertile meadow-like tract already described, in which is the
junction of the streams of the Jordan.^ The lake does not
appear to be deep. It has never been sounded, and no boat,
apparently, has ever floated upon its waters. The elevation
of the lake, according to Wildenbruch, does not vary much
from one hundred feet above the Mediterranean.^
This lake is known in Scripture as the Waters of Merom,
near which Joshua overthrew the hosts of Jabin king of Ha-
zor.^ It is not mentioned in the New Testament, but is the
lake Semechonitis of Josephus, over which the city of Hazor
was situated.*
III. LAKE OF TIBERIAS.
The lake of Tiberias, now Bahr Tubariyeh, is the second
basin of the Jordan, in which the waters of that river spread
themselves out, after rushing down the narrow basaltic chasm
below the lake of the Huleh. This lower lake is an irregular
oval, being broadest in the middle, and wider at the north-
ern end than at the southern. The length is nearest thirteen
miles, by a breadth of about six miles across the middle.
The lake is depressed below the level of the Mediterranean,
but the measurements, as yet, with one exception, have been
made with the barometer, and the results are quite various.
According to Lynch, the depression amounts to nearest six
hundred and fifty feet ; the mean obtained by seven different
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 361, 370. Porter's Handbook, p. 435. See
above, pp. 76, 152, 153.
2 Berliner Monatsber.,111., 1845, p. 271.
3 Josh. xi. 5, 7.
< Joseph. Antiq., 5. 5. 1. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 8. Ibid., 4. 1. 1.
200
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
observers being six hundred and sixty feet.^ Taking the first
as a round number, this lake is some seven hundred and
fifty feet lower than that of the Huleh. Lynch sounded and
found the greatest depth to be one hundred and sixty-five
feet, the bottom being a concave basin.^ But the quantity
of water in the lake varies at difierent seasons. The rains
and melting snows from Lebanon and the adjacent hills cause
it to rise in winter and spring three or four feet above its
ordinary level, and it sometimes overflows the courtyards of
the houses along its shore in Tiberias. These superabun-
dant waters being thus spread out, first over the surface of
the upper lake, and then over the lake of Tiberias, all great
or violent inundations of the Jordan, as we have seen, are
thereby prevented. The story told by some travellers, that
the Jordan holds on its way through the middle of the lake,
without mingling its waters, is of course nothing more than
a fable. ^
The water of the lake, as Josephus testifies, is sweet and
most potable.* The inhabitants of Tiberias have no other
water. It is clear, sparkling, and pleasant to the taste.
Still, some of our party thought they perceived in it a slight
brackish taste, which, considering the very copious brackish
fountains that flow into it, is not improbable.
The lake is full of fish of various kinds ; Josephus says
that some of the species are peculiar to it. Hasselquist the
naturalist, was the first in modern times to note that some
of the varieties of fish found here are met with also in the
^ Lynch more exactly, six hundred and fifty-three feet. The seven observers
are: Lynch, Russegger, Schubert, Bertou, Symonds, Wildenbruch, Allen.
2 Official Report, p. 15. Biblical Researches, LNote, p. 613.
8 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 3^5, 414 [HI. pp. 261, 309].
* Aifxyr] yXvKud Tf Zfxats iarl Kctl TroTi/icurdTrj, Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 7.
LAKE OF TIBERIAS.
201
Nile ; namely, Silurus and Mugil (cluib), and likewise
another whicli he names Spams Galilaeus, a species of
bream. ^ We liad no difficulty, in 1838, in procuring an
abundant supply for our evening and morning meal at Tibe-
rias ; and found them delicate and well flavored. The fish-
ing is carried on only from the shore with hand-nets ; never
at the present day from a boat. The right to fish is farmed
out by the government. It is worthy of remark, that the
inhabitants of the village at 'Ain et-Tabighah, probably the
ancient Bethsaida of Galilee, still live by fishing.^
At the present day a single boat, and that a sail-boat, is
kept upon the lake, usually at Tiberias, for the purpose of
bringing wood from the opposite shore. Pococke, in 1738,
took a sail upon the lake ; and there are again notices of such
a boat from 1806 onward. It appears to have been often
renewed. The one which we saw in 1838, or its successor,
was hired by Lynch, in 1848 ; but was soon wrecked in the
rapids of the Jordan. In 1852, it had been replaced.^
The shores of the lake of Tiberias present, at most seasons,
few features of beauty or grandeur. The lake itself is a fine
sheet of limpid water, lying deep in its depressed basin, in
the midst of higher tracts around it-. Along its whole east-
ern side, the mountain wall, steep, but not precipitous, rises
perhaps a thousand feet, and then the table-land above
spreads off into the great plain of Hauran. On the western
side there is a similar wall along the southern half of the
lake, and the plain above extends back to Mount Tabor.
1 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 7. Hasselquist, Reise, pp. 181, 380, 412 sq., 428 sq.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 318. Biblical Researches, II. p. 38G [III. p. 261].
3 Biblical Researches, II. p. 38G [III. p. 262]. Pococke, Description of the East^
IT. i. p. 69. Lynch, Official Report, pp. 15, 17. Van de Velde, Narrative, II.
p. 399.
26
202
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
Then comes the plain of Gennesareth ; and further north
the land rises gradually from the shore into the tract of ir-
regular broken table-land which intervenes between the two
lakes. West of this tract lie the higher mountains around
Safed. But, in general, the hills along the lake are monot-
onous and tame, with very little of the picturesque in their
form, and they are decked by no shrubs nor forests. In
early spring, indeed, the verdure of the grass and herbage
imparts to them a pleasing aspect ; but at other times they
are naked and dreary. Whoever looks here for the magnif-
icence of the lakes of Switzerland or Southern Germany, or
the softer beauty of those of England and the United States,
will be disappointed. The regular and almost unbroken
heights which surround this lake, bear no comparison, as
to vivid and powerful effect, with the stern and savage gran-
deur of the mountains around the Dead Sea.^
The position of this lake, so deeply depressed in the midst
of higher tracts of country, exposes it, as a matter of course,
to gusts of wind and in winter to tempests. One such storm
is recorded during our Lord's ministry; and another instance,
where the wind was contrary and great But in order to
account for these, it is not necessary to assume any peculi-
arly tempestuous character of the lake itself; nor does it ap-
pear, either from the testimony of the ancients or of the
present inhabitants, that storms are more frequent within
the basin than in the region round about.^
The volcanic tract, through which the Jordan breaks its
way below the Huleh, extends down also on both sides of the
1 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 380, 416 [TH. pp. 252, 312].
2 Matth. viii. 23 sq.; Mark iv. 35 sq.; Luke viii. 22 sq. Matth. xiv. 24; Mark
vi. 48; John vi. 18.
3 Biblical Researches, II. p. 416 [HI. p. 312].
LAKE OF TIBERIAS.
203
lower lake. On the 'Western side, the ground back and
north of the plain of Gennesareth is thickly strewed with
black basaltic stones. On some of the hilltops clusters of
similar rocks are so grouped together as to present almost
the appearance of architectural ruins.^
Historical Notices. In the New Testament this lake is
once called the lake (Xlfivrf) of Gennesaret ; oftener, the sea
(^dXaaaa) of Galilee or of Tiberias.^ The Apocrypha has
the water of Gennesar ; and Josephus calls it the lake of Gen-
nesar, or also of Tiberias.^ The ancient Hebrew name was
the sea (c;:) of Chinnereth or Chinneroth. It is mentioned
but four times in the Old Testament, and only in reference
to boundaries.*
But this want of prominence of the lake in the Old Testa-
ment is amply made up in the New ; where this fine sheet
of water is intimately interwoven with the life and ministry
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He walked upon its shores ; he
sailed upon its waters ; his home was at Capernaum; and
in Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin, towns lying along
its western shore, most of his mighty works were done.^
However tame may be the scenery of the lake, yet aided by
these historical and hallowed associations, it exerts upon the
Christian traveller a fascination and a charm to which the
mere magnificence of nature can never aspire.
The evangelists record three instances in which our Lord
crossed the lake in a boat, with his disciples, to the eastern
shore, and afterwards returned. The first time was when
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 342, 347.
2 Luke V. 1; John vi. 1; Matth. iv. 18; Mark 1. 16; John vi. 1; xxi. 1.
3 1 Mace. xi. 67. Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 7. Ibid., 3. 3. 5.
* Num. xxxiv. 11; Josh. xiii. 27; Deut. iii. 17; Josh. xii. 3.
« Matth. xi. 20-23.
204
PPnrSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
he healed the two demoniacs of the Gadarenes, having
stilled the tempest on the way ; to this we have already
alluded.i Again he feeds the five thousand on the north-
east coast of the lake ; and sending back his disciples alone
with the boat, he follows them walking on the water.^ The
third time, he fed the four thousand in Decapolis, and re-
turned to Magdala.^ Still another time, he crossed the lake
to the northeast quarter; and then made his way by the
northern Bethsaida to Cesaraea Philippi (Banias).^
In those days boats were frequent upon the lake. When
our Lord had fed the five thousand on the northeast of the
lake, and his disciples had gone away in the only boat, other
boats came from Tiberias nigh unto the place, so that the
multitude were able to pass over to Capernaum.^ On the
capture of Tarichaea, at the south end of the lake, by Vespa-
sian and Titus, great numbers of the inhabitants escaped by
water and remained upon the lake, in boats and small craft,
which they had prepared for the purpose. Vespasian caused
boats to be got ready in order to pursue them upon the lake.
A naval fight took place, in which the Jews and their boats
were totally destroyed.^
The fisheries of the lake, in ancient times, were more
extensive and productive than now. Four of the apostles,
Andrew, Peter, James, and John, if not others, were fisher-
men. Several of our Lord's comparisons and miracles were
1 Mattli. viii. 23 sq., comp. ix. 1; Mark iv. 36 sq., comp. v. 21 ; Luke viii. 22 sq.,
comp. 40.
2 Matth. xiv. 13 sq., comp. 22, 25 ; Mark vi. 32 sq., comp. 45, 48; Luke ix. 10
sq. ; John vi. 1, comp. 17, 19.
3 Matth. XV. 29 sq., comp. 39; Mark vii. 31 sq., comp. viii. 10.
* Mark viii. 13, comp. 22, 27. « John yi. 22-24.
6 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 1, 5, 6, 9.
LAKE OF TIBERIAS.
205
connected with fishing.^ The fish were caught usually, it
would seem, with drag-nets, cast from boats, but sometimes
with a hook.2 So many persons followed this business, that
two towns near the lake received the name of Bethsaida,
' house of fishing.' One, Bethsaida of Galilee, the home of
Andrew and Peter, was on the west shore of the lake, prob-
ably at et-Tabigliah, where the poor inhabitants still live by
fishing. The other Bethsaida, called also Julias, was in
Gaulonitis, on the eastern bank of the Jordan, two miles
above the lake ; near the foot of the steep descent of the
river. It may be, that the fish, attempting to ascend the
Jordan, were here stopped by the rapids and falls, and were
thus congregated in great numbers ; so that the place be-
came a favorite resort for fishermen.
Hot Springs. Having already described the hot springs
connected with the rivers Hieromax and Zerka Ma'in, we
may here appropriately speak of those on the shore of this
lake.
They are situated close to the lake, about thirty-five min-
utes south of Tiberias, on a part of the shore a little ele-
vated above the water. There is an old bath-house in decay;
and a new and splendid one begun in 1833 by Ibrahim Pa-
sha of Egypt ; but no ancient remains are found. There are
four fountains at intervals of a few paces from each other.
A covered channel now runs along before them all, conduct-
ing the water into a common reservoir ; so that compara-
tively very little rises to the surface and runs directly into
the lake. The water as it oozes from the ground, is too hot
to bear the hand in it, the temperature being 144° Far.
1 Mattli. iv, 19 and Luke v. 10; Matth. xiii. 47; Matth. iv. 18 sq. and Luke v.
1 sq.; Matth. xvii. 27; John xxi. 1-7.
2 Luko V. 4-6; John xxi. C; Matth. xvii. 27.
206
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
The taste is excessively salt and bitter, like heated sea-water;
there is also a strong smell of sulphur, but no taste of it.
The water deposits a sediment, as it runs down to the lake,
which differs in color below the different springs, being in
one white, in another greenish, in a third reddish yellow, etc.
The water is iinpregnated with various salts ; the chief of
which is chloride of sodium} These baths are regarded as
efficacious in rheumatic complaints and in cases of debility ;
and are visited, chiefly in July, by people from all parts of
Syria.2
These hot springs are mentioned by Pliny, and not nn-
frequently by Josephus and in the Talmud. Josephus calls
the place Ammaus, signifying ' warm baths ; ' so that this
name would seem to be nothing more than a Greek form for
the Hebrew Hainmath, which has the same meaning, and
was the name of a town belonging to the tribe of Naphthali.^
IV. THE DEAD SEA.
The Dead Sea is the third and largest basin, into which
the Jordan discharges its waters. The lake has no outlet ;
and the accumulation of the waters in it, is counteracted
only by strong evaporation. Its deep position and physical
phenomena render it the most remarkable body of water in
the known world.
Name. The earliest Hebrew name is the Salt Sea (rib^r\ n^) ;
then also, the sea of the Arab ah (desert) ; and sometimes
both names are used together.^ In the prophets it is also
1 For analyses of these waters, see Anderson's Geological Report (in Lynch),
p. 202.
2 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 383-385 [III. pp. 258-260].
3 Plin. Nat. Hist., 5. 15. Joseph. Antiq., 18. 2. 3. Bel. Jud., 4. 1. 3. Lightfoot,
Opera, II. pp. 224, 225. Hammath, Josh. xix. 35.
4 Salt Sea, Gen. xlv. 3; Num. xxxiv. 3, 12; Josh. xv. 2, 5, xviii. 19. Sea of
THE DEAD SEA.
207
spoken of as the Eastern Sea} It is mostly referred to as a
boundary or limit.
In the New Testament there is no allusion to the Dead
Sea. Josephus and Galen call it Asphaltites, ' the asphaltic
lake ; ' and the latter, as likewise Eusebius and other Greek
writers speak of it also as the Dead Sea? The Arabs call it
Bahr Lut, ' Sea of Lot.'
Form and Extent. The Dead Sea occupies the lowest and
deepest portion of the Gh6r, the deep valley or which
extends from Mount Hermon to the Red Sea. This great
cha^m, for most of its length, — that is to say, from about
Lat. 33° to Lat. 30°, or one hundred and eighty geographical
miles, — is depressed below the level of the Mediterranean.
The Dead Sea lies about midway of this whole line of de-
pression ; of which it occupies somewhat less than one fourth
part.
The mountains enclosing the Ghor recede somewhat near
Jericho ; but at the north end of the sea they resume their usual
course, and are parallel along its whole length ; so the breadth
of the lake is quite uniform, filling the whole interval from
mountain to mountain. Its two ends are somewhat rounded.
At the northwestern quarter, the shore north of Ras el-Fesh-
khah tends more to the northeast, contracting this portion
of the lake, and leaving a tract of plain between it and the
mountains. At the southwest quarter a like effect is pro-
duced by the salt mountain, which runs S. S. E. and also
the'Arabah, Deut. iv. 49; 2 Kings xiv. 25; comp. p. 74. Both, Deut. iii. 17;
Josh. iii. 16, xii. 3.
1 Ezek. xlvii. 18; Joel ii. 20; Zech. xiv. 8.
2 \ifjLV7i 'A(r(paKT7Tis, Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 7. Ibid., 4. 7. 5. Galen de Simpl.
Med. Fac, 4. 20. Pausan. 5. 7. 3; comp. Eeland, p. 241 sq. QdXaaaa veKpd,
Galen de Simpl. Med. Fac., 4. 20. Eusebius, Onomast., Article Mare Salinarum ;
where Jerome, ' Mare Mortuum.*
208
PHYSICAL GEOGR.VPHT OF THE HOLY LAXD.
contracts that end of the lake. In the southern portion of
the kike, a long low peninsula connected by a broad isthmus
with the eastern shore occupies for some distance two thirds
of the breadth of the lake. The body of water south of the
peninsula is often spoken of as ' the South Bay ; ' it is nearly
round, and comparatively shallow.
The length of the Dead Sea, as fixed by Lynch and his par-
ty, is forty geographical miles ; the breadth being from nine
to nine and three fourths geographical miles.^ Our own ob-
servations in 1838 had given the length at thirty-nine geo-
graphical miles and the general breadth at nine geographical
miles. The shore at the southern end is almost a dead flat,
and a slight rise in the lake would cause the water to extend
up two or three miles further south, and thus increase
the length. There are various indications, that in 1848 the
water of the lake was higher and extended further south,
tlian when we saw it in 1838.^
Depth and Depression. The careful soundings of the
United States' Expedition under Lieut. Lynch have settled
the question of depth. The bottom of the lake, along the
middle, was found to be a deep valley or plain, extending
from the northern part to near the peninsula. The average
depth of this valley is not far from one hundred and eighty
fathoms, or one thousand and eiglity feet ; while at one point,
on a line between 'Ain Terabeh and the mouth of the Zerka
Ma'in, they found the greatest depth ; namely, two hundred
and eighteen fathoms, or one thousand three hundred and
eight feet Molyneux, a year earlier, reported one sounding
of two hundred and twenty-five fathoms, or one thousanc"'
1 Biblical Researches (2d ed.), L p. 612, Note. Comp. Lynch, Official Report,
p. 68.
2 BibUcal Researches, I. pp. 509, 515 [H. pp. 217, 225].
THE DE.VD SE.V.
209
tliree liuiidrcd and fifty feet. In the bay, south of the pe-
ninsula, the depth was nowhere over two fathoms, or twelve
feet.i
It may be remarked, however, that the level of the lake
varies considerably at different seasons. Traces of the high-
water mark are visible in many places ; which show that
at some seasons the level of the sea is ten or fifteen feet
higher than at others. This is readily accounted for by the
vast quantity of water brought into it during the rainy sea-
son, not only by the Jordan from the north, but, also, from
the deserts in the south, and from the mountains along its
sides. The quantity of rain which falls in Palestine varies
greatly in different years ; and the Dead Sea becoming in
proportion more or less full, is subjected in a course of years
to great variations.-
After the depth of the sea and the character of its shores
had been thus determined, Lieut. Dale, the engineer of the
Expedition (whose grave is atBeiriit), carried a level from
the shore of the Dead Sea at 'Ain Terabeh across the moun-
tains, by way of Jerusalem, to the shore of the Mediterra-
nean, at Yafa. This level gave 1316.7 feet, as the depression
of the Dead Sea below the Mediterranean. The following
are other results : ^
Engl. Feet.
Depression of the Dead Sea, 1316.7
Pass back of 'Ain Terabeh, above Dead Sea, . . 1305.75
Elevation of Jerusalem above the Mediteiranean, . 2610.5
Elevation of Jerusalem above Dead Sea, . . . 3927.24
Depth of Dead Sea, . . 1308.
1 Lynch, Official Report, p. 43, Section and Map. Biblical Researches (2d ed.),
I. p. 612, Note. See above, p. 170.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 515 [II. p. 225]. Pococke, Description of the East,
II. i. p. 35. Irby and Mangles, p. 140.
3 Lynch, Official Report, p. 43. Biblical Researches (2d ed.), I. p. 612, Note.
27
210 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
It is a singular coincidence that the depth and depression
of the sea, according to these figures, are very nearly equal ;
each some thirteen hundred feet ; and that the elevation of
Jerusalem above the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea is, in
each case, nearly a multiple of the same number.
The extraordinary anomaly of so enormous a depression
of the Dead Sea appears never to have been suspected until
the year 1837. In that year Moore and Beke made some im-
perfect experiments, as they had done elsewhere, by means
of the boiling point of water ; from which they inferred a de-
pression of about five hundred feet. Schubert, the same year,
made it 598.5 Paris, or about six hundred and thirty-eight
English feet, by the barometer. Russegger and Burton, in
1838, first made the depression amount to more than thirteen
hundred Paris feet. In 1841, Lieut. Symonds, by trigono-
metrical observations, obtained the result of 1312.2 English
feet ; a very close coincidence witli the results of the level
run by Lieut. Dale.^
View from the Western Cliffs. The traveller, in passing
down from Hebron or Carmel to the brow of the cliffs above
the Dead Sea, makes a descent equal to that between Hebron
and the Mediterranean. This eastern slope is irregular and
broken up by ridges and deep chasms running towards the
lake. The descent is constant, and often very rapid. The
way is long, desert, and dreary. After five or six hours, the
traveller begins to look out for some glimpse of the sea ; and
expects soon to arrive at the shore nearly upon a level with
its waters. But he is doomed to repeated disappointment ;
and it is only after seven hours of travel from Carmel, that
he reaches the brow of a pass, and turning aside a few steps
to what seems a small knoll on the right, he unexpectedly
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 513 [H. p. 222] . Also BibUcal Researches (2(1 ed.),
I. p. 612, Note.
THE DEAD SEA.
211
finds himself on the summit of a perpendicular cliff, over-
hanging 'Ain Jidy and the sea, at least fifteen hundred feet
above its waters. The Dead Sea lies below him in its vast,
deep chasm, shut in on both sides by ranges of precipitous
mountains ; their bases sometimes jutting out into the water,
and again retreating so as to leave a narrow strip of shore
below. The view includes the whole of the Dead Sea, with
the exception of the northern extremity, which is shut out
by the adjacent higher and more projecting cliff el-Mersed»i
What struck us particularly in this view in 1838, was
the belt of gravelly or pebbly shore which seemed to sur-
round tlie lake, interrupted by many shoal-like points or
deltas, which run out into the southern part, appearing at
first sight like flat sand-banks or islands. The whole seemed
more like a long, winding bay, or the estuary of a large
river, when the tide is out, and the shores and shoals left
dry. Indeed, there are various reasons to suppose that the
level of the sea, as we saw it in 1838, was several feet lower
than when visited by the United States' Expedition ten years
later.
The peninsula is of course a prominent feature, and is seen
in its whole form and extent. The strait between it and the
western shore is so narrow, that from this point of view the
southern end of the peninsula is seen across one of the larger
spits or deltas above mentioned. Among the western moun-
tains is seen the bold, projecting cliff of Sebbeh (Masada) ;
and further on also the whole of Jebel Usdum or the Salt
mountain. On the east are the mountains of Moab, spring-
ing from the water and shore in perpendicular cliffs, and
rising above and back of these in far steeper and loftier
masses than the mountains on the western coast. Across
1 Comp. Biblical Researches, I. pp. 501-503 [11. pp. 205-207].
212
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAJ^D.
the isthmus of the low peninsula, towards the southeast, one
looks up along a deep, straight ravine, at the head of which
Kerak with its castle is visible, situated on a high, precipi-
tous rock, far up near the summit of the mountain. Oppo-
site 'Ain Jidy is the wild chasm and mouth of the Mojib
(Arnon) ; and further north is seen Wady ez-Zerka Ma'in.
Character of the Waters. The water of the Dead Sea has
a slightly greenish hue, and is not entirely transparent ; but
objects seen through it appear as if seen through oil. It is
most intensely and intolerably salt ; far more so than sea-
water ; and leaves behind a nauseous, bitter taste, not unlike
Glauber's salts. The specific gravity is greater than that of
any other water known. Both these qualities of taste and
weight, arise from the heavy solution of various salts con-
tained in the water, chiefly those of magnesia and soda.
But the amount and proportions of these salts, and of course
the specific gravity, are found to vary somewhat in different
parts of the sea, and at different seasons of the year. A
portion of water taken from near the mouth of the Jordan
might be expected to be less strongly saturated than another
from near the middle of the lake ; and during the rainy sea-
son, when the sea is filled and its level raised several feet,
its waters are naturally more diluted than in autumn, after
having been for months subjected to the process of evapora-
tion under a burning sun in this deep caldron.
The following four analyses of the water are among the
most recent : the first by Prof. C. G. Gmelin of Tiibingen,
1826 ; the second by Dr. Apjohn of Dublin, 1839 ; the third
by Prof. James C. Booth of Philadelphia, 1848 ; and the
fourth by Messrs. Thornton and Herapath of Edinburgh,
1849. The point whence the water for the first analysis was
obtained, is not specified. That analyzed by Dr. Apjohn was
THE DEAD SEA.
213
taken half a mile from the mouth of the Jordan, near the
close of the rainy season ; and naturally exhibits a less
amount of salts, and a less specific gravity.^ The standard
of comparison for the specific gravity is distilled water at
1000.
Specific gravity
Chloride of calcium
" of magnesium
Bromide of magnesium
Chloride of potassium
" of sodium .
" of manganese
" of aluminum
" of ammonium
Sulphate of lime
Water
PROP. GMELIN.
1212
3.2141
11.7734
0.4393
1.6738
7.0777
0.2117
0.0896
0.0075
0.0527
24.5398
75.4602
100.
DR. APJOHN.
1153
2.438
9.370
0.201
0.852
9.830
0.005
0.075
18.780
81.320
100.
Boiling point.
221° F.
The water analyzed by Prof. Booth was drawn up by Lieut.
Lynch from a depth of one hundred and eighty-five fathoms,
or eleven hundred and ten feet, and shows a greater amount
of salts and a greater specific gravity than any otlier.^
Specific gravity at 60°
Chloride of magnesium
" of calcium
" of sodium
** of potassium
Bromide of potassium
Sulphate of lime
PROF. BOOTH.
227.42
Water
145.8971
31.0746
78.5537
6.5860
1.3741
0.7012
264.1867
735.8133
1000.
1 See other earlier analyses, Biblical Researches, I. p. 514 [II. p. 224].
2 Lynch, Official Report, pp. 73, 204.
214
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
The water for the fourth analysis was taken from the
northwestern shore, about half a mile west of the mouth of
the Jordan, in the month of March, 1849. This analysis,
therefore, might be expected to compare most nearly with
that of Dr. Apjohn.
Specific gravity .
Chloride of calcium .
" of magnesium
Bromide of magnesium
Chloride of sodium
'* of potassium .
" of ammonium
" of aluminum .
" of manganese
" of iron
Organic matter (nitrogenous)
Sulphate of lime
ME88R8. THORNTON AND HERAPATH.l
1172.05 Boiling point 221° 75 F.
2.455055 per cent.
7.822007
0.251173
12.109724
1.217350
0.005999
0.055944
0.005998
0.002718
0.061730
0.067866
24.055564 percent.
Besides the above salts, there were likewise faint traces of
carbonate of lime, silica, and bitumen, and also doubtful
traces of iodine.
This excessive saltness and saturation of the waters of the
Dead Sea is perhaps sufficiently accounted for by the im-
mense masses of fossil salt, which lie on a mountain along its
southwestern border. The waters of the lake do not indeed,
at present, ordinarily wash the base of the salt mountain,
though they appear to do so on some occasions ; but the
rains of winter, and the saline streamlets which we found
running to the sea even in June, would naturally carry into
it, in the course of ages, a sufficiency of salt to produce most
of tlie phenomena. Still, as the salt of this mountain con-
1 Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Jan. 1850, Vol. XLVHI. pp. 313-319.
THE DEAD SEA.
215
tains no peculiar ingredients, and especially no bromium,i
it is not improbable that the waters of the sea somewhere,
perhaps in its hidden depths, come in contact with other
mineral masses.
In consequence of its great specific gravity, the water of
the Dead Sea is more buoyant than any other known. Per-
sons unable to swim elsewhere, can here swim without diffi-
culty, or can lie upon the water, or sit and stand in it with-
out effort.^ After bathing, we remarked no saline crust
upon the body, as some travellers report ; but there was a
pricking sensation, especially where the skin had been chafed ;
and a sort of greasy feeling, as of oil on the skin, which lasted
for several hours.
Ancient writers were well acquainted with the buoyant
power of this water. Aristotle mentions the reports, founded
doubtless in truth, that if men or beasts were thrown bound
into the lake, they would not sink, but float upon the sur-
face.^
The effect of the great specific gravity is seen, likewise, in
the usual placidity of the sea, and the weight and force of the
waves during high winds. The ordinary breezes of summer
occasion scarcely a ripple on the surface ; while high winds
and tempests excite angry and ponderous billows. When
the boats of Lynch entered the Dead Sea from the Jordan,
a fresh northwest wind was blowing, which increased to a
gale. This raised a heavy sea, in which the boats labored
exceedingly ; and the dense waves dashed upon the bows of
the boats like sledge-hammers. The spray was painful to
1 For analyses of the salt of Jebel Usdum, see Anderson's Geological Report,
p. 181.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 506 [II. p. 212], Lynch, Narrative, p. 324.
3 Aristot. Meteorol., II. 3. Galen de Simpl. Med. Fac, IV. 19. Joseph. Bel.
Jud., 4. 8. 4. Reland, Pulaestina, pp. 241, 249.
216
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the eyes and skin ; and, evaporating as it fell, left a crust of
salt upon the faces, hands, and clothing. All at once the
wind ceased, and the sea fell with equal rapidity ; in twenty
minutes the heavy waters had settled down into a placid sur-
face.^ The effect of similar waves rolling in upon the shore,
is seen at 'Ain Jidy in the large bank of pebbles which there
lines the shore, several feet higher than the ordinary level of
the sea.
According to the testimony of all antiquity and of most
modern travellers, there exists in the waters of the Dead Sea
no living thing ; no trace indeed of animal or vegetable life.^
Occasionally a traveller has reported, that he found shells
of snails or periwinkles along the shore, especially at the
northern end ; and small fish, either dead or dying, have
been picked up in the same region. Seetzen searched for
conchylia and sea-plants ; but found none of either. Some
snails that he picked up on the shore were land-snails. The
shells reported have been invariably dead, without a trace of
the living animal ; and have probably been brought into the
sea, in the lapse of time, from the Jordan, or from other
streams and fountains on the east, south, and west of the
lake. The small fish of the Jordan not unfrequently are
carried or wander into the heavy waters of the lake ; but
they speedily die and float upon the surface, or are thrown
out upon the shore. Schubert saw and picked up several
such ; and Jerome relates the same fact as known in his
day : " When the Jordan, swollen by the rains, sometimes
1 Lynch, Official Report, p. 31; Narrative, p. 2G8.
2 Tacit. Hist. 5. 6. Galen de Simpl. Med. Fac, IV. 19, (palv^Tat eV e/ceiVa>
SSoTt /i^TTj ^uov iyyiyv6(j.€p6i/Ti, fi-ffre (pvrSv. Hieron. ad Ezek. xlvii. 8, " Mare mor-
tuum, in quo nihil poterat esse vitale. Re vera, juxta literam, liac usque nihil
quod spirat et possit incedere, prae amaritudine nimia, in hoc maii reperiri po-
test." Abulfeda, Tab. Syr. ed. Kohler, pp. 12, 156.
THE DEAD SEA.
217
carries down fish into the lake, they die immediately and
float upon the sluggish waters.^
The evaporation from the surface of the Dead Sea, lying
in this deep caldron, shut in between lofty precipices of
naked rock, and exposed for many months of the year to a
burning and unclouded sun, is naturally very great. Under
some circumstances, the vapor thus rising from the sea is
visible to the naked eye. At 'Ain Jidy, at dawn, we could
perceive the dense evaporation ascending and filling the
whole chasm of the lake, and spreading itself as a thin haze
above the tops of the mountains. Irby and Mangles like-
wise saw " the evaporation rising in broad, transparent col-
umns of vapor, not unlike water-spouts in appearance, but
very much longer." ^
Here is a striking example of the equilibrium so often
established by the Creator among the powers of nature.
The Dead Sea, in the course of ages, has never been
greatly enlarged by an excess of waters from the Jordan
and rainy seasons ; nor, on the other hand, has it ever been
too far exhausted by the enormous evaporation.
One efiect of this strong evaporation is seen in the depos-
its of salt made by the sea at certain places upon its shores.
In the rainy season, when the lake is full, its water spreads
itself over several low, marshy tracts ; and when afterwards
the level of the lake becomes lower, these tracts are left as
shallow pools or basins ; and the water in them being speedily
evaporated, the bottom is covered with a thick crust of salt.
The chief place of this kind is at Birket el-Khulil, an hour or
more south of 'Ain Jidy. This is a part of the beach more
depressed and springy than the rest. It is flooded at the
1 Sec more, Biblical Researches, I. pp. 516, 517 [II. pp. 226-228].
2 Travels, p. 137. Biblical Researches, I. pp. 512, 524 [II. pp. 220, 239].
28
218
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY L.VXD.
time of high sea, shortly after the spring rains, and shows
over its entire area, very soon after the fall of the water,
a crust or residuum of impure salt, thickest at the bottom
of the pans, and thinning to a more frost-hke efflorescence
near the margin of the temporary pools. Bits of bitumen
and sulphur are not unfrequently met with. At certain
seasons, the tract is wet with the exudations of a fetid brine ;
and the whole neighborhood becomes reeking with the smells
of sulplmreous acid and sulphuretted hydrogen gas.
This salt is carried away on donkeys by the peasants of
the villages south of Jerusalem, for their own use. We fell
in with one such company at 'Ain Jidy.^
Similar salt pools and saline basins are found along the
sliore for two miles south of Birket cl-Khulil. A place was
pointed out to us at the northwest corner of the sea, where
salt is likewise gathered. On the eastern side of the lake,
also, Irby and Mangles found Arabs on the north side of the
isthmus of the peninsula, " peeling off a solid surface of
salt, several inches in thickness, and loading it on asses."
The same deposit is doubtless found on other parts of the
coasts.2
It is not strange, that a lake exhibiting so many extraor-
dinary features, — thus sunk in its deep chasm between
sterile mountains, devoid of all animal and vegetable life
witliin its waters, and surrounded by desolation, — should
bear the appropriate name oithe Dead Sea, nor that it should
become the subject of superstitious and legendary reports.
Seneca relates that bricks would not sink in it.^ Early trav-
1 Anderson's Geological Report, pp. 176, 177. Biblical Researches, I. p. 504
[H. p. 210].
2 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 516, 535 [H. pp. 226, 254]. Irby and Mangles,
p. 139.
3 Seneca Quaest. Nat. lib. II. Reland, Palaestina, p. 248.
THE DEAD SEA.
219
ellers describe the lake as an " infernal region ; " its black
and fetid waters always emitting a noisome smoke or vapor,
which, being driven over the land, destroys all vegetation
like a frost. ^ Hence too the popular report that birds cannot
fly over its deadly waters.
All this, it is hardly necessary to say, is merely fabulous.
Smokes are indeed often seen in the valley and on the hills ;
but they proceed from Arab encampments or from the prep-
aration of charcoal. The waters of the lake itself emit no
noisome smell nor noxious vapor. Some of the marshy
spots along the shores send forth at some seasons, as we have
seen, sulphuretted hydrogen gas ; in other places there is
the smell of decaying plants brought down by the Jordan or
smaller streams and cast upon the shore ; and, again, there is
the usual odor of salt marshes, especially at the southern
end. We ourselves saw, and many travellers have seen,
birds flying in all directions over the lake. The absence of
water-fowl has been remarked, and this is readily accounted
for by the total absence of fish and water-plants, on which
they feed. But the region is full of birds ; and at 'Ain Jidy
we were surprised and delighted to hear their morning song
in the midst of the solitude and grandeur of these desola-
tions. The trees, and rocks, and air around were full of the
carols of the lark, the cheerful whistle of the quail, the call
of the partridge, and the warbling of many other feathered
choristers ; while birds of prey were soaring and screaming in
front of the cliffs and over the waters of the sea.
The Egyptian heat of the climate, which is found through-
out the whole GhOr, is in itself unhealthy ; and, in connec-
tion with exhalations from the marshes, gives rise in summer
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 511 [II. p. 220]. Reland, Palaestina, p. 249. Comp.
Tacit. Hist., 5. 6.
220
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
to intermittent fevers; so that the Ghawarineh, or proper
inhabitants of the Ghor, including the people of Jericho, are
a feeble and sickly race. But this has no necessary connec-
tion with the Dead Sea, as such; and the same phenomena
might probably exist, in at least an equal degree, were the
waters of the lake fresh and limpid, or even were there here
no lake at all.^
Asphaltum. In ancient times, such masses of asphaltum
or bitumen usually floated in these heavy waters, that they
were known as the Asphaltic Lake, Lacus Asphaltites, Jo-
sephus affirms that " the sea in many places sends up black
masses of asphaltum, having the form and size of headless
oxen." Diodorus Siculus relates, that the bitumen was
thrown up in masses, covering sometimes two or tliree
plethra (acres), and having the appearance of islands. The
ancients supposed it could not be broken or separated, except
by touching it with blood. The bitumen of the Dead Sea
was regarded as superior to any other
In modern times, masses of bitumen are only occasionally
found floating in the Dead Sea, at long and irregular inter-
vals. The Arabs on the western coast affirm, that it is tlnis
found only after earthquakes. The only two known recent
instances of its appearance seem to confirm this report.
After the earthquake of 18B4, a large quantity of asphaltum
was cast upon the shore near the southwest part of the lake,
of which one tribe of the Arabs brought about sixty kuntdrs
(cwt.) to market, and a large amount was purchased by the
Frank merchants of Beirut. Again, after the great earth-
quake of January, 1837, which destroyed Safet, a large mass
J Biblical Researches, I. pp. 511, 512, 524 [H. pp. 219, 220, 239].
2 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 4. Diod. Sic, 2. 48. Plin. Hist. Nat., 7. 13. Tacit.
Hist., 5. 6. Dioscor. de re Med., 1. 99.
THE DEAD SEA.
221
of bitumen (one said like an island, another like a house)
was discovered floating in the sea, and was driven aground
on the west side, not far north of Jebel Usdum. The neigh-
boring Arabs swam off around it, and cut it up with axes,
so as to bring it ashore. It was carried off by camel loads,
and sold for four piasters (about sixteen cents) the rati or
pound. In this way one tribe received more than five hun-
dred dollars, while others sold to the amount of two or three
thousand dollars. \
Except in these two instances, the Arab sheikh, who act^d ;
as our guide, a man of fifty years old, who had always lived
near by, had never known of bitumen appearing in the sea,
nor heard of it from his fathers. Seetzen also relates in
1807, that old men told him they remembered its appear-
ance only two or three times during their lives.^
The ancients appear to have rightly understood, that the
floating masses of bitumen rose from some part of the bottom
of the lake. Among the western Arabs, the idea has been
current that it came from among the cliffs along the eastern
shore. But both the eastern and western shores have now
been fully examined, and it is certain that the floating bitu-
men could only come from beneath the waters. The quarter
where the masses of 1834 and 1837 were discovered, would
suggest that they had been detached by the shocks from the
bottom of the southern bay, which apparently occupies what
was anciently the vale of Siddim, with its slime pits or wells
of bitumen.^
Character of the Shores, The parallel chains of mountains
which shut in the Ghor, and between which the Dead Sea
lies sunk in its depressed chasm, assume just here an aspect
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 517 [II. p. 228]. Seetzen, Reisen, II. p. 372.
2 Gen. xiv. 3, 10. See above, p. 81.
222
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
of unwonted nakedness and desolation, as well as of stern
and savage grandeur. Below are the sluggish waters of the
Sea of Deatli, devoid of all life-giving qualities ; and above
them the naked rocks and cliffs, often perpendicular, tower
to the height of twelve hundred and fifteen hundred feet.
The view from one of these, overhanging 'Ain Jidy, has
already been described.
The body of the mountains is everywhere yellowish lime-
stone, often verging into a dirty white. On the western
coast, there is much chalk and marl in various parts.
Tracts of low white conical or tent-shaped hills and short
ridges occur, of fantastic shape, as if the intervening earth
had been washed away by torrents, leaving behind only a
bleached skeleton, and presenting the aspect of a frightful
desert. Such a tract is seen in the south behind Jebel Us-
dum ; and another on the north of Ras el-Feshkhah.^ Along
the eastern shore there is much sandstone overlying the lime-
stone, as at the mouths of the Wadys cl-Mujib and Zerka
Ma'in, and further north ; also beds of marl ; and in the
northern part blocks of basalt, and lava of every form and
variety .2
The immediate shore of the lake, between the water and
the base of the cliffs, is nowhere more than a narrow strip.
On the western coast, the cliff el-Mersed, just north of 'Ain
Jidy, juts out into the sea, and admits of no passage around
it, except when the water is very low ; and then only with
difficulty .3 There is also no passage around Ras el-Fesh-
khah. With these two exceptions, there is a strip of land at
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 534, U. p. 103 [H. pp. 233, 475].
2 Andei-son's Report, pp. 188-194. Seetzen, Reisen, IL p. 369.
3 Seetzen, Reisen, IL p. 239; comp. pp. 257, 258. Biblical Researches, I. p. 506
[II.p.212J.
THE DEAD SEA.
223
the base of the cliffs along the whole western coast. On the
eastern side, there is a like strand extending from the south-
ern end of the sea to the isthmus of the peninsula. North
of the isthmus, the cliffs are understood to rise, for the most
part, directly from the water ; and no path whatever exists
along the immediate shore. Seetzen, in 1807, travelled on
foot from the isthmus northward ; but was able to descend
to the water's edge only occasionally ; as at the mouths of
the Mojib and Zerka Ma'm.^
The southern shore is an extensive flat or salt marsh,
setting far up towards the line of the Akrabbim or Scorpion
Cliffs. This marsh is regarded by tlie Arabs as impassable ;
and they travel only along the edge of the lake, or at the
base of the said "cliffs. So nearly is this tract a dead level,
that Lynch's boats, drawing only six inches of Avater, were
unable to approach within half a mile of the southern ex-
tremity At the north end of the sea the land is somewhat
higher, forming a level tract a few feet above the water,
varied only by a few slight swells. The surface of this plain
is everywhere a dust like ashes ; and is covered with a tliin,
smooth, nitrous crust, through which the feet of men and
horses break, and sink up to the ankles. ^
The belt lying between the water and the high-water mark
along the shore, has already been described, as seen from the
cliffs above. It extends all around the lake, including the
shores of the peninsula, except along the flat at the south
end, and the cliffs in the northeast part ; and gives to the
whole the appearance of some great estuary or bay at the
time of ebb-tide.*
1 Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 363-373.
2 Anderson's Geological Report, p. 182.
3 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 534, 555 [II. p. 254]. 4 gee above, p. 211.
224 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Along the lower shore or strand, various minerals are
occasionally picked up in small quantities. Bits of bitumen
are sometimes, though rarely, found. Sulphur is oftener
met with on various parts of the shore and peninsula, in
pieces as large as an English walnut. The Arabs report that
it is found in the sea, near 'Ain el-Feshkhah, in lumps as
large as a man's fist ; and they collect enough to make from
it their own gunpowder. As this spot is nearly opposite the
hot springs of Callirrhoe, which deposit much sulphur, may
it not, perhaps, in part, be brought down from thence by
the stream into the sea ? Small lumps of nitre are also
picked up ; and larger pieces or balls of pumice-stone are
found along the western shore, coming doubtless from the
lava districts on the northeast coast. ^
Back of the strand, we have in the south the masses of
fossil salt in Jebel Usdum ; and on the eastern shore, south
of the isthmus, Seetzen saw blocks of most beautiful brec-
cia and conglomerate, composed of granite, jasper, griinstein,
feldspath, of various colors ; as also blocks of jasper of a dark
olive green, etc. All these he supposes to have been brought
down by torrents from the ravines of the mountain.^ In
the hills on the northwestern quarter of the sea, is found the
famous stink-stone^ or ' stone of Moses,' as the Arabs call it,
a bituminous limestone which partially ignites in the fire and
emits a bituminous smell. It receives a high polish ; and is
much used in Jerusalem and Bethlehem for the manufacture
of rosaries and other trinkets and small articles, which are
largely purchased by the pilgrims. The chief locality of this
mineral is around Neby Mousa, and the neighboring Wady
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 512 [H. p. 221]. Anderson's Report, pp. 160, 176.
2 Seetzen, Reisen, IL p. 354. Corap. Irby and Mangles, p. 109.
THE DEAD SEA.
225
Kimcitirali, on the way from the north end of the Dead Sea
to Mar Saba.i
Along the western sliore there is much drift-wood, mostly
lying at high-water mark, several feet above the ordinary
level of the sea. Trunks of large trees are sometimes seen.
They come partly from the Jordan as it washes away its
banks ; and partly are brought down by torrents from the
ravines of the adjacent mountains.^
The Peninsula. The most conspicuous feature of the Dead
Sea, as one looks down upon it from the western cliffs, is the
long, low, narrow peninsula, which occupies about the mid-
dle of the southern half of the lake, and is joined to the
eastern shore by a broad and lower isthmus. The western
line of the peninsula, between its northern and southern
points, is nearly straight, and about ten geographical miles
in length. The distance from the head of the northern bay
to the northern point, is about five geographical miles. The
breadth of the isthmus lying between the southern half of
the peninsula and the shore from north to south, is about the
same ; while from the middle of the western side to the east-
ern shore, or base of the mountains, is also about five geo-
graphical miles.
The direction of the peninsula is nearly from N. N. E. to
S. S. W., so that the northern point is twice as distant from
the western shore as the southern point ; the former being
about five geographical miles, and the latter about two and
a half. This forms the strait, or narrowest part of the sea,
connecting the deep northern portion with the shallower
southern bay.
As seen from the western cliffs, the peninsula appears as a
1 Anderson's Geological Report, pp. 155, 159.
2 Seetzen, Reisen, II. p. 241. Biblical Researches, I. p. 507 [II. p. 213J.
29
226
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
long, low sand-bank. This however is not its real nature.
From north to south a steep white ridge runs like a spine
along its whole length. This ridge presents steep, sloping
sides, seamed and furrowed into deep hollows by the rains,
and terminating at the summit in sharp triangular points,
standing up like rows of tents ranged one above another.
The whole is of a substance apparently partaking of the
mixture of soft and broken chalk and slate, and is wholly
destitute of vegetation. The height of the ridge varies from
ten to about thirty feet above its base, becoming gradually
lower towards its northern extremity. The opposite sides
of the cliff present the same general appearance, and are of
equal height ; while adjacent to the isthmus it spreads out
into broader table-land. The elevation above the water is
from forty to eighty feet.
The peninsula itself is an accumulation of post-tertiary
deposits disposed horizontally. The beds of which it con-
sists are chiefly a friable carbonate of lime, intermixed with
sand and sandy marls. Fossil salt occurs in small quanti-
ties ; and the few minerals picked up along the strand are
similar to those found along the western shores, such as bits
of bitumen, small lumps of sulphur and nitre, and balls of
pumice-stone, etc. Salt is also deposited by the water on
the shore of the northern bay.^
The surface of the isthmus proper is lower; it is well
watered, and exceedingly fertile. Directly upon it issues the
brook from Wady ed-Dera'ah, coming down from Kerak ;
its channel goes to the north bay, but several canals are led
from it for the purposes of irrigation. This brook Irby and
Mangles found flowing in June, though Lynch saw it dry
^ Irby and Mangles, pp. 138-140. Anderson, Geological Report, pp. 184-187.
Biblical Researches, I. p. 520 [II. p. 232]. See above, pp. 218, 224.
THE DEAD SEA.
227
early in May. Another more permanent stream comes down
further north from Wady Beni Hamady into the north bay ;
and this too is used for irrigation. Portions of the isthmus
are cleared and cultivated ; the rest is scattered over with
thickets of shrubs and trees. Among these are acacias
(Scyal and Tiilh), the Dom or Nubk, the Zukkum, etc. Fur-
ther north, towards the bay, are tamarisks and a cane-brake
or jungle. On the isthmus, in the heart of the thicket, and
not visible in any direction beyond a few yards, is the miser-
able village of the Ghawarineh, who cultivate this tract. It
is called el-Mezra'ah ; and the isthmus around bears the name
of Ghor el-Mezra'ah.i
It is singular, that no mention of this peninsula has come
down to us from antiquity ; not an allusion to it occurs, so
far as known, in any ancient writer. The same is true of the
historians of the crusades ; though some of them must have
passed through this region. Seetzen is the earliest traveller
who reports the peninsula. He first saw it in the spring of
1806, from the western mountains, and took it for an island ;
but a year later he visited it, and entered it upon his map,
though not in its true form. This map was published by
Zach, and again by Kloden in 1817.^ In the year 1818, Irby
and Mangles (with Messrs. Banks and Legh) travelled from
Hebron around the south end of the sea, and so by way of the
isthmus to Kerak ; and again, on returning from Petra, they
descended from Kerak to the peninsula, and traversed the
whole of it. To them we are indebted for the first published
1 Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 350-352. Irby and Mangles, p. 138. Lynch, Narra-
tive, p. 352.
2 Seetzen, in Zach's Monatl. Corresp. XVIII. p. 438. Reisen, I. p. 429. Reisen,
IT. pp. 350-352. The map was published in Zach's Monatl. Corresp. Vol. XXII.;
also reduced in Kloden's Palaest., Berlin, 1817.
228
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
account of tins remarkable feature of the Dead Sea.^ Later
travellers, and especially the United States' Expedition, have
delineated the ordinary form of the peninsula ; but its out-
line necessarily differs considerably in different seasons, ac-
cording to the higher or lower state of the water in the lake.
A second and very small peninsula, or low projection, is
found on the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, nearly
tlu'ee miles west of the mouth of the Jordan. It is a grav-
elly point with large stones upon it, connected with the
main shore by a low narrow neck. The whole has much
the appearance of a wharf or pier. When the sea is full,
the water overflows this isthmus ; and then the peninsula
presents the appearance of an island. As such it has been
reported by travellers.^
Besides mistaking these peninsulas for islands, travellers
have sometimes been deceived by dark shadows resting on
the water. Irby and Mangles were several times thus de-
ceived. Once, when near Rabbath Moab, on the eastern
mountains, they saw, at sunset, a dark shade resting on the
sea, which assumed so exactly the appearance of an island,
that they did not doubt of it, even after looking through a
telescope.^ We ourselves, in descending the western cliffs
to 'Ain Jidy, saw near the opposite shore and north of the
peninsula, what seemed to be another long, dark-colored
shoal or sand-bank. On looking further, however, it proved
to be a spot of calm, smooth water, around which the rest
of the sea was covered with a ripple ; and the dark-brown
eastern mountains, being reflected in this mirror, gave to
1 Travels, pp. 109, 138-140.
2 Biblical Researches, L p. 534. Lynch, Narrative, p. 270. Lands of the Mos-
lem, p. 280. Doubtless the island reported by Warburton, Crescent and the Cross,
IL p. 280; and by Wilson, Lands of the Bible, H. p. 21.
3 Travels, p. 141.
THE DEAD SEA.
229
it their own color. Yet, for the moment, the illusion was
complete, that a long, dark yellow sand-bank or island lay
before us.^
Tlie Ford. Seetzen, in 1806, was the first to learn from
the Arabs of the eastern mountains, that a ford existed in
the Dead Sea, leading from the southern extremity of the
peninsula across to near the northern end of Usdum, not far
from the heap of stones called Um Zoghal. This ford was
said to be available only when the water of the lake was very
low ; and had, at that time, not been used for several years,
on account of the depth of the water. It is marked on his
map. Burckhardt, in 1812, heard a similar, but less definite
report. The Arab Sheikh who was our guide in 1838, af-
firmed that he had himself crossed by the same ford many
years before ; although now, and for several years, the water
was too deep to be forded. ^
Irby and Mangles relate, that in descending from Kerak
to the peninsula, in 1818, they fell in with a small caravan
going to Hebron by way of the ford ; and while the travel-
lers were examining the northern part, this caravan crossed
the peninsula to the strait, which they forded. The travel-
lers soon after arrived at the same point ; saw the ford " in-
dicated by boughs of trees ;" and observed the caravan just
landed on the opposite side. The width of the strait they
judged to be a mile ; and as there were asses in the caravan,
the depth could not be very great.^
We thus have testimony to the existence of two fords,
where the water of the sea is low. Lynch, in 1848, took
1 BibUcal Researches, I. p. 504 [II. p. 208].
2 Seetzen, Reisen, 11. p. 358. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 394. Biblical Researches,
I. p. 521 [11. p. 235].
3 Travels, p. 140.
230
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
soundings in search of both ; but found neither. Yet on his
map the lines of the two fords, as laid down by Seetzen and
on our map, exhibit no figures or marks of soundings.^
All this furnishes another indication that the waters of the
Dead Sea were higher in 1848 than they were in 1838;
and, further, that in 1818, when Irby and Mangles were
there, the lake was at its lowest point of ebb. At that time
the breadth and depth of the strait were so greatly dimin-
ished, as to leave it fordable. Nor is this surprising ; for,
as we have seen, the level of the sea varies from ten to fif-
teen feet in different years and different seasons. This vari-
ation depends on the fluctuations of the rainy seasons, and
the amount of water which falls annually along the upper
valleys and basins of the Jordan, and on the mountains and
deserts in the south as far as to the gulf of 'Akabah.^
Navigation and Exploration. There is only the slightest
historical evidence, that in ancient times the Dead Sea was
ever navigated. Josephus, whom Tacitus likewise copies, in
his fabulous account of the asphaltum, speaks of it as being
gathered into boats ; but these might perhaps be regarded as
a feature of the fable.^ Josephus also relates that the Mo-
abites and Ammonites, in coming to make war upon king
Jehoshaphat, pitched at En-gedi, after passing (Sta/Saz^re?)
the lake ; but this might be around the lake, or by the ford,
and does not necessarily imply the passage of an army in
boats.* Again, the same writer informs us that Placidus,
who had pursued the routed Jews from Gadara to the
Asphaltic lake, placed soldiers in boats in order to de-
1 Lynch, Official Report, pp. 35, 3G.
2 See above, p. 209.
3 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 4. Tacitus, Hist., 5. 6.
* Joseph. Antiq., 9. 1. 2. Comp. 2 Chron. xx. 1, 2.
THE DEAD SEA.
231
stroy those who took refuge in the lake.^ Now these may
have been slight boats or rafts got up for the occasion ; or, at
most, they may have been skiffs on the Jordan belonging to
the towns Abila, Julias (Livias), and Besimoth, which lay
east of the Jordan near its mouth, and are mentioned in
the same connection. No other ancient notice is known to
exist ; and the above, at any rate, do not indicate any fre-
quent or permanent navigation of the lake.
About*the middle of the twelfth century, we find a notice
of like import in the Arabian geographer Edrisi. In speak-
ing of the Dead Sea, he says : One sees these small craft
intended to transport provisions and fruits from Zoar and
Darah (perhaps Wady Dera'ah) to Jericho and other places
of the Ghor."2 Obviously Edrisi here speaks only from
report.
The first to navigate the Dead Sea in modern times, was
Costigan, an Irish traveller, who, in July, 1835, had a small
boat carried over from the seacoast to the lake of Tiberias ;
and, with his Malt.ese servant, descended the Jordan to the
Dead Sea, as has been already related. He would seem not
to have proceeded further than the peninsula ; but returned
exhausted to the nortiiern shore ; and was carried up to Je-
rusalem to die. This was the sad and only result of his
voyage.^
He was followed, in March, 1837, by Messrs. G. H. Moore
and W. G. Beke. They transported a light boat from Yafa
across the mountains, intending to survey the sea, and ex-
amine scientifically its peculiar features. After visiting vari-
1 Joseph. Bel. Jud,, 4, 7. 6: tovs els tV \lfjLU7{v KaTa(pevy6vTas. Comp. Reland,
Palaestina, p. 252.
2 Edrisi, par Jaubert, I. p. 338.
■ 3 Biblical Researches, I. p. 229 [I. p. 337] . See above, p. 169.
232
Pin^SICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
ous points Oil the lake, and making experiments in respect
to the boiling point of water, they were led, on account of
various obstacles, to discontinue their labors ; which were
never resumed. The only result of their enterprise yet
made known to the public, is the earliest discovery of the
depression of the Dead Sea; which they supposed to be
about five hundred feet.^
Hardly more successful was the enterprise of Lieut. Moly-
neux ; who, after descending the Jordan, entered upon the
Dead Sea in the first days of September, 1847. He went as
far south as the neighborhood of the peninsula ; took three
deep soundings ; and, returning to the northern end, pro-
ceeded to Jerusalem ; but died soon after reaching his ship.
A full account of his voyage has already been given
The United States' Expedition, under the command of
Lieut. Lynch, after descending the Jordan with two metal
boats, entered the Dead Sea, April 18, 1848, and continued
on its shores until May 10 ; in all, twenty-two days. The
main objects of attention were : 1. The depth and depression
of the sea ; the former determined by many lines of sound-
ings ; and the latter by an engineer's level carried over to
the Mediterranean. 2. The form and extent of the lake, its
geographical position, and the character of the shores ; for
which purposes the whole line of coast was visited, and many
topographical sketches taken. 3. The character of the wa-
ters, and the mineral substances found in connection witli
the lake. 4. The temperature of the atmosphere, and its
various changes, etc. etc.
The examination was everywhere careful and thorough ;
and so complete, that a like investigation will hardly be
1 Journal of Royal Gcograph. Soc, VIL p. 456.
2 See above, pp. 109, 170.
THE DEAD SEA.
233
required for many years to come. A general account of the
Expedition has already been given above
Destruction of Sodom. With the Dead Sea is naturally
connected some reference to the catastrophe of Sodom and
the other cities of the plain.
It was a plausible idea which formerly prevailed, that the
Jordan, of old before the catastrophe of the plain, pursued
its way through the 'Arabah to the Red Sea at 'Akabah.
But the discovery of the great depression of the Dead Sea,
as well as of the whole Jordan valley and of a large portion
of the 'Arabah further south ; the northward inclination or
direction of all the lateral valleys along the 'Arabah; and
the fact that the water-courses of the high western des-
ert, from a point far south of 'Akabah, all run northwards
towards the Dead Sea ; — all these circumstances go to show
that the configuration of this region, in its main features,
is coeval with the present condition of the surface of the
earth in general ; and not the effect of any local catastrophe
at a later period. It follows, that the Dead Sea existed in its
deep chasm, as the terminus of the Jordan, long before the
historic period.
It seems, too, to be a necessary conclusion that the Dead
Sea anciently extended no further south than the peninsula ;
and that the cities destroyed lay on the south of the lake as
it then existed. Lot fled from Sodom to Zoar, which was
near and Zoar, as we know, was in the mouth of Wady
Kerak, as it opens upon the neck of the peninsula. The
fertile plain, therefore, which Lot chose for himself, where
Sodom was situated, and which was well watered like the
land of Egypt, lay also south of the lake, " as thou comest to
1 Lynch, Official Report, p. 42. See above, pp. 170, 171.
2 Gen. xix. 20.
30
234
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Zoar." 1 Even to the present day, more living streams flow
into the Ghor, at the south end of the sea, from Wadys of
the eastern mountains, than are found so near together in
all Palestine besides. Tracts of exuberant fertility are still
seen along these streams ; as on this isthmus and around
es-Safieh ; though elsewhere the district around the southern
bay is mostly desert.
In the same plain were slime pits, that is, .wells or foun-
tains of bitumen or asphaltum, which appear to have been
of considerable extent. The tract in which they were im-
mediately situated is called the vale of Siddim, probably a
depression in the plain ; but it was adjacent to the Salt Sea,
and was at least near to Sodom and Gomorrah. ^ The
streams that anciently watered the plain, still attest the
accuracy of the sacred historian ; but the pits of asphaltum
are no longer to be seen. Did they disappear in the catas-
trophe of the plain ?
To this question various circumstances suggest an affirm-
ative reply. In the lapse of centuries the accumulations
of bitumen around the fountains and in layers, perhaps be-
neath the soil, had of course become great. We read, that
" the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brim-
stone and fire from the Lord out of heaven ; and he over-
threw those cities and all the plain ; " so that " the smoke
of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." ^ This
narrative is readily explained by supposing that in a tempest
of thunder and lightning, the accompaniments perhaps of
an earthquake or of some volcanic action, or of both, these
masses of bitumen were ignited by the lightning, and a
conflagration produced which not only destroyed the cities,
but also consumed and scooped out the surface of the plain
1 Gen, xui. 10,* 11. 2 Qen. xiv. 2, 3, 10. 3 Qen. xLx. 24, 25, 28.
THE DEAD SEA. 235
itself; so that the waters of the lake, rushing in, spread
themselves out over the once fertile tract. This hypothesis
is rendered more probable by the fact, that while the north-
ern part of the lake has a depth of more than thirteen hun-
dred feet, the southern bay is nowhere more than twelve or
thirteen feet deep ; and also by the circumstance that the
masses of asphaltum still occasionally thrown up, appear to
come from this southern portion of the sea. In this miracu-
lous overthrow of the plain and its cities, Zoar, though near,
yet lying quite at the base of the eastern mountains, was
readily spared. ^
Such, we may suppose, was the method of God's judgment
when, " turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into
ashes, he condemned them with an overthrow, making them
an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly." ^
That the southern bay of the sea does now thus occupy the
place of the vale of Siddim and the fertile plain, appears
further also from the language of the sacred writer, speaking
of the vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea." Josephus,
likewise, referring doubtless to the same passage, says ex-
pressly, that " upon the destruction of the city of Sodom, that
vale [of Siddim] became the Lake Asphaltitis." ^ He else-
where speaks of the country of Sodom as bordering on the
lake ; of old, he says, it Avas a prosperous land, but being
burnt with lightning, it is now scorched throughout. This
account applies well to Usdum ; the salt from which, as also
from the shore, was well known among the ancients by the
name of salt of Sodom.^
1 Gen. xix. 20, 22. See Biblical Researches, IL pp. 187-192 [II. pp. 601-608].
2 2 Pet. ii. 6.
3 Gen. xiv. 3. Joseph. Antiq., 1. 9. Comp. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 4.
4 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. a 4. Galen de Simpl. Med. Fac, IV. p. 19. Reland,
Palaestina, p. 243.
236
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Apples of Sodom. To this same region belong likewise
those far-famed fruits
" which grew
Near that bituminous lake where Sodom stood."
Josephus, after speaking of the conflagration of the plain, as
above, and the yet remaining tokens of the divine fire, goes
on to say, that " there are still to be seen ashes reproduced in
the fruits ; which indeed resemble edible fruits in color, but
on being plucked with the hands, are dissolved into smoke
and ashes." ^ On arriving at 'Ain Jidy, in 1838, one of the
first objects that attracted our attention, was a tree with
shigular fruit, which at once suggested to our minds the
famous apples of Sodom. This was the 'Oslier of the Arabs,
the Asclepias gigantea v. procera of botanists ; which is found
in Arabia Felix and also in Upper Egypt and Nubia ; but
appears to be confined, in Palestine, to the borders of the
Dead Sea. There are several trees at 'Ain Jidy ; and they
are frequent and of large size on the isthmus of tlie penin-
sula, and at the south end of the lake.^
The trees which we saw at 'Ain Jidy were six or eight
inches in diameter, or from a foot and a half to two feet
round ; the height being from ten to fifteen feet. The tree
has a grayish, cork-hke bark, with long, oval leaves ; and, in
its general appearance and character, might be taken for a
gigantic perennial species of the milk-weed or silk-weed of
the northern American States. Its leaves and flowers are
very similar to those of the latter plant ; and when broken
ofi", it in like manner discharges copiously a milky fluid.
The fruit resembles externally, a large, smooth apple or
orange, hanging in clusters of three or four together ; and
1 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 4. 8. 4. Comp. Tacitus, Hist., 5. G.
2 L-by and Mangles, pp. 108, 138.
THE DE.VD SEA.
237
wlicn ripe is of a yellow color. It was, at tliat season, fair
and delicious to the eye, and soft to the touch ; but on being
pressed or struck, it exploded with a puff, like a bladder or
puff-ball, leaving in the hand only the shreds of the thin rind
and a few fibres. It is indeed filled chiefly with air, like a
bladder, which gives it the round form ; while in the centre
a small slender pod runs through it from the stem, and is
connected by thin filaments with the rind. The pod con-
tains a small quantity of fine silky fibres with seeds ; pre-
cisely like the pod of the silk-weed, though hardly a tenth
part so large. The Arabs collect the silk, and twist it into
matches for their guns.
Comparing now the above account of Josephus, and mak-
ing due allowance for the marvellous in all popular reports,
we find in it nothing which does not apply almost literally
to the fruit of the 'Osher, as here described. It is very deli-
cate, and must be handled with great care. We attempted
to carry some of the boughs and fruit to Jerusalem ; but
without success.^
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 522 [II. p. 235]. Seetzen, in Zach's Monatl. Corresp.,
XVIII. p. 442. Reisen, II. p. 231 sq. Irby and Mangles, p. 450. Comp. Bro
cardus, c. 7. p. 180. Fulcher Carnot., in Gesta Dei, p. 405.
238
PHYSICAL
GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY
LAND.
SECTION III.
FOUNTAINS.
We have already referred to the description of the Prom-
ised Land given by Moses to the children of Israel : " For
the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of
brooks of water, of Fouxtaixs and depths that spring out of
valleys and hills." ^ This was spoken in contrast to the land
of Egypt, where there are no fountains nor brooks ; wliile
Palestine, in comparison, is truly a country well watered
with living springs on its hills and in its valleys. But
Moses was not comparing the Land of Promise with other
mountainous or more occidental regions, where fountains
and streams are sometimes still more abundant and lasting.
Thus it has happened, that sojourners and travellers from
the west, from Italy, Germany, and England, have often
been struck with the penury of living waters in Palestine
and the apparent infrequency of fountains in the parts vis-
ited by them. Jerome, coming from Dalmatia and Italy,
and sojourning in Bethlehem, writes : " In these places
where we now dwell, except small fountains, all the water is
from cisterns ; and if divine wrath should suspend the rains,
there is more danger of thirst than of famine." ^ In like
1 Deut. viii. 7. See above, p. 142.
2 Hieronymus, Comm. in Amos iv. 7: "In his enim locis inquibus nunc elcgi-
mus, praeter parvos fontes omnes cisternarum aquae sunt; et si imbres divina
ira suspenderit, magis sitis quara famis periculura est."
FOUNTAINS.
239
manner Rosenmiieller dwells on the scarcity of living waters
in the Holy Land ; and refers to the traveller Korte, who
found only eight or ten copious fountains in the whole coun-
try ; and the streamlets from these did not flow for more
than eighty or a hundred paces. ^ This testimony is doubt-
less true, as to what Korte himself saw ; and probably there
have been travellers who liave seen still fewer fountains. It
is also true, that the streams from many fountains become
dry in summer, like the beds of the winter-brooks ; and that
the smaller fountains themselves sometimes disappear dur-
ing the summer season, in consequence of the long absence
of rain. Still, it will not be hard to show that the language
of Moses above quoted is entirely correct, as to the many
fountains of Palestine as compared with Egypt.
There are, in the Old Testament, quite a number of cities
which take their names from fountains in or near them ; in
the English Version, the Hebrew ^Ai?i (fountains) is given
by En. Thus we have Eii-g-ecli, now 'Ain Jidy^ with its
noble fountain ; En-gannim, now Jenin, with a fountain
equally noble ; En-dor, opposite Tabor ; also En-gannim, in
Judah, not yet identified ; - En-haddah in Issachar, not yet
identified, but apparently not far from En-gannim ; ^ En-ha-
zor, not yet identified, but named with Hazor and Kedesh
of Naphthali ; and probably not far from the Huleh ; * En-
mishpat, or Kadesh-barnea ; En-eglaim, not yet identified.-^
Further, the word ^ Ain itself stands as the name of a city
in Simeon, not yet identified.^ We find likewise Anem,
' two fountains,' a city of Issachar, the same with En-gan-
1 Rosenm., Bibl. Geograph., II. i. p. 214. Korte, pp. 139, 378.
2 Josh. XV. 34. 3 Josh. xix. 21.
* Josh. xix. 37. 5 Ezek. xlvii. 10.
« Josh. xxi. 16; 1 Chron. iv. 32.
240
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
nim ; ^ also Enam and Anim, both signifying * two fountains,'
and both in Jiidah ; the first not yet identified, and the lat-
ter probably now el-Ghuwein.^ In the New Testament, the
name Enon^ where John was baptizing, is a plural form,
signifying ' fountains ; ' where, of course, there was much
water for the supply of the multitudes. ^
Scripture also speaks of several fountains bearing their
own proper names, or else named from an adjacent place.
Such arc En-shemesh, on the border of Judali and Benja-
min, not improbably the present 'Ain el-Hand, in Wady el-
Hand, half an hour east of Bethany, known also as the foun-
tain of the apostles ; * En-Rogel and Siloam, in the valley of
Jehoshaphat; JE'w-^Za/tom (Engl. Dragon-well), perhaps the
same witli Gihon, on the west of Jerusalem ; ^ En-Harod
(Engl, well of Harod), in the valley of Jezreel, perhaps a
place of fountains and mills, east of 'Ain Jalud ;^ En-tappuah,
belonging to the city Tappuah.'^ There arc also mentioned :
a fountain at Jezreel, now 'Ain Jalud;^ one at Jericho,
where Elisha healed the waters, now 'Ain es-Sultan ; ^ and
the ' fountain of the water of Nephtoah,' on the border be-
tween Judah and Benjamin, west of Jerusalem, now prob-
ably 'Ain Karim.i^ Josephus also speaks of springs at Etam,
now tlrtas, with its fine fountain ; and mentions likewise
the fountain of Capernaum.^^
1 1 Chron. vi. 73 [58] ; comp. Josh. xix. 21, xxi. 29.
^ Enam, Josh. xv. 34; Anim, Josh. xv. 50. Comp. Biblical Researches, 11.
p. 204 [XL P.G25.]
8 John ii. 23. * Josh. xv. 7, xviii. 17. E. Smith's manuscript Notes.
* Neh. iii.l3. « Judg. vii. 1. Later Biblical Researches, p. 338.
7 Josh. xvii. 7, comp. v. 8. « i Sam. xxix. 1.
9 2 Kings ii. 21.
10 Josh. XV. 9, xviii. 15. See above, pp. 45, 46.
n 1 Chron. iv. 32; 2 Chron. xi. 6. Joseph. Antiq., 8. 7. 3.
12 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 8.
FOUNTAINS.
241
Besides these fountains, referred to in Scripture, there are,
at the present day, very many others, few of which compara-
tively have been seen or reported by travellers. It is to be
regretted, tliat so little attention has generally been given
by travellers, ourselves among the rest, to ascertain the
manner in which each village is supplied with water. In the
case of many villages, the word ^Ain now forms a part of the
Arabic name, and would, a priori^ imply the existence of a
fountain in every such place. But in many cases of this
class, this docs not hold true. Thus the ancient Beth-she-
mesh is now 'Ain Shems, but there is no fountain near ; at
'Ain Sinai, north of Gophna, there is a well, but no foun-
tain ; and at' Ain Yebrdd, north of el-Bireh, no fountain is re-
ported. Still, an enumeration of the fountains known to
exist in any district, which has been tolerably explored, will
serve to show that there are many more of these sources of
living water than has usually been supposed.
We take the environs of Jerusalem, in a circuit of eight
or ten miles around the city ; but jiot including the foun-
tains of the city itself. Beginning at Beitin {Bethel), on the
great road north, we find there two fountains within the lim-
its of the ancient reservoir ; and on the way to el-Bireli
(^Beeroth), there are two more.^ El-Bireh has its fountains;
and there is one near Jufnah, in the deep valley northwest.
Passing now to the w^est of the great road, there is at el-Jib
( Giheon) a fountain in a cavern ; on the hill of Neby Sam-
wil there are several small sources below the summit on both
sides ; and Kuryet el-'Enab has also its fountain. Return-
1 For the fountains here enumerated, the reader is referred, pjenerally, to tho
Biblical Researches and Later Biblical Researches, Index, 'Ain, etc.; Tobler's
Dritte "Wanderung, Index, 'Ain, etc.; Barclay's City of the Great King, pp.
544-560.
31
242 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
ing to the great valley, "Wady Beit Haiima, we find quite a
number of fountains along its sides ; as, on the west, at the
ruin Beit Tulma, at KulSnieh, and at Sataf ; and, on the east,
'Ain Lifta, 'Ain er-B,awas, 'Ain Karim (^Nephtoali) , 'Ain el-
Habis (St. John's in the Desert), one at Khirbet el-Lauz, and
'Ain Shukaf below Sataf. Passing from Jerusalem down
Wady el-Werd, we find 'Ain Yalo, 'Ain Haniyeli (St. Phil-
ip's), one at Welejeh, and the copious source at Bittir; as
also one at el-Husan on the hills south. Just north of el-
Khudr is the small source of Hand Kibriyan ; above Solo-
mon's Pools is the sunken fountain that feeds them ; twenty-
five minutes below the same pools is the very copious source
at Urtas ; and further south is the small fountain at Beit
Faghar, the ancient Phagor or Phogor. On the east of the
great road, beginning at the north, we have the large foun-
tain in Wady Farah, below Hizmeh ; ^ 'Ain el-Hand (^Eti-
shemesli)^ east of Bethany ; a small fountain at Sur Bahil ;
and the fine one at Tekoa.
Here, then, are no less than thirty permanent fountains
of living water ; some of them large and copious, as at Lifta,
'Ain Karim, Urtas, and in Wady Farah. Several others
are reported, but smaller and probably less permanent.
Now, while it may be true, that no other district in Pales-
tine has been so fully explored ; and therefore it may not be
possible, in any other tract of like extent, to name so many
fountains ; yet the preceding enumeration shows that Moses
liad sufficient ground to speak of Palestine, in comparison
with Egypt, as a land of fountains.
In further speaking of the fountains of Palestine, we name
only the more important ones, following our usual order.
1 Barclay, p. 558.
FOUNTAINS IN OR NEAR THE WESTERN PLAIN.
243
I. FOUNTAINS IN OR NEAR THE WESTERN PLAIN.
On the way south from .Tyre, after passing Ras el-Abyad,
there is a fine source on the shore near the remains of
the ancient Alexandroschoene ; and after crossing E,as en-
Nakurali, there are copious fountains at 'Ain el-Mush eirifeh
near the southern base. At el-Kabireh in the plain, is the
source, whence Jezzar Pasha supplied water for 'Akka by
his aqueduct. Southeast of 'Akka, at the extremity of one
of the projecting hills, a fountain furnishes water to the vil-
lage of Birweh ; and there are probably other fountains at
the foot of the more northern hills. Still further south, in the
plain, are the large fountains at Tell Kurdany, driving several
mills, and forming the source of the river Na'man or Be-
lus.^ At the base of Carmel, where it is skirted by the same
plain of 'Akka, are the extensive permanent sources of the
river el-Mukutta', the continuation or perennial lower, part
of the Kishon.2
On the southwestern slope of Carmel, the fertility and
beauty of the region would seem to indicate frequent foun-
tains ; and a fine one is noted at Um esh-Shukaf.^ The
fact that there are several permanent streams on the north
and south of Cesaraea, would also seem to imply fountains
along the base of the eastern hills ; but none are reported.
At Ras el-' Ain, near Mejdel Yaba, northeast of Yafa, are the
great fountains of the river 'Aujeh, already described.* At
Yalo QAjalon) is a fountain which supplies the village ; and
at 'Amwas (^Nicopolis) there are two sources of living
water.^
1 See above, p. 187. 2 See above, p. 190.
* Van de Velde, Mem., p. 107. •* See above, p. 193.
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 144, 146.
244
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
The village of Sur'ah ( Zorali) is supplied by a noble foun-
tain, on the low ground, fifteen minutes north ; it is walled
up square with large hewn stones, and gushes over with fine
water, sending a brook down the valley. In 1852 we saw
twelve women, each with a jar of water from this fountain
on her head, toiling up the steep ascent to the village. In
the same manner, in ancient times, the mother of Samson
probably bore water from this fountain to her home.^
At 'AUar es-Sifia, east of Beit Nettif, is a fine fountain,
watering a tract of gardens and fruit trees.^ Another, 'Ain
Faris, exists at Nuhalin, further east.^
In all probability there are similar fountains further south,
among these lower hills along the plain ; but they are not
reported..
n. FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF JORDAN.
North of the Plain of Esdraelon. At Kedesh of Naphthali
are two copious fountains, one south and the other north of
the village. Just below the fortress of Tibnin, in the north,
is 'Ain el-Mizrab. At some distance from Ramah of Asher
is a fountain, from which the village is supplied in summer.*
Near el- Jish there are small springs ; also a large one south
of MeirSn ; and one is reported at el-Bukeia, west of the
mountain.^
The large fountain of Seffurieli is celebrated in the his-
tory of the crusades ; it is situated nearly half an hour south-
1 Judg. xiii. 2-24. Later Biblical Researches, p. 153.
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 14 [IL p. 340].
3 Tobler, Dritte Wanderung, p. 115.
4 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 3G6, 377. Ibid., p. 57. Ibid., p. 63.
« Biblical Researches, II. p. 446 [III. p. 369]. Later Biblical Researches, p. 73.
Ibid., p. 76.
FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF JORDAN. 245.
east of the village, towards Nazareth ; and by it the hosts of
the crusaders and of the Muslims alternately encamped.^
At Nazareth is the small public fountain, which supplies the
village ; where the females are seen waiting their turn to fill
their jars. The source itself is under the Greek church. ^
At Hattin a fine fountain bursts forth under the western end
of the Tell. Within Khan et-Tujjar there is a spring of
water ; and a larger fountain exists five or ten minutes fur-
ther south, which sends a stream of water down the valley.^
In and around the Plain of Esdraelon. In the northwest-
ern part of the great plain, in passing eastward near the
base of the northern hills, several small streams occur, im-
plying fountains on the left. In the plain itself, between
Tell Shemmam and Lejjun, there are small fountains and
marshy tracts on both sides of the Kishon.^ From Lejjun
northwestward. Dr. Eli Smith travelled in 1844, near the
base of the hills on the left ; he crossed several small
streams and saw two or three copious fountains, the names
of which he did not learn. ^
At Solam (^Shuneni), on the western end of Little Ilcrmon
is a small fountain. In the upper part of the valley of Jezreel
are two or three large ones, sending forth the stream which
flows down that valley. One rises just under the rocky wall
below Zerin (^Jezreel), and supplies that place ; it is called
'Ain el-Meiyiteh. Twenty minutes further down the valley
is 'Ain Jalud, a very large fountain, flowing out from under,
a sort of cavern in the wall of conglomerate rock, which
1 Biblical Researches, IL p. 345 [III. p. 203J. Later Biblical Researches, p. 11'^.
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 336 [III. p. 188].
8 Biblical Researches, II. p. 378 [III. p. 249]. Ibid., IL p. 369 [HI. p. 236].
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 115, 116.
* Manuscript Journal. , > i
24G
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
here forms the northern base of Mount Gilboa. The water
is excellent, and spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool,
forty feet or more in diameter, in which are great numbers of
small fish. From this reservoir, a stream sufficient to turn a
mill flows off eastward down the valley. This is, no doubt,
the ancient ' fountain in Jezreel,' where Saul and Jonathan
pitched before their last fatal battle ; and where, too, in the
days of the crusades, Saladin and the Christians successively
encamped. 1 About an hour further east are two fountains,
one on each side of Tell Sheikh Hasan, near the mountain ;
that on the west, called er-E,ahhaniyeh, is the largest, and
sends a mill-stream down the valley to join the Jalud.^
On the southern side of the great plain, are several foun-
tains. One is at Jenin, having its source in the hills back
of the place, and is brought down so as to issue in a noble
stream in the midst of the village. It is built up with plain
but good masonry ; and the water flows off northwest to-
wards the Kishon.3 There is also the fountain of Lejjun, a
short distance southwest of the ruins ; which sends down a
stream, at first eastwardly, with several mills upon it. The
brook then passes off into the plain, where it goes to join the
Kishon, of which it is the largest arm.^
8outh of the Plain of Esdraelon. At the southern base of
Tell Dothan, in the plain of Dothan, is a fountain, called el-
Huf ireh.^ There is likewise a fine one at Jeba' ; and several
smaller ones near the village of Fendekumieh.^
The city of Nabulus (^Shechem) is more abundantly watered
1 1 Sam. xxix. L Biblical Researches, IL pp. 323, 324 [HL pp. 1G7, 108].
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 338. Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 139.
8 Biblical Researches, H. p. 3ir) [HL p. 154] .
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 112.
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 122.
6 Biblical Researches, H. p. 312 [HI. pp. 150, 151].
FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF JORDAN. 247
•by fountains and wells of living water, than any other spot
in Palestine. Besides the three fountains east of the town,
near the mouth of the valley, the inhabitants boast of not
less than eighty overflowing springs in and around the city.
Very many of these, probably, are nothing more than smaller
branches from larger fountains, brought down by under-
ground conduits to particular points of the city. In several
of the streets water is constantly flowing. The water of all
the fountains in and just around the city runs westward
towards the Mediterranean ; and forms a brook with many
mills along the valley ; which late in April, 1852, was flow-
ing as far as to 'Anebta.^
The main fountain within the city is 'Ain el-Kariun, which
issues from under an ancient vault, to which there is a de-
scent by a long flight of steps. The water is carried by sub-
terranean channels to several of the mosques, and many pri-
vate houses. The water of this and the other city fountains
are again collected in the western part of the town, where
they drive a mill both in summer and winter, and then go to
water the gardens west of the city.
Outside of the city of Nabulus there are on the south
three copious fountains, Ras el-' Ain, 'Aiii. el-Murasrasu, and
'Ain el-'Asal ; the two former upon the skirts of Gerizim, in
or near the ravine which here comes down from the moun-
tain ; the latter lower down, among the gardens in this
quarter. West of the city are 'Ain el-Kasab, in the bottom
af the valley near the western gate ; 'Ain Beit lima fifteen
minutes further west at the base of Ebal ; and a smaller
fountain at Rafidia.
All these fountains belong to the western slope of the
1 For an account of the fountains in and around Nabulus, see Rosen, in Zeit-
schr. der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, 1860, XIV. p. 636 sq.
248
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
"watershed of the valley, on which Nabulus is situated. The
abundance of water lias given occasion for extensive gardens
and orchards on the south and west of the city, comprising
a great variety of vegetables and fruits, and presenting a
scene of luxuriant verdure elsewhere unparalleled in the
Holy Land.
East of the city the ground slopes eastward, and is at first
hard and stony, and planted with olive trees. Twenty min-
utes from the city is 'Ain Defneh, gushing up in the middle
of the valley, furnished with a reservoir, surrounded by a
garden, of four or five acres, and sending forth a stream large
enough for a mill. In the village Belatah, half an hour be-
low the city and in the southern part of the mouth of the
valley, is a large fountain, 'Ain Belatah, hardly a bow-shot
distant from Jacob's well ; it is very copious, and its stream
turns a mill just below. 'Ain 'Askar belongs to the deserted
village 'Askar on the southeast corner of Ebal, also about
half an hour distant from Nabulus. This fountain is smaller ;
the water issues from a long low vault running in under
Ebal, and flows into a broken reservoir. The vault and
reservoir are of ancient workmanship.- The water of all
these three fountains goes to join the water-bed of the plain
Mukhna, which runs northward to Wady Fari'a, and so to
the Jordan.!
Beyond the Mukhna, in the northwestern part of the lit-
tle plain which there runs up eastward, is the village of Sa-
lim, with two sources of living water ; one in a cavern, and
the other a running fountain called 'Ain Kebir, ' the great
fountain.' ^ Further southeast beyond the hills is the small
source called 'Ain Yanun ; and at Daumeh, near the brow
1 On all these fountains see Rosen, as referred to in the preceding note.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 298.
FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY WEST OF JORDAN. 249
of the Jordan valley, is a village fountain.^ Near Deir Es-
tieh, southwest of Nabulus, several fountains spring up in
the bottom of Wady Kanah, whieh is there wide and culti-
vated.2 At Khan el-Lubban on the great northern road is
a fine fountain and stream; and near Serlun (^SJdloli), not
far southeast, is likewise a living spring.^ Proceeding on the
great road towards Jerusalem, we find the small source 'Ain
el-Haramiyeh, two hours north of el-Bireh.^
We come now to the fountains, thirty in number, already
enumerated, within eight or ten miles of the Holy City ; ex-
tending from Beitm and el-Bireli in the north to Tekoa and
Beit Faghur in the south.^
Further south few fountains are known, except on and
just around Hebron. Two hours north of Hebron, by the
side of the great road, near Beth-zur, is the small fountain
ed-Dirweh, which an early tradition reports as the place of
Philip's baptism of the eunuch ; just by it are the remains
of an ancient church.^ An hour west of Hebron, on the
way to Dura, is the small fountain 'Ain Nunkur, and another
place of springs beyond. These waters are collected and
conducted to the valley north, where they issue from a sub-
terranean channel, and are used to irrigate gardens. 'Ain
Nunkur is a little east of south from Dewirban (Z)e6iV),and
may have some relation to the " upper and nether springs,"
which Caleb gave to his daughter."^ East of Dewirban in
Wady el-Joz is another small spring, 'Ain el-Bassa.
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 293, 297.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 135.
3 Biblical Researches, IL pp. 2G9, 271 [HI. pp. 86, 90].
* Porter's Handbook, pp. 327, 328. 5 See above, pp. 241, 242.
6 Acts viii. 38 sq. Later Biblical Researches, p. 277.
' Josh. XV. 19. Biblical Researches, II. p. 213 [III. p. 2J. Rosen, in Zeitschr.
der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, XI. p. 5G.
32
250
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Ill Hebron itself and its immediate vicinity, Rosen
marks on Lis Plan no less than twelve fountains, mostly
small, but some of them tolerably copious. Such are, 'Ain
el-Jcdid on the hill west of the town, an unfailing spring of
fine water in a vault of ancient masonry, to which there is a
descent by steps ; ^ 'Ain cl-Kaslikaleli just out of the city on
the north, the waters of which are carried by pipes to the
Haram ; - 'Ain Sara further north, near the Jerusalem road ;
and 'Ain Kena'a, still more to the north and northwest, near
Kliurbet en-Nusarah.-'^
In spite of its many living fountains, it would appear that
Hebron was dependent to a great extent on its rock-hewn
cisterns. Many of these still remain, and some are of great
extent.
in. FOUNTAINS IN AND NEAR THE GHOR.
The great fountains of the Jordan at Hasbeiya, Tell
el-Kady, Banias, and elsewhere, have already been described.
The region of the Ghor has been, perhaps, less fully explored
than any other part in respect to its sources of water ; and
many springs doubtless exist, which have never been re-
ported. The main fountains burst forth at the foot of the
mountains on each side of the Ghor.
West of the Jordan. On the west side of the basin of the
Huleh, several fountains issue at the foot of the hills ; the
streams from which run into the marsh. That called 'Amu-
diyeli is of considerable size ; but 'Ain Belateh is much
1 Rosen, in Zeitsch. der Deutschen raorg. GescUschaft, XII. p. 480. Biblical
Researches, II. p. 74 [II. p. 433].
2 Rosen, in Zcitscli. der Deutsclien mors- Gesellschaft, XII. p. 481. Not 'Ain
Eskali, as Van do Vclde has it, from which he makes out the ancient name i's/icoZ.
See above, p. 121.
8 Rosen, in Zeitsch. der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, XII. pp. 485, 486.
FOUNTAINS IN AND NEAR THE GHOR.
251
larger, half an hour further south, and an hour north of
Melluhah.^ At the latter spot, 'xV.in el-Mellahah is quite
large, and forms a pool of a hundred feet or more in diame-
ter, the water from which drives several mills, and flows to
the lake at its northwestern corner, perhaps a mile distant.
The water is brackish, and slightly warm.^
At several of the villages lying along on the side of the
western hills further south, are small fountains ; as at Mu-
ghar and Kuba'a.^
There are several important fountains along the western
shore of the lake of Tiberias. The northernmost cluster of
these is at et-Ta.bighah (^Bethsaidd) , now as of old a place
of fishermen. There are here several large sources bursting
forth from the foot of the hill just back of the village ; their wa-
ter, too, is brackish and slightly warm. It is used to turn one
or two mills ; and there are several others in ruins. Around
the main fountain there is an ancient Roman reservoir, oc-
tagonal in form and of great solidity, but now in ruins. It
was obviously built in order to raise the water to a certain
height for an aqueduct. The head of water was sufficient to
carry it around the point of the opposite hill, wiiere there is
a channel cut in the rock, and so into the northern part of
the plain el-Ghuweir, or Gennesareth, for irrigation. The
aqueduct was probably of wood ; no trace of it now remains.
Just west of the mills, near the shore, is a smaller brackish
fountain, enclosed by a wall or small reservoir, and called
Tannur Eyub, ' Job's oven.' *
1 Biblical Researches, II. p. 435 [III. p. 341]. Thomson, Land and Book, I.
p. 394.
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 435 [III. p. 341]. Thomson, Land and Book, 1.
p. 398.
3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 3G2, 3G3.
* Biblical Researches, II. p. 405 [III. p. 20C]. Later Biblical Researches, p. 345.
252
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
A good half-mile south of et-Tabighah, just at the south-
ern base of the rocky promontory or bluff above mentioned,
and at the northeastern corner of the fine plain el-Ghuweir,
the Gennesareth of Josephus, is the copious spring 'Ain et-
Tm, close by the ruined Khan Minyeh, and near to the heaps
of rubbish and ruins whicli mark the site of Capernaum.
The fountain sends forth an abundance of sweet and pleasant
water, neither brackish nor warm. It is so near the lake,
that when the latter is full, it sets up nearly or quite to the
fountain. The tract around the latter was covered, in May,
1852, with hixuriant clover.^ This appears to be the foun-
tain which, according to Josephus, was called Kapharnaum ;
and by all analogy it must have been the fountain of the
place which he elsewhere calls Kepharnome (Capernaum).
The place and the fountain bore the same name, and be-
longed together ; and the latter was in the plain of Gennesa-
reth, and was held to be a vein of the Nile.^ This argument
is conclusive to show that Capernaum was in the same plain,
and was situated here at Khan Minyeh ; and not at Tell
Hum, as some suppose. There is no fountain whatever at
Tell Hum, nor within two miles of it.
In the western part of the same plain el-Ghuweir, at the
base of the hills, a little west of north from Mejdel, is the
large 'Ain el-Mudauwarah, or * Round Fountain.' It is
enclosed by a low wall of hewn stones, forming an oval res-
ervoir more than fifty feet in diameter. The water in it is
perhaps two feet deep, beautifully limpid and sweet, bubbling
up and flowing out rapidly in a large stream to water the
plain below.3
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 344.
2 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 8. Vita, § 72. Later Biblical Researches, p. 350.
3 Biblical Researches, IL p. 400 [III. p. 283].
FOUNTAINS IN AND NILVE THE GIIOR.
253
Halfway between Mcjdel and Tiberias, a little Wady breaks
down to the lake, and forms a small space of arable plain
along the shore, which is tilled as a garden. In the lower
part, just by the beach, is a cluster of five or six fountains,
one of which is quite large and copious. The water is clear,
slightly brackish, and also slightly warm. The place is called
'Ain el-Barideh, ' Cold Spring,' in distinction from the hot
springs south of Tiberias. Another name is Fuliych. Each of
the fountains was in ancient times enclosed by a wall of stone,
or round reservoir, ten or twelve feet deep, and some fifteen
feet in diameter, in which the water rose to the top and
overflowed. In 1838, two of these enclosures were in tolera-
ble preservation. For what purpose this head of water was
thus obtained, whether for baths, or for irrigation, or for other
uses, cannot well be determined.^
The Hot Springs near the lake, thirty-five minutes south
of Tiberias, have already been described.^
Between the lake and Beisan there are, doubtless, foun-
tains ; but they have not been reported. At Beisan itself,
th^e two brooks which tumble down the declivity at the vil-
lage and further south have a slightly darkish hue and an
odor of sulphur. This would seem to indicate a sulphur
spring not far southwest of that place ; while the abundance
of water and water-courses further west, implies a marsh and
perhaps ponds in the same quarter.^ The plain of the Ghor
itself, opposite Beisan, is full of fountains and rivulets, mak-
ing it in some parts almost a marsh.^ In the same plain
further south, we ourselves in 1852 fell in with no less than
five fountains, 'Ain Mak-huz, 'Ain ed-Deir, the source at
1 Biblical Researches, II. p. 396 [III. p. 277].
2 Sec above, p. 205. 3 Later Biblical Researches, p. 327, 336.
^ Later Biblical Researches, p. 325.
254
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Tell Ridghah, 'Ain el-Beida, and the noble fountain at the
foot of the low bluff of Sakut, surrounded by fig trees.^
In Wady Malih, some distance west of where it enters the
Gh6r, though not far above the. level of the latter, there are
rather copious salt springs, giving name to the Wady. The
water is blood-warm (98° F.) and quite salt ; and a fetid odor
is perceptible.^
There is a fine spring in the Ker^wa, north of Kurn Sur-
tabeh.3
Just south of the Kiirn is 'xiin Fusail in the valley of the
same name, some distance above the site of the ancient
Phasaslis. The fine spring is overshaded by wild fig trees
and shrubs of various kinds ; and in May, 1852, the water
rippled down the valley as far as to the Tell and ruins of
Fusail, where it was lost in irrigating the gardens.* At
'Aujeh, too, further south, a fountain is reported.^
On the soutliern brink of Wady Nawa'imeh, fifteen min-
utes below where it issues as a deep ravine from the western
cliffs, is the cluster of fountains known as 'Ain Duk. Here
are two very copious sources, besides other smaller ones, all
of fine limpid water. The waters naturally flow down Wady
Nawa'imeh. A large portion of them do so still ; and there is
an aqueduct further down, with pointed arches, which once
served to distribute them over that part of the plain. But
the waters of the highest and largest fountain are carried off
towards the south-southeast by an artificial channel along
the base of the mountain, for nearly an hour, and then, by
a deep cut through the low ridge, were formerly carried
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 310, 313-315.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 308.
3 Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 124.
4 Later Biblical Researches, p. 294. Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 122.
« Biblical Researches, I. p. 568 [IL p. 303].
FOUNTAINS IN AND NEAR THE GHOR.
255
upon the ' Sugar mills,' so called, the only remaining token
of the former extensive cultivation of sugar ; and were thence
distributed to different parts of the lower plain. One aque-
duct with pointed arches, now dry, carried these waters across
Wady Kelt, and far southwest of Jericho. The stream from
the fountain is at first six or eight feet wide, and a foot and a
half deep. Here doubtless was situated the ancient castle of
Doch.i
Fifteen minutes east of the Sugar mills, and thirty -five
minutes northwesterly from the present village of Jericho, is
the large fountain 'Ain es-Sultan. This is the only one near
Jericho ; and there is every reason to regard these as the waters
miraculously healed by Elisha.^ They may have been earlier
brackish and warm, like most of the fountains further north
and south ; now they are sweet and pleasant, not cold in-
deed, but also only slightly warm. The fountain bursts forth
at the eastern foot of a high double mound, or group of
mounds, situated a mile or more in front of the mountain
Quarantana. It was once surrounded by a reservoir or semi-
circular enclosure of hewn stones ; from which the water was
carried off in various directions into the plain ; but this is
now mostly broken away. The largest stream at present
runs towards the village ; a part of it is still carried off across
Wady Kelt, by an aqueduct with pointed arches. Of the two
fountains, that of Duk is the largest.^
A little more than half way from Jericho to the Jordan,
at the ford el-Helu, in a low tract covered with shrubs and
trees of the Rishrash or willow {Agnus castus), is 'Ain
Hajla, a beautiful spring of sweet and limpid water. It is
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 571 [II. p. 309]. Aci/c, 1 Mace. xvi. 14, 15.
2 2 Kings ii. 19-22.
8 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 554, 555 [11. pp. 283-285].
25G
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
enclosed by a circular wall of masonry, or small reseiToir, five
feet deep ; and sends forth a tolerably copious stream, which
waters the tract below. It is regarded as the finest water in
all the Gh5r. This fountain doubtless marks the site of the
ancient Beth-Hoglah, on the boundary line between Judah
and Benjamin.^
A number of fountains exist along the western coast of the
Dead Sea. On the shore, nearly an hour distant from the
Jordan, and two hours N. E. by E. from 'Ain el-Feshkhah,
is a brackish fountain in a cane-brake, called 'Ain Jehair.^
'Ain cl-Feshkhah is at the northern base of the bold
promontory Ras el-Feshkhah. The fountain boils up near
the shore, a very copious stream, or rather streams, of lim-
pid water, but brackish, and having a slight taste of sulphu-
retted hydrogen. It is warm, like several of the fountains
further north ; its temperature being 80° F. The wet and
marshy ground around the fountain is covered by a dense
thicket of canes, extending for half an hour along the shore.^
On the shore, two thirds of the way from Ras el-Feshkhah
to 'Ain Terabeh, is the small fountain 'Ain Ghuweir. It is
commonly reported as brackish ; but is, in some seasons,
sweet and potable.* 'Ain Teriibeli itself is about half way
between Ras el-Feshkhah and 'Ain Jidy. It rises on the
very shore of the lake, a strip of only twenty or thirty feet
intervening. It is usually reported as brackish ; but, at the
time of Lynch's encampment there, it furnished a supply
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 544 [11. p. 268].
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 535 [IL p. 254]. Anderson, Geological Report,
p. 198.
3 Biblical Researches, 1. p. 533 [IL p. 252]. Anderson, Geological Report,
p. 1C6.
4 Anderson, Geolo;^ical Report, p. 166. Lynch, Official Report, p. 42. Biblical
Researches, I. p. 531 [II. p. 249].
FOUNTAINS IN AND NEAR THE GHOR.
257
of perfectly sweet water. Here, also, is a thicket of luxu-
rious growth.^
South of Ras Mersed, at the north end of the plain of *Ain
Jidy, comes down Wadj Sudeir. In this valley, at some dis-
tance from the shore, there is a fountain of sweet water
The pearl of all these fountains along the Dead Sea, is
that of 'Ain Jidy, nearly midway of the western coast. It
bursts forth, a full stream, not upon the shore, but frofn a
narrow plateau on the side of the clifiF, four hundred feet
above the lake. This cliff stands back a little from the lake,
as compared with Ras Mersed and that south of Wady el-
'Areijeh ; and the interval between its base and the lake is
filled by a small and partly alluvial plain, in some parts
nearly half a mile wide. The stream from the fountain
rushes down the steep declivity below ; and its course is hid-
den by a luxuriant thicket of trees and shrubs, belonging to
a more southern clime. The brook takes its way across the
rich plain directly to the lake; though when we saw it, in
May, 1838, its waters were absorbed by the thirsty earth long
before reaching the shore. So far as the water extended, the
plain was covered with gardens, chiefly of cucumbers. The
fountain itself is limpid and sparkling, with a copious sup-
ply of sweet water ; but warm, the temperature being 81° F.
Kept in vessels over night, we found it delightfully cool and
refreshing. Like most of the fountains of the country, it is
strongly impregnated with lime, and does not take soap well.
In the fountain itself are great numbers of small black
snails.^
1 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 166. Biblical Researches, I. p. 528 [11.
p. 245].
* Lynch, Narrative, p. 290. Biblical Researches, I. pp. 527, 533 [II. pp. 242,
252],
» Biblical Researches, I. pp. 504-506 [11. pp. 209-211].
33
258
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
In Wady el-Areijeh, next south of 'Ain Jidy, there is a
fine fountain of sweet water, 'Ain el-'Areijeh ; with large
willow trees, from which the Arabs make bowls. It pours
forth a very copious supply of water ; which however soon
runs to waste, and disappears entirely before reaching the
lake.i
No other sources of sweet water are known on the west-
ern coast. South of the sea and of Jebel Usdum are the
salt marshes and springs of 'Ain el-Beida. Still further
south, along the foot of the Scorpion Cliffs, many brackish
sources burst forth, converting the whole tract into a marsh.
The largest of these is 'Ain el-'Arus, nearly midway of the
cliffs.2
In the Ghor East of Jordan, The eastern side of the Gh6r
has been less fully explored even than the western ; and the
fountains known to exist there are fewer.
Below 'Ain Kunyeh, a village on the hillside east of Banias,
there is a fountain ; and more than three hours south of
Banias is 'Ain Rawy, northwest of el-Mughar, which Dr.
De Forest notes as the first source he saw on the way from
Banias.^ There are probably other sources along the base
of the hills ; but no traveller has passed there to note
them.
The little plain el-Batihah, at the north end of the lake of
Tiberias, is watered by no less than three perennial streams,
which imply living fountains not far distant ; but they have
not been visited.*
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 500 [H. p. 204]. Anderson's Geological Report,
p. 175.
2 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 115-117 [H. pp. 493-495].
3 Later Biblical Researches, p. 398. Journal of American Oriental Society,
n. p. 241.
* Biblical Researches, IL p. 412 [HL p. 306] .
FOUNTAINS IN AND NILVR THE GHOR.
250
The eastern shore of the lake of Tiberias remains in like
manner unexplored ; nor is any spring known on this side
north of the river Yarmuk. The hot springs in the deep
bed of that river may be regarded as belonging to the level
of the Ghor ; they have already been described.^
No other fountain is marked until we reach Faliil, the
site of ancient Pella, over against Beisan in the southeast.
Here in the ravine south of the ruins is the large and noble
fountain which led Pliny to speak of the place as " Pellam
aquis divitemy ^ The source is now called Jerm el-Mauz,
and sends off a mill-stream down the valley, which at pres-
ent is almost a marsh, overgrown with tamarisks and olean-
ders. The valley breaks down, as Wady Mauz, to the bot-
tom of the Ghur and the Jordan, half an hour south of the
ford to Beisan. Near the fountain are two columns still
standing, as of a small temple."
Just south of ^Vady Yabis, on the terrace of the Ghor,
there is a spring, giving rise to a marsh and small brook, with
a fertile tract around.*
We pass on to Wady Sha'ib, descending from near es-Salt
southwesterly to the Jordan, at a point E. by N. from Jer-
icho. On entering the plain it passes the ruins of Nimrin,
the Nimrah and Beth-Nimrali of Scripture ; and near by are
several fountains, corresponding to the Waters of Nimrim.^
At the northeast corner of the Dead Sea the fountain 'Ain
es-Suweimeh near the shore, is surrounded by cane-brakes.
It would appear, that a small brook, Nahr es-Suweimeh, here
1 See above, p. 179. 2 pun. Hist. Nat., 5. 16 (18).
3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 321, 322.
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 316.
« Num. xxxii. 3, 36; Josh. xiii. 27; Isa. xv. 6; Jer. xlviii. 34. Seetzen, Reisen,
II. p. 318. Biblical Researches, I. p. 551 [II. p. 279].
2G0
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
runs down to the shore, fed by two springs further back,
*Ayun ed-Deib and 'Ayun Musa.^
Between this spot and the Zerka Ma'in there are several
small brooks of sweet water, and one large one ; implying
fountains not remote.^ The hot springs in the bed of the
Zerka Ma'in have already been described.^ Half an hour
south of the Zerka, Seetzen, who passed along the shore, re-
ports another brook of hot water.^ Between this and the
Arnon the same traveller found three fountains of sweet
water, two of them large, and several fine brooks. He was
struck with the abundance of sweet water along the side of
the Dead Sea.^
In Wady Hamad, or Wady Beni Hamady, next north of
Wady Kerak, a liot spring is reported ; but has not yet been
visited by travellers. There is another similar hot spring in
a branch of Wady el-Ahsy, southeast from the south end of
the Dead Sea.^
IV. FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY EAST OF JORDAN.
Travellers in these eastern regions have been comparatively
few ; and our information respecting the permanent sources
of water is very imperfect.
The perennial sources which supply the Yarmuk and its
branches, at Tell Dilly and el-Mazarib, have already been
described.'
In the rocky district of the Lojali there are no springs in
1 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 194. Seetzen, Reisen, II, p. 324.
2 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 194.
5 See above, p. 178. •* Seetzen, Reisen, II. p. 368.
5 Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 3G7, 368.
6 Seetzen, Reisen, II. pp. 359, 360. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 401. See above,
p. 183.
7 See above, pp. 173, 174.
FOUNTAINS OF THE HILL-COUNTRY EAST OF JORDAN. 261
any part ; and the inhabitants are wholly dependent on the
rain water preserved in cisterns and Birkets or tanks. In the
outer borders of the Lejah, however, called the Luhf, there
are springs.^
In the west, on the great road from Damascus to the bridge
over the Jordan, el-Jisr Benat Ya'kob, at half an hour west of
Tell Khanzir, is a cluster of fountains, known as 'Ayun es-
Semmam. At Fik, there are three springs below the village,
which form a brook flowing down the valley towards the lake
of Tiberias.2
In the great plain of Hauran, as well as on the slopes of
the adjacent mountain, there are comparatively few springs.
The supply of water is obtained mostly from wells, cisterns,
and Birkets.^ Yet some of the principal towns have copious
fountains ; as Kunawat QKenatli)^ Hebran, 'Orman QPhilip-
popolis)^ and Busra (^Bozrah, Bostra)^ At the latter, there
are no less than five sources outside of the city, and six
within. There is likewise a fine spring at Tell xVsh'areh.^
Besides these, Burckhardt fell in with some ten or twelve
other fountains in different parts of the plain. Some of the
strongest places are wholly dependent on rain water ; as Sul-
khad, the ancient Sulchah.^
Passing southward into Jebel 'Ajlun, the fountains re-
ported are still few. Half an hour northwest of Hebras
is 'Ain el-Terab, in a Wady.' Near 'Arjan are two sources,
'Ain el-Tannur and 'Ain el-Beida ; the brook flows to Wady
Yabis, and an hour below 'Arjan is another fountain. Tlie
stream drives three mills.^ At Suf are three copious springs.
1 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 112, 218.
3 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 132.
« Porter's Handbook, p. 531.
' Burckhardt, Syria, p. 270.
2 Burckhardt, p. 315. Ibid., p. 279.
* Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 83, 86, 80, 99, 221.
6 Porter's Handbook, p. 100.
8 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 383.
262 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the permanent head of the stream which flows by Jerasli
(^Gerasa) to the Zerka.^ At the village 'Ain Jenneh, above
'Ajlun, several springs issue from under the rock, and form
the brook which descends through Wady 'Ajldn to the Jor-
dan ; and half an hour north of 'Ajlun is another fountain,
'Ain et-Teis.2
South of the Zerka, in ascending to es-Salt by the usual
road from Jerash, there is a fine spring half way up, at
'Allan ; and another further west, on the way from 'Abu
'Obeida to es-Salt.^ At es-Salt there is a copious spring within
the city ; and another, ' Ain Jedur, ten minutes distant towards
the north in a valley.* In descending the narrow valley
south of es-Salt, near the remains of a considerable town
known as Khirbet es-Suk, there is a fine spring called 'Ain
Hazor. It turns several mills, and empties into Wady Shu-
'eib, wliich runs by Nimrin to the Jordan.^
Southeast of Fulieis, in the tract Ard el-Hemar, are a
number of springs, which render it fertile in pasturage.^
Not far east, or northeast of these, are likewise springs at
Safut and Um Jauzy.''' All these lie on the usual routes from
es-Salt by Fuheis to 'Amman. The stream which flows by
'Amman itself, and runs north to the Zerka, has its source in a
small pond a few hunilred paces south of the ruins.^ Accord-
ing to Burckhardt, sources of water are only seldom met with
in the high plain of the Belka ; a circumstance which greatly
enhanced the importance of the situation of 'Amrhan.^
Not far west of Hesban (Heshbo7i) is a fountain, the head
1 Burckhardr, Syria, p. 249. Scetzcn, Reisen, I. p. 387.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 2C6, 267. Sectzen, Rciscn, I. p. 380.
3 Lord Lindsay's Letters (London, 1858), p. 287. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 348.
* Burckhardt, Syria, p. 350. ^ Burckhardt, Syria, p. 335.
6 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 356. ^ Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 361, 362.
8 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 357. 9 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 361.
WARM AND MINERAL FOUNTAINS.
2G3
of Nahr Hesban, which runs to the Jordan just above its en-
trance into the Dead Sea. It drives several mills.^ No other
springs are reported north of Rabba ; though the streams
which rise in the east and flow in deep chasms across the
plain, as the Zerka Ma'in, the Waleh, and the Mojib, indicate
fountains in that quarter. Less than an hour southeast of
Rabba, are two copious fountains, 'Ain Jubeibeh and 'Ain
Yarud.2 At Kerak, in the valley north and west of the town,
are several large springs. One of them, 'Ain Sarah, issues
from the rock in a very romantic spot, and serves to turn
three mills. Another, 'Ain Feranjy, ' Frank spring,' is
southwest of the city nearly a mile distant.^
Near Khanzireli are several springs ; the waters unite in a
rivulet, which irrigates the fields and extensive gardens of
the village.*
The springs near Kul'at el-Ahsy, or el-Hassa, at the head
of Wady el-Ahsy, have already been referred to.^
WARM AND MINERAL FOUNTAINS.
The springs sending forth warm and mineral waters, have
been enumerated above with the rest. So far as is known,
they are found only in the depressed region of the Ghor.
They may be divided into three classes :
Hot Sulphur Springs are found in five places; namely,
near Tiberias, on the western shore of the lake ; temperature
144° F.^ In the deep chasm of the Yarmuk, north of Um
Keis, or Gadara; highest temperature 109° F.^ In the ravine
1 Seetzen, Reisen, I. p. 407, II. p. 323.
2 Burckhardt, S3'ria, p. 377.
3 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 379. Irby and Mangles, p. 137.
4 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 397.
« See above, p. 183. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 658.
6 See above, p. 205. ^ See above, p.l75.
264
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
of the Zerka Ma'in ( Callirrlwe) east of the Dead Sea.^ In
Wady Hamad, and in a branch of Wady el-Ahsy With
the exception of those near Tiberias, these are all on the east
of the Gh$r.
Warm Saline Springs occur at a single spot, in Wady
Malih, south of Beisan. The temperature of the water is
blood warm, or OS** F.^
Warm Springs in general, of which there are at least five
reported, all on the west of the Ghor. 'Ain el-Mellahah and
'Ain et-Tabighah are slightly warm and brackish.* 'Ain es-
Sultan, near Jericho, is slightly warm, but not brackish.^
'Ain el-Feshkah, on the western shore of the Dead Sea, is
quite brackish, with a temperature of 81° F., while 'Ain Jidy,
further south, has a temperature of 80° F., without any
brackish taste. ^
1 See above, p. 179.
8 See above, p. 254.
^ See above, p. 255.
2 See above, p. 260.
* See above, p. 251.
« See above, pp. 256, 257.
WELLS.
265
SECTION IV.
WELLS. CISTERNS. RESERVOIRS. AQUEDUCTS.
All these, as being the work of man, do not in a strict
sense belong to Physical Geography. Still, as they relate to
the supply and preservation of the natural element of water,
they may properly be considered here.
I. WELLS.
There are many wells in Palestine, particularly in those
parts remote from fountains and permanent streams. The
patriarchs, in their wanderings, caused wells to be dug for
the supply of their flocks and herds ; especially in the south
of Judea. Of these several remain unto the present day.
Abraham's servants thus dug several wells in the south ;
where, in those days, the Philistines likewise pastured their
flocks. After his death, the latter stopped the wells which
his servants had dug, and filled them with earth.^ Only one
of Abraham's wells is spoken of by name, that of Beer-
sheba, * well of the oath.' Here, too, Isaac digged a well,
after having restored^ the others ; probably a second well,
for the better supply of his numerous flocks.^ These wells
are still known among the Arabs at Bir es-Seba'.
Upon the northern side of Wady es-Seba', close upon the
1 Gen. xxvi. 15, 18. 2 Qen. xxvi. 25, 32, 33.
34
266
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
bank, are the two deep and ancient wells which give occasion
for this name. They are circular, and are stoned up very
neatly with solid masonry, apparently of great antiquity.
The larger one is twelve and a half feet in diameter, and
forty-four and a half feet deep to the surface of the w^ater (in
April, 1838) ; sixteen feet of which, at the bottom, is exca-
vated in the solid rock. The other well is fifty-five rods
W. S. W., and is five feet in diameter, and forty-two feet
deep. The water in both is pure and sweet, and in great
abundance. Both wells are surrounded with drinking-
troughs of stone for camels and flocks ; such as were doubt-
less used of old for the latter, wliich then fed on the neigh-
boring hills. The curbstones aio deeply worn by the fric-
tion of the ropes in drawing up water by hand.^
Of Isaac it is related, that he removed from the city Gerar,
and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar ; where he " dig-
ged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the
days of Abraham his father," and which the Philistines had
stopped after the death of Abraham.^ His servants likewise
digged two other wells, called Esek and Sitnah, apparently
in or near the same valley ; from which the Philistines drove
them away.^ Isaac then " removed from thence, and dig-
ged another well ; and for that they strove not ; and he
called the name of it Rehoboth," ' wide places, room.'^ It is
an ob\'ious suggestion, that this name may be preserved in
the modern er-Ruliaibeh, the name of a Wady on which are
the ruins of an extensive ancient city, about eight hours
1 Biblical Researches, L p. 204 [L p. 300J. Stewart, Tent and Kban, p. 214.
Dr. Durbin mentions a third well now filled up, Travels, I. p. 200. Van de Velde
speaks of five wells of smaller diameter in the dry bed of the Wady; Narrative,
n. p. 136.
2 Gen. xxvi. 6, 17, 18. 3 Qen. xxvi. 19, 21.
* Gen. xxvi. 22.
WELLS.
267
south of Beersheba. There is hero an ancient well, now
filled up, twelve feet in diameter, and regularly built up with
hewn stone ; one course of the stones being still visible above
ground. 1 It seems, indeed, not improbable tliat Isaac, when
driven away from his wells in the valley of Gerar, followed
up that valley, or its branches, until he came to the fertile
Wady er-Ruhaibeh.2 There, his servants, having dug this
well in quiet, a city of the same name afterwards sprang
up around it. I am disposed to accept this identity of name
and place ; especially as it is said that Isaac " went up from
thence to Beersheba," implying a journey of some distance.^
But down to the year 1838, there is no historical notice, so
far as is known, either of the well or city, since the days of
Isaac.
It was after this that Isaac caused the second well to be
dug at Beersheba, as above related.^
Jacob, on his return from Syria, purchased a piece of
ground on the east of Shechem, now Nabulus ; where he
pitched his tent and erected an altar to the Lord.^ He after-
wards removed to Bethel, and again to Mamre and Hebron,
where he seems to have dwelt until his departure for Egypt ;
liaving possession apparently of the wells of his fatliers in the
south.^ In the Old Testament it is nowhere said that Jacob
dug any wells ; but from the New Testament we learn, that
he caused one to be dug on the piece of ground which he
bought near Shechem."^ At this well our Lord held his
remarkable conversation with the Samaritan woman ; and
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 19G [L p. 290]. Stewart, Tent and Khan, p. 202.
2 See above, p. 123. 3 Qen. xxvi. 23.
* Gen. xxvi. 25, 31, 32; comp. vs. 18.
^ Gen. xxxiii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 32.
« Gen. XXXV. 1, 3, 6, 15, 16, 27, xxxvii. 14, xlvi. 1, 5.
? John iv. 5-12.
268
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
there is no doubt but that the same well remains to this day.
Wc know from Jerome, that as early as the fourth century
a church was erected near the well ; the ruins and three
granite columns of which are still seen around it.^
The opening of the well, as seen from without, is very
small ; and is usually covered with a stone. But this is only
an orifice in the roof of a vault or dome of stone, built up
over the proper mouth of the well. In this vault was for-
merly an altar ; on which Greek and Latin priests were ac-
customed to celebrate mass once a year. The well itself is
nine feet in diameter, and seventy-five feet deep, entirely
hewn out of the solid rock. It is a work of great labor, and
bears marks of the highest antiquity. The well is often dry ;
it was so in June, 1838, and nearly so in April, 1843 ; while
in April, 1839, it had ten or twelve feet of water. These
variations are the more singular, since the neighboring foun-
tains of Defneh and Belatali, the latter quite near, are un-
derstood to be permanent, sending forth their large streams
all the year round.^
It may here be asked, how the Samaritan woman can be
supposed to have come from the city, now half an hour dis-
tant, in order to draw water, when too she must have passed
directly by large fountains on her way ? To this it may be
replied, that probably the ancient city of Shechem once ex-
tended much further down the valley towards the well ; and
also, that there may naturally have been in the minds of the
inhabitants, an idea of the greater purity and value of the
water of Jacob's well ; so that they occasionally resorted to
1 Hieron. (cd. Martianay), Ep. 86; Epit. Paulae, p. 676. Biblical Researches,
IL P.2&4 [HL p. 110].
2 Biblical Researches, IL pp. 283, 284 [III. pp. 109, 110]. Wilson, Lands of the
Bible, IL pp. 55-57. See above, p. 248.
WELLS.
2G9
it even for a small supply. The woman had only a water-
jar.i
More difficult is it to understand, why a well, excavated
with so much labor, should ever have been dug on this spot
at all ; so near to large fountains and streams. For this I
am unable to account, unless by supposing, that in this land
of earthquakes these fountains may have burst forth at some
later period, after the well was dug.
Besides the wells of the patriarchs, there are many others
bearing the marks of high antiquity. Such is the well of
Job, the ancient En^Rogel, in the valley under Jerusalem ;
to bo described among the waters of the Holy City. At
Milii QMoladali)^ quite in the southeast of Judah, are two old
wells, measuring about forty feet in depth, and walled up
round with good mason-work ; one is seven and a half and
the other five feet in diameter. The water is not in high re-
pute among the Arabs. ^
Near Idhna (Jedna) southeast of Beit Jibrin, is a large
public well ; the curbstones of which are much worn by the
friction of ropes. ^ Xear Beit Jibrin itself (^Eleutheropolis}
are three large public wells, apparently ancient, and sur-
rounded with drinking troughs.^ At Summeil, on the way
to Gaza, is a large public well, one hundred and ten feet
deep to the water, and eleven feet in diameter ; the walls are
circular, and composed of hewn stones of good masonry.^
At Huj and Sukkariyeh, villages lying between Gaza and
Bait Jibrin, are wells probably ancient ; that of the former
is nearly two hundred feet deep.^ At Daniyal, east of Lydda,
1 John iv. 28, vBpia. 2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 200 [II. p. 619].
» Biblical Researches, IT. p. 57 [IT. p. 404].
* Biblical Researches, II. p. 26 [II. p. 257].
« Biblical Researches, II. p. 33 [II. p. 367].
6 Biblical Researches, n. pp. 45, 50 [II. pp. 386, 393].
270
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
is likewise one, one hundred and sixty feet deep.^ Further,
there are ancient wells at Kefr Saba (^Antipatris} , near Kefr
Kud QCapa7'coiia), and at Kefr Menda in Galilee.^
Occasionally wells appear to have been dug at a distance
from towns or villages, by the wayside, for the convenience
of travellers and their animals, or of flocks and herds pas-
tured in the region. Thus in Wady es-Sumt, southeast of
Beit Nettif, is an ancient well of this kind, twenty-five or
thirty feet deep ; and in another valley further west, is a
second similar well, at which there were many flocks.^
Between 'Ain Shems (^Beth- Shemesli) and Akir (^Ekron)
are two such wells ; the one nearest Ekron being quite
large, and usually surrounded by flocks.^ On the way from
Lydda to Beit 'Ur QBeth-horoii) there is a well near a former
Wely, called Um Rush ; and another further east by the
wayside.^ Not far southeast of 'Akka also, on one of the
great roads leading into Galilee, are two similar wells, at
some distance apart.^
Of King Uzziah it is related, that he built towers in the
desert and digged many wells [or cisterns] ; for he had
much cattle." Whether these were wells or cisterns (the He-
brew word may signify either), they were obviously intended
for the flocks and herds.
These public wells are ordinarily surrounded with drink-
ing troughs of stone, rarely of wood, for the use of animals.
Sometimes ancient sarcophagi are employed for this purpose.
Thus at Kefr Menda in Galilee no less than three such sar-
4
1 Biblical Researches, H. p. 248 [HL p. 55].
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 139, 121, 109.
3 Biblical Researches, H. pp. 21, 22 [H. pp. 350, 351].
< Biblical Researches, H. p. 226 [HL pp. 20, 21].
« Biblical Researches, IL pp. 249, 250 [IH. pp. 57, 58].
6 Later Biblical Researches^ p. 89. ^ 2 Chron. xxvi. 10.
WELLS.
271
copliagi lie around the great well of the village as drinking-
troiiglis. One of them is sculptured on the side with not
inelegant festoons.^
Around these wells there are frequently, even at this day,
scenes of pastoral life, not unlike those of the patriarchal
times. Thus at Beit Jibrin, in 1838, flocks and herds were
gathered around the wells ; while men and women were
drawing water, and filling for them the many drinking-
troughs.2 At the well in the valley west of Wady es-Sumt,
many cattle, flocks of sheep and of kids, and also camels,
were all waiting around ; and men and women were ])usily
employed in supplying them with water. These hospitable
people at once offered and drew water for us and our thirsty
animals, without expectation of reward.^ Similar scenes
were repeated at various other wells.
The mode of drawing water is various. Where the well
is not too deep, the rope of the bucket is usually let down
and drawn up by hand. At Summeil, where the well is over
a hundred feet deep, the rope was passed over a pulley above
the well ; and then several women hauled it up by running
off with it a long distance into the fields.* At the still deeper
wells of Huj and D^niyfil, the rope was fitted in like manner
over a pulley, and was drawn up by a yoke of oxen driven
off in a straight line into the fields.^ At Sukkariyeh, a vil-
lage which had just been rebuilt by Sheikh Sa'id, governor
of Gaza, an Egyptian Sikieh had been introduced ; that is,
an endless rope, with jars attached to it, passing over a
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 109.
2 Biblical Researches, IL p. 26 [11. p.. 357].
8 Biblical Researches, IL p. 22 [IL p. 351].
* Biblical Researches, IL p. 33 [IL p. 367].
« Biblical Researches, II. pp. 45, 248 [II. p. 367, III. p. 55].
272 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
wheel above the well ; this was turned by a camel travelling
in a circle.^
Still more common seems to be the drawing of water by
means of a reel placed horizontally on a platform over the
mouth of the well, with the rope fastened to it. A man sit-
ting on a bar or bench level with the axis, winds up the rope
by drawing the top of the reel towards him with his hands,
and at the same time pushing the bottom of it from him with
his feet. We saw this method first at the well west of Wady
es-Sumt, where the reel was small and was turned by one
man ; and again at the well southeast of Ekron, where the
reel was larger and two men were at work ; the same machine
was also in use at the two wells southeast of 'Akka.^
This method of raising water was formerly known in
Egypt, though now superseded there ; and seems to afford
the best explanation of what is meant in Scripture by the
phrase " watering with the foot." ^
n. CISTERNS.
As rain falls in Palestine ordinarily only in the period
from November till March ; and during summer the winter-
brooks dry up, and the fountains become low ; it is important
for the inliabitants to preserve the waters of the rainy months
into the dry season, and until the autumnal rains again com-
mence. This is done in cisterns beneath the surface of the
ground ; and in reservoirs above ground.
These cisterns are quite frequent ; and have, for the most
part, apparently come down from ancient times. They are
1 Biblical Researches, IT. p. 50 [II. p. 393].
2 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 22, 226 [II. p. 351, III. p. 21]. Later Biblical Re-
searches, p. 80.
3 Deut. xi. 10. See especially Biblical Researches, I.,Note 2, end of the volume.
CISTERNS.
273
usually, if not always, excavated in the underlying rock ;
which w^ould seem not difficult to be wrought, and sufficiently
compact to hold the water. Not unfrequently the walls are
plastered over with cement. Jerusalem itself is supplied
with w^atcr mainly from its cisterns ; and the same is true
of many towns and villages in the hill-country. Ancient
cisterns are still found likewise in the fields and along the
high roads ; in which the water of the rainy season was col-
lected, for the sustenance of the flocks and herds, and^for
the comfort of the traveller and his beasts.
The cistern is usually nothing more than an excavated
chamber, with a round opening at the top. In the country
this opening is generally kept covered with one or more
large stones. In the town and in houses, the water is con-
ducted into the cistern from the roofs and paved courts ; and
the opening is often built up around with stonework, and
furnished with a curb and a wheel for the bucket ; so that
externally the whole has the appearance of a well. Some-
times tlie mouth of the cistern is at one side or corner, with
steps left in the rock to descend into it and bring up water.^
It is needless to name the places where cisterns are still
to be found. The whole hill-country of Judea and Gali-
lee is full of them. In the low plains, where there is little
underlying rock, they are not frequent, and occur only in
parts where rock exists. A few notices will suffice.
At Ruhaibeh, probably Isaac's well Rehobothy now in the
desert, there are a number of cisterns among the ruins of
the houses.^ In the circuit of the fortress Masada, now
Sebbeh, are still seen several cisterns ; one of them very
large, being nearly fifty feet deep, a hundred long, and forty
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 85, 281.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 197 [1. p. 290].
35
274 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAXD.
broad, with steps to descend into it, and having its walls
still covered with a white cement.^ At Beni Xa'im, east of
Hebron, are likewise ancient cisterns, and there are several
along the road leading to it from the north ; one of these still
well covered on the inside with cement, though now broken.^
On the summit of Tell Zif ( Zipli) a number of cisterns are
still seen ; and on the way from Carmel to 'Ain Jidy through
the desert are two deep ones, still used by the Bedawin ;
and a third, further down, was hewn out of the rock, a column
being left to support the roof ; but the roof is now broken
away.^
Around Hebron there are many cisterns ; some of them
very large. The town itself appears to have been mainly
supplied from its fountains ; and private cisterns are not
found in the houses, as at Jerusalem^ But outside of the
city, round about, a large provision of cisterns was made for
the flocks and herds pastured on the neighboring hills. Thus
there are two large ones just north of the city ; also two
others in Wady en-Xusarah, still further north, one of which
is kept covered with a heavy stone ; besides others casually
mentioned.^ On the slope and summit of the hill south of
er-Rameh, or Abram's House, are several large and remarka-
ble ancient cisterns. Southeast of these is the vast and sin-
gular excavation known as Bir Ijda ; which, according to
Eosen, is a cistern of enormous extent hewn out in the soft
limestone rock of the region. It has three openings in the
top for drawing water ; from the main opening to a second,
1 Wolcott, in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1813, p. 64.
2 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 488-490 [H. pp. 185-188].
3 Biblical Researches, L pp. 492, 499 [H. pp. 191, 202].
* Rosen, in Zeitschr. der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, 1858, XH. p. 490.
« Rosen, in Zeitschr. der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, 1858, XH. pp. 483,
484, 487.
CISTERNS.
275
northwest, is forty-six paces ; and from the same point to the
third, south, twenty-eight paces. The roof is supported by
pillars left in the rock itself. The distance between the sur-
face of the water and the roof, as seen by Wolcott in March
and by Rosen late in summer, was about six feet. On one
side a sloping passage has been cut down to the water, by
which animals can descend and drink. This passage was
furnished with a door, and an ornamental portal. One of
the cisterns in TTady en-Xusarah, called Bir Beshat, has in
like manner a passage for animals to go down.^
On the ancient way between Jericho and Bethel are still
to be seen several old and broken cisterns ; indicating that
this was once an important and frequented road.^
At the ruined Khan opposite er-Ram, is a public cistern ;
and another ten minutes north of Deir Jemr, by the way-
side, where women were washing, and where at first we were
refused water for our animals.^ Rfimin, a village northwest
of Samaria, is wholly supplied by cisterns ; which are nu-
merous in that and other villages of the region : as well as
along the roads. Thus, beyond 'Anebta, further west, are
two cisterns by the wayside, at which women were drawing
water and bearing it off in jars.^
At Hableh on the border of the western plain, near An-
tipatris, our tent, in 1852, was pitched in a low tract, in the
midst of cisterns dug out in sunken rock, mostly with a
round opening at the top. Some were entirely open, with
steps to descend into them. A large one was twelve feet
1 Rosen, in Zeitschr. der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, 1858, XII. pp. 496, 497,
490. Wolcott, in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, pp. 55, 56.
2 Biblical Researches I. p. .573. [11. p. 311].
8 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 287, 291.
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 127, 129.
276 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
long by nine feet broad and eight feet deep ; two rude and
very flat arches were thrown over it ; and on these rested the
covering of flat stones, some of which still remained. All
these excavations were evidently ancient ; and were thus nu-
merous just here in the low ground, because of the greater
abundance of water in the rainy season. Only one of them
was now in use.^
On the summit of Tabor are several ancient cisterns ; in
one of which we found good water.^
The water of cisterns is not always the most pure and
pleasant. Where it is collected from roofs and courts, which
are kept clean, and the cisterns themselves are duly cleansed,
the water, as mostly in Jerusalem, is pure, sweet, and cool.
But in the villages and fields, where it is gathered from dirty
roofs, and streets, and the surface of the ground, it contains
many impurities, and soon acquires a disagreeable smell and
nauseous taste ; exhibiting also the small wriggling worms
usually found in stagnant rain water. The contrast between
the dead water of cisterns and the living water of gushing
fountains, as well as the liability of cisterns to get out of
repair and lose their water, furnished to the prophet Jere-
miah one of his finest figures : " My people have committed
two evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living
waters, and hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that
can hold no water." ^
Cisterns were sometimes used as dungeons to confine pris-
oners. The pit into which Joseph was cast by his brethren,
was a cistern in the fields around Dothan ; it is said ex-
pressly, " the pit was empty ; there was no water in it.'' *
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 137.
2 BibUcal Researches, H. p. 333 [HL p. 214].
3 Jer. ii. 13. * Gen. xxxvii. 22, 24.
RESERVOIRS OR TANKS. 277
The dungeon into which Jeremiah was let down with cords,
was a deep cistern in the court of the prison ; in it " there
was no water, but mire." ^
Cisterns for Grain. Another kind of cisterns is found in
the southern portion of Palestine, which serve for the storing
and preservation of grain after it is threshed. The cisterns
proper are designed to receive and hold water ; these are
intended to keep out water. A dry spot is selected near a
village, where all water can readily be turned away ; and
several of these pits are usually constructed near together.
The form is ordinarily that of a dome or bell, with a round
opening at top ; which, after the grain is stored, is closed
and made tight with cement. By covering the mouth over
with earth, such a storehouse may be entirely hidden from
robbers and enemies. In this dry soil grain may thus be
preserved sound for years, and kept also from mice and other
vermin.
These granaries are to be found in many parts of Judea;
in Galilee small magazines of stone are erected. In the vil-
lage of Kubab, southeast of Ramleh, we had to pick our way
with some difficulty among the numerous openings leading
to thes6 subterranean storehouses. We remember several,
also, near the village in the Mount of Olives.^
III. RESERVOIRS OR TANKS.
The artificial reservoirs or tanks for collecting and pre-
serving water above ground, are in the English Version
called Pools. The Hebrew name is Berekah ; which reap-
pears in the Arabic form Birkeh. They are frequent in Pal-
1 Jcr. xxxviii. 6; comp. xxxvii. 21.
2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 143. Comp. Thomson, Land and Book, II, p. 262.
278
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
estine ; especially in the parts which are remote from foun-
tains and wells ; and have been constructed mainly for the
supply of flocks and herds. They are usually near a village
and in a valley or depression, where the water can readily
be conducted into them. Sometimes they are formed merely
by a wall or dam thrown across the valley ; at other times
there is also a wall at the upper end. Sometimes the rocky
walls of the valley serve for the sides ; or, again, both sides
and ends are built up with solid masonry, forming a mas-
sive quadrangle. Many of the pools still to be met with are
ancient. Indeed, I do not remember to have seen in Pales-
tine any reservoir of recent construction ; except one near
'Arrabeh in Galilee ; and that was already broken. ^
What has been said above in respect to the impurity of
cistern water, holds true in a higher degree of the water of
open reservoirs. It brings with it all the impurities incident
to the cistern ; and is further exposed to the sun and dust,
and to the presence of reptiles and vermin. In not a few,
the cattle and dogs enter the water at will ; and soon impart
to it the taste and odor of the stable. This water is used by
the inhabitants for cooking and washing ; and some have no
other supply .2
Some of the largest of the ancient reservoirs now remain-
ing are at Jerusalem, and will be described in connection
with the other waters of the Holy City. Most of the scrip-
tural allusions to ' pools ' refer to Jerusalem ; indeed, only
two others are definitely mentioned.
One of these is at Hebron. In the south part of the town,
in the bed of the valley, is the largest of the two pools now
seen at Hebron ; a square reservoir, measuring one hundred
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 84.
2 Comp. Thomson, Land and Book, I. p. 316.
RESERVOIRS OR TAXES.
279
and thirty-three feet on each side, built with hewn stones of
good workmanship. The whole depth is nearly twenty-nine
feet ; of which the water, in May, 1826, occupied not quite
fourteen feet. In the beginning of September, Rosen found
still several feet of water in the pool ; but at the end of the
month it was empty, and the mud at bottom dried by the
sun. Flights of steps lead down into it at each corner. Just
at the north end of the main part of the town is the smaller
pool, also in the bed of the valley, eighty-five feet long by
fifty-five broad ; its depth is nearly nineteen feet, of which
the water occupied not quite seven feet. These reservoirs
seemed to furnish the main supply of the town at the time
(1838), notwithstanding the various fountains ; and were
constantly frequented by persons carrying away the water in
skins. That of the smaller pool was neither clear nor clean.
The pools were said to be filled only by the rains ; though
there is no brook in the valley, even in the rainy season.
Rosen supposes that the pools themselves are ancient ; but
that the present masonry is modern, the work of the Muham-
medans. The larger and more public of these reservoirs is,
probably, the pool in Hebron," over which David hanged
up the assassins of Ishbosheth.^
The other scriptural reference is to the pool of Gib-
eon." 2 The fine fountain of Gibeon is situated a little east
of the village, on the north side of the rocky ridge, just
below the top ; it is in a cavern excavated under the high
rock, so as to form a subterranean reservoir of considerable
size. Some eight or ten rods below it, among the olive trees,
are the remains of a larger open reservoir, similar to that
1 2 Sam. iv. 12. Biblical Researches, 11. p. 74 [11. p. 432]. Rosen, m Zeitschr.
der Deutschen morg. Gesellschaft, 1858, XII. p. 490.
2 2 Sam. ii. 13.
280
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAOT).
at Hebron ; intended anciently, no doubt, to receive the
waters overflowing from the cavern during the rainy season.
This is probably the same spoken of by the prophet as " the
great waters in Gibeon ; " so called as compared with the
waters of the cavern.^ Here took place the challenge of
Abner to Joab, and the battle between their followers, ter-
minated by the defeat and flight of the former, and the death
of Asahel.^
The Psalmist also once refers to the fact, that the rain
filletli the pools," as an emblem of pastoral and agricultural
prosperity.^
Among the largest ancient reservoirs in Palestine, was
that at Bethel, in the shallow western valley. It measures
three hundred and fourteen feet in length, by two hundred
and seventeen feet in breadth ; the walls were built with mas-
sive masonry. The southern wall is still entire ; those upon
the sides are partly gone ; the northern one has almost dis-
appeared. This large pool was fed by two living springs
within it.*
At the probable site of ancient Ai, in the western valley,
where the rocks at the side are precipitous for a few feet in
height, there are no less than three ancient reservoirs, mostly
dug in the rock, and having the following dimensions : ^
Length. Breadth. Depth.
Upper or Northern, . . 110 feet. 32 feet. 6 feet.
Middle, .... 37 26 12
Lower, .... 88 22 15
Other similar reservoirs, or pools, of various sizes, have
1 Jer. xli. 12. Biblical Researches, I. p. 455 [II. p. 13GJ. Barclay, City of the
Great King, p. 549.
2 2 Sam. ii. 12-24. ^ pg. Lxxxiv. 6.
4 Biblical Researches, I. p. 449 [H. p. 127].
« Biblical Researches,- 1, p. 574 [H. p. 312].
RESERVOIRS OR TxiNKS.
281
come down from antiquity ; for example, one at Ramali of
Benjamin ; ^ two or three at Neby Samwil (^Mizpelt) ; ^ two
at el-Bireh (^Beerotli) fed from tlie fountain ; ^ a deep one
cut in the rock at Rummon (^Rimmon) ;^ a large one with a
high wall at 'Akrabeli in the toparchy of Acrabatene ; ^ and
in various other places.
Solomon'' s Pools. Of all the ancient reservoirs in the Holy
Land, by far the largest and most important are the three
immense tanks which the tradition of monks and travellers
knows only as " Solomon's Pools ; " but called by the Arabs
simply el-Burak, " the Pools." They are situated an hour
southwest of Bethlehem on the way to Hebron. They are in
the open head or basin of a valley declining towards the east,
just above the point where it becomes narrow and is joined
by other nearly parallel valleys in tlie south. The pools are
some distance apart ; each on a different level, so that the
bottom of the one is higher than the surface of the next
below ; and they do not lie in a straight line. As seen from
without, they appear as massive structures built up above
the ground ; the upper or western end of each being slightly
higher than the eastern. The following measurements were
taken in 1838:6
I. Eastern or Loaver Pool.
Length, 582 feet. Breadth, east end 207 feet, west end 148 feet.
Depth at east end, 50 feet ; of which 6 feet water.
II. Middle Tool.
Distance above Lower Pool, 248 feet.
Length, 423 feet. Breadth, east end 250 feet, west end 160 feet.
Depth at east end, 39 feet ; of which 14 feet water.
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 287.
2 Biblical Researches, L p. 457 [XL p. 140].
3 Biblical Researches, I. p. 451 [IL p. 136].
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 290.
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 296.
6 Biblical Researches, I. p. 474 [II. pp. 164, 165].
36
282
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Ill, Upper Pool.
Distance above Middle Pool, 160 feet.
Length, 380 feet. Breadth, east end 236 feet, west end 229 feet.
Depth at east end, 25 feet ; of which 15 feet water.
The walls of the reservoirs are built of large hewn stones.
The bottom is formed by the naked shelving rock, which
constitutes the bed of the valley, leaving only a narrow
channel along the middle, and having several offsets or ter-
races along each side. The inside walls and bottoms of all
the reservoirs, so far as visible, are covered with cement ;
and the lower one, in 1838, had been recently repaired.
Flights of steps lead down in various places into all the pools.
Near the northwest corner of the upper pool there is now
an old square Saracenic castle, also called el-Burak.
The main source of supply for all these reservoirs, is a
sunken fountain, situated in the open and gradually ascend-
ing fields, about forty rods northwest of the castle. Here one
sees only the narrow mouth of a well, which is usually kept
stopped with a large stone, too heavy to be removed without
the efforts of several men. The fountain is thus described
by Maundrell : ^ " Through this hole you descend directly
down, but not without some difficulty, for about four yards ;
and then arrive at a vaulted room fifteen paces long and
eight broad. Joining to this, is another room of the same
fashion, but somewhat less. Both these rooms are covered
with handsome stone arches, very ancient, and perhaps the
work of Solomon himself. You find here four places at
which the water rises. From these separate sources it is
conveyed by little rivulets into a kind of basin ; and from
thence is carried by a large subterranean passage down to
the pools."
1 Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, April 1, 1G97.
RESERVOIRS OR TANKS.
283
This subterranean passage terminates at the northwest
corner of the upper pool, in a sort of artificial fountain just
above the latter, so arranged that the water here divides.
A part passes off through a small channel or aqueduct, which
rnns along the north side of the pools ; while another part is
turned down into a vaulted but not large subterranean cham-
ber, whence it flows off through a square passage to the ad-
jacent upper pool. The aqueduct above mentioned contin-
ues along the north side of all the reservoirs, giving off a
portion of its w^aters to the middle pool, and another portion
to the lower one. It then passes down a steep declivity, to
join a similar channel leading from the lower end of the
lower pool, as also another coming from a parallel valley in
the north. There is also a similar channel coming around
the point of the hill from higher up in the southern valley,
intended to bring the waters of the rainy season from that
quarter into the lower pool, about a hundred feet west of its
lower end.
At the eastern end of the lower pool a large external abut-
ment is built up, in which is a passage and a vaulted room
extending under the massive wall of the reservoir, quite up
near to the water. This room appears to be not unlike those
at the sunken fountain ; but the purpose for which it was
constructed it is difficult to explain.
These pools furnish in summer a place for bathing and
swimming ; and are sometimes so used by the Franks of
Jerusalem.^
These great reservoirs are nowhere mentioned or directly
alluded to in Scripture ; nor is any ancient historical notice
of them known to exist. The object for which they were
1 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 474-476 [II. pp. 1G5-1G8]. Barclay, City of the
Great King, pp. 554-557.
284
PHYSICAL GEOGRArilY OF THE HOLY LAND.
constructed may have been twofold. According to late Jew-
ish writers, cited in the Talmud, the temple in Jerusalem
was supplied with water by an aqueduct from the fountain
at Etam, which was on the way to Hebron. To this day an
aqueduct leads from one of these ancient reservoirs and
from the fountain that feeds them, to the site of the ancient
temple. Here was one object. And if the gardens of Sol-
omon at Etam were in the fertile valley below the pools, as
is probable, then another use of the latter may have been to
supply water for irrigating these gardens during the dry
summer season. There is, however, no visible arrangement
for drawing off water, either into the aqueduct or to the
valley below, except from the lower pool.^
If such were the objects for which the pools were con-
structed, their antiquity may well go back to the days of
Solomon.
IV. AQUEDUCTS.
There are several aqueducts of the middle ages near Jer-
icho, supported on pointed arches, and intended to distribute
over the plain, around and north of that place, the waters
of the fountain of Duk and 'Ain es-Sultan.^ There is like-
wise a modern aqueduct in the plain of 'Akka, bringing
water to the city.^ The Haram at Hebron is also supplied
with water from two or three fountains, by means of modern
conduits.
•J Scripture speaks of three ancient conduits or aqueducts at
; Jerusalem; namely, 1. Siloam, "which is by. interpretation,
Sent,^^ referring to the subterranean passage by which the
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 348 [I. p. 515].
2 Biblical Researches, I. pp. 5(33, 508 [II. pp. 298, 304].
3 Later Biblical Researches, p. 91.
AQUEDUCTS.
285
pool of Siloam is fed. 2. " The conduit of the upper pool,"
bringing down its waters, as now, to the city. 3. The aque-
duct mentioned by Josephus, supplying water to the tower
of Ilippicus and to Herod's palace on Zion.^ Possibly the
latter two are identical. They will all be treated of among
the waters of Jerusalem.
The aqueduct leading from Solomon's Pools and the foun-
tain which feeds them, to the great mosque of Jerusalem, the
site of the Jewish temple, is doubtless, in great part ancient ;
though, like the pools, it is not alluded to in Scripture.
The fact recorded by Jewish writers, cited in the Talmud,
that the temple was supplied with water by an aqueduct
from the fountain of Etam on the way to Hebron, is con-
clusive. Josephus too relates, that Solomon took pleasure
in Etam, which was fifty furlongs from Jerusalem, and had
fine gardens and streams of water. Scripture names it
between Bethlehem and Tekoa.^
The beginning of the aqueduct, at the fountain and at the
lower pool, has been described above. From thence it winds
along the sides of the hills, preserving its level, until it
reaches the southern slope of the hill on wliich Bethlehem
stands. Here is a cistern, or rather reservoir, at some depth
below the surface, through which the water flows, and from
which it is drawn up with buckets to supply the inhabitants.
From this point it is carried by a tunnel through the hill,
below the saddle lying between the town and the convent.
Hence it is again conducted along the slopes of the hills pass-
ing just on the south and east of the convent Mar EUas ; it
1 John ix, 7; Isa. vii. 3; 2 Kings xviii. 17. Joseph. Bel. Jud., 5. 7. 3. Ibid.,
2. 17. 9.
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 348 [I. p. 515]. Joseph. Antiq., 8. 7. 3. 2 Chron.
xi. C.
286
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
is seen on the east of the plain of Rephaim, and is brought
into the valley of Hinnom, which it crosses on low arches at
a point a little north of the southwest corner of the city wall.
It then passes along the southern and eastern slopes of Zion,
and entering the city is carried by an excavated tunnel for
some distance along the eastern perpendicular face of Zion ;
and at last crosses on the mound leading to the Haram.
In 1838 water was flowing in the aqueduct as far as to some
distance north of Bethlehem ; but did not reach Jerusalem.
The channel of the aqueduct is usually conducted along
the surface of the ground. For some distance from the pools
and in other places, it is laid with tubes of red pottery,
twelve or fifteen inches long and eight or ten inches in di-
ameter, cemented into each other. Afterwards, for mucli of
the way, it consists merely of stones laid in cement, forming
a small covered channel of perhaps a foot in breadth and
depth. There are occasional openings, which serve as ven-
tilators, through wliich also water may be obtained. ^
But the present channel and course of the aqueduct are
not everywhere the most ancient. On the gentle acclivity
northeast of Rachel's Sepulchre, up wliich passes the Hebron
and Jerusalem road, are still seen the traces of a more an-
cient aqueduct. It was obviously carried up the slope by
means of tubes or perforated blocks of stone, fitted together
with sockets and tenons, and originally cemented. These
blocks are seen for some distance up the acclivity ; and the
aqueduct crossed a saddle in the ridge just north, in a mass
of large hewn stones, which yet remain. This could only
have been an ancient channel of the aqueduct from Solo-
mon's Pools ; which at the present day is carried around the
1 Biblical Researches, L p. 347 [L p. 514j. Toblcr, Dritte Wandcrung, p. 84.
Barclay, City of the Great Kinj^, p. 557.
AQUEDUCTS.
287
eastern end of the same ridge. The circumstances show
that the ancient builders were acquainted with the fact, that
water in a close aqueduct rises to the level of its source.
The remains of an ancient aqueduct, constructed on the
like principle, are seen between Beit Miry and Brummana
on Lebanon.!
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 273, 285; comp. p. 17.
/
CHAPTER III.
CLIMATE.
The parallels of north latitude which embrace Palestine,
(31° to 3o° 16), if extended westward, pass wholly south of
Greece and its islands, of Italy and its islands, and of Spain.
They strike the northern coast of Africa along the Mediter-
ranean, and the southern part of the United States of Amer-
ica, or the Gulf States so called. These circumstances,
together with the general position and physical features of
the country, remove tlie Holy Land from any relations of
climate with southern and western Europe and the north-
ern American States ; and bring it more into analogy with
northern Africa and the Gulf States of America.
I. SEASONS.^
The occidental division of the year into four seasons is
not applicable to Palestine, and is unknown in Scripture.
The Bible makes mention only of summer and winter ; the
latter as the season of rain.^ There is no allusion in the
Old Testament or the New, in Hebrew or in the English
Version, to the seasons of spring and autumn.
1 See generally Biblical Researches, I. pp. 428-431 [II. pp. 96-100]. Comp. also
Tobler, Dcnkbl., pp. 1-35. Dritte Wanderunfr, pp. 206-211.
2 Gen. viii. 22; Ps. Ixxiv. 17; Zech. xiv. 8; Cant. ii. 11.
SEASONS.
289
At the prcsont day the division of seasons is the same as
of old. The variations of rain and sunshine, wliicli in the
west exist more or less throughout the whole year, are in
Palestine confined chiefly to the interval between the latter
part of October and the early part of April, a period of not
yet six montlis ; while the remaining months enjoy almost
uninterruptedly a cloudless sky.
Winter or the Rainy Season. The rains usually begin
to fall in the latter half of October or beginning of No-
vember ; not suddenly, but by degrees. This gives to the
husbandman time and opportunity to plough his ground and
SQW his fields of winter wheat and barley. The rains in-
crease for some time, coming mostly from the west and
southwest ; they last for two or three days at a time, falling
especially during the night. Then the wind chops round
to the north or east, and several days of fine weather succeed.
This alternation of groups of rainy days, followed by longer
intervals of sunshine, continues through the winter. Dur-
ing the months of November and December, the rains still
fall heavily ; afterwards they return only at longer intervals,
and are less heavy ; but at no period during the winter
do they entirely cease to occur. During these intervals of
fine weather, the husbandman sows a later crop of barley,
and also his summer grains.^ The rains usually continue
to fall more or less through the month of March ; but are
rare after that period. In 18-38, there was little or no rain
in March ; and the whole quantity of rain was less than
usual. In 1852 the rains were abundant, and lasted through
the first week of April. The rains are often accompanied
by thunder and lightning.
Observations made in Jerusalem give the following results
1 Barclay, City of the Great King, pp. 421, 422.
37
290 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
as to the proportion of rainy days at that point during the
winter seasons of 1843 and 1845.
1843-4. The rain began with a thunder-shower, Oct. 25.
In November rain fell on seventeen days ; in December
thirteen days, and once snow; January, eight days, and
twice frost at night ; February, seven days ; March, ten days ;
April, eight days, the month being colder than usual. There
were also showers on five days in May.^
1845-6. In November rain fell on four days ; December,
tliirteen days ; January, thirteen days ; February, eleven
days ; to March 18, two days. But during the whole winter,
there was no day in which the sun was not visible for a
longer or shorter time.^
Snow often falls at Jerusalem and in the hill-country,
mostly in January and February, to the depth of a foot or
more ; but does not long remain. In February, 1797, a
deep snow lay for twelve or thirteen days at Jerusalem ; and
in 1818, it lay over a foot deep for five days.^ On the 9th
of January, 1807, Seetzen, being at Jericho, saw the oppo-
site mountains of 'Ajlun, the Belka, and Kerak, covered al-
most to their foot witli snow, which had fallen during the
night ; though not a flake had fallen in all the Ghor. The
mountains around Jerusalem were in like manner covered
the same night ; and the snow lay for several days.* In
the winter of 1820, there was snow upon the hills of Gal-
ilee, but only for four hours.^
Hail falls in the hill-country, in the rainy season, more
1 Lanneau, in Monatsb. dcr Berliner Ges. fUr Erdk., 1847-48, p. 48.
2 Tobler, Dcnkbl., p. 2L
3 Brown's Travels, p. 3GL Scholz, Reise, p. 138.
♦ Seetzen, Reisen, IL p. 300.
Scholz, Reise, pp. 137, 138. For falls of snow in various other years, see
Tobler, Dritte Wanderung, p. 210.
SEASONS.
291
frequently than snow ; but does not in general occasion
much damage. Fine hail mingled with rain is very com-
mon ; occasionally it falls as large as peas or beans, and
sometimes much larger.^ Scholz relates, that while he was
at Nazareth, early in 1821, violent hail occurred several
times ; some of the hailstones being as large as a pigeon's
egg.2
Frost is not frequent ; the ground itself never freezes.
But Mr. Whiting, during a residence of several years in Je-
rusalem, had seen the pool of Hezekiah, upon which his
house joined, covered with thin ice for one or two days.^
During the whole winter the roads, or rather tracks, in
Palestine, are muddy, deep, and slippery ; so that the travel-
ler at this season is subjected to great inconvenience and
discomfort. When the rains cease, the mud soon dries up,
and the roads become hard, though never smooth. Who-
ever therefore wishes to profit most by a journey in Pal-
estine, will take care not to arrive at Jerusalem earlier than
the latter part of March.
Early and Latter Rain. Scripture speaks in various places
of the early (or former') and the latter rain, as essential for
the abundance of the crops and the prosperity of the land.^
These naturally correspond to the beginning and end of the
rainy season. But the terms ' early ' and ' latter ' may also
be accounted for in part from the fact, that while the eccle-
siastical year of the Hebrews began with the month Nisan,
not far from the vernal equinox, their more ancient secular
1 Barclay, City of the Great King, p. 52.
2 Scholz, Eeise, p. 138.
3 Comp. Barclay, City of the Great King, p. 50.
*Deut. xi. 14; Jer. v. 24; Hos. vi. 3; Joel ii. 23; James v. 7. Latter rain,
Prov. xvi. 15; Jer. iii. 3; Zech. x. 1.
292
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
and agricultural year began six months later, with the month
Tisri, about the time of the autumnal equinox.^
But there are no definite and distinct seasons of early
and latter rain, separate from the rest of the rainy season.
The whole period from October to xVpril constitutes only one
continued season in which rain falls ; without any regularly
intervening term of prolonged fair weather. Hence the
early rain was the first showers in October and November,
which revived the parched and thirsty earth, and prepared
it for ploughing and the seed. The latter rain, on the otlicr
hand, was the later showers which continue to fall in March
and April, and serve to refresh and forward both the ripening
crops and the springing verdure of the fields.
Should the early rain fail, or be too long delayed, so that
the rainy season should begin at once with heavy and con-
stant showers, there would be no opportunity for the hus-
bandman to plough his ground or sow his seed ; and there
could be no crop. Or, if the latter rain, the showers of
March and April, do not take place, the ripening grain and
springing verdure are arrested, and do not reach their full
maturity. In such case the crops are diminished, or fail
altogetlier.2 On the other hand, when the latter rain occurs
in full, the husbandman is never disappointed in his harvest.
In 1852, these rains were sometimes heavy, and continued
into the second week of April. The result we saw during
our subsequent journey, in the very abundant crops through-
out the country.^
Summer or the Dry Season". During the months of April
and May, the sky is usually serene, the air mild and balmy;
and the face of nature, after a season of ordinary rain, con-
1 Ex. xii. 2; Lev. xxv. 9, 10.
8 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 9, 30.
2 Comp. Amos iv. 7.
SEASONS.
293
tin lies green and pleasant to the eye. Showers occur occa-
sionally, but they are mild and refreshing. In 1838, there
were showers in Jerusalem on the first of May ; and at eve-
ning there was thunder and lightning, with pleasant and
reviving rain. The 6th of May was also remarkable for
thunder and for several showers, some of which were quite
heavy. The rains of both these days extended far to the
north of Jerusalem, But the occurrence of rain so late in
the season was regarded as unusual ; though, as we have
seen, in 1844 rain fell on five days in the month of May.
In ordinary seasons, from the cessation of the showers in
April or May, until their commencement in October or No-
vember, rain never falls in Palestine, and the sky is usually
serene. If during the winter season there has been the or-
dinary and full supply of rain, the husbandman is certain of
his crops ; and he is also perfectly sure of fine weather for
the ingathering of the harvest. " Snow in summer and rain
in harvest " were things incomprehensible to the Hebrew.
Thunder and rain in wheat harvest occurred once by miracle
in answer to the prayer of Samuel.^
The atmosphere is in general clear and fine ; especially at
the high elevation of Jerusalem ; nor does the heat of sum-
mer become oppressive, except during the prevalence of the
south wind, or sirocco. Yet the total absence of rain soon
destroys the verdure of the fields ; and gives to the whole
landscape the aspect of drought and barrenness. The only
green thing which remains, is the foliage of the scattered
fruit trees and shrubs, and occasional vineyards and fields
of millet. The deep green of the broad fig leaves and the
lighter shade of the millet is delightful to the eye amid the
1 Prov. xxvi. 1 ; 1 Sam. xii. 17, 18.
294:
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
general aridness ; while the foliage of the olive, with its dull
grayish hue, scarcely deserves the name of verdure.
Later in the season, tlie whole land has become dry and
parched ; the cisterns are nearly empty ; the few streams
and fountains fail ; and all nature, physical and animal, looks
forward with longing to the return of the rainy season.
Mists and clouds begin to appear, and showers occasionally
fall ; the husbandman prepares his ground and sows his seed ;
and the thirsty earth is soon drenched witli an abundance of
rain.
Fogs. For some time after the rains, vapor continues to
rise from the earth, and gathers, as fog, in the valleys and
low places. Thus, in 1838, in the morning of May 18,
being at Beit Nettif, we beheld all the lower tract of hill-
country enveloped in a dense fog, above which the tops of
the hills were seen like islands; but the fog soon "passed
away.i Later still the vapor in the atmosphere continues to
gather around the tops of the mountains, forming light morn-
ing clouds. This we experienced on Mount Tabor, on the 19th
of June ; about half an hour after sunrise, a fog came on,
forming a cloud around the summit, which veiled everything
below from our view ; it soon, however, dispersed, and left a
clear atmosphere and a glorious prospect.^ Early in August
light white clouds come up over the land from the south-
west ; but seem to produce no further clfect upon the atmos-
phere.^
Dew. During the fair weather of winter, and throughout
the whole of the dry season, dew falls at night, and in gen-
eral heavily ; and serves to refresh the languishing vegetation.
1 Biblical Researches, IL p. 19 [11. p. 347].
2 See Biblical Researches, H. p. 3G8 [HL p. 235].
8 Schultz, Tories., p. 28.
TEMPERATURE.
295
On the morning of March 23, Maundrell's tents were wet
with dew at Lejjun, as if it had rained all night; and on
June 19, our own tent was wet as with rain on the summit
of Mount Tabor.i At Jerusalem the heavy dews contribute
something to the coolness of the nights.^
II. TEMPERATURE.
The local temperature of Palestine is greatly affected by
the physical division of the country into the four long and
narrow parallel tracts or strips of territory, of different eleva-
tion, which have been already described.^ The western plain
rises but slightly above the level of the Mediterranean ; while
the Ghor, or valley of the Jordan, is depressed several hun-
dred feet below the same. The western hill-country around
Jerusalem and Hebron is elevated two thousand five hundred
and two thousand seven hundred feet above the sea ; while
the hill-country east of Jordan, which reaches an elevation
of three thousand feet around Kerak and in the Belka, rises
to five thousand feet in the mountains of 'Ajlun. The dif-
ference of level between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, is
about three thousand nine hundred feet, or very nearly three
fourths of a mile.
Western Hill- Country. The climate of Jerusalem is in
general cool and pleasant ; and is never oppressively warm,
except during the continuance of a Sirocco or south wind.
While the Frank residents at Beyrut and Damascus are
driven during the hot months to the mountains, those of
Jerusalem, though they may leave the city or camp outside
of it, because of the. miasma arising from the accumulated
1 Maundrell, March 22. Biblical Researches, 11. p. 368 [III. p. 235].
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 428 sq. [II. p. 96 sq.].
s See above, p. 19.
29 G PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
rubbish of centuries, would have to travel far before they
could find a cooler or healthier spot. The nights are uni-
formly cool, often with a heavy dew ; and our friends, who
liad resided for years in the city, had never had occasion to
dispense with a coverlet upon their beds during summer.
During our sojourn at Jerusalem in 1838, from April 14
to May 6, the mercury ranged at sunrise from 44° to 64° F.
and at 2 p. M. from G0° to 79° F. This last degree of heat
was during a Sirocco, April 80. Again, from the 10th to the
13th of June, we had at sunrise a range from 50° to 74° ; and
at 2 p. M. once 8G°, with a strong northwest wind. Yet the
air was fine, and the heat not burdensome.
During May, 1843, according to observations by Mr.
Whiting, the monthly mean at Jerusalem was 67° 89° F.
The warmest day was the 14th, with a Sirocco, when the
mercury was at sunrise, 70° ; at 2 p. m. 86° ; at 3 p. M. 90° ;
at sunset,75° ; mean, 80° 25, F. The coldest day was the 4th,
marked as winter weather, when the mercury stood at sun-
rise, 49° ; at 2 P.M. 49°; at sunset, 50°; mean, 49° 33 F.
The above high monthly mean was owing to the prevalence
of easterly (Sirocco) winds during ten days of the month ;
while the wind blew from the west only eighteen days ; from
the north one day; and was 'variable' two days. There
were two days with rain.^
For the year beginning with June 1843, and ending with
May 1844, we have the following summary of the mean
temperature, as resulting from observations kept by Mr. Lan-
neau : ^
1 Bibliothea Sacra, 1814, p. 222.
s Monatsb. der Berliner Ges. fiir Erdk., 1847-48, p. 49.
TEMPERATURE.
207
1843,
June,
Monthly
o
71.66 F.
"Warmest Day,
Mean.
o
18th, 79.0 F.
Coldest Day,
o
8th, 61.0 F.
Bemarks.
No rain.
July,
77.3
20th,
86.3
6ih, 71.3
No rain.
Aug.
72.7
3a,
82.0
29th, 67.0
No rain.
Sept.
72.24
3d,
72.7
20th, 66.0
No rain.
Oct.
66.63
2d,
84.6
27th, 62.6
First shower, Oct. 25.
Nov.
59.4
1st,
72 0
24th, 49.0
Kain on 17 days.
Dec.
47.9
2d,
53.6
21st, 41.6
Rain on 13 days, snow once.
1844,
Jan.
47.6
ISth,
54.0
2d, 35.0
Rain on 8 days, twice frost.
Feb.
54.2
14th,
60.6
19th, 49.0
Eain on 7 days.
March,
57.7
21st,
66.0
5th, 50.0
Rain on 10 days.
April,
53.2
29th,
66.0
15th, 42.0
Rain on 8 days.
May,
65.8
20th,
74.6
5th, 60.6
Rain on 5 days.
The month of April was colder than usual,
The above gives the mean temperature of 62° 46 for that
year at Jerusalem.
From Juue 1851 to January 1855, inclusive, Dr. Barclay
kept a record of observations in the Holy City. The mean
temperature of the different months is given in the following
table : ^
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. Juue. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
ooooooo o o o oo
1851, 72.8 79.8 78.2 75.0 72.3 67.0 53.3
1852, 49.6 52.1 56.0 62.2 69.6 73.8 78.0 78.0 74.1 76.6 62.7 55.3
1853, 51.4 60.4 60.2 64.0 77.6 77.3 78.0 80.0 80.2 74.9 61.1 52.9
18.54, 49.6 50.8 51.0 58.1 74.1 76.9 80.8 80.9 77.3 72.9 64.3 56.6
1855, 47.1
Mean, 49.4 54.4 55.7 61.4 73.8 75.2 79.1 79.3 77.0 74.2 63.8 54.5
It appears from these data that the yearly mean during this
period was 66° 5 F., while that of Boston is given at 49° ; of
Philadelphia at 52° ; of New Orleans at 62°. January was
the coldest month ; July and August the hottest. The high-
est elevation of the mercury was 92° F. the low<=>st, on one
1 Barclay, City of Great King, p. 428.
298
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
occasion just before sunrise, was 28°. Pellicles of ice an
eighth of an inch thick were formed, and remained in the
shade the whole day. We have seen above that the like
thin ice is sometimes formed on the pool of Hezekiah.^
What is true of Jerusalem, naturally holds good in general
of the whole hill-country west of Jordan ; except so far as
the southern part is higher than the northern. Few obser-
vations have been made, however, away from the Holy City.
In 1838, we came from Teffuh to Hebron in a violent and
hazy Sirocco, with the mercury at 80° F. It cleared away
at evening, with the wind N. W. and the mercury at 65°.
During the next fine days. May 24-27, and June 5, the
mercury ranged at sunrise between 43° and 01° ; at 10 a. m.
between 68° and 80° ; at 2 p. m. between 71° and 80° ; at
sunset, between 51° and 71° ; the weather the wliole time
being clear and fine, with the wind N. W. In passing, in
June of the same year, from Nabulus by Nazareth and Tabor
to Safed and Bint Jebeil, the thermometer at sunrise was
nearest 64° F. ; at 2 p.m. mostly from 78° to 82° ; and at sun-
set from 70° to 74°. On one day, June 17, at Nazareth, it
stood for several hours at 88° with a clear sky and south wind.
On the next day, on the way to Tabor, there was a violent
Sirocco and haze from the south castywith the mercury at 10
A. M. 98°, and at 2 p. m. 95° ; while at sunset on Tabor it
was 74°, with westerly wind.^
Western Plain. In the western plain, which is little ele-
vated above the Mediterranean, very few observations have
been made. The mean temperature of that tract, however,
must naturally be some degrees higher than at Jerusalem;
since the difference of elevation is more than two thousand
1 Barclay, City of Great King, p. 428.
2 See the observations as recorded in the Itinerary, Biblical Researches II. [III.]
TEMPERATURE.
299
feet ; and the harvest in the plain ripens a fortnight earlier
than on the mountains. ^ On tlie 7tli of June, at Terkiimieh,
the thermometer at 2 p. m. stood at 97° F., with a bright sky
and N. W. wind. At sunrise it had stood at 72° ; and at
sunset was 88°, at Beit Ncttif. The next day was remarka-
ble. The mercury at sunrise was at 83° ; at 11 a. m. 94° ; at
noon, 105° ; at 2 p. m. 97° ; and at sunset, 90°. The air was
very hot, with a slight haze, and a strong wind from the N.
W. coming directly from the sea, which was less than ten
miles distant. The point 105° at noon, was at Ekron ; the
thermometer being on the ground, in the best shade that
could be obtained.
Valley of Jordan. In this sunken valley, the Ghor, which
in its lowest part, the Dead Sea, is thirteen hundred feet
below the level of the Mediterranean, and about three thou-
sand nine hundred feet lower than Jerusalem, we must of
course expect a very different temperature. We find ac-
cordingly, to a great extent, an Egyptian climate, and many
Egyptian productions. In this tract, also, very few observa-
tions have been made.
Lynch, in descending the Jordan, April 8-18, had a range
of the mercury, at 8 a. m. from 6G° to 69° F. ; at noon, from
69° to 88° ; at 8 p. m. from 62° to 70°. During seven days
on the shore of the Dead Sea, April 19-25, the mercury
stood, at 6 A. M. on two days, 78°; at 8 a. m. on two days, 88° ;
and at noon on three days, 86°, 89°, 90°. On the three days
before the Expedition left the Ghor, May 6, 7, 8, the heat
had increased. On the 6th, the mercury, at 8 a. m. was 92° ;
at noon, 97°; at 2 p. m. 102°. On the 7th, at 8 a. m. 84° ;
at 11 A. M. 106° ; at 4 p. m. 9S° ; while at 6 p. m. there was a
1 For the observations made durinfj our journey in May and June, 1838, see the
Itineraiy, as above.
300
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
sudden and violent gust of hot wind from the eastward,
which overthrew all the tents. On the 8th, at noon, the
mercury rose to 110° in the shade.^
In 1838, we were for three and a half days in the Gh3r,
May 10-14, passing between 'Ain Jidy and Jericho. The
record of these days was as follows :
Sunrise. 10 a. m. 2 p. ra. Sunset,
o o o o
May 10, 80.0 at 'Ain Jidy.
11, 68.0 85.0 78.0
12, 70.0 84.0 78.0
13, 70.0 86.0 91.0 76.0 atJciicho.
14, 64.0
The wind during this time was variable. On May 29 and
30, we were at the southern quarter of the sea, on our way
to Petra. The mercury ranged as follows: May 20, sun-
rise, 70° ; 2 P.M. 92° ; sunset, 88°. On the 30th, sunrise, 69° ;
10 A.M. 96° ; noon, 102° ; 2 p.m. 96° ; sunset, 76°; the lat-
ter at the top of the pass Nemela. The heat at noon was
connected with a fierce Sirocco and haze from the S. W.
On the 20th of June, we were on the western shore of the
lake of Tiberias. At Tiberias, on the 19th, at sunset, we had
80° F. On the 20th, at sunrise, 75° ; 2 p.m. 95° ; sunset, 85° ;
with clear sky and a strong S. W. wind or Sirocco. At sun-
rise on the 21st, we had 71°.
Among the more southern productions of the GhOr, are
the Nubk or Egyptian lote-tree, called also Dom ; and the
'Osher, or apple of Sodom, which grows also in Nubia. The
little plain of Gennesareth, described by Josephus as so fertile
and rich in various fruits, owed much of its celebrity to its
climate and the convenient irrigation.^
Eastern Hill- Country. In all this region we have no ob-
1 Lynch, Official Report, p. 74; comp. pp. 41, 42.
2 Joseph. Bel. Jud., 3. 10. 8.
TEMPERATURE.
301
servations relating to the climate, except the occasional re-
marks of passing travellers. But the elevation of the region,
and its relative position, naturally lead to the conclusion,
that its climate is not, in general, unlike that of the western
hill-countrj. In the broad volcanic plains of Hauran, how-
ever, it would be no less natural to look for a mean temper-
ature of the summer months somewhat higher than that of
the corresponding western tracts.
Times of Hai'vest. The different mean temperatures pre-
vailing in the three western parallel divisions of Palestine,
as they are exemplified in the earlier or later harvest time,
fell under our personal observation in 1838. The barley
harvest usually precedes the wheat harvest by a fortnight or
three weeks.
On the 13th of May, we wore at Jericho, where the people
of Taiyibeh, who had sown the neighboring fields on shares,
were just completing their harvest. The harvest week might
be reckoned from the 7th to the 14tli. The barley harvest
had been finished three weeks before ; that is, about April
22. Three days earlier (May 10) we had left the wheat
still green upon the fields around Hebron and Carmel.^ In
1852, on the 14th and 15tli of May, tlie harvesting was in
full progress in the Ghor south of Beisan, and on the eastern
bank of the Jordan ; while at Pella, which is somewhat more
elevated, the grain was ripe, but the harvesting was not yet
begun. 2
From the 18th to the 23d of May, 1838, we were in the
western plain and at Gaza ; the people being then in the
midst of wheat harvest. Iii the western part of the great
* Biblical Researches, I. pp. 550, 551; comp. p. 431 [II. pp. 270-278; comp.
p. 90].
« Later Biblical Researclies, pp. 314, 317, 320.
302 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
plain, it was perhaps two or three days more forward than
among the tract of low liills on the east. The harvest time
continued apparently about ten days, from the 15th to the
25th of May. But the grain was not always trodden out
immediately.^
On the 4th and 5th of June, 1838, as we returned from
Petra, the people of Hebron were just beginning to gather
their wheat; and on the 11th and 12th the threshing-floors
on the Mount of Ohves were in full operation. As we trav-
elled northward, on the 13th and the following days, the
harvest seemed to be over, with the exception of an occa-
sional field long ripe and waiting for the sicl<:le.^
It thus appears that wheat harvest in the Ghor takes place
about four weeks earlier than at Jerusalem ; the two being
hardly more than twenty miles apart. The harvest of tlie
western plain lies between ; about ten days later than in the
Ghor, and eighteen or twenty days earlier than on the moun-
tains.
It is also reported of the melons raised along the shores of
the lake of Tiberias, which are of the finest quality, that
they are in great demand at 'Akka and Damascus, where
that fruit ripens nearly a month later.^
in. WINDS.
Scripture speaks of only four winds, corresponding to the
four quarters of the heavens.* It names also the north,
south, east, and west winds,^ but none from any other quar-
1 Biblical Researches, [II. pp. 33, 50, 51, 55 11. pp. 367, 394, 395, 401].
2 Biblical Researches, I. p. 431, II. p. 324 [II. p. 99, III. p. 168] .
3 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 323.
< See especially Matth. xxiv. 31; Mark xiii. 27.
^ North, Prov. xxv. 23. South, Ps. Ixxviii. 26; Luke xii. 55. East, Ps.
Ixxviii. 26; Ex. xiv. 21. West, Ex. x. 19.
WINDS.
303
ter. These terms of course must be understood with lati-
tude ; a north wind implying any wind from the northern
quarter from northwest to northeast ; and so of the rest.
Hence a wind between two quarters might be regarded as
belonging to either ; for example, a wind from the southeast
might be spoken of as an east wind or a south wind.
Winds of the Rainy Season. The prevailing wind of the
rainy season is from the western quarter ; the rains come
mostly from the west or west-southwest. It is true now, as
of old, that " when ye see a cloud rise out of the west,
straightway ye say, There cometh a shower ; and so it is." ^
It does not follow that it always rains when the west wind
blows ; but it is true that the west is the rainy quarter, and
that in winter a west wind seldom fails, sooner or later, to
bring rain. This wind blows from one day to seven or eight
days at a time, continuing through each group of rainy
days. Sometimes the west wind itself clears away the
clouds ; though fair weather more commonly follows a
change of wind to the north or east. The west wind is often
stormy and violent, and drives the rain before it with great
force. The coldest weather usually occurs during the prev-
alence of the west wind. This wind commonly follows an
east wind ; and is itself often succeeded by an east wind, or
sometimes by a wind from the north.^
Next to the west wind, the east wind is in winter the
most frequent. It drives away the clouds, and brings a clear
sky; blows sometimes one day and sometimes for several
days ; and is seldom violent. As this wind comes from the
eastern deserts and passes over the sunken region of the
1 Luke xii. 54.
2 Tobler, Denkbl., pp. 28-30. Biblical Researches, I. p. 429 [II. p. 97]. Thorn-
son, Land and Book, I. p. 131.
304 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
Gh5r, it brings with it a temperature somewhat warmer than
that of the west wind.
The other winds of winter are more variable. The north
wind brings occasionally fair weather, though less commonly
than that from the east. The wind from the south and south-
southwest (Sirocco) is less frequent in winter ; is occasion-
ally violent, with a haze from the desert ; and rarely lasts
more than one day. Sometimes it does not even raise the
temperature.^
Winds of Summer. The most prevalent winds of sum-
mer are the northwesterly, and those from the southern
quarter.
The northwest wind or a wind from west to N. N. W. is
a day-breeze coming from the Mediterranean, springing up
in the morning at eight or nine o'clock, and continuing till
about ten at night. It renders the climate of the long and
hot summer months much more endurable ; especially at
Jerusalem and througliout the hill-country.^ In 1838, re-
turning from Petra, we had this wind, except one day, from
the time we left the GhDr until we arrived at Nazareth ; that
is, from June 3 to June 16, a period of fourteen succes-
sive days. The air was fine and mostly clear ; and although
the mercury ranged on several days at midday from 80° to
90° F., the heat was not burdensome. Yet at Ekron, where
the thermometer rose at noon to 105°, and in the sun only
to 108°, this nortliwest wind, coming directly from the neigh-
boring sea, had the usual characteristics of a wind from the
south. In May, 1843, this westerly wind is reported as
blowing on eighteen days of the month at Jerusalem.^
The most disagreeable wind of Palestine is that called by
1 Tobler, Denkbl., p. 3L 2 Barclay, City of the Great King, p. 49.
3 Bibliotheca Sacra, February, 1844, p. 222.
WINDS. 305
the Franks the Sirocco; it comes from any point of the
southern quarter from southeast to southwest. This name
is obviously an Italian form for the Arabic Shurkiyeh, ' east
wind,' which is used in the same manner ; and is properly
applied to a wind from the east or southeast. But as the
dreaded qualities of the east and southeast winds are like-
wise often exhibited in Palestine by winds from the southern
quarter quite around to the southwest, the name Sirocco is
now applied to any southern wind having the like qualities.
The main characteristics of the Sirocco are : First. Op-
pressive sultriness, causing great lassitude and a disinclina-
tion for all effort, bodily or mental. Second. Great dryness,
exhausting all moisture and closing tlie pores of the body ;
producing also a Avithering effect upon vegetation. Third.
Usually a hazy atmosphere, caused by the finest particles
of sand or an impalpable dust from the deserts over which
the wind passes. This haze imparts a peculiarly lurid and
ghastly hue to the sun and sky ; and the fine dust penetrates
the clothing and into every crevice and cranny of the houses.
It is of course most dense in the south ; and becomes grad-
ually thinner and less perceptible the further it advances
towards the north. Sometimes the southerly winds have
the heat and dryness, without the haze. It may still be said,
as of old : " When ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There
will be heat ; and it cometh to pass." ^
The Sirocco more commonly lasts but a single day ; but
sometimes two or three days, and even longer. The more
easterly Sirocco prevailed at Jerusalem in May, 1843, for ten
days of the month. We encountered the same wind on
Mount Tabor in June, 1838; the thermometer showing at
10 A.M. 98° F., and at 2 p. m. 95° ; with a violent 'southeast
1 Luke xii. 55. Comp. Barclay, City of the Great King, p. 51.
39
306 PHYSICAL GEOGkAPET OF THE HOLY LAXD.
wind, which in the afternoon brought up a haze. In 1848,
May 6, the tents of the United States' Expedition on the
shore of tlie Dead Sea were thrown down by a violent gust
of hot wind from the eastward. ^
More frequent in Palestine is the Sirocco from the south
or southwest, continuing for one day and often for more.
We encountered it, in 1838, three times in its full strength.
The first time was on April 11, in the southern desert, be-
tween Eboda and Ruliaibeh. About 11 a. m. the wind sud-
»
denly changed from northeast to south, and came upon us
with violence and intense heat until it blew a perfect tem-
pest. The atmosphere was filled with fine dust, forming a
bluish haze ; the sun was scarcely visible, his disk exhibiting
only a dun and sickly hue ; and the glow of the wind came
upon our faces as frojn a burning oven. Often we could not
see ten rods around us ; and our eyes, ears, nostrils, mouths,
and clothes were filled with the sand. The thermometer at
noon was 88° F., at 2 r. m. TG°.2
The second instance was on May 23, between Tefi'uh and
Hebron. The wind had been S. W. all the morning ; but
about 11 o'clock it increased, and became at last a violent tem-
pest, bringing the dust and sand from the desert, and filling
the air so as to obscure the sun. The whole atmosphere
became of a deep dun or yellowish hue. As we approached
the height of land a very few drops of rain fell ; these left
upon our clothes spots of mud, as if we had been spattered
from a puddle. The thermometer at 10 a. m. and 2 p. m. was
86° ; at sunset it cleared away with a wind from the N. W.^
1 Bibliotheca Sacra, \. c. Biblical Researches, II. p. 352 [HI. p. 212]. Lynch,
Official Report, p. 74.
2 Biblical Researches, L p. 195 [II. p. 2SS].
3 Biblical Researches, U. p. 72 [IL p. 429].
PURITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
307
The last instance was on May 30, in the 'Arabah south of
the Dead Sea. The mercury at sunrise was at 69° F., with
a cool and pleasant wind from the S. W. But by 10 o'clock
the wind had become strong ; the mercury had risen to 96° ;
and the heat of the sun was intolerable. At noon this wind
was a fierce Sirocco, which brought up a dense haze ; and
the thermometer had risen to 102°. At 2 ?. m. it had sunk
to 96° ; and at sunset was at 76°, with a cool northwest
wind, which soon cleared the atmosphere.^
It is not to be understood, that in such tempests there is,
in Palestine, any danger of life. Yet the three here de-
scribed were probably as violent as most of those which have
given rise to the exaggerated accounts of travellers.^
The ' east wind ' spoken of in the Old Testament, so far as
it relates to Palestine, corresponds very closely to the Sirocco
in its characteristics, particularly in its violence, its heat,
dryness, and withering effect. Not improbably the name was
employed of old in the same general extent as is the modern
Shurkiyeh or Sirocco.^
The other summer winds of Palestine can only be de-
scribed as variable, both in frequency and duration.
IV. PURITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
The splendor of the summer sun and sky of Palestine is
very striking ; and is occasioned by the usual clearness and
purity of the atmosphere. This clearness and transparency
are so great, that remote objects are seen with singular dis-
tinctness ; and their actual distance seems diminished by at
1 Biblical Researches, II. p. 122 [II. p. 503].
2 Comp. Biblical Researches, I. p. 196 [I- p. 289].
3 Violence, Psalm xlviii. 7; Jer. xviii. 17; Ezek. xxvii. 26. Withering eflfect,
Ezek. xvii. 10, xix. 12; Hos. xiii. 15.
308
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
least one half. Thus when we looked from Taiyibeh down
upon the Ghor and across to the mountains of 'Ajlun, it
seemed as if the mountains themselves and the old fortress
er-Rubud were not more than an easy day's journey distant ;
although they could not have been reached in less than two
or three days. In the transparency of its atmosphere, Pal-
estine falls little, if any, short of Greece.^
This clearness, however, is only too often interrupted by
the haziness brought up by the Sirocco winds, as above de-
scribed. This continues sometimes for one day ; sometimes
for several days. Besides this, there is occasionally a kind
of dry mist or haziness, like smoke, which renders the view
of distant objects quite indistinct. The appearance then
is not unlike that of the Indian summer of the United
States.2
The climate of Palestine is in general healthy ; there being
few marshes or other causes to detract from its salubrity.
The people of the country are long lived, vigorous, and ca-
pable of enduring great fatigue. In the sunken valley of the
Jordan, where the greater heat is in itself enervating, the
Ghawarineh, who dwell there, have less vigor and energy
than the inhabitants of the hill-country, and may be called
in comparison a feeble race ; but they are not in other re-
spects a sickly people.
As of old, so now Palestine, like other oriental countries,
is not free from the ravages of contagious diseases, nor from
''the pestilence that walketh in darkness."^ The plague
often prevails in its chief cities ; and the Asiatic cholera
1 Biblical Researches, I. p. 9 [L p. 13]. Barclay, City of the Great King,
p. 414.
2 Barclay, City of the Great King, p. 414.
« Ps. xci. 6.
PURITY OF TIIE ATMOSPHERE.
309
did not pass it by.^ But such diseases are not indigenous ;
they come from other lands.
In Jerusalem, and perhaps in some of the other cities, there
would seem to exist some local cause, operating to produce
particular diseases. Thus in Jerusalem full one half of the
patients who come under the observation of resident Frank
physicians, are cases of the disease known as chills and fever,
fever and ague, intermittent fever ; in its various forms of
quotidian, tertian, and quartan ague or intermittent. This
complaint is very common, and prevails more or less through-
out the year ; though it is most frequent in the beginning of
summer after the rainy season. It spares neither rank nor
age ; even infants at the breast are affected as well as their
mothers. Young children are seen swollen and with pale
faces, reminding one of the sickly inhabitants of the Pontine
marshes. These fevers are at first mild, and yield readily to
medical treatment ; but if neglected, they become more diffi-
cult of cure.2
The prevalence of this disease in the Holy City has been
ascribed to various causes. That the source must be local,
existing within the city itself, would seem a necessary con-
clusion. The city is at an elevation of two thousand six
hundred feet above the sea, and there are no marshes near
it. Those Frank families, also, which sometimes dwell in
tents during summer in the neighboring fields, escape the
disease. It is often ascribed to the poor diet and filthy
dwellings of the people ; but it spares just as little those who
live in the best houses and have plenty of food. The resi-
dent Franks do not escape. Our last visit in May, 1852, was
1 See an account of the plague in Jerusalem in 1838, in Biblical Researches, 1.
pp. 248-250 [1. pp. 367-370].
2 Tobler, Medizinische Topograph, v. Jerus., pp. 32-35.
310
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
at the house of Dr. Barclay, on the eastern brow of Zion,
where we found him and several of his family suffering from
fever and ague.^ The cause has also been sought in the
evaporations from the pool of Hezekiah ; but it does not
appear that those living directly upon that pool are more
affected than the rest of the city. Others suppose the disease
is occasioned by the exhalations from the multitude of cis-
terns, many of which are seldom cleansed, and when low
the water becomes filthy and unwholesome. Such a cause
may indeed have its influence, especially late in the dry
season ; but in the spring months, when the fever prevails
most, the cisterns are full, and this supposed cause can have
only a sliglit effect.
May not, after all, the true source of the evil lie in the
vast masses of rubbish accumulated upon the surface to the
depth in many places of forty and even eighty feet ; the re-
sult of the frequent desolations of the city during the almost
thirty centuries of its history ? In winter these surface
masses absorb the rain water ; and in the subsequent months
the burning sun causes it to exhale as miasma or malaria,
producing even at this high elevation effects similar to those
following like causes in other lands. Various towns of Greece,
which occupy the sites of ancient cities, and even Rome it-
self, are reported to exhibit analogous phenomena.
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 201.
CHAPTER lY.
GEOLOGICAL FEATURES.
Palestine in its relations to modern geology has been only
partially explored. Seetzen, Russegger, and Anderson are
the only professional observers who have given more than a
passing attention to the subject. Of the former we have, in
the recently published volumes of his journal, the daily jottings
of the information he obtained ; in which he often enumerates
briefly various rocks and earths ; but he presents no general
view. The second gives in several places a general survey ;
but enters less into particulars. The last, in those parts
visited by the United States' Expedition, made a very care-
ful and minute examination of particulars ; but his general
description is likewise very brief. Schubert too was a geol-
ogist ; but his remarks on the subject are few, and bear only
upon his own immediate route. Burckhardt often refers to
particular geological features ; and Dr. Wilson does the same
to a greater extent. Of all these writers, except Anderson,
the latest, Ritter has made use in his great work.
What we have to give here, is of course only a very brief
and general outline.
I. GENERAL LIMESTONE FORMATION.
The great masses of rock which constitute the mountains
of Palestine and Lebanon, are Jura limestone ; compact, hard,
312
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
not rich in fossils, and full of caverns and grottos. This rock
is everywhere the basis ; on which have been deposited, in
some parts, extensive tracts of volcanic products ; as also
chalk and chalky limestone, magnesian limestone (dolo-
mite), sandstone, conglomerate, marl, etc. etc.
On the west of the Jordan and 'Arabah, the chalk forma-
tion, which prevails through the southern desert, terminates
with the desert ; and the Jura limestone, beginning with the
mountains south of Hebron, holds its course northward ;
forming the mass of the western hill-country of Carmel and
of Lebanon.
East of the Jordan and 'Arabah, where around Petra large
masses of porphyry, sandstone, and limestone lie in close
proximity, the same Jura limestone extends northward
through the Belka and the mountains of ' Ajliin ; and is like-
wise the basis on which rest the vast volcanic tracts of Hau-
ran, Jaulan, and the Lejah.
From Dlioheriyeh and Hebron northward throughout Ju-
dea and Samaria, the Jura formation prevails without in-
terruption ; except that many of the heights are capped with
strata of chalk abounding in flints ; and tracts of the same
extend down the eastern desert to the borders of the Ghor ;
the same also being the case on the west of the watershed or
summit level. Here on the west, the ravines expose little else
than the limestones which lie beneath the chalk, or at most
occasional banks of estuary sandstone. In the ravines of
the eastern slope rocks of sandstone are not of uncommon
occurrence ; and the character of the limestone generally
approaches nearer to the chalk than to the Jura.^
The hill on which Bethlehem stands is of chalk ; so too
the Mount of Olives, as well as other heights. Flints appear
1 Russegger, IIL pp. 246, 247. Anderson, Geological Report, p. 81.
SANDSTONE. CONGLOMERATE. aiARL.
313
ill great profusion for some distance east of Bethlehem ; and
a remarkable wall of them is seen just below that town.^
Throughout Carmel and Galilee the limestone exhibits the
same general character. East of the watershed, along all
the eastern slope, basalt and other volcanic rocks are very
frequent, and often alternate with the limestone.
East of the Dead Sea and Jordan, there is far more of
sandstone and basalt. The sandstone appears especially
along the shore of that sea. Along the lake of Tiberias, the
limestone is seen in the lower strata of the high wall of
the eastern plateau ; and is found also in the bottoms of
the deep ravines, underlying the volcanic masses spread out
over the surface.^ The beautiful terrace of Banias is wholly
of limestone ; and the great fountain of the Jordan there
issues from beneath a limestone precipice ; but the igneous
rocks begin near by, which form the main mass of Jebel
Heish ; although the limestone appears also east of Banias.^
Magnesian Limestone or Dolomite. In connection with
the Jura limestone of Jerusalem and that region, occur also
frequently large masses of dolomite. This is seen especially
in the rocks which form the sides of caverns and grottos.*
II. SANDSTONE. CONGLOMERATE. MARL.
Sandstone. On the west of the Jordan sandstone is rare ;
and occurs only in the ravines, as already related.^ East of
the Dead Sea there are extensive tracts of sandstone ; espe-
cially around the estuaries of the Wady Mojib QArnon) and
1 Russegger, III. pp. 246, 247. Anderson, Geological Report, p. 172.
2 Thomson, Land and Book, II. p. 39. Anderson, Geological Report, p. 133.
3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 397, 406. Anderson, Geological Report, pp.
108, 109.
* Russegger, III. p. 248. « See above, p. 312.
40
314
PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the Zerka Ma'in.^ Further south, around Petra, wliere the
body of the mountain is porphyry, it is capped by thick masses
of sandstone of the most singular forms and colors.^
Conglomerate. The conglomerates are mostly found
along the sides of the Ghor ; as at Ras el-Feshkhah. Not
unfrequently they appear in the Ghor itself; as in the tract
above Kurn Surtabeh.^
Marl. At the southwestern part of the Dead Sea are
extensive tracts of marl, along with marly gypsum and chalk.
These lie in part back of Jcbel Usdum ; and are traversed
by the Wadys Ziiwinah and Muhauwat. They arc worn
away by the rains into conical and pyramidal hills, like a
vast array of white tents, without vegetation, and presenting
the features of a frightful desert. Some other like tracts
are seen along the western coast ; and north of 'Ain el-Fesh-
khah similar tent-like hills fill up the space between the sea
and the western mountain.^
HL VOLCANIC TRACTS.
West of the Ghor. On the west of the Ghor and 'Arabah
no igneous rocks or volcanic products have been found be-
tween about the parallel of 'Akabah and the neighborhood
of the lake of Tiberias.^
The basalt first shows itself at Beisan, some four hours south
1 Seetzcn, Rcisen, II. pp. 364-370. Anderson, Geological Report, pp. 190-194;
comp. p. 134.
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 125 sq.; comp. pp. 123, 124 [II. p. 509 sq.; comp.
p. 506 sq.].
8 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 198. Ibid., pp. 143, 14-5, 146, etc.
* Anderson, Geological Report, pp. 180, 197. Biblical Researches, I. p. 534, II.
pp. 103, 104 [II. pp. 253, 474-476].
« Anderson, Geological Report, pp. 133, 134. Biblical Researches, I. p. 176
[I, p. 260] .
VOLCANIC TRACTS.
315
of the lake, where a considerable tract around is volcanic.
The ancient theatre of Bcisan was wholly built of black ba-
saltic stones ; as were the houses generally.^
Commencing again at cl-'Abadiyeh, an hour south of the
lake, volcanic rocks, alternating with the limestone, are
spread over the surface of a large irregular district along the
eastern slope of the hill-country, extending on the west to
near el-Jish, and on the north to Wady et-Teim ; of which
district Safed may be said to be the centre. The iron gray
basalt-lava of Tiberias represents the southerly and predom-
inant formation ; the variegated pumices of Delata may be
taken as an average specimen of the far more recent lavas of
the north, while at Tell el-Haiyeh, still further northeast,
we found again a third description, of which the relative date
is more difficult to assign. ^
The broad tract of higher uneven land, which lies between
the basin of the Huleh and the lake of Tiberias, and which,
shelving down from the higher western hills, shuts up the
whole GhOr, except the deep rocky chasm of the Jordan, is
in the west mainly limestone. But the basalt shows itself
in many places ; and especially along the Jordan/*^ The
channel and chasm of the river here, along its steep descent,
between the lakes, are volcanic ; and the whole region on its
eastern side is basalt.* Just here and nowhere else, the lavas
of the western and eastern sides of the Ghar touch each other.
We have already dcscri1)cd the manner in which Wady
et-Teim enters the basin of the Huleh by six steps or offsets,
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 328. Thomson, Laud and Book, IL p. 175.
BurcUhardr, Syria, p. 343.
2 Anderson, Geoloi;ieal Report, p. 130.
« Schubert, III. p. 2G0. Thomson, Land and Book, I. p. 401.
« Scet/.cu, Kciscn, 1. p. 342, 343. Biblical Researches, II. pp. 411, 413 [III.
pp. 304-308].
316
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAm
with broad terraces between. ^ The uppermost three of these
terraces are volcanic ; and the steps which divide them run
from southwest to northeast. Along the highest of these
plateaus the upper branch of the Jordan, the Hasbany, has
cut its way in a deep chasm through the trap rocks down to
the lower level of the more southern plain. At one place,
the great fountain Luweizany bursts forth from beneath the
strata of the underlying limestone.^ At the bridge called
Jisr el-Ghujar and for some distance below, the basalt is still
predominant.^
Tell el-Kady, from which issiies the middle and largest
source of the Jordan, stands just on the front of the lower
volcanic terrace, and forms part of the offset. It is itself
volcanic ; but here the igneous rocks cease. All north and
northwest, as also southwest of this Tell, is basaltic ; all
south and east of it is limestone. The Tell is not regarded
as a crater.* Southwest of the Jisr el-Ghujar, a long tongue
of land. Tell el-Haiyeh, extends into the basin of the Huleh.
It is composed of gray green-stone ; and is a spur or contin-
uation of the ridge which bounds Wady et-Teim on the west.
This latter ridge is likewise made up of mixed limestone
and trap.^ The upper fountain of the Jordan, near Has-
beiya, issues at the foot of a volcanic bluff.^
The black basaltic rocks sometimes assume singular forms,
especially on the west of the lake of Tiberias. West of Tell
Hum, the ground is covered with large volcanic stones ;
among which, in spring, the rank grass shoots up luxuri-
1 See above, p. 75. 2 Later Biblical Researches, p. 389.
3 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 108.
* Later Biblical Researches, pp. 391, 393. Anderson, Geological Report, p. 108.
* Anderson, Geological Report, p. 108.
^ Later Biblical Researches, p. 378.
VOLCANIC TRACTS.
317
antly. Here, too, on the tops of the hills around, are seen clus-
ters of larger black volcanic rocks ; which, standing apart,
bear at a distance a strong resemblance to the sites of ruined
towns ; for which indeed they have sometimes been mistaken.
The ' stones of the Christians,' so called, near the Kurun
Hattin, are of the same kind ; and similar appearances occur
in other parts. ^
Extinct Craters. One centre of ancient volcanic action
on the west of the Ghor, was the region around Safed ; where
there exist several extinct craters. One of these, perhaps
the most important, was first reported by us in 1838. It is
situated in the middle of a high open plain, on the road
from Safed to Tyre ; about an hour and a half northwesterly
from Safed, and half an hour before reaching the village el-
Jish. The whole plain is thickly covered with volcanic
stones ; and the crater is surrounded by heaps of black stones
and lava. It is an oval basin, towards four hundred feet
long by perhaps one hundred and twenty feet broad, and
some forty feet deep. The sides are shelving, but steep and
rugged, obviously composed of lava. Near the bottom the
tops of polygonal columns are quite visible. The basin is
usually partially filled with water ; and is known as Birket
el-Jish.2
Two other like craters were found by Dr. Anderson in the
vicinity. One, a mile or two east of Birket el-Jish and north
of Teitebeh, is like the former in all respects, and about as
large ; not a stone appears which is not volcanic. Between
this spot and Delata is a third crater or Birkeh, smaller than
the other two ; but marked in like manner with blocks of
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 346, 347; corap. p. 342.
2 Biblical Researches, IL p. 444 [IIL p. 367]. Anderson, Geological Report,
pp. 128, 129.
318
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
lava.i The same explorer mentions also three other Bir-
kehs north of Delata, in the midst of a volcanic tract ; but
does not indicate whether they were once craters.^
East of the Ghur. Passing now beyond the Ghor, we find
on the east of the Huleh and the lake of Tiberias a volcanic
region of far greater extent ; embracing vast plains and lofty
mountains ; and varying from the richest fertility to the
wildest confusion and desolation.
The great fountain at Banias, as we have seen, issues from
beneath a precipice of limestone. But the volcanic rocks
begin immediately ; and rise throughout Jebel Heish, form-
ing the main masses of that mountain. On the high plateau
along its top is situated Lake Phiala, an ancient crater. The
line of conical Tells which extend along this plateau towards
the south, are in like manner all volcanic. The loftiest is
Tell Abu Xida, south of Phiala, rising about four thousand
one hundred feet above the sea, and nine hundred feet above
the adjacent plateau, having a deep crater thickly wooded
with oak trees. The adjacent Tell 'Eram is nearly as high,
and also has a crater. The southernmost of this line of Tells
is Tell el-Feras.3
Between the Hidch and the lake of Tiberias, the whole
Ghor, as we have seen, is blocked up with basalt ; through
which the Jordan, in its narrow chasm, rushes down to the
level of the lower lake. The tract on the east is all basalt,
and is strictly still a part of Jebel Heish.
Along the eastern shore of the lake of Tiberias, in the
wall that rises from the lake to the high plateau above, the
1 Anderson, Geolof?ical Report, p. 129.
2 Anderson, Geological Report, p. 129.
3 Dorgens, in Berl. Zeitschr. fiir Erdk., Nov. 1860, IX. pp. 405, 406. Thomson,
Land and Book, II. pp. 16, 17.
VOLCANIC TRACTS.
319
lower strata are everywhere limestone ; but all above is of
basalt. The volcanic formation extends south as far as to the
river Hieromax and beyond. The chasm of that river is cut
deep through the volcanic rocks ; but the mountain of Ga-
dara (Um Keis), an hour further south, is of limestone. ^
The wiiole tract thus far described, the high plateau of
Jaulan, is everywhere from two thousand to three thousand
feet above the sea. Of course the descent towards the lake
of Tiberias is great ; and the volcanic formation is of great
thickness. " This immense volcanic field consists every-
where of irregular heaps of amorphous lava and disintegra-
ting scoriae, with gigantic mounds of globular basalt, which
in a few localities shows a tendency to separate into rudely-
shaped columns." ^
Eastward of Jebel Heish and the lake of Tiberias, and
extending to the eastern desert, lies the great region now
known as HaTiran. It covers a much larger surface than the
ancient Hauran or Auranitis ; which strictly occupied only
its southern part. The modern Hauran is regarded by the
natives as consisting of three parts ; namely, en-Nukrah or
the great plain, extending through the whole length, and
reaching to the base of the mountain ; el-Lejah in the north-
east ; and the mountain Jehel Hcmrdn, on the east. This
great region is wholly volcanic.^ Between the Niikrah and
Jebel Heish, in the north, is the narrow district of el-Jeidur,
the ancient Iturea, also volcanic.
The plain of Hauran, en-Nukrah, has a gentle undulating
surface, with a strong slope towards the west ; is arable
1 Thomson, Land and Book, IL p. 39. Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 271, 273. Seet-
zen, Reisen, I. p. 3C8.
2 Thomson, Land and Book, IL p. 39.
3 E. Smith in Biblical Researches, 1841, III. App., p. 150.
320
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
throughout, with the exception of occasional tracts of vol-
canic stones ; and is, in general, very fertile. With the rest
of Hauran, it is the granary of Damascus ; nothing but grain
is cultivated. Hardly a tree or shrub is anywhere to be
seen. Scattered throughout the plain are low mounds of ba-
salt, on which the villages are usually situated. Higher is-
olated conical Tells of the same character are not infre-
quent. The fertility of the region is owing to the nature of
the soil ; which, as in other volcanic countries, is composed
of disintegrated lava, forming a reddish brown loam of great
fertility. This soil, known as the Hauran loam, is celebrated
throughout Syria.^
The Lejah is a singular district of volcanic rocks. It is
of an oval form, about twenty-five miles long from north to
south, by about fifteen miles broad. It is skirted on the east
by Wady Liwa, a water-course from the mountain running
north to the southernmost of the Damascus lakes. The
tract immediately surrounding the Lejah and forming its
border, is called by the Arabs el-Luhf^ ' the coverings.' The
outer Lejah is a level country, with a stony soil covered
with lieaps of rocks ; among which are interspersed small
patches of meadow. The inner Lejah is a labyrinth of
rocks ; through which the Arabs alone have the clew. Some
of the rocks are twenty feet high ; and the country is full of
clefts and Wadys. Trees grow here in great numbers among
the rocks ; the oak and the Butm being the most common.
There are no springs in any part of this rocky district.
" In the interior parts of the Lejah the rocks are in many
places cleft asunder, so that the whole hill appears shivered
1 E. Smith in Biblical Researches, 1841, HI. App., p. 150. Seetzen, Reisen, L
p. 132; corap. pp. 45, 47. Wetzstein, in Zeitschr. fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept.,
pp. 147, 148. Lyell, Elements of Geology, p. 90.
YOLCAXIC TRACTS.
321
and in the act of falling down. The layers are generally
horizontal, from six to eight feet or more in thickness ; some-
times covering the hills, and inclining to their curve, as
appears from the fissures, which often traverse the rock
from top to bottom." The rock is everywhere hard black
basalt, filled with little pits and protuberances like air bub-
bles ; and emits a sharp metallic sound when struck. It is
much iised for the millstones of the country. Only two con-
ical Tells, like those in the great plain, are seen in the Lejah,
rising to the height of three or four hundred feet, — Tell
Amara and Tell Sumeid. These physical features of the
Lejah have rendered it a secure retreat for robbers and out-
laws from the earliest times until the present day. The mil-
itary prowess of Ibrahim Pasha was taxed in vain to subdue
it.i
The mountain, Jebel Hauran, lies mainly east of the plain ;
and the great body of it is everywhere volcanic. Especially
the high plateau, on which rise the loftiest summits, as the
Kuleib and others, several of them with extinct craters, con-
sists of a compact basalt with few traces of decomposition.
Near the southern end, also, at Sulkhad, the hill on whicli
the castle stands is composed of alternate layers of the com-
mon black tuiF of the country, and of a very porous deep
red pumice-stone. The soil is the reddish brown loam of
the region, and very fertile.^
Eastward of the mountain and of the Lejah lies the des-
ert ; but it is a desert of the most extraordinary and frightful
character, being wholly and strangely volcanic. The extent
1 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 110, 112, 113. Porter's Damascus, II. pp. 48, 240.
Handbook, pp. 499, 504, 506. Wetzstein, in Zeitsclir. fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept.,
pp. 136, 137.
2 Dorgens, in Zeitschr. fiir allg. Erdk., 1860, Dec, p. 408. Burckhardt, Syria,
pp. 102, 105.
41
322
PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
of this volcanic desert tract, so far as known, is perhaps one
hundred miles or more in length from south to north, lying
between Lat. 32° and 34° N. The breadth may be from
sixty to seventy miles. The northern portion, situated east
of the Damascus lakes, does not of course fall within the lim-
its of Palestine proper. ^ The southern portion, on the east
and southeast of the mountain, is known as el-Harrah. It is
an undulating plain, thickly strewed with volcanic rocks and
stones, so that it is difficult for animals to find their way.
It can never be cultivated ; yet in the rainy season herbage
springs up among the stones, which affords pasturage for
the flocks of the Bedawin. In several places inscriptions
are found upon these scattered blocks, some in known char-
acters, and others in unknown.^
The middle point of this great volcanic district is the
Safa, on tlie north and west of the Harrah. This is a tract
fifteen or twenty miles long by as much in breadth, a mere
plateau or mountain of lava, the surface exhibiting the most
ragged and fantastic forms, upheaved, blistered, riven, corru-
gated, jagged, with many deep pits and rents, and impassable
for man or beast. Various volcanic cones are seen in it, as
also in the more northern portion of the district ; the ancient
sources of this flood of fire. Among these more northern
cones are the Tellid (including Tell Dukweh), which are
seen from Damascus upon the eastern horizon.^
On the southeast of the Safa, between it and the Harrah,
lies a depressed strip of fertile land, an oasis or plain, some
five miles broad by seven or eight long, known as er-Ruhbeh.
1 Wetzstein, in Zeitschiv fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept., pp. 113, 114.
2 Wetzstein, in Zeitschr. fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept., pp. 126, 174.
3 Wetzstein, in Zeitschr. fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept., pp. 114-125. Later Bibli-
cal Researches, pp. 445, 446, 470.
VOLCANIC TRACTS.
323
Here the waters collect in the rainy season and form a lake
in the northern part, which dries up in summer. This fine
tract is inhabited by the Bedawin.^
The two singular regions of volcanic rocks now described,
the Lejah in the west and the Safa with the Harrah in the
east, correspond very aptly, as suggested by Wetzstein, to the
tivo Trachones (ol hvo Tpd^oyve^;') of Strabo ; which he places
in the south or southeast of Damascus. ^ These have usually
been regarded, on mere conjecture, as two mountains ; be-
cause the easternmost of the two " rough " tracts had become
utterly unknown to scholars. The Lejah, without doubt,
was comprised in ancient Trachonitis ; and gave name to the
district.
Returning to the borders of the Ghor, we find the igneous
rocks terminating, as we have described, just south of the
Hieromax ; and thence the limestone running on south
through all Jebcl 'Ajlun and the Belka. But along the
northeastern coast of the Dead Sea, north of the Zerka Ma'in,
there are blocks of basalt in great numbers, as also various
kinds of lava and pumice-stone.^ Near the southeastern ex-
tremity of the same sea, the narrow tract along the shore,
according to Irby and Mangles, is strewn " with innumerable
fragments of red and gray granite ; gray, red, and black
porphyry ; serpentine stone ; beautiful black basalt ; breccia,
etc." * These would seem to be fragments from the mountain
above. Still furtlier south, around Petra, as we know, the
whole body of the mountain is porphyry ; above which lies
1 Wetzstein, in Zeitschr. fiir allg. Erdk., 1859, Sept., p. 138.
2 Strabo, 17. 2. 16, 20, pp. 755, 756. Wetzstein, in Zeitschr. fur allg. Erdk.,
1859, Sept., p. 144.
3 Seetzen, Reisen, II. p. 369. Anderson, Geological Report, pp. 194, 197.
4 Irby and Mangles, 1847, p. 109.
324 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
the singular sandstone formation of that region ; while fur-
ther hack are seen still higher hills of limestone.^
Besides the great volcanic tract in northeastern Palestine,
ahove described, there exists another still more extensive in
northern Syria. It includes the northern end of Lebanon
and of the Buka'a, witli the region of Hums and Hamah ;
extends to the sea near Tortosa, embracing most of the
mountains of the Nusairiyeh ; and, taking in Antioch and
Aleppo in the north, reaches to the Euphrates or beyond.^
IV. EARTHQUAKES.
Like other countries in which volcanic formations exist,
Palestine is subject to earthquakes. So far, however, as
they are recorded in history, they have been less frequent
and less destructive in Palestine proper, than in the great
volcanic region of northern Syria ; where large cities, like
Antioch, Aleppo, Ba'albek, and otliers, have been repeatedly
overthrown by them.
In the sublime imagery with which the Hebrew poets sur-
round the appearance of Jeliovah in behalf of his people,
the earthquake holds a prominent place : " Then the earth
shook and trembled ; the foundations of the hills moved and
were shaken, because He was wroth.^
In Scripture only four earthquakes are definitely recorded.
The first was in connection with the appearance of God to
the prophet Elijah in mount Horeb ; a miraculous accom-
paniment of the divine manifestation.^ The second took
1 Biblical Researches, II. pp. 123, 124, 128, 120 sq. [II. pp. 503, 507, 514 sq.].
2 Later Biblical Researches, pp. .540, 542, 557-559. W. M. Thomson, in Bib-
liotheca Sacra, 1848, p. 472. See also Appendix.
8 Ps. xviii. 7; comp. Ps. Ixviii. 8; Nah. i. 5, G; Hab. iii. 10.
* 1 Kings xix. 11, 12; comp. vs. 8.
EARTHQUAKES.
325
place dupng the reign of King Uzziah, under whom Amos
prophesied ; and his prophecy was uttered two years before
the earthquake." The date of the latter was therefore about
B. C. 785. It was apparently a great earthquake ; for three
hundred years later and after the exile, the prophet Zecha-
riah refers to it as an epoch of terror and flight.^ The re-
cord of the other two earthquakes is in the New Testament ;
they occurred one at the death, the other at the resurrection,
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The former was the most violent
and remarkable ; the rocks were rent, throwing open rock-
hewn sepulchres ; and for six hours preceding it, darkness
had covered the land, — a not unfrequent accompaniment of
earthquakes. 2 The other, at the resurrection of our Lord,
is mentioned only by Matthew.-^ But it obviously lay in the
minds of the sacred writers, that both these convulsions
of nature were miraculous attestations to the dignity and
majesty of the Son of God.
Another violent earthquake in Judea is mentioned by
Josephus, about the time of the battle of Actium, B. C. 31 ;
about ten thousand persons are said to have been killed by
the fall of houses ; but the army encamped in tents received
no damage.* Jerome relates, that in his childhood the city
of Ar Moab (Areopolis) was overthrown by a great earth-
quake. The. date is uncertain ; since the birth of Jerome
is variously assigned to A. D. 329, 331, and 340. The ref-
erence may perhaps be to the extensive earthquake of A. D.
342, by which several oriental cities were destroyed.^ In
1 Amos i. 1; Zech. xiv. 5.
2 Matth. xxvii. 51, 54; comp. Mark xv. 38; Luke xxiii. 45. Matth. xxvii. 45;
Mark xv. 33; Luke xxiii. 44; comp. Ps. xviii. 9, 11.
3 Matth. xxviii. 2. * Joseph. Antiq., 15. 5. 2.
* Hieron. in Is. xv. 1, in mea infantia. Reland, Palaestina, p. 578. Ritter,
Erdkunde, XV. p. 1215.
326 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND.
A. D. 672, Gaza and Askalon, with the adjacent plaQes as far
as Ramleh, suffered from the shocks of an earthquake.^
Of the ten destructive earthquakes which desolated An-
tioch during the eight centuries ending with the sixth cen-
tury of the Christian era, none are recorded in any connec-
tion with Palestine.^
The terrible earthquakes mentioned in history, as having
devastated northern Syria during the middle ages and in
more modern times, extended, some of them, into Palestine ;
and the shocks of many of them may not improbably have
been felt there, though no special damage was caused by
them. Thus the earthquake of A. D. 1170, which was so
destructive to Antioch and Ba'albek, and various other
cities, left Palestine unharmed.^ That which occurred in
May, A. D. 1202, described by Abdallatif, ravaged not only
all Syria, but extended throughout Hauran and Galilee,
causing the destruction of Banias, 'Akka, and Nabulus ;
while Jemsalem received very little damage.* So in A. D.
1759, the violent earthquake wliich overthrew several of the
massive columns in Ba'albek, and caused the death of sev-
eral tliousand persons in the great valley el-Buka'a, appears
hardly to have extended to Palestine.^
In the present century an earthquake occurred in 1834 ;
which shook Jerusalem, injured the chapel of the Nativity
at Bethlehem, and was followed by the appearance of as-
phaltum floating in the Dead Sea.^ One of the most fearful
1 Ritter, Erdkunde, XYL pp. 64, 70.
2 O. MuUer, Antiq. Antioch, pp. 14-17. Ritter, Erdkunde, XYIL 2. p. 1156.
« Will. Tyr., 20. 19. Wilken, Geschichte der Kreuzziige, HL 2. p. 134. Later
Biblical Researches, p. 525.
* Abdallatif, Relation do I'Egypte, par de Sacv, pp. 414-418. Later Biblical Re-
searches, p. 94.
* Volney, Voyage en Syrie, I. p. 276. Later Biblical Researches, p. 527.
6 Biblical Researches, L p. 518 [11. p. 229].
EAKTHQUAKES.
327
earthquakes ever known in Palestine took place Jan. 1, 1837 ;
of which Safed would seem to have been the central point.
That town was wholly destroyed, and about four thousand
of the inhabitants perished. The walls of Tiberias and
many houses were thrown down, and seven hundred of the
inhabitants killed ; several of the neighboring towns and vil-
lages were injured more or less, Nazareth among the rest;
and the shocks were felt as far as Bethlehem and Hebron,
where, however, no great damage was done. A very large
mass of asphaltum was afterwards found floating in the Dead
Sea.i
It appears that amid all the terrific earthquakes with
which Syria has been afflicted for so many centuries, the
city of Jerusalem has been comparatively spared ; in conse-
quence, perhaps, of its position and distance from the vol-
canic regions. The same holds true, also, of the city of
Damascus.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR.
The Author intended to complete this Chapter by some instructive re-
marks on Caverns^ Minerals, and Soils ; and to add two other Chapters on
the Vegetable and the Animal features of the Holy Land. An operation on
the eye interrupted him, and he never resumed this work afterwards.
In respect to the first subjects, the Works mentioned in the notes of this
Geological Chapter, and principally the Author's own Works, may be re-
ferred to ; in respect to the last, the Note at the end of the Appendix.
1 Biblical Researches, II. p. 423 and note [III. pp. 322, 323, and note]. Ibid.,
n. p. 381 [III. p. 254]. Ritter, Erdkunde, XVI. pp. 210, 287, 749. BibUcal Re-
searches, I. p. 518 [II. p. 229].
APPENDIX.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR.
The following description of the Syrian Coast was the commence-
ment of the author's large work on Biblical Geography after his first
plan (see Preface). It was written before his second journey to the
East, the results of which were his Later Bibhcal Researches in Pal-
estine and the adjacent regions. There is no doubt that on re-
suming his work on Biblical Geography, upon a somewhat different
plan, and beginning with Palestine as the very nucleus of the Central
Region, the following pages, with additions and improvements from
the author's hand, would have formed the second part of his work,
and have followed immediately the description of Palestine. The
editor, in producing this valuable fragment in its existing form, has
been careful to add the necessary references to the Later Biblical
Researches of the author, which are partially devoted to the Leba-
anon and the surrounding country.
Th. B.
PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY OP THE SYRIAN COAST,
EXTENDING FROM ASIA MINOR TO THE RED SEA.
The general features of this region may be tlms specified :
A double range of parallel mountains, in part lofty, running
longitudinally and with few interruptions throughout the
whole extent ; between these, for nearly the whole distance,
a deep longitudinal valley or trough, in which rivers run in
opposite directions, or spread out into lakes ; the southern
portion being partly a desert and partly occupied by the
waters of the Red Sea; while along the outer bases of the
mountains are narrow plains, skirted on one side by the
Mediterranean, and on the other by the Arabian Desert.
The mountains are a branch thrown off nearly at right an-
gles towards the south, from the great chain of Mount Tau-
rus in Asia Minor.
In the north, we have, first. Mount Amanus, a lofty spur of
Taurus ; which, after enclosing in its fork the northeastern
corner of the Mediterranean or Bay of Issus, extends south-
ward along the coast to the Orontes ; where that river, turn-
ing westward from its former course, breaks through the
mountains to the sea. Next comes the broad valley of the
Orontes, with Mount Casius and its prolongations on the
west, and other lesser ranges of mountains on the east. Then
follows the more imposing valley of the Leontes, the modern
334 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SYRIAN COAST.
Buka'a, shut in by the towering ridges of Lebanon and Anti-
Lebanon with Hermon ; the various peaks of which rise to
an elevation of nine or ten thousand feet. Here is the lofti-
est portion of the whole region.
To this succeeds the longer and lower valley of the Jordan
with its three lakes ; extending also beyond the Dead Sea,
but without streams, quite to the Red Sea, where it forms
the Gulf of 'Akabah. The mountains which enclose this
latter valley are lower prolongations of Lebanon and Anti-
Lebanon ; sometimes spreading out into plateaus of table-
land ; and again rising into higher tracts, like Mount Gilead
on the east, and the country around Hebron on the west.
The western range, at its southern extremity, expands into
the broken ridges and lofty groups of Sinai ; some of
which have an elevation of more than eight thousand feet.
The whole tract thus described lies betw^een Lat. 27° 45'
N., and Lat. 36° 55' N. It thus has a length of about five
hundred and fifty geographical miles ; while its average
breadth, between the sea and the desert, is not more than
about seventy-five miles. The northern and southern extrem-
ities of the coast are nearly in Long. 36° and 34° E. from
Greenwich ; so that the general direction of the region is
not far from N. N. E. to S. S. W.
If we regard this long narrow region as divided into three
parts by two parallels of latitude, — one drawn from near Tyre
through the lower sources of the Jordan, and the other at a
short distance south of the Dead Sea, — then the northern
portion comprehends Syria Proper, including Phenicia ; the
middle portion embraces all the Holy Land, from Dan to
Beersheba ; and the southern portion takes in on the east
Arabia Petrasa (except Moab), and on the west the desert
and peninsula of Mount Sinai. We follow this order.
PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY OF SYKIA PEOPEE,
INCLUDING ANCIENT PHENICIA.
This country, as we have seen, forms the northern portion
of the region of the Syrian coast, adjacent to Asia Minor, and
is bounded on the soutli very nearly by a parallel of latitude
drawn through the sources of the Jordan at Banias. Its
length is thus about two hundred and twenty miles. The
breadth varies ; being at Antioch about eighty miles, and at
Damascus about sixty miles. Opposite to the northeast
corner of the Mediterranean is the great western bend of the
Euphrates, where that river approaches nearest to this sea.
The interval between is about ninety miles.
I. SURFACE: MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
The physical features of this land divide it naturally into
three portions ; namely, the tract north of the Orontes ; the
valley of the Orontes ; and the valley of the Leontes.
The first or northern tract is about forty-five miles in
length. Its main feature is the single range of Mount Ama-
nus ; the general elevation of which is given at five thousand
to six thousand feet. Its southern part, towards the mouth
of the Orontes, bore the name of Mount Pierius ; throwing
out a large promontory on the coast north of Seleucia. On
336 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
these mountains are extensive forests. Two celebrated pass-
es break through the ridge of Amanus, called gates (pijlae) ;
namely, the Pylae of Amanus, so called, north of Issus ; an(J
the Pylae of Syria, south of Alexandria (Iskandarun) , at
Beilan. This latter pass is the usual road between Antioch
and Alexandria.^ The plain along the coast is quite narrow.
It is interrupted by the promontory from Mount Pierius;
and also by spurs running down to the sea north of Alex-
andria. Here is another celebrated pass along the shore,
called the Pylae of Syria-Cilicia.
Adjacent to Mount Amanus on the east is alow district or
valley drained by the Kara Su (Black water) ; beyond which
the country is hilly, but not unfertile, as far as to the hollow
of the ancient Chains, the stream on which Aleppo is situa-
ted. This tract has a medium elevation of five hundred to six
hundred feet above the sea. Beyond the Chains the country
is undulating and tolerably fertile quite to the Euphrates ;
with a medium height above the sea of about twelve hundred
feet. The level of the Euphrates at Bir, is six hundred and
twenty-eight feet above the Mediterranean.^
The second or middle tract extends from Antioch to the
plain north of Lebanon, about eighty-five miles in length.
South of the Orontes, on the coast, Mount Casius forms a
lofty promontory. The elevation of its pyramidal summit is
given at five thousand three hundred and forty-one feet ; ^ it
is now called Jebel Akra. Its lower ridges stretch towards the
east along the lower valley of the Orontes ; and connect with
1 Chesney in Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 1837, pp. 414, 415. Po-
cocke, II. pp. 174, 175. Niebuhr, Reiseb. III. p. 18. Kicpert's Map of Asia Mi-
nor, 1846.
2 Chesney in Jour, of the R. Geogr. Soc, 1837, pp. 416, 419. Ritter, X. pp.
951, 1029.
3 Ainsworth's Researches in Assyria, etc., p. 305.
xMOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
337
another southern range, perhaps the Anti-Casius of antiquity.
This latter extends southward in various ridges and with
many defiles quite to the plain by Lebanon ; where its ridges
terminate in steep wooded hills. One of these is now sur-
mounted by the imposing fortress el-Husn, formerly known
as Husn cl-Akrad, .or castle of the Kurds.^ The ancient
name of this mountainous chain is lost ; except perhaps at
the southern end, where it seems to correspond to the Mons
Bargyhis of Pliny. ^ It is now called Jebel en Nusairiyeh,
from the people of that name who inhabit it, an heretical
sect of Muhammedan origin.^
This range, especially in the northern part, is richly
wooded with pine, oak, and various other kinds of trees. The
main body of the mountains is chalky limestone with flint.
In the southern parts there is much trap rock ; and towards
the north and around Mount Casius there is also found ser-
pentine, talc, and sandstone.* Eastward of this chain, and
parallel to it, is another irregular range of mountains, ex-
tending from near the bend of the Orontes to some distance
south of Hamah ; the ancient name of which is also lost.
The northern part is now called Jebel Riha from a village
upon it ; further south it takes various local names.
Between these two ranges stretches the noble valley or
plain of the Orontes, now called el-Ghab. Its breadth is
about five miles in the southern part, but lessens towards
the north. The river flows near the foot of the western
mountains, where it forms numerous marshes. Burckhardt
1 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 102. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 158.
2 Pliny, Hist. Xat., 5. 17. Pococke, II. p. 204.
3 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 390, 557.
< Irby and Mangles, p. 224 sq. W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841,
p. 234. Russegger, I. p. 448.
« Burckhardt, Syria, p. 148.
43
338 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SYPJAN COAST.
speaks of this as a beautiful valley, which he could compare
only to the Buka'a between the two Leba^ons ; but the
Ghab has the great advantage of being abundantly watered.^
In the parallel of Antioch the mountains disappear ; and a
vast plain opens towards the east and north ; while the val-
ley with the river, sweeping around the northern end of the
western chain, continues towards the southwest quite to the
sea. Below Antioch the valley contracts and is skirted by
precipices ; but it again opens towards the sea into a broad
plain. The scenery of this portion of the valley is described
as romantic and very beautiful
The narrow plain along the coast begins on the south of
Mount Casius, not far north of Laodicea, and reaches to
Tripoli. Towards the southern end of the mountains of
the Nusairiyeh and north of Lebanon, it becomes broad and
extensive, and is known as the plain of 'Akkar (Jun 'Akk^r),
or simply Junia. From it there extends up towards the
southeast, between the northern mountains and Lebanon, an
arm of some width ; which is described as connecting be-
yond the mountains with the northern part of the great
valley of the Buka'a. This latter here spreads out on the
north of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon into rich plains towards
Hums and Hamah, forming a boundless tract of level coun-
try, which gradually loses itself in the eastern desert.^ The
region stretching from Aleppo towards the south, is mostly
an imdulating and sometimes rugged desert, now inhabited
1 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 134, 136.
2 Irby and Mangles, p. 225. Russegger, I. p. 363. See the author's description
of this valley after he had seen it himself, Later Biblical Researches, p. 548 sq.
s Biblical Researches, IIL, first edition, App., p. 181. Burckhardt, Syria, p.
160. Pococke, IL p. 204. Buckingham, Arab Tr., pp. 495, 503. O. v. Richter,
p. 2a3.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS. 339
by nomadic Arabs ; but affording frequent traces of ancient
towns and villager.
Of all the mountains and valleys thus far described, none
are mentioned in Scripture. But in the third or southern
tract, which includes the district of Lebanon, we tread on
Scripture ground. It extends from the plain just described
on the north of Lebanon to the sources of the Jordan at
Banias, a distance of about ninety miles. Within these
limits lie the two great ranges of I^ebanon and Anti-Leba-
non, so prominent in Scripture, rising up from the plain on
the north, and running nearly parallel to each other through
their whole extent. The two ranges, however, have each a
distinct and different character. The former has its highest
summits in the north, and gradually declines towards the
south ; the latter is lower in the north, but terminates in the
south in the towering peaks of Hermon.^
The range of Lebanon rises from the north, at first gradu-
ally, and then more boldly, into a lofty central ridge, mostly
barren, which forms (^o to speak) the spine of the whole
mountain. From this high ridge, the eastern declivity, to-
wards the Buka'a, is steep, with few streams, and mostly
without tillage or inhabitants.^ The western declivity, on the
contrary, is longer and more gradual ; forming indeed be-
low the main ridge an elevated slope of hills, deep valleys,
and open tracts, mostly fit for cultivation, watered by many
streams, and at the present day teeming with the frequent
villages of a thrifty population. Next the sea this lower
region sinks down more steeply ; so that, to one looking up
from below, the whole mountain side appears as if composed
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 48, 50.
2 Biblical Researches, HI., first edition, App., p. 140. See a description of the
eastern declivity in Later Biblical Researches, pp. 421, 530, 546-548.
340
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
only of immense rugged masses of naked, whitish rock, sev-
ered by deep wild ravines running down precipitously to
the plain. This whitish appearance of the mountain as the
light is reflected from its rocky surface, sufficiently accounts
for the ancient name " Lebanon," signifying in Hebrew the
" White Mountain." The name was not derived from its
snows ; for, in summer, snow is found only in high sheltered
places not visible from below ; so that the summits are not
whitened by it. The mountain still bears among the Arabs
the general name of Jcbel Libnan ; while its various parts are
known among the inhabitants by different local appellations.
The loftier summits of Lebanon rise along the high central
ridge ; which, in the intervals, presents not very uneven
tracts of table-land, covered with a scanty pasturage. The
northern portion of the mountain is now called Jebel 'Akkar.
The northernmost peak rises southeast of Tripoli, and is
known on the coast as Jebel Mukhmal.^ Its elevation is
given at eight thousand four hundred Paris feet.^ Then fol-
lows, after a long interval, Jebel Suniiin, north of east from
Beirut, generally regarded as the highest point of Lebanon.
The usual estimate of its elevation is from nine thousand
to ten thousand feet. Li the ravines around both these sum-
mits, snow is found during the whole summer; and from
Siinnin it is carried away on mules to supply Beirut with
a luxury. A few miles further south is Jebel Keneiseh, a
lower summit, just north of the pass el-Mughitbeh on the
road from Beirut to Damascus.^
From this point southward the highest part of the moun-
^ E. Smith, Ms. Later Biblical Researches, p. 593 sq.
* Russcggcr, I. p. 717.
' Later Biblical Researches: " The first, el-Keniseh is marked by Petermann at
7245 feet. Siinnin, according to Marshal Marmont, is about 8300 English feet.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
341
tain forms again a single uniform ridge nearly to Jczzm, where
it becomes broader, and is broken up into irregular peaks
and ridges. In this part it bears different local names.
Opposite to Kefr Huneh it takes the name of Jebel Rihan,
from a village further south ; and the ridge, as such, finally
terminates at the river Litany, where it flows in a western
course between the bridges of Biirghuz and Khurdela. The
whole southern part of Lebanon is sometimes also called
Jebel ed-Deruz, Mountain of the Druzes, as being the chief
residence of that singular people.
On the western Lebanon, below the central ridge, the
larger streams are generally formed by several tributaries,
coming from deep valleys or ravines. Indeed, the valleys of
all this region have in general a uniform character. Except
at their heads, where they are shallow and sometimes form
basins of fertile land, they are mostly of great depth ; their
sides rising up as mountains, and being marked by regular
features. From the bottom there is first an acclivity ; then,
usually about halfway up, there is a precipice ; and above this
precipice the ascent becomes more gradual. Along it villa-
ges are built (as also below the precipice), and it connects
itself without interruption with the arable land above. In
the northern part of the mountain, the course of these val-
leys to the sea is northwest. In the middle part, north of
the Damascus road, they descend towards the west and south-
west. South of that road they run first south, and then
west, to the sea. Thus the valley of the Awaly, the ancient
Bostrenus, begins near the Damascus road, and takes its
One summit above the cedars, Fum el-Mizab, was found by Dr. De Forest in 1853
to be 9135 feet high. Another adjacent peak, Dahar el-Khudib, was estimated
by him as at least 175 feet higher; in all 9310 feet. This is the highest point of
Lebanon." p. 547; see also pp. 15, 489, 494.— Ed.
342
PHYSICAL GEOGRAriiY OF SYRIA PROPER.
course south to the vicinity of Jezzm ; separating the west-
ern tract of the mountain from the high ridge, and forming
thus two parallel ranges. Then, turning west almost at a
right angle, it breaks its way as a deep alluvial valley down
to the sea near Sidon. The higher portion of western Leba-
non may be said to terminate here ; its prolongation on the
south of the Awaly being lower and constituting the broad
trAct of table-land whicli extends beyond Tyre, and goes to
form the hills of Galilee.^
The rock of which Lebanon is composed is the Jura lime-
stone, with petrifactions of muscles and fish to the height of
three thousand feet.^ East of Beirut, high up on the side
of the mountain, near Kurnayil, are mines of coal ; and still
higher, some of iron ; but none of these have yet been
wrought to advantage.^ Notwithstanding tha naked appear-
ance of Lebanon at a distance, it everywhere abounds in
fertile soil, and the products of the vegetable kingdom are
numerous and abundant. In the higher parts are tracts of
pines, which furnish timber for the neighboring countries ;
nor have the cedars, the ancient glory of Lebanon, by any
means disappeared. A grove of several hundred cedars near
Ehden in the highest region of the mountain, many of them
V3ncrable for their great age and size, was long supposed to
1 In this description of Lebanon the main features are derived from a manu-
script journal of Rev. E. Smith, who resided for years on the mountain, and
traversed every part of it. Comp. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 19. [A few years after
writing this, the author had occasion to convince himself, by personal inves-
tigation, of the correctness of this description, and to add the results of his own
examination of the locality. See Later Biblical Researches, pp. 14, 36, 37, 42,
530, 547 sq., G24 sq.— Ed.]
2 Humboldt on Ehrenberg and Hampricht's Journeys in Abhandlungen der
Perl. Acad., 1846, p. 131. Burckhardt, p. 19. See also Cedrenus and Glycus,
quoted by Reland, Palaestina, p. 321.
8 Russegger, I. p. 779 sq., 788 sq. Bowling's Report on Syria, p. 20.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
343
be the only remnant of this noble tree upon its native soil.
Later travellers, however, have found the cedar growing
abundantly on the more northern parts of Lebanon ; though
none so large and venerable.^ In that particular grove there
are about a dozen patriarchal trees, formed each by the union
of three or four trunks, and remarkable for their age and
immense size. Around these have shot up about three hun-
dred single trees, some of them quite large, and many that
would be admired in any place for their beauty. Their
straight stem and spreading branches, and the graceful sym-
metry of the whole, fairly entitle them to be regarded as
" the glory of Lebanon." The cones, beautifully pendant
from the bottom of the branches, exude a kind of balsam,
highly fragrant, which fully explains the poetical allusion to
" the smell of Lebanon." ^
The oak, walnut, plane, silver poplar, acacia, and various
other trees are not infrequent. The olive and the mulberry
are widely cultivated ; the one for its oil, and the other as
food for silkworms. The wine of Lebanon was celebrated of
old.^ At present extensive vineyards surround many of the
villages, the vines being left to run upon the ground. The
fruit is mostly eaten, or is converted into raisins and dibs
(sirup) ; a small part only is made into wine, which is still
accounted of superior excellence.* Not a little of the soil
is arable, and is used for crops, chiefly of wdieat, maize,
1 Biblical Researches, 11. p. 493 [III. p. 440]. Later Biblical Researches, pp.
588-593.
2 S. Wolcott in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 86. Is. Ix. 13; Cant. iv. 11. [See a
full description of the cedars of Lebanon in Later Biblical Researches, pp. 588-
593.— Ed.]
3 Hosea xiv. 7.
4 E. Smith on the Wines of Lebanon, Bibliotheca Sacra, 1&46, p. 385 sq. Bow-
ring's Report on Syria, p. 17.
214
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
and tobacco.^ Where the acclivities are too steep for ordi-
nary tillage, terraces are built up along them with great la-
bor and covered with soil. Indeed, the whole surface of
the mountain bears marks of patient industry and thrift,
indicating a numerous population of hardy, laborious, inde-
pendent mountaineers.
The ancient renown of Lebanon for beauty and fertility
extended beyond Palestine. Moses prayed : " Let me go
over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly
mountain, even Lebanon." ^ It is mentioned by name in
Scripture no less than sixty-eight times ; at first as lying on
the northern border of the Promised Land ; ^ and then often
for its cedars. The wood of these was used in building both
the first and second temple ; ^ as also for Solomon's palace
and its furniture.^ To the Hebrew poet the stately cedar
of Lebanon was an emblem of the good man flourishing in
the favor of God ; sometimes also of the prosperous wicked ;
and again of the glory of idolatrous Assyria.^ More fre-
quently it was an image of grace and beauty.^ The fra-
grance of the forests and flowers of Lebanon was also an
object of poetic comparison.^
The name Lebanon in Scripture is sometimes supposed to
have comprehended also the eastern mountain ; and in five
instances where the Hebrew has Lebanon, the Septuagint
reads Anti-Lebanon.^ But this view would seem not well
founded. The southern part of Anti-Lebanon is always
known in Scripture as Mount Hermon ; and as to the nortli-
1 Bowring's Report on Syria, pp. 8, 18.
2 Deut. iii. 25. ^ Dcut. i. 7, xi. 24. Josh. i. 4, xiii. 6.
* 1 Kings V. G, ix. 14; Ezra iii. 7. ^ 1 Kings vii. 2, x. 21 ; Cant. iii. 9.
6 Ps. xcii. 12, Ps. xxix. 5; Is. ii. 12, 13; Ezek. xxxi. 3 sq.
' Judg. ix. 15; 2 Kings xiv. 9, xix. 23; comp. Is. xiv. 8, xxxvii. 24.
s Hosea xiv. 6; Cant. iv. 11. 9 Deut. i. 7, iii. 25, xi. 24; Josh i. 4, ix. 1.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
crii part, if mentioned at all, it is probably under the name
of Scnir.^ The Mount Hor spoken of as a point in the north-
ern border of the Israelites, would seem to have been either
the northern end of Lebanon Proper, or a spur connected
with it .2
The main ridge of Anti-Lebanon begins also from the
north, over against the northern end of Lebanon, some fif-
teen miles south of Hums, and north of Hasya on the road
to Damascus ; where the eastern plain extends around it
quite to the Orontes.^ Like Lebanon, it is composed of Jura
limestone. It may be regarded as made up of two parts,
lying north and south of the parallel of Damascus ; or rather
as divided at a point somewhat north of that parallel. The
northern part now bears the name of Jebel esh-Shurky, or
East Mountain. It is a long and not uneven ridge, less
lofty than Lebanon ; and in contrast to that mountain,
having its steepest declivity on the west towards the Buka'a,
almost without streams or villages. The top of the ridge
forms in some places a broad tract of uneven table-land.
The eastern declivity is quite gradual ; or rather this eastern
side is characterized by successive lower ridges with interven-
ing open tracts, or terraces, running parallel with its course,
and presenting towards the east steep declivities and some-
times perpendicular precipices. The river Barada, which,
rising high up in the mountain, flows by Damascus, the only
important stream of Anti-Lebanon, breaks through no less
than three such ridges. The surface of this portion of the
mountain north of the Barada, is naked and barren ; and
several spurs from the mountain, or rather from the parallel
1 1 Chr. V. 23; Cant. iv. 8. 2 Num. xxiv. 7, 8.
3 Biblical Researclics, III., first edition, App., p. 17L Irby and Mangles, p 281.
Buckingham, Arab Tr., p. 488.
44
346
niYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
ridges, having the same general character, extend into the
desert in the direction of Palmyra ; forming the rugged and
broken country crossed by the caravan road from Damascus
to Hums.^
The southern portion of Anti-Lebanon slightly trends still
further towards the southwest ; and rises south of Rasheiya
into the lofty peaks of Jebel esh-Slieikh, the Mount Hermon
of Scripture, the highest of all the Syrian mountains-, estima-
ted at more than ten thousand feet above the sea. It is some-
times called also Jebel et-Telj, or Snowy Mountain.^ Both its
eastern and western sides are steep and uninhabited. In the
ravines around the higher of the two peaks, snow or rather
ice lies during the whole year ; and hence in summer the
mountain presents at a distance the appearance of radiant
stripes descending from its crown. In the fourth century
the snows of Hermon were carried to Tyre in summer as a
luxury.^ Tlie ridge afterwards slopes off gradually and
irregularly towards the W. S. W., quite down to the mouth
of Wady et-Teim, northwest of Banias. From the south-
eastern base of the highest part of Jebel esh-Sheikh, a low
broad spur or mountainous tract, called Jebel Heish, runs
off towards the south, and forms a prolongation of Anti-Leb-
anon, in the high land which shuts in on the east the basin
of the Hulch and the valley of the Jordan.^
Mount Hermon, although its majestic form is visible from
the greater part of northern Palestine, is mentioned in
Scripture only twelve times ; and then chiefly as marking a
1 Biblical Researches, III., first edition. Appendix, p. 171.
2 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 163.
3 Jerome, Onomast., article JErmon.
* For a short descriptive sketch of the two mountains Lebanon and Anti-Leb-
anon, see Later Biblical Researches, pp. .MG, 547. — Ed.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, PLAINS.
347
boundary. There are but three poetical allusions to it ; ^
for as contrasted with Lebanon, it is steep and rugged, with-
out fertility, or cedars, or flowers ; and had, therefore, far
less of poetic charm. On account of its two summits, it is
once spoken of in the plural, as the Hermons? By the Sido-
nians it was called Shirion ; and by the half-nomadic Amo-
rites, Senir.^ But Hermon and Senir are also sometimes
distinguished.* The latter was probably the specific name
of another portion of Anti-Lebanon, occasionally applied to
the wliole. In the fourteenth century the name Senir, handed
down perhaps by tradition from the tribes of the desert,
was current among the Arabs for the ridge of Anti-Lebanon
north of Damascus.^ Once Hermon is said to be the same as
Mount Sion; which latter may here be nothing more than an
epithet, signifying " the lofty." ^ The name Amana is like-
wise mentioned along with Senir and Hermon ; ' it was prob-
ably applied to the middle portion of Anti-Lebanon around
the sources of the river Barada, tlie ancient Amana. Mount
Baal-Hermon would seem to have been nothing more than
that part of Hermon which was adjacent to the city Baal-
Hermon.^
Between the mighty ranges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon,
thus presenting their steepest walls over against each other,
lies the BukcVa, the valley or plain watered by the ancient
Leontes, now called the Litany. It is the proper Coele- Syria
of the ancients.^ The general breadth of the valley is from
I Ps. Ixxxix. 12, cxxxiii. 3; Cant. iv. 8. 2 ps. xlii. 6.
8 Deut. iii. 9. 1 Chron. v. 23; Cant. iv. 8.
s Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 164. 6 Deut. iv. 48.
^ Cant. iv. 8.
8 Judg. iii. 3; comp. 1 Chron. v. 23. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 409, 410.
9 Later Biblical Researches, p. 54G.
348
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
four to six miles ; ^ the steep sides of the mountains on either
hand rising to an elevation of five thousand to six thousand
feet. The Buka'a is irrigated by several streams, though
not profusely watered. In it is a watershed a few miles
nortli of Ba'albek, marked by low hills ; south of which the
streams all flow to the Litany ; while just north are the
sources of the Orontes, which send their waters northward
to Antioch. The elevation of the valley at Ba'albok is given
at three thousand four hundred and ninety-six Paris feet.^
From the point on the western side where Jcbel esli-Sheikh
begins, and the ridge trends more westerly, a low spur is
thrown off towards the southwest ; which, being prolonged
as a broad ridge of arable land diverging more and more
from the eastern mountain, runs obliquely along the Buka'a
as if to join itself to the southern end of Lebanon near
Burghuz. By this low ridge the southern portion of the
great valley is gradually narrowed to a point ; from which
the Litany forces its way through the continuation of Leb-
anon by a deep and very narrow chasm, foaming and dash-
ing over rocks for miles between high precipices, until it
issues upon the plain and joins the sea north of Tyre.
On the eastern side of the same arable ridge, as it diverges
from Jebel esh-Sheikh, is formed the higher valley, or rather
hilly tract, now known as Wady et~Teim. Its head is north
of Muhaiditheh, where it has an open connection by a low
watershed with the Buka'a, near 'Ain Faluj. At this point its
elevation is five hundred to six hundred feet above the Li-
tany.^ At its southern extremity this valley becomes narrow,
and enters the plain of Banias at the northwest corner. In
1 Schubert, III. p. 322.
2 Russeggcr, I. p. 702. Schubert has 3572 Paris feet; III. p. 322.
3 E. Smith, Ms. Journal.
MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, TLAINS.
349
this valley, near Hasbeiya, is the remotest "perennial source
of the Jordan ; which thus flows for a short distance parallel
with the Litany, though on a higher level. Not improbably
this may be the particular " valley of Lebanon under Mount
Hermon," spoken of in Scripture. ^
On tlie seacoast, the Junia or plain, as we have seen, termi-
nates at Tripoli, which lies upon a low triangular point ex-
tending into the sea, with many small islands beyond. Thence
.southwards the shore hugs the skirts of Lebanon as far as to
Beirut. In one part a high promontory, the ancient Theu-
prosopon, now called Ras esh-Shiika, cuts off all passage along
the sea ; and nowhere is there more than a narrow strip of
level land. The low triangular headland of Beirut projects
several miles into the sea ; and is for the most part level or
slightly undulating, with ranges of sandhills along its south-
westerii side. Beyond this there is another narrow and
irregular level strip of coast ; until towards Sidon the skirts
of the mountain again reach down to the sea. South of
the Awaly and back of Sidon, the mountains for a fevf miles
recede and leave a broader amphitheatre ; but they soon
return towards the shore, and confine the plain to narrow
limits, until it expands again back of Tyre, and then termi-
nates a few miles beyond in the White Promontory, now
called Ras el-Abyad. This is the celebrated Phenician plain
between Tyre and Sidon, so often spoken of in Scripture and
in profane writers. Its breadth is unequal ; but is seldom
greater than a mile, except around the two cities. The sur-
face is not a dead level, but gently undulating.
East of the mountains, the region south of the rich plains
of Hums, as far as to Damascus, is intersected, as we have
1 Josh. xi. 17; comp. xiii. 5. A circumstantial description of the Bulia'a and
Wady ct-Teim in Later Biblical Researches, pp. 492-504.
350
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYEIA PROPER.
* seen, by barren ridges thrown off towards the northeast from
' the parallel ledges connected with Anti-Lebanon. These
impart to the country a rough and rugged, not to say moun-
. tainous character, with occasions valleys and plains of mod-
erate extent.^ South of this region is spread out the broad
and beautiful plain of Damascus, watered by the Barada, and
presenting to the eye of the traveller one of the most cele-
brated prospects of the oriental world. Its modern name
is el-Ghutali ; and Abulfeda describes it as the noblest of tlie
four Paradises, " which are the most excellent of the beau-
tiful places of the earth." ^ The medium elevation of this
plain is said to be two thousand three hundred Paris feet.^
11. WATERS: RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
The coast of Syria has very few bays, and no good har-
bors; most of the maritime towns having only open road-
steads. In the north, the bay of Issus, now the gulf of
Iskanderun, forms the northeast corner of the Mediterra-
nean. The bay of Juneli or Kesrawan north of Beirut, af-
fords an exposed anchorage for vessels.
East of Mount Amanus th * Kara Su (in Arabic el-As-
wad) flows S. S. W. and expands into the lake of Antioch, a
few miles distant from the Orontes. The Nahr 'Afrin, a
longer stream enters the same lake from the northeast. This
sheet of water is of an oval form, nearly forty miles in cir-
cuit ; not deep, but well siipplied with fish ; and is a great
resort of water-fowl. The level of the lake is three hundred
1 Biblical Researches, HI., first edition, App., p. 171. Pococke, II. p. 138 sq.
Irby and Manjrles, p. 281. 0. v. Ricliter, p. 195 sq.
2 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 100.
3 Russeggcr, I. p. 415; comp. Schubert, III. p. 283. Later Biblical Researches,
pp. 442-468.
RIVERS. LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
351
and sixty-five feet above the sea. It is called Ak Denis, or
also el-Yugara. The outlet, likewise known as the Kara Su,
is on the west side, and enters the Orontes three miles above
Antioch.^
The river of Aleppo, el-Kuweik, is the ancient Chains of
Xenophon, celebrated for its fish ; and having even now
three varieties unknown in the rivers of Europe, and consid-
ered of remarkable delicacy It rises near a branch of the
Sajur, a tributary of the Euphrates ; and has a southerly
course of about sixty miles. It flows by Aleppo as a small
sluggish stream, eight or ten yards wide ; its waters being
drawn off for irrigation. Near the site of the ancient Colchis,
it turns east, and loses itself in a marsh four miles from that
place and some fifteen miles south of Aleppo.^
The longest and largest river of Syria is the Orontes^ now
called el-'Asy, flowing towards the north ; while all the other
large streams have a southern direction. Its remotest source
is near Lebweh, a village ten or twelve miles north of Ba'al-
bek, at the foot of xinti-Lebanon. A little stream here
comes down from the mountain ; which wanders northward
through the plain for twelve or fifteen miles, and then ap-
proaches the western side of the valley, along the low hills
which skirt the base of Lebanon near the village el-Hiirmul.
At this place is a large fountain, which is commonly re-
garded as the head of the Orontes ; the natives here, as in
the case of the Litany and the Jordan, considering not the
1 W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 238. Ainswgrth, Researches
in Assyria, p. 299. Cliesney in Journal of Royal Geographical Society, 1838,
p. 416. Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 160.
2 Xenophon, Anabasis, 1. 4. 9. W. B. Barker in Bowring's Report, p. 112.
8 Russell's Aleppo, 1794, 1, p. 3 sq. Pococke, II., p. 151. Abulfeda, Tab. Syr.,
p. 190. E. R. Beadle in Missionary Herald, 1842, p. 233.
352
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYEIA PROPER.
most distant, but the most copious fountain as the proper
source. A large volume pf water " springs with some vio-
lence from a natural basin in the rock, of a triangular form,
measuring about fifty paces, and nearly concealed on each
side by trees and bushes." The Lebweh flows along the base
of this triangle, and mingles its little current with the stream
from the spring.^ On the south side of the basin, at the top
of the rock, there is an excavation of several rooms, said
to have been the hermitage of Marun, the first Maronite.
Hence the spot in Abulfeda's time bore the name of Mu-
gharat er-Rahib (the Monk's cave), and is now known as
Deir Mar MarOn.2
The stream pursues a northeasterly course by Ribleh
through the great plain towards Hums, receiving several
smaller tributaries. About ten miles south of that city, it
expands into a lake some five miles long by two broad, for-
A
merly called el-Kady^, and now known as the lake el-'Asy or
of Hums. The river passes on the west of Hums, less than
a mile distant ; and is there narrow, deep, and rapid. Be-
tween Hums and Hamah it makes a bend towards the right
around an isolated mountain. At Hamah the river runs in
a narrow valley lower than the plain ; and here and below,
as far as Shugr,^ the water is raised by large Persian wheels,
turned by the force of the current, for the use of the inliab-
itants and for irriojation. About ten miles below Hamah the
Orontes breaks through a range of hills by a narrow chan-
nel with precipitous rocky banks, near the bridge and castle
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 538, 539.
2 W. B. Barker, in Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 1S37, pp. 99,
100. Abulfcda, Tab. Syr., p. 150. Biblical Researches, 111., first edition, App.
p. 144, 145. See a description of this cave in Later Biblical Researches, p. 589.
3 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., pp. 151, 157.
* Maundrell, p. 5.
EIYEES, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
353
Seijar. Here are found remains of antiquity, which mark
tlie place as an ancient site, probably Larissa.^
At this point the proper valley of the Orontes, el-Ghab,
may be said to begin. Many large fountains along each side
of the Ghab send their waters to augment the river ; form-
ing in several instances small lakes in the bottom of the val-
ley. One of these, called et-Takeh, just northwest of the site
of the ancient Apamea, is celebrated for its fish.^ The river
flows near the west side of the valley, where it forms numer-
ous marshes ; in the rainy season it overflows and connects
with the lake.^ At Shugr the stream is divided into a num-
ber of smaller channels. It runs here rapidly over a grav-
elly bottom ; and for a mile above the bridge has less than
three feet of water, while below the bridge it is deep.*
Just where the Orontes turns west towards Antioch, is the
Jisr el-Hadid, or Iron bridge, so called for centuries, on the
great road to Aleppo.^ Below Antioch, through the narrow
portion of the valley, the river roars over a succession of
rapids and shallows, which render it unnavigable even for
steam vessels.^ Where the plain again opens towards the
sea, the stream is in some places fordable, but is usually
crossed by a ferry. It is here about eight rods in width, with
a very rapid current and muddy water, exhibiting a bluish-
white appearance."
The direct course of the Orontes from its source to the
Jisr el-Hadid, is nearest one hundred and twenty-eight
1 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 145. Cellarius, II. p. 356.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 137. Comp. Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., pp. 151, 157.
5 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., pp. 157, 158. G. Robinson, II. p. 247.
* Monro, II., p. 211. Later Biblical Researches, p. 548 sq.
5 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 151.
6 Irby and Mangles, p. 226. Bowring's Report, p. 49.
7 W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 235.
45
I ■
3o4 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
miles ; and from thence to the sea, about twenty-four miles.
The level of the river at the Iron bridge is about the same
as that of the adjacent lake, or three hundred and sixty-five
feet above the sea. This gives an average fall of nearest fif-
teen feet for every mile of its lower southwestern course,
where it is known to be most rapid. The source at Leb-
weh cannot be lower than Ba'albek ; which is given at
three thousand four hundred and ninety-six Paris, or three
thousand seven hundred and thirty English feet, above the
sea ; or three thousand three hundred and sixty-five feet
above the lake of Antioch. This again gives for the northern
course of the river a fall of more than twenty-six feet for
every mile, or nearly double the. rate below the bend. This
result seems incompatible with the apparently greater rapid-
ity of the river in its lower part ; and also with the general
features of the country, and the marshes along the valley.
Perhaps there may be some error in the barometical meas-
urements of the Buka'a.
The Leontes, now called el-Litany,^ is the river of the
Buka'a, and gathers its waters from the many fountains of
the valley. In journeying from Zahlch at the foot of Leba-
non to Ba'albek, one does not yet find the Litany ; only a few
small streams, its tributaries, are crossed in the plain ; the
easternmost of which is followed to its source in a copious
fountain a few miles south of Ba'albek.^ This is perhaps the
remotest perennial source. But the district is everywhere
watered by rivulets ; almost every village has its spring, all
of which flow into the valley, where most of them are lost
before reaching the Litany, unless it be in the rainy season.
Thus at Ba'albek there is a noble fountain, the stream from
1 For the probable identity, see Biblical Researches, II. pp. 472,473 [III. p. 410J.
2 Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App., p. 143.
RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
355
which would naturally form one of the sources of the Litany ;
yet in summer, at least, it loses itself in the plain. The case
is the same with the still remoter fountain of Nahleh, three
or four miles northeast of Ba'albek. At Zahleh, situated hi
the opening of a valley at the foot of Lebanon, a fine brook
called el-Burdony issues from the mountain, and runs into
the plain to join the main stream. So too just below on
the other side, there comes in a rivulet from Anti-Lebanon,
known as el-Kana, from the village of that name.^ But
the most copious stream of all . comes from the fountains of
'Anjar, at the foot of Anti-Lebanon, southeast of Zahleh.
Hence, as in the case of the Orontes, this spot is regarded by
the natives as the true source of the Litany. There are
here several springs at the base of the mountains, about a
mile distant from the village. The stream which issues from
them flows sluggishly into the plain, and is not fordable.
When Burckhardt saw it, the volume of water was triple
that of the other branch of the Litany. In summer the
largest spring intermits its flow at certain periods eight or
ten times in a day. Towards the north along the base of
the mountain are two other large springs a mile distant ;
and a third, a mile or two further on ; all of which send their
waters to the river of 'Anjar, and are reckoned among its
sources.2
After the junction of the streams, the Litany flows on
through the valley, which contracts towards the south, and
loses its alluvial character some distance above the village
of Suhmur on the left bank of the stream. Below this point
1 Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App., pp. 141, 143. Burckhardt, Syria,
pp. 4, 10, 16, 17.
2 Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App., p. 143. Burckhardt, Syria, pp.
9, 10. E. Smith, Ms. Journal.
356
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
the channel of the river becomes narrow, and grows contin-
ually deeper ; being apparently worn into the rock by the
action of the water. At Suhmur the stream runs rapidly
between perpendicular precipices. About three miles fur-
ther south, a liigh tract crosses from the eastern hill to the
foot of Lebanon ; through which the river breaks its way by
a similar narrow gorge. The village Yiihmur is situated
on the top, just on the left bank of the stream. Here is the
most majestic part of the wonderful chasm. Its precipices
cannot well be less than a thousand feet in height ; higher
than at any other point. At the bottom, like a silvery ribbon,
the current rushes from rapid to rapid, foaming among the
rocks, and decked with the gay blossoms of the oleander
along its margin. Just north of this spot there is near the
bottom a natural bridge across the stream, called el-Kuweh.
It has evidently been formed by the falling of masses of rock
from above ; which, spanning the stream, have in time be-
come covered with earth and bushes. This bridge is crossed
by a bridle-path.i
South of Yuhmur for several miles the course of the river
is through the midst of an undulating basin ; but it every-
where preserves its precipitous, though here lower banks.
There is usually no depression of the ground as one ap-
proaches the river ; so that when the chasm is not directly
in sight, the whole tract appears as one continuous surface.
Towards the south the basin is terminated near the village
of Burghuz by a hill projecting from the east towards the
bold side of Lebanon, with which it would form a junction
but for the Litany. Here is another majestic chasm ; though
its walls are less lofty than at Yuhmur. Just below the
1 Later Biblical Researches, pp. 53, 385-387.
RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
357
bridge of Burgliuz the river turns by a sudden angle towards
the southwest ; and continues to flow by a tortuous channel
between rocky precipices in that general direction, along the
high southern end of Jebel Rihan (Lebanon), as far as to
the bridge of Khurdela. Here it again flows south by the
great castle esh-Shukif ; below which it turns due west, and
passes out between precipices of great sublimity into the
more open country around Tibnin.
This deep rocky gorge is in fact a rent or crevice through
the southern skirts and spurs of Lebanon. So narrow is
the rent, that only here and there is there room for a foot-
path below along the stream ; and the high perpendicular
cliffs approach so near together that in some spots, as near
Burghuz, the branches of trees from either side meet and in-
terlock. The lofty precipice, on which is situated the castle
esh-Shukif, is exceedingly grand ; the castle crowns its high-
est pinnacle, standing upon the very brink ; so that a stone
let fall from its battlements would almost drop into the
stream below.^
After turning west below the castle, the Litany has a
course of twelve or fifteen miles, and falls into the sea a few
miles north of Tyre, under the name el-Kasimiyeh. The
stream in its lower part is twenty or thirty feet in width and
of considerable depth. It flows to the sea with many wind-
ings, through a broad low tract of meadow-land.^
The length of the Litany on a direct course, from Ba'al-
bek to the sea, is nearest fifty-five miles. From the termina-
tion of the alluvial part of the Buka'a to the point where
1 The foregoing description is drawn mainly fi-om the Ms. Journal of Rev. E.
Smith. Comp. W. M. Thomson in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1846, p. 205. [See the
author's own view of it, after having visited it in 1852, in Later Biblical Re-
searches, pp. 385, 387, 421-423, 404.— Ed.]
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 472 sq. [III. p. 409 sq.].
358
PHYSICAL GEOGKAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
the river issues from its mountain gorge above Tibnin, is
nearest twenty miles. If for this part of its course we as-
sume an average fall of one hundred feet in a mile, or two
thousand feet in all (which is a very large allowance), there
yet remains of the elevation at Ba'albek (three thousand
seven hundred and thirty English feet), no less than sev-
enteen hundred and thirty feet to be distributed along the
rest of the course ; namely, thirty-five miles. This gives
an average fall of nearly fifty feet in a mile, in a course
mostly along alluvial valleys. This result, taken in connec-
tion with the similar one in the case of the Orontes, seems
to imply an error in the assumed elevation of the Buka'a, as
indicated by the barometer.
Thus far of the waters of the great Syrian valley which
find their way, by the Orontes on the north and the Leontes
on the south, through the mountains to the Mediterranean.
Next, of the shorter streams along the western declivity to-
wards the sea.
North of the Orontes there are no streams of importance
along the coast. Between Mount Casius and Lebanon the
plain is well watered by several rivers which take their rise in
the mountains ; and by numerous fountains along the coast.
Ancient writers make no mention of any of these streams,
except the river Eleutherus ; which is twice named in the
Apocrypha, and often by Josephus.^ This river was obvi-
ously on the north of Lebanon ; and is loosely specified,
along with adjacent towns, as the northern boundary of
Phenicia towards Syria.^ According to Strabo and Pliny it
was near the city Simyra, now perhaps Sumrah (or Semar) ; ^
1 1 Mace. xi. 7, xii. 30, Josephus, Antt. 15. 4. 1.; Bel. Jud., 1. 18. 5. etc.
2 Strabo, 16. 2. 12, 16. Pliny, Hist. Nat., 5. 20. Cellarius, II. p. 374.
3 Cellarius, H. p. 374. Shaw, Travels, p. 269.
RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
3o9
and corresponds therefore to the present Xahr cl-Kebir, the
largest river of the plain. ^ It rises in the trap mountains,
northeast of the castle el-Husn ; gathers the waters of the
northernmost parts of Lebanon, and of the southern end of
the Xusariyeli mountains ; and passing down between the
two (though nearest to Lebanon), forms in the rainy season
a large and swollen torrent, which is sometimes impassable
for weeks together.^
One of the northernmost tributaries of this river, called
Nahr cl-'Arus, takes its rise from a copious intermitting
fountain in the valley west of the castle el-Hiisn, and not
far from the Greek convent Mar Jirjis, which is situated
half an hour northwest of the castle. This fountain, which
is mentioned by Burckhardt as near the convent, has re-
cently been identified by Mr. Thomson with the famous
Sabbatical river of JoseiDhus.-^ The historian speaks of that
river as between Arka, which belonged to Agrippa's kingdom
of Chalcis, and Raphanea. The former town still exists near
the coast at the north end of Lebanon ; and the site of the
latter, as we shall elsewhere see, is found on tlie way from el-
Husn to Hamah. Josephus describes the stream as flowing
only on the seventh day ; its channel being dry during the
intervening six days. Pliny, on the other hand, narrates,
that it runs during six days, and is dry on the seventh."*
These are doubtless merely different forms of a current pop-
ular report. At the present time the water ordinarily flows
1 Later Biblical Researches, p. 576,
2 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 101. Muuiidrell, p. 32. Later Biblical Researches,
pp. 558 -SCO, .575, 570, 582.
3"W. M. Thomson in. Silliman's Journal of Science, Nov. 1846, p. 305 sq.
Burckhardt, Syria, p. 160. Josephus, Bel. Jud., 7. 5. L Later Biblical Re-
searches, pp. 572, 574.
4 Pliny, Hist. Nat., 31. 2.
360
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
every third day ; tliougli, according to the testimony of the
monks of the adjacent convent, the interval varies with the
alternations of the wet and dry seasons. Yet the inhabitants
of the neighboring districts still affirm, that it runs only on
the seventh day, and call it Nahr Sebty, or Seventh-day
river. Being, however, Muslims, they connect the supposed
flow with Friday, the Muhammedan Sabbath.
Of the streams which descend from Lebanon directly to
the sea, the ancient names of only five have been preserved ;
and these are all situated between Jebeil (Byblus) and Sidon.
The Adonis, now called Nahr Ibrahim, a few miles south
of Jebeil, is a stream of considerable size.^ It is crossed by
a very high bridge of a single arch, which appears to have
stood for ages. The ancient name was derived from the
fable of Adonis ; who was said to have been killed by a
wild boar in the adjacent mountain, and his blood mingled
with the stream. His death was annually commemorated
in Byblus, in connection with the temple of Yeniis ; at which
time the river was believed to become of a bloody color.
Something like this is occasionally true at the present day ;
as seen by Maundrell ; ^ the water after violent rains as-
sumes a reddish hue, and discolors the sea to a considerable
distance. This is occasioned by a species of minium, or
red earth, washed into the river. Such is the solution given
by Maundrell ; and Lucian relates that an inhabitant of
Byblus explained it "to liim in the same way.^
The ancient Lycus is now Nahr el-Kelb, or Dog river, a
large and rapid stream, having its sources around Jebel
Sunnin, and entering tlie sea between steep and lofty preci-
1 Cellarius, II. p. 377. Maundrell, p. 45. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 601,
606, 609.
2 Maundrell, p. 46. 8 Lucian, de Syria. Dea, § 6, 8.
RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
3G1
pices, seven or eiglit miles northeast of Beirut.^ The scenery
of this mountain gorge is romantic and imposing. The
mountains extend out quite to the sea ; so that on the north
there is only a narrow rocky passage along the shore ; while
on the south the rampart juts out still further, and an an-
cient artificial road six feet in breadth is hewn in the rock
sometimes fifty feet above the water, for the distance of a
mile. A Latin inscription records this as the work of one
of the emperors Antoninus, probably Caracalla. Other in-
scriptions, now illegible, and sculptures mark the progress of
Assyrian and perhaps Egyptian conquerors. Higher up in
the mountain the region becomes still more wild and roman-
tic ; especially around the extensive caverns through which
the river flows, situated two hours above its mouth.
The present river of Beirut, which descends upon the plain
and enters the sea on the north side of the promontory, is
the Magoras of the ancients.^
In the Nahr ed-Damur, south of Beirut, we have the river
Tamyras or Damouras of the ancients." Its sources are in
the mountain, in several valleys, near the road from Beiriit
to Damascus. In summer it is a moderate stream, but in
winter it often swells so suddenly and powerfully as to be-
come impassable ; and travellers are occasionally swept away
in attempting to ford it. A bridge has often been erected
over it in the plains ; but has never yet been able long to
withstand the fury of the wintry torrent*
1 Cellarius, II. p. 377. Maundrell, p. 45 sq. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 189 sq.
W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 29 sq. Later Biblical Researches,
pp. 12, 13, G19.
2 Pliny, Hist. Nat., 5. 17. Pocockc, II. pp. 90, 91. Later Biblical Researches,
pp. 12, 14, 15.
3 Strabo, 16. 2. Polyb. 5. 68. Biblical Researches, II. p. 488 [III. p. 433],
Later Biblical Researches, p. 34.
46
362
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
The Awaly, just north of Sidon, is the ancient Bosh'enus,
which gave and still gives fertility and beauty to the envi-
rons of that city.i Its source is high up in Lebanon, north
of Baruk ; and, as we have seen, it flows first south-south-
west, and then west to the sea by an alluvial valley, cleaving
the mountains to their base. At its angle near Jezzin, a
stream enters it from the north, on which is a beautiful cas-
cade two hundred feet high.^ Where the river issues from
the mountains, its waters are taken out by aqueducts to' sup-
ply the city of Sidon and to irrigate the surrounding region.
Yet it flows on, a fine broad stream, to the sea.
South of Sidon there is no river of importance except the
Leontes. All those thus far mentioned are within the long
and narrow territory encircled by the latter and the Orontes.
Along the eastern declivity of the mountains which skirt
the valley of the Orontes, and also along the whole northern
part of Anti-Lebanon towards the cast, the only waters are
occasional fountains, whose rivulets are quickly lost in the
vicinity of their sources. In the district of Damascus, we
have an early notice of two streams : " Are not Amana and
Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of
Israel ? " ^ These of course must be streams having their
sources in or near Anti-Lebanon or Hermon, and flowing
eastward through the plain of Damascus.
One of these is undoubtedly the Barada, the ChrysorrlwcB
of the Greeks.^ It is the largest and most important stream
1 Dionysius, Perigetes, 905. Reland, Palaestina, p. 437. Biblical Researches,
II. pp. 4a5, 480 [III. pp. 428, 429]. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 30, 37.
2 E. Smith, Ms. Journal.
3 2 Kings V. 12. The form Amana stands in the margin of the English Bible,
and is better supported than the reading Ahana. Later Biblical Researches, p.
447 sq.
4 Cellarius, II. p. 372. Later Biblical Researches, pp. 446-449.
RIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
363
on the eastern declivity of the mountains, though in itself
of moderate size ; and flows in a southeasterly direction. Its
remotest sources are found in several rivulets which water
the plain of Zebedany near the top of Anti-Lebanon ; one of
these coming from the northern part of that plain. The
united stream passes out of the plain by a deep chasm
through the parallel ridge on the east. This ridge, which is
hundreds of feet high and at right angles to the direction of
the stream, is cleft so as to present tw^o perpendicular faces
of rock, with a level pass of only a few yards between them.
Just at its eastern mouth is a town, Suk el-Barada, the site
of the ancient Abila. The valley of the Barada now passes
through another plain or offset, eight or ten miles broad, to
a second similar gap through the next ridge, near the village
of Fijeh, on its left bank.^ The river is continually enlarged
by various fountains and streams ; the most remarkable of
which i^ the fountain el-Fijeh, bursting forth at once, just
back of that village, as a copious stream of the purest trans-
parent water, which unites with the Barada after a course
of so^ne five and twenty rods. The water of the latter is
whitisli and turbid ; and its stream is not more than half the
size of that from Fijeh.^ Hence, as in the case of the Oron-
tes and Litany, the latter is often regarded as the source of
the Barada.^ An aqueduct, the remains of which still exist,
once conveyed its waters to Damascus.
Below the second gap the narrow valley of the river crosses
a desert tract for six or eight miles, to the third and last ridge,
through which it breaks by a somewhat wider pass, about
two miles distant from Damascus.* Above the gap, near the
1 E. Smith, Ms. Journal. 2 0. v. Richter, p. 157.
3 So Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., pp. 15, 174.
< E. Smith, Ms. Journal. Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App., p. 146.
364
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
village of Diimmar, the river, which hitherto flows in a chan-
nel eight or ten yards wide, and with a current hardly knee
deep,i divides itself into five arms ; not at once, but one after
another. Of these, one occupies the channel along the val-
ley ; while the rest are conducted at different heights along
the two declivities. Another arm goes off to the right above
Dummar, and is carried to the village of Mezzeh ; and one
of the five again divides before reaching Damascus.^ Thus
the waters of the Barada flow through the city and gardens
at least seven streams ; and being drawn off by many smaller
channels for irrigation, they are mostly absorbed in the plain.
What remains of the streams is again united southeast of the
city ; and after a course of seven or eight miles enters the
lake or marsh of Damascus, called also el-Heijany.^ This
lake has no outlet ; and receives all the rivers that descend
from Anti-Lebanon and Hermon into the plain. Of course
it enlarges in winter and decreases in summer. It" is sur-
rounded by tracts of reeds and canes. The meadow-like
tract adjacent to it on the west is called el-Merj ; whence some-
times the whole lake takes the name of Bahr el-Merj.^ In the
Barada we very probably recognize the Amana (or Ahand)
of Scripture. The more important river would naturally be
named first. A part of Anti-Lebanon was likewise called
Amana ; and this in all probability would be the tract around
the sources of the river of the same name.
More difficult is it to identify the Pharpar. Some have
regarded it as the short stream at Fijeli ; others, as one of
1 Paxton's Letters, p. 66. 2 q. v. Richter, p. 154 sq.
3 Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App., p. 148. Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p.
156. Addison, Damascus, etc., H. p. 118.
4 See on Damascus, its rivers and lakes, the author's Later Biblical Researches,
pp. 442-452, and the later (1855) work on Damascus and Haman by J. L. Porter.
MYERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS.
3G5
the arms of the Barada in the plain. Neither of these con-
jectures has any plausibility. The plain of Damascus is
watered by many streamlets. One of these, called el-Berdeh,
has its source in Jebel esk-Sheikh, back of Katana, and runs
into the Merj.^ Another larger stream is the A'waj ; which
likewise takes its rise from Jebel esk-Sheikh in the direction
of Hasbeiya ; flows first southeasterly to Sa'sa', and then
northeasterly to the Ghutah or plain of Damascus ; and falls
at last into the lake. Its upper part is called also Nahr es-
Seibarany. At Sa'sa' it is described as a rapid and pretty
stream. 2 Further down, it flows by el-Kesweh on the bor-
ders of the Ghutah ; and is there spoken of by Abulfeda.^
Next to the Barada this is the most important stream in all
the region around Damascus ; and is therefore most probably
to be regarded as the Pharpar of Scripture.*
The large fountains have been mentioned, which every-
where burst forth, along the valley of the Orontes, at the base
of the mountains on each side ; as also those in the Buka'a,
and along the coast north of Lebanon. A very remarkable
fountain, or rather cluster of fountains, exists in the plain
just south of Tyre ; from which that city was anciently sup-
plied with water by an aqueduct, the greater part of which
is yet standing. The place is now called Kas el-'Ain, about
two and a half miles from Tyre, and half a mile from the
sea.^ The water is clear and fine, though it holds much lime
in solution. It gushes up in the several sources with great
force and in very large quantities. In order to raise the
1 Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 47, 50, 53. See last Note.
2 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 312. Schubert, III. p. 27. Monro, II. p. 54.
3 Abulfeda, Tab. Syr., p. 97. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 53. 0. v. Richter, p. 162.
* Later Biblical Researches, p. 447. See Note i.
« Biblical Researches, pp. 457-459 [III. p. 386 sq.].
366 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
fountain to a head sufficient to carry off the water by aque-
ducts, the ancients built around them elevated reservoirs,
with walls of stone immensely thick and fifteen or twenty-
feet high, with a broad border or wall around the basin, and
steps to ascend to the top. The principal source is that on
the west. It has an octagonal reservoir, with a very wide
border, and a broad way leading to the top; so that one
might ride up and around it. The water is here in constant
ebullition ; and is now used to turn a mill. Anciently the
water from the different fountains was collected by several
smaller aqueducts into a large one of strong and excellent
masonry, with round arches, apparently of the Roman age.
Some of the arches are filled up with stalactites of limestone .
formed by the trickling of the water. In a far earlier age
we know that Tyre was already supplied with water by aque-
ducts.i
The large fountain near Hasbeiya in Wady et-Teim un-
der Mount Hermon, the remotest perennial source of the
Jordan, will be noticed in describing that river.
HI. CLIMATE.
The climate of a country is modified by the character of
its surface ; and depends greatly on the height of its moun-
tains, the extent of its plains, the abundance or scarcity of its
waters, and other like circumstances. Syria has its lofty
summits, from the sheltered ravines around which snow
never wholly disappears, and likewise its broad and some-
times arid plains, where the heat of summer is intense. Yet
in general the climate is temperate and not unhealthy. The
1 Menander in Jos. Antiq.,9. 14. 2.
CLIMATE.
3G7
three narrow longitudinal strips, of different elevation, into
which the country is divided, have their natural effect upon
the temperature ; first, the low plain along the coast ; then
the high mountain ranges ; and beyond these, the interior
elevated plains, which are shut out in a great measure by the
mountains from the influence of the sea.
The highest and lowest degrees of the thermometer noted
in the English Expedition to the Euphrates in 1885 and 1836
were 115° F. in the shade in summer, and 12° F. in winter. ^
But the places where the observations were made, are not
specified ; and these extremes are apparently unusual. At
Beirut on the coast the thermometer seldom rises higher
than 95° in summer, or sinks lower than 50° in winter. Yet
in some winters it has fallen as low as 35° ; and in 1825
there was snow, hail, and even ice, in March ; but the latter
was so unusual, that many persons of twenty-five and thirty
years of age, had never before seen it.^ The highest monthly
average in summer is about 85° ; the lowest in winter about
57°.
On Mount Lebanon, at Bhamdun near the Damascus road,
about four thousand feet above the sea, the highest tempera-
ture during the summer of 1813 was 81° ; the monthly aver-
age of August for two years was 70° ; and the general av-
erage was twelve degrees lower than at Beirut. At Aithath
south-southeast of Beirut, with an elevation of about three
thousand feet, the lowest point observed during the winter
of 1842-43 was 40° ; the lowest monthly average was 50°,
in January ; and the general average was about seven de-
grees lower than at Beirut.^ In the interior, at Aleppo,
1 Ainsworth's Researches in Assyria, etc. p. 31. ^
2 W. Goodell, in Missionary Herald, 1825, p. 346.
3 Dr. De Forest in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1844, p. 221.
368
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYPJA PROPER.
during the years 1752 and 1753, the mercury rose to 95** in
summer, and fell as low as 36° in winter.^ But the latter
point can hardly be accurate ; since snow and ice are not
unusual in that city. Aleppo lies about twelve hundred feet
above the the sea ; and its climate is more severe than that
of Beirut. Damascus lies still higher ; and the average
temperature is probably two or three degrees less than at
Aleppo. But there is no account of any observations.
The winter and summer in Syria, as well as in Palestine,
are distinguished as the rainy and the dry seasons ; the for-
mer being marked by much rain, and the latter by none at
all. The rains in autumn commence somewhat earlier than
at Jerusalem ; and continue later in the spring. Slight show-
ers occur soon after the autumnal equinox ; but the regular
rains do not begin to fall until after the middle of October,
and then for a time at intervals, often with heavy thunder.
December and January are usually months of heavy rains,
with not less than twelve to fifteen rainy days in each. Dur-
ing the next three months the rains gradually become less
heavy and frequent. In March, and especially April, the
weather is variable, witli showers and much sunshine. Show-
ers continue to fall in May, and a few even in the first days of
June ; but during the summer months and until October, with
the exceptions specified, rain is unknown.^ This holds true of
Aleppo and the interior, as well as of the coast and moun-
tains. Yet in the night of July 1, 1743, there were thunder
showers at Aleppo ; an extraordinary phenomenon at that
season of the year.^
During the intervals of the earlier rains in October and
1 Russell's Aleppo, I. App., p. 9.
2 Dr. Dc Forest, in Bibllotheca Sacra, 1844, p. 221.
3 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 289. Corap. Prov. xxvi. 1; 1 Sam. xil. 17.
CLIMATE.
November, the liusbandmau ploughs his fields and sows
his seed. The trees retain their foliage until December ;
and the cold does not usually set in until the middle of
that month. Even delicate Europeans do not have fires
at Aleppo earlier. 1 The cold colitinues for six or seven
weeks. On the coast, frost and snow are very rare. On the
mountains snow falls in winter when it rains below, and lies
on the highest parts in large masses, so as to block up the
passes of Lebanon. In the cultivated parts of the mountains
it commonly lies only for a short time. It is mentioned as
being worthy of remark, that at Bhamdun, in the winter of
1844-5, one fall of snow lay for a month on a part of the
vineyards, before it entirely melted away.^ At Aleppo few
winters pass without frost, but many without snow ; and
very rarely does the snow lie more than one day. Hail is
not unfrequent in the spring ; and the hailstones are some-
times enormous. During thirteen years it happened only
three times at Aleppo, that there was ice of sufficient strength
to bear the weight of a man ; and then only in shady situa-
tions.^ Whenever the atmosphere is clear and calm, the
sun has everywhere so much power, that the weather is
always mild and even warm.
Spring may be said to commence in February. At Aleppo
the almond tree, the peach, and the plum put forth their
blossoms after the middle of that month. The trees resume
their foliage early in March, and the trees become covered
with verdure. The later showers of April and May seem to
bring forward the vegetation and ripen the crops. The coun-
try is in full verdure and beauty towards the end of April.
Early in May the grain begins to turn yellow ; the harvest
1 Russell's Aleppo, 11. p. 69. 2 £. Smith in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1846, p. 385.
3 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 70.
47
370 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYEIA PROPER,
follows ill two or three weeks ; and the fields assume a dry
and parched aspect. During the summer months, the sky
is almost constantly serene, except that sometimes light
fleecy clouds slightly intercept the sun's rays ; or also there
is occasionally a partial haze in the atmosphere. The country
is dried up ; and the only verdure visible is that of the trees
and vines and the few summer crops.^ How different from
the green meadows and pastures of the Occident !
The prevailing winds are from the western quarter. At
Beirut in summer the wind blows during the day five sixths
of the time from the west and southwest. These winds
commonly subside soon after sunset ; and a land breeze
sets in, which, blowing down tlie mountains, renders the
nights comparatively comfortable. Sometime after sunrise
the breeze returns again fresh from the sea. In winter the
winds are frequently between northeast and northwest. On
the mountains they appear to be in general the same as on
the coast.^ At Aleppo westerly breezes prevail during the
summer in the daytime, and die away about midnight.
They serve to cool and refresh the air ; which in their ab-
sence or during light breezes from other quarters, is disagree-
ably sultry. Brisk winds from the east and southeast at
Aleppo are dry and hot ; they parch the eyes, lips, and nos-
trils ; and produce great lassitude and a sense of oppression
at the breast. This is the true east wind of Scripture ; ^
the Shurkiyeh (eastern) of the Arabs ; under which name it
has become known to Europeans as the Sirocco.'^ On the
coast and in Palestine the Sirocco comes more usually from
the southern quarter. At Aleppo in winter and spring the
1 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 64 sq.
« Dr. De Forest in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1844, p. 222.
* Job xxvii. 21 ; Ezra xvii. 10, xix. 12. * See above, pp. 305-307,
CLIMATE.
371
east winds are the coldest ; and the more usual wmds in
those seasons are between that point and the northeast.^ At
Damascus also the prevailing winds in summer are under-
derstood to be from the west or southwest ; this is the case
likewise in the more eastern deserts. In these regions too the
Sirocco (or Simoom) comes from the west.^
The climate of Syria is in general not unhealthy ; though
this remark applies less to those parts of the coast which are
confined to a narrow strip, than elsewhere. Iskanderun is
rendered decidedly unhealthy in summer by the adjacent
marshes.^ In Beirut, which lies directly under Lebanon,
where the beams of the sun ai-e reflected down from the
whitish masses of the mountains, and the air is moistened by
the breezes from the sea, intermittent or bilious fevers not
unfrequently prevail in August and September. For this
reason the foreign residents usually spend these months in
the adjacent mountains ; where there is always a pure and
healthy atmosphere. In the interior, as at Aleppo, the air
is pure and penetrating ; though trying to consumptive
persons. Indeed, so constant and salubrious is the summer
season that the inhabitants are accustomed to sleep for months
in the open air upon the flat roofs of their houses without
detriment. Yet fevers and dysenteries are not uncommon.^
The air of Damascus is described as excellent;^ the abun-
dance of water and the many gardens surround the city with
verdure and freshness. Yet late in the summer and in au-
tumn it is subject to violent intermittent fevers, engendered,
1 Russell's Aleppo, pp. 66, 70.
2 Burckliardt, Notes on the Bedawins, I. p. 225.
3 Niebhur, Reisebeschr, III. p. 18.
< Russell's Aleppo, I. pp. 63, 64; II. p. 298 sq. E. R. Beadle in Missionary Her-
ald, 1842, p. 235.
« Brown's Travels, p. 396.
372
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
doubtless, in part by the marshes of the adjacent lake.^ The
climate of Hums and the region round about is spoken of as
perhaps the finest in Syria, east of the mountains.^
Heavy thunder and lightning, as we have seen, are not
unfrequent ; but it rarely happens that damage is done by
the electric fluid. In summer and autumn vivid flashes of
lightning without thunder often illuminate the heavens at
night. ^
rV. GEOLOGICAL FEATURES: MINERALS, SOIL.
The Syrian mountains consist mainly of limestone ; as has
been already shown. In Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon the
Jura limestone predominates ; the mountains of the Nusai-
riyeh verge into chalk ; around Mount Casius, are talc, ser-
pentine, and sandstone ; . while the ridges of Amanus are
composed of limestone, serpentine, and talc schist.* The
whole interior region, including the desert, rests on lime-
stone, which often appears upon the surface ; as in the vast
quarries of Aleppo, and the neighboring naked hills.^
Sandstone and likewise greenstone are found in various
places in Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon.^ Indeed, the most
important variation from the general limestone formation
throughout Syria, consists in the frequent occurrence of
greenstone, basalt, and other volcanic products, connecting
this whole region with the volcanic tracts on the east and
1 Addison, Damascus, etc., II. pp. 118, 389.
2 J. Kinr^ in Missionary Herald, 1825, p. 371.
3 Compare these remarks on the climate of Syria with the author's minute re-
port on that of Palestine, pp. 288-310.
■* Sec p. [II.] [17. i.] Ainsworth, Researches in Assyria, p. 313 sq. RuSsegger,
I. pp. 429 .«q., 441 sq.
« Russell's Aleppo, I. pp. 3, 52. 0. v. Richter, p. 238, 244.
6 Russegger, 1. pp. 780, 78G sq., 795 sq. W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald,
1S41, p. 3G5.
MINERALS, SOIL.
373
west of the lake of Tiberias. Throughout Lebanon, from
the hills of Galilee northward, lava and greenstone are said
to be protruded in many places. Especially is this tlie case
around the villages 'Areeya, Shuwit, and 'Abadiyeh, on the
mountain east of Beirut. The whole of Jebel 'Akkar is
described as volcanic ; as also all the eastern part of the ad-
jacent northern plain ; and the same feature continues north
through the mountains of the Niisairiyeh as far even as to
the neighborhood of Antiocli. Between Hamah and the for-
tress el-Husn the traveller passes for nearly fifty miles over a
volcanic region. As he descends into the. plain around the
latter, the rocks are greatly variegated ; and there are large
quantities of globular basalt. Between Hums and el-Husn
the same ridges are described as abounding in the black
porous stone " which occurs around the lake of Tiberias. ^
On the coast south of Banias, the ancient Batanaea, a vol-
canic tract of ten or twelve miles in width runs out to the
sea, full of liills of lava and otlier volcanic products.^
Between Lebanon and Hermon the lower part of Wady et-
Teim is strewed with lava ; and the bitumen pits of Has-
beiya point to a volcanic origin.^ East of the mountains the
basalt of Hauran extends northward to the borders of the
Ghutah of Damascus. South of Sa'sa' on the A'waj are
tracts of basalt ; and further towards the northeast that river
passes for some distance through a rocky desert region, flow-
ing in a deep channel of the Hauran black stone. The same
1 W. M, Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 365. Buckingham, Arab
Tr., pp. 502, 503. [See the author's own observations on this region in Later
Biblical Researches, pp. 551-554, 558, 562-5(37. — Ed.]
2 W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 100. See also Later Biblical
Researches, pp. 397, 408 sq.
3 W. M. Thomson, Ibid., p. 110. See also Lat. Bib. Researches, pp. 397, 408.
4 W. M. Thomson in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1846, pp. 186, 187.
374
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 0^" THE SYRIAN COAST.
tract continues on the right of the stream ; and furnishes
millstones of the same character for the supply of Damas-
cus.i Volcanic masses are likewise frequent in the region
of Aleppo.2
Connected, doubtless, with these volcanic features, is that
terrible scourge of Syria and the east, its earthquakes. As
far as history reaches back they have been frequent ; and
often both in ancient and modern times have Aleppo and
Antioch and the towns along the coast been desolated by
their ravages. Scarcely a year passes in which shocks are
not felt. In 1759 the region of Lebanon was severely vis-
ited. In 1822 an earthquake destroyed a great part of
Aleppo, and buried multitudes in the ruins. In 1841, be-
tween the first of May and the end of December, no less
than five sligliter shocks were felt in the same city.^ The
great earthquake of Jan. 1, 1837, which destroyed Safed and
Tiberias, did not spread its desolations into Syria.
In mineral productions Syria as yet appears not to be rich.
The meagre mines of iron and coal in Lebanon have been
mentioned.* Near Hasbeiya under Mount Hermon are pits
or ratlier mines of bitumen. They arc on the eastern decliv-
ity of the hill or low ridge, which lies on the west of the
stream, about a mile below the bridge. The surface is a
chalky rock with nodules of flint ; and nothing indicates the
presence of such a mineral. The bitumen lies in a stratum
twenty feet below the surface. This stratum is said to be
eighty feet thick ; and is reached by pits or shafts from six to
1 Schubert, III. pp. 270, 271, Burckhardt, Syria, pp. 284, 312.
2 Russegger, I. p. 453 sq. W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 241.
3 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 72. Volney, Voyage en Syrie, I. p. 27G. E. R. Beadle
in Missionary Herald, 1842, p. 233 sq.
< See above, p. 342.
MINERALS, SOIL.
375
twelve feet in diameter, through which it is raised by a wind-
lass. It i^ wrought like coal ; and in hewing out the bitu-
men the workmen leave columns at intervals to support the
rock above. It is of the finest quality, and the supply is sup-
posed to be inexhaustible ; but being the property of the gov-
ernment, the mines are badly managed and seldom wrought.
The mineral is chiefly used in the country as an antidote
to insects that destroy the grapes ; being mixed with oil and
daubed upon the vine near the root.^
Salt is obtained from the eastern desert. The supply in
northern Syria comes from the famous valley or lake of salt,
es-Subkh, eighteen miles southeast of Aleppo, near the vil-
lage Jebul. In winter the rains and torrents with a few
springs convert the surface into a shallow but extensive lake.
In summer the water evaporates, leaving a crust of salt of
various thickness and quality ; this is broken up, sorted, and
carried to Jebul ; where it is dried and winnowed, and thence
sold to all parts of the country To supply the more southern
parts salt is brought from Kuryetein and Palmyra (Tadmor) ;
near which latter place there are large quantities of salt in
the desert, affording a lucrative branch of commerce to the
present natives.^ Indeed, in various parts of the desert,
lakes are formed in the rainy season, which extract the salt
from the earth ; and drying away in summer leave it as a
crust upon the surface. An inferior salt of this kind is
1 Seetzcn in Zach. XVIIL p. 342. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 34. W. M. Thomson
in Bibliotheca Sacra, 184G, p. 186. E. Smith in Ms. Journal. See a description
of these mines after the author himself had visited them, in Later Biblical Re-
searches, p. 379.
2 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 55. Maundrell, p. 213. Pococke, IL p. 168.
3 Bowring's Report on Syria, p. 20. Irby and Mangles, p. 273.
376 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
found ]iot far from Kutaifeh, a village on the caravan road
from Damascus to Hums.^
Along the coast on the north of Tortosa the way is strewed
for several hours with g-eodes of very beautiful chalcedony
and quartz, with an occasional specimen of agate. These are
found in great abundance in the beds of the mountain tor-
rents, and arc doubtless washed out of the chalky hills above ;
in which probably other fine minerals might be found. In the
valleys and defiles between Laodicea and Antioch there oc-
curs beautiful jasper of very many varieties and the richest
colors. At the site of Daphne the Syrian agate is particu-
larly abundant.^
Of mineral fountains there are very few. At Tadmor
there is a copious spring highly impregnated with sulphuret-
ted hydrogen ; which speedily evaporates and leaves the wa-
ter sweet. This fountain supplied the ancient city in part ;
and now turns a mill.'^ Some mineral waters, said to be
ferruginous, have recently been discovered in the mountains
back of Iskandcrun ; and other mineral baths, with sul-
phuric properties, are found in the plains, midway between
that place and Aleppo.^
The soil of the Syrian plains is hardly surpassed in fertil-
ity. The Juneh north of Lebanon, the Buka'a and the Ghab
with the rich environs of Hums and Hamah, the Ghutah of
Damascus and the plain of Antioch, all are celebrated for
their productions ; though at the present day they lie for the
most part only half tilled. The vast plains around IlumS and
Hamah are particularly famous for their dark fat soil.^ The
1 Pococke, II. pp. 138, 206.
2 W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, ISll, pp. 100, 234, 236.
s Irby and Mangles, p. 273. 0. v. Richter, pp. 216, 22o.
* W. B. Barker in Bowrlng's Report on Syria, p. 114.
« 0. V. Richter, p. 203. Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App, p. 176.
TREES AND PLANTS.
377
fertility of the cultivated parts of Lebanon has already been
adverted to. On Anti-Lebanon the upper terrace towards
the east, the plain of Zebcdany, is well watered and fruitful ;
but the lower terraces, except where traversed by the narrow
valley of the Barada, are barren. This tract indeed is a
desert, and is called es-Sahara, reminding one of Africa.
North of the Barada too it retains the same character, and
is not susceptible of cultivation. Vegetation does not grow
in it ; nor does rain enough fall for sowing. It is also ex-
tremely cold. The only exception to tlieir general barren-
ness is found in small tracts irrigated by springs of water. In
such places the villages are situated, and vegetation is luxu-
riant.^ In the region of Aleppo and further south the coun-
try is undulating and sometimes hilly. The higher parts are
covered usually with a thin whitish mould ; the surface of
the plains and valleys is a dark or reddish mould, which is
very productive.^ Indeed, in many portions of what is now
reckoned to the desert, as in the direction of Palmyra, the
soil is good and capable of tillage ; requiring only irrigation,
which might be supplied from cisterns or reservoirs of rain-
water. Even as it is, the gronnd is covered with aromatic
plants and herbs.^
V. TREES AND PLANTS.
The forests of Syria are confined to the mountains, and
mainly to the more northern parts. The queen of its an-
cient forests, the stately cedar of Lebanon, is still found ;
but not in its former abundance.^ On Lebanon the pine
1 Biblical Researches, III., first edition, App. p. 171.
2 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 373. » O. v. Richter, pp. 208, 209.
* See above, p. 342. Biblical Researches, II. p. 493 [III. p. 440]. Later Biblical
Researches, pp. 588-598.
48
S78
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
(^pinus bruttia) is now more frequent, growing in tracts near
the summit and especially along the eastern declivity ; and
like the cedars of old, it is exported to Palestine and else-
where for building.^ The oak, the walnut, and many other
species of trees are scattered over Lebanon ; but do not
form thickets. Anti-Lebanon has few if any groves ; the
valonia oak is found along its higher parts.^ The northern
skirts of Lebanon and the northern hills of Jebel en-Nusairi-
yeh are wooded ; while the northern portion of the latter
mountains, with the spurs and ridges of Mount Casius, are
clothed with forests of oak and pine.^
Still more is this the case witli the ridges of Amanus. So
extensive are its forests, that under the dominion of Muham-
med Ali of Egypt, vast quantities of timber were annually
cut upon the mountains back of Iskanderun, and sent to
Egypt. These forests are mostly of oak and pine, the latter
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high ; with
some beech and linden. Li 18S7 the timber of about sixty
thousand large trees was shipped for Alexandria ; two thirds
of which was for ship-building.* Mingled in the forests, or
scattered upon the mountains and occasionally along the
coast and on the plains, are the walnut, beech, chestnut,
plane, acacia, silver poplar, willow, tamarisk, ash, terebinth
(butno), common cedar, laurel, thorn (nubk), and various
other trees.^ The Lombardy poplar abounds particularly in
1 Scbubert, HI. pp. 317, 353, 370. 0. v. Ricliter, pp. 125, 128. Biblical Re-
searches, HI. p. 192, II. p. 338 [III. p. 192].
2 O. V. Richter, p. 135. Schubert, HI. p. 314.
3 Buckingham, Arab Tr., pp. 505, 506. W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald,
1841, p. 234.
4 Bowring's Report on Syria, pp. 11 sq. 66.
6 O. V. Richter, pp. 101, 108, 128. Schubert, HI. pp. 284, 353. W. M. Thom-
son in Missionary Herald, 1841, p. 234. E. Smith in Ms. Journal.
TREES AND PLANTS.
379
the plains of Damascus, on tlie eastern slope of Anti-Lcbanou
along the Barada, and in the Buka'a ; it is chiefly planted
for buildhig.i The Pride of India, or Pride of China (melia
azedarach}, of which Tyre is full, is described as a native of
■ Syria.2 The cypress and lotus are not rare ; the carob tree
is less frequent, except on the coast.^ Scattered palm trees
are found at Tyre and along the coast, as also at Damascus
and as far as Palmyra ; but not at Aleppo.^ Pistacia trees,
both wild and cultivafted, are common ; those in the gardens
of Aleppo produce the finest nuts.^ The oleander shrub (wer-
iu7n oleander'), with its magnificent red blossoms, is abuni
dant on the mountains and along the coast.^
Fruits of all kinds are abundant ; the trees are usually of
large size, and around Damascus they furnish the supply of
fuel.' The olive abounds everywhere on mountain and plain ;
The Palma Christi (vicinus) is cultivated in gardens, and its
oil used chiefly for lamps.^ Large plantations of the mulberry
are frequent ; the trees are cropped close, in order to in-
crease the foliage and furnish food for the silkworms. Exten-
sive tracts of vineyards are spread over Lebanon, and around
the cities.^ The fig tree and the pomegranate flourish every-
where ; the orange and lemon prefer the coast, the winter
1 Brown's Travels, p. 397. O. v. Richter, p. 154. E. Smith, Ms. Journal.
2 Biblical Researches, II. p. 4GG [III. p. 400J. Rees' Cyclopaedia, art. 3feUa.
3 Addison, Damascus, p. 389. Kinneir, Cairo, etc., p. 28j. Schubert, III.
p. 28-5. Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 88.
* Biblical Researches, II. p. 4G6 [III. p. 400]. Schubert, III. p. 283. 0. v.
Richter, p. 225. Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 88.
6 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 82 sq. Schubert, III. p. 2a5.
6 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 247.
7 Hogg's Visit, II. p. 72.
8 Schubert, III. pp. 285, 286. Russell's Aleppo, I. pp. 79, 80.
» Schubert, III. p. 285. Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 80. E. Smith in Ms. Journal.
380
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
of the interior, as at Aleppo, being too severe.^ The ahiiond
tree blossoms even on the heights of Lebanon ; while apri-
cots, peaches, plums, apples, pears, quinces, cherries, and
liazlenuts luxuriate in the gardens.^
The gardens abound too in all the esculent vegetables com-
mon to the temperate portions of the Occident ; as melons, cu-
cumbers, squashes, the tomato, the egg-plant, bananas, the le-
guminous plants, beets, onions, spinach, cabbage, and other
roots and greens in endless variety The potato is little
known among the natives ; though Burckhardj; speaks of it as
succeeding in the highest parts of Lebanon.^ Liquorice grows
abundantly in the region of Aleppo towards the desert ; and
large quantities of it are used in making a sort of Sherbet,
or cooling drink, in the summer season.^
The chief field grains are wheat and barley. Oats are less
common ; barley being the usual food of horses.^ All the va-
rious leguminous plants are raised in the fields; also maize and
millet (dhurah). Cotton is extensively cultivated.^ Tobacco,
which of course has been introduced since the discovery of
America, forms now a great staple of agriculture ; ^ that of
the Syrian mountains is particularly esteemed by the pipe-
loving orientals, and goes by the name of Jebel. At the
present day the population of Syria is not sufficient for the
1 Rassell's Aleppo, I. p. 89. Schubert, III. p. 285.
2 O. V. Richter, pp. 112, 92. Schubert, III. p. 284 sq. Russell's Aleppo, I. p.
86 sq. Biblical Researches, II. pp. 479, 480 [III. p. 420J.
3 Schubert, III. p. 285. Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 90 sq.
* Burckhardt, Syria, p. 22.
5 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 94.
6 Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 74.
7 Bow rinj^'s Report on Syria, pp. 8, 13. 0. v. Richter, p. 112. Schubert, HI.
p. 280. Russell's Aleppo, I. p. 78.
8 Bowring's Report on Syria, p. 9. Schubert, III. p. 286. Russell's Aleppo,
I. p. 78.
BEASTS, BIRDS, ETC.
381
purposes of cultivation. Regions of the highest fertility re-
main untillcd ; and tlic traveller passes for leagues over the
riche'jt soil; wliich is wliolly unproductive to man.^
Tlie botany of Syria is in general exceedingly rich ; espe-
cially on Mount Lebanon, where Ehrenberg and Hemprich
in two months collected specimens of eleven hundred and
forty different species of plants.^
VI. BEASTS, BIRDS, Etc.
The usual domestic quardrupeds of the east, are all found
in Syria ; the camel, horse, ass, mule, ox, the tame buffalo,
sheep, goats, etc. The sheep are mostly of the fat-tailed
species ; and are commonly mingled in flocks with the goats.
Many thousands of sheep are annually brought into Syria
from the mountains of Kurdistan.^ Swine are rarely raised
by the natives.* Dogs in the east are never kept in the house ;
but herd together in the streets of the cities without masters,
and feed on offal and carcasses ; sleeping mostly by day, and
barking and howling by night. The grayhound is used for
hunting ; and there are shepherd's dogs. Of the cat there is
also a Persian variety.
Of game, the wild swine are the most important, and are
frequent in all parts of the country. Deer are mentioned
by Scetzen as found on Mount Hermon ; but this may be
doubtful.^ Antelopes are found ; especially the fleet and
graceful gazelle. Hares are abundant ; rabbits are less com-
mon. Squirrels are frequent.^ The hedan or mountain
1 Bovmng's Report on Syria, p. 9. *^ v. Raumer, Palestina, p. 31.
3 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 26. < Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 152.
» Scetzen in Zach. XVIII. p. 543.
« Rttsscira Aleppo, II. p. 159. 0. v. Richter, p. 144^
382
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
goat of the more southern regions, appears not to frequent
the mountains of Syria proper.
Of other wild animals there is quite a variety. The lion,
though found in ancient times, has now disappeared. Bears,
panthers, and also ounces, are common in Mount Amanus,
and are found also on Lebanon and Hermon ; the natives
call the panthers tigers. ^ Hyenas, wolves, and foxes are not
unfrequent. Jackals are very numerous in every part; at
night they often flock around the houses and set up a dis-
mal howling. The polecat and hedgehog are not unknown.
Rats and mice are common, both in the houses and in the
gardens. Hosts of field mice do great damage to the crops,
especially around Aleppo and in the plain of Hamah.^ Moles
and bats are also frequent. The hamster Qmus cricetus) is
common. The jerboa (dipus jaculus) is very numerous ; in
some parts of the way between Damascus and Hums, the
earth is everywhere perforated by their burrows.^
As to BIRDS. Common poultry of all kinds is in plenty.
There are also immense numbers of pigeons, both tame and
wild. Of game there is an abundance of water-fowl upon
the lakes and rivers, as wild ducks, widgeon, teal, and the
like. On land there are the quail, partridge, woodcock,
plover, snipe, thrush, lark, and others. The kuta of the
Arabs (tetrao alchatd) is particularly abundant in Syria, as
well as in the more southern regions. It is a species of grouse,
somewhat larger than a partridge ; the flesh is black, hard,
1 Russell's Aleppo, II. pp. 188, 189. 0. v. Richter p. 105. Burckhardt, Syria,
p. 22. Seetzen in Zach. XVIII. p. 543.
2 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 181. Burckhardt, Syria, p. 147. Biblical Researches,
III., App. p. 177.
3 0. V. Richter, p. 203. Described by Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 160 sq.
BEASTS, BIRDS, ETC.
383
and dry. This bird ranges in immense flocks throughout
all the less inhabited regions.^
Among the birds of prey and smaller birds, are hawks and
falcons of various kinds, some of which are still occasionally
trained for hawking ;2 further, also, the raven, crow, jack-
daw, magpie, storks, cranes, the bittern, pelican, lapwing,
blackbird, woodpecker ; also the nightingale, goldfinch, lin-
net, wren, sparrows, swallows, and many others. The sem-
ermer or locust-bird Qendus rosens) is highly valued as a
formidable enemy of the locust, which it follows and kills in
great numbers.^
The rivers and lakes are well supplied with fish. The
small stream of the Kuweik at Aleppo has not less than sev-
enteen different species of fish and eels, three of which are
unknown in Europe. But the city is in part supplied from
the Orontes and the lake of Antioch.^ The fish of the Oron-
tes at Shiigr are described by Maundrell as unwholesome ;
later travellers have found there a species of chub of several
pounds weight and very delicate.^ In the lake et-Taka near
the site of Apamea there exists a species called by the Arabs
black fish, on account of its coarse ash-colored flesh ; it is
several feet long, and very abundant. The season of fishing
is from November till January ; and the fish are sent to
Aleppo and other parts of Syria. Carp are likewise taken in
the same lake, and sent to Hamah and Hums.^
1 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 194 sq. 0. v. Richter, pp. 201, 208. Burckhardt,
Syria, p. 406. Biblical Researches, II. p. 200 [II. p. 620].
2 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 196. W. M. Thomson in Missionary Herald, 1841,
p. 101.
3 Russell's Aleppo, II. pp. 205, 230. Biblical Researches, II. pp. 379, 380 fm.
p. 252].
* See above, p. 353. Russell's Aleppo, 11. pp. 207 sq. 216.
* Maundrell, p. 5. Monro, II. p. 211.
6 Burckhardt, Syria, p. 137. Russell's Aleppo, n. p. 217.
384
PTTYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
Of REPTILES there is the usual variety. Frogs are found
in vast abundance, especially in the river of Aleppo ; where
they are of a large size, and are eaten by the native Chris-
tians and French residents. Toads are common, as also the
tree-toad or tree-frog. There are tortoises, both the land and
water species. A kind of crab unknown in Europe, inhabits
the Kuweik, and makes excursions on land in the season of
fruit ; they are esteemed delicate eating.^ The whole coun-
try swarms with lizards, which delight in old walls and ruined
buildings ; a particular species, less frequent than others, is
the chameleon, with its changing hues.^ Snakes are com-
mon ; a harmless kind, of a whitish gray color and two and
a half feet long, is often seen in houses, where they destroy
mice. Serpents of a more noxious kind are found in the
country ; but it is rare to hear of mischief done by them.^
Scorpions are met with in summer nights, crawling in the
streets, or on the stairs and flat roofs of the houses ; their
sting occasions pain and swelling for several hours, but is
unattended by any further bad consequences.*
Of INSECTS, those made use of by man are, the silkworm in
vast numbers for the extensive cultivation of silk as a staple
of the country ; bees, which are important on account of
the great consumption of honey and wax ; leeches, found in
ponds and brooks, and sometimes taken into the mouth
in drinking, where they adhere and give a great trouble to
the sufferer ; and snails, which are occasionally eaten, though
not often. Wasps and ants are also common. Other insect
tribes minister to man's discomfort, and are the minor plagues
of oriental life. Thus the common fly is very troublesome,
1 Russell's Aleppo, II. pp. 221, 222.
2 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 231. 0. v. Richter, p. 144.
3 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 224. * Russell's Aleppo, H. p. 223.
BEASTS, BIRDS, ETC.
335
and at some seasons intolerably vexatious; as is also the
case with various other species which infest man and beast.
Most oriental houses swarm with bedbugs and other like
vermin. Fleas exist in myriads ; the streets, bazaars, khans,
old buildings, and the fields, all swarm with them, so that it
is impossible to escape from them in the house or on the per-
son. Even the bath and change of linen is no remedy against
fleas ; though it avails against lice, which here harbor less in
the hair than on the body and undergarments. Still, such
are the careless habits of the natives, that travellers rarely
escape. Mosquitos and gnats are another like pest ; they
reign during the whole summer, and are particularly annoy-
ing at night. The scolopendra or centipede, is less common
than the scorpion ; but the wound inflicted by it is reckoned
little less venomous than the sting of the latter.^
Of all the insect tribes the locust is the greatest scourge to
the country and is the most dreaded by the husbandman. The
peasants fight them with fire and water ; but no means of de-
fence seem to be of any avail against their immense numbers.
They sweep over a country ; and in a few days destroy every
green thing. They come in vast flights, darkening the air ;
and sometimes alight in masses a foot deep upon the surface
of the ground. At one time during the Egyptian rule, the
army of Ibrahim Pasha was employed in an attempt to de-
stroy them ; and they gathered up no less than sixty-five
thousand ardebs, or more than three hundred thousand bush-
els. Yet no efforts seem in any degree to diminish their
numbers. Such destructive swarms do not usually visit
Syria except at intervals of several years ; though few years
pass that mischief is not done by them in some part or other
1 Russell's Aleppo, H. pp. 222-228.
49
386 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA PROPER.
of the country. Their most formidable and persevering
enemy is the locust bird.^
Note. The vegetable and animal kingdoms in Syria and Palestine are
similar ; thougli better known in the former. They have, therefore, here
been described in greater detail, in order that less space may be required
for them in the account of Palestine.
1 Russell's Aleppo, II. p. 228 sq. Bowring's Report on Syria, p. 10.
INDEX.
PAGE
A.
'Abadiyeh, village below Lake of
Tiberias 315
Abana. See Amana.
Abaraim, Mount 61-62
'Abilin, Wady, probably valley of
.Jiphthah-el 106
Absalom, pillar of 101
Abulfeda, work of, on Syria ... 9
Abu 'Obeida, village . . . . 177
Abu ZabQra, river, description
of 108, 192
Adonis, river, now Nahr Ibrahim 360
Adora, town, now Dura . . . 118
'Afrin, river, at Lake of Antioch 350
Agate, specimens of, near Daphne 376
Ahmed, Wady, near Bethlehem . 115
Ahsy, Wady el, and river. Scrip-
ture Zered, boundary between
Moab and Edom . . 88,183-184
Ai, pools at site of 280
'Ain Abus, village 109
'Ain el'-Arils, at foot of cliffs of
Akkrabim 258
'Ain 'Askar, near Nabulus . . 248
'Ain el-Bassa, near Hebron . . 249
'Ain el-Beida, near Beisan . . 254
'Ain Belateh, in the Huleh 250, 251
'Ain ed-Deir, near Beisan . • . 253
'Ain ed-Dirweh, near Hebron . 249
'Ain D&k, fountains of . . . . 254
'Ain Faluj, watershed at, between
Litany and Jordan rivers . . 348
'Ain Feshkhah, at Dead Sea, de-
scription of 256
'Ain Fiiliyeh, fountains between
Tiberias and Magdala . . . 253
PAGE
'Ain Fusail 254
'Ainel-Habis 242
'Ain Hajla, near Jericho . . . 255
'Ain Haniyeh, or St. Philip's
well 242
'Ain el-Haramiyeh 249
'Ain Jalud, fountain of Jezreel
91, 185, 245
'Ain el-Jedid, near Hebron . . 250
'Ain Jehair, near Dead Sea . . 256
'Ain Jenneh, village 262
'Ain Kena'a, near Hebron . . . 250
'Ain Kashkala, near Hebron . . 250
'Ain Lifta 242
'Ain Makhuz, near Beiscin , . 253
'Ain Wady Miilih, or salt foun-
tain 254
'Ain el-Meiyiteh, at Jezreel . . 185
'Ain Mellahah, great fountain in
the Huleh 250, 251
'Ain el-Mudauwarah, or round
fountain, near Magdala . . . 252
'Ain Nunkur, near Hebron . . 249
'Ain Sakut, near BeisAn . . . 254
'Ain SAra, near Hebron . . . 250
'Ain Shukaf 242
'Ain Sinai 241
'Ain es-Sultan, at Jericho . . 94, 255
'Ain Tabigah, at plain of Gennes-
sareth 77
'Ain Terabeh, at Dead Sea . . 50
'Ain et-Tin, near Khan Minyeh . 252
'Ain Yalo 242
Ajalon, valley of 113
Fountain of 242, 243
'Ajmn, Wady of 86
Jebel 'Ajl£in 57
388
INDEX.
'Akib, Wady el, in HaurAn . . 174
'Akir. See Ekron.
Akhdar, Xahr or river, south of
Caesarea 192
Aklim el-Bellan 85
Akrabbim, or Scorpion Cliffs . 17, 53
'Akrabah, ancient Akrabatene,
pool at 281
'Akur, village 115
Alia Specula, of the Crusaders,
now Tell es-Safieh . . . . 118
'Allan, Wady, in Hauran . . . 174
'Allar es-Sifla, fountain of . . 244
Aleppo, climate and height of . 368
'Aly, "Wady, course of . . . . 112
Amana or Abana, river of Damas-
cus. (SeeBarada). . . . 362
Am anus. Mount 333
Passes of 336
Ammon, Rabbath, now 'Amman,
fountain at 262
Amorites, Mount of 53
'Amftd, Wady el. near Safed . . 89
'Amudiyeh, stream in the Huleh 250
'Amwas, ancient jSicopolis, foun-
tains at 243
Anderson, Dr. II. J., Geological
Report of 171
'Anebta, village 108
Anem, town 239
Animals of Syria .... 381,382
'Anjar, fountain of the Litany . 355
Antioch, lake of 350
Antipatris, now Kefr Saba . . 109
Apamea, site of 353
Aqueducts, ancient, at 'Ain Dak
'Ain es-Sultan, at 'Akka, at
Hebron ; ancient acquaintance
with the principle of . . . 284-286
'Arab, "Wady cl, in Hauran . 175, 176
'Arabah 62
Hebrew name to whole Jordan
valley 73, 74
Arbela, now Irbid, Scripture Beth
Arbel, fortified caves of . . . 90
Ard el-Hemar, district of . . . 262
'Areiyeh, W ady and fountain in,
at Dead Sea 258
'Arish, village and Wady of,
river of Egypt . . . . 17,123
'Arjan, fountains at, in Jebel Aj-
lun 261
Arnon, valley of, now Wady Mo-
jib, with river 88, 180
'Arny, river 85
Aroer 181
Arsuf, village and river of, ancient
ApoUonia . . . . 110, 192, 193
'Ary, in Hauran 173
'Asal, Wady el, in Hermon . . 84
Asochis, plain of, now el-But-
tauf 130
Asor, plain of 128
Asphaltum, at Dead Sea . . . 220
Atmosphere, purity and clearness
of in Palestine 307
Atallah, Wady 112
'Attinls, Jebel, east of Dead
Sea 61
Town of. Scripture Ataroth. . 67
Aulon, Greek for el-Ghor ... 74
'Aujeh, river near Yafa . . . 109
Great fountain of 193
Wady el, west of the Jordan . 94
'Awaj, river, ancient Pharpar . 364
Branches of 172, 365
Awaly, river, ancient Bostrenus
341, 362
' Aweirid, Wady el, in Hauran . 1 74
'AyQn, Wady el, in Upper Gali-
lee, also called Wady Azziyeh 105
Azotus, Mount of 47
'Azzihn, Wady el, course of . . 109
Baalah, Mount 47
I Ba'albek, elevation of ... . 348
Baal Hermon, Mount .... 347
' Baal Meon 64, 1 78
Banids, anc. Caesarea Philippi,
site of 75, 150
•River of 1.50, 151
Barada, river, anc. Amana, source 345
Course 363
Bashan, extent of 56
Batanaea, district of 56
INDEX.
389
Batihah, plain of at Lake Tiberias 77
Bedawiyeli, Wady el, called also
WadyMelek 107
Beersheba, wells of 265
Beirut, river of, anc. Magoras . 361
Beit Ilaniua, Wady el .... 114
Fountains in 242
Beit Jala, village 115
Beit Jenn, village 105
Beit Jibrin, and Eleutheropolis . 118
Wells of 269
Beit Xettif 117
Beit Kukkaba 115
BeitNusib 117
Beit Sakarieh 116
Beit Tulma, ruin of 242
Belat, Wady, called also Wady
Kuril wa 110
Belka, district and plain of, anc,
southern Gilead, river of at Tan-
tura 59, 190, 191
Belus, river,now Nabr Na'man 106, 187
Beni Hamady, Wady, at Dead
Sea 227
Hot spring in 260
Beni Na'tim, east of Hebron . . 274
BcTachah, valley of 103
Besor, brook of, now Wady *Ara-
rah 121, 122
Bethany, road to from Jerusalem, 43
Beth Arbel. See Arbela . . .
Beth-barah 168
Bether and Bithron, mountains
of 68
Beth-haccarem 44
Beth Hogla, now 'Ain Hajla . . 256
Beth-horons 112, 270
Beth Saida, site of 155
Beth-Shemcsh .... 46, 114, 270
Bireh, Wady el, from Tabor, . 90
Village 114
Fountains at 241
Bir Beshiit, cistern 275
Bir Ejda, great cistern of . . . 274
Bir Jenab, Wady, also Wady Eibah 110
Birds of Syria 382
Birket eMvhulil at Dead Sea . 217
Birweh, fountain of 243
Bittir, Wady, village, . . . . 115
Fountain of 242
Bitumen, mines of at Hasbeiya . 374
Bordeaux pilgrim, Itinerary of . 8
Bozrah, now Busrah, in Hauran . 174
Fountains at 261
Brocardus, work of, on Palestine 9
Bujjeh, lake of, in Hauran . . 174
Buka'a, valley of, anc.Coele-Syria 347
Burdony, stream from Zahleh . 355
Bureij, offset from the river of
Dan 150, 152.
Bureir, village 118
Burghuz, bridge, chasm of Leon-
tes at 356
Burkin, village 134
Bursheh, Wady 93
Buttauf, el, plain of Zebulun 22, 130
C.
CalliiThoe, called also Baris, hot
fountains 179, 180
Cana of Galilee 130
Canaan, signification of the name 15
Capernaum, site of 252
Carmel, Mount, description of 28-30
I Sacrifice of Ehjah at . . . 30-31
Casius, Mount, promontory, now
Jebel Akra 336
Cedars of Lebanon 342
Chalus, now Kurreik, river of
Aleppo 336
I Clierith,brook of. See Wady Kelt.
Chinnereth, Hebrew for Gennes-
i aret 203
•j Cisterns, frequency and character
! of 272
j Near Hebron and Jerusalem . 274
1 As receptacles for grain . . . 277
Climate, of Palestine .... 288
Healthiness of 308
Of Syria 366
Temperature 367
Coele-Syria. See Buka'a.
I Costigan, explorer of the Jordan 169
Coal in Lebanon 342
Craters, extinct 317
INDEX.
390
D.
Dale, Lieut 171
Damascus, climate and elevation
of 371
Damur, river, anc. Tamyras . . 361
Dan, town 81
Leddiln, or great fountain at 150
Wady ed Dan, in Hauran . . 173
Daniyal, village east of Lydda . 269
Daumeh, village 248
Dead Sea 10
Lower level than the Mediter-
ranean 35
Mountains west of . . . 50-53
Mountains east of ... . 60
Description of the sea, form and
extent, Hebrew name of 206, 208
Depth of 208
Depression 209
View of, from the western cliffs
210-212
Analyses of its water . .212-214
Bathing in 215
Evaporation from 217
Deposits of salt . . . 217,218
Stories of 219
Climate 219
Asphaltum 220
Character of the shores . . 221-223
Salt marsh at the southern end 223
Minerals of 224
Peninsula of 225
Supposed islands in . . . . 228
The ford across the sea . . . 229
Navigation of 230
Volcanic rocks about . • . 323
Debir, now Dewirban .... 249
Debfirich, village at Tabor and
stream from 188
Dcidebeh, hill of 106
Deir Estieh, village . . . 109, 249
Delata, village 315
Der'a, in IlaurSn 174
Dera'ah, Wady cd, from Kcrak . 88
Dedarah, stream of, branch of Jor-
dan 146, 184
Derejeh, Wady ed 104
Dew, abundant in Palestine . . 294
Dibon 88
Dibs, sirup from grape juice . . 343
Dor, now TantClra, river of . . 191
Dothan 107
Plain of 134
Fountian at 246
Duk, fountains of 80
Aqueduct from 284
E.
Earthquakes, frequency of . . 324
Earthquake of Uzziah . . . 325
Other historical earthquakes 325-327
Of Syria 374
Ebal, Mount, description of . . 37
Edrei, now Edlira' 173
Egypt, river of, now Wady el
'Arish 17, 123
Ekron, now 'Akir .... 47. 270
Elah, now Wady es-Sumt . 71, 117
Eleale, site of 60
Eleutherus, river, now Nahr el-
Kebfr 358
Elusa, now Khulasah .... 123
Enam, town 240
En-eglaim 239
Engannim, now Jenin .... 239
Engcdi, mountains of, wilderness 50-51
Fountains of 257
En-Haddah 239
En-IIarod in valley of Jezreel . 240
En-Iiazor 239
En-Hiittanin 240
En-Mishpat 239
En-rogel, well of 98
En-shemesh • . . 240
En-tappuah 240
Endor, site of 27, 188
Enkheilch, branch of river Arnon,
also called Lej&ra, Scripture
Nahaliel 181
Enon 240
Ephraim, Mount, region of . . 35
Ephron, Mount 45
Eshcol. See Hebron.
Esdraelon, plain of Jezreel . 32, 131
Fountains in 245
Eshmishkin, village 173
INDEX.
391
Etam, fountain of . . . *. . .
284
Sandstone formation . . 313,314
Eunuch, place of baptism by
Conglomerate, marl ....
314
Philip
119
Volcanic tracts . . . .314-
-324
123
F.
266
Fahil. See Pella.
37
109
Seat of the Samaritan temple .
39
River of. See Arsiif.
Geshur, and Geshurites ....
155
Far'ia, plain of .... 48, 79, 92
Ghab, el, valley and plain of the
186
Orontes 337,
353
Fendekumieh, ancient Penteco-
Ghar, Wady el, west of Dead Sea 104
246
173
118
Ghor, valley of the Jordan, moun-
Fever, malarial, prevalence of in
tains of its western side . .
'48
309
Extent and connections . . .
72
Fijeh, fountain of
363
'Ai'abah its Hebrew name . .
73
Fik, Wady el, east of Tiberias .
86
75
Village and fountains . . .
261
Valleys or plains in it . . 80,
138
383
Side valleys from the east . .
83
Fogs, common in Palestine . .
294
Side valleys from the west . .
89
Fountains, remarks upon . . .
238
148
Scripture names four foun-
Ghurab, Wady el . . . .46,114
tains 239, 240
Ghutah, plain of Damascus . .
350
Fountains of the Western Plain
243
Gibeah, hill of, now Tuleil el Fill
42
Of hill-country west of the Jor-
137
244
241
250
279
Of hill-country east of Jordan
260
100
"Warm and mineral fountains .
263
101
44
Frost infrequent in Palestine
291
Village, now Jelbon ....
133
379
Gilead, land or mount of . . .
57
Fuheis, fountains near . . . .
262
el-Belka, southern district of .
59
Fusail, ancient Phasaelis . . .
93
111
G.
H.
Gaash, hill of, grave of Joshua 41
111
109
42
275
Gadara, city of, now Um Keis,
291
warm springs at . . . .175
263
120
Gaulonitis. See Jaulan.
Hamah, city, and course of Oron-
G^nnesareth, plain of ... .
77
352
Lake. See Tiberias.
Hamam, Wady el, fortified caves
Geodes, of quartz and chalcedony 376
in. See Arbela.
Geology of Palestine ....
311
Hammath,probable Hebrew name
General limestone formation .
312
206
Magnesian limestone or dolomite 313
105
INDEX.
392
Hamy Sukker, Wady in Ilauran 174
Hannathon, town 106
Haram of Jerusalem, over Kidron 97
Harvest, seasons of, in Palestine 301
Hasbany, river or Upper Jordan 146
Junction with other branches of
Jordan 152
Not mentioned in Scripture . 154
Hasy, Wady 118
Hattin, village, scene of Saladin's
victory over the Crusaders . 22
KurCln Hattin, supposed place
of Sermon on the Mount . 22
Fountain of 245
Hauriin, mountains of, ancient Al-
sadamus 55, 56
Plain of, or en-N(ikrah . . . 139
Extent .319
Hazor, also Asor, now Tell Klm-
raibeh 129
Hazur, 'Ain, south of es-Salt . '. 262
Hebr^in, in Haur&n 261
Hebron, vale of, same with brook •
of Eshcol 120-122
Pool of . . 278
Heish, Jebel 54, 346
Hemar, Wady el 86
Hcndfij, Wady el, at the Huleh . 89
Hermon, Mount, Little Hermon . 26
Great Hermon, or Jcbel esh-
Sheikh, valleys of ... . 84
Scripture allusions to ... . 346
Other names 347
Herodium, site of 44
Heshbon, site of 60, 64
Fountain at 263
Wady HcsbAn, or Heshbon . . 87
Hicromax, river. See Yarmuk.
Hinnom, valley of 45
Description of 98
Hizmeh, fountain near .... 242
Hor, Mount, at northern boundary
of Palestine 345
Hot and saline springs . . . 260, 263
Htij, village on the road to Gaza 269
Hiileh, lake of 10
Plain, description of . 75, 76, 198
Fountains of 250
Hums, pli^ of 10
Lake of ' 352
Hureir, Wady in Hauran . . . 173
Hurmul, village near source of
Orontes 351
Husdn, fountain of 242
Husn el-Akrdd, castle in northern
Syria 337
I.
Ibrahim, Nahr. See Adonis . . 360
Idhna, ancient Jedrra . . .118,269
Insects of Syria 384
Iksal on Esdraelon 188
Iron Mountain, of Josephus . . 67
Iskanderun, or Alexandretta, un-
healthiness of 371
Isma'il, Wady course of . . . 114
Issus, bay of 333
Itineraries, of the Middle Ages . 8
Iturea, district of 85, 319
J.
Jabcsh Gilead 86
Jabbok, river, now ez-Zurka 57, 176,177
Jabneh or Jamrala, now Yebneh 113
Jacob's well 137
Description of 267
Jalftd, stream of, description . . 185
Jasper, found in Lebanon . . . 376
Jaulan, district of, ancient Gaul-
onitis 54
Volcanic character of . . . . 319
Jearim, Mount 46
Jeba', village, fountain of . . . 246
Jebel 'AjlDn, description of . . 57
Jebel 'Akkcir, volcanic character
of 373
Jebel 'AttarCls. See 'AttdrOis.
Jebel HaurAn 54, 321
Jebel Heish 54, 346
Jebel Jcl'ad. . . 58
Jebel Keneiseh, on Lebanon . . 340
Jebel Mukhmal, high point of
Lebanon 340
Jebel en-Nusairiyeh 337
Jebel Osha', or Hosea, in Gilead 59
Jebel Eiha . • 337
IXDEX.
393
Jebel Kihan, southern part of
Entrance into Lake Tiberias .
156
341
Rapids and shallowness in sum-
Jebcl Sheikh. Sec Hermon.
157
Jebel Shihan, east of Dead Sea .
68
159
Jebel Sunnin, highest point of
160
340
160
Jedilr, fountain near es-Salt . .
262
Entrance into Dead Sea . .
161
District, ancient Iturea . . .
319
General features of the Jor-
Jehoshaphat, valley of ... .
102
161
Jenin, ancient En-gannira . . .
239
Height and extent of its ter-
246
163
85
Descent and overflow of . 162,
163
Jcrash, ancient Gerasa ....
177
Loneliness of its valley . . .
164
80
186
Jordan as a boundary . 166,
167
21
Place of John's baptizing . .
168
108
168
Jezrecl, now Zer'in, valley of 26, 7i
3, 91
168
Jczzin, town in Lebanon . . .
341
Tributaries
171
110
106
Jiphthah-el, valley of ....
106
263
Jish, extinct craters near . . .
317
Judah, Mount of, or hill-country
Jisr Bendt Ya'kob, bridge over
• of
35
155
Jufna. See Gophna.
Jisr Dumieh, Koman bridge over
Juneh, bay of in Kesrawan . .
350
159
Junia, or Jun 'Akkar, plain along
Jisr el-Hadid, on the Orontes . .
353
coast of Northern Syria . . .
338
Jisr el-Mejami'a, over Jordan . .
158
Justinian, fortress of on Geri-
Jisr es-Semakh, ruins of, over
40
157
Job, well of. Scripture En-rogel 98, 269
K.
John the Baptist, scene of his exe-
243
67
Kadesh Barnea, probably 'Ain el-
168
Weibeh
17
242
Kadesh Naphthali, now Kedes .
75
Jordan, valley of. See Ghor.
Plain of
128
Description of the western range
128
along its valley .... 32
, 33
94
144
108
Signification of its name . .
145
Kana, village and stream in Anti-
146
355
Great fountain at Dan . . .
149
109
Source from Banias ....
150
Kara Su, river in north of Syria
336
Junction of its streams, their
Kushabeh, Wady at Banias . .
150
relative size .... 152,
153
Kasimiyeh, name for river Litany
357
Historical notices of these foun-
106
153
Kefr Haneh, village in Lebanon
341
Distance between its upper lakes 155
Kefr Kud, ancient Carpacotia
135
50
394
INDEX.
Kefr Mend a, village 106
Kefr Saba, ancient Antipatris . 270
Kelb, Nahr el, or Dog River, anc.
Lycus .361
Kerak, village, ancient Kir Moab 68
Valley and stream of . . . . 183
Fountains at 263
Kesla, village, ancient Chesalon . 46
Kesrawan, district of .... 350
Keziz, valley of 82
KhAn el-Lubban, fountain at . . 249
Khdn et-Tujar, fountain at . . 245
Khan Yumas 123
Khanzireh, village, fountains of . 263
Khanzir, Wady, ancient Bera-
chah 104
Khirb el-Lauz 242
Khiyara, village 147
Khurdela, bridge over the Leontes 357
Khudr, el, fountains of ... , 242
Khulil, Wady, vale of Hebron . 121
Kidron, valley of 96, 97
Kilkilieh, village 109
King's Dale 101
Kirjathaira 67
Plain of 142
Kirjath Jearim 46
Kir ^Nloab. See Kerak.
Kishon, river, now Nahr el-Mu-
kutta' 107, 187
Sources 188-190, 243
Kuba'a, village, and fountain at . 251
Kubab, village 112
Grain cisterns at 277
Kubaliin, village 110
Kub&tieh, village 135
Kul'at el-K^traneh 181
Kul'at er-Rubud 87
Kul'at ez-Zerka 177
KalOnieh, village 115
Fountain of 242
Kunawat, "Wady, branch of the
Yarmuk 173
Scripture Kenath, village and
fountains of 261
Kuneitirah, village 172
Kurawa, plain of Wady Fari'a 79, 111
Kureiyeh, in Hauran .... 174
Kurmul, village 120
Kurn, Wady 105
Kurnayil, village and coal mines
in Lebanon 342
Kurn Surtabeh, promontory . . 33
Description of 48, 79
Kusttil, village, site of ... . 46
Kuweik, river of Aleppo, fish of 351
KAvreh, natural bridge over the
Leontes 356
KAza, village 109
Larissa, site of 353
Latron, village 33
River 112
Lebanon, Mount, description of . 339
Signification of its name . . 340
Geological formation .... 342
Coal mines in 342
Cedars and trees of . . . 342, 343
Wine of 343
Fertility 344
Anti-Lebanon, description of its
range 345
Southern portion or Hermon . 346
Lebweh, village, source of the
Orontes 351
Leddan, great fountain of the
Jordan 1 50
Legio. See Megiddo.
Lejah, volcanic district of the
Hauran 320
Lejilm, branch of Arnon . . . 181
Lejjiin, village 33
Fountain 246
Lions, not found in Syria . . . 382
Litany,description of its gorge 354-358
Locusts, of Syria 385
Locust birds 386
Lubban, plain of Ill
Ludd, Wady, also called Muzei-
ri'ah Ill
Luweizany, fountain of, branch
of Upper Jordan . . . . 148, 316
Lydda, village of 33
Lynch, expedition of . . . . 170
At Dead Sea 232
INDEX.
395
M.
Macherus, fortress of, over Dead
Sea, scene of John the Baptist's
execution . 67
Mahanaim 86
Makhrud, Mount of . . . . 32, 78
Mamre, plain of 138
Maresha, town of 118
Mdron, St., cave of, at the Orontes 352
Mar Saba, convent of ... . 98
Masada, fortress of, OA-er Dead
Sea 51
Cisterns x)f 273
Mauz, Wady from Pella . . . 259
Megiddo, plain of. Scripture name
for Esdraclon 189
Meiron, fountain near .... 244
Mejdel Yilba, village . . 110, 193
Merj el-Ghuruk 135
Merj Ibn 'Amir, Arabic name for
plain of Esdraelon .... 134
Merj Yafdny ....... 84
Merom. See Hiileh.
Mezarib, in Hauran, lake at 173, 174
Mezra'ah, village at isthmus of
Dead Sea 227
Mezzeh, village near Damascus . 364
Milh, Wady, south of Carmel . 29
Minerals of Syria 374
Mizpeh, site of 42, 85
Moab, region and i)lain of . . . 62
Moladah, now el-Milh . . .122, 269
Molyneux, expedition of on Dead
Sea and Jordan 169
Mons Angaris, of Pliny ... 47
Mons Bargylus, situation of . . 337
Montfort, castle of, now Kurein . 105
Moreh, plain or oak of . . . . 138
Mount of the Beatitudes ... 22
Of Precipitation near Nazareth 23
Of Transfiguration .... 26
Mountain of Salt, at Dead Sea . 52
Mu'akkar, "Wady in Hauran . 174
Mughanniyeh, branch of river
'Awaj 172
Mughdr, village and fountain at 251
Mughitbeh, pass over Lebanon . 340
Muhauwat, Wady 314
Mukhna, plain of 136
Muntcir, wely el 48
Musheirifeh, fountains of . . . 243
N.
Nabulus, ancient Shechem and
Sychar 108
Numerous fountains at . . 247, 248
Nahleh, fountain of 355
Nahr Na'mun, ancient river Belus 106
Nahr Rubin, valley of .... 113
Naphthali, region of 21
Nebo, Mount 61
City of 64
Neby Samwil, probable site of
Mizpeh 42
Nejrcin, village 173
Nephtoah, fountain of, now 'Ain
Karim 45, 240
Nimrah, now Nimrin .... 87
Waters of 259
O.
Oflfence, Mount of, near Jeru-
salem 43
Olives, Mount of, description of . 43
Ono, valley or plain of . . 113, 127
Onomasticon, of Eusebius . . 8
P.
Palestine, middle portion of the
tract between Asia Minor and
the Red Sea 2
Its central position in the an-
cient world 4
Early and modern writers on 8-1 1
Boundaries of 16-18
Panium, temple and cave at Ba-
nias 151
Pella, site of, now Fahil, fountain
of 259
Peor, Mount 61, 65, 66
Perazim, Mount 45
Phagor, or Phogor, site of . . . 242
Pharpar. See river A'waj.
Phenician plain 349
Phiala, lake of, now Birket er-
Ram 75, 196-198
396
Philistines, plain of the ... 127
Pierius, Mount 335
Pine forests of Amanus . . . 378
Pirathon, now Fer'ata .... 41
Pisgah, Mount 61, 63
Pools, character of 277
Solomon's Pools .... 281-284
Promontorium Album, near Tyre 18
Pylae, gates or passes of Amanus 336
Q-
Quarantana, Mount, alleged scene
of the Temptation . . . 49, 50
Quaresimus, work of on Pales-
tine 9
R.
Rabbath, Ammon, now 'Amm<in
ruins of 177
Rahhaniyeh, fountain of . . . 246
Rain, early and latter rain of Pal-
estine 291
Ramah, plain of, in Galilee 22, 105, 129
Ramah of Ashcr, fountain at . 244
Ramathaim Zophim .... 36
Ramin, village .... 108, 275
Ramoth Gilead, probably now es-
Salt 60
Ramleh 33
Raphon, river 86
Ras el-'Ain, fountain in Sharon . Ill
Great fountains near Tyre . . 365
RfiLs el-Feshkah, promontory of
Dead Sea 50
Rasheiya, town of 146
Ras esh-Shuka, promontory, anc.
Theuprosopon 349
Rawy, 'Ain 258
Rehoboth, wells of 266
Roland, work of on Ancient Pal-
estine 11
Remmon, town of 106
Rephaim, valley of . 45, 99, 116, 137
Reptiles, of Syria 384
Rhinocolura, now 'Arish . . . 124
Ribleh, village 352
Ritter, Carl, work of on Palestine,etc. 10
Rivers of Syria, sources of . . 1 54
Rubin, Wady, course of . . 113, 194
Rubtidiyeh, Wady, west of Tibe-
rias 89
Ruhbeh, plain of 322
Ruhaibeh, Wady 123
Rukad, Wady el, in Hauran . . 174
Rumeish, village of 104
S.
Sa'adiyeh, foitntain of the Kishon 190
Sabbatical River, now Nahr el-
'Arus 359
Safa, volcanic tract of ... . 322
Safed, town of 21
Sajiir, river, tributary of Euphra-
tes 351
Sakut, ancient Succoth . 78, 81, 165
Salem, same as Jerusalem . . . 102
Sdlim, village and fountains . . 248
Salt, mountain of, at Dead Sea,
site of valley of Salt, and
city of Salt 52, 83
Fountains of 262
Lake of, south of Aleppo . . 375
Samaria, mountains of, equiva-
lent to mountains of Ephraim 36
Samaritans, origin of ... . 39
SanCir, castle of 135
Sarah, fountain near Kerak . . 263
Saris, village 33, 115
Satuf, village and fountain . 115, 242
Seasons of the year in Palestine . 288
Character of the winter . . . 289
Of summer 292
Seijar, castle and bridge on the
Orontes, probable ancient La-
rissa 353
Seir, Mount 36
Semak, Wady, east of Lake Tibe-
rias 85
Semmam, fountains of . . . . 261
Semar, village, ancient Simyra . 358
Senir, name for Hermon . . . 347
Sepphoris, town of 22
Fountain of 244
Sha'ab, Wady, east of 'Akka . 105
INDEX.
397
Sha'ib, Wady 87
Slia'ir, Wady, course of . . . 108
Shalem, now Salim 137
Shamir . . . 35
Sharon, plain of 126
Shaveh, valley of 101
Shechem. See Nabulus.
Sheri'at el-Mandhur, the Yarmuk
branch of Jordan 158
Sheri'ah, Wady, also V/'ady es-
Seba 119
Shibboleth 167
Shihor Libnath, now Nahr ez-
Zerka 192
Shittim, or Abel Shittim, valley
of 83
Shugr on the Orontes .... 353
Shuuem, now Solam . . .27, 245
Shukif, castle of 357
Siddim, vale of 234
Sideh, Wady 174
Siloam, waters of . . . 98, 100,284
Simsim, village 118
Sinjil • . . Ill
Sirocco, wind, description of . . 305
In Syria 371
Soba, village 46
Socoh, town, now Shuweikeh . 117
Sodom, destruction of . . . 233-235
Apples of Sodom . . . 236, 237
Solomon's Pools, description of . 281
Aqueduct from 285
Sorek, valley of 116
Snow, at J< rusalem and Palestine 290
Sudeir, Wady and fountain . . 257
Saf, fountain in Jebel 'Ajlun . .261
Suklmin 106
Sukkariveh, village on road to
Gaza 269
Suk Khirbet, ruins near es-Salt . 262
Suleiman, Wady 112
Stdkhad, ancient Sulchah . 174, 321
Summeil, well at 269
Sumt, Wadyes 116
Siinamein, village 173
Sar, Wady 117
Surar, Wady 47, 114
Sur Bahil, fountain 242
38
I Suweimeh, fountain at Dead Sea 259
j Syria, length and breadth of . . 334
Divisions of its extent ... 335
Waters, climate, and seasons . 366
Diseases 371
Geological features .... 372
Mineral productions .... 376
Soil, trees, fruit, productions,
botany 376-381
Fauna, birds, fish . . . . 381-383
T.
Tabighah, fountain of . . . 201, 251
Tabor, Mount, description of . . 23
View from 24, 25
Not the Mount of Transfigura-
tion 26
Cisterns of 276
Takeh, lake of, on the Orontes . 353
Tarichoea, region of 156
Teffuh, scriptural Teffuah . . . 118
Teim, Wady et, description of . 348
Teis, 'Ain et, 262
Tekoa, fountain of 242
Tell Abu Nida, hill and crater in
I Jaulun . 318
Tell Abu Tumeis, in Haun^m . 55
Tell Amara, in the Lejah ... 321
Tell Ash'areh in Haurcin, and
fountain 261
Tell el-Bedawiyeh 131
Tell Dilly, in Ilaurun .... 173
Tell Dukweh, east of Hauriin . 322
Tell el-Faras, in Jaulan . . 54, 318
Tell el-Haiyeh .... 315,316
Tell Hazur 22
Tell Hiim, on lake of Tiberias,
not Capernaum 252
Tell el-K&dy, or Dan, source of
the Jordan at . . . 75, 148, 316
Tell Kurddny, near 'Akka . 187, 243
Tell es-Safieh 118
Tell Serraya 1 73
Tell Shakhal 174
Tell Sumeid, in the Lejah . .321
Tell Zakariya 117
Temperature, of Palestine . . 295
Of Jerusalem .... 296, 297
398
INDEX.
Of the western plain .... 298
Of the Jordan valley . • . 298
Of the eastern hill-country . . 300
Terab, 'Ain et, in Jebcl 'Ajliln . 261
Terkftmieh, village 118
Tesil, village in IlaurAn . . . 174
Tiberias, lake of, description . . 199
Below the Mediterranean . . 200
Eish 205
Scenery . 201-202
Storms on 202
Historical notices of ... . 203
Crossed four times by Christ . 203
Fisheries of 204
Hot springs of 205, 206
Tibnin, castle, fountain near . . 244
Timnath Serah . . . . . 36,41
Now Tibneh Ill
Tophet 100
Trachonitis, or district of the two
Trachones 323
Transfiguration, Mount of, in
neighborhood of Banias . . 26
Trees of Syria 377
Tripoli, situation of . . . . . 349
Tu'ran, plain of 130
Turmus Aya, plain of . . . . Ill
Tyre, Ladder of, or Scala Tyrio-
rum 21
Plain of 125
Tyropoeon, valley of ... . 98
U.
Urtas, fountain of 242
Um el-Fahm 33
TJra Keis, ancient Gadara . . . 175
Urn esh-Shukaf, fountain of . . 243
TJsdura, Khasm, Mount of, at
Dead Sea 51
V.
Valley, term used in English for
four different Hebrew words 70-72
Valley of Achor ; of Keziz ;
plain of Moab 82
Valley of the Passengers, or
Haman Gog 86
Of Shaveh, and of Jehosha-
phat 102
Valley of vision 103
Valley of Craftsmen . . . . 113
Of Gibeon 115
Of Eephaim 116
Of Elah 117
The great valley of Syria from
Cilicia to the Red Sea . . 333
Volcanic districts of Palestine . 314
Extinct craters 317
Districts east of the Jordan 318, 325
W.
Wdleh, river, branch of the Arnon 180
Warm and saline springs . . . 263
Welejeh, village 115
Wells, a feature of Palestine 265, 270
Mode of drawing water from . 271
Werd, Wady el, near Jerusalem 1 1 5
Winds of the rainy season . . 303
Of summer 304
The Sirocco 305
Winter, or rainy season of Pales-
tine 289
Y.
Yabis, Wady, ancient Jabesh Gil-
cad 59, 86
Ya'biid, village 107, 135
Yarmuk, river, branch of the Jor-
dan, now Sheri'atel-Mandhilr 57, 158
Sources of 173
YarCld, fountain of 263
Yuhmur, village on the Lit&ny . 356
Z.
Za'areh, Wady el, stream of . . 146
Zalmon, Mount 40
ZcbedAny, village 363
Zeboim, town of 96
Zebulun, plain of, now el-Buttauf 22
Northern boundary of . • . 106
Zeidy, Wady el 174
Zemaraim, Mount 41
Zephathah, valley of . . . . 118
Zerka, Crocodile river, near Caes-
area 191
ESTDEX.
399
Ziklag, town of 122
Zin, desert of 16
Ziph, now Tell Zif, cisterns at . 274
Zoar, site of 233
Zorah, village 23,114
Fountain of 244
Zurka, ancient Jabbok .... .')7
Zurka Ma'hi, stream of, east of
Dead Sea 61, 88, 178
Zuwinah, Wady . . - . . .314
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