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r DS

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Descrrption of Syria

1924 028 534 265

OLIN LIBRARY CIRCULATION

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DESCRIPTION OF SYRIA,
INCLUDING PALESTINE.

MUKADDASI
(CiRC. 985 A.D.).

'3rranslatil) frrrtn thf

Arabic anb ^nnotatti bg

GUY LE STRANGE.

I,

ADAM

LONDON
STREET, ADELPHI.
1886.

0-/

Mf

n
BILLING

AND

^'iif.
SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.

PREFACE.
Shams ad Din' the Sun of Religion 'Abu 'Abd Allah,
Muhammad, the son of Ahmad, the son of Abu Bakr the
Architect,

solomite

336

commonly known

was born

Mukaddasi

as

Jerusalem

at

in

the

Hiero-

the year of the Flight,

For his personal history, we have to rely

what can be put together from such incidental

(a.D. 946).

entirely on

references to his adventurous career as occur in the pages

of his book, for no biography of him

is

to be found in the

volumes of Ibn Khallikan, nor has any notice of

been met with

in the

toriographers or the contemporary annalists.

makes no

special mention of his father,

grandfather,

Abu

his life

voluminous compilations of the

his-

Mukaddasi

Ahmad, but

Bakr, appears to have acquired

his

fame

throughout Syria as an architect, for besides numerous

minor works,

grandson gives an interesting account

his

of his labours at the Port of Acre, which he undertook

to reconstruct

the

and

then ruler of

fortify at

Egypt,

the
in

The family name

and we gather that his

was included.
Bashari,

been settled
since

command
whose

the

in

the

early days

of

the

of Biyar, in the

Syria

of Mukaddasi was Al
paternal ancestors had

neighbourhood

mother's family had originally

of Ibn Tulun,

dominions

of Jerusalem ever

Muslim conquest.
belonged

province of Jurjan,

in

to

His

the town

Persia, not

far

PREFA CE.
and from thence his
from the frontier of Khurasan
maternal grandfather, Abu-t Tayib ash Shawa, had
;

migrated during the troublous days which witnessed the

the Khurramite sect, and accompanied by eighteen

rise of

come

of his kinsmen had

Abu-t

to settle in Jerusalem.

Tayib would appear to have been a man of considerable

and a kindred taste in literary and artistic matters,

wealth,

leading him to form a close friendship with

the

the

architect,

between

alliance

cemented by the marriage of

al

Mukaddasi, the child of

the

Abu

Bakr,

families

was

Muhammad

their children.

this marriage, inherited

a strong

predilection for architectural subjects from both his grandfathers

and the natural bent being fostered by

his educa-

tion, such notices of the various buildings as he met with

during his travels, and described in his book, are the more
valuable,

by reason

of the careful

and the

detail of his description,

and almost

scientific

just use of the appropriate

technical terms.

Mukaddasi, as appears from his book, had the advantage

He was

of an excellent education.

no mean

proficient in

the theological and juridical sciences of the day, and be-

was

sides this

sufficiently versed in

turn his voyages to

remark that

He

profit.

his talents,

mercantile affairs to

takes occasion himself to

both as theologian and merchant,

him in good stead during

and
further
journeys,
had made him friends among
had

frequently served

his
all

356 A.H. (967 A.D.), when he had attained

the age of twenty, he visited for the first time Mecca, and
classes.

In

performed the

rites

he had attained
journeys and
self to the

of the pilgrimage.

It

his fortieth year, however,

much

study, that he ventured to set him-

composition of his book.

writes in his preface,

was only when

and after long

'

'

For years

have devoted myself to

of Geography, which, alas

of others

is

now

past,'

he

this Science

so neglected

PREFACE.
and though

it

may

be

but a perfunctory manner,

in

have constantly studied the Art

to write a description of

thereof, having

the countries of Islam.'

all

briefly indicating the points

mind

in

it

After

which he deems most worthy

of discussion in a compendium of Geography, he proceeds

to give an account of his labours, which are, perhaps, best

own words, though in translating them

we have somewhat condensed the form.
Now for the
described in his

'

purpose of writing
journeyings,

this

book

my

have spent

and have worn myself out

voyagings.

And

sojourning

long time in

have begun to write

many

lands,

substance in
mercantile

in

it

only

now

after

all

the

visiting

countries of Islam, everywhere frequenting the society of

the Learned, serving in the service of Princes, attending the

Courts of the Judges, listening to the lectures of the Jurisprudists,

in

and so attaining to

the knowledge that

all

both Letters and the Scriptures.

For a time

could,

studied

the Traditions, and then passing through the schools of the

Ascetics and Sufi philosophers, lived

among the Rhetoricians,

and the Rhapsodists. In every country I made myself a

home, trading among the people whereby to gain a livelihood, eating with

all

manner of men, learning

each one, walking a-foot on

my

all

journeys that

things of
I

might

measure the distances, searching out the boundaries of the

provinces, acquiring

by

practice the dialects of each nation,

noting the complexion of the race in every clime, and

becoming

And

initiated into the secrets of their religious sects.

thus in every land have

acquainted with
waters,

its

its

divisions

made myself

inquired and

and zones,

natural wealth, and

its

its

climate,

its

physical peculiarities.'

All this preparatory work Mukaddasi carried out systematically

during a

full

score of years, and hence

surprising that he ended

by writing

any that had yet appeared.

book

it

is

not

totally unlike

Others, such as Ibn Haukal,

PREFA CE.
and Ibn Khurdadbih had written Road-books,

Istakhri,

describing the various countries of Islam, and detailing

Mukaddasi,

boasts

I,'

writings

ledge

and

my

though

works

each case

In

scenes as

do

also

but

celebrated personages as

amenable
is

from

my

of

to

very

previous

all

have clearly stated such

my own

and have

eyes,

describe from the reports of

make no excuse

'

acknow-

will

be

differ

it

have witnessed with

given the authority where

others

book

have written

must

experience, herein

have not plagiarized from their

he who has read their works

Also,

this.

'

criticism, yet since all that I

own

and mountains

chief towns and their rivers

their

mentioning such

for

have met with

my

in

travels.'

Mukaddasi's preface ends by stating that he completed

his

work

chief

the year of the Flight, 375 (A.D. 985), 'in the

is in the dominion of the

in

town of Fars, which same

Commander
Tai' Billah

of the Faithful,

while

Abu Mansur

over

Abu Bakr 'Abd

the Lands

al

of the

Nizar Al 'Aziz Billah,

Karim At
West rules

Commander

of the

Faithful.'

These two

At Tai',
who was

rival

Commanders

of

the

the twenty-fourth Khalif of the

reigning at Baghdad, and

Al

Faithful

House

were

of 'Abbas,

'Aziz, the

fifth

of

the Fatimite Khalifs of Egypt, the father of the celebrated

mad

Khalif Hikim, whose apotheosis

the

religion

of

Mukaddasi, we

away from
Ethelred

the

may

Druzes.
call

to

is

a chief tenet of

As contemporary

mind

that, in A.D.

Syria, here in the west, in England, the

the

Unready

was

making

his

with

985, far

last

Saxon
feeble

struggle against the Danes, alternately bribing with Da7iegelt,

and treacherously ordering massacres, both courses

inevitably leading to the

Channel

Hugh

987, proclaimed

coming of Canute.

Across the

Capet, Count of Paris and Orleans, was,

King

of France, at

Noyon

while

in

fifteen

PREFACE.
Emperor Otto had died,
and ten years had yet to run before Hungary was to become Christian under King Stephen. More than a century,
counting from the days when our author was penning his
description of Palestine, had to elapse before the pilgrimage
of Hermit Peter to Jerusalem (A.D. 1093) and the decrees

years before this date the great

of the Council of Clermont would start the chivalry of the

West on
and on

their long

this point

Crusade against the powers of Islam

it is

how

curious to note

little,

according

to Mukaddasi's account, the Christian Pilgrims had, during

his age, to suffer for the sake of their religion at the

hands

of the rulers of Syria. Christians and Jews, he says, had the

upper hand then

before the

mad

But these were the days

Jerusalem.

in

Khalif

Hakim had

set his soldiers to destroy

the Church of the Resurrection at Jerusalem (a.D. ioio),

and there was then no tax imposed on the pilgrim as the

price of his admission into the Holy City. From the time

Omar, who had made the treaty with the Patriarch

Sophronius, down to the period of Hakim's furious
onslaught for over three centuries and a half the pilof

grims from the

visit all

West

had, with small hindrance, been able to

the sacred sites of Palestine

found

their spiritual advantages, they

and over and above

in their

pilgrimage

source of worldly gain, for there was great profit

no mean
As
arising from mercantile dealings with the Saracens.
Mukaddasi quaintly puts it, 'the Holy Land is truly a
mine of profit both for This World and the Next.'

that towards
there were three

In the times to which we are alluding

the close of the ninth century of our era
Khalifs, each styling himself the

is,

Commander

of the Faith-

and peaceably reigning, if not actually ruling, in parts

of the now disunited Empire of Islam. Far in the West,
ful,

at Cordova, reigned

Hisham

Omcyyads; and though

II.,

in

tenth Khalif of the Spanish

his

days the

Muhammadan

PREFACE.
power

Andalusia was already on the wane, the great

in

become

schools of Seville and Cordova were already rising to

the centres whence radiated such learning as could pierce

the gloom of the Middle Ages.
ruled the

fifth

Hakim, who

In Egypt, as before noted,

Khahf Al

Fatimite

succeeded

A.H.

in

'Aziz, father of the

mad

382 (a.d. 992).

The

Commanding

of the

Fatimites based their claim to the

Imim

Faithful on their alleged descent from the

Husain,

the son of the Khalif 'AH, and Fatimah, daughter of the

They were powerful

Prophet.

sovereigns,

and

at one time

governed, from their metropolis at Cairo, the greater part

of Northern Africa, with Syria, and the Hijjaz, including
the two

Holy

Cities of

Mecca and Medina.

During the

270 years that their dynasty held power, the Fatimites

were the great rivals of the Abbaside Khalifs and half a
;

century after the date of our author, in A.H. 447 (A.D. 1055),
their generals were pillaging Baghdad itself, forcing the

Kaim to flee for his hfe to Ana, while, during

weeks the public prayers were read in the name of

Khalif Al
forty

the Fatimite
capital

on the

Khalif in the Mosques of

the Abbaside

Tigris.

During the days of Mukaddasi, however,

House of Abbas, who was the

of the

it

was At

Tai',

Khalif, in name,

Baghdad. During the earlier years of his reign all the

power of the state had been centred in the hands of the
great Buyide prince, whose province was Persia, 'Adud ad
at

Daulah.

After the

(a.d. 982), his sons

the spoil

latter's

death, however, in A.H. 372

and successors began to quarrel over

during half a century yet

the Buyides were supreme

and although

bloodshed and turmoil

of
in

Baghdad, being the viceroys of the Khalif, who had now

made
star

formal renunciation of his temporal dominion, their

was already on the wane before the

the Seljuk Turks,

rising

who were now becoming

power of

heritors of

PREFACE.
the rule of the Samanide Amirs in

the fertile lands of

all

Upper Mesopotamia and the northern

Central Asia.

parts

of Syria were, in Mukaddasi's days, in the hands of the

Hamdani princes, who dwelt at Mosul and Aleppo and

away in Afghanistan, as yet unknown to fame, Mahmiid,
;

far

of Ghaznah, was a boy-commander in his father's armies,

already preparing himself for the conquest of India.

Such, in briefest outline, was the condition of things

time when Mukaddasi wrote his work.

political at the

the writing of the book

itself

The chapter which

been given.

Of

some account has already

is

here translated will

afford a fair specimen of the general style of our author

and

since he was,

herein, describing

his native land,

he

wrote with ample knowledge of the subject, and hence with

Of

greater fulness than in the other sections of his work.

the whole book, the present chapter occupies barely a tenth

part

for besides a long preface

on personal matters, and

a detailed exposition of the contents of his work, with

on

remarks

'

Orientation

'

and

the

'

Dimensions

of

Countries,' our author treats in separate chapters, of the

Arabian Peninsula, and then, in turn, of each of the

countries of the East, from Mesopotamia to Turkistan

and Sind, following which come Egypt and the countries

West as far as Spain, which last, however, he had

of the

not himself visited.

As

regards style, Mukaddasi's book, in the original,

is

pleasant to read, from the vigorous, idiomatic language in

which

it is

written.

In the preface he states that in the de-

scription of each country he intends to

make

use of such
;

and

idiom of his

own

expressions as are current in the vernacular dialect

he writes

his introduction,

dear land of Syria.

cover that
dictionaries

many
;

It is

he says,

in the

not surprising, therefore, to dis-

of his words are lacking in our Arabic

and the

text,

even with the learned Dutch

PREFA CE.
editor's notes

Our
and

and glossary,

not always easy to translate.

is

author's descriptions are, however, clear

his diction

at times

is,

and

succinct,

as a rule, simple and straightforward.

he wastes, as we should think, valuable space

in

If

an

endeavour to make a display of his casuistical adroitness,

somewhat may be excused him for the fashion of

when all great wits employed their ingenuity
it

may be

subtleties than

affirmed that he

many

are

in

the

and as regards Mukaddasi's quib-

puerilities of dialectic;

bling,

his age,

is

not more

futile in his

of the great schoolmen

who

followed in the succeeding centuries.

The

The

Palestine.

text

by De Goeje,

edited

when

had before
in his

'

Arabicorum,' Leyden, 1877.

I

my

here given was

translation

winter of the year 1884,

was

me

work during the

living at Haifa, in
is

that so admirably

Bibliotheca

Since

my

Geographorum
England

return to

have seen the translation of the major portion of

this

same chapter of Mukaddasi's book published in German

by J. Gildemeister in the Zeitschrift des Deutschen
Palsestina-Vereins,' Band vii., 1884.
The German pro'

however, has not given the chapter entire, he has

fessor,

made

not a few slips

(as, for

instance,

when he

states that

our author was born in A.H. 366, and wrote his book in 375),
and when he finds some difficulty in following Mukaddasi's
(e.g., in the case of the Damascus Mosque),
he often, to our mind, somewhat hastily concludes that the

descriptions

text

is

corrupt.

Also, Dr. Gildemeister

makes

little

attempt at identify-

ing places mentioned, with such names as are found on

the modern
place

is,

or

maps
is

his readers a

he does not state clearly whether a

be found, and too often assumes in

not, to

knowledge of Arabic which

in a translation.

It

is,

is

hardly justifiable

however, only just that

acknowledge that from the references

in

many

should

of his notes

PREFA CE.
I

have been

set

on the right track

for acquiring the desired

information.

of most of the works quoted

list

my

in

notes

The system adopted in the

is that now in common

given on a following page.

Arabic names

transliteration of the

well-known names, however, are often retained

use,

is

by usage.

spelling s?,nctioned

my

In

translation

Any

kept as closely as was possible to the text.

in the

have

consider-

able additions, required to render the meaning clear, are

enclosed in brackets
to

mark

relative

all

idiomatic.

'

make

The Memoirs
'

have been constantly

would

have not thought

it

necessary

have replaced the ever-recurring

pronoun of the Arabic by

sentence, in order to

tine

but

cases where

its

antecedent noun or

more

the English clear and

of the Survey of Western Palesat

my

elbow, and to their pages

refer the reader for the description of the sites as

they exist at the present day.

In conclusion

it

is

tunity of expressing

a pleasure to

my

me

thanks to

to

have an oppor-

Sir

C.

Wilson

for

valuable suggestions and emendations, that have enabled

me

to correct not a few of the notes which are added for

the elucidation of the text.

In most cases

permission, merely incorporated

have,

among my own

by

information which he was good enough to place at

disposal

better to
difficult to

page,

in

some

instances, however, I

transcribe

make any

his

note in

full,

his

notes the

my

have thought

and, since

it

was

further additions at the foot of the

have thrown these paragraphs together so as to

form a short Appendix, which

will

be found at the close of

the text.
G.

46,

it

Charles Street, Mayfair.

LE

S.

WORKS REFERRED TO

The

Palestine Exploration

Special Papers,' on

'

THE NOTES.

Fund Memoirs
'

of Western Palestine, in
'

IN

Vols.

'

of the Survey

Also the Volumes of

Jerusalem,' on the

Flora of Palestine,' and the

'

Biblical Researches in Palestine.

Also Later Researches.

Name

Robinson.

3 Vols.

Abu

2 Vols.

Mamlouks de

By Besant

I'Egypte.

Par Quatre-

1845.

Translated by Reinaud and

Fida's Geography.

'1

1841.

1852.

1871.

Histoire des Sultans

mere.

Fauna and

Lists.'

Jerusalem, the City of Herod and Saladin.

and Palmer.

'

Guyard.
Geschichte der Chalifen.
Palestine and Syria.
Ritter,

'

Weil.

Palestine.

Of Arabic Works

1851.

Written by Socin. Badeker.

Erdkunde,' Vol. VIII.,

Syria and

3 Vols.

1876.

in several parts, relating to

1850.

Yakut's

great Geographical Encyclo-

Text edited by Wiistenfeldt Ibn al Athir's

Chronicle, Text published by Tornbe'rg, 1867; Hajji

paedia, the

WORKS REFERRED TO IN THE NOTES.

xiv

by

Khalfa's Bibliographical Lexicon, edited

1835

1852

The Travels

of Ibn Jobair, edited by

Mujir ad Din's Description of Jerusalem and

Hebron, the Text published at Boulak

are

all

Flugel,

W. Wright,

in A.H. 1283,

Of Jerome's Ono-

that need special mention.

masticon, the excellent edition in Greek and Latin, by

Parthey, has been quoted.

HAVE MADE USE OF THE

FOLLOWING

FOR THE MAP

The Great Map

of Western Palestine.

Published by the

P. E. F.

Van

der Velde's

Map

Carte du Nord de

de E. G. Rey.

Also the Maps

The

la

of the Lebanon.
Syrie.

Dressde sous

in Badeker's Palestine

editions of other
in the reference.

la

direction

1885.

works quoted are

and Syria.

1876.

sufficiently indicated

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.
PAGE

THE MEANING OF THE WORD SHAM (SYRIa) TARSUS AND

THE COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE THE DIVISION OF SYRIA

INTO SIX PROVINCES

.1-12

NOTICES OF THE TOWNS.

ALEPPO AND THE TOWNS OF THE PROVINCE EMESA AND ITS

TOWNS DAMASCUS, ITS MOSQUE, AND ITS TOWNS THE

TIBERIAS

AND

TOWNS
AND

THE

HfyLAH THE
HARBOUR AR
JERUSALEM
THE AKSA
RAMLAH AND ITS TOWNS
MOSQUE THE DOME OF THE ROCK HEBRON C^SAREA
PALjESTINA THE MEN OF THE CAVE AT AR RAKIm THE
WATCH-STATIONS ALONG THE COAST, AND THE RANSOMING OF CAPTIVES THE DESERT OF THE WANDERINGS

GhOtAH

MOUNTAINS

'aMILAH

ITS

ACRE

ITS

SINAI

12-65

GENERAL FEATURES AND PECULIARITIES.

RELIGION COMMERCEWEIGHTS

AND MEASURES
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS MINERALS THE RIVERS
THE DEAD SEA MARVELS OF THE PROVINCE THE HOT
DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE
BATHS OF TIBERIAS

CLIMATE

CONTENTS.
TAYAMMUM

PAGE

THE

MOUNT OF OLIVES THE SIDDIka,

LEBANON, JAUlAn AND LUKKAm MOUNTAINS
THE
GOVERNMENT THE REVENUE
65-92

DISTANCES.
ALONG THE CHIEF ROADS OF SYRIA

93

MAPS AND PLANS.

MAP

OF

SYRIA

AND

PALESTINE

IN

MUKADDASI

THE

TIME
.

PLAN OF THE GREAT MOSQUE AT DAMASCUS

PLAN OF JERUSALEM

43

PLAN OF THE DOME OF THE ROCK

PLAN OF THE HARAM AREA

21

To face page 38

PLAN OF THE AKSA MOSQUE

OF

Frontispiece

44
page 46

To

face

'U

DESCRIPTION
OF THE

PROVINCE OF SYRIA, INCLUDING

PALESTINE.

The

Province of Syria

Prophets

Syria

is

is

of glorious renown, the

Here dwelt the

gathering-place of anchorites.

here

is

the First Kiblah

watch-posts are strong,

there
well

his

is

in

tomb.

Jerusalem

its

It is

his river

rampart

magnificent, and

This
is

is

the

The

first

its

the oratory of David and his gate

his cradle.

So

cities

the

tomb

the birth-place of the

likewise the village of Saul

the place of the slaying of Goliath and his

prayer of Uriah and his house f the

1

Its

Abraham as a pilgrim, and

Land of Job, and there is his

Jeremiah's cistern and his prison

dome

referring to Jerusalem, which, prior to

Kiblah of Islam

and

Thither went

of Isaac, and that of his mother

and

Saints,

the Sacred Land.

frontiers

here are the wonders of Solomon and his

Messiah and

of

also the Place of the Resurrection,

and of the Night Journey .1

mountains noble.

Land

the cynosure of the righteous, and the

the next

is

the place of

of

Muhammad

Makkah, was the

the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which, accord-

ing to Muslim tradition,

is to be the scene of the Final Judgment

and the last is the Haram Area, or Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem,
which was visited by Muhammad during his celebrated Night Journey.
''

See below,

p. 56.
I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

the rock of Moses, and the hill of Jesus f the

oratory of Zacharias, and the waters of the baptism of

and

his gate

;i

martyrdom of the prophets, and the

villages of Job.
And, too, here are Jacob's stations, and
the Further Mosque f the Mount of Olives, and the city
ofAcre the place of martyrdom of Siddiki,* and the
grave of Moses
the resting-place of Abraham and his
tomb the city of Ascalon, and the spring of Siloam the
John

the place of

home
the

of

cities

Lukman

and the valley of Kin'an;^

of Lot, and the place of the Gardens f Omar's
(the Sage),^

Mosque, and Othman's Almshouse f also the gate named

by the Two Men,^ and the chamber where were brought
the

Two

Adversaries.!"

Here

shall rise the

Wall which

to

is

stand between those Punished and those Pardoned (on the

here is the Near Station,!^ and the mosque
Bab Hittah (Gate of Pardon), which is great
and glorious, and the Bib as Sur (the Gate of the Trumpet) ;i3 the Place of Surety ;" the tombs of Mary and of

Judgment day)
of Baisin

'
'

3
'

(p.

;!i

the

In the Sanctuary at Jerusalem, known as Barclay's Gate.'

Where He was said to have dwelt with His mother. Koran xxiii.
* See below, p.
The Aksa at Jerusalem.
89.
To the east of the Sea of Tiberias. See Yakut iii. 512.
'

W4dy
26

name

52.

Kin'an, or the Valley of Canaan, from what

n. 4),

would appear

given to

it,

to

is said below
denote the Ghaur, or Jordan Valley, a

possibly, in allusion to the settlement therein of the

Canaanite Tribes. Comp. Gen. x. ii-io, Numb. xiii. 29. I do not find
the name mentioned by any other Arab geographer, which would lead
rather to the conclusion that it is here used in a somewhat general
sense.
The reading of the MS., however, is not certain. Some MSS.
read Widi an Nu'man, which is the Belus River, of Acre.
' Probably referring to the Gardens of Paradise, mentioned in the

Koran

Iv.

46, 62.

At Sulwan (Siloam).

'

Caleb and Joshua,

"'

In the story

See below,

p. 49.

was the Gate of Jericho. See Koran

of Uriah.
See Koran xxxviii. 20.
it

" Koran Ivii. 13.

" The former in the

v. 26.

'^ The Dome of the

Rock at Jerusalem.
north wall of the Sanctuary Area, at Jerusalem,
and the latter one of those under the Dome of the Rock. See below,

pp. 44, 46.

" Near Hebron.

See below,

p. 52.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Rachel

the two

meetuig-place of

the

the

World and

dividing-place of the two habitations (of This

the Next)

and

seas,i

Sakinah (the Gate of the Shechina

or of the Divine Presence), and the Kubbat as Silsilah

Dome

(the

Bab

the

as

of the Chain)

;^

the place of station of the

Ka'abah,^ further, other places of martyrdom, though too

numerous

passed aside

fruits

There

water.

and excellencies that cannot be

and abundance of crops, trees and

to enumerate,

matter of comfort both

is

and the Next,

for here the heart softens,

And

incline to the attitude of prayer.

for

This World

and men's limbs

again,

is

there not

Damascus, that paradise of the earth, and Sughar (Segor),*

which is (for commercial prosperity like) a miniature
Busrah
white

.'

also

Ramlah

the beautiful, where the bread

Jerusalem the perfect, as none

renowned

cheap living and good

for

deny

will

air.

is

Emesa,

The mountains

of

Busra,5 covered with vineyards, neither, should be forgotten

-

nor Tiberias, so renowned

for its crops

and

The Mediterranean Sea extends along

its villages.

the frontier of this

whereby merchandise may reach it and from the

Sea of China also is a waterway up to this province on

land,

''

In this country are plains and mountains,

the further side.

low

and various

valleys,

which

on

lies

Taima.''^

men

The Sea

of

'

3
*

'

Koran

medicines.

all

of

wealth

and

from thence to

and

referred

to,

fit

Throughout Syria
commerce, and

of

Greece and the Sea of Persia, said

nally in these parts,

in the

and through the desert

Quarries of marble occur, and simples

compounding
dwell

soils

frontiers are the roads

its

according

,to

to

have met

for

there

those
origi-

the Commentators,

xviii. 59.

In the Sanctuary Area.

* See below, p. 62.
See below, p. 47.
In the Aksa Mosque.
The Bozrah of Gen. xxxvi. 33, and the Bostra of Roman days.
The Gulf of Akaba.
A town on the Pilgrim Road between Damascus to Al Madinah
I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

neither rich nor poor, also jurisprudists, booksellers, arti-

and physicians.

zans,

But the people

live ever in terror of

the Byzantines, almost as though they were in a land of

continuously ravaged, and their

exile, for their frontiers are

again

are

fortresses

Syrians the equals of the Persians

or intelligence

pay

are the

in either science, religion,

some have become

Nor

and again destroyed.

apostates, while others

tribute to the infidels, thus setting obedience to created

man

before

obedience

populace, too,

the

to

Lord

The

Heaven.

of

ignorant and seditious, and the Syrian

is

people show neither zeal for the Holy War, nor honour to
those

lies

who

fight against the infidel.

has been said that Syria

It

is

SMm,

called

because

it

on theLefi of the Ka'abah, and also because those who

journey thither (from the Hijjaz) bear to the Left or North

or else

it

may

such as we

The

call

Shdmat

beyond

this sense

it

is

all

that

Muhammad

But

in

(or west of) the Euphrates,

west

of)

But

it

is

in

Hasan^ uses the

fact, of all

All the rest

is

what

Muhammad

speaking generally, and after the

people, just as

and

the land over

no part belongs to Syria except

and Syria (Proper)

this.

ibn al

point of

the district Kinnasrin alone.

;

black.^

the country that, from their

(or west of) the Euphrates, Syria,

in his works.

Desert

and

red, white,

learned of Trik call

side, lies

term

be because there are in Syria Beauty-spots,

customary to

lies

ibn

al

common
call

is

the Arabian

beyond

(or to the

Hasan

is

here

parlance of the

Khurasan, the East,

'
That is the gardens and fields which are held to resemble the moles
on a beauty's face. Shdm means Left or North.
^ Known as Ash Shaib4ni, one of Abu Hanifah's pupils and
a great

among the Hanifites. He died in a.h, 187, a.d. 803. (See

Barbier de Meynard in the Journal Asiatique, 1852, xx. 406.) The
question whether the Syrian Desert should belong to Syria or Arabia
authority

is

of great importance, in that, of the two provinces, Arabia enjoyed

a far lighter taxation.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
although

East

in truth the

So Sham

again.

is

what stretches beyond

(Syria), as a whole,

is

Now

the Hijjaz lying in between the two.i

'

We

if

this

Yaman

opposed to

any

say,

hold, agreeing therein with the learned of 'Irak, that

this portion

'Irak

of the desert even as far as the confines of

Syria

in truth a part of

is

we answer

:'

we have

that

divided the provinces (according to their natural features),

and

as

it

is

boundaries,

from
it

is

this standpoint that

impossible to set to one province what

And

belongs to another.
this

seeing there

.'

Law and

if

any

no warrant

is

stood so in ancient times

of the

we have drawn the

the

:'

further say,

for (the boundaries)

we would

Men

But why

'

reply, that the

having

Doctors

of Science have never been

divided in opinion regarding the attribution of the tract

here under dispute, deeming

vince

this tract

always a part of the pro-

to

the limits

land be added thereto.

This addition^ then,

is

a tract

and he who makes this addithe province of Syria) on him lies the proof that it

about which there

tion (to

it

any who desire to include

in Syria, with him we argue not
we point to
of Syria as we have laid them down, and let this

So

Arabia.

of

is

dispute,

is justifiable.

We

shall

omit here

district, for it is at

Greeks.

is

description of

TARSUS and

its

the present time^ in the hands of the

But as regards the Cave (of the Seven Sleepers),'

the city to which

here

all

the

it

belongs

is in

truth Tarsus

tomb of Dakyaniis,* and

in the

and further

neighbourhood

Yaman, Right Al Hij'jdz, the Partition.

Left
Tarsus was taken by the Byzantine Emperors Nicephorus and
Decline and Fall,'
Zimisces in a.h. 354, a.d. 965. See Gibbon's
ch. Hi., and Ibn al Athir, vol. viii.. Events of Year 354 also Weil, iii. 18.
'

ShAm,

'

See Koran xviii. 8-25.

* Ibn ash Shihnah gives the name more correctly as Dikiyus, for
it was under the Emperor Decius that, according to tradition, the Seven
Sleepers entered the Cave.
See Gibbon's Decline and Fall,'ch. xxxiii.
'

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

is

on which

hill,

The

Cave.

'Omar

Abu

is

a mosque, said to be built above the

Abu

jurisprudist

'Abd-Allah

Bukhart related to

al

Talib

al

us,

Yamini, who held

Muhammad

ibn

quoting the words of

from Al Hasan ibn

it

Yahya, whose father had related to

him that

Muhammad

him that he had attended the

to whom Mujahid
forth
with Khalid al
reported,
saying,
went
I
ibn Yazid had
Baridi in the days when he set out for At Taghiyyah,^ during
the year of the Flight 102 (A.D. 720) and beside us two
ibn Sahl al Khurasini, told

Hisham

of

lectures

ibn

Muhammad,
'

After we had visited Conby'Ammuriyyah (Amorium),

and thence, in the course of four nights, we reached Al
Lddhikiyyah,^ lately destroyed by fire. From thence we
came on to Al Hawiyyah, which lies in the midst of the
there went no other Muslims.

stantinoplewe set out to return

And

mountains.

it

was here

told us that in this place were

some dead men, who they were none knew, but there were
guards over them.
tunnel,

some

lamps, and, behold,

iron door,

it

And

fifty ells

the people caused us to enter a

deep and two broad, having with us

in

the middle of this tunnel was an

being a hiding-place for their families at times

when the Arabs make

At

their incursions against them.

spot were ruined buildings of great extent, in

this

midst of which was a hole

across, filled with water,

in the

ground, some fifteen

the
ells

and from here looking up one could

The cavern from this place entered the

bowels of the mountain, and we were conducted to a spot
right under Al Hawiyyah, where was a chamber some twenty

perceive the sky.

ells

deep.

trate

On

the floor here were thirteen men, lying pros-

one behind the other, each wearing a cloak

and

was

^ A district lying between Makkah and Al Madinah, according

to
Zamakhshari's Kitab al Jibil. (Leiden, 1856, p. 167.
' This is
the Laodicea Connbusta (the modern Ladik) situated

between Ainorium and Iconium.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
unable to see whether this was of wool or of

hair,

but the

cloaks were grey in colour, dust-coloured vestments, which

crackled under the touch like parchment.

In efvery case

the garments, which were fringed, veiled the face of the

his limbs and some wore boots up to the
and some sandals, while others had shoes.

wearer and covered

middle of the

leg,

But everything seemed perfectly new.

face of one of them,

On

uncovering the

perceived that the hair of his head and

of his beard had remained unchanged, and that the skin of

was shining, the blood appearing in his cheeks.

was as though these men had laid themselves down but
a moment before, for their limbs were supple as are the
and all were still in their youth,
limbs of living men
except certain of them whose locks had already begun to turn
his face
It

grey.

Now

behold, one of

them had had

his

head cut

off,

and inquiring of the people on the matter, they answered,

saying, " When the Arabs came down on us, and took
possession of Al Hawiyyah, we gave them this information concerning these dead men, but they would not
believe us, and one of the Arabs struck the head off this
body."
'

the
in

The men of Al Hawiyyah further related to us that at

commencement of each year, on the feast-day (set apart
honour of those who lie here), the people assemble in

and raising each of these corpses one by one,

they cause them to stand upright. Then they wash them,
and shake the dust off their clothes, and arrange their
garments. Moreover, these dead men do not fall or sink
this cavern,

down, but are laid out by the people after the manner we
saw, on the ground and they pare their nails three times
Then we inin the year, for these do continue to grow.
quired the explanation of these things and concerning their
;

knew nothing about

The
them prophets."

origin, but the people replied that they

the matter, only adding, "

We

call

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

before-mentioned Mujahid and Khalid further state that

they themselves concluded that these

'

men must be

the

Companions of the Cave,' but Allah alone knows.

THE

SIX DISTRICTS OF SYRIA.

The Province
1.

we

of Syria

KiNNASRiN

which

is

divide into six districts

over against Akfir (or Upper

Mesopotamia).

3.

HiMS (Emesa).
DiMASHK (Damascus).

4.

Al-Urdunn

5.

FilastIn

6.

Ash-SharIH (Edom).

I.

The

2.

District of

(Aleppo), and
Balis,

(the Jordan).

(Palestine).

among

KiNNASRiN.
its

As-Suwaidiyyah,

cities are

Its

capital

Halab

is

Antikiyyah (Antioch),

Sumaisat,

(Samosata),

Manbij,

At-Tinah, Kinnasrin, Mar'ash, Iskandarunah,

*Lajjun, * Rafaniyyah, *jtjsiyah, * Hamah, * Shaizar,
Bayyas,
*

Wadi Butnan, Ma'arrah-an-Nu'man,

'

The names marked

Ma'arrah-Kinnasrin.^

with an asterisk (*) are on

given as belonging to the Province of

p.

54 of the

text,

Hims (Emesa).

Though Hamdh of old formed part of

Ibn ash-Shihnah writes
Hims (Emesa), it was subsequently added to (the
Province of) Halab (Aleppo).' Even with this, however, there is some
confusion in the order in which the names of the towns occur. Thus
Rafanniyyah and Jusiyah, given to the Kinnasrin Province, are well
within the boundaries of Hims, while Al Khunasirah and Kafar-TS.b,
given to Hims, lie far to the north of that district.
Of the towns here
mentioned, As Suwaidiyyah, the seaport of Antioch, is probably identical with the Si. Simeon's Harbour of the Crusades.
About an hour
'

(the Province of)

distant north of this are the ruins of the ancient Selucia Pieria.

Manbij, anciently Hierapolis, was the capital of Euphratesia.

See

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
The

2.

District of

note to

p.

HiMS

Among

same name.

65 of Procopius

('

Its capital bears the

(Etnesa).

cities are

its

Salamiyyah,

Tadmur

Palestine Pilgrim's Text, No. 3

')

for

description of the curious remains to be seen here.

Bayyis, on the coast, is the ancient Baije.

At Tinih, or At Tinit Ibn Haukal mentions as Hisn at Tinih,
the Fort of Figs.' The place is not given on our present maps under
:

'

this

name, but as

it is

said by

Y^kut and others

to

have been a port of

some consequence on

the Mediterranean, not far from the city of Mas-

sisah (Mopsuestia).

The

position assigned to

it

in the

accompanying

map

cannot be very far out.

Mar'ash is the ancient Germanicia. The Syrians, clipping the first
syllable of its ancient name, sometimes called it Baniki (Assemani,
Bidi. Orient. Clem. Vat.,

The town

ii.

p. 91, etc.).

I can find on no map.

There can be no doubt that at the time of Mukaddasi there were
two places called Lajjun in Syria, for he distinctly states in his preface,
when enumerating the geographical homonyms, that Al Lajjun is the

of Lajjun (without the article)

'

name

of two of the cities of Syria.'

On

the other hand, Yakut, in his

'
Dictionary of Homonyms,' makes no mention of it
This northern Lajjun is not mentioned, to my knowledge,
by any other Arab geographer. Al Lajjun in Palestine, mentioned
below among the towns of the Jordan District, is, of course, the
Roman Legio ; but the dictionaries of classical geography give no
Legio
in these
indication of there having existed any other

Mushtarik, or

whatever.

'

'

countries.

Rafaniyyah,

is

the city of Raphania of the Crusading Chronicles.

Jusiyah, Robinson (1852,

p.

556) identifies with the Paradisus of

Ptolemy.

Hamah
Shaizar,

is

the Biblical

now

city of Larissa,

Hamath and

the

Greek Epiphania.

called Kal'at Seijar, occupies the site of the ancient

founded by Seleucus Nicator.

is given in Yikut as the name of a very

Wadi Butnin

on the road from Halab

to Manbij, lying at a short day's

fertile

valley

march from

The name is marked in Rey's map.

Ma'arrah-an-Nu'man and M. Kinnasrln are often spoken of as
Ma'arratain the two Ma'arrahs. The name of the latter is often
shortened into Ma'arrah-Nasrin, and further corrupted in some works
by being written Ma'arrah Masrin.
Some notice of the other towns enumerated will be found on the
either place.

subsequent pages.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

lo

Al-Khunasirah,

(Palmyra),

Al-Lidhikiyyah,

Kafar-Tab<

Jabalah, Antarsus, Bulunyas, Hisn al Khawabi.^

The

3.

District of

same name.

of the

is

DiMASHK

(Damascus).

Among

Its capital

cities are

its

Baniyas,

Darayya, Saida (Sidon), BairOt, Atribulus (Tripoli),

'Arkah, and the territory of the Bika', of which the chief
city

Ba'albakk, and to which appertain the towns of:

is

Kamid, 'Arjamush, and Az-ZabadanL^

'
'

Salamiyyah

the ancient Salaminias, or Salamias.

is

Cf. Ritter,

Syrien,' p. 1049.

Hanasera in Key's map. In the Arabic DicKamus,' we are told that the town took its name
from a certain Khun^sirah b. 'Urwah b. Al Harith. Cf. also Ritter,
Syrian,' p. 1699. It lies two marches away from Aleppo, to the south,
and on the border of the Desert.
The town of Kafar-Tab, according to Abu-1-Fida, lies between
Al Khun^sirah,

is

tionary, called the

spelt

'

'

Ma'arrah and Shaizar, twelve miles from either place. It is marked

on Rey's map.
Al Ladhikiyyah is the ancient Laodicea ad Mare, rebuilt by Seleucus
Nicator.

Jabalah is the Gabalah of the ancients, and the Gibellum, or Gibellus

Major, of the Crusaders, sometimes further corrupted into Zibel.
Antarsus, very often thus written incorrectly for Antartus,
called Tartus

it

is

the ancient Antaradus,

and the Tortosa

is

now

of the

Middle Ages.
Bulunyas represents the Balanea of Strabo. The place is at the
present day called B^ni^s. In classical times it was known as Apollonia Syriae, and the Frankish Chronicles speak of it under the name
of Valania.

Hisn
'

From

built

al

Khawibi

crest of the

is
'

not marked on the

Rosenmiiller,' p. 15):

come

to

Hisn

al

Khawibi,

mountain, and for long held by the sect of the

The place lies

From this indication of its posimap. The fort is mentioned by Abu-1-

[This was in the twelfth century A.D.]

fifteen miles distant

I

Ewers)

Idrisi writes (Ed. of

Antartus, going south, by land, you

on the

Assassins.

tion

(the Fort of the

The geographer

maps.

have laid

it

from Antartus.'

down on

the

Fida, Dimashki and other, but with no exact statement of

its

position.

Ddrayya is the large village a couple of hours south-west of

Damascus.
Kimid, now called Kimid al Lauz (of the Almond). Cf Robinson,
2

852, p. 425.

::

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
The

District of

the GhCitah,

Damascus

includes six territories,

namely

Hauran, the Bathaniyyah, the Jaulan, the

Bika, and the Hiilah.i

4.

The

capital

Kadas,

of

District

Tabariyyah

is

Silr

Al-Urdunn (the
Among

(Tiberias).

'AkkH

(Tyre),

Jordan).
its

Its

towns are

Al-Faradhiyyah, Al-

(Acre),

Lajjun, Kibul, Baisin, Adhri'ah.

5.

The

District of

Ar-Ramlah.

Among

salem),

Jibril,

Bait

(Ascalon), Yafah

FlLASTlN
its

(Palestine).

cities are

Its capital is

Bait-al-Makdis (Jeru-

Ghazzah (Gaza), Maimas, 'Askalan

(Joppa), Arsiif, Kaisariyyah (Caesarea),

Nibulus (Shechem), Ariha (Jericho), 'Ammin.

6.

The

District of

should put Sughar.

Ash-SharaH, and

for its capital

towns are:

Its chief

Maab

we

(Moab),

'Ainuna,2 Mu'an, Tabftk, Adhruh, Wailah, Madyan.

'Arjamush is mentioned by Abu-1-Fida as a considerable town, lying
on the road from Bairut to Ba'albakk, and situated twenty-four miles
from the former city. The name does not occur on the maps, but
possibly the village of Hashmush, marked in Van der Velde's map,

may

represent the older town.

Hashmush

occupies exactly the posi-

where we should expect to find 'Arjamiash.

For Az-Zabadani, between Ba'albakk and Damascus, see Badeker,

tion

p. 491.
'
Al Ghiitah (the Garden land) is the rich, well-watered plain that
extends for a day's march all round the city of Damascus.
Haurin, is the ancient Auranitis Al Bathaniyyah is Bathanaea ;
;

Al Jaul4n, Gaulonitis. The Bika' is the plain or broad valley between

the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains it was anciently known
as Coelesyria. Al Hulah is the land round the Hulah Lake, the Bib;

lical

Waters of Merom.

'Ainuna, which Y4kiat says should be spelt in two words'Ain Uni,

'Spring of Un4' is the harbour of Midian mentioned by Ptolemy
under the name of Ounj. 'Ain Una, says Yikiit, is a village on the
2

'

Red Sea, lying between Madyan (the city of Midian) and

As Saia, and the Pilgrim Road from Egypt to Makkah passes through
As Saia I have been unable to identify on Madyan, see below,
it.'
coast of the

p. 64, n. 2.

'Ainuni was visited by Sir R. Burton. See his

of Midian,' 1878, p. 145.

'

Gold Mines

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

12

Now

Province of Syria are villages larger and

more sumptuous than are many of the chief towns in the
in this

Thus we have Darayya, Bait

Arabian Peninsula.

Kafar Sallam, Kafar SabS.

one would not speak of them as

tioned by us as such,

wont always

to

for,

Lihya,i

and, although seeing their

as

villages,

we have

they are yet men-

said before,

employ the designations

size,

in

it

common

is

our

use

by

the people of each country.

NOTICES OF THE CHIEF TOWNS.

Halab

(Aleppo)

fortified city, the

and

an excellent, pleasant, and

is

well

inhabitants of which are cultured and

endowed with understanding.

The

city

is

populous, and built of stone, standing in the midst of

its

rich,

lands.

It

possesses a well fortified and spacious castle,

provided with water

and here

but the Great Mosque stands

drink the water of the

the Sultan's Treasury,

is

in the

Kuwaik

town.

The

inhabitants

which flows into

river,^

the town through an iron grating, near by the Palace of

I am unable to find on tbe maps.
According to Yikut
and Ibn Balutah (i. 237 of the edition published by the French
Soc. As.), the name would be more correctly written Bait Al Ilahah or
I14hiyyah, meaning 'House of Idols,' or 'The Divine House;' the
father of the patriarch Abraham having, according to the Muslim

Bait Libya

(i.

780)

a temple to his heathen gods.

tradition, dedicated here

states that the village lies to the east of

mention

it

fact, that

Damascus, and

Ibn Batutah
all

authorities

as a well-known place in the Ghutah, so well known, in

they unfortunately omit to indicate

its

exact position.

can

no mention of the place in the works of Burton, Porter, or other

travellers.
Robinson mentions a village called 'Beit Lehya' ('Researches,' 1852, notes to pp. 426, 428), lying west of Rishayah,
which in Badeker (p. 452) is called Bet Laya. But this, if Ibn
find

Batutah's

celebrated
place, for

of

indication

Bait Libya

Rishayah

is

lies

the
to

position

of

Damascus

for

the

wesi of the Ghdtah, under the spurs of

Mount Hermon.
'

easi

be credited, can hardly be the same

Kuwaik, the ancient Chalus River.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

13

The castle is not very large, but herein

The city has seven gates, namely
Bab Hims (of Emesa), Bab-ar-Rakkah, Bab Kinnasrin, Babal-Yahud (of the Jews), Bab-al-'Irak, Bab D^r-al-Batttkh
(of the Watermelon-house), and Bab Antakiyyah (Antioch).
The Bab-al-Arba'in (of the Forty) is now closed.

Saif-ad-Daulah.i

Sultan abides.

the

Balis'

and

is

situated on the frontier towards

is

Ar-Rakkah,

a populous place.

KlNNASRlN*
^

is

Saif-ad-Daulah,

'

a town of which the population has

The Sword

of the State,' was the

He

the Aleppo line of the Hamdanis.

prince of

first

reigned from a.h. 333-356,

A.D. 944-967.
^ (i) The Emesa Gate is to the South. It is marked as the
Damascus
Gate' in the plan given by Russell in his Natural History of Aleppo,'
2nd ed., 1794. It is at the present day called Bab al Makam (Ibrahim),
the Gate of Abraham's Station.
(2) Judging from the direction which
Rakkah bears from Aleppo, this Gate must be the Bab el Hadeed of
Russell, at the north east angle of the Wall.
(3) The Kinnasrin Gate
'

'

'

at the southern end of the West Wall.

Daulah ibn Hamdan. (4) The Jew's Gate

is

It
is

was

'

built

by Saif ad
Bab an

the present

Nasr, in the middle of the north wall, along which

lies

the Jews'

was restored by Saladin's son, Al Malik at Thahir, who

changed its name to Bab an Nasr Gate of Victory (Yakut ii. 310).
(5) The 'Irak Gate most probably, by its position, is that to the
In the
south-east, and marked by Russell as the Gate of Neereb.
plan of Aleppo given in Badeker, a road leaving the town at the south(6) The Watermelon-house
east angle runs to the village of Nerab.'
Gate is probably the same as the Bab al Janan (Gate of the Gardens),
given by Russell, and also mentioned in Yakftt, ii. 310. It is in the
Quarter.

It

'

West Wall,
Gate
the

little

to the north of the

West Wall,

to the north of the

Gate of the Gardens.

plan as

which
'

Antioch Gate. (7) The Antioch

It opens about the middle of

so called at the present day.

is

'

Bab

lies

the Forty

el

The Gate

Urbain.'

It is at

to the north of
'

were

probably martyrs.

I
'

Bab Kinnasrin, between it and the

is marked in Russell's

of the Forty

the north-west angle of the suburb

Aleppo, beyond the Bab an Nasr.

'

of the piece of ground within the gate.

'

The

Occupying the

Who

have been unable to discover, but they were

Skak al Urbain is given by Russell as the name

ancient Barbalissus.
site of

the ancient Chalets.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

14

The worthy Sheikh Abu Sa'td Ahmad ibn

Muhammad^ related to me at Naisabtir, and he held it of
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishak ibn Khuzaimah, who reported it on the authority of 'Ammar ibn Huraith of Marv,
who had it of Al-Fadl Abu Musa, and he from 'Isa ibn
decreased.

who

'Ubaid,

held

it

'Abd Allah Al-Amiri, to

coming from 'Amr ibn Jarir,

of Ghailan ibn

whom Abu

Zar'ah told

who heard

the Prophet say

it

as

Allah,

'
:

exalted and glorified, spake to

me

may His name

"

in revelation,

be

At which

so ever of three places thou descendest, verily

it

shall

become thy abode after thy Flight, whether it be Al

Madinah, or Al Bahrain, or Kinnasrin."'^
Now if any one should ask of me why I have given as
the capital of this district Halab (Aleppo, thus ignoring
the claims of) the city (of Kinnasrin), bearing the same

name

as that of

before

in

its district

Preface to

the

Towns must be regarded

And

Soldiers.

which

is

thus

so lordly,

it

reply,

my
in

is

have stated

the light of Generals and

would not be

and where

even as

work,^ that Capitals and

fitting to

make Halab,

the residence of the Sultan,

and the place of the Diwans, or Antakiyyah, with all its

and Balis, with its great population even as
soldiers (subordinate) to a town which is ruined and small

wealth,

(like

But

Kinnasrin).

further, should

any ask why we have

not acted according to this rule as regards Shiraz, which,

we have not made the

as will be seen,

capital, but

counted

as belonging and subordinate to Istakhr (Persepolis) and

its

villages

acted

we

reply that

we deem in this matter

we found Istakhr

for the best, seeing that

that
(in

we
the

position of a capital), with the towns around (counted as

^
'

'

He is commonly known as Abu Sa'id al Jdri.

The same tradition is given by Yikut iv. 185.
Having reference

to

what Mukaddasi has written on

Arabic Text, where the same argument

is

stated in

p.

47 of the

much the same terms.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

15

subordinate thereto), this even though Istakhr

some distance from them.

present, expediency will ever abrogate all rule

said

seen

itself lies at

Furthermore, in a work
;

like the

even as

it is

among the Questions of the Schools, Hast thou not

how the postponing of (the audit days of) Niruz and
'

Mihrajdn

(in

the months of Spring) although inconvenient

to the rest of the empire,

is

yet useful in the (keeping of

and so is done as a matter of expediency

(Emesa). There is no larger city than this in

?'

the) registers,

HiMS

There

Syria.

perceive

is

a citadel high above the town, which you

from afar

obtained from

all

Most of the drinking-water

off.

rainfall,

but there

Muslims conquered

this place

turned the half of

it

into

is

When

also a river.

is

the

they seized the church, and

mosque.

It

stands in the

market-place, and has a dome, on the summit of which

seen the figure of a

man

in brass, standing upon a

and the same turns to the four winds.^ About this

they relate many stories, which are untrustworthy.

town has suffered great misfortunes, and

with

ruin.

The

Its

men

is

is

fish,

figure

This

indeed threatened

are witless.

other towns of these parts are also falling to decay,

though prices are moderate, and such of them as are on the

coast are well provided with ramparts.

Tadmur

(Palmyra) belongs to

the likeness of a throne

son of David.

among

Its citadel,

this province.

the Cities of

It is after

Solomon the

which stands near the

desert,

is

spacious and strong.

DiMASHK (Damascus)

is

the chief town of Syria, and was

the capital of the sovereigns of the

House

of

Omayyah.^

Now pronounced Homs.

Yakut ii. 336, says that the statue is in white stone, and represents
a man standing on a scorpion. See further, below, p. 84.
' The fourteen Omeyyad Khalifs whose dynasty lasted from A.H. 41
to 132 (a.d. 661-749) and who were succeeded by the 'Abbasides.
'

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

i6

Here were their palaces and their monuments, their edifices

The rampart round the city, which
in wood and in brick.
Most
I saw when I was there, is built of mud-bricks.
is
among
them
a
of the markets are roofed in, but there
very fine one, which

is

open, running the length of the town.

Damascus is a city intersected by streams and begirt with

Here prices are moderate, fruits abound, and snow
trees.
and condiments are found. Nowhere else will be seen such
magnificent hot-baths, nor such beautiful fountains, nor

people more worthy of consideration.

myself
(the

among

its

gates are:

Small Gate),^ Bib

Bab

Such

al Jabiyah,i

as I

Bab

know

as Saghir

Kabir (the Great Gate),^ Bab ash

al

Sharki (the Eastern Gate),* Bab

Tumi

(the

Gate of

St.

Thomas),^ Bab an Nahr (the Gate of the River),^ and Bab

Mahamaliyyin,^ (the Gate of those

al

who make Camel-

litters).

The

city

is

in

itself

a very pleasant place, but of

disadvantages are, that the climate

is

its

scorching and the

I

'

At the western end

of the

'

Straight Street

;'

so called from the

suburb of Jabiyah, which stood near here.

^

At the south-western angle of the Wall.

Now

corrupted into

Bib

ash Shaghur, from the name of a suburb.

' This is probably the Bib as Salimah
of Ibn Jubair, and the
According to Krenier (Topography of
modern Bab as Salam.
Damascus, in Vol. v. of the Denkschrift Acad, der Wissenschaft.
'

was formerly called Bab el Jennik, or JelUk, from a

district of that name near Damascus.
^ At the eastern end of the
Straight Street.'
5 At the north-eastern angle.
^ This I conclude to be the Bab al Faradis, as given by Ibn Jubair,
which name too it bears at the present day or else it may be the
Bab al Faraj (Ibn Jubair, p. 284), which is immediately to the west of
the former, both being on the river.
' I imagine that this must be the present BlLb al Hadid (Iron Gate),
opening to the west, and lying immediately to the north of the Bab al
In Ibn Jubair's days this gate was called Bab an Nasr (the
Jabiyah.
Gate of Victory).
Wien.' 1854)

it

'

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
inhabitants are turbulent

hard

here

fruit

also the houses are small,

Finally, the bread there

to make.

is

Around the

is

17

streets sombre.

bad, and a livelihood

city,

for the

and meat

insipid

and the

is

difficult

of half a

distance

league^ in every direction, there stretches the level plain.

The mosque

the fairest of any that the Muslims

is

and nowhere

hold,

nificence.

accurately

is

there collected together greater

outer walls are built of squared

Its

and of large

set,

size

the mosque consist of black polished

and

set widely apart.

stones,

and crowning them are

The columns supporting

splendid battlements.

now

mag-

pillars, in

the roof of

a triple row,

In the centre of the building, over

the space fronting the Mihrab,^

is

Round

a great dome.

the court there are lofty arcades, above which are arched

windows, and the whole area

The

is

paved with white marble.

walls of the mosque, for twice the height of a man,

are faced with variegated marbles

to the ceiling, are
gold,

showing

and, above

of trees and towns and beautiful

most exquisitely and

rare are the trees,

even

mosaics^ of various colours and in

figures

inscriptions, all

this,

finely worked.

And

and few the well-known towns, that

will

Farsakh, the Greek Parasang, corrupted from the Persian, is between three and four miles. It is an hour of the road, and our word
1

league, therefore, corresponds with

it

well enough.

Mihrab, the Niche, showing the direction of Makkah.

3 Written on the margin of one of the MSS. is the following curious
description of this mosaic-work an art which the Arabs learnt from
Mosaic [in Arabic called Fashfashah, from the
the Byzantines
2

Greek

Wijipog] is

'

composed of morsels of

glass,

such as are used for

but they are yellow in colour, or grey,

the standard coin-weights
black, red and mottled, or else gilt by laying gold on the surface,
;

which is then covered by a thin sheet of glass. They prepare plaster

with Arabian gum, and lay it over the walls, and this they ornament
with the mosaics, which are set so as to form figures and inscriptions.
In some cases they cover the whole surface with the gold-mosaic, so
that

all

the

wall

seems as though

it

were of nothing but pure

gold.'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

i8

not be found figured on these walls

The

capitals of

the columns are covered with gold, and the vaulting above
the arcades

everywhere ornamented

is

columns round the court are

walls that enclose

it,

all

The

mosaic with arabesque

in

roofs are everywhere overlaid with plates of

and the battlements on both

lead,

The

mosaic.

the vaulted arcades, and the arched

windows above, are adorned

designs.

in

of white marble, while the

On

mosaic work.

sides are faced with the

the right (or western) ^ side of the court

the Treasure-house (Bait Mil),^ raised on eight columns,

is

ornamented, and the walls are covered with mosaic.

finely

Both within the Mihrab and around it are set cut-agates

and turquoises of the size of the finest stones used in rings.
Besides this Mihrab, and to the
another, which

left (east)

of

it,

there

for the special use of the Sultan.

is

It

is

was

formerly much dilapidated but I hear now that he has expended thereon 500 Dinars^ to restore the same to its
former condition. On the summit of the cupola of the mosque
is an orange, and above it a pomegranate, both in gold.
But of the most wonderful of the sights here worthy of
remark is verily the setting of the various coloured marbles,
and how the veining in each follows from that of its neigh;

bour

and

is

it

such that, should an

artist

come

daily

during a whole year and stand before these mosaics, he

might always discover some new pattern and some fresh

It is said that the Khalif al Walid,* in order to con-

design.

struct these mosaics, brought skilled

'

The

Makkah,
'

Still

is

that

roughly, south.

standing.

'

About

One

It

Dome

Khaznah, the

Persia,

supposed to stand facing the Mihrab, towards

visitor
is,

workmen from

is

at

the present day called the Kubbet

of the Treasury.

See plan,

al

p. 21.

;250.

of the

from A.H. 86

to

'Abd-al-Malik

most notable of the Omeyyad Khalifs.

He

reigned

96 (A.D. 705-715) and was the son and successor of

who

built the

Dome

of the

Rock

at Jerusalem.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

19

Western Africa and Byzantium, spending thereon

India,

the revenues 'of Syria for seven years, as v/eW as eighteen

shiploads of gold and

silver,

which came from Cyprus.^

And

this does not include what the Emperor of Byzantium

and the Amirs of the Muslims gave to him in the matter
of precious stones and other materials, for the mosaics.

The people enter the mosque by four gates namely

Bab Jayrun, Bab al Faradis, Bab al Barid and Bab as Si'at.
Bab al BarJd^ (the Gate of the Post) opens into the righthand

(or west side of the court).

It is of great size,

has two smaller gateways to right and to

left

of

chief gateway and the two lesser ones have each of

and

The

it.

them

double doors, which are covered with plates of gilded

Over the great and the two smaller gateways are

the porticoes, and the doors open into the long arcades,
copper.

which are vaulted over, the arches of the vault resting on

marble columns, while the walls are covered

manner

already been described.

that has

here are

is

main building

mosque) and the

court.

side (or east),

See

p. 24, n.

the

ceilings

In

the place of the paper-sellers, and also

This gate comes in

the court of the Kadi's lieutenant.

between the

'

The

painted with the most exquisite designs.

all

these arcades

hand

after

is

the

(the

Opposite to

it,

of

the

and on the

left-

Bib Jayrun,^ which

2

i.

covered

gee

part

is

similar to

p. 75, n. i.

Jayrun (according to Muhammad b. Shakir, the author of the

'Uyun at Tawarikh, who died a.h. 764, a.d. 1362 see Haji Khalfa,
No. 8463) was the name of a palace built on columns during the time
'

some

affirm, by certain of the Genii at the comAnother tradition connects the Gates Jayrun
and Barld with the two sons of the mythical hero 'Ad, who were
and Makrizi states that in ancient days there stood in
so named
Damascus a temple dedicated to Jupiter which had been constructed

of the Greeks

mand

of

or, as

King Solomon.

by Jayrun the son of Sa'ad the son of 'Ad. Jayrun further appears to
have been the name of one of the City Gates and of the quarter adjacent, which was burnt down in A.H. 559.
2

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

20

the Gate Al Bartd just described, only that

To

are vaulted over in the breadth.

by

steps,

porticoes

its

you ascend

this gate

on which the astrologers and other such people

are wont to take their seat.

Bib

Gate of the Hours)

as Si'at (the

angle of the covered part (of the mosque).i

and over

doors, which are unornamented,

under which are

The

like.

seated

fourth gate

is

the

called

has double

it

a portico,

is

and

public

notaries

Faridis (the Gate

al

It

is

the

opposite

Mihrib, and opens into the arcades (on the north

side of the courtyard^ between the

have been
'

the eastern

It

Bib

of the Gardens), also with double doors.

the

is in

built here

The Gate

The

left.^

Above

it

of the Hours, or of the clock, was so called after a large

Clepsydra that stood near it.

2 There is some confusion
gates.

two additions, which

on the right and the

plan of the

in the names
mosque given by

of the two last-mentioned

L. Porter (in the

J.

first

edition of 'Five Years in Damascus,'

London, 1855) is here reproduced. There is no gate opening at the present day into the eastern
In the western portion of the South Wall is the
angle of the mosque.
Gate, for which Kremer gives three names, viz. Bib as Surmayatiyyah
(of the Shoemakers' Bazaar), or Az Ziyidah (of the Addition), or As
Bib az Ziyadah is the name by which this gate
Si'it (of the Hours).
(See Badeker, p. 483.) But this cannot be the
is known at present.
gate which Mukaddasi calls Bib al Faridis, for that he says is
opposite (Kibil) the Mihrib and opens into the arcades through the
recent Additions (Ziyadatain) although it must be confessed that this
last word very naturally recalls the name of the present Bib az Ziyadah
(Gate of the Addition). Mukaddasi's Bab al Faridis, however, from
its position is the modern Bib al 'Amarah, which opens north and is
immediately east of the present Midhanet al 'Arus (the Minaret of the
Bride).
This last would be the 'recently-constructed Minaret' of
Mukaddasi, but that there is a doubt again here, for this is the most
ancient minaret of the mosque, which, having been built by the
Omeyyad Khalif al Walid, was nearly three centuries older than
:

our author's time.

Quatremfere, however, in his description of the

mosque, says that the Eastern and Western Minarets were both more
ancient than the Midhanet al 'Arus built by Al Walid, i.e. that they

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
minaret

rises a
is

this has

recently been constructed, and

ornamented (with mosaic work)

GREAT

manner already

in the

MOSQUE AT DAMASCUS

Ma,

'

a.
6.
c.

Bab
Bab
The

* *

al Barid.

/i.

Jayrun.
gate

/.

now

Ziyidah, also

Bib az
known as Bab

Surmayatiyyah (of the

Shoemaker's Bazaar). The

Bab

as Sa'at (of the hours)

The

/.

The

Bab al 'Amarah,
Bib al Faridis of MukadMldhanat

or

al

Kubbat an Naufarah,

or 'Oth-

of the Fountain,

Ablution.
n.

Kubbat

as

Si'it

(Dome

of

the Hours).

Walid.

Midhanat
Madhanat

Khaznah

al

or of 'Othmin), the Place of

al

said to have been built by Al

g.

Kubbat

man (Dome

present

John

sury or the Books).

7n.

'Arus (Minaret of the Bride),

/.

said to contain

Kuttub (Dome of the Trea-

dasi?
e.

Chamber

the Baptist's Head.

present

the

dome called Kub(Dome of the

centre

Vulture).
k.

of Mukaddasi?
d.

The

bat an Nasr

called

as

Mihrab.

'Isa (of Jesus).

al

Western).

Gharbiyyah (the

0.

Fountain
riln,

at

outside

Bib

Jay-

the bottom of the

steps.

date from the times of the original Christian Church of St. John
Mukaddasi's Bib al Faradis ('of
(' Sultans Mamlouks,' ii. i, p. 273).
the Gardens,' which were on the Barada River to the north),

is

the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

22

Before each of these four gates

described.

the Ablution, of marble, provided with

running

water,

and

which

fountains

In the mosque

marble basins.

is

open once every year, and from

filling

the whole floor of the

deep, and

its

cells,

wherein

flow

into

it

water gushes out,

mosque

to

about an

off.

From

mosque and

is

the Sultan's palace, which

called

Al Khadri

(the

it

is

ell

After-

and area are thus cleansed.

walls

is

great

a channel which they

wards they open another conduit, and through

runs

a place for

is

the water

behind the

Green Palace), are

gates leading into the Maksurah,i which are plated with

gold.

Now one day I said, speaking to my father's brother,

my uncle, verily it was not well of the Khalif al Walid

'

O,
to

expend so much of the wealth of the Muslims on the

mosque at Damascus. Had he expended the same on

making

roads, or fqr caravanserais, or in the restoration of

the fortresses,

it

would have been more

But

excellent of him.'
'

my

O,

little

my

me

you have not understanding

son,

and more

fitting

uncle said to

in answer,

Verily Al

Walid was right, and he was prompted to do a worthy

work. For he beheld Syria to be a country that had long
been occupied by the Christians, and he noted herein the
beautiful churches
fair,

still

and so renowned

Bib an

belonging to them, so enchantingly

for their

splendour

even as are the

Nitifiyyin (of the Confectioners) of Ibn Jubair, p. 270.

Quatremfere (quoting Abul Baka's

and Ibn Jubair, p. 270, the Door

as the Bab az Ziyadah.

the

Maksiirah-

'

History of Damascus),'

to the

chapel or railed-in

Sultan's place of prayer.

The Palace

of

South

is

ii.

I.,

In

p. 283,

invariably spoken of

space in the mosque

Al Khadra was

built

the

by the

Khalif Mu'awiyah (a.h. 44 to 60, A.D. 664-679), who inhabited it for

more than forty years (Quatremfere, ii. i, p. 263). The Maksftrah
Omeyyad was built by the Khalif Sulaiman (<?/. a'i., p. 282), who
reigned from A.H. 96 to 99, A.D. 713-716.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

Kumamahi

Church of the Holy Sepulchre) and the

Lydda and Edessa. So he sought to build
the Muslims a mosque that should prevent their regard(the

churches of
for

ing these, and that should be unique and a wonder to the

And

world.

Khalif 'Abd

in

like

is

it

how

not evident

Malik, noting the greatness of the

al

Kumamah

of the

manner

and

its

magnificence, was

the

Dome

moved

lest

should dazzle the minds of the Muslims, and hence

it

erected,

above the Rock, the

Dome

which now

seen

is

there.'

In a certain book that

ad Daulah,

it is

found

in the library of

two

said that there are

Brides of the Earth, namely Damascus and

Yahya

ibn

Aktham ^

Ar Ray;^ and

states that there are in the world three

places of perfect delight

the

'Adud

which are the

cities

namely,

the Vale of Samarkand,

Ghfjtah of Damascus, and the Canal of Ubullah.*

Damascus was founded by Dimask, the son of Kani, the

son of Milik, the son of Arfakhshad (Arphaxad), the
son of

Sam

(Shem),

five

Al Asma'i, however,
from the word
its

Al

it

is

its

Dimashkuhi,' meaning

said,

'

is

Abraham;

to be derived

they hastened in
ibn

'Abd

al

wished at one time to demolish the

Kumamah literally 'The

Dunghill.'

ruption on the part of the Muslims of Al

'

name

name

The Omeyyad Khalif 'Omar

building.'

'Aziz,^

'

years before the birth of

asserts that

This

Kayamah

'

a designed cor-

is

Anastasis the
'

'

given to the Church of the Resurrection (the Holy Sepulchre)

by the Christian Arabs.

' Rhages in Persia.
The

ruins of the ancient city lies not far from

Tehrfin.
^

celebrated jurist

who

= a.d.

857.

He died
*

A.H. 242

flourished during the times of Al

Which runs from Busrah

to the Shatt el 'Arab, just

Mimiin-

below the

junction of the Euphrates and Tigris.

^

Among

to

the pleasure-loving Khahfs of

House

of

Omeyyah, Omar

was the one bigoted ascetic, who strove ineffectually

He came
restore the primitive manners of the early days of Islam.

ibn 'Abd

al 'Aziz,

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

24

mosque, and make use of

its

materials in the public-works

of the Muslims, but he was at length persuaded to abandon

some book that there was

expended on the Damascus mosque the value of eighteen

the design.

have read

mule-loads of

in

gold.-'

A satirist writing of

the people of

Damascus has

said:^

you who ask concerning our religion

Noting the proud bearing of the doctors of the Law,

And

Know

their righteous gait in public,

that their

outward appearance

They have nought

And

not as are their secret ways.

is

to boast of save their

speaking of this too they overstep

in

Should a neighbour come to them

Never

all

for a light

mosque.

moderation.

from their

fire,

they give him, in kindness, a kindling from their

will

hearth.

To their neighbours they are as raging lions, but their enemies

May go secure, they will be treated with servility in the homesteads
Damascus

of

This

however,

last line,

always

in fear

is

not true, for their enemies went

and trembling of them.

BaNIYaS (Paneas)^ is a city near the border of the

Hulah (Merom Lake), and lies at the foot of the mountain
(of

Hermon).

of Damascus.

Its climate is softer

To

this place

to the throne in a.h. 99 (a.d. 717),

by his pious ways the title of ' the

truth but
^

and pleasanter than that

have migrated the greater

and reigned

Good

two years, earning

which his deeds in

for

Khalif,'

little justified.

Apparently a variation of what was stated before.

The sums expended during

given.

Ibn Jubair,

p. 263,

the building of the

See

p.

19.

mosque are variously

places the total at 11,200,000 dinars

while

second-hand from Ibn

As^kir gives 5,600,000 dinars. The former sum would be equivalent
to about five and a half millions sterling, and the latter may be estimated at two and three quarter millions but the sums in either case
Quatremfere, op.

cit.,

ii.

i,

p.

269, quoting at

are doubtless entirely

"

'

fictitious.

These verses are probably part of some popular song.

The Greek name Paneas was changed by Philip the Tetrarch

that of Caesarea Philippi..

to

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Muslim inhabitants of the

part of the

frontier districts,

Tarsus was taken (by the Christians in A.H. 354,

since

A.D. 965), and the population

daily

men come

river/

which

among

on the

increase, for

here an extremely cold

middle of the town.

in the

The

is

from under the Mount of Snow (Hermon),

granary of Damascus.
rice-fields.

still

is

There

hither.

rises

gushing forth

city

Baniyis

Saida

is

and

and

pleasant to inhabit, being situated

is

is

that the

bad.

BairOt are two

too is TaraBULUS

(Sidon) and

sea,

the

is

Its river irrigates cotton-lands

lovely villages, and the sole drawback

drinking-water

the

25

so

Lebanon mountains

(Tripoli).^

above Sidon and

lie

Tripoli

parallel to the coast.

fortified cities

on

The

running

Tripoli,

the most beautiful of these

is

three towns.

'Arkah
'

This

is

one of the sources of the Jordan.

W.

spring and the grotto, see S. of

^

p.

Mems.

P.

For a description of Sidon and

421 /

way from

a place lying some

is

se^.

Bairut, called in

its

Roman

Law

also flourished,

and the

For a description of the

I.,

p. 109.

History, see Robinson III.,

days Berytus, was famous for

the baths and theatres erected there by

school of

the sea.^

Herod Agrippa.

silk

A Roman

manufacturers of this city

were celebrated throughout the Empire. Robinson who gives a full

account of the town and its antiquities (III., p. 441 eiseg.) would identify
Bairut, Berytus, with the city of Berothai of the 2 Sam. viii. 8 and
other passages. Tripoli is said to have been founded by the Phoenicians,
though what name it bore at that period is unknown. The city rose
to fame in the times of the Seleucidae, and during Roman days
possessed many magnificent buildings, of which, however, no trace

now
^

remains.
'Arkah, the

See Badeker,

modern

nally a Phoenician city,

Genesis

x. 17.

It was origiand the seat of the 'Arkites' mentioned in

At the time

or Arcados as the

p. 509.

Tell 'Arka (Badeker., p. 536).

name

is

of the First Crusade, the fortress of Area,

given by

Raimund

d'Agiles, successfully

and outside its walls the Monk

Peter Bartholemaeus underwent the Ordeal by Fire in vindication of
the truth of his Vision, and of the genuineness of the Holy Lance
resisted the attacks of the Christians

(Besant and Palmer, 'Jerusalem,'

p.

176).

For the history of the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

26

Ba'albakk

is

an ancient and

Grapes are

The

in

Within

fortified city.

ramparts are cultivated lands, also

many wondrous

the-

ruins.

abundance.^

other cities of the Province of

Damascus

are pros-

perous and pleasant, being situated for the most part in the
lands bordering on the Nahr al Maklflb (the river Orontes).^
In

Hauran

and

Al Bathaniyyah

are the villages of

Job, his lands, and the place of his washings.

NawI
The
rice

is

it is

the chief city

territory of the

low-lying,

The JaulAn

most

rich in

wheat and

grain.

HtrLAH produces much cotton and

and has numerous streams.

district supplies

Damascus with most of its

provisions.

The GhCttah

(the

round Damascus)

plain

a day's

is

journey (or about thirty miles) across each way, and beautiful

beyond

all

description.

Tabariyyah

(Tiberias)

is

the capital of the Jordan

The

province, and a city of the Valley of Kin'an.*

stand between the mountain and the Lake.

fortress during the Crusades, see

Robinson, 1852,

houses
narrow,

It is

'Arkah in

p. 580.

Byzantine times was known as Caesarea of the Lebanon (R^nan,

' Mission
de Phdnice,' p. 1 1 5). William of Tyre calls the town Archis.
'

'

In his introduction,

more addicted

to

p.

34,

Mukaddasi remarks

wine than the

men

that

of Ba'albakk.'

None are
The Greeks
'

called the city Heliopolis.

^ Nahr al Maklub, 'the Overturned River.'
The Orontes was
named by the Arabs because it runs from South to North, instead

in the opposite direction, as, according to their notions, all

so
of

streams

were bound to do. It is now known under the name of Nahr al 'Asi,
' the
Rebel Stream,' presumably from the same idea of its improper
course.
' Nawa is the ancient Neve.
For a full description of its ruins, see
G. Schumacher's explorations 'Across Jordan,' 1886, p. 167.
* See above,
Tiberias was founded by Herod about A.D. 20,
p. 2.

and

Emperor Tiberius.
Mems. I., p. 361.

called after the

see S. of

W.

P.

For a description of

its

ruins

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
shut in in summer, and unhealthy.

27

The town

league in length, but has no breadth.

Its

extends from one city gate to the other, and

on the

is

hill

The mosque

in the market-place.

on stone drums placed

set

people of Tiberias

graveyard

need be used, and numberless basins

fuel

besides, of boiling water.

and stands

its

There are here eight natural hot-

slope.

where no

baths,

nearly a

is

market-place

is

and

large

Its floor is laid in

close one to another.

said

it

is

that for

fine,

pebbles

Of the

two months they

dance, and for two more they gorge, that for two months

they beat about, and for two more they go naked, that for
two months they play the reed, and for two more they

The explanation of this is, that they dance from

number of the fleas, then gorge off the Nabak plum ;i
they beat about with fly-flaps to chase away the wasps
from the meat and the fruits, then they go naked from the
wallow.
the

they suck the sugar-canes, and then they have to

wallow through their muddy streets. Beyond the lower end

heat

Lake of Tiberias

of the

is

the lake.

on

Around

its

a great bridge,^ over which

The people drink

the road from Damascus.

shores are villages and palm-trees, and

surface are boats which

its

lies

the water of

come and

go.

The water from

the baths and the hot-springs flows into the lake,

and hence

for drinking the strangers dislike its flavour.

It

as

'

swarms

In his chapter on Egypt, Mukaddasi describes the Nabak, (p. 204,)

It contains numerous
fruit of the size of the medlar (Zu'rur).

It is the fruit of the Sidr tree (the tree-lotus).

and is sweet.
the fruit they add (the sweet paste called) Nidah, which is the
same as Samanu, only more finely prepared, and then spread it out

kernels,

To

on reed-matting

until

it

dries

and

sticks together.'

Samand

is

a sweet

day all over Persia, and

Nidah is the sweetmeat for which the town of Menshiyyeh in Egypt
is famous, the preparation of which is fully described in a learned note
porridge that

by
2

De

well

known

Sacy, 'Chrest. Arabe,'

The

Jordan.

is

Jisr al

Majami'ah

at the present

ii.,

(S. of

p.

25 (12).

W.

P.

Mems

II. p. 116),

crossing the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

28

none the

with

less

fish,

The mountains, which

Kadas (Kadesh
of the mountain.

Naphthali)i

is

is

hght of digestion.

are steep, overhang the town.

It is full

the district which

is

and the water

is

a small town on the slope

of good things.

in its

Jabal 'Amilah

neighbourhood.

It possesses

three springs, from which the people drink, and they have

The mosque is in the

palm tree. The place is

one bath situated below the town.

market, and

in its court is

There

very hot.

hour's distance

of Tiberias.

off,

a small Lake (the Hulah) about an

the waters of which flow into the

In order to form the

dam

marvellous

is

Lake

Lake they have made a

Along

across the river, filling in the bed.

the shore are thickets of the Halfa-reed,^ which gives the

people their livelihood, for they weave mats and twist ropes
therefrom.

Lake are numerous kinds of

In this

that called

cially

the Bunni,^ which was

fish,

espe-

brought here

(in Mesopotamia), that town of numerous clients.

Jabal 'Amilah* are many fine villages, and here are
grown grapes and other fruits and olives, and also many
springs.
The rain-fall waters its fields. The district over-

from Wasit
In

hangs the
1

sea,

and adjoins the Lebanon mountains.

For an account of the remarkable ruins found here see

Mems. I., p. 226.

2 The Halfa-reed here mentioned, Canon Tristram

S. of

W.

P.,

considers, un-

doubtedly represents the Papyrus antiquorum, by the present Fellahin

called Bibur, which grows so extensively in the Hulah Lake.
(See
S. of

W.

'Fauna and Flora

P.

of Palestine,' p. 438.)

Lane, however,

states (Dictionary, s.v. Half^) that the botanical

name

Poa muUiflora

authority.

or P. cynosuroides, but he gives

no

of this reed

is

Guide Arabe Vulgaire' Upsala, 1844, translates

which probably is the fish here alluded to. Berggren further notes that the Bunni is found in both the Sea of Galilee
and in the Euphrates.
* Jabal 'Amilah is named after the Bani 'Amilah, the tribe who settled
'

'

Berggren, in his

Carp

'

by

'

Bunni

'

'

'

'

in these lands at the time of the

occupies

Upper

Galilee.

Muslim Conquest.

The

district

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Adhri'aHI
the district of

To

a city close to the desert.

is

Jabal Jarash

29

it

belongs

(Gerasa), which lies opposite

to Jabal 'Amilah (across the Jordan).

It is full of villages,

and Tiberias owes its prosperity to the neighbourhood of

these two districts (of Jabal Jarash and Jabal 'Amilah).
BaisAn^ lies on the Jordan. It abounds in palm-trees,
and from

comes

this place

all

the rice consumed in the pro-

vinces ofthe Jordan and of Palestine. Wateris here abundant,

and

it is deemed
The mosque stands in the market-place,
and many men of piety make their home in this town.

easily obtained; but for drinking purposes

heavy of digestion.

Al

LajjOn*

A city on the frontier of Palestine, and in

Running water

the mountain country.

is

and

well situated,

KAbul^

is

It

a pleasant place.

is

a town in the coast

and they make

canes,

found here.

is

has

fields

of

better than

in

It

district.

there excellent sugar

the rest of Syria.

all

Al FarAdhiyyah
mosque where they

'AkkA
1

There seems

of the

Kingdom

The water

is

is

Now known

'

The

the wall'

little

doubt that

this

is

In

the Biblical Edrei, the capital

xix.

W.

is

days the city was called Scythopohs. If I am

nowhere cultivated at the present day in Palestine.

Roman

P.,
S.

Mems.

ofW.

P.,

days

For a

S. of

W.

P.,

full

is

often identified as the site

discussion of the point, see

11., p. 90.

Mems.

I.,

p. 271.

27) and the Chabolo of Josephus.

See

p. 121.

Roman

Al Lajjun, the Legio of

See

The mosque

as Jabal 'Ajliln.

of the Megiddo of Scripture.

and the

For an account of the marvellous Under-

of Bashan.

not mistaken rice

S. of

ancient Beth Shean, where Saul's dead body was 'fastened on

For its ruins see S. of W. P., Mems. 11.^
(I Sam. xxxi. 10).

p. 101, et seq.

plentiful,

a fortified city on the sea.

ground City found here, see 'Across Jordan'

"

is

pleasant.

is

(Acre)

which

in

There are found here grapes,

preach.

and vineyards abound.

country round

a large village,

is

Mems.

I.,

p.

203.

The

Biblical

'

Cabul' (Josh.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

30

here
the

very large.

is

from which

oil

In

its

court

is

suffices for the

a clump of olive trees,

lamps of the mosque, and

This city had remained unfortified until the

yet besides.

time when Ibn Tulun

he had seen the

visited

it,

coming from Tyre, where

and the walls which are there

fortifications

carried round so as to protect the harbour.

wished to construct at 'Akka a

Ibn Tulun
should be

fortification that

From all provinces artibut when the matter was laid

none in those days knew how

as impregnable as that of Tyre.

ficers

were brought together

before them,

all

averred that

the foundations of a building could be laid in the water.

Then one mentioned

father,

Abu

any had

Ibn Tulun the name of

to

Bakr, the Architect, saying that

knowledge

in

these

matters,

my

grand-

perchance

if

would be he

it

So Ibn Tialun wrote to his Lieutenant in Jerusalem,

commanding that he should despatch my grandfather to
him and on his arrival they laid the affair before him.
The matter is easy,' said my grandfather
let them bring
such sycamore beams as are large and strong.' These
beams he then caused to be floated on the surface

alone.

'

'

of the water, according to the plan of a land-fort, binding

them one
opening

to the other

for a

while towards the west he

And upon

mighty gateway.

and cement.

raised a structure with stones

five courses

these

left

the

beams he

After every

he strengthened the same by setting

in great

columns, until at length the beams became so weighted

that they began to sink
finally,

down

he ceased building

for

might consolidate

itself,

again to build.

but

this, little

by

little,

And

Ahmad

A.H. 254 to

and

Then

a whole year, that the construction

after which, returning,

from where he had

he made a junction between

1

he knew that they had rested on the sand.

this

left off,

he began
continuing

and the ancient city

walls,

ibn Tulun was ruler of Egypt and its dependencies from

270=A.D. 868-883. He was the founder of the Dynasty of

the Tulunides.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
new work

bringing the

up

right

the two to join together.

31

and causing

into the old,

Across the western water-gate of

when the ships

had come within the harbour they drew across the watergate a chain, even as was the case at Tyre. It is reported
the port he built a bridge, and every night

my

that
1,000
gifts,

grandfather received for this matter the

dinars, besides robes of honour, horses,

and

name was

his

sum

inscribed over the work.^

made

before this harbour had been

of

and othei

Now

enemy were wont

the

to take advantage of the ships lying here and do them

grievous damage.

Al Jashsh

a village that

is

provincial capital.

It

almost of the size of a

the centre of four districts

in

lies

is

that are in the vicinity of the sea.^

SCfR (Tyre)

is

a fortified

town on the

sea, or rather in

the sea, for you enter the town through one gate only, over

a bridge, and the sea

of two Quarters

lies

the

all

first

round

it.

being built

The

city consists

on the terra firma

while the second (the harbour), beyond

this,

is

an area

enclosed by triple walls with no earth appearing, for the

Into this harbour the ships

walls rise out of the water.

a chain is drawn across,

whereby the Greeks are prevented from molesting them.
All this has been described by Muhammad ibn al Hasan

come every

'

According

night,

S. of

W.

P.,

when he wrote,
thousand dinars would be equal to
For a description of Acre and its history see
The remains of the double mole which
p. 160,

to Yakut, in the thirteenth century A.D.,

the inscription was

about ^500

and then

still z'n

sterling.

Mems.

I.,

situ.

formed the inner harbour still exist, though

at the present day, under water.

for the

most part they

lie,

2 In another section of his book, p. 46, our author states that at

Al Jashsh was preserved the Chain of David,' but he mentions the
Al Jashsh is the town called Gistradition as of doubtful authority.
'

chala by Josephus, and was the birthplace of the celebrated John of

Gischala

who played

so prominent a part in the defence, during the

great siege of Jerusalem by Titus.

Palmer, Chap,

ii.,

also S. of

W.

P.,

See

Mems.

'

Jerusalem,' by Besant
I.,

p. 224.

and

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

32

work entitled Kitab al Ikrah.'

Water is brought into the town by means of a vaulted
Many
aqueduct. Tyre is a beautiful and pleasant city.
Between
artificers dwell here, and ply their special trades.
Tyre and Acre lies a bay of the sea, and thus the proverb
says 'Acre is opposite Tyre; but getting to it you will tire'
(Ash Shaibani)!

that

built

are abundant.

situated as

it is

in the

along the sea-shore.^

all

(Ramleh)3

and well

city,

its fruits

'

while, travelling

is,

Ar-Ramlah
a fine

his

in

the capital of Palestine.

is

its

water

is

good and

plentiful

combines manifold advantages,

It

midst of beautiful villages and lordly

towns, near to holy places and pleasant hamlets.

merce here

There
its

is

no

bread

is

is

mosque

in

means of

The

and

others,

all

Com-

livelihood easy.

Islam than the one in this city;

of the best and the whitest

favoured above
luscious.

prosperous, and

finer

It is

capital stands

its

among

towns, and serviceable hospices.

fruits

its

lands are well

are of the most

fruitful fields,

walled

It possesses magnificent

and pleasant baths, dainty food and various condi-

hostelries

As

ments, spacious houses, fine mosques and broad roads.

a capital
plain,

and

has both
1

it

possesses
is

advantages.

It is situated

on the

yet near both to the mountains and the sea.

fig-trees

Vide supra, note

of War.

many

and palms
2, p. 4.

The Kitab al

He

Ikrih, the

in Hajji Khalfa, Vol. V., p. 48,

its fields

need no

It

irrigation,

wrote a celebrated work on the Laws

'

Book

of Matters Avoidable,'

is

given

No. 9882.

For a plan of Tyre, see Appendix to Vol. III. of Memoirs of S. of

and for the general account see Vol. I., p. 72. The aqueduct
bringing water to the city from Ras al 'Ain is described at p. 70 of the
2

W.

P.,

same volume.
Ar-Ramlah, so named from the 'Sandy' nature of the soil where
The city was founded after the Muslim Conquest,
by the Omeyyad Khalif Sulaim^n the son of 'Abd al Malik (a.h. 96 to
It is now
99, A.D. 715-718), and was made the capital of Palestine.
however a small unwalled town of very secondary importance. For
the history of the place, see Robinson III., p. 33.
'

the town stands.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
and are by nature

fruitful

and

33

Its disadvantages,

rich.

the other hand, are, that in winter the place

mud, while

summer

in

water flows, neither

humid, nor

is

are deep and

cisterns
vain.

it is

is

Fleas here abound.

and the rain-water

hence the poor go

So too the

a slough of

a powder-box of sand, where no

anything green, nor

is

there snow.
salt,

is

on

thirsty,

is

hoarded

the soil

The

wells

in closed

and strangers seek

in

seats before the baths are filled with

expectant bathers, while the servants are grinding at the

The

water-wheels.
its

city occupies the area of a square mile

houses are built of finely-quarried stones.^

known among
(Darb Bir

al

its

The

best

gates are the Gate of the Soldier's Well

'Askar)/ the Gate of the 'Annabah Mosque,^

Lydda Gate
(Darb Ludd), the Jaffa Gate (Darb Yafa), the Egypt Gate
(Darb Misr), and the Dajun Gate. Close to Ar-Ramlah is
the town of Dajun,^ with its mosque. It is inhabited mostly
the Gate of Jerusalem, the Gate of Bila'ah,* the

by Samaritans.
the market, and

The
it is

that of Damascus. It

mosque of Ar-Ramlah

chief

is

in

even more beautiful and graceful than

is

Al Abyad

called

(the

White Mosque).

' If Ar Ramlah
In his introductory chapter Mukaddasi writes
had only running-water the town would be without compare the
for it is pleasant and pretty, standing between
finest in Islam

Jerusalem and the frontier towns, between the Ghaur of the Jordan and
the sea. Its climate is mild, its fruits are luscious, its people generous
it is an emporium for Egyptian
being, however, also rather foolish

goods, and an excellent commercial station for the two seas.'

' Al 'Askar is mentioned by our author in his introductory chapter

name of one of the quarters of Ar Ramlah.

The village of 'Annabah lies west of Ar Ramlah (see S. of W. P.
Mems. III., p. 14). In Jerome's Onomasticon it is mentioned under
See further
the name of Anab, which was also called Betho Annaba.
as the
3

on the two places called Betho Annaba, and Beth An?iabam

'

Special

Papers,' p. 250.
'

The reading
The modern

See Memoirs

is

very uncertain

see next page, n.

Bait Dijan,the Beth

II., p.

Dagon

2.

of Judah (Joihuaxv, 41).

351.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

34

In

all

here,

Islam there

and

found no finer Mihrab than the one

is

pulpit

its

is

after that of Jerusalem

the most exquisite that

;

also

it

to be seen

is

possesses a beautiful minaret,

by the Khalif Hisham ibn 'Abd al Malik.i I have

heard my uncle relate that when the Khalif was about to
build the minaret it was reported to him that the Christians
possessed columns of marble, then lying buried beneath
the sand, which they had prepared for the Church of
built

Bali'ah f thereupon the Khalif

tians that either they

Hisham informed

the Chris-

must show him where the columns

lay,

or that he would demolish their church at Lydda, in order to

employ

columns

its

for the building of his

mosque.

So the

had buried their columns,

and beautiful. The covered

Christians pointed out where they

and they are very thick and tall

of the mosque is flagged with marble, and the

portion

court with other stone,

all

of the covered part are

The gates
wood and cedar,

carefully laid together.

made

of cypress

carved in the inner parts, and very beautiful in appearance.

Jerusalem, Bait-al-Makdis (the Holy City), also known

Al Balit.^ Among provincial towns none is

as lliyi and

larger than Jerusalem,

1

in fact smaller,

reigned at Damascus from a.h. ioJ

For a plan of the White Mosque and full

The Omeyyad Khalif Hishim

125 (a.D. 724-743).

to

and many capitals are

Memoirs II., p. 271.

It very
some doubt as to the reading of this word.
probably is the same name as that of the gate mentioned above
(p. 33, n. 4), and we have possibly reference here to the ancient town
description see
^

There

is

'Baalah which is Kirjath-jearim (Joshua xv. 9; also ix. 17,

and XV. 60), identified with the modern Karyet al 'Inkh or Abu Ghaush,
where may still be seen the remains of the fine Church of St. Jeremiah,
For an illustration of the church see
possibly alluded to in the text.
Memoirs III., p. 132, and also p. 18 ofthe same volume for Karyet al'Inib.
of

'

'

tliyi is the

Arabic form of the

name

given to the Holy City by the

Balit

may be

Quatremfere,

of the Latin

'

'

translated the

'

first

Imperial Residence

Hist, des Sultans Mam.',

Palatium.'

part of yElia Capitolina, the

Emperor Hadrian.
ii.

i.

p. 278.

'

or

The word Al
'

It is

Court.'

See

a corruption


INCLUDING PALESTINE.

35

Al Firma.^ Neither
the cold nor the heat is excessive here, and snow falls but
rarely.
The Kadi Abu'l Kasim, son of the Kadi of the
Two Holy Cities,^ inquired of me once concerning the climate

as, for instance,

Istakhr and Ka-in and

of Jerusalem.

answered,

'

It

The

betwixt and between

is

neither very hot nor very cold.'

Said he

in reply,

'

Just

Holy City are

will
find
nowhere
finer
or
more
solid conof stone, and you
In no place will you meet with a people^ more
structions.
Provisions are most excellent here, the markets
chaste.
are clean, the mosque is of the largest, and nowhere are
as

is

that of Paradise.'

buildings of the

Holy Places more numerous. The grapes are enormous,

and there are no quinces to equal those of the Holy City.
In Jerusalem are all manner of learned men and doctors,
and

for this reason the hearts of

towards

empty
in the

her.

men

of intelligence yearn

All the year round, never are her streets

Now

of strangers.

assembly of the

one day

at

Busrah

Chief Kadi Abu Yahya

was seated

ibn Bahram,

and the conversation turned on the city of Cairo. Then

one said, speaking to me, And can any city be more illusSaid he,
trious ?' I replied, 'Why, yes, my own native town
?'
I answered, Yes again,
But is any pleasanter than Cairo
but Cairo is the more
Ah,
said,
was
It
native
town.'
my
and
the more producbeautiful
and the more
excellent
'

!'

'

'

'

tive of

good

things,

and the more

spacious.'

Still,

to each

Ki-in is in
1 Istakhr is the ancient Persepolis, the capital of Fars
the Kohistin, between Ispahan and Nishapur; and Al Firma is a town
of Lower Egypt, the ancient Pelusium.
2 i.e. Makkah and Al Madinah.
' In his introductory chapter our author notes that in Jerusalem 'one
;

can find neither defect nor deficiency. Wine is not publicly consumed,
and there is no drunkenness. The city is devoid of houses of ill-fame,
whether public or private. The people too are noted for piety and

At one time, when it became known that the Governor

drank wine, they built up round his house a wall, and thus prevented
from getting to him those who were invited to his banquets.'
sincerity.

32

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

36

my

Then the
company were astonished, and they said to me, Thou art a
man of erudition, but thou dost advance now more than
and

all I replied,

Not so

'

it is

native town.'
'

can be accorded to thee,

man who owned

even as the

with Al Hajjaj

Now

proof.

man

my

of

in

do thou do

is

and we

will

answered them and spake

is

his

camel

in

deem thee a
Now, as to
'

the most illustrious of

cities,

she not one that unites the advantages of This World

to those of the

and yet

Next

ardent

is

in

He who is of the sons of This World

may with ad-

the matters of the Next,

vantage seek her markets

men

the she-camel, and colloquied

likewise,

saying that Jerusalem

why

Verily thou art

belief.

But the Arab brought up

l^

So

wit.'

our

of the

while he

Next World, though

things of This, he, too,

may

who would be

find these here

Jerusalem being the pleasantest of places

climate,

why

not noxious.

of the

his soul clings to the

!

in

And
the

good
as to

way

the cold there does not injure, and the heat

And

of
is

as to her being the finest city, why, has

any seen elsewhere buildings finer, or cleaner, or a mosque

that is more beautiful
And as for the Holy City being
the most productive of all places in good things, why
.'

Allah
all
hill

may He

be exalted

has

gathered together here

the fruits of the lowlands, and of the plains, and of the

country, even

all

those of the most opposite kinds

such as the orange and the almond, the date and the nut,
the fig and the banana, besides milk in plenty, and honey

And

and sugar.

as to the excellence of the City

not this to be the plain of marshalling on the

why,

Day

is

of

Judgment where the gathering together and the appointment will take place ? Verily Makkah and Al Madinah
have their superiority by reason of the Ka'abah and the
;

'

This has reference to a well-known story of a Bedawin who

in

praising his camel to Al Hajjaj, the Governor of Irak, described her

as being possessed of every possible and impossible virtue.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

the
but

Prophet
family

come

to Jerusalem,

why, since

on the

Day

him and

be upon

all

the

there

all will

Jerusalem being the most spacious of

created things are to assemble there,

what place on the earth can be more extensive than

And

his

of Judgment, they will both

and the excellences of them

And as to

be united
cities

blessing of Allah

verily,

37

this

!'

company were pleased with my words, agreeing

to the truth of them.

Jerusalem has some disadvantages.

Still

reported as found written in the Torah, that

as a golden basin filled with scorpions.'

Thus,
'

it

Jerusalem

is

is

Then you will not

the Holy City
nor

more filthy than those of

in any town are provisions dearer.
Learned men are few,
and the Christians numerous, and the same are unmannerly in the public places. In the hostelries taxes are
find baths

heavy on

all

and no one

that

is

sold, for there are

able to

is

sell

guards at every gate,

aught whereby to obtain

except he be satisfied with but

profit,

City the oppressed have no succour

and the
erudite

little

gain.

meek

the

In this

are molested,

rich envied.

Jurisconsults remain unvisited, and

men have no

renown-; also the schools are unat-

tended, for there are no lectures. Everywhere the Christians

and the Jews have the upper hand

;i

and the mosque

is

void

of either congregation or assembly of learned men.

Jerusalem

Madinah.

smaller than Makkah, and larger than Al

is

Over the

city

is

a Castle, one side of which

against the hill-side, while the other

is

Jerusalem has eight iron gates

ditch.^
'

It is

defended by a

curious that this should have been the condition of the Jews

and Christians a century before the

First Crusade.

The citadel, Al Kal'ah,' near the Jaffa Gate. In the Middle Ages
was known as the City of David,' and included the site of the

2
it

is

Towers

'

'

Hippicics and Phasaelus of Josephus, and probably part of the

ground occupied by Herod's Palace.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

38

Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab
'

To

Sihyun

(of Sion).

at

Tih

al

Balat (of the Palace, or Court).

(of the

Jubb Armiya

Desert of the Wanderings).

(of Jeremiah's Grotto).

Silwin (of Siloam).

Arihi

(of Jericho).

'Amud (of the Columns).

Mihrab Daud (of David's Oratory ).'

al

account for the

difificulties

experienced in identifying the gates

mentioned by Mukaddasi with those in existence at the present day, it

will be enough to recall to mind what changes the Holy City has undergone since a.d. iooo. Besides the alterations effected by the Crusaders,
and those dating from the period when, after the expulsion of the
Christians, the City had come into the hands of Saladin (a.d. 1187),
the Walls themselves were in A.D. 1219 systematically destroyed,
together with

all

the fortifications (except 'the City of David'),

when

by treaty the Holy City was ceded to the Emperor Frederic II. The
present walls were built (doubtless following the old lines), for the
most part as late as the time of Sultan Soleiman the Magnificent,
Following in the track of Mukaddasi, subsequent
in A.D. 1542.
geographers down to Yakut (in the thirteenth century, a.d.), and the
author of the Jihin

Numa

stant plagiarism of

Arab

writers,

eight gates were in their times

seventeenth century), servilely

the

(in

reproduce our author's enumeration

it

still

but, bearing in

mind the con-

need not be concluded that the

open, or were known under the

same names. There is, besides, direct evidence to the contrary.

(i) The Sion Gate, Mujir ad Din states, 'is now called the Gate of
It opens between the Jaffa Gate and that near the
Mogrebin Mosque, and is the one called at the present day B4b an
Nabi Dafld (of the Prophet David).
(2) The Gate of the Desert of the Wanderings is, by Sepp and
Tobler, identified with the Gate of the Mogrebin Mosque (vulgarly
known as the Dung Gate). I should suggest its being the Gate known
in Mujir ad Din's time as the Postern Gate' (' Bib Sirr, a small gate
adjacent to the Armenian Convent ') opening westward, in the wall to

the Jews' Quarter.'

'

the south of the Jaffa Gate.

(3)

The Gate

al Balit, (of the Palace, or Court,)

Tobler imagines

to

represent the long walled-up Golden Gate in the Eastern Wall of the
Haram Area. But this, by Arab writers, is never considered as a

Gate of the

Ctij/j-

and

further, the so-called

Golden Gate

is

mentioned

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
There

mon

is

water

saying, that

in
'

Jerusalem

There

is

in plenty.

no place

in

you may get water and hear the Call

39

Thus,

it is

a com-

Jerusalem but where

to Prayer

and few
Within

are the houses that have not cisterns one or more.'

the city are three great tanks, namely, the Birkat Bani
the Birkat Sulaiman, and the Birkat Tyad.i

Israil,

In the

by Mukaddasi in its proper place among the Gates of the Haram Area.
I would make the suggestion that the Bab al Balat may be the same
as the Bib ar Rahbah (of the PubUc Square), of Mujir ad Din, which
is described by him as opening in the Western City Wall, not far from
the Jaffa Gate. At the present day none is to be found here.
(4) The Gate of Jeremiah's Grotto can only be the one in the
Northern Wall now closed, but known as the Bab as Sahirah (the Gate
of the Plain; see p. 50, n. 2). In ancient times it was called Herod's Gate.
(5) The Gate of Siloam must have opened to the south-east, and I
take it to be that known to-day as the Mogrebin or Dung Gate.

The

(6)

Jericho Gate,

concluded without hesitation

to

be that

by the Franks, and known to the Arabs

as ' the Gate of Our Lady Mary.' Mujir ad Din, however (p. 362),
says
The Gate known anciently as the Gate of Jericho has now
to-day called

'

St.

Stephen's

'

'

altogether disappeared, leaving no trace thereof.

It

apparently stood

Mount of
modern
the Wander-

in the vicinity of the buildings that stand over against the

Were

Olives.'
'

St.

ings

the

'

Jericho Gate

'

of Mukaddasi, nai the

Stephen's Gate,' our author's ' Gate of the Desert of

might then be identified with this St. Stephen's Gate.

'

generally called cne

(7) The Gate of the Columns is that now more
Damascus Gate. It was this Gate that in the times of the Crusaders
went under the name of St. Stephen's Gate.
(8) The Gate of David's Oratory is the Jaffa or Hebron Gate (Bab al
Khalil), which, even as late as Mujir ad Din's times, was known under

the more ancient name.

be noted that these tanks are all within the city.

is the well-kno^n tank situated near the
north wall of the Temple Area. Our author wrote at the close of the
tenth century, A.D., and it may be worth noting that this corrects the
statement made by Captain Conder (' Tent Work in Palestine,' 1880
'

It will

The

Birkat Bani Israil

to the Bible,' p. 357), that 'the pool [the

not clearly mentioned in any account of Jerusalem
before the twelfth century, about which period perhaps it was first
p.

185,

and 'Handbook

Birket Israil]

constructed.'

is

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

40

and to them lead the

In the Haram Area

vicinity of each of these are Baths,

water channels from the

streets.

there are twenty underground Cisterns of vast

size,

and

are few quarters of the city that have not public

there

though the contents of these

last is

water that drains into them from the

streets.

cisterns,

about a stage from the

valley,

together the waters and

The Tank

of Sulaimin,

Also

identify.

am

made

only the rain

At

a certain

they have gathered

city.i

there two pools, into which

and that of

'lyid,

it

is

now

difficult to

unable to discover whether the former

is

called

some distinguished Mushm of the

name of Sulaimin. The latter was named after 'lyid ibn Ghanm,
one of the Companions of the Prophet, who accompanied the Caliph
after

King Solomon, or

Omar

to the Capitulation of Jerusalem.

after

He

died in a.h. 2o = a.d. 641,

and, according to Mujir ad Din (p. 231), he built a bath in the

Holy City. The latter author acknowledges his ignorance of the

two Tanks.

situation of these

nowadays

'

Birkat

Hammim

One

of

them must be the pool

called

Pool of the Patriarch's

al Butrak,' the

Bath, not far from the Jaffa Gate, and very generally identified with

Amygdalon of Josephus.
Of other ancient tanks within the

the Poo/

city that

may represent one

may be cited

other of those mentioned by our author, there

(i)

double cistern 70 feet long in the Muristan (S. of W. P. 'Jerumost probably the one mentioned by Mujir ad Dtn as

salem,' p. 256)
that in the

ad Din
(2)

al

Birkat

or the

'

Street

Basir

'

Marzub^n, belonging

to

and near the bath of 'Ali

(p. 409).

pool discovered by Mons. Clermont Ganneau, not far from the

and identified by him as the 'Pool of Strouthion,' which

Israil,

supplied with water the Fort Antonia, erected on the north of the
Temple Area (Josephus 'Wars,' v. 11, 4).

The well-known Pool Al Burik. Badeker, p. 185.

Mukaddasi's three pools are, as usual, inserted without comment
in the works of later Arab geographers {e.g., Yakut, etc.), and Sepp
(3)

('Jerusalem,' 1873),

makes many

fruitless

attempts at their identifica-

tion.
'

Now known

as Solomon's Pools

the road to Hebron.

the

see S.

two hours from Jerusalem on

conduit, bringing the water from these to

was constructed by Pontius Pilate (' Josephus,' Antiq.

For a full description of the Pools and the Aqueduct,
of W. P., Memoirs, III,, 89.

Holy

xviii.

The

3,

City,

2).

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
the torrents of the winter rains flow.

41

Fronri these

two

reservoirs there are channels bringing the water to the city,

which are opened during the spring

cisterns in the

Haram Area and

The Masjid

al

Aksa

in order

to

the

fill

also those in other places.

(the Further Mosque)^ lies at the

south-eastern corner of the

Holy

The

City.

stones of

its

foundations (of the outer wall), which were laid by David, are
ten

or a

ells,

faced,

and

little less in

Khalif 'Abd

al

They

length.

are chiselled,^ finely

On

and of hardest material.

jointed,

Malik subsequently^

built,

these the

using smaller but

well-shaped stones, and battlements are added above.

mosque

This

even more beautiful than that of Damascus,

is

during the building of

it

for

they had for a rival and as a com-

parison the great church* belonging to the Christians at

Jerusalem, and they built this to be even more magnificent

But

than that other.

in

the days of the Abbasides oc-

curred the earthquakes which threw

building

all,

Now when

in fact,

down most

of the main

except that portion round the Mihrab.

the Khalifa of that day obtained news of this, he

enquired and learned that the

sum

at that

time in the

treasury would in no wise suffice to restore the mosque.

So he wrote to the Governors of the Provinces and to other

Commanders, that each should undertake the building of a
colonnade. The order was carried out, and the edifice rose
firmer and
times.

beauty

more

substantial than ever

The more
spot, in the

it

had been

in

former

ancient portion remained, even like a

midst of the new

and

it

extends as

far

as the limit of the marble columns, for, beyond, where the

'

Known

In Arabic

refers to the

to the

Franks as the Mosque

'i1/a/Jj'/%,' literally

'

of

Omar.

sculptured.'

This most probably

well-known draft.

'

Circa a.d. 690.

The Church

of the

Holy Sepulchre.

Said to have been the Khalif Al Mahdi, (A.H. 158-169, A.D. 774-785)
the father of Harun ar Rashid.
=

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

42

columns

are

of

concrete,

the

later

commences.

part

The main buildingi of the mosque has twenty-six doors.

The door opposite to the Mihr^b is called B4b an Nahas
al

A'tham

Brasen

(the Great

gilded brass, and

Gate);

is

it

plated

man

so heavy that only a

is

with

strong of

it on its hinges.
To
hand of the Great Gate are seven large doors,
midmost one of which is covered with gilt plates
after the same manner there are seven doors to

shoulder and of arm can turn

the

right

the

and

left.

And

Over the first-mentioned doors,

unornamented.
number,
erected

is

a colonnade supported on marble

by 'Abd Allah ibn

mosque, on the right-hand

by marble

pillars

and

halls, vaulted in stone.

of the mosque

is

the

on the eastern side are eleven doors,

further,

side, are
;

pillars, lately

In the court of the

Tahir.^

pilasters

fifteen in

colonnades supported

and on the further side are

The centre part

of the main building

covered by a mighty roof, high pitched and

gable-wise, behind which rises a magnificent dome.

The ceil-

ing everywhere, with the exception of that of the halls on

the further side of the court,

is

formed of lead

in these halls the ceilings are faced with

The Court
its

(of the

Haram Area)

paved

in all parts

centre rises a platform, like that in the

MadJnah, to which, from

of steps.

Dome
'

is

On

this

all

mosque

in.

in

at

Al

four sides, ascend broad flights

platform stand four domes.

of the Chain,' the

but

in sheets,

mosaics studded

Dome

Of these,

the

of the Ascension,* and the

'Al Mit^haM,' IherMy 'the Covered

Part,' for the

term Masjid

includes not only the body of the mosque, but also the court, and the

Here and elsewhere I have translated the word

Mughatta by main building.'
^ 'Abd Allah was the independent Governor of Khurasin and the
East, from a.h. 213 to 23o = a.d. 828-844. He was the third in succession of the Dynasty of the Tahirides.
exterior colonnades.
'

"

Kubbat-as-Silsilah, facing the eastern door of the

Kubbat

al Mi'rij to

the north-west.

Dome of the Rock.

The Ascension has reference

to

the Prophet's ascent into Heaven, during his celebrated Night Journey.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

43

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

44

Dome

of the Prophet,! ^re of small

size,

and

their

domes

are covered with sheet lead, and are supported on marble

pillars,
is

being without walls.

Dome

the

In the centre of the platform

of the Rock,^ which rises above an octagonal

building having four gates, one opposite to each of the

Plan
OP

ES SAKHRA.
Rock)

(Dtrme of the

Scale

SO

flights of Steps leading

of-

Feet

fOO

up from the court.

These four

are,

the Kiblah (or Southern) Gate, the Gate of Israfil (to the
east), the

Gate As Sdr

(or of the

Trumpet, to the north),

and (the Women's Gate), Bab an Nisi, which

towards the west.*
1

Kubbat an Nabi,

to the
el

N.W.

Arw4h.

David.'

of the

Yakut

so called

is still

Dome
(iv.

(See also S. of

Kubbat as Sakhrah.

'^

Our author himself

last

opens

All these are adorned with gold, and

;

it

names

594)

W.

P.,

'

this

one of the small shrines

distinct from the Kubbet
the Dome of the Prophet

is

of the Rock, and

is
'

Jerusalem,' p. &i, ei seg.).

gives the orientation of two

of the gates.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
them

closing each of

is

a beautiful door of cedar-wood

finely

worked

mand

of the mother of the Khalif

each of the gates

These

pattern.

in

45

last

were sent by com-

Al Muktadir

At

Billah.i

a balustrade of marble and cedar-wood,

is

with brass-work without

gates, but these are

and

in the railing, likewise, are

Within the building

unornamented.

aie three concentric colonnades, with columns of the most

beautiful marble, polished, that can be seen,

low vaulting.

The Rock

Within these again

the hall

circular,

is

is

and above

is

the central hall over

not octagonal, and

sur-

is

rounded by columns of polished marble supporting round

Built above these,

arches.

and

rising high into the air, is

drum in which are large openings and over the drum

The Dome, from the floor up to the pinnacle,
the Dome.

the
is

which

from

rises into the air, is in height a

afar

Dome,

its

hundred

ells,

and

you may perceive on the summit of the

beautiful pinnacle, the size of which is a fathom
off,

The Dome,

and a span.
with brass

plates, gilt,

externally,

completely covered

is

while the building

itself, its floor

and

walls, and the drum, both within and without, are

ornamented with marble and mosaics, after the manner
its

that

we have

mosque

already described

of Damascus.

in three sections

come

iron

not cause

beams
it

when speaking

The cupola

the inner

is

of the

Dome

of ornamental plates

interlaced, set in free so that the

to shift

and the third casing

which are fixed the outer

of the
is

plates.

Up

is

wind

built

next

may

of wood, on

through the middle

of the cupola goes a passage way, by which a

workman

Mujlr ad Din (p. 372) states that the Eastern Gate, facing the Dome
of the Chain, was that called the Gate of the Angel of Death Israfil.
and the northern gate
It now goes by the name of Gate of the Chain
;

is

called
1

Bab

al

Jannah, Gate of Paradise.

Reigned A.H. 295-320 = a.d. 908-932.

Abbasides.

He was

the

i8th of the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

46

may

may

ascend to the pinnacle for aught that

or in order to repair the structure.

the light of the sun

Drum

equal

its

then

is

in

Islam

all

have

neither have I heard tell of aught

pagan times that could

built in

when

this edifice a marvellous

and one such that

sight to behold,

never seen

be wanting,,

the dawn,

on the Cupola, and the

strikes

first

catches the rays

At

rival in

grace this

Dome

of the Rock.

The mosque 1

through thirteen openings

entered

is

These are, the Bib

by a score of gates.
Hittah (the Gate of Pardon or Indulgence),^ the two
Gates of the Prophet,' the Gates of the Mihrib

closed

Maryam

the Gate of the Birkat (or

(of Mercy),^
Israil,"

It

the Gates

may be

Ar Rahmah

Mary's Oratory),* the two Gates

(of

Al Asbat

Pool of) Bani

(of the Tribes),'' the

well to call attention to the fact that the

(Masjid) includes not only the main edifice and

Aksa Mosque), but

its

term

is

round the mosque and

'

mosque'

courts (here the

also the whole of the Area (here the

or Noble Sanctuary) which

Hashimite

all

Temple Area
the buildings

thereunto appertaining.
^

the
'

Referring to Koran

Haram

According

known

55.

ii.

This Gate

is in

the Northern Wall of

Area.
to

Mujir ad Din, 'the Gate of the Maghribin' was also

It lies southernmost of those in

as 'the Gate of the Prophet.'

the Western Wall of the

Haram

Area,

i.e.,

near the south-west

corner.
*

Perhaps the small gate, near Mary's Oratory,

Wall, called by Mujir ad Din,

Bib

al

in

the Eastern

Janaiz (of the Funerals), and in

his time closed.

^

The long

since closed

'

Golden Gate'

in the

The

Eastern Wall.

double gates were those of Mercy (Rahmah) and Repentance (Taubah).

^ This must have opened near the
Pool, which the present Bab
Hittah overlooks.
present

Bib

al

The

'Atm

gate next to this

last,

on the west,

is

the

more anciently called either

the Gate of the Glory of the

(of the Darkness),

Dawadiriyyah (of the Privy Seal), or

Prophets and it was perhaps, before this again, known as the Gate
of the Pool of the Bani Israel.
'
At the eastern angle of the North Wall.
;

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Gates.i

Gate

the

47

Al Waiid,^ the Gate of Ibrahim

Umm Khalid (the Mother of

of

(Abraham),^ the Gate of

Khalid),*

Of

and the Gate Daud

(of David).^

Haram

the holy places within (the

Mihrab Maryam

Area), are the

Oratory of Mary), Zakariyyah (of

(the

Zachariah), Ya'kub (of Jacob), and Al Khidr (of Elias or

George), the Station of the

St.

(Gabriel), the Place of the Ant,

Prophet, and of Jlbrail

and of the

Ka'abah, and also of the Bridge

Heaven and

divide

On

As

are

The main

no colonnades.

mosque does not extend

shall

Aksa Mosque)"
of the

building

to the eastern wall of the area,

the constructions here, as

it

completed.

Of

The one

that the Khalif

is

and of the

which

Hell.

the north side (of the court of the

there

Fire,

Sirat,

the reason for

is

never having been

said,

this,

they give two accounts.

Omar commanded

the people

* These three gates I am unable exactly to identify, but they must

', %
have opened in the Western Wall of the Haram Area. At the present

day, besides those already mentioned, there are

Palace)

Bab an

Nl.thir (of the Inspector),

(of the

Cotton Bazaar)

for the three that

am

Bib

present

Bib

identifications rest

called of

and between these

the

five

must

lie

the choice

West Wall. At present it is known as

Ghinim tribe), and more anciently

(of the

Friend

al Khalil (of the

The

as Sarai (of the

unable to identify.

The northernmost in
B^b al Ghawanimah

'

the
^

Bab

Bab al Hadid (of Iron) Bab al Kattanin

Bab al Mutawaddi or Matarah (of the Place

Mikail (the Angel Michael)

of Ablutions or of Rain)

more anciently

i.e.

Abraham).

as Silsilah, in the Western Wall.

The foregoing

on the materials supplied by Mujir ad Din

op. cii.,

pp. 380 to 384.

^

The words used

with the meaning

are 'a/d-l-mazsaraA, literally on the left hand, also

oti

the north, for the right hand, al yaman,

is

south.

conclude from the context that Mukaddasi here refers to the

northern side of the Court of the Aksa Mosque, which is not divided
I

from the great Haram Area by any enclosing wall or colonnade. It

may, however, have reference to the northern wall of the whole Haram
Area, but the statement must then be taken as standing alone and as
having no reference to what comes after.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

48

to erect a building

'

Western part of the

in the

Muslims
so they
on the eastern side) unoccupied,

place of prayer for

(which

is

go counter to
that

it

;'

The

his injunction.

area, as a

space

this

left

in order not to

other reason given

is

was not found possible to extend the main building

of the mosque as
wall, lest the

far as the south-east

Mihrab

(the

angle of the area

Niche facing Makkah),

in the

mosque should not have

been opposite The Rock under the Dome, and such a

centre place at the end of the

case was repugnant to them.

But Allah alone knows the

truth.

The dimensions
i,ooo ells

of the

of the

Sanctuary Area

In the ceilings of

various

its

edifices

there

are 4,000

wooden beams, supported on 700 marble columns

surement of The Rock

dowment
and

oil,

lies

monthly

provides
in

is

served

by

was

men

being chosen from

instituted

Captives taken in

beside

(the

in

Its en-

for

ells

100

special

among

Kists^
ells

the

None

olive

al

Malik,^ the

Royal Fifth of the

War, and hence they are

Quintans).

of

of matting.

attendants; their ser-

by the Khalif 'Abd

vice

ployed

and the

hold 69 persons.

33

the year they use 800,000

The mosque

Akhmis

will

and the

27,

itself is,

beneath

by

The mea-

roofs are overlaid with 45,000 sheets of lead.

cavern which

length

are,

royal Hllshimite ells;^ and width, 700.

besides these

called

are

Al
em-

the service, and they take their watch in turn

The Rock.

SuLWAN

(Siloam)

is

a place on the outskirts of the

1 The royal ell {Dkzrd' Maliki) measured about 18 inches in length.

This gives us 1500 feet by 1050. Roughly taken, the present dimensions of the Haram Area are 1500 feet by 900.
The Kist was half a Sa', i.e. about a quart and a half of our mea'^

sure.

The name came from

Roman
^

Sextarius.

A.H. 65-86 = A.D. 685-705.

the Greek Hesrrii, which represents the

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
City.

Below the

village

is

49

the 'Ain Sulwan (Pool or Spring

of Siloam),! of fairly good water, which irrigates the large

gardens which were given in bequest (Wakf ) by the Khalif

'Othman ibn
than

'Afifan for the

this, again, is

poor of the

^Job's Well

(Bir

Lower down

city.

Ayyub).

It

is

said

that on the Night of 'Arafat^ the water of the holy well

Zamzam,

at

of the Pool.

Makkah, comes underground

The people hold

festival

to the

water

here on that

evening.

WADt Jahannam

(Valley of Kedron)

angle of the Sanctuary Area to

the east side.*

its

runs from the

furthest point, all along

In this valley are gardens and vineyards,

churches, caverns and chapels, tombs, and other remarkable spots, also cultivated

fields.

In

its

midst stands the

church which covers the sepulchre of Mary,^ and above,

overlooking the valley, are

many tombs, among which

are

1 The Pool of Siloam (see S. of W. P. 'Jerusalem,' p. 345) is not

properly speaking a spring, but a tank fed by the aqueduct from the
ad Daraj, the Fountain of the
Virgin's Fount (called also 'Ain

Umm

Steps),

and having an intermittent supply consequent on the

inter-

mittent flow of the upper spring.

It was on the wall of the tunnel connecting the Pool of Siloam

with the Virgin's Fount that, in 1880, the now celebrated Siloam
Inscription was accidentally discovered by a party of Jewish schoolboys.
2 Job's Well, which the Christians since the i6th century have been

Well of Nehemiah, may be En Rogel the

Spring mentioned by Joshua (xv. 7) as on the boundary line
between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin unless this last be the
in the habit of calling the

Fuller's

Virgin's Fount.
The 9th of the month Dhu-1-Hijjah.
It is the day of the great
pilgrimage on 'Arafat near Makkah.
*
It is worthy of remark that the Valley of Hinnon (Gehenna,
Jahannam) is the name of the deep gorge to the wesf and south-west

Mukaddasi's Valley of Jahannum, however, would be

city.
the Valleys of Jehoshaphat and the Kedron together, the modern

of the

Wadi Sitteh Maryam.

^ The Tomb of the Virgin

lies

outside the Gate of St. Stephen, on

the opposite slope of the Kedron Valley.

See Biideker,

p. 214.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

so

those of Shaddid ibn

Aus

ibn Thibit' and 'Ubadah ibn as

Samit.2

ZaitA

JABAL

(the

Mount

overlooks the

Olives)

of

Great Mosque from the eastern side of the Valley (of

Kedron).

On

of 'Omar,

who

its

summit

is

a mosque built in

when he came

sojourned here some days

to receive the capitulation of the

Holy

memory

There

City.

also

is

here a church built on the spot whence Christ ascended into

Heaven and

further,

nearby

(the

which,

as

Plain),^

is

the place called

As S^hirah

informed on

been

have

the

authority of Ibn 'Abb4s, will be the scene of the Resurrec-

The ground

tion.

white,

is

and blood has never been

spilt

here.

Lahm

Bait
away,

(Bethlehem)

in the direction of

is

a village about a league

Jesus was born here

Hebron.

and there grew up here the Palm-tree,* for although in this

district palms are never found, this one grew by a miracle.
There is also a church, the equal of which does not exist

anywhere

Habra
God.

in the

country round.

(Hebron), the village of

Within

it

is

a strong

Abraham

fortress,

which,

the Friend of
it is

said, is

of

the building of the Jinns, being of great squared stones.

In the middle of this place rises the

^

celebrated

A.D. 661 or 678.

Mujir ad Din,

Dome

built, since

the

Companion of the Prophet, who died a.h. 41 or 58,

His tomb was much visited by pilgrims.
(See

p. 253.)

He

was the first Muslim Kadi (Judge) of Jerusalem, having been

appointed by Omar. He died A.H. 34, A.D. 654. (See Mujir ad Din,
^

P- 233).
^

As Sahirah

(the Plain)

Sahirah (Herod's Gate)

As

is

in the

Sahirah, of the Resurrection, however,

Kedron Valley.
Referred to in the Koran

Bib as
The Plain,

possibly that from which the

north wall takes

is

its

name.

on the Mount of Olives,

across the

"

and

The

xix. 29.

Basilica of Constantine, for a plan of this remarkable church

description, see S. of

W.

P.,

Memoirs,

iii.,

p. 84.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

51

times of Islam, of stone, which covers the sepulchre of

Abraham. The tomb of Isaac lies forward, within the

main building of the mosque, while that of Jacob is in the
further part.
Near by each one of the Prophets lies his
wife. The garden round has become the mosque-court, and
built

about

it

are rest-houses for the Pilgrims, which thus

adjoin the Sanctuary.

small water-channel.

Thither also has been conducted a

All the country round Hebron, for

the distance of half a stage,

is filled

with villages, and vine-

yards, and grounds bearing grapes and apples, and

as though

were

it

The

trees.

all

district

but a single orchard of vines and

goes by the

name

A great

finer.

and into

part of

them are

the country round.

all

good quality

will sell at a

At

thousand

fruit-

of Jabal Nusrah.^

equal for beauty does not exist elsewhere, nor can any

be

even

it is

sent

away

to

Its

fruits

Egypt

times, here, apples of

for the

Dirham

i^

and

the weight of a single apple, occasionally, will attain to the

equivalent of a hundred Dirhams.^

Hebron

In the Sanctuary at

a public guest-house, with a kitchener, a baker,

is

and servants appointed thereto. These present a dish of

lentils and olive oil to every poor person who arrives, and
it

is

even set before the rich

if

perchance they desire to

Most men erroneously imagine that this

dole is of the original Guest-house of Abraham, but in
truth the funds come from the bequests of Tamim
my opinion it
It so being, in
ad Dari* and others.
partake of

it.

were, perhaps, better to abstain from receiving these alms

money have been unlawfully obtained). Also

once an Amir of Khurasan may Allah have
was
there
(lest

the

The reading

mention of

this

of this

word

name

of the district, and

is

accounts of modern travellers.

watered
2
*

Other authorities make no

it does not occur in the

The name may

signify

'the well-

hills.'

Xenpence.

One

uncertain.

'

Between ten and eleven ounces.

of the Prophet's Companions.

He

died in a.h. 4o = a.d. 660.

4-2

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

52

confirmed

dominion

his

who

to this

assigned

charity

1,000 dirhams yearly; and further, Al 'Adil, the Shar, the

Ruler of Ghurjistan, gave great bequests to this house.

At

the present day, in

almsgiving that

who

those
food,

is

Islam,

know

better regulated than

is

of no charity or
this

is

one

for

and are hungry may eat here of good

travel

and thus

all

the custom of

during his lifetime, rejoiced

Abraham

continued, for he,

the giving of hospitality,

in

may

He

be exalted has
allowed of the custom becoming perpetuated and thus I
and, after his death, Allah

myself, in

my

experiences, have been

partaker of the

hospitality of the Friend of God.

A league distant from Hebron is a small mountain,

which overlooks the Lake of Sughar (the Dead Sea) and
the site of the Cities of Lot.
Here stands a mosque built
by Abu Bakr as Sabahi, called Al Masjid Al Yakin.i In this
mosque is seen the bedstead of Abraham, which is now
It is related that when
sunk about an ell into the earth.

Abraham

first

saw from

here, afar

Verily I now bear witness, for

The Truth.' {A/ Yakin)
the Holy City is counted as all the

stood as one rooted, saying,

the word of the Lord

The

territory of

country that

the Cities of Lot, he

off,

'

is

round within a radius of forty miles,

lies

villages.

For

twelve miles the frontier follows the shore (of the

Dead

including Jerusalem

with

its

Sea) over against Sughar and

dependent

Maab

through the desert, and into the

lies

then for five miles

districts

it

towards the

south, even to the country that lies

beyond Al Kusaifah

and the land that

it.

is

over against

frontier reaches to the limits of Nablus.

'

the present day

JJlaimi, to

The

'

iii.,

known

have been

as

'

Cain's Grave.'

the north the

This, then,

Now known as Khurbat Yakin and Makam

W. P., Memoirs,
The Bedstead
p. 371.

S. of

On

is

the

Nabi Yakin, see

Abraham' is at
The mosque is said by
of

built in a.h. 352, a.d. 963.

present Tell Kuseifeh, lying to the east of Beersheba.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Land
'

which

Blessed';!

in the

Allah

it jg

may

be

exalted has

a country where, on the

need neither

plains, fields that

watering of

He

even as

rivers,

Joshua) reported to Moses

the

called

are trees, and

irrigation nor the

Two Men

sell

and

(Caleb

the son of 'Amrin, saying,

times in Jerusalem have seen cheese

and

hills

flowing with milk and honey.'

came on a land
Dirham

53

'

We

myself at

at a sixth of

Dirham the Rati

same sum you could obtain either a Rati and
and sugar

for the Rati,

for that

a half of olive

oil

Bait JibrIl

at a

or four Ratls of raisins.^

is

a city partly in the

hill

country, partly

Its territory has the name of Ad Darum,* and

in the plain.
there are here marble quarries. The district sends its produce

thus the emporium for the neigha

land of riches and plenty, possessIt is
The population, however, is now on the

to the capital, which

bouring country.
ing fine domains.

is

decrease, and impotence has possession of

Ghazzah (Gaza.) a

large

many

of

its

men.

town lying on the high road

The city stands

into Egypt, on the border of the desert.
not far from the sea. There is here a beautiful mosque;
be seen the monument of the Khalif Omar;
further, this city was the birth place of (the great Traditionof Hashim ibn
ist) Ash-Shafi i,^ and possesses the tomb
will

also

'Abd Manaf

(the great grandfather of the Prophet).

Koran

Taking the Dirhem

xxi. 71.

at ten pence

calculating roughly^ cheese at Jd. a

olive oil at about a shilling a gallon,
for

and the Rati at 6

pound; sugar at
and raisins at the

lbs.

we have,
pound;

ijd. a

rate of 2^ lbs.

a penny.

Now

Bait Jibrin,

meaning the

'

House

of Gabriel,' as in fact the

of Tyre, the Crusading Historian.

In

by WiUiam
W. P., Mems., ui.,
Greek times it was named Eleutheropolis (see S. of
Franks someThe
Talmud.
Gubrin of the
p. 257), and it is the Beth
times called this town Gibelin.
*
At the present day Deiran, anciently Daroma.
place

is

called

See below,

p. 67, n. 6.

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

54

MImas

on the

lies

sea.^

a small fortified town, and

It is

belongs to Ghazzah.

'ASKALAN

(Ascalon),

strongly garrisoned.
that

of

eat.

The

the

on the

is

Fruit

of which

mosque stands

Clothes-merchants, and

is

and
thronged, and

paved throughout with marble.

most

its

Yafah

(Jaffa),

Ar Ramlah.

garrison alert.

Only

mosque

is

harbour

is

ArsOf*

lying on the sea,

emporium
It is

with iron gates

its

wares are

its

its

markets are

harbour
'

is

un-

Dalam

of

protected

but a small town,

is

Palestine

and the port of

by an impregnable

and the sea-gates also are of

fortress,

iron.

pleasant to the eye, and overlooks the sea.

The
The

excellent.
is

smaller than Yifah, but

and populous.
first

Also

pleasant.

hurtful.^

although the

the

is

well fortified.

waters brackish, and the sand-fly called

safe, its
is

there

life

free to

market of the

The city is spacious, opulent, healthy, and

The silkworms of this place are renowned,
excellent,

and

especially

are

all

the

in

fine city,

plenty,

here in

is

Sycamore-tree,^

great

sea.

There

is

is

strongly fortified

here a beautiful pulpit,

mosque of Ar Ramlah,
was given to Arsuf.

instance for the

being found too small,

made

but,

in

which

1 Mimis or Maimas, is the 'Majuma of Gaza'

mentioned by Antoninus Martyr, (see Palestine Pilgrims' Text No. i, p. 26), and by Greek
Geographers, called Maioufi,a. Quatrem^re (Sultans Mamlouks II.

partie, p. 229), says that the

name

is

apparently of Egyptian origin,

and comes from the two words Ma and Jam meaning maritime town.'
Both Ascalon and Gaza had ports called Mamma, and Jamnia likewise
'

according to Pliny.
"

In Arabic Al Jummaiz, Ihe^cus sycomorus.

The Dalam-fly is still one of the pests of the coast country

of Syria.

For the plan of Arsdf and its ruins, see S. of W. P., Memoirs ii.
Arsuf was in Greek times called Apollonia. By Crusaders it
p. 136.
was erroneously supposed to represent the ancient Antipatris (see
*

p. 60, n.

i).

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
KaisaRIYYAH

has

its

hand.

any better

is

there

is

the coast of

no city more

with good things

lands are excellent, and

Its

To

is

famous

guard the

and without
fort

filled

plenty

well-spring here, and useful products are on every

the town also

bread.

On

(Csesarea of Palestine). 1

the Greek (or Mediterranean) Sea

beautiful, nor

55

is

and

wells

delicious

fruits

and

an impregnable

white

its

fortress,

well-populated suburb which the

The drinking-water

protects.

drawn from

city there

the

lies

its

for its buffalo-milk

Its

cisterns.

of

the inhabitants

Great Mosque

is

very

beautiful.

Nabulus
It

tains.
'

(Neapolis, Shechem)

abounds

in olive-trees,

The

Little Damascus.'

lies

among

moun-

the

and they even name

it

the

town, situated in the valley,

shut in on either hand by the two mountains.^

Its

is

market-

place extends from gate to gate, and a second goes to the

The Great Mosque is in its midst, and

The city has through it a stream of

centre of the town.

is

very finely paved.

running water

houses are built of stone, and some

its

remarkable mills are to be seen here.

ArIha
therein

is

(Jericho).

This

is

the City of the Giants, and

the Gate of which Allah spake unto the Children

There grows in these parts much indigo and

many palms, and the city possesses villages in the Ghaur
(of the Jordan), whose fields are watered from the springs.
The heat in Jericho is excessive. Snakes and scorpions

of Israel.^

are

numerous, also

fleas

abound.

The

serpents

called

1 For plans of the ancient remains at Cassarea, see S. of W. P.,

Memoirs, ii., p. 15 ei seg'.
^ The two mountains shutting in Shechem are to the south, Mount
Gerizim ('the Mountain of Blessing') and Mount Ebal, to the north

Mountain of Cursing ').

Enter ye upon them (the people of
Koran v. 25
the Gate of the City, and when ye shall have entered by
('

the
^

shall surely

'

be victorious.'

Jericho) by
the same, ye

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

56

Tariyakiyyah

used

come from

'^

depends

therein,

hence, from the flesh of which,

excellence

the

(Theriack, or Antidote)

of Jericho

is

held

to

On

Tariyak

The people

of Jerusalem.

brown skinned and swarthy.

of the

are

the other hand, the water

be the lightest (and best)

in

all

dates and flowers of

Islam; bananas are plentiful, also

fragrant odour.

'Amman,2 lying on the border of the Desert, has round

The Balk^ District, of
it many villages and cornfields.
which it is the capital, is rich in grain and flocks also
many streams the waters of which work the mills. In the
;

city,

near the market-place, stands a fine mosque, the court

of which
that

is

on the

is

Tomb
wise,

hill'

overhanging the

of Uriah, over which

is

We have

ornamented with mosaic.

The

resembles that of Makkah.

it

is

On

and therein

mosque.

Living here

the Circus of Solomon.*

fruit is plentiful.

city,

built a

heard said

Castle of Goliath
is

the

Here, likeis

cheap, and

the other hand, the people of the

and the roads thither wretched.

But

place are

illiterate,

the city

even as a harbour of the Desert, and a place of

is

refuge for the bedawin Arab.

AR RakIm, which lies about a league

'Ammin,* and on the border of the Desert, is a

In the village of
distant from
^

See below,

The

p. 70, n. 5.

Biblical

monites.

Rabbath Ammon, the capital of Og king of the Amit was called Philadelphia, after Ptolemy

In Greek times

Philadelphus of Egypt,

its

second founder.

The citadel on the hill to the north of the, town.

* The Theatre, it was originally capable of seating 6,000 spectators.
^ Ar Rakim is often identified with Petra or Wadi Musa, near Mount
Hor, on the hypothesis that the name represents the Arekem of
^

'

'

and

This identification, however,

Josephus
which originated with A. Schulteus,

in the last century (see in his

'Vita Saladini,' Index Geographicus,

s.v.

('

Antiq.'

iv. 4, 7,

iv. 7, i).

Errakimum), and has been

constantly copied by writers up to the present day, was very justly

shown

to

be impossible by Robinson

(ii.

p.

653).

Our author here

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
cavern with two entrances

who

one

57

one small and they

large,

by the larger is unable to leave by

the smaller unless he have with him a guide.
In the cave
are three tombs, concerning which Abu-1 Fadl Muhammad
say that he

Mansur

ibn

enters

me

related to

the following Tradition of the

was Abu Bakr ibn Sa'id, who

Al Fadl ibn Hammad, the same having the
authority of Ibn Abi Mary^m, who related it as coming
Prophet

held

it

and

his authority

of

from Isma'il ibn Ibrahim ibn 'Ukbah, who held

who

said that

it

of Nafi',

'Abd Allah, the son of the Khalif Omar, was

wont to relate the story, he himself having heard it from

the mouth of the Prophet the grace of Allah be upon

him and His peace

Thus he spoke

While three
'

men

once were walking together heavy rain overtook them and

And

drove them into a cavern of the mountain.

sudden there

fell,

on a

from the mountain above, a rock which

blocked up the mouth of the cave, and behold they were

in.
Then one of them called to the others, saying,
Now, mind ye of such good deeds as ye have done, and
call on Allah thereby, beseeching Him, so that for the sake

shut
"

thereof perchance

He may

cleave this rock before us."

them cried aloud, saying, " Allah of a truth

have not I my two parents who are old and feeble, besides
my children, of whom I am the sole protector? And when
I return to them, I do milk the kine, and give first of the
milk to my two parents, even before giving of it to my
Now on a certain day, after the morning was
children.
long past, and I came not to them until it was night, I
found my parents slumbering. Then I milked the kine,
as was my wont, and I brought of the milk and came and

Then one

of

confirms this by placing

Ar Rakim

three miles from 'Ammsln.

Further,

lies

259 of the Text), states that Ar Rakim

two days' march north of Karak, on the road between Damascus

and

that fortress.

Ibn

al

Athir (Chronicle

xi.,

p.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

58

stood near by unto them, but feared awaking them from

their sleep

and

further,

dared not give of

children before the setting of

children, in truth,

thus

Now,

were

Thy

fear of

face, so therefore

Then Allah caused

sky."

it

cried aloud,

my

of

a cleft to split in the rock, and

and

uncle,

whom

Allah

Then

pieces of gold.

the second one

was there not the daughter

to possess her, she

hundred

Then

loved passionately, as only

And when I sought

herself to me saying, that
love

how I did this thing from

now cause this rock to cleave
same we may perceive the

they perceived the sky.

said, "

pieces, bringing

man

can

would refuse

should bring her a hundred

made

And

want thereof

well

before us, that through the

through

to the

the breaking of the dawn.

till

Thou knowest

since

it

before them, although the

in distress for

remained waiting

it

them

effort,

and collected those

But even

was

entering to. possess her, she cried aloud, and said,

'O

Him

to her.

as

and force me not, except in

lawfulness.'
So I went from her. And now, verily, as
Thou knowest that I did even this from the fear of Thy
servant of Allah, fear

face,

so therefore cleave unto us again a portion of this

And Allah did cleave

last man cried aloud, and

rock."

thereof a further

the

said,

serving

man

my

for the

customary portion of

was accomplished, he

his task
due.'

And

"Allah

said to me,

cleft.

Then

did I not hire a

And when
Now give to me

rice.
'

gave to him his due ; but he would not

it, and despised it.

Then I ceased not to use the
same for sowing till, of profit, I became possessed, of cattle,
and of a neat-herd slave. And after long time he came
to me and said,
Fear Allah and oppress me not but

receive

'

give to

me my

due.'

And

thou, then, to these cattle

I,

and

them.'

Said he again,

answered him, 'Verily

'

said,

'

Go

herdsmen and receive

Fear Allah and mock me not.'

And

answering him,
their

mock

thee not, and do

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

And

thou take these cattle and their herdsmen.'

And

taking them, went his way.

how

did this thing in fear of

what of

this rock

it

to

at last he,

now, since Thou knowest

Thy

remaineth to be

Allah caused the whole of

59

face,

cleft

many

In the Province of Syria there are

having each of them their own mosques

Then

before us."

cleft

become

do Thou cause

before them.'

large villages,

and the same are

more populous and opulent than are many of the celebrated

cities of the Arabian Peninsula.
As such they deserve
and again, since these large villages neither
to the renown of powerful cities that are known of

mention
attain
all

men, nor, on the other hand, are of the insignificance of

mere hamlets lying in their degree, as it were, between

the two so is it the more incumbent on us to make
special mention of their names, and describe their posi-

Among such are the

LUDD (Lydda), which lies

tions.

There
great

is

following

about a mile from

Ar Ramlah.

here a Great Mosque, in which are wont to assemble

numbers of the people from the

and from the

villages

round.

In

capital

(Ar Ramlah),

Lydda,

too,

is

that

wonderful Church, at the gate of which Christ will slay the

Antichrist.^

The coming of the Antichrist, Ad Dajjil, is to be one of the Great

Day of Resurrection. According to the Traditions of the
Prophet, Ad Dajjal will first appear in either Upper Mesopotamia or
1

Signs of the

Khurasin.
Ispahan.

He will ride on an ass, and be followed by 70,000 Jews of

He will reign during forty years on the earth, and will ulti-

slain by the Christ, who will meet him at the Gate of Lydda.
This tradition is doubtless due to a distorted version of the Story of
The Church of St. George is that menSt. George and the Dragon.
tioned by our author, the ruins of which still remain. For an illustraand for some
tion of these see
S. of W. P. Memoirs,' ii., p. 267

mately be

'

M. Clermont Ganneau, on the Muslim Ad Dajjil, as the

representative of the Dragon of St. George, see an extract from his
writings on p. 138 of the same volume.
notes by

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

6o

Kafar-Saba.^

the high road (from

'Akir (Ekron).^

A large

Its inhabitants are

here

is

large place with a mosque, lying on

Ar Ramlah)

much

to

Damascus.
mosque.

village, possessing a fine

given to good works.

The

not to be surpassed for quality.

The bread

village lies on

Ar Ramlah) to Makkah.
YubnA, with its beautiful mosque.' From this
come the excellent figs known as the Damascene.'
the high road (from

place

'

'Amwas.^

It is said that this

place was in ancient days

the capital of the province, but that the population removed

therefrom, going nearer to the sea, and

on account of the wells

more

for the village lies

into the plain,

on the

skirt of

the hill-country.

Kafar-SallAm.5
"^

Kafar SibS.

is

One of the villages of

the Antipatris of Acts

xxiii. 31,

the district of

and Josephus.

For

the proofs of this identification see ' S. of W. P. Memoirs,' ii., p. 258.

The Crusaders (William of Tyre), after their usual fashion, wrongly
identified this last with Arsuf.
^
'

Of Joshua xiii. 3.
Yubni represents the

Biblical Jabneh, or Jabneel.

Its

Greek

name was Jamnia.

*

'AmwS.s

is

the famous

Emmaus

Nicopolis.

As

to the question

whether or not it may be identified with the Emmaus of the New

Testament, which is more than doubtful, see S. of W. P. Memoirs,' iii.,
'

p.

66

ei seg.

' The town of Kafar Sallam has completely disappeared from the
maps, although from what is said by the Arab geographers, its position
may be determined within very narrow limits, and the P. E. F. map
leaves nothing to be desired in point of detail for all the ruins remaining

Yakfit states that Kafar Sallam

is

four

farsakhs (leagues) from Kaisariyyah, on the road to Nabulus.

Al

in this part of the country.

(see below, pp. 96, 98) one march from Nibulus,

one from Kaisariyyah, and one from Ar Ramlah. Hence it cannot

Mukaddasi places

it

from Kafar Saba, with which place it is often confounded

by Nisir Khusrau, who visited Syria in A.H. 428,
A.D. 1037), but its direction from this last I have been unable to
determine.
Nisir Khusrau mentions incidentally that it (Kafar
Sallam or Kafar Sabi) is three farsakhs (leagues) from Ar Ramlah.
According to the Chronicle of Marianus Scottus, in 1064 A.D.

haveibeen
(as, for

far

instance,

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Csesarea.

6l

very populous, and has a mosque.

It is

on the high road (from

Ar Ramlah

It lies

northwards).

All along the sea-coast of the Province of Syria are the

Watch-stations (Ribat), where the levies assemble.

The

war-ships and the galleys of the Greeks also

into

come

them the captives taken

these they offer for ransom three for

these ports, bringing aboard of

from the Muslims

And

the hundred Dinars.^

men who know

in

the Greek tongue, for they have missions to

the Greeks, and trade with

them

At

in divers wares.

the

whenever a Greek vessel appears, they sound the

Stations,

horns

each of these ports there are

also

tower, or,

if it

be night they light a beacon there, on the

be day, they make a great smoke.

if it

From

every Watch-station on the coast up to the capital (Ar

Ramlah) are

built, at intervals,

On

company of men.

stationed a

is

arrival of the

high towers,

in

each of which

the occasion of the

Greekships the men, perceiving them.kindle the

beacon on the tower nearest to the coast Station, and then

on that lying next above

so that hardly

sounding

in

is

it,

the capital, and drums are beating in the

the

young men of the

ransoming begins.
Siegfried,
,

down

and they hurry out

after another

an hour elapsed before the trumpets are

towers, calling the people

the sea

and then on, one

to their Watch-station

in force,

villages gather together.

One

by

with their arms, and

prisoner will

Then the

be given in ex-

Archbishop of Mainz, who, together with the Bishops of

Utrecht, Bamberg, and Ratisbon, was conducting a great

pilgrims to the

Holy

City,

was

set

upon

in these parts

company of
by the wild

castellum vacuum Cavar Salim nomine,'

from whence they were deUvered by the Governor of Ramlah. The
whole passage is given in the original Latin in a note (p. 63) to Mons.
Translation of Nasir Khusrau.' Mons. Schefer supposes
Schefer's
Cavar Salim to be Kafar Sallam, which, he adds, was abandoned by

Arabs, and took refuge in a

'

'

inhabitants in the eleventh century.

its
'

That

is

about

;{^i6 for

each captive.

;
:

62

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

change

money and jewels

prisoners who are in

for another, or

until at length all the

have been

set

And

free.

be

will

ofifered

the Greek ships

the Watch-stations

of this

province where this ransoming of captives takes place are

Ghazzah, Mimas, 'Askalan, Mahuz- (the Port of) Azdfid,

iMahuz-

(the Port of)

Yubna, Yafah and

Arsilf.

SUGHAR.2 The people of the two neighbouring districts

and a native of Jerucall the town Sakar (that is, Hell ')
salem was wont to write from here to his friends, addressing
'

'

From the lower Sakar (Hell) unto

And

(Paradise).'

the stranger, for

verily this

water

its

is

those in the upper FirdQs

a country that

is

execrable

Angel of Death delays for him,

all Islam I know not of any place

find that the

here, for in

evil climate.

is

deadly to

and he who should

let

him come

to equal

the plague, but none so badly as

this,

Jurjan. Its people are black-skinned

in

not even the land of

and thick-set. Itswaters

are hot, even as though the place stood over Hell-fire.

the other hand,

little

it

have seen other lands that were stricken by

its

Busrah, and

commercial prosperity makes of

its

trade

very lucrative.

is

On
it

The town

^ Mihuz is often used as synonymous with Maiuma or Maimas.

The word signifies in Aramaic port or city it is a common appel'

'

'

;'

and there was a MShflz Malka, near Seleucia.

^ Sughar (spelt also Zughar and Sukar) is the Segor of the Crusading Chronicles, situated at the southern end of the Dead Sea. Whether
or not it occupies the site of the Zoar of Lot is a point on which

lative,

certainty

is

hardly to be obtained after the lapse of so

many

centuries,

when we consider the extreme paucity and obscurity of the topographical

What St. Jerome and
indications afforded by the Book of Genesis.
is not worthy of
documents as they had before them, we have
also.
A discussion of the subject from the light afforded by the Arab
geographers will be found in 'Across Jordan,' p. 317 et seq., and on the
origin of the name a most noteworthy communication may be read
in a papery by Mons. Clermont Ganneau, translated in the January

other Church authorities wrote on this subject, too,

much

attention, for such

number of the 'Quarterly Statement'

Gomorrah and Sodom.'

of the P. E. F., 1886, 'Segor,

j{

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

and

truth the

in

is

Dead

Cities of Lot,

Lake

stands on the shore of the Overwhelming

Sea),

63

remnant of the

being the one that was spared by reason that

its

(the

inhabitants

knew nothing of their abominations. The mountains rise

up near by the town.
Al Ghamr.i There is water here and a palm grove
all round it lies a sand waste, but when you dig there

gushes forth sweet water in plenty.

Maab^ lies in the mountains. The district round has

many villages, where grow almond trees and vines. It
borders on the desert.

MtrTAH
tombs of

counted

is

Ja'far at

among

Tayyar

its

hamlets, where are the

(the Flyer),

and 'Abd Allah ibn

Rawahah.^

Adhruh*
Syria.

preserve here the Prophet's Mantle and also

a treaty given

Wailah^
'

a frontier town between the Hijjaz and

is

They

by him and written on

skin.

stands on an arm of the China Sea (which

This paragraph

is

is

the

inserted from another section of Mukaddasi's

253 of the Text). In Ghamr, Mens. Clermont Ganneau would

recognise the name of Gomorrah. It is marked 'Ain Ghamr in the maps.

work

(p.

Maib, spoken of by Abu-I Fidi under the name of Rabbah, is the

Rabbath Moab, Areopolis, at the present day known
as Rabbah, four hours north of Kerak.
' Ja'afar at Tayyar was the brother of 'Ali, the Prophet's cousin and
In the year of the Hijrah 8 (a.d. 629, Sept.), the Muslims
son-in-law.
near Mutah had their first encounter with the soldiers of the Byzantine
Emperor. The Arabs were under the command of Zaid, the Prophet's
Freedman they were put completely to the rout, and Zaid, Ja'afar the
Flyer, and 'Abd Allah ibn Rawihah, who was the second in command,
^

ancient Ar, or

were slain on the

^

Called

'

field of battle.

Adru by Ptolemy.
'

Mr. C. Doughty

visited the ruins of

the ancient city during his recent journey to Madain Salih he informs
me that they lie about eleven miles north of Ma'in. Adhruh is gene;

Province of Ash Sharah (Edom).

Wailah or Ailah is the Biblical Elath, at the head of the present
Gulf of 'Akabah, which received in classical times the name of the
^lanitic Gulf from this town.
rally given as the capital of the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

64

Gulf of Akaba).
sessing

a populous and beautiful

It is

many palm

trees, also fish in plenty.

emporium of the

port of Palestine and the

common
by

it

people

and

may

now

is

He

call

'

it

Ailah,' but the true

This

in ruins.

be exalted

has

(Midian).^

borders of the Hijjaz

said }

This town

within the line of the sea, and

pos-

the great

The

Hijjaz.

Ailah

'

lies

near

Enquire of them consea.'

in reality is within the

Arab peninsula

for the

city,

the place of which Allah

is

cerning the village that was situate on the

Madyan

It is

Madyan

lies

includes

on the

all

coast.

Here may be seen the Rock which Moses struck when he

gave water to the flocks of Shu'aib (Jethro). Water here
In this town the weights and measures and

abundant.

is

the customs of the inhabitants, are those of Syria.

Syria,

the Hijjiz, and Egypt dispute between them as to which

province belongs Wailah

regards 'Abbadan
question, since

of

its

its

but

and the like case may be seen as

I

have included

is

it

the port of Palestine

use the boats called

TabCtk

is

the Prophet

in Syria

'

Further, as before

the sailors of that part

Jalabah.'

a small town, in which stands the

the

without

weights and measures and the customs

people are those of that province.

stated,

it

Mosque

of

peace of Allah be on him and His

grace.
TIh,** of the
'

Koran

The

vii.

Children of Israel (the Desert of the

Wan-

163.

Madyan

(Midian) would appear

accompanying map according to Sir F. Burton's view, who identifies it with the modern MaknS,
on the coast of the Gulf of Akaba. (Cf. Gold Mines of Midian,' 1878,
Spreuger, however, in his Alte Geographic Arabiens,' puts
p. 331.)
it inland, or as an alternative, on the Red Sea coast, south of 'Ainuni.
'

to

position of the ancient city of

be rather doubtful.

It is

marked on

the

'

'

'

Boats pecuhar to the Red Sea.

Their planks are held together

by strands of palm fibre.

* This and the following paragraph are from another chapter
author's work, p. 209 of the text.

of our

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
derings),

a land on the position of which there

is

The most

discussion.

same

reliable account

country, lying between

desert

65

that

is

Syria and

palm

The

with.

trees

and springs of water

limits of this district are,

the

everywhere

are sand tracts, salt marshes, and red sandstone

occasionally

much
is

Egypt, which

forty leagues across in every direction

is

is
it

hills,

may

while

be met

on the one hand, the

and on the other Mount Sinai to the

is conterminous with the Egyptian
province of Ar Rif; and on the other side the Tih goes up
district of

Al

Jifar,

west the desert limit

Through it
TtfR SInI (Mount

to Syria.

Kulzum

(the

Red

Sinai) lies not far

Sea)

Makkah.
from the Bahr

the pilgrim road to

lies

and one goes up

to

it

al

from a certain

Al Amn,i which same is the place where

Moses and the Children of Israel encamped. There are
here twelve springs of fairly sweet water, and thence up to

village called

two days' march. The Christians have a monastery

(Dair) in Mount Sinai, and round it are some well-cultivated
fields, and there grow here olive trees, said to be those
mentioned by Allah in the Kur'an (chap, xxiv., ver. 35),
Sinai

is

where

is

it

written concerning that

'

neither of the East nor of the West.'

blessed tree, an olive

And

the olives from

these trees are sent as presents to kings.

ACCOUNT OF THE GENERAL FEATURES AND

PECULIARITIES OF THIS PROVINCE.
The
which

climate of Syria
lies

in

Ash Sharah (Mount

1

The reading

corrupted.

We

scription of the

temperate, except in that portion

of this

Seir)

name

and Al Hulah
in the

MSS.

of the place called

Waters of

has, without doubt,

have here most probably the

name

(the

been

Arab tranExodus xv. 27,

traditional

Elim, in

encamped before coming into the Wilderness of

At Elim there 'were twelve
is between Elim and Sinai.'
water, and threescore and ten palm-trees.'

where the
Sin, which
wells of

is

the centre region of the province, between

Israelites

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

66

Merom)

and

this

grow the
One day when I

the hot country where

is

indigo tree, the banana, and the palm.

was staying
'

in Jericho, the physician

Seest thou this valley

And

answered.

(that

?'

he continued

is,
'

It

Ghassan said to me,

the Ghaur).

Yes,' I

'

extends from hence as

and thence through Al Yamamah to 'Oman

thence passing up by Basrah and Baghdad

far as the Hijjaz,

and Hajar

towards the

and

The

left

(west) of Mosul,

always a

it is

Widy

of heat

coldest place in Syria

it

reaches to

and of palm

Ar Rakkah,

trees.'

Ba'albakk and the country

is

round for among the sayings of the people it is related how,

when men asked of the Cold, Where shall we find thee ?'
and when they further
it was answered,
In the Balka
said, But if we meet thee not there ?' then the Cold added,
;

'

'

;'

'

'

Verily in Ba'albakk

Now

Syria

abounding

is

and

in streams

home.'

a land of blessing, a country of cheapnesSj

in fruits,

province, which

my

is

is

The upper

and peopled by holy men.

near the dominions of the Greeks,

crops,

the lower province

is

and the climate of

it

is

is

cold.

even more excellent, and

it is

rich

And
plea-

by reason of the lusciousness of its fruits and in the

great number of its palm trees. But in the whole country
santer,

there

is

no

river carrying boats,

except only for the

ferry.

Doctors of the law are rare to meet with in Syria; but

non-Muslims who pay the poll-tax are numerous, and so

too are lepers.
sideration.

The preachers

from Palestine up
will

to the province

in all the

round Tiberias

country
but you

meet with neither Magians nor Sabaeans.

In regard to religious
the

are held in no kind of con-

Samaritans are found settled

most

part,

belief,

the people of Syria are, for

orthodox, being of those

Authority and Tradition.

The people of

who hold by

Tiberias, however,

with half the population in Nabulus and Kadas, and the

greater

number

of the

men

of

'Amm&n,

are Shi'ahs.

The

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Mu'tazalites^ here,

There

cealed.

lem,

who

is

any there

if

67

keep themselves con-

be,

community of the Karrimites^

at Jerusa-

These

possess a cloister and a house of assembly.

who make

latter are a sect

great pretensions in matters of

theology, jurisprudence, and piety

among

but

themselves

they dispute greatly, and in their reading of the Kur'an

they adopt the most

literal interpretation.

follow the law-schools of Malik' and

met with

in Syria.

The

place of assembly in the

disciples of

traditionists.

part followers of

Ash

do they keep to the

The

met

school.

The
^

Deity.

the

is

with,

If

Shafi'i,^

although

and often the Kadts

be asked of

it

in

me

who

external

rule of the

jurisprudists are for the

in

great towns and districts the disciples of

to be

those

Daud* none are to be

Al Auzi'i^ Jiq1(J their

mosque of Damascus,

practices of religion, only,

orthodox

Of

Abu Hanifah

are

Judges) are of this

(or

Why

most

not a few of the

do you not merely

Separatists or Freethinkers.

sect

who

insisted

on the anthropomorphic attributes of the

In his introductory chapter, our author writes, 'Al

name

of the cloister where

the

Khinkah

Karrimite Sect hold their

meetings for prayer in Jerusalem.'

2 Malik ibn Anas, the
great jurisprudist doctor of Al Madinah.
He flourished in the second century of the Hijrah, and founded the
Historical School of Tradition.

He was of Persian
Bagdad. He insisted that the words of the
Kurin, the Traditions, and the Sunnah, should be accepted literally.
^ A
Syrian by birth (died in 157 a.H. = a.D. 774), who taught in
Damascus and Bairut, near which latter place his tomb is still shown.
Of his tenets little is known. He is said to have solved 70,000 legal
*

Daud

origin,

ibn 'AH died in a.h. 27o=a.d. 884.

and

questions.

settled at

For

his life see Ibn Khallikan's

'

M. de Slane, ii., p. 84.

Ash Shafi'i, who was born in Palestine

Biographical Dictionary,'

translated by

(a.h. 195

= a.d.

8io), but

taught in Baghdad, was the founder of the Eclectic School of JurisHis system attempted the fusion of the Historical School
prudence.
of Malik (see above), with the speculative and more philosophical
teaching of the great Traditionist Abu Hanifah, who died in a.h. 150

= A.d.

767.

52

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

68

say

that the external practices of religion are carried out

after the rule of

there are

all

Ash

Shafi'i,

of his school

and that the leading doctors

That this is the
answer

word of one who cannot observe a distinction

Shafi'ite ritual,

is

the reciting aloud of the

of the

for,

Bismillah

'

'

and

the repetition at the Dawn-prayer of the text called 'Kanut'

(which

is,

the prayer beginning,

ourselves to

make

only

Thy

will

').

'

Now we

And we

verily

do resign

of Syria, on the contrary,

use of this prayer during the days of the latter

month

Ramadhan, when the genuflexions in

known as the Witr.' Verily
on no other occasion do the people of Syria make use of
half of the

of

uneven counts are enjoined,

this ritual, for

was

'

they in truth have abjured

it.

And

further

not seen how, when, at Tiberias, the Governor of

Syria would fain have forced on them this reciting aloud of

the

it

Bismillah,' that the people complained against his

tyranny even to Kafur the Ikhshidi,i and frustrated the
attempt ? At the present day, however, the external prac'

tices of religion are after the ritual of the

we

shall explain

Fitimites

the most part follow the school of

in

and

these, please Allah, with other of their

when we come to the chapter on

West. The Kur'an Readers of Syria

peculiar customs

countries of the

Damascus, where no one

may

Abu Amr,

act as

the
for

except only

Leader of Prayer

mosque except he read according to the precept of

Ibn 'Amir, his being the best known to the people and
the one preferred by them. The system of reading instituted by Al Kisai, further, is much in vogue throughout
in the

the province of Syria

Readings and

strive to

also they

make

use of the Seven

conform thereto.

Commerce.
The
'

trade of Syria

is

considerable.

Governed Egypt between a.h. 355-357 = a.d. 966-968.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
From

6g

come olives, dried figs/ raisins, the cari.)bfruit,^ stuffs of mixed silk and cotton, soap and kerchiefs.
From Jerusalem come cheeses, cotton, the celebrated
raisins of the species known as 'Ainuni and Duri,^ excellent
which same is a fruit of the form of a
apples, bananas
Palestine

cucumber, but the skin peels off and the interior

unlike the water-melon, only finer flavoured and
luscious,

and

also pine-nuts of the kind called

equal

its

is

not to be found elsewhere

not

is

more

Kuraish-Bite,'*

'

further mirrors,

lamp-jars, and needles.

From Jericho, excellent indigo.^

From Sughar and Baisdn come both
also the treacle called

'

Called Kuttain, from the Greek mTravov.

in Arabic Khirntib, is the

'

The Carob,

indigo and dates,

Dibs.'''

Ceratonia SiUqua, the

Locust-tree, or St. John's Bread.

'Ainuni and Duri raisins are from the grapes grown roimd the
and
villages of Bait 'Ainun and Durah, lying respectively to the north
west of Hebron. The whole of this region is celebrated for its vine-

The

yards

and

it is

curious to recall that this

Mamre, from whence,

of

Promised

the

into

(Numbers

xiii.

is

the locality of the Vale

in all probability, the Spies, sent

brought

Land,

back

grapes

the

by Moses
Eshcol

of

23).

Kuraish-Bite (Kadam Kuraish) is given in the dictionaries as the

Snobur pine
fruit of the Pinus Picea, and also of the smaller
Yanbut,
(Strobili pini), or of the tree called by the Arabs Yanbilt.'
*

'

'

'

language of the Bedawin across the Jordan, is now

shrub, not a tree, with long thin leaves of the size
small
apphed to a
of knitting-needles, which I believe produces no edible fruit.
however,

in the

Called in Arabic

grows

to a height of

An

Nil, the

from nine

Indigofera

tinctoriffi.

to twelve feet,

and

its

The

tree

flowers are

is known by many other names in

Henna) Khtitr; Al 'Ithlim,
(pounded
Arabic viz., Hinna ma
Ntlaj-j and lastly
the name more particularly of the male plant
Wasmah, this more especially being applied to the leaves of the tree
from which the dye itself is extracted. The berries, generally alluded
known as Al 'Ajab.
to as Habb an iVzY Indigo-berries, are also
often made of dates or
It
is

fruit-syrup.
Dibs is boiled-down
boiled up, and then
water,
of
weight
own
their
in
steeped
raisins,

cerulean blue in colour.

Indigo

'jun,

'

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

70

From 'Ammdn, grain, lambs ^ and hone)'-.

From Tiberias, carpet stuffs, paper, and cloth.
From Kadas, clothes of the stuff called Munayyir and
'

'

'

Bal'isiyyah

From

'

and ropes.

Tyre come sugar, glass beads and glass vessels

both cut and blown.

From Madb, almond kernels.

From Baisdn, rice.
From Damascus come all these
the

'

Bal'isiyyah' cloth, brocade,

olive

oil,

quality, brass vessels, paper, nuts, dried figs

From

Aleppo, cotton, clothes, dried

the red chalk called

'

fresh pressed,

oil of violets of

Al Maghrah.'^

figs,

and

inferior

raisins.

dried herbs and

Ba'albakk produces the sweetmeat of dried

'

an

figs called

Malban.'*

Unequalled

common

this

is

olive

oil, its

Land

of Syria for

and

raisins,

Dflri

the

'

dried

figs,

Ramlah

white bread, and the

also for the quinces, pine-nuts called

'Ainilni

its

Theriack

antidote,

And

was
'

told in Syria of a fine species of date that

Khirf^n,' or

'

Lambs

;'

and

this

is,

perhaps, what

the

further,

allowed to simmer. Finally the mass is set in the sun until

water is driven off and a paste-like residue left.
'

veils

Kuraish-Bite,' the

herb of Mint, and the rosaries of Jerusalem.

called

its

all

the

was popularly
meant here.

is

The first is a cloth of double woof, celebrated for its durability,

made both at Shiraz and Ray (Rhages, near Tehran). In Persia
it was known as
Daibud.' Of the stuff called Bal'isiyyah, made also
in Damascus, no account is obtainable
the etymology of the name
^

also

'

is

unknown.

See below, p. 80, n 3.

In Hebrew a sweetmeat of fig-paste, pressed into the form of
small bricks, called Malben,' is mentioned by Maimonides.
The Arabic name Taryak is taken from the Greek 0rjpiaxi>v
a drug against venomous bites.'
(papfx^axov
It was generally com'

'

''

'

'

'

pounded with
description.

treacle,

and

its

other ingredients were of most various

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
know

71

that within the Province of Palestine

gathered together

found thus united

in

any other

very rare in other countries

most

in other countries.

called

'

these the

first

the following seven are

all

together in this pro-

found one and another singly

part,

Now

be found

and the remaining two-and-

twenty, though only found thus

vince, are, for the

Of

land.

seven are found in Palestine alone

may

products that are not

six-and-thirty

the

first

seven are the pine-nuts

Kuraish-Bite,' the Quince or Cydonian -apple, the

'Ainuni and the Duri raisins, the Kafftri plum, the

called

As

Saba'i,

and the

of Damascus.

fig

seven are the Colocasia or Water

Carob or

fig

The next

the Sycamore,^ the

l.ily,^

John's Bread (Locust Tree), the Lotus-fruit

St.

or Jujube,^ the Artichoke,* the Sugar-cane, and the Syrian

And

apple.

and

olives,

the remaining twenty-two are the fresh dates

the

shaddock,^ the indigo and juniper,^ the

orange, the mandrake,^ the

Nabk

fruit,^

the nut, the almond,

the asparagus,^ the banana,i the sumach," the cabbage,i^

the

truffle,!^

the lupin," and the early prune called 'At Tart;'

also snow, buffalo-milk, the

Arum

honey-comb, the 'Asimi grape

Kalkas, the

Jummaiz, the Ficus Sycomorus.

Colocasia.

^Utmab, the Zizyphus Sativus.

'Akiib, the

^
^
'

Silybum Marianurn.

Utruj, the Citrus Medica.

RAsan, the Inula Helenium.

The

Luffah

is

the

fruit

'Mavhpayopai), the root of which

of
is

the

Fructus atropse Mandragorae of botanists.

the root

is

The

(the

Greek
is

the

fruit is edible,

but

Yabn'ik.'

It

poisonous.

The Nabk

"

Halyun, the Asparagus

^^

Mandrake

called the

is

a plum, the

Maus, the Musa

fruit

of the Sidr tree, the Zizyphus lotus.

officinalis.

paradisiaca.

" Summak, the Rhus Coriaria.

^^
Karanb, or Kurnub, the Brassica oleracea.
'' Kamdh, the Tubera terrae.
" Tarmas the Lupus Termes (Lupin).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

72

and the Tamricalled Kubbait

(or date-)

you

;^

fig.

Further there

as a

common

Basrah

at

too'

else,

is

held as

is

in

it

The Lettuce^

except only at

vegetable,
it

the preserve

find in truth the like of

elsewhere, but of a different flavour.

which everywhere

is

Ahwaz,

is

tiie

also,

counted

However,

here a choice dish.

apan from

name

more common

vegetables.

The Measures and Weights

of Syria are these

Measures of Capacity.
of Ar Ramlah (the Capital

The people
make use of the

Kafiz, the

Waibah, the

of

Palestine)

Makkuk, and

the

Kailajah.'
1

The Kubbait (indifferently written Kicbb&t and Kubbad) is a species

made with Carob-sugar, almonds, and pistachio nuts.

of sweetmeat,

Khass, the Lactua Sativa.

The names of the Arab weights and measures are many of them
taken from the Greek or Latin, being those that were in use in the Syrian
^

'

provinces of the Byzantine empire at the time of the Muslim invasion.

Thus

the

Mudi

is

the

Roman

corn measure the Modius, generally

The Ukiyyah

is the Greek Ouyyla, or ounce,

and the Rati (pronounced also Ritl and Rotl) is, by inversion of the
1 and r, the Airpa.
(See M. Clermont Ganneau's article in the Revue
Kirat, or, as we spell it. Carat, is from
Critique of June 28, 1879)

rendered by Bushel.

Kipariov, the fruit of the Keratea, Carob, or Locust tree (in Arabic

Kharub
St.

or

John's

Kharnub, see above,

Bread.

Among

p. 69, n. 2),

known more

generally as

the Arabs, however (according to Sir

R. Burton), for the Kirat, the seed of the 'Abrus precatorius,' was
taken as the original standard. Dinar and Dirham are respectively
from Denarius and Drachma, Denarius being the name of the silver
coin among the Romans which the Greeks called Drachma. In passing

Denarius or Dinar came to be the name of

Mukaddasi's days somewhat under los. of
while the Drachma, under the form Dirham, continued

to the Arabs, however,

their gold coin, worth in

our money

as the silver coin which, in the days of the early Abbasides, exchanged
at the rate of about fifteen to the Dinar,

and was worth,

therefore,

Habb

(or grain),

about eight English pence.

The names

of the Kafiz, Waibah, SA', Kailajah, and

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
The
The
The
The
The

Kailajah contains about i|

Makkuk

Si's.

equals 3 Kailajahs.

Waibah
Kafiz

73

2 Makkuks.
4 Waibahs.^

is

is

people of Jerusalem are wont to

make

use of the

Mudi, which contains two-thirds of a Kafiz and of the

Kabb, which equals a quarter of the Mudi and they do not
;

Makkuk

use the

at

all,

except

in the

government measure-

ments.

'Amman

In

Mudi equals 6 Kailajahs

the

their

Kafiz

the half of the Kailajah, and by this measure they

is

and dried

their olives

In Tyre the Kafiz

is

the same as the

and the Kailajah here equals the

At Damascus

the Ghirarah contains ij Palestine Kafiz.^

of native

all

Mudi of Jerusalem,

Sa'.

Arab origin. The Kabb is

Hebrew 'Cab,' which contained a
Greek, too, we have Kd^os, for the name of
are

sell

figs.

with the

etymologically identical
quart and a third.
the corn measure

In

and

the Greeks are said to have received the word from the East.

The Makkuk

whom

is

said to have been adopted from the Persians, with

was the name of the Royal Drinking Cup, in shape resembling

a boat and Makkuk is even at this day in Persia the name given to
the weaver's shuttle, which has much this form.
The Danik, which was the sixth part of either Dirham or Dinir, is
also a Persian word, and Danak (with the ordinary k) in that language
it
;

signifies

The

'

a grain.'

basis of the system

is

the Si', the corn measure of the days

of the Prophet, which was ruled to contain the equivalent of four times
'

the quantity of corn that

small,

of a

speaking,

it

man.'

may be

therefore, the

gallon, the

bushel),
^

fills

the two hands, that are neither large nor

Vtd Lane's

'

Dictionary,' s.v.

taken at rather more than

Si'.)

five pints.

may be regarded as the equivalent of our

being 3 gallons, the Waibah 6 gallons (or | of a

Kailajah

Makkuk

and the Kafiz 3 bushels.

last measures we have

For these

Jerusalem Mudi

...

...

Kabb

...

...

Roughly
In Syria,

...

bushels.
i bushel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

74

Measures of Weight.
In Syria, from

Hims

(Emessa), even to (the country

lying between Palestine and

Egypt known

as)

Ratls are (countless) of six hundred varieties,

of these the heaviest

Al

Jifar,

the

all different

the Rati of Acre, and the lightest

is

that of Damascus.

The tlkiyyah (Ounce) contains from 40 and odd up to

5o(dirhams of weight), and every Rati contains 12 Ukiyyah
or ounces, except only at Kinnasrin, where the Rati

is

two-

thirds of this (and contains only 8 ounces).^

The

legal weight of the coin, in

Syria,

everywhere the

Dirham weight of 60

Grain (Habb)

the grain of barley-corn.

is

The Danik (which

is

is

very nearly

and

grains,

their

Dirham) weighs 10

the sixth of the

grains.

The Dinar

contains

24

Kirits

and

Kirat

their

is

equivalent to 3I Barley-corns.^

'Ammin Mudi

Kafiz

bushel
...

Tyrian Kafiz

Kailajah

...

bushels.

pints.

Damascene Ghirarah

'

The

ounces
^

4j bushels,
tJkiyyah, or ounce, in Syria, would contain about si English
the Common Rati about 6 lb. and that of Kinnasrin 4 lb.
;

barleycorn be taken at / of an English grain, by calculaget the Syrian KirAt, nearly equivalent to 25 English grains

If the

tion

we

the

Syrian

Sixth

is

Dinar-weight rather above 59I grains. The Danik or

then equivalent to just over 7 of our grains, and the legal

Dirham-weight 42J grains.

It must be borne in mind, however, that
are only very roughly approximate.

No

all

little

the above calculations

confusion

is

introduced

Arab systems of weights, measures, and moneys, by the fact

that it is often difficult for us to know whether a particular word is to
be taken as meaning the coin or the weight, or again, the weight or the
measure. Thus Dirham is the silver coin, also the legal weight,
into the

equivalent to about 47^ English grains, which

is

the basis of the

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
The
Syria

75

distance between the Post Stations (the Barid) in

generally six miles.^

is

Customs and Manners peculiar to Syria.

In the Syrian mosques it is the wont to keep the lamps
always lighted, and they are suspended by chains even as
at

Makkah.

In the chief town of every province, the

Public Treasure

kept

is

in

the Great

placed in a chamber supported upon

mosques, except only

have doors shutting

which

last

Mosque

is

Mosque,

in that of Jericho,

off the

it

it

And

pillars.
is

of usage to

main building from the

flagged with stone

for the court of the

at Tiberias alone in all this province

is

being

in their

court,

Great

paved with

pebbles.^

The minarets
roof^ over

are built square, and they set a pitched

the main building of the mosques

also,

at

the mosque gates, and in the market places, are cells

all

for the ablution.

Throughout Syria

it

is

the custom to

remain seated between the two Salams of the Evening

whole system of weights. The Rati is the standard of weight, and
measure of capacity, because the Arabs, like the Romans, often
calculated cubic measure by the weight of a specific quantity of oil or
wine.
So, again, the Kafiz is the corn measure, but also the land
measure (being the land that may be sown with that quantity of corn),
and as such, is counted as ^g of the Jarib, the normal square measure
also a

for cultivated grounds.

'

The Stages along

the high roads, on which post-horses were kept

Government expense, were called Barid.' The institution is

of very ancient date, and the word used by the Arabs was probably a

at the

'

corruption of the Latin Veredus, a post-horse.

^

See above,

p. 27.

Meaning not a flat terrace-roof, with or without small cupolas, as

The
is more generally the mode of roofing adopted in the mosques.
word used is Jamalan, that is, camel-backed,' which sufficiently indi^

'

cates
'

the pitched or gable-roof.

Palestine

'

representing the

See the

Aksa Mosque.

illustration in

Badeker's

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

76

Prayers during the month of Ramadhin, and some persons

recite but

of uneven

once the prayers enjoined to be repeated

numbers/ although

In

recite these said prayers three times over.

Ishak of Marv^

made an

in series

times they used to

in past

my day Abu

inhibition at Jerusalem

At

matter of the single prayer.

on

this

the time of the Evening

Prayers during Ramadhan, the crier calling to prayer adds

the words,

'

Allah, have mercy upon you

they say these evening prayers

those employed

in

the

and in Jerusalem
Throughout Syria

!'

thrice.

Recitations of

The

generally story-tellers by trade.

Hanifah hold the place of assembly

Kur'an are

the

Abu

followers of

for their Recitation in

the Aksa Mosque, and they recite, reading from a volume,

even as do the Karramites at their

custom

should proclaim aloud the creed

and

Muhammed

their assemblies

is

cloister.'

It

is

the

on the Friday, that the guards

after the prayers

His prophet

('

There

is

The

!').

no god but God,

Jurisconsults hold

between the two day-prayers, and between

the evening-prayers; and the Kur'&n Readers likewise hold

their sittings in the Great

that are observed also

division

New Year

the Feast of St. Barbara* in the rainy season

Feast comes round, then the

meaning that he may then

^

Equinox)

Christmas, at the time

and

When St. Barbara's

mason may take to his flute,'

the people have a proverb, which says,

Syria, for the

(old style, the Vernal

Whitsuntide, at the time of heat

;

Christian Feasts

of the seasons of the year, are the following

Easter, at the

of cold

Of

Mosques.

by the Muslims of

sit

'

home

quiet at

the

Feast

These are the prayers technically called Witr. (See above, p. 68.)
A renowned doctor of the Shafi'ite School he died in a.h. 340 =
;

A.D. 951.

See above, p. 67, n. 2.In a former chapter Mukaddasi relates how he himself once took
part in the Festival of St. Barbara.
It was celebrated on the 4th day
of Kinun I. (December).
'
*

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Kalends,^

of the
'

When

the

and

again, one

the Kalends come, keep

77

proverbs

of their

warm and

stay at

is,

home

Feast of the Cross^ at the time of grape-gathering

;'

and the Feast of Lydda^ at the time of sowing the seed.

The months in use in Syria are the (solar months) of the
Greeks namely, Tishrtn First and Second (October and
:

Kanun

November),

First

and

January), Shibat (February),

(June), Tammuz (July),

Ayyar(May), Hazairin
and Ilul (September).
It is

Second (December

Adhar (March), Nisan

Ab

(August),

seldom recorded that any Jurisprudist of Syria pro-

pounds new
of aught

doctrines, or that

any Muslim here

is

the writer

except only at Tiberias, where the scribes have

ever been in repute. Verily the scribes here in Syria, as

case in Egypt, are

them

to

and

(April),

nations,

Christians, for the

all

Once when

was

of the Kadis,

at

men

letters a profitable subject

Baghdid,

in the

the

Muslims abandon

entirely this business, and, unlike the

do not hold

is

of other

of study.

assembly of the Chief

number of grammatical
But those about him perceived no

was ashamed

errors in his speech.

at the

fault therein.

In this province of Syria also, for the most part the

assayers of coin, the dyers, bankers, and tanners, are Jews,

while

it is

most usual

for the physicians

and the scribes

to

be Christians.

Now

be

known

it

that in the

Lands of Islam

five feasts

day of Kanun II. (January), was the Day of the Kalends.

Al Biruni, the Christian children assemble and go
round through the houses, crying with the highest voice and some sort
of melody " Calendas." Therefore they receive in every house some'

'

On

The

first

this day,' says

'

thing to eat and a cup of wine to drink.'

2

The

(Masudi
3

13th or 14th of Ilul (September)

i.

was the Feast of the Cross

403).

The Feast

of

Lydda

is

the 23rd of Nisan (April).

the Feast of St. George.

It

took place on

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

78

at five different places are

renowned, to wit

Ramadin,^

Makkah the Night of the Perlection

of the Kur'an,^ at the Aksi Mosque the Two Feasts' in
Askah'yyah (Sicily) the Day of 'Arafat* at Shiraz and the
for its splendour at

Fridays in Baghdad.
of the

month

And

further, both the

of Sha'ban^ at Jerusalem

middle Night

and the Day of the

'Ashura^ at Makkah, are also magnificently kept.

The Syrians

Both learned and

are a well-dressed folk.

simple wear the long cloak called

put on lighter garments

in

'

and they do not

Rida,'

summer-time, except

it

be

in

the

matter of the single-soled shoe.

In Syria the graves are heaped up to form

The month

the

is during the whole

during the night, which
passed pleasantly enough, the day being devoted to sleep, prayer,

'

period from sunrise to sunset

is

The

of obligatory fasting.

mounds

the feasting

fasting
is

and counting the lagging hours which are to elapse before sun-down,
^ The night preceding the 27th day of Ramadan is generally said to
be the Lailat al Kadar 'the Night of Fate
for it is the anniversary
of the revelation of the Kur'^n to the Prophet, and on it, according to
popular belief, the fate of all created things is fixed for the coming year.
^ The Two Feasts I conclude to be, that of the ist of Shawwal, the
Feast of the Fast-breaking (after Ramadan) and that of the loth
;'

'

'

of Dhu-l-Hijjah, the

have been brought

'

to

Day of the
Makkah for

Victims,'

when

the purpose

the animals that

of the sacrifice are

slain.
This closes the rites of the Pilgrimage, and is done in commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice of the ram in the place of Isaac.
^ The day of the great pilgrimage on 'Arafat is the
9th of Dhft-1-Hijjah.
The 15th of Sha'ban is the anniversary of the date when the
Ka'bah was made the Kiblah (point of worship) instead of Jerusalem.
This night is also catled the Night of Immunity, for on it the Angel
of Death and the Recording Angel, both receive from Allah new
registers, and, between the laying down of the old volumes and the
taking up of the new, a moment elapses of which no record is kept,
and perchance a man may profit thereby to escape.
''

" The loth of Muharram is the celebrated Day of 'Ashiara.,

the sad
anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet's grandson, Al Husain.

Hence, among the Shi'ahs a

day, for the Prophet

is

blessed day, on which

fast

day

but with the Sunni's a feast-

reported to have said that

God

took mercy on Adam.'

it

was

'

a grand and

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
people follow after the

reading of the Kur'an,

and they bear the body, head-

bier,

And

foremost, to the grave.i

it is

79

order to complete the

in

customary to go out to the tomb

during the three days after a man's death.

The Syrians wear

'

the heavy rain-cloaks

Mimtar,' thrown open

hollowed form.

wont

and

Egyptian

to ride

their Tailasans^

Ar Ramlah

In

only Amirs and Chiefs

of woolcalled
have not the

the chief shopkeepers are

asses, with

who keep

fine saddles,

and the scribes wear the woollen vest called

The

clothing

the

of

peasantry

in

the

Kisa,'

of

all

who

it

is

Durra

ah.'^

round

shirt, called

the

and they wear no drawers beneath it.* The peasantry

them possess ovens called Furn,' and those of them
'

make

can get burnt bricks

in the

the

'

villages

Jerusalem and Nabulus consists of a single

'

and

The townsmen

horses.

ground.

fire

They

small bread-ovens (Tannur)

line these

with pebbles, and kindling

of dried-dung within and above, they afterwards re-

move the hot ashes and place the loaves of bread to bake upon
these pebbles when they have become thus red-hot.^ There
1

This

according to the

is

Shifi'ite rite.

The Tailasan was the distinctive head-dress of the Kadis and the men

of learning.

It

consisted of a veil (also called Tarhah), worn above the

It was usually
fall over the shoulders.

ordinary turban and allov.'ed to

made
'

of white muslin or linen

hollowed,'

mukawwar, may

stuff.

The word

also signify

'

have rendered by

starched,' but

it is

generally

taken to denote the nick or cavity left at the top of the head-dress.
3 The Durra'ah (also called Midra'ah) was a short vest generally
'

'

worn open

in front, but

having buttons

to fasten

it if

desired.

It

was

made of coloured stuffs, and in either cloth or woollen fabric.

The Kisa is the long shirt or cloak, reaching from the neck almost
The dress of the
to the feet it was of either white or coloured stuff.
;

Fellihin of Palestine

is,

even

at the present day, exactly

what our

author describes.
5 When reading Mukaddasi, during my sojourn in Syria, I was constantly struck by the fact that very many if not most of the customs he
notices are

ovens, in
village of

still

retained at the present day

particular,

is

Mount Carmel.

precisely

his description of the

what may be seen

in

any Druze

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

8o

are also bakers in Syria of the lentil-bread, and of the dish

called

'

Baisar.'i In this province, too, they set to boil in olive-

beans that have already sprouted, and then fry them,

oil

which

is

Also they

a dish sold for eating with olives.

salt the

Lupin, and use it much for food. From the Carob bean^ they
make a species of sweetmeat, which is called Kubbait that
made from the sugar-cane is known for distinction as Natif
;

(that

is,

During the winter-time they bake

Sweetmeat).

Zullabiyyah

these are of

the sugared butter-cakes called

'

pastry, but in Syria they are not

made with cross-bars on

top

filled in

with confection of

fruit.

;'

In the greater

the

number

of the above customs the Syrians resemble the Egyptians,

but in some few they have the ways of the inhabitants of

'Irak and

Akur (Lower and Upper Mesopotamia).

Mineral and other Products of

There are iron-mines
near Aleppo

is

in

it

is

the mountains above Bairflt, and

found the red chalk, called Maghrah.^

here of excellent quality

found,

Syria.

'Amman, where

at

it

It is

also

is

Throughout Syria there are met

less pure.

with mountains of a reddish colour, the rocks of which are

known

as of the

'Samakah'

easily quarried.

is

colour,
is less

is

called

'Hawwarah'

hard than the Samakah,' and they use

'

and

The Baisar

which same

Also there are mountains of a whitish

formed of what

ceilings,
'

(or red sandstone),

for the

(or chalk)
it

this

to whitewash

cementing of the terrace-roofs of the

or Faisar was a dish peculiar to Egypt, as

Mukaddasi

himself remarks in

his

of beans cooked in

honey and milk, and was generally eaten with

description

of that

country.

It

consists

meat.

See above, p. 69, n. 2, and p. 72, n. i.

This is the mineral called Rubrica Sinopica it is made use of by
the druggists in the concoction of specifics, being specially employed
'

'

in the clyster, and as a remedy

by Dioscorides.

in

cases of liver disease.

It is

noticed

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
houses.

8i

In Palestine there are quarries of good white

building-stone

and

From

at Bait Jibril in

many

places marble

Ghaur districts they bring sulphur,

and from the Dead Sea they
get salt in powder. The best honey is that from Jerusalem,
where the bees suck the thyme and likewise that from Jabal
found.

is

and other

the

minerals

like

The finest
which is made at

'Amilah.

quality of the sauce called Muri'

that

Jericho.

Holy

As regards these (Mash-had, or

we have mentioned many of them

Places.

of Martyrdom),

Places
in the

and
book would
The greater number of these Holy

prefatory paragraphs of this our description of Syria

did

we wish

become

to

enumerate them

over-long.

is

all,

verily our

Places are found in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; in

degree they occur scattered over Palestine, and they

less

are

more

rare

Water,

still

in the

Jordan Province.

most part

in Syria, is for the

of Tyre causes constipation.

At Baisan

and bad, while of a truth we take refuge

The water

of Sughar.

of Bait ar

and the water

the water
in

Ram

That

excellent.

found at Baniyas, however^ acts aperiently

is

heavy

Allah from that

is

execrable, but

nowhere do you find lighter (and better) water than at

Jericho.

The water of Ar Ramlah is easy of digestion, but

In Damascus and Jerusalem the
is hard.

that of Nabulus

water

is

not so hard, for the climate of these towns

is

less

arid.

Rivers occur

in

some numbers throughout

and they flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

Barada and
1

the

The Muri sauce

is

JORDAN.
a pickle

this province,

All except the

The BaraDa, which

made

divides

with certain fish or meat set in

has medicinal properties, noted by Galen, Dioscorides,

and Rhazes, and was known to the Romans under the name of Garum
One Al Hafiz calls it the Pearl of Condiments.'
or Muria.
salt water.

It

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

82

below the city of Damascus, waters that

upper

In

district.

its

an arm branching from the main stream en-

part,

north quarter of the city, and divides below it

two branches, the one of which runs towards the desert

circles the

into

and forms there a

lake, while the other

descends

till it

joins

the Jordan.

The River Jordan

scending, forms a

from above Baniyas, and de-

rises

Lake over against Kadas

thence again, descending to Tiberias,

the

Lake

it

(the Hulah);

spreads out into

of that name, and from here further descending

through the valleys of the Ghaur

whelming Lake (which

completely

mountains

salt,

rise

is

it

Dead

the

wild, all swallowing,

above

but

it,

its

falls

Sea).

into the Over-

This Lake

waves never

rise in

is

The

and stinking.

the storm.

Neither the Barada, the River Jordan, the River Maklfib

(the

Upper

Orontes), nor the River of Antioch (the

Lower

Orontes), are navigable for boats.

The Greek Sea (the Mediterranean) bounds Syi-ia on

the west the China Sea (the Red Sea, and Gulf of Akaba)
;

attains

it

on the south.

Over against Tyre

lies

the Island

of KUBRUS (Cyprus),said to be twelve days' journey(round).

It is full of

populous

advantages

in

cities,

and

quantities of merchandise, stuffs,

duced

there.

nation

is

water a

The

island

is

is

The Marvellous Sights

is

power of whichever

It lies distant across the

of a night and a day, and from thence on to

the country of the Greeks

There

Muslims many

by reason of the great

and goods, which are pro-

in the

overlord in these seas.

sail

offers the

their trade thither,

at Jerusalem,

According to what

the

same distance

again.

of the Province of Syria.

without the

city,

a huge cavern.

have heard from learned men, and

also have read in books,

it

leads into the place where

lie

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
the people slain by Moses. 1
for apparently

it

But there

is

83

no surety

in this,

but a stone quarry with passages lead-

is

may go with torches.

Between Palestine and the Hijjaz, that is, between Ar
Ramlah and Wailah, are the stones which were cast at the

ing therefrom, along which one

They

people of Lot.
striped,

and of

size

along the Pilgrim Road, being

lie

both large and small.

Near Tiberias are boiling

the hot baths of that town.

springs,

which supply most of

A conduit goes to each bath from

the springs, and the steam of the water heats the whole

whereby they have no need of

building,

an outer building they

portion

it

same

Within

tion.

place called

who

suffer

diseases,

In

set cold water, that in certain pro-

may be mixed

bathe, and this

artificial firing.

with the hot by those

who wish

also serves in the places for the

to

Ablu-

this district are other hot springs, as at the

Al Hammah^

Thermal Waters). Those

and other such
bathe here during three days, and then
(the

from the scab, or

come

to

ulcers, or sores,

afterwards they dip in the water of another spring, which

cold,

whereupon,

if

Allah vouchsafe

it

to them, they

is

become

cured.
I have heard the people of Tiberias relate that all
around these springs, down to the time of Aristotle, there

were bath-houses, each establishment being

a specific disease, and those

who were

for the cure of

afflicted

thereby lived

here and bathed for their cure. Aristotle, however, demanded

of the
'

King of

that time that these bath-houses should be

Probably referring

to

Korah and

his

companions, of

tion occurs in the Kur'in (xxviii. 76-81) under the

=

name

whom men-

of Kirun.

would seem probable that the hot springs of Gadara, or Amatha

Yarmuk Valley, are those to which reference is here made. Round
large basin may still be seen the remains of vaulted bath-houses.
It

in the

the

The sanatory properties of these sulphureous waters are highly extolled

by many ancient writers, and to this day they have maintained their
reputation among the Bedawin and Fellahin of Palestine, so much so
that the bathing-place

is

regarded by

all

parties as a neutral ground.

62

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

84

pulled down, lest thereby

men should become exempt from

recourse to physicians. That there are here several different

waters, with various medicinal properties,

be a certain

every sick person

fact, for

would appear to

who comes

here now,

obliged each one to immerse himself completely in the

is

waters, thereby to insure that he shall get to that which

may

particularly

Maab,

also, there is

The Lake of Sughar

it,

It is said that a

Dead Sea)

(the

man

They have

taking the waters, and

of Ab (August),

when

level not at

does not sink easily in

rise

on

its

its

With

surface.

its

a cure for

is

all.

waters,
waters,

many

a feast-day for the purpose of thus

it

occurs

in

the middle of the

the people, with those

with sickness, assemble thereto.

Sharah (Edom, or Mount

called

a marvellous

Jordan and the River of the Sharah

a clyster be administered, the same

disorders.

is

and yet they change the

and that waves do not

if

near

Hammah.

another hot spring, called

place, for the River

both pour into

Among the villages

heal his disorder.

who

month

are afflicted

In the Mountains of the

Seir) also, there are hot springs,

Hammah.

summer time, every night when

dew falls, and in such quantities
that the gutters of the Aksa Mosque are set to run.
There is at Hims (Emesa) a Talisman ^ it is the WindIn Palestine, during the

the south wind

is

blowing,

vane, and

it

serves against scorpions.

clay and presses

it

thereon,

obtain a cure for their sting

the imprint of the figure on

alone.

And

in the

Holy

by

For whosoever takes

Allah's

is

by

a Talisman

is

same being the

affected

by the clay

the vane, not

City, too, there

against the bite of serpents, the

permission, will

and the cure

inscription

on

the marble slab behind the Pulpit of the Great Mosque,^

See above, p. 15.
Al BirOni (a.h. 390, A.D. 1000) also mentions these inscriptions,
which he describes as lusus naturae, not cut in the surface of the stone,
'

"

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
where

is

'Muhammad

cut in the surface the wordSj

Apostle,' and again,

'

In the

85

name

is

Allah's

of Allah the Merciful,

the Compassionate.'

The

Cities

Ba'albakk and
sights

to

Mosque

of

Syria

upon

whom

they are

among

Solomon

Tadmur

Dome

be

peace

are

the marvellous

Rock, the
Damascus, and the Harbours of Tyre and Acre.

see,

lies

may

ally,

of

as

likewise the

of the

The country,
belts.
The First

very pleasantly situated.

be divided into four

that on the border of the Mediterranean

Sea.

physicBelt
It is

is

the

plain-country, the sandy tracts following one another, and

Of towns situated
the cultivated land.
Ar Ramlah, and also all the cities of the seacoast.
The Second Belt is the mountain-country, well
wooded^ and possessing many springs, with frequent
Of the cities that are
villages, and cultivated fields.
alternating with

herein are

situated in this part are

Bait

Jibril,

Jerusalem, Nabulus

Al-Lajjun, Kabul, Kadas, the towns of the Bika'

Antakiyyah.

The Third

Belt

Ghaur, wherein are found

palm

trees, well

Among

is

many

district

villages

and streams, also

cultivated fields, and indigo plantations.

the towns in this part are Wailah, Tabuk, Sughar

Jericho, Baisan, Tiberias, Baniyas.

bordering on the Desert.

The Fourth

The mountains

Belt

it

trees.

has

Of

many

villages, with springs of water,

the towns therein are Maab,

is

that

here are high

and bleak, and the cUmate resembles that of the

but

and

that of the valleys of the

Waste

and

forest

'Amman, Adhra'ah,

Damascus, Hims, Tadmur, and Aleppo.

Of mountains

that serve as lines of demarcation are the

but marked by the natural veins

Athar-ul-Bakiyah).

(p.

294 of Sachau's translation of the

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

86

Mount
of Al

of Olives, the

Lukkam

among

of Siddika, of the Lebanon,

hills

and

and the very navel of the Holy Land

is

the mountains which overhang the coast.

Now on a certain day I was present

Abu Muhammad al Mikali, the chief
Naisabfjr

Khurasan), and

(in

were come

at the

assembly of

Law

Doctor of
the

thither

at

jurisprudists

Abu-1-Haitham (one of those

for discussion.

present) was asked whether he could give the proof that

was permissible

it

to perform the ^waterless-ablution, called

At Tayammum, with chalk ('Ntirah'). He cited as his

warrant the known saying of the Prophet the benediction
of Allah be upon him, and
hast

made

as a

means of

is
'

me

for

'

earth.'^

their loquacity.

And

Hamdan, who was one

Then

is

intended, and not

said,

became great
to wonder at
Abu Dharr ibn

the discussion

me

speaking to

of the loudest of the disputants

one must refuse

truth

in

God,

Retorted the questioner,

of the plain alone

soil

and the talking loud, so that they caused

But

'

purification,' and, said he, soil of all kinds

that of the mountain.'

'

Thou, O

the earth as a place of prayer and also

included under the word

Nay, but the

His peace

all

assent to

him who

advances such a quibble as does this learned jurisconsult

for
'

may He be exalted said

has not Allah Himself

The

obligatory Ablution before prayer may, according to

law, be performed either

by washing with water, or

in the

in

the

Muslim

absence of

water, (as for instance during a journey through the desert,) sand,

dry earth, or cinders

may be

used

in

its

place.

This form of the

At Tayammum.
2 This lengthy argument on an entirely futile point whether chalk,
which they assume to be exclusively found in the hill-country, may be
counted as earth whether earth must be earth of the plain, or may
also be earth of the mountain
and lastly, whether the Children of
Israel could possibly have got into the Holy Land without passing
through the mountainous country which hems it in, all this the
Muslim Divines find extremely entertaining and edifying and for
apology we can only add that it is characteristic of the age and the people.
Ablution

is

technically termed

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
Kur'an (chapter

v.,

87

when speaking to the Children

Land ;" and is not that same
However, Abu Dharr began to

verse 24,

of Israel), " Enter ye the Holy

a mountainous country

?'

argue sophistically, bringing forward matters that

way

refuted the reasoning

and another

Sahl ibn as Sa'luki, even added,

said "

But

'

Enter ye the land," and not

"

Go ye

the mountain-country were intended.'

matter was allowed to drop

Now

if

anyone say

way

written that the

to me,

Land

it

But

distinctly

is

though

as

up',''

after this the

was deemed absurd).

Still,

none the

Holy Land)

commanded

Allah

is

less, it

by

the

is

Jericho,

Children

in

and Jericho being in the

the Mountain, that which the Imam, the

Imam

(Sahl ibn as Sa'luki), brought forward,

of Israel to enter the

Ghaur and not

son of the

'

(into the

same

which

through

(for it

one

jurisprudist,

see,

no

in

was, in fact, the truth concerning the matter

answer, whereby

I will refute this, is after

;'

my

then

two ways.

And

from the point of view of jurisprudence.

It will be conceded that the Holy Land is a mountainous
country, and Jericho lies in the plains below, and is counted
us take

first let

among

its

it

Now

dependencies.

speaking, most clearly refers to Al

which

is

Jerusalem, and which

and hence

it is

is

we are
Holy City)_

the Verse of which

Kuds

(the

situated in the mountains

beyond the question for us to consider such

of the outlying towns as are in the plain or the valleys of the

Ghaur. If, however, it be asserted that the Verse has
reference to the City of the Giants, which
that

it

manded

was

this

is

Jericho,

and

which the Children of Israel were com-

to enter

then

both interpretations, and

reply that the text suffices to

refers

both to the entering into

Holy Land, and the entering also into the said City (of
With regard to the subject matter under discusJericho).
the

sion,

however, the application of the Verse

is

here restricted

to the mountain-country alone; though in truth

it is

ever

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

88

laudable to read the words of the Kur'an, understanding

them

in their

most extended

be pointed out that Allah

has,

glorified

may-

it

be exalted and

His Word, used an expression

in

enforces the above argument.

the Kur'an (chap.

vii.

33)

Namely,

which says

who were regarded

the people

Further,

signification.

may His name

weak

as

the Verse of

in

We

'
:

that

have made

to be the heritors

of the Country of the East and also of the West, which

same

Land

the

is

that

we have

blessed

;'

for

we must under-

stand by these lands, both the plain-country of Palestine

and

mountains

its

(Kur'an,
that

is,

v.

25)

Scripture itself explains

in fact, the

'Verily, therein

is

there in the vicinity of the

Now

the second

Sa'lukt's

argument

graphy.

Since

commanded

it is

way
is

lies

in

can answer Ibn as

from the point of view of topo-

Al Kuds
who dwelt

their entry into

the valley of the Ghaur, between the

it

is

to be argued that the Israelites were

possible for

it

manded

voyage by ship upon the sea

remains no other way

for

them

to

not

com-

then there

have entered the Land

except through the mountain-country, as

for,

Holy

(the

in Jericho,

mountain-country and the Dead Sea, and that

to

;'

Holy Land.

which

City) through the City of the Giants,

which same

are Giants

stated that the Children of Israel were

make

to

in

who

a people

in

fact

they did,

the Children of Israel journeyed to the Promised Land,

passing through the Balka province and crossing over the

Jordan to Jericho. Thus, he who takes the argument against

me

is

reduced to one of two conclusions

hold that the Israelites were

either

commanded not

he must

to enter the

mountains of the Holy City, or he must affirm that the

mountains both of Jerusalem and of the Balka are not
held to be within the Holy Land and he who would
;

seriously

make

more seemly

to

either of these assertions, with

abandon

all

discussion.

him

it

were

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

Now

Abu

the jurisprudist,

manner,

89

Dharr, when

me

him

pressed

Yes but you

yourself can never have entered the Holy City, for had
you done so you would have known that it lies in a plain,
and not among the mountains.' But Abu Muhammad,
after this

our president

in

him by stating
Holy Land.

have heard

that

my maternal uncle, 'Abd Allah ibn ashShawil,

sion of the Dair (or

aid

thereof, saying,

is

'

My

and of crops enjoy no

me

village

return

Sultan cried

is

is

bitter

the husband-

well provided with

'Be off with you

pits.'

this

And

the

we would have naught

do with your village.'

Now, as regards the great chains of Mountains of
there are the following

poor

tares gain the

a bushel of corn and reaps but the same

Place, however,

And

thy country.'

may Allah give thee

hard bread do you eat there,

profitable

upper hand, and the almond even

man sows

at a

is

of the heavens, lying far above the lowlands

in soft herbage, rich in oats

Holy

to take posses-

from Jerusalem, spoke to the

Describe to

'

man answered him

mind

Monastery of) Shamwil,^ which

village lying about a league

the

was, on the contrary, a native

relate that a certain Sultan having a

owner

'

immediately corrected and

this assembly,

silenced

of the

answering

said,

to

Syria,

Jabal Zaita (the Mount of Olives), whicli overhangs

the Holy City and we have already made mention thereof.
Jabal SiddIka. These mountains lie between Tyre,
Here may be seen the
Kadas, B^nyias, and Sidon.
middle
day of the month of
the
Tomb of Siddika.^ On
;

The

present

Jerusalem.
2

Yakut

See

Neby Samwil, a small hamlet

12.
S. of W. P. Memoirs,

mud

hovels, north of

in the thirteenth century of our era states that there

is

in

where may be seen the

Salih upon whom be
Prophet
of
the
son
the
of Siddik,

Palestine a village called

Tomb

of

iii.

Ash

Skajara/i,

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

90

Sha'ban^

it is

the custom for great numbers of the people of

the towns around here to

make

Tomb,

a pilgrimage to this

and the Lieutenant of the Sultan also is present. It so

happened that once when I was sojourning in this part of
the country, upon

the Friday in the middle of Sha'bin

Kasim

the Kadi Abu'l

ibn

Al 'Abbas

preach before the congregation.

them

to the restoration of their

In

called

my

upon me

sermon

Mosque, and with

to

urged

success,

was accomplished, a pulpit being also

have heard it related that when a dog in

for afterwards this

erected therein.

any wild animal comes to the boundaries of this

and there are
Sanctuary, he there and then stops short

pursuit of

other stories told of a like kind.

Jabal LubnaN

Lebanon Mountains)

(the

covered with

trees,

among

and

fruits

fit

for eating

contiguous

lie

Their slopes are

(and to the north of) the Jabal Siddika.

abound. In

many

Lebanon Mountains occur little springs

of water, where people who come out to pray have made
places

the

They

for themselves houses of reeds or rushes.

the edible

known
such

as the

like,

on

live

and also gain money by cutting what are

Persian reeds,'^ and the myrtles, and other

fruits,
'

which they carry into the towns

for

But

sale.

much profit thereby.

Jabal al JaulaN (the Hills of the Jaulan).

they do not obtain

These

on the opposite hand to the Lebanon Mountains, over

wards Damascus, as we have before stated.
that

met Abu Ishak

was accompanied by
dressed

in

ascetics).

'

(him of the

Oak

the

These people have a mosque,

is

the

place

was

it

tree),

forty men, his disciples, all of

woollen garments (after

Doubtless this

Peace.'
also, p.

al Balluti

Here

who

them

manner of the
in

which they

here mentioned

see above

2.

See above,

p. 78, n. 5.

lie

to-

xhe Arnndo donax.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
assemble

for prayer.

found

Abu

91

Ishak to be a very learned

and pious jurisconsult of the sect of Sufyan ath Thuri.i

These people feed themselves with acorns a fruit that is

of the size of

the date,

but

half,

and make

It is

then dried and ground in a

it

They

bitter.

sweeter by allowing

it

split

in

to soak in water.

In this

mill.

it

country

grows desert-barley, which these people mix with the

acorn-meal, and therewith make their bread.

also

Jabal LukkaM.2

This

is

the most populous mountain

region of Syria, also the largest in area and the most rich

At

in fruit trees.

country

is

in

the present day, however, (a.d. 985)

beyond these mountains, and Antioch

The Government of

Syria.

is

Hamdun,^ has

lies

on our side of them.

This

is in

(the Fatimite Khalif) the Ruler of Egypt.

of the Bani

all this

Tarsus

the hands of the Armenians.

the hands of

Saif ad Daulah,

lately obtained possession of the

northern portion of the country.

The

Tribute.

Taxes are not heavy

in Syria,

with the

exception of those levied on the Caravanserais (Fanduk)

here, however, the duties are oppressive, as we have men-

tioned

when

describing the

Holy

City.*

The property tax

'
Sufyan ath Thuri was one of the most celebrated of the ascetics
and devotees who made Jerusalem their head-quarters. He is reported

to have repeated the whole of the Kur'an in the

Dome

of the Rock,

during a single sitting, and then to have partaken of but a single

He died in a.d. 777.
plantain for refreshment.
^ These are more particularly the eastern and northern parts of what

was anciently known as Mount Amanus.

All the Syrian mountains

north of the Lebanon, however, are generally included under this

name. The Jabal Lukkim are apparently identical with the Jabal

Sikkin of later Arab Geographers.

^

3 56

Hamdanide, ruled at Aleppo from a.h. 333 to

when he was succeeded by Sa'ad ad Daulah, who

Saif ad Daulah, the

= A.D.

944-967,

again was succeeded by Sa'id ad Daulah in a.h. 38i=a.d. 991. It

was Sa'ad ad Daulah who in point of fact was on the throne at the
time Mukaddasi was writing.
*
See above, p. 37.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

92

(called

Himayah)also isheavy.' That of the Province of Kin-

Al'Awasim (which is the district north of Antioch

and towards the Greek frontier) amounts to 360,000 Dinars
nasrin and

(about

;^i

80,000).

That of the Jordan Province

Dinars (about ;^85,ooo).

to

set

down

is

In Ibn Khurdadbih's Book^

that

is

170,000

259,000 Dinars
it

Dinars and a few thousands more

400,000

(about ;'200,ooo).
it

it

and from the Damascus Province

(about ^129,500);

amounts

In Palestine

the

State

have seen

Land Tax (Kharaj) of

the

Kinnasrin Province was 400,000 Dinars (about ;^200,ooo)

Hims

that of the

Province 340,000 Dinars (about

;^i 70,000)

from the Jordan Province 350,000 Dinars (about;^ 175,000);

and from the Province of Palestine 500,000 Dinars (about
;'250,000).^

In

up

length Syria goes from

its

Midyan of Sha'ib

to the Frontier of the Greeks,

journey.

The breadth

Himayah

is

it

widens

is

(Jethro)

thirty-nine days'

of the Province varies

tion lying over against the Hijjaz

the Northern Frontiers

and

that

por-

narrow, while towards

in extent.

Protection.'
It was an un-canonical
and premises, and of the nature of a 'license,
granting the protection of the State to the occupier and possessor.
The Book of the Roads and the Provinces,' composed by Ibn
Khurdaldbih, by birth a Persian, who occupied high posts in the service of the Khalifs at Baghdad, has been edited and translated by
M. B. de Meynard in the Journa/ Astaitgue o{ 186^. Ibn Khurdidbih
flourished under the Khalif al Mu'tamid, and wrote his book between
the years 240 and 260 a.h. = a.D. 854-873.
" Comparing
this with Ibn Khurdadbih's original, we find the
provinces of Aleppo, Emessa, the Jordan, and Palestine given as in
our text. The Damascus Province (omiued above) is set down at
'

literally signifies

'

tax levied on goods

"-

'

400,000 Dinars, plus a fraction (about ^200,000). The sum total of the
for the whole of Syria therefore would have amounted to

Land Tax

;{^995,ooo, while the Tax derived from Property or Licenses was

^594,500, making a grand total of somewhat over a milhon and a half
sterling.
From other authorities, however, it would seem that Ibn

about

Khurdadbih's figures are

in excess

by about one

third.

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

93

DISTANCES ALONG THE HIGH ROADS.

From Halab to Balis is 2 days.^
From Halab

to Kinnasrin

And

same

the

it is

From
From
From
From
From

is

day.

to Al-Atharib.

Halab to Manbij is 2 days.

Halab to Antakiyyah is 5 days.
Antakiyyah to Al Ladhikiyyah
Manbij to the Euphrates

Hims

to Jusiyyah

Thence
Thence
Thence
Thence

From Hims

to Ya'ath

is

is i

|^

Az Zabadani

to

Damascus

Shamsin

is i

days.

march.
is

to

to

is

march.

march.

to Ba'albakk

is

a march.

is

is i

march.

march.

march.

Thence to Kara^ is i march.

Thence to An-Nabk is i march.
Thence to Al-Kutayyifah is i march.
Thence to Damascus is i march.
From Hims to Salamiyyah ^ is i march.
Thence to Al Kastal is 2 marches.
Thence to Ad-Dara'ah the same.
Thence to Ar-Rusafah is the same.
Thence to Ar-Rakkah is ^ a march.*
1

The Day's

Journey, or March (Marhalah), is stated by Al

be of eight and three-eighths Farsakhs (Parasangs) or
that is, about twenty-five English miles.

Mukaddasi
leagues

to

Robinson (1852) in his map marks Kara as the ancient Chara, and
Al Kutayyifah as the site of Thelseas.
^ Salamiyyah is the ancient Salaminias.
^ The stations Al Kastal and Ad Dara'ah (which latter Ibn Khurdidbih writes Az Zara'ah) are not marked on any modern map that
The distances are given by the last-mentioned
I can meet with.
viz., Ar Rusifah to Az
authority, in Arab (or Geographical) miles
^

Zari'ah, forty

yah, thirty.

thence to Salamiythence to Al Kastal, thirty-six

Ar Rusafah, meaning The Causeway,' and for dis;

'

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

94

From Hims

It

is

to Shaizar

Thence
Thence

to

Thence

to

may

Damascus

march.

to Kinnasrin

Halab

march.

is i

Kafar-Tab

counted

be
to

is

is i

march.

march.

as

march.

is i

two days'

journey from

Ba'albakk, or to the following towns and

namely to Tarabulus, Bairut, Saida, Baniyas,

Hauran District, the Bathaniyyah District, or the town

districts,

the

Hamah

to

Thence

of Adhra'ah.

From Damascus
either case

to the further limit of the

Thence
Thence

to

Al Kuswah

to Jasim
to Fik

is

in

is

as the Rusifah of

there are other towns of the

is

2 post stages.^

march.

the same.

' is

Thence to Tiberias
known

(the
is

march.

From Damascus

tinction

Ghautah

surrounding the city) or to Bait Sara

fertile plain

post stage.
ibn 'Abd al Malik for
was founded by the Omeyyad

Hisham

same name

Khalif Hishim (reigned from a.h. 105-125 = a.d. 724-743), who made
his place of residence during the time that Damascus was being

it

ravaged by the plague.

^

The

position of Bait Sar'i

is

fruitlessly

searched in

this

am

unable to

fix.

As

far as

know

Arab Geographer, and I have

the works of modern travellers for any hamlet of

not mentioned by any other

the place

name.

The

was counted as of two leagues (Farto Al Mukaddasi, is the

twenty-fifth part of the degree, or three miles.
The Arab mile, which
contained 4,000 dhiri' or ells, may be reckoned at somewhat over
the 2,000 yards, and therefore roughly speaking it is the geographical
^

sakhs)

in

post-stage, or Barid,
Syria.

The Farsakh, according

mile or kuot.
the Biblical Aphek, which is written in Arabic either Afik
'Akabah (as below) means the Ascent,' and has reference
to the steep road or gorge leading up from the Jordan Valley to
the Plateau of Jauldn, where Fik is situated.
3

This

or Fik.

is

'

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
From Baniyas

to

Kadas

or to

95

Jubb Yusuf

(Joseph's Pit)^

either case 2 post stages.

is in

From

Bairut to Saida, or to Tarabulus

is

in either case

march.

From

Al

Tiberias to

Baisin, 'Akabah Afik,

in every case

YClsuf,

or to Kafar Kila^

is

march.

From Tiberias to Adhra'ah or to Kadas is

From 'Akabah Afik to Nawa is i march.

And

Jubb

Lajjfln, or to either

Al Jashsh,

thence to Damascus

is

march.

march.

From Jubb Yusuf to Baniyas is i march.

From Al Lajjfan to Kalansuwah^ is i march.
Thence to Ar Ramlah is i march.
Or if you prefer, you can go from Al-LajjCln to Kafar
Saba by the post road in i march, and thence to Ar Ramlah
in

march.

From Baisan to Ta'isir* is

is

2 post stages, thence to

the same, and thence to Jerusalem

From Jubb Yusuf to Kariyat

al

is i

'Uyun^

N^bulus

march.
is

2 marches.

Jubb Yusuf is the traditional site of the pit into which Joseph was
thrown by his brethren. The tradition was probably based on the
erroneous assumption that the neighbouring city of Safed was the
Dothan of Scripture (Gen. xxxvii. 17). Jubb Yusuf lies about mid
way between Safed and the northern end of the Lake of Tiberias, and
^

rather

more than a couple

of miles

from the lake shore.

Kafar Kili be the K. Kileh of the S. of W. P. Map, situated

a little to the south of the great bend westwards of the Leontes
'

If

it must be two days' march, at least, from Tiberias.

Kalansuwah occupies the position of the Castle of Plans

River,
2

of the

Crusading age.
*

Teiisir, of the

'

S. of

W.

P. Memoirs,' II., 228

been suggested as the possible

Israel (Joshua xii. 24).
^

Kariyat al 'Uyiln,

'

site

and map.

It

has

of Tirzah, once the capital of

the Village of the Springs,' represents the

Ahion) taken and plundered by the captains of

Benhadad (i Kings xv. 20). It is at the present day called Tell
Dibbin, but stands in the plain called Merj Ayyijn, between the Upper
Biblical Ijon {A'lw

Jordan and the Leontes River.

{Vide 'Robinson,' 1852,

p. 375.)

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SYRIA,

96

Thence
Thence
Thence

to Al-Kar'fln

is

to 'Ain al Jarr^
to Ba'albakk

march.

is i

is

march.

march.

This route goes by the name of Tarik

Road of Ladders.'
From Al Jashsh to Sfir is i march.
From Sur to Saida is i march.
From Sur to Kadas, or to Majdal
stages

al

Madirij, 'the

Salam,^

is

2 post-

and from Majdal Salam to Baniy^s

is

post-

stages.

From
From

Tiberias to 'Akka

is

2 marches.

Kadas, or Saida, or

either Nabulus, or

Jabal Libnan (Lebanon Mountains),

I

is

in

Sfir, to

the

every case about

march.

From 'Akka
each case

to Slir, or from

'Akka

to

Al Kanisah,^

is

in

march.

From Ar Ramlah to either Jerusalem, or Bait Jibril,

or 'Askalin, or As Sukkariyyah, or Ghazzah, or to Kafar
Saba, by the post-road,

From Ar Ramlah

is

in

each case

to Masjid Ibrahim,* or to Ariha,

^

'Ain al Jarr,

is

now

to Nabulus, or to
is

in

Kafar Sallam, or

every case

contracted into Anjar.

the Bika' Plain, and very near

march.

It is

march.

a large village in

are the ruins of the ancient Chalcis

it

ad Belum.
^

The name

is

written in the

MSS. Majd

(not Majdal) Salam, but

Mejdel Islim is marked exactly in this place in the Map of the

S. of W. P., and that of Van der Velde has Mejdel Salim.
Majd, too,
in the name of a place would have no signification, while Majdal is a
very frequent appellative, being identical in form and meaning with
the

Hebrew Migdol,

Majdal
^

for

The

'

P. Memoirs,'

the

site

fit

Castle.'

therefore, without hesitation, read

present Tell Keniseh, a short distance north of 'Athlit

W.
saw

'

Majd.'

is

314).

Capernaum

('

S. of

In the opinion of William of Tyre this was

of the Gospels, which he and his friends

on the shore of the Mediterranean.
Hebron.

of the

to place

That

I.,

INCLUDING PALESTINE.
From Ar Ramlah
Arsuf,

to

or

to

Yafah,

to

or

Azdild/ or to

g;

Al Mahuz,

to

Rafh,

is

each

in

or

case

march.

From As Sukkariyyah to At
Ghamr is

from At Tulail to Al

Wailah

is

TulaiP

is

2 marches,

marches and
and thence to
;

2 marches.

From Jerusalem

to either Bait Jibril, or

or the Jordan River,

From Jerusalem
Jerusalem to Ariha

From 'Askalan

every case

in

is

Nabulus

to

is

Masjid Ibrahim,

march.

march

and from

2 post-stages.

is

to Yafah, or to Rafli,

is

each case

in

march.

From Ghazzah
in every case

to Bait Jibril, or to

Sughar

is

to Rafh,

Kawus^

to

is i

march, and thence

march.

From Kafar Saba to Kalansuwah is i march.

From the Jordan River to 'Amman is i march.
From Nabulus to either Ariha, or to Kafar Sallam^
to Baisan,

every case

is in

From Ariha

'Amman

to

is

or

march.

Ram*

to Bait ar

is

2 post-stages

and thence

march.

From Sughar

And

is

march.

From Masjid Ibrahim

to

Azdud, or

to

Maab

is

march.

Wailah

4 marches. This last

road, as well as that from As Sukkariyyah to Wailah, both
from Sughar

to

is

The Biblical Ashdod.

At Tulail, the Hillock is not marked on the maps.
^ Kawus, as the name of a place, does not occur on any map, nor is
mentioned, as far as I am able to discover, by any Arab geographer
'

it

'

'

except

Mukaddasi

furthermore,

the reading of the

name

unlikely to be corrupt, for the diacritic points are wanting in

the

MSS.

Hence Mons.

making a change
Faukah), which

is

in

the

map

given in Badeker.

The

present Tell

not
of

Ganneau would propose to read (after

diacritical points) for Kawus, Zu'airah (al
C.

a village situated at about

the

is

some

Rameh

this point,

according to

98

THE PROVINCE OF

lie

through a wild barren country, which, though counted

as part of Syria,

each case

in truth the

is

From 'Amman

Arabian Desert.

Maab, or

either to

to

Az

Zarika/

is

in

march.

From Az Zarika

to

Adhra'ah to Damascus

From Kaisariyyah

Adhra'ah
is

From Yafah

to

either

to 'Askalan

In the text twice so

is

march, and from

2 marches.

Saba, or Arsuf, or Al Kanisah,

INCLUDING PALESTINE.

SYRIA,

is i

spelt.

is

Kafar Sallim, or Kafar

in every case

march.

march.

But without doubt the town round

the present Kal'ah Zarka, on the Zarka (or Jabbok) River, is the
place intended. In his introductory chapter, when enumerating the

homonyms, our author mentions

Damascus (Pilgrim) Road.'

the

particularly

'

Az Zarka, a town on

APPENDIX,
CONTAINING SOME FURTHER NOTES BY
COLONEL SIR C. WILSON, K.C.B.

Page

i.

Jeremiah's Cistern is possibly the place mentioned by

Antoninus and Theodosius, the underground cistern in the

Haram

Area,

now known

as the

Page
in

Well of the

'

Leaf.'

2.

The Oratory of Zacharias may have stood over the place

the Haram Area where blood-stains were pointed out

to the

Bordeaux

might be seen

Temple and

Pilgrim.

Jerome says that the

St.

the

near

altar

stains

between the ruins of the

at a place lying

the

gate

which leads

to

Siloam.

Page
The Cave

5.

of the Seven Sleepers

is

still

side of Jebel S'hab al Kehf, a prominent

miles
rags,

the

from Tarsus

and near
Sultan

it

Abd

pilgrimage, and a
efficacious

in

is

mouth
a small mosque

al

at its

Aziz.

visit to it is

'

is

about

five

a tree covered with

built

by the mother of

a celebrated

place

of

looked upon as certain to be

The Tomb
Dunuk Tash.'

fever-cases.

perhaps the celebrated

It

is

shown on the
hill

'

of

Uakyanus

72

'

is


THE PROVINCE OF
Page

SYRIA,

20.

Fragments of the old Mosaic work and Arabesques may,

be found on the walls of the great

at the present day, still

mosque

at

Damascus, but neither

design nor execution

in

can these compare with the mosaics in the

Rock
is,

The

at Jerusalem.

as a rule, similar to that found

on the walls of the

of the Rock, while the inlaid marble work

in the
p.

The mosque

Aksa Mosque.

19 of the text) are

worked copper

Bab

with regard to the

of the

is

Dome

similar to that

gates (as described on

covered with very beautifully

still

(or brass)

Dome

Damascus Mosque

faience of the

Perhaps the

plates.

as Sa'at

may

difficulty

be due to an error on

the part of Mukaddasi, arising from the existence of the

Kubbat

as Sa'at in the eastern half of the

The Kubbat

is

Mosque

Court.

octagonal building containing

little

(in

some old clocks, run down and useless. The Kubbat

Kuttub was possibly the Baptistry of the old church.

1865)
al

Perhaps

Ziyadeh

Bab

the
;

the style

Maksurah

there

masonry.

now

inscription,

al

The

closed, over

gate

which

'Thy Kingdom,'

Page
Karyet

have been Bab az

should

leading into the

22) appears to have been the Great Gate in

the south wall,

Greek

Sa'at

a break in part of the wall there, in

is

of the
(p.

as

34,

is

the well

known

etc.

Note

2.

'Inab would appear to be situated at too great

a distance from

Ramlah

to be identified with Bali'ah,

the road to this last would go through

the

'

and

Jerusalem

Gate.'

Page
(i)

38.

The Gates of Jerusalem.

Bab SzAj/4n.The

original Sion

to the east of the modern gate of the

Gate lay probably

same name, and

at

INCLUDING PALESTINE. APPENDIX.

the end

of the

coming

street

Damascus Gate;

loi

down from

straight

the

was also called 'Gate of the Jews'

it

Quarter.'

Ttk. The Modern Dung Gate, or thereabouts being on the natural road down the Tyropoeon,
which goes through the Wadi an Nar to the wilderness of
(2)

Bdl> at
;

Jud^a.
(3)

BM al Baldt most

between the present

and led

to the

stood near here, or

known

is

Gate and the south-west angle,

open space which

Armenian Convent.
which

probably opened in the west wall

Jaffa

now

is

One of the
maybe Bab

the garden of the

gates of old Jerusalem

al

Balat was the

gate

from the Golden

to have existed not far

Gate, in the east wall.

Bdb Silw&n was the Double Gate, in the wall under

Aksi Mosque, which is mentioned as the gate leading

(4)

the
to

Siloam by Antoninus, and was open

in early Christian

times.

Bab Jubb Armiyd probably lay a little to the west of

the present Bab az Zahireh.
(6) Bdb Arthd was either the modern St. Stephen's
Gate or the ancient gate, now closed, which opened near
more probably the former, for the old
the Golden Gate
(5)

Roman

road to Jericho had not,

in

Mukaddasi's days, yet

fallen into disuse.

(7)
(8)

Bdb al'Aimld, Damascus

Bdb Mihrdb Ddud, Jaffa

Gate.
Gate.

Page 39. The Three Great Tanks

These are

(i)

Birkat

Israil,

as

at

present

(2)

Anne's Church, now

filled

in

ascribed these two pools to Solomon)

and

(3)

Birkat Sulaiman, near

(tradition

Bani

in Jerusalem.

St.

Birkat 'lyad, the Pool of Hezekiah,

now

Birkat

Hammam

'

THE PROVINCE OF
al

SYRIA,

The Pool Burak (mentioned in note on p. 40)

modern, and down to the times of the Latin

Butrak.
quite

is

Kingdom

a road ran under Wilson's Arch, where the pool

has been dug.

Page

Gates of the Haram Area.

46.

Mukaddasi's Bab Hittah must be the modern Bab

al

'Atm and his gate of the Birkat Bani Israil, the present
Bab Hittah. The two gates of the Prophet Muhammad
one
Barclay's Gate
are the Bab al Magharibeh and
being above the other. The gate of Mary's Oratory is
;

;'

'

perhaps the gate or doorway recently found

wall of the

Haram

in the eastern

Area, or else the Single Gate in the

Maryam

southern wall; the Mihrab

is

still

shown

at the

The Hashimite, Al Walid, and Umm

Khalid gates are the Bab Nathir (known also as Bab
'Ali ad Din al Bosri), Bab Hadid, and Bib Kattanin, but
it is difficult to identify each individually.
The gates of
south-east angle.

the

Sarai and of the Place of Ablutions are small and

modern openings.

Page

47.

The Mihrab Maryam is at the south-east angle of the

Haram Area, in the Chamber of the Cradle of Jesus.'
The Mihrabs of Zachariah and Al Khidr are in the Aksi
Mosque 'Jacob is probably he who is now referred to as
'

'

'John,'

and a

of the

Dome

is

Makam

al

Khidr

'

is

The

of the Rock.

'

also found in the cave

Place of the

Kaabah

'

perhaps the slab shown as the tomb of Aaron's Sons

Aksa Mosque. The Place of the Bridge as Sirat

in the
is

'

'

now pointed out near the

east wall of the

where a projecting column marks the

spot.

Haram

Area,

INCLUDING PALESTINE.- APPENDIX.

Page
The
is

103

59.

present ruin of the church of St. George at

Lydda

a crusading building, but perhaps on the site of the older

church.

Page

60,

Note

5.

Kafar Sallam appears to be the modern Ras

al

'Ain, the

Antipatris of the Bible, and the Castle Mirabel of the

Crusaders.

INDEX.
When two or more
principal

references are given, the first indicates the

notice.

'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, 63

'Abd Allah ibn Tahir, 42
Ablution,

before prayer,
water or sand, 86
Abraham, his bedstead, 52
Abu 'Amr's reading of

'Ainuni raisins, 69
'Akaba, Gulf of, 3, 82
with
of the word, 94

meaning

'Akabah Afik, 95
'Akir (Ekron), 60
the 'Akka (Acre), 29, 11, 96
Kuran, 68
Aleppo.
See Halab
Abu Bakr, the Architect, Grand- Amanus mountains, 91
father
of Mukaddasi, con- Amatha, thermal springs, 83
structs the Port at Acre, 30
'Amman (Rabbath Ammon,
Abu Ghaush, 34
Philadelphia), 56, 11, 85, 97,
Abu Hanifah, the Traditionist,
98 its products, 70
Al Aran (Elim ?), 65
67, 76
Abu Ishak al Balliiti, 90
Amygdalon Pool, 40
Abu Ishak of Marv, 76
'Amwas (Emmaus), 60
Abu Sa'id al Juri, 14
Anjar, 96
Acre.
See 'Akka,
'Annabah Village, 33
Adhri'ah (Edrei), 29, 11, 85, 94, Antikiyyah (Antioch), 8, 14, 85,
98
93 river of, 82
Adhruh (Adru of Ptolemy), 63, Antarsus or Antartfls (Antara;

dus, Tortosa), 10

II

'Adud ad Daulah, Book from

his Library, 23

^lia Capitolina, 34
Jerusalem

to be slain at the
Gate of Lydda, 59
and see Antioch. See Antikiyyah
Antipatris,
of the
Crusaders

Afik, 94, 95

Ailah.

See Wailah

'Ain al Jarr, 96
'Ain Sulwan (Siloam), 49
'Ain
ad Daraj (Jerusalem),

Umm

49
'AinOna,

Antichrist,

(Arsuf), 54

its

real site (Kafar

Saba), 60

Aphek, 94
ApoUonia (Arsiif), 54
Apollonia Syr (Bulunyis), 10
Ar Moab, or Areopolis.
See

Maib

THE PROVINCE OF

io6

Arafat, day of, 78

Ariha (Jericho), 55,

88, 96, 97 ;
its water, 81
Aristotle, 83'

its

SYRIA,

Bab Dar
11, 85, 87,

products, 69

al

Battikh (Aleppo),

13

Bab Dafld (Haram Area,

Jeru-

salem), 47

Bab ad Dawadariyyah (Haram

Arjamush, 10
'Arkah, the Arkites (Area, or
Arcados), 25, 10
Arsuf (ApoUonia), 11, 62, 96, 97
Artichoke, 71

Area, Jerusalem), 46
al Faradis (Damascus), 16
al Faraj (Damascus), 16

Bab
Bab
Bab

Ghawanimah

al

(Haram

Area, Jerusalem), 47

Bab al Hadid (Damascus), 16

Ashdod, 97
Bab al Hadid (Haram Area,
Ashura, day of, 78
'Askalan (Ascalon), 54, 11, 62,
Jerusalem), 47
Bab al Hashimiyyin (Haram
96-98
Area, Jerusalem), 47
Al 'Askar, Quarter of Ramlah,
Bab Hims (Aleppo), 13
Bab Hittah (Haram Area,

33
Asparagus, 71
Asses, used for riding, 79
Al Atharib, 93

Atrabulus (Tripoli), 10
Auranitis (Hauran), 1

Al Auza'i, the Traditionist, 67

Al Awasim district, its taxes, 92
Azdfld (Ashdod), 97
Baalah, 34

Jeru-

salem), 46, 2

Bab

Ibrahim
(Haram Area,
Jerusalem), 47
Bab al 'Irak (Aleppo), 13
Bab Israfil (Dome of the Rock,
Jerusalem), 44
Bib al Jibiyah (Damascus), 16
Bab al Janaiz (Haram Area,
Jerusalem), 46
Bab al Janan (Aleppo), 13
Bab al Jannah (Dome of the

Ba'albakk (Heliopolis), 10, 26,

its products,
66, 93, 94, 96
Rock), 45
70
See also under Bab Jayrun (Damascus Mosque),
Bab (Gate).
;

Darb
Bab al

19

(Damascus
'Araarah
Mosque), 20
Bab al 'Amud (Jerusalem), 38
Bab Antakiyyah (Aleppo), 13
Bab al Arba'in (Aleppo), 13
Bab Ariha (Jerusalem), 38
Bab al Asbat (Haram Area,

Bab

el Jellik

or Jennik (Damas-

cus), 16

Bab Jubb Armiya

(Jerusalem),

38

Bab
Bab

al
al

Kabir (Damascus), 16
Kattanin (Haram Area,

Jerusalem), 47
Khalil (Haram Area,
al
Jerusalem), 47
Bab al 'Atm (Haram Area, JeruBab al Khalil (in Wall of Jerusalem), 46
salem, also called Jaffa Gate),
Bab al Balat (Jerusalem), 38

Bab

Jerusalem), 46

Bab al Barid ( Damascus Mosque),

Bab

Birkat Bani Israil

Area, Jerusalem), 46

39
al Kibli (Dome of the Rock,
Jerusalem), 44
Bab Kinnasrin (Aleppo), 13

Bab

19

(Haram

INCLUDING PALESTINE. INDEX.

107

Bab al Matarah, or al Mutawadda Bab as Sdr (Dome of the Rock,

(Haram Area, Jerusalem), 47
Jerusalem), 44, 2
Bab Mihrab Daiid (Jerusalem), Bab as Surmayatiyyah (Damascus Mosque), 20

38

Bab Mihrab Maryam (Haram Bab at Tih (Jerusalem), 38

Bab Tuma (Damascus), 16
Area, Jerusalem), 46
Bab Mikail (Haram Area, Jeru- Bab Umm Khalid (Haram Area,
Jerusalem), 47

salem), 47

Bab

al
Walid (Haram Area,
Jerusalem), 47
Bab al Yahud (Aleppo), 13

Muhamaliyyin (Damas- Bab

al

cus), 16

Bab an

Nabi

(Haram

Area,

Bab

Jerusalem), 46

Bab an Nabl Daud

(Jerusalem),

(Damascus

az
Ziyadah
Mosque), 20
Baiae.
See Bayyas

al A'tham (Aksa Bairut (Berytus), 25, 10, 94, 95

Baisan (Bethshean, Scythopolis),
Mosque, Jerusalem), 42
its water,
Bab an Nahr (Damascus), 16
29, II, 85, 95, 97
81
its products, 69, 70
Bab an Nasr (Aleppo), 13
Baisar, a dish, 80
Bab an Nasr (Damascus), 16

Bab an Nahas

Bab an Nathir (Haram Area,

Jerusalem), 47
Bab an Natifiyyin
Mosque), 22

Bab an

Nisa

(Damascus

theropolis),

(Dome

of

the

Rahbah

(Jerusalem), 38
ar Rahmah (Haram Area,
Jerusalem), 46
Bab ar Rakkah (Aleppo), 13
ar

Bab as

Sa'at (Damascus

85,

96,

Lahm

(Bethlehem), 50

Bait al Makdis (see also Jerusalem), II

Bait ar Ram, 97 ; its water, 81
Sar'a,

94

Balanea, 10

Al Balat, 34
as Saghlr (Damascus), 16
Balis (Barbalissus), 13, 8, 14
as Sahirah (Jerusalem), 38
as Sakinah (Haram Area), 2 Bal'isiyyah cloth, 70
Bab as Balka District, 56, 66, 88
as Salamah or
Banana, 69, 71

Salam (Damascus), 16

Bab

11,

Bait Libya, 11

Mosque), Bait

20

Bab
Bab
Bab
Bab

53,

97
Bait

Rock, Jerusalem), 44

Bab
Bab

Bait 'AinQn, raisins from, 69

Bait Dijan, 33
Bait Jibril (Bait Jibrin, Eleu-

as

Sarai

(Haram

Area,

Baniki, 9

Jerusalem), 47
Bab ash Shaghur (Damascus),
16
Bab ash Shark! (Damascus), 16
Bab Sihyun (Jerusalem), 38
Bab as Silsilah (Haram Area,

Baniyas

Jerusalem), 47
Bab Silwan (Jerusalem), 38
Bab Sirr (Jerusalem), 38

Barbalissus.

(Bulunyas),

on

the

coast, 10

Baniyas

(Paneas,

Caesarea

Philippi), 24, 10, 82, 85, 94,

95 its water, 81
;

Barada

river,

See Balis

Barid or Post Stage, 75

Barleycorn, weight, 74

THE PROVINCE OF

io8

Bathaniyyah (Batanaea),

ii,

26,

(Baise), 8

Beans,

dishes

Syria,

of,

peculiar

to

Bika' Territory, 10, 11, 85

Bir Ayyub, 49

Bani

Israil

(Kafar

Sallam

?),

61

Berothah (Berytus, Bairut ?), 25

and
Betho
Beth Annabam
Annaba, 33
Beth Dagon, 33
Beth Gubrin (Bait Jibril), 53
Bethlehem, 50
Bethshean.
See Baisan

Birkat

95

Cavar Salim

80

Belus River,

Castle, or Citadel of Jerusalem,

37
Castle of Goliath at 'Amman, 56
Castle of Plans (Kalansuwah),

94
Bath-houses of Gadara, 83

Bayyas

SYRIA,

(Jerusalem),

Cavern (of Korah ?), at Jerusalem,

Chalcis, 13
Chalcis ad Belum, 96

Chalk

Hills,

80

Chalk, used in
ablution, 86
Chalus river, 12
Chara, 93

the

Waterless-

China Sea (Red Sea), 82

Christians, the, generally assayers,

dyers, bankers, and tanners in
al Butrak, 40
Birkat
Syria, 77
Birkat 'lyad (Jerusalem), 39
Birkat Sulaiman (Jerusalem), 39 Christians and Jews in Jerusalem, 37
Bostra, Bozra, 3
Bread, made with lentil-flour, Christmas festival, 76
80 ; made with acorn-flour. Church of Bali'ah, 34
Church of Constantine at Bethlehem, 50
Bridge over the Jordan, 27
Church of St. Jeremiah, 34
Buff"alo-milk, 55, 71
Bulunyas (Balanea or Baniyas), Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
(at Jerusalem), 23
10
Church of the Sepulchre of Mary
Bunni fish. 28
Al Burak Pool, 40
(Jerusalem), 49
Cisterns
in
Haram Area at
Busra (Bozrah, Bostra), 3
Jerusalem, 40
Cities of Lot, Site of, 52, 63
Cab, a measure, 73
Cities of Solomon, 85
Cabul, II
Caesarea of the Lebanon (' Arkah ), Climate of Syria, 65
26
Commerce of Syria, 68
C^sarea
of
Palestine.
See Coele Syria, 1
Kaisariyyah
Covered Part, or Main Building
Caesarea Philippi.
See Baniyas
of a Mosque, 42
Canaan, Valley of, 2, 26
Cross, feast of the, 77
Capernaum, not Tell Keniseh, Cydonian apple, or Quince, 71
Cyprus, 82
96
Carat, weight, 72
Carob fruit, the Locust-tree, or DaibOd cloth, 70
St. John's Bread, 69, 72, 80
Dair Shamwil, 89

39

Hammam

INCLUDING PALESTINE.-INDEX.
DajAn (Beth Dagon), 33
DakyanHs, or Dakiyus
(the
Emperor Decius), 5
Dalam, Sandfly, 54
Damascene Figs, 60
Damascus (Dimashk), District,

Durah, and the

D(iri raisins,

109

69

Durra'ah, or vest, 79

Easter festival, 76
Ebal and Gerizim, 55
Edom. See Ash Sharah
10 ; its taxation, 92
Edrei.
See Adhra'ah
Damascus, City, 15, 85, 93, 94; Ekron. See 'Akir
its products, 70 ; Mosque of,
Elath.
See Wailah
See Bait Jibril
17 ; origin of the name, 23 ; Eleutheropolis.
water of, 81
Elim (?), 65
Damascus Gate (Jerusalem), 39 Emesa. See Hims.
Danik, the sixth of the Dirham, Emmaus Nicopolis, 60
or Dinar, 73
En Rogel, 49
Ad Dara'ah, 93
Epiphania.
See Hamah
Darayya, 10, 12
Darb (Gate) Bait al Makdis, D. Faisar, a dish, 80
Bila'ah, D. Bir al Askar, D. Al Faradhiyyah, 29, 11
Dajun, D. Ludd, D. Masjid Farsakh (the Greek Parasang)
'Annabah, D. Misr, D. Yafa
or league, 17, 94
(at Ramlah), 33
Festivals observed in Syria, 76Daroma or Ad Dardm District,
78
Figs called As Saba'i, and of
53
Damascus, 7 1 ; At Tamri fig,
Daiid ibn Ali, the Traditionist,
dried figs called Kuttain,
72
67
Day's journey, or march, 93
69
Dead Sea, 63, 82, 84 ; medicinal Elk, 94, 95
Filastin (Palestine), District of,
properties of its waters, 84
Deiran District, 53
11; its taxation, 92; its
products, 69
Desert of the Wandering of the
Al Firma, 35
Children of Israel, 64
Fish called Bunni, 28
Dewfall in Palestine, 84
Furn, ovens, 79
Dhira' Maliki, ell, 48
Dibs, syrup, 69
Dinar and Dirham, the ancient Gabalah, Gibellum, or Gibellus
Major (Jabalah), 10
and ' Drachma,'
Denarius
Gable-roofs of Mosques in Syria,
72, 74
Dome of the Sepulchre of Abra75
Gadara, thermal springs at, 83
ham, at Hebron, 50
Dome of the Rock, Kubbat as Garum Sauce, 81
Sakhrah (Haram Area, Jeru- Gate. See under Bab and Darb
See Ghazzah
salem), 44 ; built by Abd al Gaza.
'

'

'

'

Malik, 23

Dome.

See under Kubbat

Uress of the Syrians, 78, 79

Dung Gate of Jerusalem, 39

Gaulonitis, 11

Gerasa, 29
Gerizim, 55

Germanicia, 9

THE PROVINCE OF

SYRIA,

Al Ghamr (Gomorrah ?), 63, 97 Hermits of the Lebanon MounGhassan the Physician, 66
tains, 90
Ghaur, the Jordan Valley, 66, Hermon, Mount, 24, 25
Herod's Gate (Jerusalem), 39
85
Ghautah of Damascus, 94
Hierapolis. 8
Ghazzah^ (Gaza), 53, 11, 62, 96, Himayah, or Property Tax, 92
97
Ghirarah, measure, 73, 74
Ghurjistan, The Ruler of,
Charity at Hebron, 52

Ghutah

Territory, 26,

Gibelin (Bait

Jibrll),

Hims (Emesa),

District,

its

taxation, 92
his

Hims (Emesa),

City, 15, 85, 93,

talisman at, 84
Hinnom, Valley of (Jerusalem),

94

53

.49.

Hippicus Tower, 37
Golden Gate of Jerusalem, 46, Hisn al Khawabi, ro
Holy Places, 81
38
Gomorrah. See Al Ghamr
Honey, 8r
Giscala, 31

Grain, weight, 73, 74

Grapes, of Eshcol, 69

Horses, for riding, 79

;

called

'Asimi, 71

(Bait Jibril),

53

Greek Sea (Mediterranean), 82

Guest-house of Hebron, 51
Gulf of Akaba, 3

Habb,

House of Gabriel

Grain

Hulah Lake (Waters of Merom),

28, 82

Hulah

Territory, 26, 11

Ibn Amir's reading of the Kuran,

68
Habra (Masjid Ibrahim, Hebron), Ibn Khurdadbih, 92
Ibn Tulun fortifies the Port of
50. 96, 97
Al Hajjaj, the Arab, and the
Acre, 30
she-camel, 36
Ijon, 95
Halab (Aleppo), 12, 8, 14, 85, Iliya (and see Jerusalem), 34
its products, 70
Indigo, 69
93, 94
Halfa-reed (Papyrus?), 28
Iron mines, 80
Hamah (Haraath, Epiphania), Iskandarunah, 8
or

weight,

73,

74

S,

Istakhr (Persepolis), 35
ibn Ghanm, 40

94

Hammah, 83, 84
Tyad
Haram Area (Jerusalem), DimenAl

sions

of,

48

Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf,

Tomb, 53
Hashmush, 11
Hauran (Auranitis),

Ja'afar at Tayyar,
his

11, 26, 94
Al Hawiyyah, 6
Hawwarah, Chalk hills, 80
Hebron, 50, 96, 97
Hebron Gate (Jerusalem), 39

Heliopolis, io

Jabal
Jabal
Jabal
Jabal
Jabal

63

'Ajlun, 29
'Amilah, 28, 29
Jarash, 29
al

Jaulan, 90

Lubnan (Lebanon Moun-

tains), 90,

96

Jabal Lukkam, 91
Jabal Nusrah, 51
Jabal Siddika, 89

INCLUDING PALESTINE. INDEX.

Kafar Saba, 60, 11, 95-98
Kafar SallSm, 60, 1 1, 96-98
Kafiz, measure, 72-75
5. 89
Jabalah, 10
Kafur, the Ikhshidi, 68
Kafflri plum, 71
Jabbok river, 98
Jabneh or Jabneel, and Jarnnia, Kailajah, measure, 72-74
60
Ka-in, 35
Kaisariyyah (Csesarea of PalesJaffa Gate (Jerusalem), 39
tine), 55, II
Jalabah, Boats peculiar to the
Red Sea, 64
Kalends, festival, 77
Kalansuwah, 95, 97
Jamalan, the Gable-roof, 75
Kal'at Seijar, 9
Jarib, measure, 75
Al Jashsh (Giscala), 31, 95, 96
Kal'at Zarka, 98
Kamid (al Lauz), 10
Jasim, 94
Al Kanisah, 96, 98
Jaulan (Gaulonitis), 26, 1
Kanut text, 68
Jericho.
See Ariha
Jerusalem (Bait al Makdis, Al Kara, 93
Balat, Iliya), 34, 85, 87, 88, Karramites, 67, 76
its Kariyat al 'Inab, 34
95-97 ! its products, 69
Kariyat al 'Uyun (Ijon), 95
water, 81
Jerusalem, Limits of its Territory, Al Kar'un, 96
Al Kastal, 93
Jewish physicians and scribes in Kawus, 97
Kedron Valley, 49
Syria, 77
Al Khadra Palace at Damascus,
Jisr al Majami'ah, 27
22
Job, his Land, 26
Khalif 'Abd al 'Aziz, 23
Job's Well (Kedron Valley), 49
Khalif 'Abd al Malik, his InstiJoppa or Jaffa. See Yafah

Jabal Sikkin, 91
Jabal Zaita (Mount of Olives),

Jordan

river, 82, 97 ; source

bridge over, 27

of,

tution of the Servants of the

Jerusalem Mosque, 48 ; continues Aksa Mosque, 41

Khalif Hisham, 34, 94
Urdunn
Khalif al Mahdi rebuilds the
Jubb Yfisuf (Joseph's Pit), 94
Aksa Mosque, 41
Jurisprudists, in Syria, 77
Khalif Muawiyah, 2 2
Jusiyah (Paradisus), 8, 93
Khalif al Muktadir's Mother,
her Gift of a Door for the
Kabb, measure (Cab, the Greek
Dome of the Rock, 45
Kabos), 73
Khalif 'Othman, his Bequests to
Kabul (Cabul), 29, 11, 85
the Poor of Jerusalem, 49
Kadam Kuraish. See KuraishKhalif Omar, his Monument at
bite
his Injunction as
Gaza, 53
Kadas (Kadesh Naphthali), 28,
25

Jordan

District.

See under Al

II,

82,

85,

94,

ducts, 70
Kafar Kila, 95
Kafar Tab, 10, 94

95;

its

pro-

to the

Aksa Mosque, 47

Khalif Sulaiman, 22, 32

Khalif al Walid builds Damascus

Mosque, 18

THE PROVINCE OF

SYRIA,

Khankah,

or Cloister of the Al Ladhikiyyah (Laodicea ad

Karramites at Jerusalem, 67
Mare), 10, 93
Kharaj, State Land-tax, 92
Al Ladhikiyyah (Laodicea ComKhirfan,
Lambs (a kind of
busta, Ladik), 6
date?), 70
Lailat al Kadar, the Night of
AI Khunasirah, 10
Fate, 78
Khurbat Yakin, 52
Lajjun (Legio), two towns of
Kin'an, Valley of, 2, 26
that name, 9
Kinnasrln, District, 4, 8
its Lajjun, in
the Kinnasrin Distaxation, 92
trict, 8
Kinnasrin, City (Chalcis), 13, 93, Al Lajjun (Legio, Megiddo ?),
'

'

29, II, 85> 95

94
Kirit (carat), 72-74

Lake of

Kirjath-jearim, 34
Kisa, shirt, 79

Laodicea.

al

Arwah (Haram Area,

Jerusalem), 44

Kubbat

al

18, 21

al Mi'raj

Lebanon Mountains, 25
Legio.
See Lajjfin
Lepers, 66
Lettuce, 72
Locust-tree.
See under Carob
Lot, Cities of, 52, 63 ; Stones of,
83

Khaznah (Damascus

Mosque),

Kubbat

See Ladhikiyyah

Larissa, 9

Al Kisai's reading of the Kuran,

68
Kist, Measure, 48
Korah and his Companions, 83
Kubbait, sweetmeat, 72, 80

Kubbat

Tiberias, 27, 82

(Haram Area,

Lotus-fruit, or Jujube, 7 [
Ludd (Lydda), 59 ; Festival, 77
Lupin, 71, 80

Jerusalem), 42

Kubbat an Nabi (Haram Area, Maab (Rabbath Moab), 63, 11,

Jerusalem), 44
85. 97, 98; its products, 70
Kubbat an Nasr (Damascus Ma'arrah Kinnasrin, 8
Mosque), 21

Ma'arrah Masrin or Nasrin, 9

Kubbat an Naufarah (Damascus Ma'arrah an Nu'man, 8

Mosque), 21
Madhanet al 'Arias, M. 'Isa, and
Kubbat as Sa'at (Damascus
M. al Gharbiyyah (Damascus
Mosque), 21
Mosque) 20, 21.
See also
Kubbat as Silsilah (Haram Area,
Minaret
Jerusalem), 42

Madyan

(Midian), 64, 11, 92

Al Maghrah (the red chalk called
Kumamah (Church of the Holy
Rubrica Sinopica), 70, 80
Sepulchre at Jerusalem), 23
Mahuz Azdud, and Mahflz
Kuraish-bite, sweetmeat, 69
Yubna, 62, 97
Kuran-readers, 68, 76
Maimas (Maiuma, Majuma of
AI Kusaifah, 52
Gaza), 54, II, 62
Kuswah, 94
Majdal Salam, 96
Kuttain, dried figs, 69
Makam Nabi Yaktn, 52
Al Kutayyifah, 93
Makkuk, measure, 72-74
Kuwaik River (the Chalus), 12
Makna (Midian ?), 64

Kubrus (Cyprus), 82

INCLUDING PALESTINE. INDEX.

Maksurah

in

113

of Omar (Haram Area,

Jerusalem), 41
Mosque of Omar on the Mount
of Ohves, 50

Damascus Mosque, Mosque

22

Malban, sweetmeat, 70
Malik ibn Anas, the Traditionist,

Mosques, peculiarities of,

67
Manbij (Hierapolis), 8, 93
Syria, 75
Mandrake, fruit of, 7
Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, 55
Mantle of the Prophet at Adhruh, Mount of Olives, 50

Mount
Mar'ash (Germanicia), 8
Marble quarries, 81
March or Day's Journey, 95
Mary, Tomb of, 49
Masjid al Abyad (Ramlah), 33
Masjid al Aksa (Jerusalem), 41
Masjid Ibrahim, 50, 96, 97
See
Al Masjid al Yakin, 52.
also under Mosque
Massisah (Mopsuestia), 9
Measures of Syria, 72
Megiddo.
See Lajjun
Merj Ayyun, 95
Merom, Waters of See Hulah
See Madyan
Midian.
Midra'ah, vest, 79
Mile, Arab, 94

in

Sinai, 65

Mu'an, II
Mudi, the Modius, 72-74
Al Mughattah, the Covered Part,
or Main Building of a Mosque,
42
Munayyir, cloth, 70
Muri, or Muria Sauce, 81
Mutah, 63
Nabak-fruit, 27, 71

An Nabk,
Nabulus
55.

II-

93
(Neapohs, Shechem),
8s, 95-97;

its

water,

81

Maklub

al Asi or Nahr al
(Orontes), 26, 82

Nahr

Natif, sweetmeat, 80
Nawa (Neve), 26, 95
Mimas. See Maimas
See Nabulus
Neapolis.
Mimtar, rain cloak, 79
Minaret in Damascus Mosque, Neby Samwil, 89
Nidah, Sweetmeat, 27
21
Minaret of the White Mosque at Night of Fate, and the Night of
Immunity, 78
Minarets built
Ramlah, 34
See also An Nil. See Indigo
square in Syria, 75.
Nurah, chalk used in the waterMadhanet
less ablution, 86
Mihrab (Niche), meaning of the
;

term, 17

Mihrab Maryam, M. al Khidr, Olive tree, on Mount Sinai, 65

M. Ya'kub, M. Zakariyyah Olives, Mount of, 50, 89
(Haram Area, Jerusalem), 47 Umeyyad Mosque at Damascus,
Mines and Minerals of Syria,
Orontes River, 26
80
Mogrebin or Dung Gate of Oune (of Ptolemy), 1
Jerusalem, 39
Monastery of Shamwll, 89

Ovens, used

by

Mopsuestia, 9
Mosaic- work, 17

Overwhelming Lake.

the

Syrians,

79

See Dead

Sea

THE PROVINCE OF

114

Palatium

= Balat, 34

Palm-tree

of

Jesus

at

66
Bethle-

hem, 50
Palmyra. See Tadmur
Paneas.
See Baniyas
Papyrus, 28
Paradisus, 9
Pavement of

the

Mosques

Roofs of Mosques

48
75

Rosaries of Jerusalem, 70
in

and

the

Wadi Musa, not Ar

Rakim, 56
Philadelphia.
See
Pool.
See Birkat
Port of Acre, 30

Port of Tyre, 31
Prayer, forms of,
Syria, 75,

of,

in Syria,

Royal Ell, 48
Rubrica Sinopica,

70,

80

Ar Rusafah, 93

Pelusium, 35
Peter Bartholomseus
Holy Lance, 25
or

Resurrection, place of the, 50

Rice Culture, 29

The Rock, Measurement

Syria, 75

Petra,

SYRIA,

Religious tenets of the Syrians,

See Filastin

Palestine.

'Amman

Sa',

measure, 73

As

Sahirah, the

Plain of the
Resurrection, 50
Saida (Sidon), 25, 10, 94-96
Saif ad Daulah, 91 ; his Palace,
13
Sakar.

As

common

to

76

See Sughar

Sala,

Salamiyyah (Salaminias), 9, 93
Salt, from the Dead Sea, 81

Prices of Provisions at Jerusa- Samanfl-porridge, 27

lem, 53
Samakah, Red Sandstone Hills,
Products peculiar to Syria, 71
80
Prune, called At Tari, 71
Samaritans, 33, 66
Pulpit at Arsflf, 54
Samosata, 8
Sanctuary of Siddika, 90
Quarries of Marble and Build- Scorpion sting, cure for, 84
ing Stone, 81
Scribes in Syria, mostly Chris-

Rabath Ammon. See 'Amman

Rabbath Moab. See Maab
Rafaniyyah (Raphania), 8
Rafh, 97
Ar Rakim near 'Amman, the
Story of its Cave, 56
Ar Rakkah, 93
Ramadan, fast of, 78
Ar Ramlah, 32, 11, 95-97; its

tians, 77
Scythopolis, 1
Sea of China (Gulf of Akaba),

3,

82
Segor, Ti, 62.
Seir,

See also Sughar

Mount (Ash

Sharah, Edom),

II
Selucia Pieria, 8
Serpent-bite, cure

for, 84
Seven Sleepers, the Cave

of,

Shaddad ibn Aus, his Tomb, 50

Ransoming of Muslim Captives, Ash Shafi'i, the Traditionist, 67
60
Ash Shaibani, 4 his work the
water, 81

Raphania, 8
Rati (Rotl, or Ritl), weight, 75

Kitab

al

Ikrah, 32

Ar Ray (Rhages), 23

Shaizar (Larissa),
Ash Shajarah, 89

Red-sandstone, 80

Sham,

Syria,

9,

94

INCLUDING PALESTINE INDEX.

Tabariyyah, Lake

Shamsin, 93
Ash Sharah

District

(Edom, Tabuk,

of, 82,

27

64, II, 85

Mount Seir), 1
Ash Sharah river, 84

Tadmur

Shechem,

Talismans, 84

(Palmyra), 15, 9, 85
Tailasan, or Tarhah, veil, 79

11

Shi'ah Sect, 66
Siddika, his Tomb and Festival,

89.

I'S

Sidr Tree, 27

Tamim ad

Dari, 51

Tank.
See Birkat
Tannur, bread ovens, 79
Tarabulus (Tripoli), 25,

10, 94,

Siloam Inscription, 49. See also

95
Tarik al Madarij (the Road of
under Sulwan
Ladders), 96
Sinai, 65
Tariyak (Theriack, Antidote), the
Snobur-pine, fruit of, 69
Tariyakiyyah Serpents, 56, 70
Solomon's Circus at 'Amman,
Tarsus, 5
Tartus (Tortosa), 10
Taxes and Tribute of Syria, 91,

56
Solomon's Pools, 40

Barbara's Feast, 76
George's Feast, 77
92
See under At Tayammum,
John's Bread.

St.
St.

St.

the

waterless

ablution, discussion on, 86

Carob

Tell 'Arka, 25
Simeon's Harbour, 8
Stephen's Gate, the modern Tell Dibbin, 95
Tell Keniseh, 96
and the ancient, 39
Tell Kuseifeh, 52
Strouthion Pool, 40
Tell Rameh, 97
Sufyan ath Thuri, 91
See Tabariyyah
Tiberias.
Sugar Culture, 29, 71
Sughar (Segor, Zoar), 62, 3, 11, Tih (Desert of the Wanderings),
St.
St.

97

its

products,

water, 81

69

its

64

At Tinah, 8

See Dead Sea Tirzah, 95

Sughar, Lake of.
Tombs of Abraham, Isaac, and
As Sukkariyyah, 96, 97
Jacob, at Hebron, 51
Sulwan (Siloam), 48
Tomb of Hashim ibn 'Abd
Sumach, 71
Manaf at Gaza, 53.
Sumaisat (Samosata), 8
Sur (Tyre), 31, n, 96; its Tomb of Siddika or Siddik,
products, 70 ; its water, 81
89
Tombs, manner of the, in Syria,
As Suwaidiyyah, 8
78
Sycamore-fruit, 54
See Tartfls
Syria, called SMm, meaning of Tortosa.
Tradition of the Prophet on the
the name, 4
Men of Ar Rakim, 56
Syrian apple, 71
Tradition of the Prophet concerning Kinnasrin, 14
Ta'asir, 95
Tabariyyah (Tiberias), 26, 11, Tradiiionists, the, 67
See Tarabulus
94-96; its products, 70; Tripoli.
85,
its

hot baths, 27, 83

Truffle, 71

82

THE PROVINCE OF

ii6

At

Coast of Syria and Palestine,

60
Water, in Syria, 81

Tulail, 97

Tiir Sina

Two

(Mount

feasts, the,

Tyre.

Sinai),

SYRIA, ETC. INDEX.

65

78

Water Lily, Colocasia, 71

Wall of Nehemiah (Jerusalem),

See Sur

'Ubadah ibn as Samit,

his

Tomb,

5-

49
Weights used in Syria, 76
The White Mosque (Ramlah),

Ubullah Canal, 23
Ukiyyah, ounce, 72-74
33
Al Urdunn (the Jordan) Dis- Whitsuntide festival, 76
trict, II
its taxation, 92.
See Windvane, Talisman at
also under Jordan
84
Uriah, 2
Witr ritual, 68
;

Valania, 10
Veredus = Barid, the Post Stage,

Ya'ath, 93
Yafah, or Yafa

Virgin's

(Joppa,

54, II, 62, 97,

75

Fount

at Jerusalem,

49

Hims,

Jaffa),

98

Yahya ibn Aktham, 23

Yanbut, 69

Wadi Butnan, 8
Wadi Jahannam

Yubna (Jabneh
(Valley

or Jabneel), 60

of

Az
Az
Az

Zabadani, 10, 93
Zara'ah (?), 93
2
Zarika, or Zarka, 98
Waibah, measure, 72-74
Zibel, 10
Wailah (Ailah or Elath) 63, 11, Zoar of Lot, 62.

Kedron), 49

Wadi an Nu'man

(Belus River),

Zu'airah, 97

85. 97
Walls of Jerusalem, 38

Watch

Zughar.

See Sughar

Stations (Ribat) on the Zullabiyyah, cake, 80

FINIS.

BILLING

d S0N3. PRINTERS.

OUIUOFOrtO.

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