16 Observations on Jerusalem. 
ning of the Valley of Hinnom. Further down, both these valleys 
become deep, narrow, and precipitous ; that of Hinnom bends 
south, and again east, nearly at right angles, and unites with 
the other, which then continues its course to the Dead Sea. 
Upon the broad and elevated promontory, within the fork of 
these two valleys, lies the Holy City. All around are higher 
hills: on the east the Mount of Olives ; on the south the Hill 
of Evil Counsel, so called, rising directly from the vale of Hin- 
nom ; on the west the groundrises gently, as above described, 
to the borders of the great Wady ; while on the north a bend 
of the ridge connected with the Mount of Olives bounds the 
prospect at the distance of more than a mile. Towards the 
south-west the view is somewhat more open, for here lies the 
plain of Rephaim, already described, commencing just at the 
southern brink of the Valley of Hinnom, and stretching off 
south-west, where it runs to the western sea. In the north- 
west, too, the eye reaches up along the upper part of the Val- 
ley of Jehoshaphat; and, from many points, can discern the 
mosque of Neby-Samwil, situated on a lofty ridge beyond the 
great Wady, at the distance of two hours. 
The surface of the elevated promontory itself, on which the 
city stands, slopes somewhat steeply towards the east, termi- 
nating on the brink of the Valley of Jehoshaphat. From the 
northern part, near the present Damascus Gate, a depression 
or shallow Wady runs in a southern direction, having on the 
west the ancient hills of Akra and Zion, and on the east the 
lower ones of Bezetha and Moriah. Between the hills of 
Akra and Zion another depression or shallow Wady (still easy 
to be traced) comes down from near the Jaffa Gate, and joins 
the former. It then continues obliquely down to the slope, 
but with a deeper bed, in a southern direction quite to the 
Pool of Siloam and the Valley of Jehoshaphat. This is the 
ancient Tyropxon. West of its lower part Zion rises loftily, 
lying mostly without the modern city; while on the east of 
the Tyropexon and the valley first mentioned lie Bezetha, Mo- 
riah, and Ophel, the last a long and comparatively narrow 
ridge also outside of the modern city, and terminating in a 
rocky point over the Pool of Siloam. These three last hills 
ray strictly be taken as only parts of one and the same ridge. 
The whole site of Jerusalem, from the brow of the valley of 
