﻿ARAB 
  VILLAGE 
  COMMUNITY 
  — 
  TANNOUS 
  527 
  

  

  stone. 
  They 
  still 
  follow 
  the 
  seasons 
  with 
  their 
  herds, 
  but 
  in 
  addition 
  

   they 
  now 
  cultivate 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  raise 
  crops. 
  In 
  the 
  Jordan 
  valley 
  of 
  

   Palestine, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  in 
  Syria 
  and 
  Iraq, 
  various 
  stages 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  process 
  of 
  transition 
  can 
  be 
  observed. 
  Even 
  in 
  Lebanon, 
  

   where 
  permanent 
  village 
  settlement 
  has 
  been 
  established 
  since 
  ancient 
  

   times, 
  the 
  writer 
  came 
  across 
  modified 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  nomadic 
  

   and 
  seminomadic 
  stages. 
  

  

  location 
  

  

  The 
  factors 
  responsible 
  for 
  determining 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  each 
  village 
  

   are 
  many 
  and 
  varied. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  thc-m, 
  however, 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  out- 
  

   standing 
  and 
  more 
  common 
  than 
  others. 
  An 
  obvious 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  

   the 
  availability 
  of 
  water 
  supply. 
  The 
  significance 
  of 
  this 
  factor 
  can 
  

   be 
  better 
  apppreciated 
  when 
  one 
  is 
  reminded 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  rainfall 
  

   in 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  scanty 
  (not 
  exceeding 
  10 
  inches 
  per 
  year 
  in 
  most 
  

   places) 
  and 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  concentrated 
  during 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  

   fall 
  and 
  winter 
  seasons. 
  In 
  Lebanon, 
  where 
  snow 
  accumulates 
  on 
  

   the 
  mountain 
  tops, 
  springs 
  are 
  abundant, 
  and 
  practically 
  every 
  village 
  

   has 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  these 
  running 
  through 
  it 
  or 
  just 
  outside 
  its 
  limits. 
  

   The 
  people 
  use 
  such 
  village 
  springs 
  both 
  for 
  human 
  consumption 
  and 
  

   for 
  irrigitation. 
  In 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  villages 
  of 
  the 
  interior, 
  where 
  run- 
  

   ning 
  springs 
  are 
  scarce, 
  the 
  necessary 
  water 
  is 
  obtained 
  from 
  wells, 
  

   which 
  are 
  sunk 
  to 
  varying 
  depths 
  until 
  the 
  underground 
  water 
  table 
  

   is 
  struck. 
  In 
  other 
  places 
  cisterns 
  are 
  used, 
  which 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  rain 
  

   water 
  and 
  which 
  supplement 
  other 
  sources. 
  Another 
  way 
  of 
  supple- 
  

   menting 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  is 
  to 
  dig 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  shallow 
  pit 
  just 
  outside 
  

   the 
  village 
  proper 
  and 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  accumulated 
  rain 
  water. 
  In 
  

   river 
  valleys, 
  naturally, 
  direct 
  use 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  water. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  a 
  location 
  is 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  defense. 
  

   Almost 
  invariably, 
  whether 
  on 
  the 
  mountain 
  heights, 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  

   plains, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  valleys, 
  one 
  finds 
  that 
  the 
  settlers 
  have 
  chosen 
  

   the 
  site 
  that 
  best 
  lent 
  itself 
  to 
  defense. 
  This 
  was 
  essential 
  in 
  early 
  

   times 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  attacks 
  from 
  other 
  villages 
  or 
  from 
  marauding 
  

   Bedouins. 
  Hilltops, 
  bluffs, 
  and 
  invincible 
  shoulders 
  of 
  deep 
  ravines 
  

   afforded 
  such 
  easily 
  defensible 
  sites. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  this 
  

   factor 
  has 
  lost 
  its 
  significance 
  in 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  in 
  view 
  

   of 
  the 
  prevailing 
  public 
  security. 
  

  

  Fertility 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  has 
  been 
  another 
  determining 
  factor. 
  This 
  is 
  

   to 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  village 
  people 
  are 
  dependent 
  

   almost 
  completely 
  upon 
  agriculture 
  for 
  a 
  living. 
  Through 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   farmyard 
  manure 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  or 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  suitable 
  crop 
  

   rotation 
  in 
  others, 
  the 
  people 
  did 
  their 
  best 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  fertility 
  

   of 
  the 
  land 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  possible. 
  Permanent 
  and 
  continuous 
  settlement 
  

   on 
  the 
  same 
  land 
  for 
  generations 
  made 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  some 
  conser- 
  

  

  