516 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1D23 



the Israelitish occupation of Canaan. Hither Balak brought Balaam 

 to curse the people (Numbers, xxii-xxiv), and hence Moses viewed the 

 Promised Land (Deuteronomy xxxiv, 1). But toward the west, in 

 the direction which Moses surveyed, there is a very wide and exten- 

 sive view. The mountain ranges of Judea lie straight before us, 

 with Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Frank Mountain clearly visible. 

 The Russian Tower on the Mount of Olives and the summit of 

 Neby Samwil are conspicuous objects in their midst. To the south- 

 west is seen the ridge of Beni N'aim, near Hebron, whence Abraham 

 beheld the smoke of the burning cities of the plain, whilst north of 

 Olivet is seen the cone-shaped hill of Ophrah. The hills of Samaria 

 are yet farther to the right, with Tell'Asur — the ancient Baal- 

 Hazor — Ebal, Gerizim, and Bezek prominent amongst them. Gilboa, 

 Tabor, and the heights beyond Beisan are visible on a clear day ; but 

 Carmel and Hermon are hidden from view, the former by the inter- 

 vening heights of Jebel Hazkin, on which stands Bezek, and the lat- 

 ter by Neby Osh'a. The whole of the Jordan Valley, with the river 

 itself meandering in serpentlike curves in its midst, lies outspread 

 like a map at our feet, bathed in sunny verdure in early spring, at 

 which time of the year Moses appears to have viewed it. From 

 north to south " the land of Gilead toward Dan, Naphtali, Ephraim, 

 and Manasseh — all the land of Judah, toward the utmost sea (the 

 Mediterranean), the southern hills, and the plain of Jericho " (Deu- 

 teronomy, xxxiv, 1-3) — all these the aged "servant of God" could 

 embrace within the compass of his vision without the aid of any 

 miraculous powers. 



Hebron, which we next reach after crossing the Jordan and pass- 

 ing south by Bethany and Jerusalem, is one of the oldest cities of 

 the world. It was known at the time of its capture by the Israelites 

 under Joshua as Kirjath-Arba, which means the " Fourfold City." 

 Probably, like Jerusalem at the present day, it was divided into four 

 quarters, inhabited respectively by different races of people. The 

 Septuagint describes it as the " metropolis of the Anakim." 



It is known as "City of Abraham, the friend of God," to the 

 Arabs, who have abbreviated the name to El Khalif — " The Friend " 

 or " The Beloved." It is one of the four sacred cities of the 

 Moslems. 



Haram: Cave of Machpelah. Travelers are not admitted within 

 the precincts of this mosque, though a few royal European visitors 

 have been privileged to enter this most cherished Moslem sanctuary 

 by special Irade of the Sultan. This is one of the " Sacred Sites " of 

 Palestine, about the genuineness of which there can be little or no 

 doubt. It is almost certain that the mosque stands over the original 

 Cave of Machpelah, which was the burial place of Abraham and 

 Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. The mosque itself was 



