PALESTINE. 



PALESTINE. 



which forms the only very prominent headland on the sea-coast of 

 Palestine, lies almost due west of Mount Tabor. The promontory in 

 which it terminates incloses the Hay of Acre on the south, whence the 

 ridge runs inland to the south-east till it joins the principal range. 

 It is only of moderate height, and is covered with forests and grass. 

 To the south of the plain of Esdraelon lie the mountains of Samaria, 

 which are beautifully wooded, chiefly with olive-trees, and covered 

 with towns and villages. Of the.sc mountains perhaps the highest are 

 those of Ebal and Uerizim, which are feparated from each other by a 

 valley 200 or 300 paces broad. From these mountains were delivered 

 the curses and the blessings of the Law. The Samaritans had their 

 temple on Mount Gerizim, which they esteemed the holiest of moun- 

 tains. Judiea, or the southern part of Palestine, ia full of hill.*, which 

 are divided by valleys and torrents, and are for the most part of 

 moderate height. They are composed of a friable rock, particles of 

 which are washed down by the torrents, and form terraces on the 

 slopes of the mountains. In ancient times these terraces were planted 

 with the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine. At present the rocks are for 

 the most part barren and desolate. In the eastern part of Judaea, on 

 the borders of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, is a wilderness of moun- 

 tains, the most rugged and desolate in all Palestine. This mountain- 

 ous country, which is the highest in Judaea, bears the name of Quaran- 

 tania, from a tradition that this was the wilderness in which Christ 

 fasted forty days and nights ; the highest summit among these moun- 

 tains is called the Mountain of Temptation, and is pointed out by 

 tradition a that from which the devil showed our Saviour the king- 

 doms of the world. The most mountainous part of Judaea is the 

 district round Jerusalem. [JERUSALEM.] 



From the Jebel-es-Sheikh, already noticed, the mountains on the 

 eat side of the Jordan continues southward for about twenty-five 

 mile* under the name of Jebel-Heisb, and terminating at a point about 

 ten miles to the east of the Lake of Gennesareth. To the south of 

 this mountain, for about twenty-four miles, is an open country, 

 equally divided by the river Tarmak (ancient Hieromax), and con- 

 taining the pasture-lands of Argob and Bashan. To the south of this 

 district lies the land of Gilead, the mountains of which are the most 

 considerable on this side the Jordan : they are for the most part well 

 wooded, chiefly with the oak and wild pistachio. To the south of the 

 i.ibbok (Zerka) the mountains are less elevated though broader. 

 About six miles to the south of the river Jabbok is a ridge running 

 east and west for about seven miles, the name of which (Jelaad) bears 

 a trace of the ancient name of the country. As the principal chain 

 approaches the latitude of the Dead Sea, it diminishes in breadth ; 

 and somewhat below the head of that sea it widens out again, and 

 forms the the mountains of Seir. [IDUIUSA.] Among the mountains 

 at the head of the Dead Sea, and to the north of the river Arnon, was 

 Nebo, from the summit of which Moses was permitted to tee the 

 promised land. 



Otology and Minrraloyy. The mountain! of Syria and Palestine 

 are composed chiefly of a hard compact limestone, of a whitish or pale 

 yellow colour, disposed in strata variously inclined, and affording a 

 great number of caverns, to which frequent allusion is made in the 

 Scriptures. The limestone rocks of which Lebanon is composed are 

 of a whitish colour, from which circumstance the name of the moun- 

 tain is supposed to be derived. The rock which lines the valley of the 

 Jordan is of a texture much less compact than that of the mountains 

 of Lebanon or of central Palestine ; and it diminishes in compactness 

 as we approach the Dead Sea. In the neighbourhood of Urn-Kefs, 

 the ancient Gadara, to the south-east of the Lake of Gennesareth, 

 there is a considerable quantity of black basaltic rock among the 

 calcareous stone which prevails on the east of the Jordan between 

 Yarrnak and the Zerka. This black basaltic rock is also found in large 

 quantities in the plain of the Haouran, farther to the east. In the 

 mountains south of the Zerka the calcareous stone is interspersed with 

 layers of sandstone of different colours, and large blocks of black 

 basalt. The hills about Jerusalem are of a hard light-coloured lime- 

 stone, which, as we approach the Dead Sea, is exchanged for white or 

 grayish limestone of a looser texture, containing layers of a reddish 

 micaceous "tone. [DEAD SEA.] The black basaltic rock of the Haouran 

 extends along the whole eastern border of the country. In the parts 

 near the Jordan it is generally found in detached masses. Traces of 

 basalt are also found on the west of the Lake of Gennesareth. Slate is 

 found about the Dead Sea, In many places the limestone is covered 

 by chalky rocks, containing corals, shells, and other marine exuvi.-c. 

 In the chalky beds about the summit of Carmel are found hollow 

 stones lined with spsrry matter, which resemble petrified olives and 

 fruit This chalky formation appears very conspicuously in the 

 White Cape (Ras-el-Abaid) below Tyre. There are indications of coal 

 in various parts of Lebanon. Salt is obtained in abundance from the 

 Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. The water of the Dead Sea is 

 intensely salt. Fragments and beds of salt are found about it* shores. 

 [DEAD SEX] Saltpetre is found in the district of the Haouran. 



In modern times the mineral wealth of the country has been almost 

 entirely neglected. Iron abounds in the Lebanon and Kesraoun Moun- 

 tains, and traces of it are found in other parts. Of copper there is no 

 mention in modern times, though from the description of Moses 

 (Dent viii. 0) it seems to have been found in ancient times. Palestine 

 possesses neither tin, lead, nor gold ; but some traces of silver have 



OBOO. Drr. YOU rv. 



been found. There are celebrated mines of asphaltum in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Hasbeya. near the sources of the Jordan. 



The indications of volcanic action are chiefly confined to the basin 

 of the Jordan and its lakes ; and they are most frequent about the 

 Lake of Tiberias and the Dead Sea. Hot springs, lava, and pumice- 

 stone are found about the Dead Sea, There are hot-springs at Tiberias, 

 on the western side of the Lake of Tiberias, and at other places round 

 the lake, which has itself a striking resemblance to the crater of a 

 volcano. In the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea are still mines of 

 asphaltum (' sliine pits') of which the vale of Siddim was full in ancient 

 times (Gen. xiv. 10), and other traces of the 'brimstone, salt, and 

 burning,' by which the cities of the plain were overthrown. Palestine 

 has been the scene of repeated earthquakes. 



Valltyi, Plains, and Deserts. The chief valleys of Palestine are 

 longitudinal, and run from north to south. The transverse valleys 

 have a general east and west direction, being formed by the offsets of 

 the principal mountain ranges. The chief plain country is the low 

 land along the Mediterranean. The chief valleys are to the east of 

 that range, and are the Bekka before mentioned, the basin of the river 

 Jordan, nnd the (treat valley of Araba extending from, tho Dead Sea to 

 the ^ELinitic Gulf. 



The flat country along the coast varies considerably in breadth, and 

 is diversified by elevations which are offsets from the central moun- 

 tains. The soil of this part of the country is very fertile, being 

 composed of a rich brown mould. The climate along the coast is 

 very warm. To the south of Ctesarea is the celebrated vale of Sharon, 

 which is terminated in the neighbourhood of El-Arish by a sandy 

 desert (the wilderness of Shur and Paran) which extends westward to 

 Egypt, and eastward to the peninsula of Sinai. 



The country between the mountains of Libanus and Anti-Libanus 

 formed the Ccele-Syria of the Greeks and Romans. Its length is about 

 90 miles, and its average breadth about 11 miles : it is the richest and 

 most beautiful part of Syria. 



The great valley of the Jordan extends about 175 miles from the 

 sources of the river in the north, to the southern extremity of the 

 Dead Sea. It is bounded on both sides by mountains, which on the 

 east rise almost precipitously from the bed of the river till near the 

 head of the Dead Sea, where the valley becomes wider : on the west 

 there is a fertile vale between the river and the mountains, averaging 

 about a half or three-quarters of a mile in breadth, except at the Lake 

 of Gennesareth, where the mountains come close up to the shores. 

 The valley of the Jordan is in fact a great longitudinal cleft, which 

 traverses the country from north to south, and in its lowest part, the 

 surface of the Dead Sea, is 1312 feet below the level of the Mediter- 

 ranean. The valley is very warm, and singularly fertile. The name 

 of the valley of the Jordan is usually restricted to the Ghor or the 

 part between the Lake of Tiberias and the Dead Sea, which is about 

 65 miles long, and 5 or 6 miles wide in the northern half, but it grows 

 much wider towards the Dead Sea, near which it spreads out into the 

 plain of Jericho on the west and the plains of Moab on the east of the 

 Jordan. The plain of Jericho is about 18 miles long by 7 or 8 miles 

 broad, and is bounded on the west by an amphitheatre of mountains, 

 which, by concentrating the sun's rays, cause a great degree of heat 

 in the plain, which is further increased by the sandy nature of the 

 soil, and by the low level of the plain. The plain immediately sur- 

 rounding the Dead Sea consists on the eastern side for the most part 

 of a sandy desert, with a few cultivated spots ; on the western side 

 tho soil is rich, the heat great, and water abundant, but on tho 

 immediate borders of the lake it is a dreary waste. The great valley 

 of Araba, which extends from the south of the Dead Sea to the head 

 of the ^Elanitic Gulf, is not within the limits of Palestine properly 

 so called. 



The valleys of Galilee are generally small, but beautifully wooded. 

 The valley of Abilene lies beyond the hills which skirt the coast 

 between Cape Nakhoora and Acre. South-east of this is the valley of 

 Zebulon, between 3 and 4 miles long by 1 mile broad, which contains 

 some of the fine-it pasturage in the whole country. To the east 

 of this, and about the same length, is the vale of Sepphoris. The 

 vale of Nazareth is a kind of hollow inclosed by mountains on every 

 side, and abounds with fig-trees and gardens. Behind the hills which 

 bound the north-western part of the Lake of Gennesareth is an exten- 

 sive plain, forming a rich pasture-ground, which is much frequented 

 by the Bedouins. It is called Do that), from a village of that name. 



On the borders of Galilee and Samaria lies the great plain of 

 Esdraelon, called in Scripture the plain of Mcgiddo, and the valley of 

 Jezreel. It is exceedingly fertile, and well adapted for growing corn. 

 It has been the scene of some of the most remarkable battles recorded 

 in the Jewish history, and of great battles in later times. Samaria is 

 less mountainous than either Galilee or Judtea: it is beautifully 

 wooded, and full of fertile plains. The valley of Jennin through 

 which lies the common route from Galilee to tho city of Samaria is 

 about 13 miles long and 2 miles in its extreme width. About 4 

 miles south of Samaria is the vale of Sheohem, between the moun- 

 tains of Ebal and Gerizim, which is said to be watered by 365 springs. 

 It opens out into a very fine plain which leads into tho valley of Leban, 

 after traversing which we enter into the kingdom of Judxn. This, 

 in its present state, is the least fertile part of all Palestine, being full 

 of rugged mountains, and deficient in water and soil. The stony 



