781 



SYRIA. 



SYRIA. 



782 



E.S.E. of Jaffa, lies in a fertile and well-cultivated plain ; it baa 15,000 

 inhabitants, who derive some advantages from the road from Joppa to 

 Jerusalem, which passes through this town. Kaaariyth [C.ESAREIA], 

 Tantura has a harbour for small boats, and carries on some commerce 

 with Ei-ypt, from which it receives rice and linens. It exports cattle 

 and fruits. Khaifa [CARVEL], Akka [ACRE]. Sur is built on an 

 isthmus about 400 feet wide, which is supposed to have been formed 

 by the embankment that Alexander the Great made for the purpose 

 of taking the ancient Tyre. The harbour has been filled up with 

 sand, and the roadstead is unsafe, but it is better than that of either 

 Akka or S.ula. The population amounts to 3000 individuals, most of 

 whom gain their livelihood by fishin and agriculture. It exports 

 tobacco, wax, and fire-wood. [TTBUS.] Saida [SiDON]. Beyrut 

 [BEIRUT]. Jnneh is a small town in the Kesrawan with a landing- 

 place for small boats. It carries on some commerce with the island 

 of Cyprus. In the interior are the following towns: Nazartth, or 

 Nazarah, which is built in a beautiful valley that opens into the plain 

 of Ibn-Omer, and is one of the most fertile and best-cultivated districts 

 of Galilee. It has about 2000 inhabitants, and a fine church. TabariA, 

 the ancient Tibrriat, is on the banks of the Bahr-cl-Tabarieh, on a 

 small plain surrounded by mountains. Towards the land it is inclosed 

 by a thick and well-built wall. It contains about 4000 inhabitants, 

 who have some commerce with the Beduins. It is a place of pil- 

 grimage for the Jews, who constitute about one-third of the popu- 

 lation ; the remainder of the population are Turks, with the exception 

 of a few Christians. Szaftd, or Safed, nearly due north of Tabarieh, 

 is a neatly-built town, situated round a hill, on the top of which is a 

 Saracenic castle. It contains about 600 houses, of which about 150 

 are inhabited by Jews, who consider this one of their holy cities, and 

 about 100 house* by Christians. The population is between 6000 and 

 7000. Zahle, in a narrow valley which opens into tbe Bekaa, at the 

 eastern base of Mount Libanus, contains from 800 to 000 houses, and 

 is almost exclusively inhabited by Christians, who make much cotton- 

 cloth and some woollen stuff*. They have 20 dyeing-houses, and a 

 considerable trade with the Beduins of the Bekaa. Baatbec [BAALBXol. 

 Drir-el-Kamr, the capital of the emir of the Druses, in a valley of 

 Mount Libannt, is a considerable place eight or nine hours S.E. from 

 Beyrut It has five or six thousand inhabitants, some of whom are 

 Christians, for in the town are two Maronite and two Melchite 

 churches. The town ia built like a second-rate town in Italy. Some 

 siik-stuA are manufactured. The emir of the Druses resides In the 

 castle of Breddin, about one hour from the town. 



2. The Eyalrt of Tarablotu extends along the sea-coast from the 

 Bay of Juneh to Cap* Batit or Possidi, about 12 mile* S. from the 

 mouth of the river Ary, and comprehends the northern and more 

 elevated portion of Mount Li bantu, the plain separating this mountain 

 from the Jebel Anzeyry, and the largest portion of the last-mentioned 

 range. The whole of it, with the exception of tbe plain, is fertile and 

 well cultivated. It produces silk, tobacco, oil, fruits, galls, and wax, 

 for exportation. The following are the chief place* in this eyalet, 

 from south to north -.Meinet Berdia, a small harbour, and a still 

 smaller town, which has some commerce with Cyprus. Jtbail, or 

 Jubeil, the ancient Byblia, is a small town, inclosed by a wall a mil 

 and a half in circumference. It has a small harbour, and carries on 

 some commerce with Cyprus. Byblns was famous for the birth and 

 worship of Thommuz, or Adonis. The most ancient name of the 

 place appears to have been Giblah. The land of the Oiblite* was 

 assigned to the Israelites, but they never got possession of it. There 

 are remains of a Roman theatre, and many fragments of granite 

 columns on it* site. Oiblah gave title to a Christian bishop before 

 it fell into the hands of the Moslem. Batrun, the ancient Bottryi, is 

 a town consisting of from 300 to 400 house*, mostly inhabited by 

 Maronite*. There is no harbour, but an artificial inlet has been 

 formed in the rocks, which admits a few coasting boats. Excellent 

 tobacco is grown along the shore* of the Mediterranean. Tambhut, 

 the ancient Tripoli*, one of the most commercial places of Syria, is 

 built on the declivity of the lowest hills of Mount Libannt, and is 

 divided by a river, called Kadiah, into two parts, of which the southern 

 is the more considerable. The town is well built, and is much embel- 

 lished by garden*, which arc not only attached to the houses in the 

 town, but cover the whole triangular plain between the town and the 

 sea. It is supplied with excellent water by an aqueduct, which 

 crosses the river upon arches. The population amounts to between 

 15,000 and 18,000. There are some large manufactures of soap for 

 exportation. The harbour is about two miles from the town ; it is 

 called BlrMyna,, or El-Minyth, and is itself a small town, inhabited by 

 sailors and shipwrights. This harbour is formed by a line of low 

 rocks stretching from the western side of Myna about two miles into 

 the sea towards the north, but it is not >afe in northerly winds. In 

 a north-north-west direction from the harbour there is a line of small 

 islands, the farthest of which is about 10 miles from the mainland. 

 The exports consist of a large quantity of silk, sponges, soap, and 

 alkali, to Anatolin, calls brought from the Anzeyry Mountains, yellow 

 wax from Mount Mhanu*, madder from Hamah and Hems, scammony, 

 and tobacco. Tart at, tbe ancient Antaradui, and perhaps also Orihotia, 

 formerly a tronglv-fortified town on the coast, nearly opposite the 

 Isle of Rnah, retains some remnants of its old Phoenician walla and 

 vast castle. The place is often mentioned in the history of the 



Crusades. Here, as in many other places along the Phoenician coast, 

 sepulchral excavations are numerous. Antaradus was rebuilt by the 

 emperor Constantius, after whom it was sometimes called Comtantia. 

 It gave title to a bishop till the Saracenic conquest. Tasso calls the 

 town Tortota. It is now a small place. Jebili is a small town, in the 

 neighbourhood of which much tobacco is grown, which is exported to 

 Latakia. There ia a small port and an ancient theatre here. Latakieh, 

 or Ladikiyth, the ancient Laodicea, stands on tbe northern edge of an 

 elevated tongue of land called Cape Ziaret, which advances nearly two 

 miles beyond the general line of coast. The houses stand partly in 

 the midst of gardens and plantations, and most of them have flat 

 roofs. The port, called Scala, or Marina, ia about half a mile from 

 the town, and separated from it by gardens and plantations. The 

 harbour, which is well sheltered, except to the west, admits only 

 vessels of 100 tons burden. The chief exports of the place are 

 tobacco of excellent quality (most of which goes to Egypt), cotton, 

 raw silk, and wax. The imports are rico from Egypt, wine from 

 Cyprus, and assorted goods, especially hardware, from England. In 

 Mount Libanus is A'anoAm, a convent, tbe seat of the patriarch of the 

 Maronites. In its vicinity are the famous cedars of Mount Libanu*. 

 About a mile and a half from the coast is the island rock of Snail, on 

 which the ancient Phoenician towu of Aradus was built. Aradus, the 

 Arpad of the Old Testament, was next in importance to Tyre and 

 Sidon ; it was founded by a colony from the latter. It continued to 

 be a flourishing place through the whole course of ancient history 

 till the reign of the emperor Constant, when it was demolished and 

 it* inhabitants expelled by a lieutenant of the khalif Omar. The 

 town was never rebuilt; but about 3000 inhabitants dwell on the 

 island, which is only about a mile round. Part of the old Phoenician 

 walls, and also the ancient cisterns, still remain. As in ancient times, 

 the inhabitant* draw their fresh water from submarine springs. 



3. The Eyalet of JIaleb, or Aleppo, contains the northern part of the 

 Jebel Anzeyry, the valley of the lower Azy, together with the Ghab, 

 the Jebel Amar, the Umk, the Hilly Region of Northern Syria, and 

 the Northern Plain. Tue western and northern portion is very fertile, 

 and in many place* is well cultivated ; the eastern ia partly stony and 

 partly sandy, and for tbe most part a desert 



On the coast are the harbour* of SCAKDEROON and Stecldiyali, or 

 Suadeiak. The latter is not far from the mouth of the river Azy, 

 and ha* good anchorage, but is much exposed to western and south- 

 western winds. Near it there is a large and scattered village of tho 

 same name. 



In the valley of the river Ary is Antatia [AimocHEU.], and in the 

 plain is tbe capital, Aleppo, or Haleb [ALEPPO]. To the south-west 

 of Haleb, and near the base of the Hilly Region, is the town of Edlip, 

 containing more than 1000 houses, some manufactures of cotton- 

 stuffn, a few dyeing-house*, and a large manufactory of soap. It has 

 a considerable trade with the fertile and well-cultivated district in 

 which it is situated, which it provide* with rice, coffee, oil, tobacco, 

 and manufactured goods. Ain/ab, a large town at the base of the 

 Alma Dagh, is the subject of a separate article. [AlB-TAB.] 



4. Tbe Eyaltt of Dauuuctu, or Sham, extends over the southern of 

 tbe two great plain* which occupy the north-eastern portion of Syria, 

 over the plain* of Damascus, the southern portion of Mount Antili- 

 banu, tbe greater part of the Wadys Seissaban and El-Obor, the 

 table-land of Judtea, the Haouran, and the mountain regions of the 

 Belka and the Shera. There are Beduiti Arabs in every district. 



On the table-land of Judaea is JERUSALEM, Nablous, and Khalil 

 Nabiovt (a corruption of Neapolit), on or near the site of Sichem, is 

 situated in a valley between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim. About two 

 mile* east of the town is another valley called Erd-Mukhna. At the 

 north-east base of Gerizim is tho village of Alkar, probably the ancient 

 Sychar, close to which are Jacob's Well and Joseph's Touib. Nablous 

 is a large and well-built town, with about 14,000 inhabitants, who 

 are Mohammedans, with the exception of about 200 Samaritans. The 

 street* are narrow and roughly paved, but the houses are well-built 

 with stone and dome-roofed. The town is well supplied with water 

 by streams and by fountains which spring up in the valley between 

 Nablous and Askar. Nablous Is commonly raid to occupy the site of 

 th* Sichem, or Scheckem, of the Old Testament, which however 

 Eusebius and St. Jerome say was a suburb of Neapolis; and St. 

 Jerome also maintains that Sycbar in St John's Gospel (iv. 5) is a 

 corruption of Sichem. Pliny and Josephus respectively give tho 

 native name as Mamortha and Mabortha, which Reland corrects from 

 coins to Mortkia. This last name the same writer says is the classical 

 form of jVwrA, and both names (Moreh and Sichar) he supposes to 

 have been adopted by the Jews from the prophet Habakkuk's 

 ' Moreh Shaker,' ' teacher of lies,' and applied to the Samaritan city 

 as the seat of error. Sichem is a very ancient site. Abraham sojourned 

 in it on his first coming into Canaan, and built an altar in it Jacob's 

 connection with it is marked by the welL It fell to Ephraim, and 

 was a Levitical city, and a city of refuge. Here was tbe tabernacle 

 in the time of Joshua, who set up a pillar near it shortly before bis 

 death. Here Gideon defeated the Midianites, and Rehoboam was 

 made king. The name Neapolis was given during the occupation of 

 Syria by the Greeks, who probably extended the city to the westward 

 on account of the abundant supply of water. Simon Magus practised 

 his sorceries in Neapoli.-, and Justin Martyr was a native of the same 



