m STRIA. 



cilv. About lOmilrt a from Xabloui u Mum, the ancient SAUok. 

 XLolJ. lh /Mro- of the Bible, aud one of the holy cities of the Jews, 

 |a muA of Jerusalem, not far from the place where the table-bind of . 

 Jodaw juisw the Desert of KI-Tyh. It contains ataut 3000 iuhibilanU, 

 sad be* scene gUat-bonse*. Hebron was frequently the residence of 

 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were buried hers in the cave of 

 MinniUli ; the tombs are still shown. David, as king of Judssa, 

 laeHiil above seven years in Hebron. The town was taken and burnt 

 by t Romans In the great Jewish war. Outside the town are two 

 reservoirs, one of which U supposed to be the 'pool of Hebron,' 

 mentioned in 2 Sam, iv. 12. 



On the banks of the river Aiy are the towns of Hamah and Hems. 

 y/svuA. the ancient EpiiAweia, lies on both sides of the river, and 

 is pertly built on the declivity of a hill and partly on a plain. It 

 i~f-it> between 30.000 and 40.000 inhabitant., among whom are 

 many rich Turkish families. Though the houses make no great show, 

 they are well arranged and furnished. It is one of the principal places 

 to which the Arabs resort to buy tent-furniture and clothes, aud it 

 has several manufacture! ; the abbas, or woollen cloaks, made here 

 ore much prized. There are four bridges over the river. Hamah 

 retains almost unaltered it* ancient name llamath, which it bore in 

 the time of St. Jerome. /Itnti, the ancient Emeta, situated higher up 

 the Aiy, at a short distance from the northern extremity of the Bahr- 

 el Ksdes, contains a population of between 25,000 and 30,000 indi- 

 vidual*, and several manufactures. It is not so well built as Hamah. 

 Krone*, was celebrated for its Temple of the Sun. Heliogabalus was a 

 priest of this town before be wss raised to the imperial dignity by the 

 Itoman legionaries of Syria. Near Emesa, Aurelian defeated Queen 

 Zeoobia, A D. 272. To the south-east of Hems, at the distance of nearly 

 100 miles, are the ruins of PALMIRA. 



In the valley of the Upper Jordan, or Seissaban, are Haibeya, 

 Hasheyat-el-Fukhor, and BANEAS. Jfatbeya is built on the tap of a 

 mountain, and U a thriving place, with 700 houses, and manufactures 

 of cotton-cloth for shirts and gowns, and a few dyeing-houses. In the 

 vicinity ore trsors of quicksilver, iron-ore, and upwards of 25 bitumen- 

 piU, which supply on article of trade to Aleppo, Damascus, and Beyrut 

 Raiktyat-tl-Pitkkar is a village on the top of a mountain ; it contains 

 ataut 1 00 houses, each of which may be considered as a manufactory 

 of earthen pots. They are moulded in very elegant shapes, painted 

 with red earth, and form a considerable article of inland trade, espe- 

 cially iu the eastern districts of Syria. Damatcut is the subject of a 

 separate article. [DAMASCUS.] 



In the mountain regions east of the Jordan are the towns of Szalt, 

 Kerek, Tafyle, and Moan. Szalt, which is nearly in the centre of the 

 Belka Mountains, U situated on the declivity of a hill. It constitutes 

 a republic, independent of the Turkish pashas, who have made several 

 attempt* to subjugate it, but without success. The population con- 

 sists of about 400 Mussulman and 80 Christian families of the Greek 

 Church. The greater part of the population is agricultural ; a few 

 are weavers ; and there are ataut 20 shops, which furnish the Beduins 

 who inhabit this region with articles of dress and furniture. Much 

 sumach, which is collected in the mountains, is sent to Jerusalem for 

 the use of the tanneries ; and ostrich-feathers are taken by the Beduins 

 to Damascus. In its neighbourhood, to the south-east, are the ruins 

 of Amman, or Philadelphia ; and to the northward U Jebel .Mad, 

 the ancient Mount Gilead. North of the Zerko, the ancient Jabbok, 

 and nearly in 36 E. long., is Jerash, in which are many ruins of 

 Itoman buildings a triumphal arch, Corinthian temple, a Christian 

 church, theatre, and amphitheatre. Kerak lies in the northern district 

 of the Shera Mountains, and is built on the top of a steep hill, which 

 U surrounded by a deep and narrow valley. It is inhabited by 400 

 Muuulman and 150 Christian families. Whilst Syria was subject to 

 Hehcmrt Ali, Szalt and Kerak were subjected to a strict obedience to 

 government by Ibrahim, but under the Turks the chiefs of Kerak 

 are nearly independent. The population send sheep, goat*, mules, 

 hides, wool, and madder to Jerusalem ; and provisions to the Hadji 

 road, which is ataut 15 miles to the east of the town. TafgU is in 

 the centre of the Shera Mountains, on the declivity of a hill, in a 

 country abounding in spring! and rivulet*, and full of plantations of 

 fruit-tree*. Fig*, wool, butter, and hides are sent to Gaza. The 

 town contains ataut 600 houses, hut suffers much from the exactions 

 of the Howeitat Beduins, the authority of the Turkish government 

 being very small. The town of Moan stands on two small hills on 

 the desert table-land which is east of the mountains of Shera. It 

 cotuuti of ataut 100 houses on both sides of the Hadji route, which 

 divides the town. There are several springs, by means of which the 

 extensive plantations of figs, pomegranates, apricot*, peaches, aud 

 plums are watered. The town owe. iu existence to the Hadji-road, 

 and derives considerable profit from the pilgrims by selling them 

 provision* brought from other parts, especially from Khalil and Gaza. 

 West of Haan an the ruins of PETBA, and a little farther west, Mouut 

 Hor. now called Jebel- Neby-Harun. 



.Vantifaftmra. Syria Uthe mot manufacturing country in Western 

 Asia. The most manufacturing town is Damascu*, famous for it* 

 ilk .tuft*, especially *atiu and -ilk damasks and brocade*, cottons, 

 linens, and leather. The manufacture of saddles, and horse- aud 

 camel-trappings, U also important Other products of Damascene 

 industry arc jewellery, works in gold, silver, copper, and iron ; 



SYUIA. 





sword-blades, tobacco, soap, and articles in ivory and precious woods; 

 perfumes, balms, aromatic oil, sweet-scenting essences, confectionary, 

 pastry, Ac. [DAMASCUS.] The manufactures of Aleppo are small 

 compared with those of Damascus, and mostly limited to cotton and 

 silk stuff*, aud gold and silver lace. It must also be observed that 

 some branches of manufacturing industry are carried on in all the 

 towns, and oven in some villages, such as cotton-stuff* for gowns and 

 shirts, the dyeing of cotton, mostly blue and red, tanning leather, and 

 making soap. Such places however supply only the neighbourhood 

 aud the Beduins who resort to them for such articles, and they rarely 

 if ever work for a distant market. 



Commerce. The imports consist of rice, hardware, some French 

 tissues, indigo, cochineal, and coffee. Very little sugar is imported : 

 the debs, an extract from grapes, being used ss a substitute ; and this 

 article is manufactured in Syria to a great extent. The most important 

 article of export to Europe is silk. Other less important articles are 

 galls, olive-oil, sponges, fruits, and tobacco. The fruits, which are 

 principally exported, are dates, raisina, figs, and pistachio-nut*. Madder 

 is also exported to a moderate extent. There is some coasting trade 

 between Syria and Egypt, Cyprus, and the south coast of Asia Minor. 

 Egypt receives chiefly live stock and tobacco, for which it pays 

 with rice. 



The commerce between Syria and the countries to the east and 

 north of it is very extensive. At all seasons of the year numerous 

 caravans are on the road going or returning from these parts. This 

 commerce is concentrated in Aleppo. Manufactured goods go from 

 Damascus to Aleppo, whence they are carried to Anatolia and Con- 

 stantinople, and to Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra. Two well-frequented 

 routes lead from Aleppo to Constantinople through Anatolia. The 

 most western leads from Aleppo westward to Antioch, and th> ncv 

 through the Bailau Pinw to Scanderoou, whence it runs along the 

 shores of the Bay of Scanderoou to Adana and Konieh in Asia Minor. 

 The eastern commercial route runs due north from Aleppo, and tra- 

 verses the chain of the Alma Dagh between A'iutab and El-Boston, 

 where it proceeds to Kaisariyeh. Two routes lead from Aleppo to 

 Persia, which divide at Orfa in Mesopotamia. From Aleppo the road 

 runs north-east to Bir, where the Euphrates is crossed, and from 

 which place to Orfa it continues eastward. The northern road leads 

 from Orfa to Diarbekr, where it passes the Tigris, and thence goes 

 over a very mountainous district to Bedlis and Van, and from Von it 

 continues to Tabriz. The southern road on leaving Orfa pnnacc 

 through Murdin, Nisibin, and Mosul, where it crosses the Tigris, and 

 whence it continues through Kirkuk, Kirmaushah, and Hauiadan to 

 Teheran. This road is also sometimes used by the Baghdad caravans 

 as far as Mosul. But the most frequented caravan route between 

 Aleppo and Baghdad runs from Aleppo in a south-eastern direction 

 through the northern part of the Syrian desert, which it enters after 

 leaving the lake of El-Sabkh. It reaches the Euphrates at Annan, and 

 runs along the river to Hit, where it crosses the stream, and then 

 goes due east to Baghdad, or continues south-east by Hilla to Basra. 

 It may be unnecessary to state that, though these routes are sometimes 

 called roads, it must be understood that there are no roads in the 

 European sense in the Turkish empire. 



Jfiitory. Syria was the Greek and Roman name for the district called 

 in the Bible Aram. [ARAM.] The Arabian name is Sham. The name is 

 said by some to be taken from Sur, an ancient name (and also the 

 modem name) of Tyre. Others say it is a shortened form of Assyria; 

 and indeed the two names, Syria and Assyria, are often used indiffer- 

 ently by ancient writers, who differ however as to the extent of Syria. 

 In its widest extent, Syria included all the country to the west of the 

 Euphrates, as far south as Egypt and Arabia, while on the north and 

 west it embraced the greater part of Cilicia, Cappadocia, and Pontus, 

 its boundaries on this side being the river Halys aud the Euxine Sea, 

 (Herod., L 72; v. 49 ; Strata, xvi. p. 737 ; Hennell, 'Geog. to Herod.') 

 Pliny (v. 13) and Mela (xi. 1) make it include Mesopotamia and 

 Armenia. It appears indeed that all the tribes of the great Aramaean 

 family were called Syrians, in the widest and most ancient sense of 

 the word. 



In the most usual application of the word, Syria was bounded as 

 stated at the beginning of this article. The Syrians (not including 

 the inhabitants of Phoenicia and Palestine under the name) derived 

 their descent from Aram, the youngest son of Seth. (Gen., x. 22). 



The earliest records of the state of Syria represent it as consisting 

 of a number of independent kingdoms. Damascus was the most 

 powerful city, and iu some sense the capital of the country. Its kings 

 were frequently engaged in war with the Jews. The conquests of 

 David (B.C. 1055, &c.) brought these states into subjection to the 

 kingdom of Israel; but they again became independent at the close 

 of Solomon's reign (B.C. 975). From this time the kingdom of 

 Damascus especially is frequently mentioned iu connection with tin- 

 history of the Israelites, aud it appears gradually to have grown in 

 power, and to have held supremacy over the other states of Syria 

 (1 Kings, xx. 1), and even to have given the kings of Israel great 

 trouble, till the reign of Joash (B.C. 846), who obtained considerable 

 '. successes against Benhadad (2 Kings, xiii. 22-25). The last king of 

 Damascus was Rezin, who having engaged with Pekah, king of Israel, 

 in war against Ahaz, king of Judab, Aha/, invited Tiglath Pileser, king 

 | of Assyria, to attack Damascus, which he took, and carried the 



