GEYSERITE 



35 1 4 



GHATS 



which simultaneously turns on both 

 gas and water, and so practically 

 removes any danger of explosion. 



Geyserite. Variety of opaline 

 silica found in deposits round the 

 geysers of Iceland, New Zealand, 

 etc. Found in masses of pearly 

 lustre sometimes of great beauty, it 

 consists chiefly of silica with 10 to 

 12 p.c. of water. 



Gezer. City of Palestine, 16 

 m. W.N.W. of Jerusalem, com- 

 manding the Philistine plains. It 

 was the dowry of the Egyptian 

 princess whom Solomon wedded. 

 Assyrian, Egyptian, and Hebrew 

 inscriptions help the dating. R. A. S. 

 Macalister's excavations (1902-9) 

 revolutionised Palestine archae- 

 ology. His memoir (1912) illustrates 

 4,000 objects. Some pertain to 

 thick-skulled neolithiccave-dwellers 

 living before 3,000 B.C., who prac- 

 tised cremation, kept domesticated 

 animals, and used bone implements. 

 To a taller race, who buried their 

 dead and practised human sacrifice, 

 may pertain a rock- bored water- 

 tunnel 219 ft. long. Semitic settlers 

 (2,500 B.C.) are represented by 

 their high place ; Egyptian influ- 

 ence appears (1,400 B.C.) ; Philis- 

 tine graves contain human remains, 

 and silver and gold work. 



Gezira OR BLUE NILE PROVINCE- 

 Division of the Anglo-Egyptian 

 Sudan, situated between the Blue 

 and White Nile. It contains the 

 districts of Abu-Deleig, Kamlin, 

 Managil, Mesellemia, Rufaa, and 

 Wad Medani, is exceedingly fertile, 

 and produces maize and cotton. 

 Although cotton-growing is only in 

 its experimental stage, yet, with 

 ample irrigation from the captured 

 flood waters of the Blue Nile, the 

 output should be greatly improved. 

 The area is 12,580 sq. m., and the 

 pop. 192,879. 



Gfrorer, AUGUST FRIEDRICH 

 (1803-61). German historian. Born 

 at Calw, Wiirttemberg, March 5, 

 1803, he was educated at Tubin- 

 gen University. He was first a 

 student of theology, which he 

 taught in his own university, but 

 from 1830, when he entered the 

 royal library at Stuttgart, his in- 

 terests were mainly in historical re- 

 search, ecclesiastical history claim- 

 ing a large share. In 1846 he be- 

 came professor of history at Frei- 

 burg, and in 1848 was a member of 

 the Frankfort parliament. He 

 died July 6, 1861. He wrote a work 

 on Gustavus Adolphus and his 

 times, 1835-37 ; A History of Early 

 Christianity, 1838 : a General His- 

 tory of the Church down to 1305, 

 1841-46; a work in seven volumes 

 on Hilde brand and his Age, 1859- 

 61 ; a History of the 18th Century, 

 1862-73; and other books. He 

 joined the Church of Rome in 1853. 



Ghadames, GADAMES OR RHA- 

 DAMES. Oasis and town in the ex- 

 treme W. of the Italian colony of 

 Libia (Tripoli). It is 300 m. S.W. 

 of Tripoli, and is an important 

 centre for the trade of the interior. 

 In Roman times it was known as 

 Cydamus. Pop. about 10,000. 



Gharbiyeh OR GHARBIEH. Mari- 

 time prov. of Lower Egypt. It con- 

 tains the districts of Borollos, 



Gezer. Ruins of the bath house of Simon Maccabafeus 

 (c. 143 B.C.), who took the town from the Syrians 



Desuq, Fua, Kafr-el-Sheikh, Kafr- 

 el-Zayat, Mehalla-el-Kubra, Santa, 

 Sherbin, Talkha, Tanta, and Zifta. 

 Area, 2,534 sq. m. Pop. 1,484,814. 



Ghardaia. Town and oasis of 

 Algeria, in the Sahara. It is about 

 310 m. S.E. of Algiers, is walled, 

 and is surrounded by fruit plan- 

 tations. It forms one of the three 

 principal routes from Algeria to the 

 Sahara. It is to be connected by 

 rly. with Laghuat, to which point a 

 rly. is being constructed from Ain 

 Ussera. Pop. of oasis, 38,000; of 

 town, 8,000. 



Ghat (Hindu, path of descent). 

 Flight of steps upon a river bank 

 in India. Designed primarily to 

 facilitate bathing, drinking, and 

 other ritual acts, they served as 

 landing-places, and are found along 

 the Ganges at every citv from 

 Calcutta to Hardwar. Of "the 47 

 ghats at Benares (q. v.) surmounted 

 by temples, rest- jpi\i;-5"^^^^s 

 houses, images, 

 and holy wells 

 five are visited by 

 all pilgrims. Mani- 

 karnika, the most 

 sacred, and Sma- 

 shan the burning 

 ghats have cre- 

 mation grounds. 

 Munshiisthe most 

 picturesque . 

 Ghosla the most 

 massive, Sivala 

 the handsomest, 

 although sur 

 passed in elegance 

 by one at Ma 

 heswar on the 

 Nerbudda. The 



term is used for the scarped sea 

 faces of the Deccan peninsula, the 

 Western and Eastern Ghats. 



Ghat OR RHAT. Village and 

 oasis of N. Africa. It is in the 

 country of the Tuaregs, on the W. 

 border of Fezzan, and is an Italian 

 possession. It lies on the route from 

 Tripoli to the W. Sudan, and is sup- 

 posed to be the Rapsa mentioned 

 by Pliny, although tradition states 

 that it was built 

 I only two centuries 

 and a half ago. 

 I Ghat maintained 

 ! its independence 

 i until 1875, when 

 it was taken by 

 the Turks. Pop. 

 about 4,000. 



Ghats. Two 

 great mt. ranges 

 in India, called 

 respectively the 

 Eastern Ghats 

 and the Western 

 Ghats. Between 

 them lies the tri- 

 angular tableland 

 of the Deccan. 

 Ghats, a line of 

 small ranges, begin in Orissa, and 

 thence continue through Ganjam 

 to the Nilgiri plateau, where the 

 junction is effected with the West- 

 ern Ghats. They approach the Bay 

 of Bengal in Ganjam and Vizagap- 

 atam, but afterwards their course 

 lies inland, leaving between them 

 and the sea a long stretch of low 

 country with a maximum width 

 of 150 m. The Western Ghats, 

 whose length is 1,000 m., form a 

 sea-wall for the W. side of the 

 peninsula, the Palghat Gap being 

 the main route through this 

 barrier. 



The two ranges have determined 

 developments on the coasts of S. 

 India. On the eastern side the wide 

 lowlands facilitated the spread of 

 civilization, and it was there that 

 the capitals of the great kingdoms 

 of S. India were established : but on 



The Eastern 



(ihat. 



Hindus laying a pyre at a burning gnat, 

 Benares, where bodies are cremated 



