Royal Societv. X4.X 
command both the pafs into the hills by which the town is 
entred, and the city too; but it was eafily fcen, that it was 
no ancient building, retaining no footfteps of the exquifite 
workmanihip and ingenuity of the ancients. Upon enquiry, 
it was faid to be built by Alan- ogle, a prince of the 'Druces^ 
in the reign of Amnrath x^c third, A.i). 15855 but it does 
not appear that either Man-ogle, or any 2)rucian prince, was 
ever powerful in thefe parts, their ftrength lying on mount 
Libatiiis, and along the coaft of Sldon, ^eryttts, )kc. It is a 
work of more labour than art, and the very fituation alone is 
fiifficient to render it almoft impregnable; it ftands on the 
top of a very high hill, encloled with a deep ditch, cut out 
of the very rock, over which there was only one paflage alone by 
a draw-bridge, which is now broken down 5 fo that there is no 
entry remaining, unlefs you will be at the pains to clamber up 
the rock, which may be done in one place, but with fuch diffi- 
culty and hazard, that the Jeaft flip endangers a man's life ; nor 
is there any thing to be feen within it fufficient to recompense the 
trouble of getting up to it, the building being confuled, and the 
rooms very ill contrived ; upon the top of the hill there is a well 
of a prodigious depth. This caftle ftands on the north fide of 
the town, and from hence you have the befl profpe6i: of the 
country all round ; you fee 7admor below you encloled on three 
fides with long ridges of mountains, which open gradually to- 
wards the eafl to the diftance of about an hour's riding; but to 
the fouth there extends a vafl plain beyond the reach of the eye^ 
in which is a large valley of fait, at about an hour's diflance 
from the city; and this is more probably the valley of fait, men- 
tioned 2. Sam. r. 8. i;. 15, where 'David fmote the Syrians, and 
flew 18000 men, than another, which lies about 4 hours from 
Aleppo, and has fomctimes paflcd for it. The air is good, but 
the foil exceeding barren, nothing green to be feen therein, fave a 
few palm-trees in the gardens, and here and there about the 
town ; and from them, it probably had its name, both Tadmor 
and Palmira, and the whole country thence denominated Syria 
^ahnirena, and fometimes SuUtudines Talmirence ; 16 that the 
Latins did not change but only tranflate the old name, which 
therefore ftill obtains in thefe eaftern parts, and the more modern 
is wholly unknown; the city itfelf appears to have been of a 
large extent, by the fpace now taken up by its ruins; but there 
are no foot-Heps of any walls remaining, nor is it poflible to 
judge of the ancient figure of the place. The prelent inhabitants 
as they are poor, fb they have fl^ut themfelves up, to the number 
of 
