A04 MAGNIFICENT RUINS OF PALMYRA. 



them light are stopped up by rubbish ; but others receive light br 

 great windows, which stand on the !r\< 1 of the Around above : and 

 lastly, all these edifices are built with stones of the enormous size 

 already mentioned, without any visible mortar, cement, or binding 

 whatsoever. The temple and these ruins stand in the same incio- 

 sure, as we have said, and may challenge any monument of anti. 

 quity now exant, either at Athens or at Rome, or even in Egypt. 

 All over and about the town, you, at evi-rv ><*[', tnttt \\jth sorae 

 nn lancholy fragment of antiquity. The quarry from whence they 

 had the stone for these works is a little way out of the town. It 

 is cut out in steps something like an amphitheatre, where lies one 

 stone ready hewn, which seems to surpass all that have been already 

 described. A notion prevailed, that it was too heavy to be moved ; 

 but, upon a nice examination, it was found fastened to the rock. 

 Such was the city of Balbeck, and from its surprising grandeur and 

 magnificence we may well conclude it to have been once the most 

 considerable place in Syria, and the delight of some mighty prince, 

 vho there chose to reside. 



[4nc. Univ. Hist. 



SECTION X. 



Magnificent Ruins of Palmyra. 



THE splendid city of Palmyra, as it was called by the Greeks 

 and Romans; by the scripture writers, Tadmor in the wilder, 

 ness ; by Josephus, Palmira and Thadamor ; by the septua. 

 gint copies, Th-odmor and Thedmor ; and by the Arabs and 

 Syrians at this day, Tadmor, Tadmur, and i'atmor ; was once a 

 noble city in the south-eastern parts of Syria. The origin of these 

 names is dark and uncertain. It stood on a fertili i.-land, if we 

 may so call it, surrounded on all sides by a thirsty and barren 

 desert. Th first object that now occurs as you approach this for- 

 lorn place, is a castle of mean architecture, and uncertain founda- 

 tion, though formerly by situation impregnable, about half an hour 

 from the city. This castle stands on the north side of the cily, and 

 from thence you descry Tadmor, inclosed on three sides by long 

 ridges of mountains ; but to the south is a vast plain, which stretches 

 out of sight. The air is exceeding good ; but the soil is barren, 

 affording nothing green but a few palm.tre* s in the gardens, and 

 a few more scattered up and down. The city must have been of 

 large extent by the space now taken up by the ruins - t but there 



