122 George Dahl, 



tion Banias, apparently because it had only recently been restored 

 and was only known as "modern" (iotX^V-*) ; and then proceeds: 



"Nor do Ibn Abi Ya'kub (i. e. al-Ya'kubi) and Ibn Haukal men- 

 tion Haifa, presumably because it also was modern." 



*Athlit came into temporary prominence in the crusading period 

 simply because of its very strong natural position. The Arab 

 geographers before Yakut do not mention it at all. As for Dor, it 

 seems to have been nearly or quite deserted from the 7th century 

 until after the third crusade (at least). Even Caesarea was 

 reduced, during this same period, to a small and unimportant town. 

 Thus Yakut' says of it that it had once been an important city; 

 "At present, however, it is not such, but is rather a village than a 



city :" jjjcjb L^ au*i! (^^b ^^ siJU ji" ouww-Jj ^^ ! Col^ . 

 ^ IV, 214, lines 3-6. 



