GEOGRAPHICAL KXPLOHATION 01' MOAB. 231 



little nullah's or canons, all shaded -with date-palms and canebrake. The 

 temperature of the upper spring was only 85°, that of the fifth and tenth, 

 which are the largest, was 135° and 14U° at their exit from the rock. The 

 heated stream of the Calhrrhoe retains a temperature of 70° at its mouth. 



There is not a trace of Roman baths or of building of any kind ; this ig 

 not to be wondered at when wo observe the rapid deposit of sulphur uoW 

 forming about all the lower springs. These sulphurous deposits form crum- 

 bhng cliffs, under which the hot stream has in many places made itself a 

 tunnel, to which the Arabs have pierced holes through the overlying crust, 

 over which tlicy sit and enjoy a natural vapour-bath. 



We made this lovely glen our hcadcpiarters for eight days, and thoroughly 

 examined the neighbourhood. The castle of lEachterus (M'Kaur), the place of 

 the martj-rdom of St. John Baptist, does not seem to have been noted by any 

 predecessor, and is wrongly placed in the maps. It stands to the S.E. of 

 the head of the Wady Sgara, the next glen to the south of Callirrhoe. Its 

 natural position is accurately described by Josephus ; but there is nothing left 

 to give any idea of the great strength of its fortifications. The citadel, isolated, 

 as Pliny observes, from the city below, has only foundations of the keep just 

 level with the soil, circular, exactly 100 yards in diameter; within it is a weU 

 of great depth, a large and deep oblong cemented cistern, and two dungeons, 

 one of them very perfect. The town occupied the ridge of a long crest running 

 east and west to the west of the fortress, and is marked by a stupendous heap of 

 stones, beyond which are the foundations of several forts and of a smaU temple. 

 The stone heap is 250 yards long and of great height, and the crest is 3800 

 feet above the Dead Sea. The finest "saew on the east side is, I think, from 

 the top of the ridge between M'Kaur and Callirrhoe. 



Attarus, the ancient Ataroth, and Kureiyat (Kiriathaim) were also visited. 

 Attarus is certainly in extent among the most considerable of the Moabite 

 ruins, but featureless ; Jebel Attarus is three miles distant from the site which 

 bears the name of ancient Ataroth. It has been crowned by a massive square 

 fortress. The feature most remarkable in this treeless country is a fine tere- 

 binth, Avhich attracts the eye from far and is noticed by Eurkhardt. Eound 

 this hill and in the undulating plain between it and the city the ground is 

 sparsely covered with trees, the only wooded spot in the highlands. Tere- 

 binths, oaks, and especially the almond-tree in abundance, present an aspect 

 most refreshing in this bare and monotonous land. 



Kureiyat has nothing worthy of note, and from hence to the Anion there 

 is scarcely a ruin on the eastern edge of the plateau. 



In the neighbourhood of the Calhrrhoe we observed several prehistoric 

 stone circles, like those found at Beitin and elsewhere, and many cairns, which 

 seem far anterior to the mounds of the cities. 



An expedition to Zara (the Zareth Shaphau of the Bible) was full of interest. 

 The narrow ravine of the Callirrhoe it was impossible to follow ; and we were 

 compelled to mount the heights, cross two more gorges, and follow the crests 

 till we descended 2000 feet from a lower plateau upon the oasis of Zara. 

 Tills is not, as marked on the maps, at the mouth of the Callirrhoe, but consi- 

 derably to the south. It was a city of Eeuben, its frontier town on the 

 shore, and shows few traces of later occupation. We may trace the features 

 of the Jewish town, a central fort on a knoll and the houses clustering round 

 it, as may be seen to-day at Gibeon and elsewhere. We were surprised to 

 find a wide extent of rich land fringing the Dead Sea, abundantly watered 

 by hot springs, some sulphurous and others sweet. This belt reaches to 

 within a short distance of the mouth of the Arnou. Northwards some bold 



