DAMASCUS, THE PEARL OF THE DESERT 



By A. Forder, of Jerusalem 



With Photographs by the Author 



LEBANON and Damascus ! Ho 1 ^ far 

 back such names seem to carry us 

 ^ in the history of the world ! Mil- 

 lenniums ago Damascus had its attrac- 

 tions for the Oriental, and today there is 

 no city in the East that so charms Arab 

 and Turk. The Bedouin from the sandy 

 stretches of Arabia and arid Syria has 

 given it an appropriate name in "The 

 Pearl of the Desert" ; for, with its thou- 

 sands of white houses, mosques, and 

 towers, encircled with miles of orchards 

 and gardens, each vying with the other 

 in foliage, the city indeed has a very 

 charming appearance. 



Damascus dates back to the time when 

 the Pharaohs ruled in Egypt, and is one 

 of the few cities of the Orient that has 

 had a continuous history and existence. 



This city, which is second in impor- 

 tance in the Turkish Empire, may now 

 be reached by three different railroads, 

 thus making it a very attractive resort 

 for the trader from all parts of the East, 

 whereas a few years ago it was difficult 

 of access. Its population is estimated at 

 about some two hundred thousand souls, 

 not including the garrison of many thou- 

 sand soldiers. Despite the mixture of 

 nationalities and creeds, the temper and 

 endurance of the inhabitants is remark- 

 able, for one never reads or hears of 

 riots or impending trouble in Damascus. 



The main and most used road to Da- 

 mascus is the railway from Beirut, the 

 principal port of Syria. This line is a 

 narrow gauge rack-and-pinion system, 

 crossing the mountains of Lebanon at a 



THE) MONOLITH OF THE LEBANON 



This is the largest known stone ever quarried. It is 72 feet long, 17 feet 2 inches square, 

 and is estimated to weigh more than a thousand tons. For some unknown reason it was never 

 finished (see page 65). 



