916 



SYRIA, OR EGYPTIAN ASIA. 



ver and gold vessels and ornaments, valued 

 at nearly'2,000,000 dollars ; and the Ar- 

 menian convent, with upwards of 800 cells 

 for the accommodation of pilgrims, many 

 thousands of whom annually visit this sa- 

 cred spot. Population, 30,000. 



In the vicinity is the JVlount of Olives, 

 so called from the grove of olive trees 

 which still in part cover it, from which 

 Christ ascended to heaven ; at its foot, was 

 the village of Gethsematie, containing a 

 garden to which the Saviour often retired to 

 pray, and where he was betrayed by Judas 

 to his murderers ; a little to the east is Beth- 

 any, where the house and tomb of Lazarus, 

 and the houses of Mary Magdalen and Martha are pointed out ; and between the mount of Olives 

 and Jerusalem, is the valley of Jehoshapliat , still, as in ancient times, a Jewish cemetery. At a 

 greater distance from the city lies BcihhJicm, a little village where Christ was born, and con- 



Gardcn of Gcthsemane, as it nolo appears. 



taming a vast grotto hewn out of a rock, called the chapel of the Nativity, supposed to be 

 upon the spot of his birth ; near Bethlehem are 3 reservoirs of great size and solidity, called 

 the pools of Solomon. 



To the north of Jerusalem near Acre, are jVazarcth, where, in the splendid churcli of the 

 Annunciation, is shown the supposed residence of the Virgin Mary ; Cana, celebrated as the 

 scene of one of Christ's miracles ; and JVlount Tabor, upon which his transfiguration is said to 

 have taken place ; the field of corn, the mount upon which was delivered the sermon of the 

 blessings, and the scene of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, are also in this neighborhood. 

 Capernaum, where Christ performed many miracles, and spent much of the last years of his 

 life, is likewise in this direction. 



Between Jerusalem and the Jordan is the wide, flat plain of .Jericho, 20 miles in length and 

 10 in breadth, walled in on all sides by the high mountains of Judea and Arabia. Jn this plain 

 the sight of the city of Jericho is still recognised, but scarcely any vestiges of its ruins remain. 



From Jerusalem, northwards, the road runs through a hilly and rugged country, which, how- 

 ever, by the industry of the inhabitants, has been marlc a garden. Plere, after passing Bcthrly 



Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 



