Chap. I. 
frotn Aleppo 
take Notice of an 
to Jerusal 
E M. 
857 
30. We are next to take Notice ot an Excurfion 
our Author made fome Years after this, in order to 
take a View of the famous River Euphrates^ and the 
Country near it on both Sides *, which being fo famous 
both in ancient and modern Hillory, might well excite 
his Curiofity, as the Plainnefs and Perfpicuity of his 
Account cannot but fatisfy ours. We fet out, fays he, 
Aleppo^ April 17, 1699, and fleering Eafl North 
Eafl fomewhat lefs, we came in three Hours and a 
half to Surbafs. 
The 1 8th, we came in three Hours and a half to Be- 
%ci)\ pafling by Bah, where is a good AqutEdudf, Dyu it 
Baah, to which you defcend by about thirty Steps, and 
Lediffy a pleafant Village. Our Courfe was thus far 
Eafl and by North. In the Afternoon we advanced 
three Hours farther, Courfe North Eafl, to an old ruined 
Place, formerly of fome Confideration, called Acamy : 
It is fituated in the Wildernefs on a Hill encompafi'ed 
by a Valley : It was large, and had the Footfteps of 
good Walls and Buildings. 
The 19th wo went Eafl and by North, and in four 
Hours arrived at Bambych. This Place has no Rem- 
nants of its ancient Greatnefs but its Wails, wnich may 
be traced all round, and cannot be lefs than three Miles 
in Compafs. Several Fragments of them remain on 
the Eaft-fide, efpecially at the Eafl Gate, and another 
Piece of eighty Yards long,' with Tov/ers of large 
fquare Stone, extremely well built. On the North-fide 
I found a Stone, with the Bufls of a Man and Woman 
laro-e as the Life, and under two Eagles carved on it. 
No^ far from it, on the Side of a large Weil, was fixed 
a Stone with three Figures carved on it in Bajjh Relievo. 
They were two Syrens, which twining their iifliy Tails 
together, made a Seat on which was placed fitting a 
naked Woman, her Arms and the Syrens on each Side 
mutually entwined. 
On the Weftflide is a deep Pit of about an hundred 
Yards Diameter : It was low and had now Water in it, 
and feemed to have had great Buildings all round it, 
with the Pillars and Ruins of which it is now in Part 
filled up, but not fo much but that there was flill Wa- 
ter in it. Here are a Multitude of fubterraneous A- 
quteducls brought to this City, the People attefled no 
fewer than fifty. You can ride no where about the 
City without feeing them. We pitched by one about 
a Qtiarter of a Mile Eafl of the City, which yields a 
fine Stream, and emptying itfelf into a Valley, wa- 
ters it, and makes it extremely fruitful. Here per- 
haps Vt^ere the Paflures of the Beads defigned for Sa^ 
here as large as the Thames at London j a long Bullet- 
gun could not fhoot a Ball over it, but it dropt into 
the Water. Here is found a Ijirge Serpent, which has 
Legs and Claws, called JV walla. I was told by a Turh, 
that a little below this Place, when the River is low, 
may be feen the Ruins of a Stone-bridge over the Ri- 
ver j for my own Part, I faw it nor, nor do I much 
rely on the Turk’s Veracity. The River feem’d to be 
lately fallen very fuddenly, for the Banks were frefh 
wet two Yards and more above the Water. It was here 
North and South. 
On the 2 1 ft we kept clofe on the Banks of Euphrates^ 
and in two Flours and a Half crofled a fine Rivulet 
called Towzad, and in two Hours more arrived over- 
againft Beer, and pitched on a Flat, clofe by theRiver- 
fide. Obferving the Latitude of the Place by my Qua* 
drant, I found the Angle between the Sun and the Ze- 
nith, to be twenty-two Degree.?, and the Declination 
th is Day being fifteen Degrees ten Minutes j the Whole 
is thirty feven Degrees, and ten Minutes. 
On the 2 2d, we continued at our Station, not daring 
to crofs the River for Fear of falling into the Hands 
of the Chiah of the Bafha of Urfa, who was then at 
Beer, ordering many Boats of Corn down to Bagdal. 
We were fupplied at the fame Time with Provifions by 
Sheck Ajjyne, to whom we made Returns. 
On the a 3d, the Chiah being now departed, Sheck 
ine invited us over to Beer. We crofled in a Boat 
of the Country, of which they have a great many, this 
being the great Pafs into Mefopotamia. The Boats are 
of a miferable Fabrick, flat and open in the Fore-part 
for Horfcs to enter : They are large enough to carry 
about four Horfes each : Their Way to crofs is, by 
drawing up the Boat as high as they know to be ne- 
ccflary, and then with wretched Oars flriking over the 
Falls a good Way down by the Force of the Stream be- 
fore they arrive at the further Side. 
Having faluted AJfyne, we were condufiled to fee the 
Caflle, which is a large old Building on the Top of a 
great long Rock, feparaced by a great Gulph or natural 
Bottom, from the Land. Ac firft coming within the 
Gates, which are of Iron, we faw feveral large Globes 
of Scone, about twenty Inches diameter, and great Axles 
of Iron, with Wheels which were entire Blocks of Wood 
two Foot thick in the Nave, and cut fomewhat to an 
Edge toward the Periphery and Screws, to bend Bows 
or Engines ; as alfo feveral Brafs Field Pieces. 
Afcending up the Sides of the Rock by a Way cut 
obliquely, you come to the Caflle. At firft Entrance 
orifice. Here are now only a few poor Inhabitants, you find a Way cut under Ground down to the River. 
though anciently all the North-fide was well inhabited 
by Saracens, as may be feen by the Remains of a noble 
Molque and' Bagnio a little without the Walls. We 
were here vifited by a Company of Begdelies, who were 
incamped fome Hours further towards Euphrates, ha- 
ving about a thoufand Horfe there. 
20. For avoiding the Begdelies, we hired a Guide, 
who condufted us a By-way. V/e travelled North 
North Eafl over a Defert Ground, and came in three 
Hours to a fmall Rivulet called Sejour, which falls into 
the Euphrates about three Hours below Jerabolus. In 
In the Caflle the principal Things we faw were, firft, a 
large Room full of old Arms. I faw here Glafs Bottles 
to be fhot at the End of Arrows ; one of them was 
fluck at the End of an Arrow, with four Pieces of 
Tin by its Sides, to keep it firm. Vaft large Crofs- 
bows and Beams, feemingly defigned for Battering, 
Rams and Roman Saddles, and Head-pieces of a large 
Size, fome of which were painted, and fome large 
Thongs for Bow- firings, and Bags for flinging Scones. 
But the Jealoufy of the Turks would not permit us to 
flay fo long as would have been requifice for a perfed: 
about two Hours more we came to a fine fruitful Plain, Examination of chefe Antiquities. From the Caflle we 
covered with extraordinary good Corn, lying between the return’d to AJfyne, and were civilly treated. In the 
Hills and the River Euphrates. In about an Hour and Evening we went up into the Country of Mefopotamia. 
The Hills are clialky and fteep, and come clofe to the 
Water- fide, without a Plain intervening, as it is upon 
the Side of Syria, fo that Beer ftands on the Side of a 
Hill. However, it has a Couple of fine Streams that 
run over the Top of the Hill ; one of which drives 
half’s Travelling through this Plain on the Banks of the 
River, we came to Jerabolus. This Place is of a fe- 
micircular Figure, its flat Side lying on the Banks of 
Euphrates j on that Side it has a high long Mount clofe 
by the Water, very fteep. It was anciently built upon 
(and at one End of it I faw Fragments of) very large two Mills, and fo runs down to the City, which is well 
Pillars, a Yard and half Diameter, and Capitals and walled. In the Side of the Hill there is a Kane under 
Cor nifties well carved. Ac the Foot of the Mount was Ground, cut into the Rock, with fifteen large Pillars 
carved on a large Stone, a Bead refembling a Lion, left to fupport its Roof. 
with a Bridle in his Mouth, and 1 believe anciently a 24. We left Beer, and travelling Weft, came in 
Perfon fitting on it ; But the Stone is in that Part now three Hours 10 Nizib, a Place well fituated at the Head 
broke away ; the Tail of the Beaft was couped. of the Towzad. Here is an old fmall Church very 
Round about this Place are high Banks eafl up, and 
there is the Footfteps of Wall on them. The Gates 
feem to have been well-built ; the Whole was 2250 
Paces, that is Yards, in Circumference. The River is 
VoL.II. N« CXXVIII. 
ftrong and entire, only rhe Cupola in the Middle of the 
Crofs is broke down, and its Space covered with Leaves 
to fit the Place for a Mofque. I believe the Turks 
made the Places to which they turn in Prayers, empty 
10 1 Niches, 
