DAMASCUS. 
255 
villages; while on the one hand gleam the bright waters 
of the River Burada and the Bahr-el-Merj, or Lake of the 
Meadow; and on the other the snow-capt summit of Jebel- 
esh-Sheik, the ancient Hermon; and dim ranges of mount¬ 
ains loom up from the plains of Hauran, and a purple glow 
from the setting sun hangs softly over the vast amphitheatre 
of mountain and valley, giving more than earthly beauty to a 
scene that seemed the baseless fabric of a vision. Such is 
the approach to Damascus, “ the right hand of the cities of 
Syria.” 
Here, before we pass beyond the Mausoleum of Abut-el 
Nazir, the guide of the Prophet, let us take a long, lingering 
look over the plain, and drink deep into our souls draughts of 
heavenly beauty ; for within the walls of Damascus, as with¬ 
in the city of the JSultan, all is “ of earth, earthy.” 
Descending by a narrow pass to the left of the Mausoleum 
of Abut-el-Nazir, we rode for about a mile along the base of 
the mountains, and then turned to the right into the groves 
of Damascus. Here reality at once gave a check to our en¬ 
thusiasm. All travellers bound to Damascus, in search of 
the beautiful, should take a good look at it from the summit 
of Jebel-el-Nazir, and die as soon as possible, like the Sheik, 
but not go a step farther. There is certainly nothing to die 
for within the walls of Damascus, though a good deal to pro¬ 
duce death, in the way of filth and disease. Instead of 
handsome villas, surrounded by flower gardens and adorned 
with works of art, as we were led to expect from the view 
above, we saw nothing but high mud walls, broken and di¬ 
lapidated gateways, and trees covered with dust; with a few 
breaches in the walls by the way-side, exposing some wretch¬ 
ed huts within the inclosure, as dirty as mud and dust could 
make them. There was not the least attempt at ornament 
or comfort visible any where ; scarce sufficient cultivation to 
sustain life; lazy dogs and lazier Arabs lay basking in the 
sun by the roadside, sharing mutually the luxuries of dust 
and flies; and the whole aspect of the neighborhood, as we 
approached Damascus, was neglected and barbarous in the 
extreme. The narrow and mud-walled roads crossed each 
