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Extracts from a Journal of Travels in Palestine &c., in 1838; Undertaken for the Illustrationof Biblical GeographyAuthor(s): Edward Robinson, Martin Dampies, E. SmithReviewed work(s):Source: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 9 (1839), pp. 295-310Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute ofBritish Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1797725 .Accessed: 20/03/2012 15:08

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XII._ EAC{raC&s from a .Jo7eralfl1 Of 'trat,clS ilt Pale.stine &(., in 1838; xwdert.t?en fO7' {hD [11t.(.SF1atos7, of Wib7i((.1 GeafJrclly. ?y tlle ll^X. E. ROBINSVS antl the Res. E. SA1ITTI. DraBrn up by the RPY. ED\VARD ROBINSON, I).D., PIvfessor of 'rhenlogy in Nelv York.

I. :FRozt'Akabah to Jerusalem, through the Mltestern Deseit. It hael lbeen our intention to go cTirectly from 'Akaball to Wti(li 3VIusa along the great valley E1 'Aral}ah; lout circumstances in- (lucecl us to change our plan; and xve (letermined to lceep our good TowoirGi guieles, and take the road across the Great \;Vestern l)esert in the direction of Gaza and Hebron, -a route as yet un- trodelen by modern travellers. Besides our five ToYvara Arabs under the direction of Tuweileb, ̂ sho ha(l travelled +^rith Ruppell, Laborde, and Lord Lin(lsay, we took two Arales of the 'AmrAn, a tribe livinsr arounel 'Al<abah ancl to the S.E. of that place, as the 'I'o^ ara wele not acquainte(l with the route we proposed to follow. We left 'Alvabah late in the afternoon of April 5th, 1838, and, re- crcessint, the lain of Wadi 'Arabah, began to ascenal the *vestetn lnountains l)y the grea.t Hajj route. We soon encampe(l for the nit,ht; and from this point +ve had seven long days' journey svith cawmels to Hebron. Tlle ascent soon becomes steep alld diicult. The way is almost literally strewed with the bones of camels, anel skirted lvith the graves of pilgrims; a11 testifying to the difficulty of the pass. On reaching, the summit, we SOOn came out upon the great plateau c)f the Desert, probably from 12()0 to 1SC)O feet above the sea, and follnfl ourselves higher than the mountain-peaks shich ve had seen fronz below, and through svhicll e ha.l just ascen(led. Not far from the top of the pass, we left the Hajj route; and, turning oW in a direetion about N.N.W. we launcheel forth again into ;' the great anel terrible wilderness."

For the first two days the general character of this desert was sinzilar to that between (Cairo an{l Suez,-a vast unbounded -lain, a hard gravelly soil, irregular ridges of limestone hills in vflrious directions, the mirage, and especially the Wa(lis or +vatercourses. Our Aral)s gave to this part of the l)esert the llame Et-TSh, the I?esert of Wandering. The Waclis are here frequent: at first they all rall N.W. into the main watercourse of this part of the Desert, VVa(li Jerafeh; ^shich, having its head far to the south, rllns in a N.E. course to join the ltalley 1 'Arabah nearly opposite to Mount Hor. We crossed Wa(lf Jerafeh about the mi(ldle of tlle second day, and were struck with the traces of the large -c)lume of water vEich appalently flows through it in the winter seasoll. On the morning of the third day we reacheel the ̂ rater- shed of the I)esert; after xvhich all the Wadis run in a westelly lirectioll into the great watercourse which drains the snore

296 Dr. ROBINSON'S Travels in Patestine, Qc [1838.

western part of the Desert, and flows down to the sea near E1 nAraish.

Almost from the time we entered upon this vast plain, ws had before us as a landmark, a high conical mountain, apparently isolated, alon^, the western base of which we were to pass. It bears the name 'ArGif en-Nakah; and a lower ridge extends from it eastward. For nearly three days this mountain of the Desert was before us. As we approached it on the third day the country became undulating and unes7enS and the hills more fre- quent. I estimated the height of Jebel 'Araif alsove the plain at about 500 feet; it is composed wholly o? limestone, covered with pel)bles of flint and has no traces of volcanic action. It forms the south-western corner or bulwark of the mountainous region which extends hence to the northward; antl from it a ridge stretches east, terminating in a bluS called Makrah, near E1 'Arabah and opposite Mount Hor, as we saw, on a subsequent journey, from the pass of Nemellah.

The general elevation of the great plateau continues nearlythe same, except where traversed ljy the Wadls; and the gradual ascent to the water-shed is not perceptible, and can only be dis- coxtered by the course of the streams in the valleys.

To the S.S.Ww of Jebel 'Araif is a mountain called Ikhrim, lying l;)etween our route and Wadi 'Arxiish, and farther to the north we saw the mountains Yelek and El-Helal. After passing Jebel 'Araif, our course turned more towards the N.N.E., an(l the character of the Desert vvas changed. On our right was now a mourltainous district, composed of irregular limestolle ridges,

runnint in *7arious directions arld occu)y-ing the whole region quite to Wadi 'Arabah; as we had aftervvards an opportunity of observing. This mountainous district is penetrated by none of the roads which lead frotn the v-icinity of the Re(l Sea to Gaza or Jel usalem: but these roads all fall into the one we were travelling before reaching Jebal 'Araif; or not far frojn that mountain. All these circumstances go to show that our route csould be no otller than the ancient Roman road from Ailah to Hebron and Jeru- salem; which also, like the present roa(l, could not well have been anything more than a caravan route for beasts of bur(len.

The road passes along the western side of this mountainous district, crossing many broad WAdis which flow dowll from it svestsvard, with elevated ridges of table-land between tllem. VVe ma(le frequent and minute inquiry after the names of places or stations which are known to have existed anciently upon this Roman road. Of the more southern ones, Rosa and Sypsaria, we could frld no trace. Early on the fourth day we crossed a broad Wadi called El-Lisan marking perhaps the site of ancient T>yssa; 13ut we could discover no trace of ruins. In the forenoon

1838.] Arciif-en-Nclkah Khulasah B*r Seba. 297

of the fifth (lay we diverged a little to the left, to visit ruins which had lJeen described to us under the names AnJeh and 'Abdeh, and which are doubtless tho remains of ancient Eboda. They consist of the rralls of a large C>reek church, and an extensive fortress, l?oth situated upon a long hill or ridge overlooking a wide plain. Connected with the fortress are cisterns and deep wells walled up with uncommonly good masonry. On the south side of the hill anal lelow are the ruins of houses, surroun(led by traces of es- tenslv-e anclerlt cultlvatlon.

We vere now crossing a more sandy portion of the Desert; and in the afternoon of the same day we had our first specimen of the simoom or southern winel of the Desert. It came over us with violence like the glow of :wn oven, filling the air with fine Farticles of dllst and sand, so as to 013scure the sun an(l render it difficult to see objects only a few ro(ls distant. We eneamped in \Vadl Rulleibeh where we had neYerheard of ruins; butn on ascendirlg the hill on our left, we diseovered the remains of a city not much less than 2 miles in circuit. The houses had been mostly built of hewrl stone; there +vere several pulblic buildings ancl many cisterns; but the whle is nosv thrown to,ether in unutterable confusion, as if the city had been suddenly overthrown by some tlemenclous earthqualie. Wllat ancient city this can have l)een, I hcave not yet been able to learn. The Aralic name suggests the Rellolsoth of Scripture, the name of one of Isaac's svells (Gen. SXVi. 00) bllt the other circumstances do not correspond.

VVe llOW approache(l a more fertile region. Towarfls noon of t]le Sixth day we leached Khulasah, the site of ancient Elusa. It was a city of at least 2 miles in circuit. The fountlations of buil(lings are everywhere to be traced; and several large unshapen piles of stolles seem to mark the sites of public edifices. :Erag- ments of coluluns are occasionally seerl, but no cisterns. A

ululic s-ell, still in use, seems to have suppliexl the city. After crossing another elevatecl plateau, the character of the

surf.a.ce was again changeel. We came upon an operl undulating country * all around were swelling hllls, covered in or(linary seasons Witil el8SS and rich pasturage; but now arid antl parched with drought. We novv came to Wadl Sebl'; antl on the N. si(le of its M atercourse we ha(l the gratifieation of diseoverin*, (A rlril loth) the site of ancient Beersheba, thc celebratel b(?rder-city of P;llestirle still bearing in Aral)ie the name of Bir Seba'. Near the watareourse are two eireular wells of fine watern more than 40 feet dLeep. They are surroun(lefl with (lrinking-troughs of stone for the use of camels and floeks, sueh as were dollbtless used of olcl for the flc)eks and herds whieh thers fed orl the ad- jaeent hills. Aseending the higher grounfl N. of the wells, we found these low hills strewed with the ruins of former habitations,

298 Dr. ROBlNSON'S Travels in Palestine, NfC. [ 1 838.

the foundations of ̂ shich are distinctly to be traced. These ruins extend ovew a space half a mile lont, by a quarter of a mile hroa(l. Here then is the spot where Abraham an(l Isaac anfl .Jacob often live(l ! I4ere Samuel maele his sons judges and from hence Elijall wandered out into the southern I)esert, and sat llown under the Rethem, or shrub of l;)room, just as our Arabs sat do+rn under it every day and every night ! Over these swelling hills the flocks of the ?atriarchs rored by thousan(ls; we now found only a few camels, asses, and goats.

From Eir Seltal to Hebron we tras-elled 122 hours, here equivalent to about 30 miles. The general course was N.E. by E. After 12 hour we came out ul?on a wide open plain, covered with grass, lzut now parched with (lrought. Fielels of xvheat and barley were seen all around; and lefore llS were hills, the beginning of the mountains of Judah. At Dhoherlaeh, the first Syrian illage, the hills around were covered with mintled flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of neat cattle, horses, asses, and camels, in the true patriarchal style of ancient days. At this p]ace our good Towara left us; we took other camels and pro- ceededto Hebron. Here the pool over which David hung up the assassins of Ishbosheth still remains, and fixes the site of the ancient city. The cave of Macphelah cannot well has-e been within the city; an(l therefore the present mosque cannot cover its site. We coul(l not but notice the fertility of the neighbourin^, valleys, full of corn-fields and s-ineyards yiel(ling the largest and finest clusters of all Palestine; and likewise the rich pasturage of the hills, over which were scattered numerous flocks anel herels. w et to a careless observer the country can only appear steril and forbi(lding; for the limestone rocks everywhere come out uron thc surface, and are strevvn over it to SUCh a degree, that a more stony or rocky rebion is very rarely to be seen.

We took the direct road to Jerusalem. It is lai(l with stones in many places, and is doutless the ancient road, which patliarchs and kings of old have often trod; but it is only a path for beasts; no wheels have ever passed there. Tlle distance to Jerusaleln is about 21 miles, on a course between N.Al-.E. and N.E. by N. We hurried onward, and reached the Holy City at sunset, April 14th, just before the closing of the gates con the evening before Easter Sunday.

II. JERUSALEM. Our journey fo Palestine w-as now completetl and our researches and tlavels in Palestine were to begin. In respect to these we adopte(l for our future guidance the two fol- lowing principles) viz., 1. To direct our researches chiefly to those parts of the countrs which former travellers had rlelre-r visite(l; and 2. To obtain information, as far as possible, not froln the legends of lnonks and other foreigners, but directly from the

1 838.] f:Iebron-Jerusalem . 299 natixe AralJs of the lanel. We remained at first more than three. weeks in Jerusalem; and afterX7ards made that city the central l oint from which to set off on excursions to different parts of the country. In the mean time we diligently cxplore(l every part (f the city, and even here sa+s- or hear(l of ses-eral things w-hich to us at least wTere new.

On enterinb Jerusalem I lvas r,repared, fiom the descril7tions of many travellers, to find the houses miserable, the streets flthy, an(l the populajion squaliel; but in all these respects I vsras ae,ree- ably (lisappointed. The houses are l)etter built, ancl the strcets cleaner, than those of Alexandria, Smyrna, or Collstalltilaople. The hills and valleys which marked the different qualters of the aneient city are still alistinctly visil)le. The valley of the Tyro- paeum may l}e traced from its heael near the \;aSa gate to its foot at the pool of Siloain. The hills of Zion, Akra, Bezetha, an(l WIoriah, ale yet distinct and marked. The latter, on which stoo(l tlle ancient Temple, is now occupled by the mosque of 'Omar and tlle extensive colirt or area around it. One of the earliest olJjects of our attention was naturally this area, in reference to its antiquity arl(l connexion with the allcient Temple. It is an elevated plateau c)r terrace, nearly in the form of a parallelogram, supported by an(l ̂ X-ithin massive walls built up from the valleys or lower grourd on all sides. The southern va11 is about 60 feet high. The uppel part of these external walls is olJviously of modern origin; but it is not less easy to pel- ceive that the lower portions, fol the most parta are of an earlier date. These are composed generally of very large stones, many of tllem 20 feet or more in lerlgth by 5 or 6 feet thick, hewn in a reculiar manncr. At tlse first siew of these walls, I blt pel- suacledl that these lover portions hacl l)elongeel to the ancient rl'emple, alld ls-ere to be referreel back at least to the time of llero(l, if not to the days of NTehemi.lh or Solomon. This con- iction xYas afternarlls strengthene(l by our discow-ering, near tlle S.\v. corner in the western wall, the remains, or rather the fc)ot, of an immexlse archn springing out from the lvall in tlle cQirection tOwards Mount Zion, across the

07alley of the Tyropeuln. The traces of this arch are too distinct antl (lefinite to lJe mistalien; tInd

it cean only loave lJelonged to tlle bridge hich, accorclil-lg to

Josehus, led from this part of the Temple-area to the Xystus on Ziorl; thus )roving incontestably the antiquity of that portion of tlle

7all from which it springs. We then examined the remarkable tower in the citatlel near the Yaffa gate, which, even to the unpractise(l eye, bears strong marks of antiquity. Some former travellers have alreatly regar(led this as the Hipicus of Hero(l; an(l we fountl every lOeasotl to assent to tllis conclusion. So far as we coulel (liscover, the lower

300 Dr. Ro n I N S O N 'S Trave ts in Palestine, Qc. [ 1 S38.

part of the tower is wholly soli(l, as (lescril)e(l by Josephus; at

least there is no known or visible entrance to it, either from above

or below. The present walls of the modern city were built about 30()

years ago, as appears from numerous Arabic inscriptions. Re-

maills of the forlner wall, which probably existed in the time of

the crusades, are still a-isible on the outsi(le, N.W. of the YaSi

gate; also on the N. side of the city, and in the interior of the

N.W. corner. Of the ancient wall aroun(l lMount Zion, traces

may yet le seen for some distance in the scarpe(l rocks below the

S.07V. brow of Zion. On the high ground N. of the N.W.

corner of the city we discovere(l evi(lent traces of what must have

been the third or exterior wall described l)y Josephus in tllis

quarter, erected after the time of Christ. ISere must have stood

the tower Psephinos; and from this point we were able to trace

the foundation of the same ancient wall for a considerable distance further in a N.E. direction.

Of the second wall of J()sephus, +hich at the time of the Cruci-

fision vTas the exterior wall of the city on this si(le, we could find

no lemairling traces, unless it be two square ancient towers which

ve eliscovered connected with the wall inside of the Damascus gate, one on each side of the gate. These towers are built of

lart,e stones precisely like those mentioned above as belonging t<)

the ancient Temple walls. They have been much injured in

lluilding the modern wall of the city, but are evidently ancient, an(l apparently older than Hippicus; they were, most probably, the guard-houses of an ancient gate upon this spot; and this

couXl well only have belon^,ed to the sai(l second wall. If this

hypothesis be eorreet, it will go far to deeide the question as to

the site of the ehurch of the Holy Sepulchre, which must then

hclve fallen within this w-all, and so within the aneient eity.

IncleedS the chureh stands upon the very ritlt,e of the hill Akra,

wl:ich, aceording to Josephus, and to every probability, must have

forlned part of the lower eity, and beell enelosed within the

secolo(l wall.

Another object of our attention was the supply of water in an(l

around the eity. At the present (lay Jerusalem is supplied almost wholly by rain-water, preserved in eisterns cut in the rock on

which the houses stand. Allnost eery house has one or more

cisterns; that in which we resided had no less than four very

lar<ge ones. The ancient city was probably sur)plied in the same

nlalinel. Indeed, with a little attention, there can never be any

want of water within the walls. The aqueduet whieh comes from

Solomon's pools beyond Bethlehem brings water only to the mosque of XOInar. Outside of tlle eity, besides the ancient reser-

yoirs, there are wells in ̂ arious plaees, some with water and some

Jerusalem_Siloam. 1838.] 301

without. The brook lQidron, in the valley of Jehosaphat, flows only when the rain-water (lescends into it from the adjacent hills. Fountains of running water exist only in this valley; an(l of these there are three, viz.:-1. the fountain of the Virgin or of Siloam, just south of the site of the Temple; 2. the pool of Siloam7 just within the entrallce of the Tyropoeum; 3. the well of Nehemiall, or of Jol), opposite the entrance of the valley of Hinnom. This last is a deep well of livirlg water, which in the rainy seasorl over- flows: it isa beyon(l (loubt, the En Rogel of Scripture. The pool of Silcaln is wholly artificial, and receives its waters from the foun- tain of the Virginr through a subterraneous channel cut throut,h the solid rock. We cra+vlefl through this channel and tneasured it. The fountain of the Virgin is also evidently an artificial exca- vation in the rock; but wrhence the rateI is (lerivetl is a mys- tery. It has a swe?etish, slightly brackish taste; an(l flows irre- gularly, or only at irregular intervals. We wrere witnesses of this irregular flow; and were tol(l by the women who came for water that sometimes, (luring summer, it ceases to flow for several weeks; wrhen, on a sudden, the water comes gushing out again in abundance.

Ancient writers have spoken of a fountain of living vvater as existing under the Temple; though their assertions have, in gener.al, obtained little credit. Soon after our arrival in Jeru- salem, we were told of a similar fountain un(ler the mosque of 'Omar, tlle waters of which were used to supply a bath in the vicinity of the mosque. We went to the bath, an(l found two men Elrawing water froIn a deep well. They told us that tile water fl()svs into the well froln a passage cut il] the rock, and lea(lin> un(ler the mosque, where is a chamber an(l a living foun- tain. In summer, when the water is so low as not to flosv out into the well, they go (lowrl and bring it out by hanal. The taste of the water is precisely like that of the fountain of the Virt,in in the valley helow. \Ve made all our preparations to descen(l into the svell anal examine the fountain, but were hindere(l at the time, anal were unable afterwards to resulne the investigation. Is, per- halls, the water of this fountain brought down by a subterraneous channel from some higher point? Is there a connesion between this fountain under the mosque and that in the vallev below; ancl is the irregul.lr flow of the latter in some way (lependent on this circumstance? These questions may, not improbably, at somc future time, be answered in the affirlrlative.

When we arrive(l at Jerusalem war was ragiDg in the north between the Druses and the forces of the Pasha; an(l, as if we were to have a specimen of all the evils of the Oriental world, in a few days after our arrival the plague laroke out; at first doult- fully, then decided]y, th(>ugh miklly. Other travellers left the

Dr. RonznsoN's TscGvels tn Pelestine, &c. voe [1848.

city immediately > and some +ho were on their way thither turned leack. We continueel (lur ins-estigations without interruption; alld a kind Provielence preserveel us from the danger.

III. FROAX Jelausalem t-o Gazw Hebror arld Wadl Nlvisa On returning to Jertlsalell frorll an ?xcursion of eight elays

to Engeddi and the Dead Seas *ve found the pla,>ue slonsTly

but constantly increasing i antl it was rumoured that the Gity lvas soon to he shut up. VVe thelsefore remained but a sirlgle llay, in order to make preptlratlons bls ouI longer j}urney to Wadi Nlusc'. NVe set oS, l!/Iay J7th, on llorses and mules; and, orl lEIay 19th, the city was shut ups anel none suffered to go outy WitilOUt first performlug a quarantine of ses-en d<ays. Our excursion occupie(l in all :3 (lays.

\Ve made at first a slight detour, in order to pass 7ay Beit Jalll, a Christian village, half an laour NT?\V Of BethleEleln; and then continued S.W. across tlle mountains to the dilect ancient roa(l kom 3erusalem to Eleutheropolis and Gaza throvagh a region as yet unxtisited by modern traxrellers. At a distance on our right was the (leep valley of Turpentirle (so called by monks and travel- lers), or, as the Arabs name it in this part, Wadi Surar, which r;Tns in a $. W. directlcxnS 1lntil it opens out into the great plsn lJetweell the mountains alld the Mediterranean. On our left was another sirnilar ralley, Wadi Sunnet. The region is full of ruineel siJtes and ruinetl villagesy some desertel axlcl soine partially inha- titecl; amoIlg whieh are still found sexreral aneient names. On )v1r right, beyvnd VVatll Surar, we eould see the hill and ruined tillage Soha, whiell it hils pleased the monks to assume as the ane;ent NIc)din, the burial-plaee of the Maeeabees against the EXpl'ESS testimolly of EuseSius and Jerome. We came at night t>) Beit Netif a large village on a higll part of the ridge between the two valleys above mentioned.

The nest day was clesoted to a visit to Beit Jibrftl, the aneient Bet)?abris of Greek alld Ronan wlitelts, of which and its fortress sre hael heald much fiom the Arabs 7 and to a search for the site of anciel1t Eleutheropolis. Froln the elevated spot where we lodgedt the sheikh of the villat, poinfed out to us several places still bearing, in Aral)ic, naules colresponding to tllcir ancient He7orew appellations and eelebrater1 in Scripture as the scerles of Samsonts exploits anal history: SUCh xvere Zorah, Timnath, Sokho, and others. Four places wsiere also pointed out, respecting whiel Euselius and Jerome have specified their distances Som Eleu- theropolis, viz., Zolah and Bethshemesh, towards Nicoalis; an(l Jarmah and Solsho} on the wtly to Jerusalemv Folloring out the specified distances along tlle ancient road, we came directly upon Beit Jibrfrl whiell lies among hills between the mountairls and

18 }8.] Beit Jibrz't - G/cl.ra Heb r o12. sos

the plain. I-Iere ale the remains of a large Roman fortress of immense strength, which lvas built up a^,ain in the time of the crusacles: alorlnrl it are the traces of an extensive city.

We had receive(l the imlzression that we lnust look for Eleu- theropolis further west upon the plain; antl accordingly turned oub course that way to Safiyell, a conspieuous villate, lying on an isolateel llill. IS ere, however, we could {inel no trace of any ancient site. We then }roceeded to Gaza; whence, after tsrl) I>a-s, we retulne(l by a different route, searchino eliligently for the sites of ancient Lachish, Gath, alldl evther cities, but fintlin<, none except Eglon, on a mountl strewed ̂ ^;ith stones, still calleel 'Ajlcin. Again arriveel at Beit Jibrin, we visitetl several very singtllar

artificial cClverns in the vicinity. fEuselius an(l Jerome lalelltioll also Jeelna an(l :Nazib as leing distant from lileuthelopolis, olle 6 and the othel 7 miles, oll the way to Hebron. These namen still exist; and, taking the Hebron route, we found Je(lna to be just 6 miles from Beit Jibrin. N azil) lies yet a little further on another parallel roa(l. This circurnstance seems to decide tEle i(lentity of Beit Jilarin witll Eleutheropolis. The former was the ancient :ame; the latter xYaS iml osed by the Romans. anc:l has heen since forgotten, as in so many other instances. It is also lemarkable that those ancient writers xvho speak of Eleuthero- polis do not mention Betogabris; while those ho speak of the latter are silent as to the fortner. Elejoicing in this result, xre pursued otlr way to Hclaroll; antl, aftcr a steep an(l toilsome (scellt on a rielge 13etween two (leep valleys, we rested for a tirne at TaSilh, the 13eth Taplauall of Ju(lcah; antl arrived tat ISebron in alvut 6 hours fIom Beit Jibrin. I4ere, elismissing our Xlule- teers, we engaged camels for W;icli Musti from the sheikll of thc Jehcilin, a Bedal.ri tribe itlhabiting the territorv S.E. of liiebron.

\Ve hael long beivre forme(l the )lan to procee(l to \vatli Musci l}y *vay of the south en(l of the Dead Sea, and so soutllwal(ls (R OX1t \vadi Al tlbah, in the hope of being able to solve the pend- ing question, whetiler the Jordan coul(l ever have flowecl tllrouCh this valley to the Gulf of 'Akabah. Here, too, s-e hatl hopefl .lgain to haYe been tlle first; lJut were anticipateel by the Count ele Bertou, ̂ sho precetletl us 11y three ol four weeks, an(l w-llom we had seen at Jerusalem after his return. After leing eletained to days at I4ebronn we set ofE, WIay 24th, anel, l assint, in sight of ancient Zipil on the left, and XJutta (ancient Jutta) on the right, and near the ruins cxf (ScarIllel and Alaon, we continuezl across an undulatin^, llesert in a S. E. eiirection, clnd came, towarcls the close c)f the secontl elay's journey, to the broxX- of the steep (lesceni; lea(ling tlo^in to the Dea(l Ssea. Tllis elescent is in a11 not less than loOO feel;; but here, anal far to tlie south, it is dia-i(leal intv twc) pA1'tS 014 oFsets of neally etual heitht: bettleexl these

Dr. ROBIN SON'S Tratels in Palesttne, Qc. 304 [18.38.

lies a terrace or plain nearly three hours broad, the surface of which is covered with low ridges and conical hills of soft cha]ky limestone, xerging into marl. At the foot of the second descent is a small deserted Turkish fort, in the narrow Wadi Zuweireh (not Zoar), which leads out to the sea in about half an hour. We reached the shore not far from the northern end of Usdum, a low, long mountain ridge, running here from N.N.W. to S.S.E., an(l giving the same direction to the shore of the sea. This ridge, Usdum, is, in general, not far from 150 feet high, an(l continues to run in this direction for two hours to the southern extremity of the sea, where it trends to tlle S.S.W. for an hour more, and then terminates. The striking peculiarity of this mountain is, that the whole body of it is a mass of solid rock-salt; covered over, indeed, with layers of soft limestone and marl, or the like, tllrough which the salt often breaks out, and appears on the sides in precipices, 40 to 50 feet high, and several hundred feet long. Often also it is broken of in large an(l small pieces, +hich are strewed like stones along the shore, or fallen doxvn as dCbliS.

The south end of the sea is very shallow, and the shore conti- nues quite flat for some distance further south; so that there are traces of its being overflowed by the sea for two or three luiles south of the water-line, as we saw it. The western si(le of this southern valley, or ?;hor, is wholly naked of vegetation; but on the eastern side, where streams come down Som the eastern moun- tains, there is a lusuriant vegetation an(l some tillage. We conti- nued on the western si(le, along the base of Usdu?l. crossing several purling rills of transparent water, flowing from the moun- tain towards the sea, but salt as the saltest brine. Before us, as we advanced southwardsn appeared a line of cliSs, 50 to 150 feet high, stretching across the whole broa(l valley, and apparent]y barring a11 further progress. These cliSs are mentionetl by Irby and AlIangles, who supposed them to be s,and-hills. Bte a)- proached their western end in 2i hours from the south end of tlle sea. They proved to l)e of marl, and run off from this point in a general course S.S.E. across the valley. All along their base are fountains of brackish water oozing out, an(l forming a tract of marshy land towards the north. Our route now lay along the base of these cliSs; and, after resting for a time at a fine gushing fount2lin, we came, in two hours, to the mouth of Wadi Jib, a deep valley coming down from thc south through the cliSs, and showing the latter to be only an oSset between the lower plain which we had just crosse(l, and the higher level of the same great valley further south. The name E1 Ghor is applied to the w-alley be- tween the Dead Sea and this oSset; further south the wllole of the broa(l valley is calleel E1 'Arabah, quite to 7Akabah. These apparent cliSs are not improbably the 'Akrabbim of Scripture. 'lahe Widi 3ib begins far to the south of Mount Hor) beyond

] 838. ] El Ghor-Wad e Jl b-Mount Hor Petra. oos

\vti(ll Gharandel, an(l flons (lown in a wintling course through the mi(lst of El 'Arabah, draining of .all its waters northward to the T)ead Sea. NVhere we entered Waell J1b, at its northern sicle, it is half a mile broa(l, with precipitous banks of chalky earth or marl, 100 to 150 feet high; and exhibiting traces of an immensc olume of water in the rainy season, flowing northwarlls. It may l) e recollecte (l that the xvaters of Wa(li J ersifeh, in tlle western (lesert, wllich (lrains tlle S. E. )art of that (lesert, faln to the south- +srar(l of 'Akal:ah, also flow northwards into El'Arabah, antl so, of cvourse, through W;ixli J1b. Herlce, instead of the Jor(lan flowing southwarzls to the Gulf of 'AkalJah, wre fin(l the watcls of the elesert further south than Altabah flowing northwar(ls illtO tlle

I)ead Se. The nature of the country shows, +^7ithout measure- ment, that the surface of the Deael Sea must be lower than tl-1at of the Re(l Sea or the Me(literranean.

We continue(l our course up the Wa(li Jlb southwarcls for several hours, its banlis l)ecoming gra(lually lower, an(l at length perluitting us to emerge from it. We were now not far from the eastern mountains, nearly opposite the broad Wa(li Ghuveir, while before us was Mount ISor, lising like a cone irreFularly truncate(l. We turne(l into these mountains at some (listance north of Mount Hor, in ortler tvo approach Wa(li NIusa from the east, through its celebrate(l ancient entrance. A long an(l steep ascent the pass of Nemellah brougllt us out upon the plateaus of the porphyry formation; above which are still the hills of scln(l- stone among which Petra as situated. The entrance to tllis ancient city, through the long ch(aslll or cleft in the san(lstone rock, is truly magnificent, an(l not less splendid and surprisingly beautiful is the vie+v of the Khazinah, or temple hen in tl1e opposite rock, as the traveller emerges from the western estremity of the passage. Then follow long ranges of tombs llewn in the rocky sides of the valleyn with ornamental faqalles, irl a style of striking though flori(l architecture. What we sought in VVadi Musa was more the general impression of the whole; since the details have been correctly given by the pencil of Labor(le. We examine(l particularly rhether any of these excasations were per- haps intendell as dwellings for the living; but coulfl see no marks of such (lesign nothing but habitations of the dead, or temples for the gods. There lvas, in(:leed, no neeel of their being thus used; for the numerous foun(lations of dvellings show that a large city of houses built of stone once stoo(l in the valley.

We had nearly complete(l our observations, arld were preparing soon to set ofT on our return by way of Mount Hor, when the old sheikh of WA(li MusGi, Abu Zeitun, who cause(l so lnuch (lifE- culty to Mr. Bankes and his companions ill 1817, came (lown upon us witll thirty arme(l men, deman(ling a tril)ute of a thousand piastres for the pri+-il(?,e of visiting his territory. We declined

306 Dr. ROBINSON'S Travels in Palestine, Qc. [1838.

payment of eourse; but, after iong and repeated altereation, it GaRne to this result, that, ullless we paid this full sum, he woul(l not suSer us to visit Mount Hor. VVe attempted, nevertheless, to set of in this direbtion, our own she;ilih leading the forward eflmel; lout the hostile party elosed around, an(l sror(ls were Irawn and lJrandished; which, however, among these A1 alJs, lneans nothing more than to malve a flourish. As it was in vain fol us to use foree agairAst so large a party, *ve deeide(l to set ofF on our return hy the w-(y we eame. This took tlle old man lJy surprise, an(l thssartecl his plans. Messengers soon followe(:l us, saying ss-e might return for tlle half; antl, at last, for nothing. We replied, that he hal driven us fro3:ll Wadi S1i:isa, ar(l xve sllouSl not retuln, but should report his eonduct at Cairo. The 01(1 man then came hilrtself, to get our good-\vill, as he saiel, whicll +1YaS wolth more to him than money. WVe thought it better to keep oll our way; ancl sufferecl no further interruption. It was robably the fear of the PashS of Eg1; alone that withheld these uiscreants from plun(lering us outrigLlt, and we afterwards re- ceived compliments from the Arabs in an(l aroun(l LIebron fol the bol(lness an(l ad(lress *s-ith which we had extricatetl ourselves from the old sileihh's power.

T)escellding the ass of N emellah, we struck across El-'Arabah in a W.N.W. direction, trasellin^, the greater part of tlle night In the lmorning we reached Wadi Jib, here quite on the western si(le of El-'Arabah, an(l stopped for a time at the fountain E1 \VeilJi. Other fountains occur at intervals alont the valley at the fot of the western hills, both rlorth and south of E1 Weibi. Froin here a path strikes up the western moulltain in the (lirec- tion of LIebroll, which is used ljy the soutllern Arabs. Our guides took a more northern- road, leatling up a very steep pass called Suftih, over a broad surface of shelvint rock extending nearly from the lJottc)m to the top, an elevation of l000 or 1200 feet. This is larolJaluly the hill Zephath, afterwards ISormah, where the Israel- ites attemptetl to ellter Palestine, but were driven back, and were also attackecl ly the king of Arad; Num. xiv. 40, seq., sxi. 1, seq, 3ucltes i. 17. Solue miles N.X.W. of this pass is a corlieal hill still lbearillg the name of rI'el Ara(l, plobably the site of the a:neXent to^^n. All these eireumstanees leatl me to place the sit? Of Wadesh in the ,reat valley below, neal tlle fountain E1 Weibi 01 one of the neighbouring s)rirlgs. Here it w-ould lJe near the 13order of liclom, olzposite to a broacl passage leading up through the easteln mountains, antl ill full sight of Mount Hor. That the Israelifes must has-e apploacheel P;wlestine through the Waeli 'Aral)ah, is a necessary conclusioIl frolm the mountainous eharaeter of the diStliCt on the wsJest of this valley, thlougll whieh no roael has ever passed. But no trace of tlle naule Kaelesh is to be founcl, ne;ther in the valley l;elow nor on the talule land above.

1 838w] SufAh-KadesAi-Bethhoron-A*alon. 307

Our further way to Hebron led us by the sites of 'Ararah, the Aroer of Judah; and Melh, where is a fine well and the traces of a town, not improbably the ancient Aloladah or Malatha. Nearer to fIelaron we passed Selnu'ah, perhaps the Hebrew Sema; and Yuttah, the ancient Sutta, the probable birthplace of John the Baptist, and still a town of some importance. At Hebron we remained a day and a half, being obliged to send for horses to Jerusalem.

We left Hebron again on the ?th of June, taking now a S.W. course by the large village Diirah, the Adora of Josephus; and descending the mountain to E1 Burj, a ruirled castle of which we had heard much, but where we found nothing of antiquity. Hence we bent our course northward among the hills; and pass- . ng again through Je(lna, resteel for a time at Terkumieh, the Tricomias of former ages, leaving Beit Jibrin on our left. We lodged a second time at Beit Neitif; and the next morning de- scending N.N.W., we came to the site of the ancient Bethshemesh in tlle opening of Wa(li Surar into the }Lulain. Here are evident traces of a large city. From this point we turned our course N.W. into the plain, in search of the ancient and long-lost Ekron. After travelling in this direction for four hours, we came to the large villate 'Akir, an Arabic name corresponding to the Hebremr Ekron. The situation corresponds also to the accounts of Eusebius and Jerome. Nothing of antiquity remairls; perhaps lecausc the ancient houses, like the modern hovels, were built, not of stone., but of earth.

From Ekron to Ramlell is two hours: here we lodged; and the next alay proceeded to Jerusalem l)y the camel-roacl, whicl also is the axlcient Jewish and Roman way, over Ludd (Lydda), Gimzo, Lower and Upper Bethhoron (now Beit-Utr), and Jib or Gibeon. The pass between the two villages of Bethhoron is a steep and rugge(l ascent of some 1500 feet, up the point of a ridge between deep valleys. It is the ancient road which the Roman armies ascended, and has in several places steps cut in the rock The present shorter and less practicable route betweerl Hamleh and Jerusalem apears not to hanze been in use in the time of the Romans. Looking down from Uppe} Bethlloron, a br<)ad valley is seen irl the S.W. issuing from the mountains and hills into the plain; while on the ridge that skirts its S.W. sides is seen a village calle(l Yalonf the Aralic form for the Hebrew Ajalon. Here then is proloably the s)ot where Joshua in pursuit of the five kings, having arrived at Upper Bethhoron, looked back toward Gibeon, an(l down upon the valley lefore him, and ut- tered the comman(l: (; Sun, stan(l thou still on Gileon; and thou, Moon in the valley o? AJ alorl ! "

We found Jerusalem still shut up oll account of the plague VOL. IX.

Dr. ROBINSON'S Tratels tn Palestine, Qc. [ 1838.

308

and therefore pitched our tent in the olive-grove north of the citys before the Damascus gate. $ * * 8

In other excursions from Jerusalem, and on our subsequent journey northward to Beiruts we nsited the villages and sites of Anothoth, Gibeah, Micmash, and Bethel, all N.E. and N. of the Holy CityX and still bearing in Arabic the names Anatah, Jeba' MukhmAs, and Beit-in. The extensive ruins of the latter place, Bethel, lie 45 minutes N.E. of Bireh, just on the right of the Nablus road. Farther north we turned aside to Jiftlah, the Gophna of Josephus; and also to Seilum, the site of ancient Shiloh, which Josephus also writes Silun. (zkow.) Along the western shore of the Lake of Tiberias, we made minute and per- severing inquiries after the ancient names Gapernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin; but no trace of them remains among tlle Arab population. If former travellers have heard these names, it must have heen from the monks of Nazareth or their dependents.

On the vay from $afet to Tyre, nearly two hours N.W. of Safet, we passed near the crater of an extinct volcano; which was probal)ly the central-point of the great earthquake of Jan. 1st, 1837, by which Safet and the adjacent villages wYere destroyed.

Extractfro7n a Letter of Professor BERGHAUS. Potsdamn iIpril 30, ] 8Ss9.

SIR, In accordance with former communications from Professor E. Robinson, of New York, he will transmit to you this day one of the maps, which are the fruits of the travels of himself and his companion, the Rev. E. Smith, in Arabia };etrzea, and the Holy Land. I cannot permit the opportunity to pass by without accom- panying this sketch with a few words.

In the course of my life I have had in my hands many docu- ments in reference to geographical, and especially cartographical objects, and from them have acquired the conviction that, among all oriental travellers since the time of Niebuhr, the prize is due to the late lamented iECurokhardt, so far as it respects minute attention, even to things apparently indifirent, and also accuracy in the measurement of bearings and angles, and in the specifica- tion of time for the determination of distances. This conviction I has-e expressed publicly and unreservedly, perhaps, in other words, in the Memoirs accompanying my maps of Asia.

This w-iew, however, I must now essentially modify, after having carefully examined the Journals of Messrs. Robinscyn and Smith during their travels in the peninsula of Mount Sinai, through the great (lesert Et-Tihs and in Palestine. The obserarations of these two travellers are so full and comprehensive, their notes

PrOfeSSOr BERGHAUS on a New Map of Palestine. SO9

upon the form and the features of the country so exact and defi- nite, that the geographer is in a situation, on the basis of these specifications, to construct a special map of the territory, which may perhaps leave little more to be desired.

In support of these views, I may refer to the accompanying sketch-map of the route of the travellers from 'Akabah through the desert Et-Tih to Hebron, which I have constructed, and which we, Professor Robinson and myself, would commend to the favourable notice of the Royal GLeographical Society

Professor Robinson has placed his journals at my disposal, and, on my recommendation, has prepared from them an abstract in a tabular form, particularly adapted to serve as a foundation for the construction of the route-maps.

You will be able to appreciate the impatience with which I entered upon the construction of these maps, if you will have the goodness tc) call to mirld that I published a few years ago a map of Sylria, which was so fortunate as to meet the approbatiorl of your Society. [Journat, vol. vii. ). 183.] My attention was morc especially drawn to the tour from SAkabah to Hebron, lJecause the traxTellers have here passed through a real terra incoynita which is now for the first time represented on a map. The ori- ginal sketch of this route is three times larger than the copy here- with forwarde(l to you. X would also mention that several points, the position of which was determined by Messrs. Rc)binson anel Smith, are not inserted, because they fall without the margirl of the copy. These points are Jebel Ikhrim, Jebel Yelek, and Jebel el-EXelal, all lying westward of the route, and adaptetl to determine the course of the Wadi el-'Araish, and its distance from the line of travel.

In my map of Syria I have assumed Hebron to be in long. 35? 12' 25" E. from Greenwich, according to the Azimuth o? Jerusalem, supplieci by Seetzenss very rough map. (Syristn Me- moir, p. 34.) But I find this Azimuth to be erroneous, sinee the itinerary of Messrs. Robinson and Smith gives the long. of Hebron at 34? 57' 13" E., a diSerence of more than a quarter of a degree Yet I would remarkn that even this position can only be regarded as a first approximation to the true longitude of Elebron, inas- much as the subsequent routes of the travellers affiord the means of corroborating the determinatiQu from toth 3erusalem and Ramleh, and, above all, from Gaza, which lies nearly on the same parallel with Hebron, or El-Khulilv

The most inaccurate part of my map of Syria is the topogra- phical delineation of Judex because no traYeller within my reach had then examined this portion of the Holy Land with the same attention which Burckhardt had bestowell on the country E. of the Jordan, and around Mount Lebanon. It is therefore eminently

Y 2

310 Professor BERGHAUS on a New Map of Palestine.

credit&le on the part of Messrs. Robinson and Smith, in respect te} :13iblical geography, that they have visited and investigated the territc)y of Judea in all directions this land of the earliest of all history for the nations cxf Christian civilization. In this zay tlley llave become real fliscoverers in the field of topography and history.

Their examination extends over the whole country between the shores of the Mediterranean an(l the Dead Sea, from the parallel of about Nablus to the south end of tlle Asphaltic Lale, and from th(?se points, on the one hand southwards as far as to w adl Miisa, anl on the other northwards asX far as to Safed, Saide, and Beiit.

On tlle WIount of Olives, Professor Robinson determined thc length of a base of 142o 72 yards, by means of whichn and the application of their very numerous bearings, I have been alule to construct and calculate a rlet of triangles, extending N. to Taii- beh, E. to the Dead Sea, S. (as yet) as far as to the Frank Mountain, and which we may proleably be altle to carry on as fal as to the regioll of Raluleh and Gaza, and perhaps also to Hel)ron, Carmel, and 'Ain Jiddi. I finel the distance between the Mol1rtt of Olives an(l the N.W. corner of the Dead Sea to be 29()93 5 yaralsd or 44 34 geographical miles. At 'ASin J;(l(li they mea- sured a second basc, in order to determine the lareadth of the Dead Sea. This I find to be 13953 1 yar(ls, or 7 86 geogra- phical nziles.

I have alreaely constructeel a ?ortionf the itineraries in Ju(leaR on a scale three times, and in solrle parts six times, lar*,er than that of the accompanying sketch map. Tllis was necessarys in order to exhibit in full all the details.

I am of opinion that it would be a great loss for geographvy, were the materials collected by Messrs Robinson and ,Smith not to be used for the construction of a lnap on a large scale. Their 30urney, undelstaken solely for the interests of Bilolical geogIapha, would be deprived of its finest fruits, and the many hardships they must have endureel will have beel1 ill a measure supelfluous, shoulel the results of their measuremersts anal observations be published onl)7 in the form of a journal; foz this can never pro- duce the lively impression that is felt in looliing at a good and accurate map, ar;d this great desideratum I hope sholtly to take ln hantl.

Ix1 conclusion, I would remark, as to the accompaLnying route- map from 'Akabah to Hebrons that tlle direction of the Wadis between Birsheta and Hebron may perhaps require some slight correction, when all the itineraries Of the travellers shall l1tave been fully constructed.

I hawre the honour to be, 8cc. HEINRICH BERGICAUS3

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