Early Travels in Palestine Part 42

[610] Luke, ii. 51.

[611] Luke, iv.

[612] Peter, i. 18.

[613] Matt. xvii.; Mark, ix.

[614] Luke, vii. 14.

[615] Matt. viii. 32.

[616] Matt. v. 14.

[617] Ibid. vi. 16.

[618] Ibid. v. 28.

[619] Matt. xiv. 16, &c.

[620] Ibid. xv. 32.

[621] Luke, iv.

[622] See the account by Sir John de Maundeville, p. 185, and the note.

[623] John, ii. 11.

[624] Half per Frank, quarter per servant.

[625] A quarter per head.

[626] This account may be compared with De la Brocquiere's description of the Mecca caravan, p. 301 of the present volume.

[627] Acts, ix. 17.

[628] Acts, ix. 8.

[629] Acts, ix. 25.

[630] Acts, ix. 11.

[631] Psalms, cxxix. 6.

[632] Numbers, xxv. 13.

AN

ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR'S JOURNEY

FROM

ALEPPO TO THE RIVER EUPHRATES, THE CITY BEER, AND TO MESOPOTAMIA.

We set out from Aleppo, April 17th, 1699, and steering east-north-east, somewhat less, we came in three hours and a half to Surba.s.s.

_April 18._-We came in three hours and a half to Bezay, pa.s.sing by Bab, where is a good aqueduct, Dyn il Daab[633], to which you descend by about thirty steps; and Lediff, a pleasant village. Our course thus far was east and by north. In the afternoon we advanced three hours further, course north-east, to an old ruined place, formerly of some consideration, called Acamy. It is situated in the wilderness, on a hill encompa.s.sed by a valley; it was large, and had the footsteps of some symmetry, good walls and buildings.

_April 19._-We went east and by north, and in four hours arrived at Bambych. This place has no remnants of its ancient greatness[634] but its walls, which may be traced all round, and cannot be less than three miles in compa.s.s. Several fragments of them remain on the east side, especially at the east gate; and another piece of eighty yards long, with towers of large square stone extremely well built. On the north side I found a stone with the busts of a man and woman, large as the life; and, under, two eagles carved on it. Not far from it, on the side of a large well, was fixed a stone with three figures carved on it, in ba.s.so relievo. They were two syrens, which, twining their fishy tails together, made a seat, on which was placed, sitting, a naked woman, her arms and the syrens' on each side mutually entwined.

On the west side is a deep pit of about one hundred yards diameter. It was low, and had no water in it, and seemed to have had great buildings all round it, with the pillars and ruins of which it is now in part filled up, but not so much but that there was still water in it. Here are a mult.i.tude of subterraneous aqueducts brought to this city, the people attested no fewer than fifty. You can ride nowhere about the city without seeing them. We pitched by one about a quarter of a mile east of the city, which yields a fine stream, and, emptying itself into a valley, waters it, and makes it extremely fruitful. Here perhaps were the pastures of the beasts designed for sacrifices. Here are now only a few poor inhabitants, though anciently all the north side was well inhabited by Saracens, as may be seen by the remains of a n.o.ble mosque and a bagnio, a little without the walls. We were here visited by a company of Begdelies, who were encamped some hours further towards Euphrates, having about a thousand horse there.

_April 20._-For avoiding the Begdelies we hired a guide, who conducted us a by-way. We travelled north-north-east, over a desert ground, and came in three hours to a small rivulet called Sejour (Sajur), which falls into the Euphrates about three hours below Jerabolus. In about two hours more we came to a fine fruitful plain, covered with extraordinary corn, lying between the hills and the river Euphrates. In about an hour and a half's travelling through this plain on the banks of the river, we came to Jerabolus. This place is of a semicircular figure. Its flat side lying on the banks of Euphrates, on that side it has a high long mount, close by the water, very steep. It was anciently built upon (and at one end of it I saw fragments of) very large pillars, a yard and a half diameter, and capitals and cornices well carved. At the foot of the mount was carved on a large stone a beast resembling a lion, with a bridle in his mouth, and I believe anciently a person sitting on it, but the stone is in that part now broke away; the tail of the beast was couped[635].

Round about this place are high banks cast up, and there is the traces of walls on them. The gates seem to have been well built. The whole was two thousand two hundred and fifty paces, that is, yards, in circ.u.mference. The river is here as large as the Thames in London; a long bullet-gun could not shoot a ball over it, but it dropped into the water. Here is found a large serpent, which has legs and claws, called Woralla[636]. I was told by a Turk that a little below this place, when the river is low, may be seen the ruins of a stone bridge over the river; for my own part I saw it not, nor do I much rely on the Turk's veracity. The river seemed to be lately fallen very suddenly, for the banks were freshly wet two yards and more above the water. It was here north and south.

_April 21._-We kept close on the banks of the Euphrates, and in two hours and a half crossed a fine rivulet called Towzad; and in two hours more arrived over against Beer (Bir, or Birijik), and pitched on a flat, close by the river side. Observing the lat.i.tude of the place by my quadrant, I found the angle between the sun and the zenith to be twenty-two degrees; and the declination this day being fifteen degrees ten minutes, the whole is thirty-seven degrees ten minutes.

_April 22._-We continued at our station, not daring to cross the river for fear of falling into the hands of the Kaiyah of the Pasha of Urfa, who was then at Beer, ordering many boats of corn down to Bagdal. We were supplied in the same time with provisions by Sheikh a.s.syne, to whom we made returns.

_Sunday, April 23._-The Kaiyah being now departed, Sheikh a.s.syne invited us over to Beer; we crossed in a boat of the country, of which they have a great many, this being the great pa.s.s into Mesopotamia. The boats are of a miserable fabric, flat and open in the fore part for horses to enter; they are large enough to carry about four horses each.

Their way to cross is by drawing up the boat as high as they know to be necessary; and then with wretched oars striking over, she falls a good way down by the force of the stream before they arrive at the further side.

Having saluted a.s.syne, we were conducted to see the castle, which is a large old building on the top of a great long rock, separated by a great gulf, or natural bottom, from the land. At first coming within the gates, which are of iron, we saw several large globes of stone, about twenty inches diameter; and great axles of iron, with wheels, which were entire blocks of wood two feet thick in the nave, and cut somewhat to an edge toward the periphery; and screws to bend bows or engines; as also several bra.s.s field pieces.

Ascending up the sides of the rock by a way cut obliquely, you come to the castle. At first entrance, you find a way cut under ground down to the river. In the castle, the princ.i.p.al things we saw were, first, a large room full of old arms; I saw there gla.s.s bottles to be shot at the end of arrows; one of them was stuck at the end of an arrow, with four pieces of tin by its sides, to keep it firm. Vast large cross-bows and beams, seemingly designed for battering-rams; and Roman saddles and head-pieces of a large size, some of which were painted; and some large thongs for bow-strings, and bags for slinging stones. But the jealousy of the Turks would not permit us to stay so long as would have been requisite for a perfect examination of these antiquities.

From the castle we returned to a.s.syne, and were civilly treated. In the evening we went up into the country of Mesopotamia. The hills are chalky and steep, and come close to the water side without a plain intervening, as it is upon the side of Syria; so that Beer stands 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 two mills, and so runs down to the city, which is well walled. In the side of the hill there is a khan under ground cut into the rock, with fifteen large pillars left to support its roof.

_April 24._-We left Beer, and, travelling west, came in three hours to Nizib, a place well situated at the head of the Towzad. Here is an old small church, very strong and entire, only the cupola in the middle of the cross is broken down, and its s.p.a.ce covered with leaves, to fit the place of a mosque. I believe the Turks made the places to which they turn in prayers empty niches, to show that they worshipped one invisible G.o.d, not to be represented by images. In two hours we came from Nizib to a Christian village called Uwur; and in an hour and a half more to a well in the desert.

_April 25._-We travelled west near two hours, and came through a fine country diversified into small hills and valleys, to a village called Adjia, having left Silam and two other villages on the right hand. At Adjia rises the river of Aleppo, from a large fountain, at once; and just above it runs the Sejour, which might be let into it by a short cut of ten yards. From Adjia our course was west-north-west. The banks of the Sejour are well planted with trees and villages. In two little hours we came to Antab (An-tab), having crossed the Sejour at a bridge about three quarters of an hour before. Leaving the city on the right hand, we pa.s.sed under its walls, and pitched about three quarters of an hour from it, on a plain field on the banks of the Sejour.

Antab stands mostly on a hill, having a castle on a round mount at its north side, exactly resembling that of Aleppo, though much less. It has a very deep ditch round it; and at the foot of the mount, within the ditch, is a gallery cut through the rock all round the castle, with portals for shot; and it is faced with stone walls where the rock was not strong enough. The houses have generally no upper rooms; the bazaars are large. I saw here a fine stone, very much resembling porphyry, being of a red ground, with yellow specks and veins, very glossy. It is dug just by Antab.

Antab is doubtless Antiochia penes Taurum, in the skirts of which it stands; and is not far distant from the highest ridge. It is about two thirds as big as Aleppo.

_April 26._-We pa.s.sed through a fruitful, mountainous country, and came in seven hours and a quarter to Rowant Castle. It stands on the top of a round, steep hill, and has been strong for the times it was built in. It is probably a Saracen fabric, and is now in ruins. At the foot of the hill, westward, runs the river Ephreen: its course is south-south-west.

Our course from Antab to Rowant was north-west and by north.

_April 27._-We continued travelling through the mountains, which were now somewhat more uneven and precipitous, but watered every where with fine springs and rivulets. In about six hours we came to Corus. Our course was south-west, having crossed the Ephreen about two-thirds of an hour before. Just by Corus is the river Sabon, that is Chor or Char, which encompa.s.ses most part of the city.

Corus stands on a hill, consisting of the city and castle. The city stands northerly; and from its north end, ascending, you come at last to a higher hill to the southward, on which stands the castle. The whole is now in ruins, which seems to have been very large, walled very strongly with huge square stones. Within are observable the ruins, pillars, &c., of many n.o.ble buildings. On the west side there is a square inclosure of great capacity, compa.s.sed with good walls and five gates, which admitted into it, as one may discern by the ruins of them. I conjectured they might be the cathedral. Over the castle gate were written three inscriptions, the middle inscription being over the middle of the portal, the other two on the top of the pilasters on the right and left-hand.

Below the castle hill, to the southward, stands a n.o.ble old monument. It is six square, and opens at six windows above, and is covered with a pyramidical cupola. In each angle within is a pillar of the Corinthian order, of one stone; and there is a fine architrave all round just under the cupola, having had heads of oxen carved on it. And it ends a top with a large capital of the Corinthian order. Near this are several sepulchral altars, of which only one has a legible inscription.