Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

establishments in Nablous. Within the town are six mosques, five baths, one Christian church, an excellent covered bazaar for fine goods, superior to any of the bazaars in Jerusalem, and an open one for provisions, besides numerous cotton cloth manufactures, and shops of every description.

The Samaritans at present in Nablous number only sixty-eight. They have a synagogue in the town, where they perform divine service every Saturday, and one school where their language is taught, and in which is preserved a manuscript of the Pentateuch, said to be three thousand two hundred years old. It is written on parchment and rolled in a brass box. We were required to take off our shoes before entering the synagogue, and as I stood gazing on the precious relics shown to us by an old Samaritan, whose beard was long and white, I was strongly reminded of the parable in the Bible.

Leaving Nablous, amid the piteous cries of the poor lepers that hung about our camp, we descended into the "Vale of many Waters," to the village of Beit Wadan, on our left, where turning more to the north, we mounted a ridge of low hills, where tillage and garden culture cease, and the soil is no longer deep enough for the growth of trees; but the stony ground is covered with the ranunculus, anemone, and lupine of great size, and dazzling brightness of blue and white. In one hour more, the valley of Sebaste is seen in the north, and in the extreme distance to the west, between the low peaks of rocky hills, the Mediterranean opens to the view. Sebaste. is the Greek name given to the ancient Samaria by Herod the Great in honor of the Emperor Augustus. The view of Sebaste is quite picturesque, occupying the summit of a hill encompassed all round by a deep valley, and therefore capable of an easy and complete fortification. The Jewish historian describes at length the buildings erected by the Idumean prince, especially a citadel, and a noble temple which he intended to exhibit to future generations as a specimen of his taste and munificence. Evidences of this great structure are still existing. I counted as many as forty standing limestone columns, besides various fragments scattered about the hill-top. A very pretty ruin of a church, said to have been built by the Empress Helena, occupies the most prominent point on the hill over the place where St. John the Baptist was beheaded. In the body of this temple, we went

down a staircase into the very dungeon where that holy blood was shed.

At this point, we left the territory of Ephraim and passed into that of the tribe of Manasseh. Pursuing our course northwards, we soon reached a little village where we were again stoned by the children. I was behind the party some distance, and passed through the village alone. The first intimation I had of the character of the people was given by a shower of stones from the house-tops, after which I was pursued and hooted at in the most insulting manner. The men and the women did not participate in this outrage, but stood by and gave countenance to the doings of their children. On the evening of the third day we encamped near the village of Gennin, ŝituated in the plain of Esdraelon. From the evidence of its position and descriptions, as well as from that of its name, it is clearly the Ginea of Josephus, and most probably the En-Gannim mentioned as a city of the borders of Issachar, near Jezreel, and near the Kishon. (Josh. xix. 21; xxi. 28.) It has one mosque and about six or eight hundred inhabitants, and like the villages in the south, it is built entirely of stone.

Early, the next morning we pursued our journey across the plain of Esdraelon, famous in many of the most memorable parts of the history of the Old Testament; famous during the conflicts of the third crusade, and famous in our own times for the stout resistance made by Gen. Kleber, with a small force of French infantry, to the overwhelming army led by the Turkish Vizier-a resistance which Napoleon, after a forced march to the support of his gallant colleague, with numbers still vastly inferior to those of the enemy, converted into a brilliant and decisive victory. It was called by the French the battle of Mount Tabor, though fought on the plain several miles from the mountain. Soon after leaving Gennin, Mount Gibeon became visible on the right. It is considerably higher than the surrounding mountains, and is somewhat in the shape of an irregular cone. Here it was, in the last fatal battle between Saul and the Philistines, that Israel fled, and her champion and his three sons were slain. Passing in sight of Mount Tabor and the Lesser Hermon, we reached in five hours the hills which separate the plain from Nazareth. Before leaving this plain, I must mention that it is by far the most extensive and fertile region that we have yet seen in

Syria. That part of it which lies near the villages is pretty well cultivated; while the vast body of the vale is open and useless. They plough here altogether with cows, whose movements are directed by the use of a long pole, with which they touch first one animal and then the other.

Six hours from Gennin brought us to the Latin convent in Nazareth, where we have excellent rooms and every attention from the holy fathers. Their hospitality is universally extended, for which they ask no remuneration. Gentlemen, however, always present the Superior with money to aid them in their charitable deeds. Our first duty, after washing up and treating our bodies to clean shirts, etc., was to visit the Church of the Annunciation, which forms part of the convent. From the nave a double flight of steps leads to the space containing the high altar. A narrow stairway between these descends to what is shown as the place where stood the house of the blessed Virgin: a single chamber or grotto, with a small recess beyond, in which an altar is raised, is said to be the spot where she received the annunciation that from her should be born the Saviour of the world. Back of this is a place said to be the abode of one of Joseph's neighbors, who took care of his house during his stay in Egypt. Another chapel is shown, said to occupy the site of Joseph's work-shop. Another contains a large stone on which Christ dined with his apostles. We visited the Greek and one other chapel while out, and also a school supported by the English Church. Nazareth, the modern Nazara, or Nassera, is situated on the side of a small valley surrounded by a great number of barren hills. From my window in the convent I have a view of the entire town. Mount Tabor, which is about four hours distant, and the Mount of Precipitation, where they intended to cast Christ headlong into the abyss below, (but failed to accomplish their wicked designs,) form prominent objects in the view. The population of Nazareth at present is about four thousand, of whom three thousand are Christians. The inhabitants are altogether different in their personal appearance to any that we have seen in the East. Most of them have long Roman noses, clear complexions, dark eyes, and intelligent countenancesshowing evidently that they are a superior class of people.

Leaving the ladies and baggage at the convent, we made our excursion to Tiberias, which is one day's journey from Nazareth.

Two hours' ride brought us to Kefer Kenna, or Cana of Galilee, the village where our Saviour performed the first miracle. It is situated on a slope of a hill, from which there is a fine view of the extensive valley below. There is nothing to interest the stranger here, except two old stone pots or jars, made of the common rock of the country, and said to be the original vessels that contained the water afterwards converted into wine. These jars are shaped like a large mortar, and are exhibited in a small church belonging to the Greek communion. Five hours' ride from Nazareth brought us to the shores of Galilee. We did not go into the town immediately, but loitered along the water's edge, picking up shells and pebbles. The hot baths, so celebrated for their medicinal properties, are very near the lake, and fitted up in the Turkish manner. The water issues from the side of the hill in great quantities, and is so hot that I could not hold my hand in it one half minute. It is conveyed from the spring into a large circular basin made of white marble, and sufficiently deep for a man to swim. A large marble bath-tub was pointed out to us, by the Arab who had charge of the establishment, as being the same used by Ibrahim Pasha while at Tiberias. The water of the lake is clear but insipid, and judging from the washed stones high up on the shore, it must be subject to heavy storms. Some writers represent this sheet of water as being from fifteen to eighteen miles in length, and from five to six in breadth, which seems to be a mistake. Judging from the eye, I take it to be ten or twelve in length and three to four in breadth. It is surrounded by lofty but barren hills, which makes it look smaller than it really is. After passing some time in viewing the region round about this small sea, including the Mount of Beatitudes, where tradition says that Christ delivered his sermón, and a hundred other spots celebrated in history, we entered the walled town of Tiberias, now rapidly going to decay. Our dragoman conducted us to the house of a Jew, where we all slept in one room, and had an abundance of fleas and vermin of every description to keep us awake during the night. From Tiberias I could see distinctly the ancient sites of Bethsaida and Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes. Saffad is not far above the lake, celebrated for the beauty of its scenery, and being the place where the Jews suppose the Messiah will reign forty years before going to Jerusalem. From Tiberias, we ascended a lofty hill, and crossed the plain

of Galilee to the western base of Mount Tabor. The ascent of this sacred mountain is gradual, and requires one hour and a half to reach the summit. It is shaped something like a cone with the top knocked off, and a level area of an oval figure, extending about two furlongs in length and one in breadth, is seen on the top. It is inclosed with trees on all sides except the south, and is most fertile and delicious. Having been anciently surrounded with walls and trenches, there are remains of considerable fortifications at the present day. A thick wall of large stones may be traced quite around the summit close to the precipice, on several parts of which are relics of bastions. On the eastern side of the hill is a strong castle, and in the precincts of it is the grotto in which are three altars in memory of the tabernacles that St. Peter proposed to build, and where the Latins always perform mass on the anniversary of the Transfiguration. The mountain derives its celebrity from the opinion entertained among Christians since the days of Jerome, that it was the scene of a memorable event in the history of our Lord. It is situated apart from all the other mountains, and furnishes a view of the rarest beauty. On the northeast I saw in the distance the expanse of the Mediterranean, while all around the spacious and beautiful plains of Esdraelon and Galilee greeted the eye. Towards the south I had in view the high mountains of Gilboa, so fatal to Saul and his sons. A few points to the north appears the Mount of Beatitudes, and the high chain of Anti-Libanus covered with snow. To the southwest is Carmel, and in the south the hills of Samaria. Descending the mountain, we returned to the convent in Nazareth, where every thing is comfortable and inviting.

LETTER FORTY-EIGHT.

DAMASCUS, Syria.

Mount Carmel-Acre-Ladder of Tyre-Sidon-Residence of Lady Hester StanhopeBeirout-The Druses-Balbec-Damascus.

FROM Nazareth we passed over a rough and mountainous country to Sephony, which occupies the site of the ancient Sephoni, described

« VorigeDoorgaan »