Chapter 16 - Hunin-Huleh-Banias

Chapter 16 - Hunin-Huleh-Banias

Hunin-probably Beth-Maachah.|Caves of Serada-fountain of Luisany.|
Sowing-Scripture allusions.|The stream Hasbāny.|
Winter traveling.|Sect of Nusairîeh-secret religion.|
Flight in winter.|Fountain of the Jordan.|
Castle of Shŭkif-the Ijon.|Temple of Panium-Panias.|
Bitumen wells-pitch, slime.|Scene of the Transfiguration-Hermon.|
Cold winds-"an horrible tempest."|Anti-Lebanon remarkable for shrines.|
The district of Hûleh-its beauty.|Baalbek, or Baal-gad, account a|
March 3rd.
vHunîn
I HAVE been out examining this castle and its surroundings. The view from some of the towers over the Hûleh and the eastern mountains is very grand. What place do you suppose it may have been in olden time?
vProbably Beth Maachah
Many years ago I thought it might mark the site of Hazor, but since then have discovered that place, as I believe, a few miles back in the interior; and, on the whole, I have been inclined of late to identify it with Beth-Maachah. The small province of which this city was the capital is associated in the Bible with Abel, and must have extended round the head of this great marsh to the vicinity of Hunin, for Abel is just below it. Dr. Robinson makes this Beth-Rehob; but Dan, which is Tell el Kâdy, is said to be in the valley that lieth by Beth-Rehob, and this more naturally points to Banias, as you will see hereafter. It is difficult to believe that either of the Rehobs given to Asher was at this place, for Hunin is in the territory of Naphtali. Dan, however, and the plain around it, including Banias, seem to have belonged to Sidon, and that city, with its territory, was assigned to Asher. If Banias, therefore, is Beth-Rehob, it might have been given to Asher in the original distribution, but it never was really in their possession; for we know from Judges 1:31 that they could not subdue it. So doubtful, however, is the location of these cities, that, if Rehob be Hunin, I should place Beth-Maachah at Banias, and vice versa.
(*Ecclesiastes 11:6)
vAllusion of Amos
These men seem about to realize the prophecy of Amos: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper." * If I remember correctly, reaping will commence in the coining month.
Yes, in the valley of the Jordan, which is here just below us. No doubt this late plowing and sowing suggested the terms of the prophecy, and gave an air of verisimilitude to it. So, also, the next clause in this 13th verse, "The treader of grapes shall overtake him that soweth seed," derives its significance from facts in agricultural experience. The time for the treading of grapes comes on during the dry months of autumn, and is ordinarily soon over; but this promise implies that the vintage will be prolonged into the rainy season, when alone the husbandman can begin to sow his seed. This does not generally occur until November. In the good days of the promise, however, the vintage will be abundant and long, while the rains will be early and copious, and thus the treading of grapes will run on to the time when the fall crops are sown. This is never actually the case at present, yet, in seasons remarkably favorable, an approximation is seen sufficiently near to justify the allusion.
(*Amos 9:13).
vTimes of Sowing, Reaping, Threshing, Vintage
In Leviticus 26:3; Leviticus 26:5, there is the same promise: "If ye walk in my statutes... the vintage shall reach unto the sowing-time." But here the preceding parallelism is varied. Instead of" The plowman shall overtake the reaper,"it is" Your threshing shall reach unto the vintage."The threshing comes between the reaping and the treading of grapes, and the promise, therefore, covers another portion of the farmer's year. Reaping is done in April, May, and June, and the vintage is in September and October. Hence the harvest, according to the promise, is to be so heavy that it will take three or four months to tread out the grain. And here, again, actual experience suggested the costume of the prophecy. In very abundant seasons I have often seen the threshing actually prolonged until October. Take the three promises together, and they spread over the entire year of the husbandman. The plowman will continue his work until that which was first sown is ready for the sickle; the threshing follows the reaper, and extends to the vintage; and then the treading of grapes reaches to the time to sow for the next crop. And such is the happy nature of this climate, that the whole series of promises is even now realized in those favorable years in which" the Lord gives rain in due season.”
vTraveling in Winter
What a splendid day, and how warm too, for the first of March!
We are favored in that respect. I was once here with the Countess of Schlieffen and her son, when the ground was frozen hard, and flying clouds kept pelting me with sleet and snow as I rode back to Hasbeiya. Eighteen hundred and forty-nine had been swept away by a perfect deluge of rain and snow, and the new year came in clear and cold. Our German friends, who had been detained in my house for a month by sickness, had left us several days before, carrying the maid-servant on a kind of bier. As it began to rain violently soon after they started, we were quite anxious about them, and our solicitude was not relieved by the contradictory accounts brought to us by the peasants. After breakfast I set off in search of them. The Hasbāny was not fordable, and I rode to the bridge, where I had an opportunity to see the Upper Jordan rushing full and headlong over its rocky bed. The country was flooded with water, and yet the farmers were already out plowing and sowing on the mountain declivities. The truth is, that the long, pointed share of the native plow will root through mud and water without hesitation or encumbrance, and for such soil and climate this miniature machinery is just the article wanted. Moreover, their tiny teams could manage no other. I saw a man plowing with two donkeys, very small and poor. They looked sour and displeased, as though the yoke was degrading to their asinine sensibilities.
vA German Party
In three hours I reached Kûleîyeh, on the top of you ridge that forms the western boundary of Ijon. There I found the countess and party in sad confusion. Their history, after leaving Hasbeiya, was briefly this: The men hired to carry the sick girl set down the bier in the mud, and ran away. The rain came on in torrents, and the count had to summon in the name of the government, the entire population of Kûleîyeh to their assistance. They finally reached the village about dark. Here they had been detained ever since by the storm, and in quarters as filthy and uncomfortable as even this wild country can furnish. Not being able to procure porters, the dragoman had left, two days before, for Safed, to hire carriers from that place. This morning, however, twelve men had offered to take the girl to Hunin for 300 piasters, and the count had already set off with them, leaving his mother and Mr. Z-, their traveling chaplain, to come on as best they could.
vAdventures and Difficulties
It was now after twelve o'clock, and but little progress had been made in preparation. They were surrounded by a rude mob, screaming, scolding, and quarreling in the wildest uproar. The countess begged me to take the direction of matters, as she could not talk a word with the people, nor comprehend the reason of this hubbub and delay. After a sufficient amount of rebuke and threatening, the refractory muleteers loaded their animals, and set off-a party of about forty, horses, mules, and donkeys, besides certain beasts so lank and filthy that it was not easy to decide to what particular family they belonged. I had made no arrangements to stay out over night, but could not leave the countess in such doubtful circumstances; so away we went, scattering all about the country in search of practicable paths, hut in a general direction southward, along the ridge that divides the Litany from Ijon. Passing by Khŭreîbeh, on the brow of that hill north of us, we came along between Deir Mimas and Kefr Keely on the west, and that large Druse village, El Matulleh, on the east. At the end of two hours we stopped to rest at this Neb'a en Nibah. Our party had taken different roads, and but few had followed our track. From this we toiled up to Hunîn, along the wild path which we have this morning descended. Just before reaching the castle we overtook Count William and his party, who had been all day in making this distance of nine miles. Hunin, as you know, is inhabited by Metāwelies, an inhospitable and villanous set. But the firman of the sultan, and the stringent orders of the pasha, were not to be resisted. The sheikh gave up his own room to the countess and her sick girl, while a poor widow vacated her habitation-about twelve feet square-for us gentlemen. These preliminaries settled, the loads began to come in, and by dark all had arrived except the cook and two or three companions of his.
vA Missing Cook
Having waited until after nightfall for our missing cook and party, we then roused the whole village to go in pursuit, when they were soon found and brought in safely.
vBedawin Toil
Both they and Mr. Z-had been stopped by Arabs, and compelled to pay Bedawin toll before they were allowed to pass. It was now very cold, and utterly dark. The wind howled along the mountain tops, and tore to tatters the ponderous clouds, which pelted us with rain and snow whenever we ventured out of our retreats. With immense noise and confusion, we got the luggage stowed in the room of the countess, and our forty animals crammed into a large vault of the old castle, and fed, amid uproar, kicking, and fighting, in absolute darkness.
vA Night’s Lodging
By ten o'clock the cook had prepared some sort of dinner, and we spent an hour in talking over the adventures of the day and night.
Then we lay down in our clothes and muddy boots, cold, wet, and without beds, and tried to sleep; but with dogs barking outside, cocks crowing overhead, fleas tickling, and other joint occupants of our twelve-foot room crawling over us, our sleep was none of the sweetest.
vExpense and Misery
Morning came, however, at last. Our friends set off for Safed, and I returned to Hasbeiya. It is not easy to exaggerate the hardships and even dangers which such parties encounter at this season of the year. Tents cannot be used, and they are therefore at the mercy of these lawless peasants. The amount of money which the countess spent could not have been less than fifty dollars a day, and yet the discomforts of her situation were enough to drive any ordinary person to despair. Houses not fit to put pigs in-every door, yard full of mire and filth,-through this ineffable mixture you must flounder, and into it your luggage will be tumbled. To add to your perplexity and distress, the villagers, of every size and sex, throng you like bees, and laugh at your expense. Dogs bark, donkeys bray, mules and horses kick and break bounds; servants are chaffering, and buying any kind of eatables that turn up, and at exorbitant prices; the poor are begging, and all are demanding bukshish for contributing their share to the intolerable annoyance. We went through all this and more, for twelve hours at a stretch, and the marvel is that the sick girl survived at all, recovered, and returned to Germany. The countess remarked that she needed no other illustration of the admonition, "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter."*
(*Matthew 24:20)
If that was Banias which you pointed out nearly due east of Hunîn, we are making a long detour to the north.
vCastle of Shŭkîf
Still, there is time enough to continue in the same direction to the top of the ridge before us; and my object is to give you a near view of the great castle of Shŭkif,* and of the pretty plain of Ijon. Look, now, across the profound gorge of the Litany, and you can see that fine old fort hanging on the very edge of the precipice. I have often visited it, and have spent several nights encamped in its ample fosse. The view from the top is magnificent, and the gulf, fifteen hundred feet deep, down to the river beneath, is frightful. I never visit it without playing the boy by rolling stones from the top of the castle, and watching their gigantic leaps from point to point, until they are lost in the bushes or the river at the bottom. The castle is the most conspicuous object in this region, and we shall have it looking out upon us in all our rambles hereabouts. The Crusaders called it Bellefort, but they did not construct it. Indeed, I think it probable that a castle occupied this commanding position from remote antiquity.
vIjon
And here we have a fine view of the Ijon. The present name-Merj Aiyûn-is a mere variation of the Hebrew. It is about six miles long and two broad, with a regular descent southward from that great mound at the north end, called Tell Menlo, and sometimes Tell Dibbeen, from a village of that name beyond it.
[*In Dr. Robinson's "Biblical Researches," vol. iii. pp. 49-53, the reader will find a full account of this remarkable place, and the glorious view obtained from it.-ED.]
The top of the mound is covered with the rubbish of the ancient city, which spread over the plain to the northeast for some distance. Tradition makes this the site of Ijon, and I see no reason to question the fact. It was taken by Benhadad about the year 950 before Christ, and again by Tiglath-Pileser some 200 years later.*
(*1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:2; 2 Kings 15:9)
vHistory of Ijon
There is a noble fountain in the center of the Ijon, called Derdara, and we shall cross the brook that comes from it at the bottom of the plain.
vBitumen Wells
Let me point your eye to those white hills on the north-east. Where they terminate in this direction are the famous Bitumen Wells. They are about three miles west of Hasbeiya. The rock is a chalky marl, exceedingly white. The shaft actually worked when I was last there was one hundred and sixteen feet deep to the bitumen. The thickness of the stratum varies. In some shafts it is fifteen feet, and in others it is not five. So, also, the quality varies. In some places it is extremely pure, like real jet, or black amber; in others, only a few feet distant, it is unctuous, earthy, and of the color of iron rust.
vTheory of Formation
The people that work the mine believe that new bitumen is constantly forming; and the fact that the entire area through which these wells are and have been sunk from remote ages does not exceed an acre in extent, strongly confirms the theory. The whole space must have been dug over many times, and yet they find it as abundant and perfect as ever. It is probable, therefore, that this mineral exists in vast quantities in the marly mountain north of the wells, and that it exudes slowly, in the form of semi-liquid petroleum, into this peculiar receptacle, and there, in time, hardens into bitumen. It is difficult to account for the continued supply on any other supposition.
The Arabs on the shore of the Dead Sea have a similar theory to account for the appearance of bitumen there. They say that it forms on the rocks in the depths of the sea, and by earthquakes or other submarine concussions is broken off in large masses, and rises to the surface. A few miles north of these wells of Hasbeiya a new mine has been opened, not far from a village called Yahmûr. The shaft is sunk through hard rock, and the bitumen is found at different depths. It is actually semi-fluid, and exudes into the shaft from crevices in the rock strata.
Is bitumen ever mentioned in the Bible?
vThe “Pitch” of Scripture
Very often, but under the name of pitch in our translation. I think it nearly certain that "Noah pitched the ark within and without" with a preparation of bitumen, although the Hebrew word in Genesis 6:14 is not the ordinary Shemitic name for it. In the Septuagint, however, it is translated asphaltum. Very early after the Deluge, the immediate descendants of Noah were acquainted with, and used bitumen to bind together the bricks in building the Tower of Babel.** This is still seen in some of the ruins of old Babylon.
(**Genesis 11:3)
vSlime Pits
Some two or three hundred years later, we find that the people of Sodom were in the habit of digging bitumen "wells" like those Hasbeiya. Our translation has it "slime-pits," * but the Hebrew is the same that our Arab friends now employ for these wells-biâret hŭmmar. It was probably an important article of merchandise, even at that early day, with Egypt, for the Egyptians employed it largely in embalming their dead. The mother of Moses also "daubed" her ark of bulrushes with slime and with pitch, as we have it; but in the Hebrew she bitumed it with bitumen, and tar or pitch.** This is doubly interesting, as it reveals the process by which they prepared the bitumen. The mineral, as found in this country, melts readily enough by itself; but then, when cold, it is as brittle as glass. It must be mixed with tar while melting; and in that way it forms a hard, glassy wax, perfectly impervious to water. I once covered the roof of a room that leaked like a sieve with such a preparation, spreading it on while the rain descended in torrents, and yet with perfect success.
(*Genesis 45:10) (**Exodus 2:3)
vArk of Bulrushes
The basket of bulrushes for the infant Moses, when thoroughly bitumed, was well adapted for the object for which it was made. Our translation of this passage is deficient in clearness. The bulrush-gomeh-is the Egyptian papyrus. Taboth-ark-is the Arabic word for coffin. Slime and pitch are bitumen and tar. The whole was made like a coffin, to deceive the watchful officers of government with the appearance of a funeral. This, too, would appeal more tenderly to the daughter of Pharaoh, and there is a sort of typical signification in it. The savior of Israel was laid in a coffin, and taken from a watery grave: the Savior of the world rose from a rock-sepulcher in Jerusalem.
vA Cold Wind
This plain of Ijon has lately been rendered famous by a most extraordinary storm. It was on the 28th of December. Some friends of mine, from Hasbeiya, were coming down the hill by Kefr Keely, that village west of Matully, when one of them called their attention to tall columns of mist over the marsh of the Hûleh. They came this way very rapidly, and soon broke upon them with awful fury. Those of the party who were from Khyam, on the east side of this plain, fled homeward. My friends from H-were driven before the blast to Khureibeh, that little hamlet just north of us, and with difficulty escaped to it. Those who attempted to reach Khyam perished in the plain, although it is not more than two miles wide, and in full view of their houses.
vTravelers Chilled to Death
Thus ten men died in a few minutes from the mere chill of this wonderful wind. There was no snow, no frost, and not much rain; but the wind was perfectly awful, driving and upheaving everything before it. These cold winds draw out all animal heat with amazing rapidity. Not only were these men chilled to death almost instantly, but eighty-five head of cattle also perished before they could be brought to the village. The inhabitants have no tradition of a similar catastrophe. People often perish in snowstorms on the mountains, and on the vast desert of the Hauran; but it was never known before that a mere wind, and that down on this low plain, could chill people to death. The storm scattered and dispersed in various directions. It did much mischief here on the hills of Naphtali, and over yonder on the Jaulan several people perished by it, and many cattle. It was felt along the sea-board; and I myself caught a violent cold riding from Beirût to Sidon on that day. I examined into the accuracy of these facts on the ground, and know them to be true. My Hasbāny friend, who is a sort of traveling merchant, sold the shrouds of the victims, and saw nine of them buried the next morning. I have often felt the extreme power of these winds to cool down the vital heat of the body, but never encountered anything like this.
v”An Horrible Tempest
It reminds one of David's horrible tempests.
This Ijon is a very fertile plain, and, when clothed with golden harvests, it must be charming. And here are the cascades you spoke of, I suppose?
Yes; and by a singular succession of them, the stream leaps down to the level of Abel, and is there joined by the Ruahîny, which you can see bursting out at the base of the western mountain. Those cliffs are covered for a long distance by the ruins of an extremely old town, for which I can get no other name than that of the fountain. The whole distance around and south of it is also called And er Ruahiny. Let us now incline to the north-east to visit the artificial caves and tombs called Serada, which are at the southern termination of that rock ridge of Khyam. I had another object in making this detour. You must know that the Hûleh is my pet lake-under my special protection. I am self-constituted cicerone, and jealous of her reputation.
vUnrivaled Beauty of the Hûleh
By right of office, I maintain that the Hula is unrivaled in beauty, no matter when or from what point beheld. From the distant heights of Hermon, the hills of Naphtali, the plain of Ijon, or the groves of Banias, in mid-winter or mid-summer, in the evening or in the morning-Stop just where you are. There lies the Hûleh like a vast carpet, with patterns of every shade, and shape, and size, thrown down in Nature's most bewitching negligence, and laced all over with countless streams of liquid light. Those laughing brooks of the Hûleh, in straight lines drawn and parallel, or retreating behind clumps of nodding shrubbery, in graceful curves, to tie up love-knots in sport; here weaving silver tissue into cunning complications, there expanding into full-faced mirrors. The Arab tent is there, and the warhorse, with his wild rider. The plain is clothed with flocks, and herds of black buffalo bathe in the pools. The lake is alive with fowls, the trees with birds, and the air with bees. At all times fair, but fairest of all in early spring and at eventide, when golden sunlight, through many a mile of warm, ethereal amber, fades out into the fathomless blue of heaven. Such is the Hûleh: "Behold it is very good; a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth."*
(*Judges 18:10)
vCaves of Serada
But here we are at the caves of Serada. They are now used to store away grain and tibn (chaff), and to shelter the herds of these miserable Arabs. Serada was once a large town, and inhabited by people who took a pride in rock tombs for their dead. They were probably Phoenicians, for their sepulchers are exactly like those of Tire and Sidon. Besides these, there is nothing to detain us, and we may pursue our journey. It is an hour from this to the Hasbāny at El Ghŭjar, by a blind path over and among boulders of black lava.
vFountains of Luisany
On this side of the river is the small Arab village Luisa, and below it are large fountains called Luisany, which add greatly to the size of the Hasbāny. The channel of the river is one of the curiosities of this region. During the countless ages of the past, it has cut a tortuous canal through the hard lava at least two hundred feet deep, and in many places the distance from bank to bank is not much greater.
vThe Hasbāny
This, then, is the most distant branch of the Jordan. It is really a respectable stream, even here, and the only one I ever saw in such a dark volcanic gorge; beautifully adorned, too, with oleanders, willows, and sycamores, and alive with fish. Altogether, I am not disappointed in it. Is it fact, or a mere fancy of mine, that these people of El Ghŭjar have a physiognomy quite peculiar, and so unlike the Arabs as to indicate a different origin?
vThe Sect Nusairleh
They are Nusairîeh, and there are hut two other villages of them in this part of the country. The great body of this tribe reside in the mountains above Tortosa, Mulkŭb, Jebile, and Ladakîyeh. There are many of them also in Antioch, and they spread around the north-east end of the Mediterranean toward Tarsus and Adana. It is impossible to ascertain their number, but they have more than a thousand villages and hamlets, and have been estimated as high as two hundred thousand. I have repeatedly traveled among them, and coincide in the general verdict rendered against them by those best acquainted with their character. They are the most ignorant, debased, and treacherous race in the country. Their religion is a profound secret, but is believed to be more infamous than even their external morals. The skill with which they evade any approximation toward a disclosure of their religious mysteries always excited my astonishment. My party and I once stopped to rest under the shadow of a great rock between Jebile and Ladakîyeh, and while quietly taking lunch, a company of these people came up. Their sheikh, learning from the muleteers that one of us was a doctor, made very earnest and respectful application for medicine. While the hakim was preparing it, I began with the old man, gradually and very cautiously approaching the delicate subject of his religion. As the questions came more and more directly to the point, he grew restive, and fearing that he would decamp even without the coveted medicine, I cut right across to the matter in hand by asking him what sort of people inhabited the mountains above us.
Oh! they are fellaheen.
I know that very well; but what is their religion? (This, you are already aware, is the first question in this country).
Religion! said he; what need have fellabeen of religion?
Certainly, everybody has some sort of religion, and so have you, I am sure, What is it? Whom do you follow? What prophet do you love?
We rather love Ali; but whom do you follow?
We are Christians; we love Jesus Christ, and our religion is contained in the New Testament.
Very well; we also love Jesus Christ and curse Mohammed. We and you are one.
No, no, you are not Christians.
Why not? We love Christ and Moses: your religion and ours are exactly the same; and, snatching up his medicine, he made off as fast as possible.
vAttempts to Discover the Secret
The governor of Hamath sent a horseman to guide and protect us across the wild mountains between that city and Tripoli. Our guide compelled a man from a village of this people to accompany us, and, as he could not run away, I determined to pump him about his secret faith. I gave him my horse to lead, lighted a pipe for him to smoke, and, walking by his side, made myself as agreeable as possible. We soon became quite at our ease, and talked away, without reserve, on all sorts of subjects, I approaching the ticklish point in circles, like a moth does a lighted candle. At length I told him something about my religion, that of the Druses and the Hindus; with all which he seemed much interested. Finally, in a careless and indifferent manner, I put the question about his faith. I am a fellah, said he. I know you are a farmer; it was not your occupation, but your religion I asked after. Come, now, we are alone; nobody will hear us; do tell me something about your faith. I am a Christian. I tell you what I believe and how I worship; so will the Moslem, the Jew, the Hindû, and even the poor savage in the center of Africa. Why will not you do the same We are fellaheen, that is enough. What do we want of religion I know you have a religion of your own, why should you keep it secret?
Do you see that white tomb on the top of that hill? It is Skeikh Ibrahim el Hakim. If any one has sore eyes, and visits that mazar, he will get well.
We will talk about that good doctor by-and-by, if you please; but now I want an answer to my question.
May God curse the father of that donkey!
Never mind the donkey, he will go well enough; and you should not curse the poor beast; besides you mentioned the name of God; who is he? what do you believe about him?
Is it not near noon? We have four hours yet to Hŭsn from that ridge ahead of us.
This is a specimen of a long trial, in which I was completely baffled by an ignorant fellah from the wild mountains of the Nusairĭyeh.
This remarkable people have no known forms of prayer, no times or places of worship, and no acknowledged priesthood. At weddings and funerals they sometimes use Mohammedan prayers, but only when in the vicinity of Moslem towns. They practice polygamy, and marry very near relatives-the nearest of all, according to the reports of their neighbors. They themselves deny that a Nusairîyeh can marry his own mother. However this may be, the marriage relation is very loose among them. I could not learn whether they believed in the immortality of the soul and a future state of rewards or not, but they hold to transmigration of souls somewhat as do the Druses. They seem to have derived some of their customs and reputed tenets from Persia. The truth probably is, that whatever of Mohammedanism has been incorporated with their original superstition was borrowed from the followers of Ali; and they are, to this extent, a heretical set of Moslems.
vPerhaps a Remnant of the Original Canaanites
But many things led me, when among them, to suspect that they were fragments of Syria's most ancient inhabitants-descendants of those sons of Canaan who were in possession of Arka, Arvad, Zimra, and Sin, on the shore west of their mountains; and of Hamath, on the east, when Abraham "came from Ur of the Chaldees." Expelled by foreign nations from their primeval seats, they retired to the inaccessible mountains, where they now live. These are so situated that they were never penetrated by any great military roads or mercantile routes, and never will be. Perhaps many of their brethren, when driven from the south by Joshua, took refuge with them. I was struck with the prevalence, all over these mountains, of names of men, and mountains, and castles, and villages, which were identical with those once common in Palestine.
As Christian missions are now established among them, we may hope, ere long, to be better acquainted with the origin, history, manners, customs, and religion of this remarkable people. I have seen a few books which pretended to give an account of their faith; but the Nusairîyeh themselves would not acknowledge them. They are not to be trusted, and, besides, they throw very little light on the matter. They have countless sacred tombs called Mazars, to which they resort on various occasions; but their ceremonies there are always performed in secret. Should any of their number divulge their mysteries, he would be assassinated without remorse, mercy, or delay. This is certain; and this horrible fact may have given rise to the stories about the assassins, for it was on these mountains that those somewhat fabulous monsters are said to have resided.
But enough of the Nusairîyeh for the present. 'Ainfit and Z'aora, on the mountain south of Banias, are the only other settlements of this people in this region.
vPark-Like Scenery
What noble oak glades spread over these hills before us! Indeed, this whole scenery is more park-like than any I have seen in Syria.
Or will see. The peasants of Banias, however, are cutting away these magnificent trees, and in a few years this part of the grand platform of old Panium will be stripped quite naked. You will observe that we have been riding over the ruins of the ancient city for some time, and there is its modern representative, half buried beneath shapeless ruins, which are quite overgrown with bushes, briers, and creepers. We must wade through this rattling river, and find our way to that fine old terebinth, where our tents are waiting our arrival. I, at least, am quite ready for them, and for what our good cook will spread before us.
Curiosity is an overmatch with me just now for fatigue, and even hunger.
I must look upon the birth-place of the Jordan, and have a draft of its water before night closes upon us.
That is soon done. Follow the path to that cliff, and you may have the whole fountain to yourself.
Well, have you seen and tasted?
vFountain of the Jordan
Is it not magnificent? The fountain, I mean. But let us address ourselves to dinner. The new-born river will sing to us. Hark how its merry laugh floats out on the evening air, and swells up the sides of the echoing hills! Our ride to-day has been perfectly delightful through and to scenes and sites of most romantic interest.
vTemple of Panium
There can be no doubt, I suppose, but that this is the source of the greater Jordan, mentioned by Josephus; and this mass of rubbish below the cave, through which the fountain pours its hundred streams, is the debris of the temple of Panium.
ILLUSTRATION
Those Greek inscriptions on the face of the cliff confirm the fact. But we are now on ground much more sacred than mere classic association can render any place. Our blessed Lord has been here, has drunk of this same fountain, and looked upon this lovely scene. With his usual compassion, he taught the people, and healed their diseases.
vChristian Legends
Eusebius says that the woman cured of an issue of blood* belonged to this city, and he thus writes on this subject:-
(*Luke 8:43)
“They say that her house is shown in the city, and the wonderful monuments of our Savior's benefit to her are still standing. At the gate of her house, on an elevated stone stands a brazen image of a woman on her bended knees, with her hand stretched out before her, like one entreating. Opposite to this there is another image, of a man erect, of the same material, decently clad in a mantle, and stretching out his hand to the woman. This, they say, is a statue of Christ, and it has remained even until our times, so that we ourselves saw it when staying in that city.”* Who knows but that these statues are still buried under this rubbish, and may some day be brought to light. Theophanes, however, says that Julian the Apostate broke them to pieces. It would be like him, if he ever happened to see them.
(*Euseb., book vi, chap. xviii)
vEusebius Account of Panias
The same author thus discourses about the cave and the fountain:-"At Caesarea Philippi, which is called Panias by the Phoenicians, they say there are springs that are shown there at the foot of the mountain called Panias, from which the Jordan rises; and that on a certain festival day there was usually a victim thrown into these, and that this, by the power of the demon, in some wonderful manner, entirely disappeared. The thing was a famous wonder to all that were there to see it. Astyrius (a pious Roman of senatorial rank) happening to be once present at these rites, and seeing the multitude astonished at the affair, pitied their delusion. Then, raising his eyes to heaven, he implored the God over all through Christ to refute the seducing demon, and to restrain the delusion of the people. As soon as he prayed, it is said that the victim floated on the stream, and that thus this miracle vanished, no wonder ever more occurring in this place." The latter remark is probably true, whatever we may think of the rest of the story. These passages, however, are curious as showing what the traditions concerning this place were at the close of the third century, when Eusebius visited it. Josephus thus describes this locality in Ant., b. xv. ch. x. v. 3; he calls it Panium "This is a very fine cave in the mountain, under which there is a great cavity in the earth, and the cavern is abrupt, and prodigiously deep, and full of still water. Over it hangs a vast mountain, and under the cavern arise the springs of the River Jordan. Herod adorned this place, which was already a very remarkable one, still further by the erection of this temple, which he dedicated to Caesar." There is a close resemblance between these stories of this fountain and that of Josephus in his Wars of the Jews, book i. ch. xxi. v. 3:-"And when Cæsar had further bestowed on him (Herod) another additional country, he built there also a temple of white marble, bard by the fountains of the Jordan. The place is called Panium, where is the top of a mountain that is raised to an immense height, and at its side, beneath, or at its bottom, a dark cave opens itself, within which there is a horrible precipice that descends abruptly to a vast depth. It contains a mighty quantity of water, which is immovable; and when anybody lets down anything to measure the depth of the earth beneath the water, no length of cord is sufficient to reach it." Making all due allowance for subsequent changes, it is still impossible to clear our author of great exaggeration. He probably never saw Banias himself, and took the extravagant stories of others for truth.
vHistory of Banias
It is evident that Banias was a remarkable place before the age of Augustus. Philip the Tetrarch called it Cæsarea in honor of Tiberius, and Philippi in his own, and to distinguish it from Cæsarea Palestina. Herod Agrippa beautified it, and complimented that monster Nero by giving it the name of Neroneas. But all these foreign titles soon fell off, and it resumed its old name, Banias, by which alone it is now known. For its history during the Roman empire, and under the Saracens, Crusaders, and Turks, you must consult more authors than I can now mention, Reland's "Palestina" and Robinson's "Researches" will serve as guides to the original sources of information.
vThe Cave
Great changes have happened to the cave since these authors wrote about it. Probably the earthquake which overthrew the temple may have filled up the depths spoken of. It was here that Titus, after the destruction of Jerusalem, was feasted by Agrippa for twenty days; and in this temple he "returned public thanks to God for the good success he had in his undertakings.”
vScene of the Trans Figuration
If all that is recorded in the 16th and 17th of Matthew in immediate connection with the visit of our Savior actually occurred in this neighborhood, it has been the scene of some very remarkable transactions. Among them was the Transfiguration, and this Panium may have been that high mountain apart into which our Lord took Peter, James, and John, and was transfigured before them.* I have supposed, ever since my first visit to Tabor, that that could scarcely have been the place, for the whole summit was covered by a vast castle, which we know was occupied, if not then, yet shortly after, by soldiers. It is true that Josephus says he built the castle,-the only foundation for which assertion being that he repaired one that had been there for ages. Moreover, that locality does not suit the accounts given of events immediately connected with the Transfiguration as recorded by the Evangelists, though it must be confessed that these are not definite or very decisive.
(*Matthew 17:1-13)
vProbably Not Tabor but Hermon
I would not, therefore, contend with those who prefer the old tradition in favor of Tabor, and yet I think it probable that it was somewhere in this direction, and see no good reason why it may not have been on this lofty and lonely Panium, of rather Hermon, of which it forms the southern termination.
Here also occurred that remarkable discourse with the disciples, in which Simon Peter answered our Lord's question by the solemn assertion, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;" and received in reply, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." ** Could the claims of Banias to this wonderful discourse be established, it might vastly enhance the interest of the place in the eyes of those who have made so much capital out of the power of the keys here conferred. We leave the hint for those whom it more immediately concerns.
(**Matthew 16:16-17)
vLocality Famous for Shrines
There must be something about this Upper Jordan and its surroundings particularly calculated to call out and foster the religious or the superstitious propensities of our nature. Tell el Kady, four miles west, was the great seat of false worship, from the days when the Danites conquered it, and there set up their teraphim, a graven image and a molten image.* Long after this, Jeroboam placed golden calves in Dan; which thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. **
(*Judges 18:14-20) (**1 Kings 12:29-30)
vWorship of Pan
Then this Banias itself was always celebrated for its worship of Pan, and as we follow up the country we meet with heathen temples all over these mountains. There are ruins of several at a place called Bustra, not far from Kefr Shûbah; another on the high point of Mûtaleîh, above Rashaiet el Fŭkhār; and one at Sed Dan, farther in the mountains. A short distance north-east of Rashaiet el Fŭkhār is the fine temple of Hibbarîyeh, with a Greek inscription, much defaced. Two miles farther north are the ruins of another, and higher up still is the temple of Ain Hershali, with Greek inscriptions. Then come those of Aihah, Kefr Kûk, Rakhleh, Deir, 'Asheîr, Burkûsh Bekkeh, Munseh, and several others; and across Wady et Teim, west of Rashaiet el Fokah, is the fine temple of Tilthatha, called Neby Sŭfah. Certainly no part of Syria was so given to idolatry as this region round the head-waters of the Jordan.
vNeighboring Temples
These temples fronted the east, and were probably devoted to the worship of Baal. A description of one or two will answer for all. That at Hibbarîyeh is a fair specimen. It is fifty-eight feet long, thirty-one wide, and to the top of the frieze on the west side is thirty-two feet. It is built of large, well-cut stones, some of them fifteen feet long. The interior, as usual in such edifices, was divided into three parts; that of the altar at the west end, considerably raised and eleven feet deep; that of the temple, nave, or body of the edifice, twenty-three feet; and the portico, nearly sixteen feet, with columns in front. The temple at Rakhleh is eighty-two feet eight inches long, and fifty-seven wide. The altar is semicircular, like that of ancient churches, and with apses on either aide. A double row of Ionic columns extended from the altar to the entrance. This edifice is thrown down nearly to the ground. On the southeast corner is a stone belonging to the original wall, about six feet square, and having a circular wreath on the face of it five feet in diameter. Within this is another circle four feet in diameter, and this surrounds the colossal face of an image handsomely carved in bold relief. The length of the face, from the chin to the top of the hair, is three feet four inches, the width two feet four inches. It has been purposely disfigured, but the features are still very distinct and striking.
vAn Image of Baal?
It is probably an image of the god of the temple, perhaps the face of old Baal himself.
The temple at Deir 'Asheîr stands upon an elevated platform, ornamented with a frieze and cornice of its own. It is one hundred and twenty-six feet long, and sixty-nine wide. The length of the edifice built upon this platform is eighty-nine feet, the breadth about forty, and the height to the top of the cornice fifty-four. The interior is divided like that of Hibbarîyeh. The style of architecture resembles the Ionic, and the egg and cup, or cup and ball ornaments occur everywhere, as at Baalbek. There are other ancient buildings at this Deir, 'Asher, and the place is well worth a visit.
Proceeding farther north, there are remnants of small temples at various points along the slopes of Anti-Lebanon.
vTomb of Seth
At Neby Sheet is the tomb of Seth, under a vaulted room more than one hundred feet long. The tomb is about ten feet broad, extends the entire length of the vault, and is covered with a green cloth. This prophet Seth is the third son of Adam, transformed into a grand Moslem saint, with three hundred wives, and children without number. Opposite to this tomb, on the west side of the Bŭk'ah, is that of Noah, or Kerak. It is a little more than one hundred and thirty feet long, and even at that accommodated the tall patriarch who stepped across the Delūge only to the knees, the remainder being provided, for by a deep pit sunk perpendicularly into the earth. But this entire system of fanes and temples received its grandest enunciation in the wonderful structures at Baalbek, on the eastern side of the Bŭk'ah.
vBaslbek or Baalgad
Is Baalbek the Baal-gad of the Bible?
The main reasons for the support of this opinion are that the names are very similar-the first half identical in form, the other probably so in significance, and both correctly translated by Heliopolis, City of the Sun. Then, again, the notices of it in the Bible lead us to search for Baal-gad in the direction and neighborhood of Baalbek. In the valley of Lebanon, under Hermon, and the entrance into Hamath;* these are the geographical indications. That it is in the valley of Lebanon cannot be questioned; that it is under Hermon is equally certain; and that it is at of on the road to the "entrance into Hamath," my explorations in that direction have fully satisfied my own mind.
(*Joshua 11:17; Joshua 13:5)
vEntrance of Hamath
This "entrance," so conspicuous in ancient Biblical geography, was the province at the north end of the Bŭk'ah, drained by the sources of the Orontes, the river of Hamath. This province was reached from the west or sea-board by the passes over the low mountains of Akkar, at the north end of Lebanon, which I take to be the Mount Hor of Numbers 34:7-8. "This," says Moses, "shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you Mount Hor (Heb. Hor Hahor); and from Mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath." Of course the kingdom, not the city of Hamath, is meant in all cases; and the southern province of it would be reached through the Bŭk'ah, past Baalbek, and from the sea through Akkar, as just described. This theory ascertains the line of Israel's northern boundary, and at the same time corroborates the idea that Baal-gad is identical I with Baalbek. Let any one ride from Baalbek northward to Lebweh or 'Ain, or, better still, to Kamûa Hermel, and look off toward Hamath, and he will be struck with the propriety of the phrase, "Entrance into Hamath." From this stand-point the valley of the Bŭk'ah opens out like a vast fan on to the great plain of northern Syria, and he is at the gate of the kingdom. Baalbek being, therefore, in the neighborhood where we must look for Baal-gad, there seems to be no good reason to doubt their identity, for there is no rival to dispute the honor of the name and site.
vBaalbek
The remains at Baalbek are adequate to meet the demands of any history, and some of them may claim an antiquity equal to anything that even Egypt can boast. The substructures of the great temple can scarcely be of a later age than that of Solomon, and may have supported a magnificent edifice in the time of Joshua. If we reject this identification, what other name shall we or can we give to these wonderful ruins? I can think of none; and after traveling up and down and across that whole region for twenty-five years, and studying every ancient site in it, I find no other Baal-gad, and ask for none.
How much evidence is there that Solomon erected any of these temples at Baalbek?
The unanimous voice of Mohammedan romance and Oriental fable. That he should have had something to do with Baal-gad is, however, not incredible. His government included the Bŭk'ah; he was given to magnificent architecture; he built with great stones, quite equal, according to Josephus, to those in the substructures at Baalbek, and not much less, according to the Bible; and, finally, there is no other prince known to history to whom the most ancient parts can be ascribed with greater plausibility. If not this very Suleyman Bin Daoud of the Moslem, their author is absolutely unknown.
It is the general opinion, I believe, that the remains there are of very different ages.
It requires no great architectural knowledge to decide that point, but just how many ages and orders can be distinguished in the wilderness of present ruins I will not undertake to determine. The most ancient, no doubt, are the foundations seen on the west and north sides of the great temple, to which the six columns belonged. The first tier above ground consists of stones of different lengths, but all about twelve and a half feet thick, and the same in width.
vColossal Blocks of Stone
Then came over these stones more than sixty-three feet long,-the largest blocks, perhaps, that were ever placed in a wall by man.* One of this class lies in the quarry, where it can be viewed all round, and measured easily. It is fourteen by seventeen, and sixty-nine feet long! Here is a drawing of it; and remember, as you look at it, that three very respectable rooms might be cut in it, and still leave partition walls three feet thick! How such blocks could be transported a mile over uneven ground to the temple, and elevated to their position on its platform, is yet an unsolved problem in the science of mechanical forces. But there is something about them still more wonderful. The corresponding surfaces of these enormous stones are squared
ILLUSTRATION
so truly and polished so smoothly that the fit is most exact. I was at first entirely deceived, and measured two as one, making it more than a hundred and twenty feet long. The joint had to be searched for, and, when found, I could not thrust the blade of my knife between the stones. What architect of our day could cut and bring together with greater success gigantic blocks of marble more than sixty feet long and twelve feet square?
(*Dr. Robinson, the greatest muster of measuring tape In the world, gives the dimensions of these three stones thus: One is sixty-four feet long, another sixty-three eight Inches, and the remaining one sixty-three feet; the whole, one hundred and ninety feet eight inches The height about thirteen feet, and the thickness perhaps greater.)
It is admitted, is it not, that the temple for which this foundation was laid was never completed?
vGreat Temple Unfinished
It is; but this does not prove it. That those who subsequently built upon the foundation did not occupy the whole of it, is evident enough. The portion left out is indicated by the tier of great stones on the north-west corner; but it is not certain that the remains of the most ancient temple were not taken, so far as needed, for the smaller structures of succeeding architects. I suspect that we now see the fragments of these blocks in the Grecian columns, capitals, and cornices which encumber the platform of the present edifices. The quality of the rock is identical, and there could be no reason why the Grecian architects should not appropriate to their use these ruins, just as they did so much of the foundation as suited their purposes.
vInscriptions
Are there no inscriptions to aid in determining these doubtful points?
None older than the age of Antoninus Pius, I believe. The grand entrance to the platform of the temple was on the east side, fronting the city, and was adorned by twelve noble columns. On the pedestals of two of these columns are long Greek inscriptions, but they are so high in the wall that it is difficult to get at them. I was twice let down by ropes from the top of the wall, and copied them with' no little pain and with some peril. As they have been often printed, you can study them at your leisure, if you have a fancy for such researches. I myself do not believe that Antoninus did much more than repair, or restore temples already there, and then, like modern Arabs, write his own name and deeds upon them.
vVandalism of the Mohammedans
During the last thirteen centuries, the Mohammedans-fanatical haters of ' all temples, idols, and even innocent statues-have done what they could to deface and destroy the architectural and artistic beauties of Baalbek, and they have recorded their zeal and success in numberless pompous inscriptions; none of them, however, have much historic value. By these barbarians, the entire platform, vaults, temples, and all were early converted into a strong fortress, and it is still known to them only as Kura et Baalbek-castle of Baalbek.
We have so many admirable drawings of these temples, and from so many different points, that I fancy myself perfectly acquainted with them.
True; but, like most other fancies, you will find very little correspondence between it and the reality, if your experience coincides with mine. As you approach from Zahleh, the columns come into view at a great distance, and appear small. Hour after hour you ride on in tedious monotony, and seem to get no nearer, the temples no larger. Half a dozen times you prick your horse into a gallop, expecting to dash right in among the columns, but hold up again to breathe your jaded nag, who has not one grain of your enthusiasm.
vEmotions of the Visitors
At length, as his iron hoof clatters on the pavement at the gate, you exclaim in disappointment, almost vexation, Is this Baalbek? Yes, it is, sir; and now give over the rein to the groom, and yourself to two days' diligent exploration and study. You will need all that time to master the problems before you; and when you have left, you will long to return, and will do so if you can. I have repeated my visits half a dozen times, and always find something new to admire. The first impression of disappointment runs rapidly into admiration and wonder.
vColossal Remains
You go to the end of a prostrate column, and are almost startled to find that, on tiptoe, and with the hand at utmost stretch, you cannot measure its diameter! You climb in between two of those standing columns, and feel instantly dwarfed into an infant. Looking up to the entablature with a shudder, you wonder how big it may be. A fragment lies at the base; you leap down and measure. It is fourteen feet thick! And such fragments and such columns are all round, and block up your way. Little by little, and with difficulty, you grasp the grand design, and, going out eastward into the center of the broad platform, take your stand in front of the main entrance. With those six pillars to help your imagination, you reconstruct the whole noble edifice, with twenty such giants on a side! and there you may be safely left much longer than we have time to wait for you. It is growing late, and the subject tedious. If you want to study either Baalbek or Palmyra in detail, I commend you to the magnificent drawings of Wood and Dawkins. They visited Baalbek in 1751; but, though thus old, they are far more elaborate and minute than any others. Of written descriptions there are countless numbers, but the only way to become really possessed of Baalbek is to visit, explore, and study it for yourself. Dr. Robinson's admirable chapter on Baalbek, in his last volume of "Researches," is the best and most comprehensive epitome of all that has been or can be said about these wonderful remains, and I advise you to study it attentively.
The cause of greatest perplexity arises from the many Saracenic castles and towers with which these barbarians have encumbered and disfigured every part of the grand platform. The entire length from east to west is about eight hundred and eighty feet, and the width across the central court nearly four hundred. To picture the whole magnificent group of portico, courts, towers, and temples, as they once appeared to the proud citizens of Baalbek, one should stand some little distance in front of the main entrance, and restore, in imagination, the portico, one hundred and eighty feet long, adorned by twelve splendid columns, reached by a noble flight of steps.
vThe Temples
Landing among these columns, and stopping to admire the highly ornamented pavilions at each end, the visitor passes through the deep portals into the main court of the temple, nearly four hundred feet square, and surrounded on all sides by chapels, oratories, niches, and statues, of exquisite workmanship. All these, however, will be unheeded at first, for at the south end of the vast court towers the peerless temple itself, with its statues, golden gates, and colonnades rising to the sky. This is a study by itself, and we shall let each one prosecute it as he likes. The smaller temple was an after-thought, perhaps erected from the ruins of the other; both, however, are of the same pale white limestone from the adjacent hills, which, though hard and durable, does not take a high polish. The architecture, as the drawings have taught all the world, is Corinthian, and the carving and ornamental tracing is rich and elaborate. The best specimens of this are seen in the entrance to the smaller temple. There are other remains about Baalbek which would merit and receive attention anywhere else, but in the presence of these gigantic works they are passed by unnoticed, nor can we spend time now in describing them. The visitor is surprised to see the fragments of granite columns scattered about the ruins, which must have been brought from Egypt, and transported over the mountains to this central and elevated spot by machinery, and along roads every trace of which has long since disappeared from the country.
vAbundance of Temples in Anti-Lebanon
This is quite enough about Baal-gad and ancient heathen temples; but the discussion has abundantly confirmed the remark made at the outset, that either there is something in the structure of these cliffs and valleys of old Hermon peculiarly suggestive of religions, or rather superstitious edification, or that there was something remarkably devotional in the character of the inhabitants of this mountain. All these temples belong to Anti-Lebanon, while Lebanon proper, though the more magnificent of the two, had scarcely any, and none that have become historic. There was a small one at Bisry, on the Owely; another at Deir el Kŭlah, above Beirût; one at Fakhrah, near the natural bridge on Dog River; one at Aphcah, the source of the River Adonis; two rude oratories at Naous, above Deir Demitry; one at Nihah, facing the Buk'ah, and another on the north end of Lebanon, at a place called Deir; but none of these ever attracted much attention, or deserved to do it, while Hermon is crowded with them. I hope we may be able to visit them hereafter, but at present I am more inclined to visit the couch and seek repose. The young Jordan will sing our lullaby.