CHAPTER V.

Jerusalem — Askelon — El Ramlah — Naplous — Baivad — El Ghaur — El Kosair — Acca — Tyre — Si-
don — Tiberias — Bairut — Tripoli — Emessa — Hamah — Maarrat El Nooman — Sarmin — A leppo
— Tizin — Antioch — Sahyun — Jabala — Laodicea — Mount Libanus — Baalbek — Damascus.

I THEN passed on to Jerusalem, and on the road visited the tomb of
Jonas, and Bethlehem the birth-place of Jesus. But, as to the mosque of
Jerusalem, it is said, that there is not a greater upon the face of the earth :
and in sacredness, and privileges conferred, this place is the third. From
Jerusalem I paid a visit to “Askelon, which was in ruins. In this place was
the meshhed,^ famous for the head of Hosain,'|' before it was removed to
Egypt. Without Askelon is “ the valley of bees,” said to be that mentioned
in the Koran. I next proceeded to *'E1 Ramlah, then to 'Naplous, J then
to ‘^Eglon, From this place I set out for the maritime parts of Syria,
passing by the route of 'Bawad between two mountains, and called "^El
Ghawr. Here was the tomb of the guardian saint of this people, ^Abu
Obeidat Aamir Ibn El Jarfdi, which I visited : and then passed by a village

* This word, which is often seen in maps, means a place of attestation, i. e. the assembly of
persons to give attestation to some fact, and should be pronounced meshhed.
t This was one of the sons of Ali, who fell in the battle of Karbela.

I The principal town of the Samaritans.

SYRIA.

21

called El Kosair, in which was the tomb of '‘Moadh Ibn Jabali, which I also
visited.

From this place I proceeded to‘Acca: in this is the tomb of * Salih
the prophet, which I visited. After this I arrived at the city of 'Tyre,
which is a place wonderfully strong, being surrounded on three sides by
the sea. Its harbour is one of those which have been much celebrated.
I next visited “Sidon, and from this place went into the parts of "Tiberias,
whidi it was my wish to see. The whole was, however, in ruins, but
the magnitude of it was sufficient to shew that it had been a large place.
The place is Wonderfully hot, as are also its waters.* The lake is well

. L ‘ ^

* The baths, &c. of Tiberias are thus described by El Harawi : ^ JUu ib

y&j i^L)\j ti JUj tij-- JUcl ^ ^ l^lj

J=J.\

/t . t\l-T*.i-,...Qit &"C. z. c.

“ The baths of Tiberias, which are said to be one of the wonders of the world, are not those
which are near the gates of Tiberias and upon the side of the lake, for many like these are to be
seen elsewhere ; but those which are described as wonders are in a place to the east of the city
called El Hosainiya, and situated in a valley. It is evidently an ancient structure, and is said
to have been built by Solomon. It consists of a pile of building, from the front of which issues
water- It came formerly from twelve places, each of which was appropriated to the cure of some
disease, so that when any one thus afflicted washed himself, he recovered by divine permission.
This water is excessively hot, and is very pure and sweet, both to the taste and smell. To this
place come many afflicted persons, maimed, aged, or those affected with bad smells, and wash
themselves in it. Its fountains run into a large and handsome place, and in this the people
bathe. The advantages it affords are evident ; nor have we ever seen any thing like it except the
Thermae (baths) which are in the confines of Constantinople.” We are told a little farther on,
that on the road from Tiberias to Acca is Kafar Manda, and that this is said to be Midian :
and that the writer also visited Midian, which is to the east of Sinai ; the words are : ^

j ^ jj '^3 (*bc.) j (JA h Ji y Jliu blc

&c. That a Midian was formerly found in both these parts appears from the Hebrew bible ;
but whether they were connected, or if they were, how, I believe no one can tell.

22

SYRIA.

known : its length is six parasangs ; its width three. In the town is a
mosque, known by “ the mosque of the prophets and in this is the tomb
of "Shoaib (Jethro) which I visited. I also visited the well of Joseph, which
is famous in these parts.

I next arrived at^Bairut which is on the sea-shore, and then set out to
visit the tomb of ® Abu Yaakub Yusuf, who is supposed to have been one of
the kings of the west. It is situated in a place called ’’Kark Nuh, and upon
it is a cell endowed by the sultan *Salah Oddin Ibn Ayub.* It is said,
that this Abu Yaakub lived by weaving mats : it is also said, that he was
hired to keep some orchards in Damascus, for the sultan ‘Nur Oddin the
martyr, the preceptor of Salah Oddin. After he had been some time in this
situation, Nur Oddin happened to come into the orchard, and to ask the
keeper for a pomegranate. He brought several, one after another, each of
which, however, had the appearance of being sour. It was said to him,
have you been all this while in the orchard, and do not yet know a sweet
pomegranate from a sour one ? He replied, I was hired to keep the orchard,
not to eat the pomegranates. By this the sultan knew who he was, and
sent for him accordingly : for he had had a dream, in which he thought he
met Abu Yaakub, and derived some advantage from him. When he was
come, he believed he knew his countenance too, and said, are not you Abu
Yaakub ? He replied, I am. The sultan then rose and embraced him, and
made him sit by his side. After this Abu Yaakub took the sultan to his
house, and entertained him out of his honest earnings : and with him the
sultan remained some days. After this Abu Yaakub escaped, and could no
where be found. The weather was at that time exceedingly cold, and Abu
Yaakub had betaken himself to a village, where he was honourably enter-
tained by one of the villagers. This man had a daughter whom he wished
to dispose of in marriage, and on this account represented to Abu Y aakub
the difficulty he experienced in affording him support. Upon this he was
ordered to bring together all the copper furniture he had provided for her
dower, and moreover, to borrow as much as he could from his neighbours.

. i. y/ f • •• t 9

* This was Saladin, who distinguished himself so much during the Crusades.

SYRIA.

23

The villager accordingly got together a considerable quantity of this metal.
Abu Yaakub then dug a pit and put the whole into it. Upon this he made
a fire which fused the metal, he then took out some elixir which he had with
him, and putting it upon the metal, the whole became pure gold. When
the next morning had arrived, Abu Yaakub wrote a letter to his host for
Nur Oddin the martyr, telling him to take out of this gold as much as would
make a handsome portion for the young woman ; also to give as much as
would be sufficient to her father, and to expend the remainder in pious uses.
He then made his escape by night. With this gold Nur Oddin built the
infirmary which is in Damascus.

I next arrived at “Tarabalas (Tripoli) in Syria, which is a large city,
and may be compared with Damascus. From this place I went to the for-
tress of the Kurds, then to '’Emessa, and visited the tomb of ^Khalid Ibn
El Walid,* which is in its environs. I next arrived at the city of Hamah. f
— The epitomator Ibn Jazzi El Kelbi says that the following verses were
composed on this place by “ Abu’l Hasan Ibn Said of Granada,
t May heaven from the seat of fair Hamah divide

The breath, thought, or glance, which may make her repine ;

Wreak its vengeance on him who would part from her side.

For the smiles of the fair or the juice of the vine.

But when through her streets rolls triumphant along
Rebellion's foul tide, all in current so fair ;

Then who shall refrain from the glass and the song.

When the banquet is spread and so plentiful there ?

Yet, when the full goblet goes round, let me view
Her breasts flow with sweets for her children within :

Mark the tear of the mother — then say O how true,

' How vile, yet how lovely’s the city of Sin !

* The general who conquered Syria. See Ockley’s History of the Saracens ; Hamaker’s
Incerti Auctoris Liber de expugnatione Memphidis et Alexandrise. Lugd. Batav. 1825, p. 13.

f The Hamath of Scripture.

\Jla\xc ‘kill

^

\iya (jolc

24

S Y R I A.

The following too has been composed on the same place :

* Heroes of Hamah’s happier days,

Yours my theme, my tribute, praise :

Of you, the recollections sweet
Hang on my heart, and still we meet.

And should forgetfulness tlespoil
The flowret reared with so much pain,

A simmer’s tears shall drench the soil.

And then ’twill sweetly bloom again.

The '’Aasi (sinner or rebel) is a river of Hamah. I next went to the city
of '"Maarrat El Ndoman, the place from which the patronymic of “^Abu El
Ala El Maarlf is derived. It was named Maarrat El Ndoman because "El
Ndoman Ibn Bashir the Ansar and companion of the Prophet, lost a son
there, when he held the government of Emessa. Before this time it was
called ^Dhat El Kiisur (i. e. endued with 'palacts) . It is also said, that it is so

(j>) Iftkxll jj-j’

{a) With the or mills, they draw up water out of wells in order to supply gardens, &c.

The word also means a vein pouring out blood ; and hence the allusion in the text is not unlike
k4iakspeare’s “ life-rendering pelican.” For some account of the author of these lines, see M.
de Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, 2d edit., tom. i. p. 240-3.

(b) This verse is of the species termed Jj long. The measure with the usual varieties will be
ijy=^ Clarke’s Prosody, p. 35, &c.

* The text is as follows :

i'jU; b

UjUs

Where the play is in these, as in the preceding lines, on the name of the river Aasi ( )’

which signifies sinner or rebel.

f This was a very celebrated poet and commentator, named generally Abu’l Ala El Tenukhi,
and siirnamed El MaarrI. TenCikh is, according to Jurhari, the name of a tribe in Yemen, and
this Soyuti places in Rahrein. The author of the Kamiis and Pococke say generally, that it is
the name of a tribe. See Pococke’s Sec. Hist. Arab. p. 42-141. Chrestom. Arabe, tom. iii.
p. 89.

SYRIA.

25

called from a mountain named ^Ndoman, which overhangs it. Without this
place is the tomb of ^Omar Ibn Abd El Aziz, commander of the faithful.
After this I arrived at *Sarmin, then at * Haleb (Aleppo). Its citadel is
large and strong ; and within it is a meshhed, in which Abraham is said to
have performed his devotions.* On this place El Khalidi, the poet of 'Saif
El Doulat Ibn Hamdan, has said :

Land of my heart, extended wide,

Rich in beauty, great in pride :

Around whose head to brave the storm.

The rolling clouds a chaplet form.

Here ’tis the empyreal fires glow.

And dissipate the gloom below.

Li)

* In the tLsjX^ the book of intimations respecting the kno'wledge

o/" the places of pilgrimage, by Ali Ibn Abu Bekr El Harawl, who

travelled during the times of the Crusades, and fell into the hands of the king of England,
are the following notices of this place : bsLj aJ

ajlwujlj j A-j \ijj ijJ U^\j (*• Aleppo)

citadel is the station of Abraham the friend (of God), and in it is also a chest in which there
, is a piece of the head of John the son of Zachariah. It was observed in the year 4)35, i. e.
A.D. 1043. A little lower down we have an account of a custom, which will in some degree
illustrate the homage, if not the idolatrous worship, formerly addressed to the pillars called in
the Hebrew bible The first account we have of these is in Gen. xxviii. 18, where we

are told that Jacob set one of them up and poured oil on the top of it. Here, says the traveller,

jAcl cAlIj Uj)!)j Jbjj (h c. at Aleppo). Without the gate of the

Jews there is a stone upon the road : to this vows are made, and upon it they pour rose-water
and perfumes; both Mohammedans and Christians have faith in the practice. It is said that the
grave of some prophet is under it ; but God knows best. This work I shall occasionally cite.
See a very interesting note on this subject in the Specimen Hist. Arab, by Pococke, ed. 1806,
p. 102-3, where, 1. 15, read appellabatur Saturnus, not “ appel-

labatur vir iste." This very learned writer, having been betrayed into the very mistake which he
corrects at the foot of the page in De Dieu. Edrisi mentions a similar custom as prevailing in
the islands of the Indian sea, sect. vii. dim. i. His words are jL j>~\ ...

iLjAJ) (*^1; 'A' ^ ‘

Barwah is the last of those belonging to the infidels who believe in nothing, but who take stones
which they set up on their ends, pour the oil of fish upon them, and then worship them.

E

26

SYRIA.

About thy breast in harmless blaze,

The lightning too for ever plays;

And like the unveiling beauty’s glance,

Spreads round its charms t’astonish and entrance.*

The following lines are by "'Jamal Oddln Ali Ibn Abu Mansub :

f Thy milky towers in proud array,

Stop in its course the galaxy :

When see, the children at thy side
Rise and sip the ambrosial tide :

See too thy flocks the glories share,

And crop the gems| that glitter there.

* The text is as follows, of the measure Clarke’s Prosody, pp. 35, 36, &c.

JU-

1 w

'j

For some account of Saif El Doulat, see M. de Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, tom. iii. p. 33. ed.
2, and the authorities there cited. But, as the countenance he afforded to the poets and other
geniuses of his times, has not been mentioned by M. de Sacy, or the authorities referred to, I
will give an extract on this subject here, from my own copy of the y\

Abu Monsur El Thaalabl. After stating that he was descended from noble ancestors, it is said

tul Jlihj j jJLeill j .X^aiLio &j

presence was the object of travel, and source of liberality ; the temple of hope and the inn of
the traveller ; the concourse of the polite, and the banquet of poets. It is said that there assem-
bled at the door of no king, since the times of the Califs, a number so great of the poets and
geniuses of his time, as there did at his.” From this, as well as other passages in this work, it
should seem, that he was one of the greatest patrons of polite literature the world ever saw. He
was himself a tolerable poet, and an excellent judge of the merits of those who attended at his
court. The author of these verses, said here to be El Khalidi, is probably one of the

two poets mentioned by that name by M. de Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, tom. ii. p. 333,
edit. 2.

The verses are these, the measure of which is U... JV See Clarke, p. 52, &c.

^‘^J3

jl The word star signifies also in Arabic any small plant, and hence the play upon the word
here.

SYRIA.

27

I then left Aleppo for "Tizin, and soon after came to "Antioch, before
which is the river ^E1 Aasi. In this place is the tomb of ® Habib El Najar,
which I visited. After this I arrived at the fortress of ’ Bugras, next at that
of *E1 Kosair, then at that of *E1 Shaghar. I next came to the city of
“Sahyun, then to the fortress of ‘'El Kadmus, then to that of *'E1 Aalikat,
next to that of El Manikat, next to that of “ Masyaf, then to that of '' El
"Kahf. These fortresses all belong to a people called the "Ismailiah; they
are also called the ‘*Fidawia. No person can go among them except one of
their own body.* These people act as arrows for El Malik El Nasir ; and
by their means he comes at such of his enemies as are far removed from
him, as in Irak and other places. They have their various offices ; and,
when the Sultan wishes to despatch one of them to waylay any enemy, he
bargains with him for the price of his blood. If then the man succeeds and
comes safely back, he gets the reward ; but if he fails it is then given to his
heirs. These men have poisoned knives, and with these they strike the
persons they are sent to kill.

From the fortresses of the Fidawla I went to the city of " Jabala, where I
visited the tomb of the Sheikh •^El Wall El Salih Ibrahim Ibn Adham,j' who
had not succeeded to the kingdom from the father’s, but from the mother’s
side. The father was originally one of the pious wandering Fakirs : his
story of giving up the throne is generally known. I then proceeded to
^Laodicea, the king of which is said to seize by violence every ship
within his power. I then proceeded to the fortress of *E1 Markab, then to
the mountain ’ El Akraa, then to * Mount Libanus, which is the most fruitful
mountain in the world : and on which are various fruits, fountains of water,
and leafy shades. Nor is it destitute of those who have retired from the

•J

. twill . L- CgOl *

* On this sect, which are sometimes termed Assassins, see the Dabistan, usually ascribed to
Mohammed Mohsin Fani, Calcutta edition, p. M. de Sacy’s Chrest. Arabe, tom. i, pp. 89,

tom. ii. pp. 92, 93 ; Journal Asiatique, numbers for May and June 1824, and De Guignes’ His-
toire generale des Huns, tome i. p. 341. f See the a little from the beginning.

E 2

28

SYRIA.

world and devoted themselves to God, numbers of whom I myself saw.
From this place I proceeded to 'Baalbek, and thence to “Damascus,
in the month of Ramazan, and in the year twenty-six (?. e. A.H. 726,
A.D. 1326). It has been said by the Epitomator, Ibn Jazz! El Kelbl,
that ”Sharf Oddln Ibn Anin wrote the following lines on this place
Damascus ! though the slanderer fill
Worlds with thy blame, I love thee still.

Spot, where alone the travller meets
Balmy winds and pearly streets :

Where tearful streamlets weavef their chains.

Yet joy and freedom bless the plains :

Where too the gales with lusty love
Fan into bloom the fainting grove.

The following was written on the same place by the eminent judge, "Abd
El Rahim El Baisani.;]:

* An extract from the works of this author will be found in the Annales Moslemici, vol. iv.
p. 268, and some account of his life at p. 416, of the same volume. The lines mentioned by Ibn
Batuta are the following : '

S!Li

lisjUo (a j

f The orientals, instead of saying that a stream is rippling, say that or forms chains;

hence the comparison of the chaining of the rivers with the freedom of the plains.

J Some notice is taken of this writer in M. de Sacy’s Chrestomathie Arabe, tome i. pp. 233, 505.
The original verse is as follows, and is of the species U See Clarke’s Prosody, pp. 52, 53, &c.

CJil (Jj6 b
b-s!l

\^\ Jjbsr’®

El Harawl says of this place. JJ j (J ^ (Ji}\ jUAi CuG

jb JA j Ub JA j tAlU ^ UL>

Damascus abounds with high buildings, such as have not elsewhere been constructed. It
was built by Dimashik, son of KabI, son of Malik, son of Sham, son of Noah : it is also said that

b b^3 t- ** ^ (.XC

Abej

Wb jjb

m ^j\

SYRIA.

29

Lightning ! with thy pouring rain,

How dost thou befriend the plain ?

Why, ’ere the morning’s dawn arise,

Spread’st terror through Damascus’ skies ?

Is’t that thy flames may bid her glow.

Or gild her flow’rets opening blow ?

Or, that her plains refreshed be seen,

Filled with fruits, and clothed in green ?

Yes, ’tis that blessings round may spring,

And verdure make the vallies sing.

The mosque of Damascus, termed ^E1 Amawl, is too well known to
need description here. Of its learned men, professors, and theologians, of
the sect of Hanbal, ®TakI Oddin Ibn Timla may be mentioned as one in
great repute for his lectures, if we except a few of his peculiarities. The
people of Damascus, however, think very highly of him. In many instances
he has preached things to which the theologians have objected ; and, hence
an information was laid against him to ’’El Malik El Nasir, who sent for
him to Egypt, and there imprisoned them. When in prison he published a
commentary on the Koran in forty volumes, entitled ' El Bahr El Muhit* *
After this he was liberated ; but, going again to Damascus, he returned to
his old practices of preaching heterodoxy. I happened one Friday to be
present when he was addressing a congregation from the pulpit, and this
was one of his assertions : God came down, said he, to the heaven of this

Zohak built it, and also that it was the residence of Noah. There is a passage in the book of
Genesis (chap. xv. v. 2) in which our authorized version has “ This Eliezer of Damascus,” and
which I believe to be erroneous. The original stands thus : not ’piyQiri

as the version gives it. My opinion is, that this is the proper name of Abraham’s servant and
nothing more : Damascus might, indeed, have been built by him, but of this we have no knowledge.
A little farther on we are told, that there is a column in the mosque near the little gate, to which
pilgrimages and vows are made : this is probably one of the ancient of which we so often read

in the Hebrew bible. His words are these jtkoj A . . . JyeU ^ .

* This is probably the work noticed by D’Herbelot under the title Bahar at Mohith, although
the name does not agree with that given here. Neither of them, however, has given the full
name, and this will perhaps account for the discrepancy.

30

SYRIA.

world, just as I now go down : and upon this he descended one of the steps
of the pulpit. A theologian of the sect of Ibn Malik, happening to be
present, contradicted this ; for which he was beaten by the congregation.
The opponent, however, lodged an information with El Malik El Nasir,
who again cited the Sheikh, and put him in prison, where he continued till
his death. He was afterwards buried at Damascus.

Without the gate called ^ El Jabiat are the tombs of “ Om Habiba wife
of the prophet, of her brother ^ Moawia, of ^ Balal the Moazin of the pro-
phet, and of ^ Awis El Karani.* The grave of the last, however, is said
to be in a burying- ground between the city and Syria, in which there is no
building. It is also said to be in “Siphin with that of Ali. It is said by
Ibn Jazzi El Kelbi the epitomator, that the latter is the truer opinion. Ibn
Batuta proceeds : without Damascus on the way of the pilgrimage, is the
“ '’mosque of the foot,” which is held in great estimation, and in which
there is a stone having upon it the print of the foot of Moses. f In this
mosque they offer up their prayers in times of distress. I myself was pre-
sent at this mosque in the year 746 (A.D. 1345), when the people were
assembled for the purpose of prayer against the plague : which ceased on
that very day. The number that died daily in Damascus had been two
thousand : but, the whole daily J number, at the time I was present, amounted

* According to Ibn El Athir, in his abridgment of patronymics from El Samaiini, entitled

< >1::.^ ) this patronymic (i. e. karani), is derived from one Karan of

the tribe of Morad ; he was the son of Ridman, son of Nahia, son of Moriid. This Awls was
sonof Aamerof this family ; he was a great saint, and is said to have been killed among the infantry
of Ali at Sifin ; others say he died at Mecca, others at Damascus. The passage is this.

aJi

alii

f There can be no doubt, I think, that these marks of the foot, whether we find them at
Damascus, in Ceylon, among the Burmese, at Mecca, or wherever else, are nothing more than
remains of Buddhai'sm. The best relique of this superstition to be seen in Europe is, perhaps,
the mark of the foot of Buddha placed in the hall of the British Museum by Captain Marryat.

:j; The passage, which I suspect is erroneous, stands thus : ajtjjl
Ull ^ jLs.t. The words daily, are perhaps adscititious.

SYRIA.

31

to twenty-four thousand. After prayers, however, the plague entirely
ceased. On the north of Damascus is the mountain “ Kasayun, in which
is the cave where Abraham was born. From this (cave) he saw the sun,
moon, and stars.* * * § There is also a village in Irak called ® Burs, between
•^El Hilla and Bagdad, which is said to be the birth place of Abraham.
This is the truer notion. On the farther part of the Kasayun is the mount
of flight and assistance,! the asylum of Jesus.