V. A Route To The Eastward Of The Castle El Hasa.............665
TRAVELS
IN
SYRIA, AND THE HOLY LAND.
JOURNAL OF A TOUR FROM DAMASCUS
COUNTRIES OF THE LIBANUS, AND ANTI-LIBANUS.
September 22, 1810.--I Left Damascus at four o'clock P.M. with a small
caravan destined for Tripoli; passed Salehíe, and beyond it a
Kubbe,[Kubbe, a cupola supported by columns or walls; the sepulchre of a
reputed saint.] from whence I had, near sun-set, a most beautiful view
of the city of Damascus and its surrounding country. From the Kubbe, the
road passes along the left side of the valley in which the Barrada runs,
over uneven ground, which for the greater part is barren rock. After a
ride of two hours and a quarter from Salehie, we descended to the
river's side, and passed the Djissr [Djissr--Bridge.]
WADY BARRADA
[p.2]Dumar; on the other side of which we encamped. It is a well-built
bridge, with two archies, at twenty minutes distance from the village
Dumar.
September 23.--We set off before daylight, crossing the mountains, in
one of whose Wadys[Wady--Valley.] the Barrada winds along; we crossed it
repeatedly, and after two hours arrived at the village Eldjdide
[Arabic], built on the declivity of a hill near the source of one of the
numerous rivulets that empty themselves into the Barrada. One hour and
three quarters further, we descended into the Wady Barrada, near two
villages, built on either side of the river, opposite to each other,
called Souk Barrada.[Souk (market) is an appellation often added to
villages, which have periodical markets.] The valley of the Barrada, up
to Djissr Barrada, is full of fruit trees; and where its breadth
permits, Dhourra and wheat are sown. Half an hour further, is Husseine,
a small village in the lower part of the valley. Three-quarters of an
hour, El Souk; here the Wady begins to be very narrow. A quarter of an
hour beyond, turning round a steep rock, the valley presents a very wild
and picturesque aspect. To the left, in the mountain, are six chambers
cut in the rock; said to be the work of Christians, to whom the greater
part of the ancient structures in Syria are ascribed. The river was not
fordable here; and it would have taken me at least two hours to reach,
by a circuitous route, the opposite mountains. A little way higher up is
the Djissr el Souk, at the termination of the Wady; this bridge was
built last year, as appears by an Arabic inscription on the rock near
it. From the bridge the road leads up the side of the mountain, and
enters, after half an hour's ride, upon a plain country. The river has a
pretty cascade, near which are
ZEBDENI
[p.3] the remains of a bridge. The above mentioned plain is about three-
quarters of an hour in breadth, and three hours in length; it is called
Ard Zebdeni, or the district of Zebdeni; it is watered by the Barrada,
one of whose sources is in the midst of it; and by the rivulet called
Moiet[Moye--Water.] Zebdeni [Arabic], whose source is in the mountain,
behind the village of the same name. The latter river, which empties
itself into the Barrada, has, besides the source in the Ard Zebdeni,
another of an equal size near Fidji, in a side branch of the Wady
Barrada, half an hour from the village Husseine. The fall of the river
is very rapid. We followed the plain of Zebdeni from one end to the
other: it is limited on one side by the eastern part of the Anti-
Libanus, called here Djebel Zebdeni. Its cultivable ground is waste till
near the village of Beroudj [Arabic], where I saw plantations of
mulberry trees, which seemed to be well taken care of. Half an hour from
Beroudj is the village of Zebdeni [Arabic], and between them the ruined
Khan Benduk (the bastard Khan). Zebdeni is a considerable village; its
inhabitants breed cattle, and the silk-worm, and have some dyeing
houses. I had a letter for the Sheikh of Zebdeni from a Damascene; the
Sheikh ordered me an Argile[Argile--A Persian pipe, in which the smoke
passes through water.] and a cup of coffee, but went to supper with his
household, without inviting me to join them. This being considered an
insult, I left his house and went to sup with the muleteers, with whom I
slept upon an open piece of ground before a ruined bath, in the midst of
the village. The inhabitants of Zebdeni are three-fourths Turks, and the
remainder Greek Catholics; it is a place much frequented by those
passing from Damascus to the mountain.
September 24.--Left the village before day-light and crossed the Anti-
Libanus, at the foot of which Zebdeni lies. This chain of
EL KANNE
[p.4] mountains is, by the inhabitants of the Bekaa and the Belad
[Belad--District, province.] Baalbec, called Djebel[Djebel--Mountain.]
Essharki (or the eastern mountain), in opposition to Djebel el Gharbi,
the western mountain, otherwise called Djebel Libnan (Libanus); but that
part of it which lies nearer to Zebdeni than to the great valley, is
called Djebel Zebdeni. We travelled for the greater part of the morning
upon the mountain. Its rock is primitive calcareous, of a fine grain;
upon the highest part I found a sandy slate: on the summit and on the
eastern side of this part of the Anti-Libanus there are many spots,
affording good pasturage, where a tribe of Turkmans sometimes feed their
cattle. It abounds also in short oak trees [Arabic], of which I saw none
higher than twelve or fifteen feet. Our road lay N.W. Two hours and a
half from Zebdeni we passed a spot with several wells, called Bir[Bir--
Well.] Anhaur, or Bekai. The western declivity of the mountain, towards
the district of Baalbec, is completely barren, without pasture or trees.
After five hours and three quarters riding we descended into the plain,
near the half-ruined village of El Kanne [Arabic], and passed the river
of El Kanne, whose source is at three hours distance, in the mountain.
It empties itself into the Liettani, in the plain, two hours below
Kanne.
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