servants and luggage, waiting for us beneath the shade of some trees. We passed on, leaving them to load up and follow us. At 9 o'clock we were opposite the village of Lubban, situated on the northwest acclivity, considerably above the plain. It is inhabited; has the appearance of an old place; and in the rocks above it are excavated sepulchres. There can be little doubt of its being the Lebonah of the Old Testament, between Bethel and Shechem.1 The coincidence was suggested by Maundrell; and has ever since been adopted without question by most of those who have noticed the village at all. Yet R. Parchi early in the fourteenth century has likewise a correct mention of it as the ancient Lebonah. But from the days of the book of Judges till the time of the crusades, I am not aware that there occurs any mention of this name or place; unless perhaps it be the Beth-leban of the Talmud. Brocardus, and after him others, call it Lemna and Lebna; but appear to have had no suspicion of its connection with any ancient site."

3

2

5

At the northeast corner of the plain, where we now were, another level valley comes in from the east, through which we issued from this fine basin. The valley is at first narrow; but expands more and more as the road follows it up, until it turns northwards and becomes an open plain. Our course was about E. by N. for twenty minutes; and then N. N. E. At 9 o'clock the village es-Sâwieh was directly over us on the hill at our left, overhanging the road. A little further on, we stopped for ten minutes under the shade of a large tree, to let our servants and baggage come up. At 9.50 we passed a ruined Khân on the road, also called es-Sâwieh, at the upper part of the plain, just upon the water-shed, where the land begins to descend towards the north into the next great valley running west.

Here we made a very considerable descent along a steep narrow Wady; and at 10.5 reached the bottom of a large and very stony valley running from east to west or rather towards the W. S. W. Some men from Râm-Allah whom we met, said it runs down to the 'Aujeh in the western plain, uniting with it below the castle of Râs el-Ain. On our right, perhaps half an hour distant, were two villages; one on the south side of the valley, near the summit of a high conical hill, called Kubalân, surrounded by vineyards and large groves of olive and fig trees; the other called Yetma, on the north side of the valley near

1 Judg. 21, 19.

6

2 Maundrell, March 24. Reland Palæst. pp. 871, 872.

3 See in Asher's Benj. of Tud. II. p. 435. 4 Reland 1. c.

5 Brocardus places "Lemna, casale valde pulchrum," at four leagues from

Nâbulus towards Jerusalem on the right, c. 7. p. 178. Breydenbach, copying Brocardus, writes Lepna; Reissb. p. 128. Cotovicus has Lebna; p. 337. Quaresmius makes no allusion to the name or place.

6 There is reason to doubt the correct

!

the top of the mountain, almost in ruins. These names, however, were given to us some time after we had passed; for on the spot, we could find no one to inform us, nor could we learn the name of the valley.1 This Wady again lies deeper than the plain of el-Lubban; for our descent into it was greater than our ascent from that plain to the water-shed.

From this valley we had a rather steep ascent to the summit of the high ridge on the north. We reached the top at 10.35, having just before passed the foundations of a ruined tower. Here we had our first view of the great plain of Mukhna, which stretches along for several hours on the east of the mountains among which Nâbulus is situated. Those mountains were now before us in all their beauty; Mount Gerizim, crowned by a Wely on its highest point, bearing north; just beyond it the entrance of the valley of Nâbulus bearing nearly N. N. E. 1. ; further north the rugged heights of Mount Ebal; and then the fine plain extending apparently still beyond towards the N. N. E. skirted on its eastern side in its whole length by tracts of picturesque though lower hills. Much as I had read of Palestine, and multitudinous as have been the travellers upon this very road, I must confess that the existence here of such an extensive plain, running in this direction from S. S. W. to N. N. E. was almost utterly unknown to me. We could perceive our road forming a waving line along the foot of the high western hills, and under Mount Gerizim, until it entered the valley of Nâbulus, still two hours distant.

A steep descent brought us in twenty minutes to the southern extremity of the plain, near a cistern; in this part indeed the plain comes almost to a point. At 11.25 we crossed the dry bed of a torrent, which in winter carries off the waters of the whole southern part of the plain towards the west, forming a deep Wady through the western hills; but we could neither learn its name, nor to what stream it runs in the great lower plain. Fifteen or twenty minutes down this valley on our left, were two villages; one on the southern hills in ruins, called Kûza; the other on the northern side called 'Ain Abûs. Directly opposite on our right, upon the hills along the eastern side of the plain, perhaps forty minutes distant, was the large village of Beita. Just beyond this Wady we passed at 11.35 the large and old village of Hawâra, lying above us on the slope at our left.

2

ness of the name, as applied to this village. Our lists seem to give it on the west of the road.

1

1 This Wady has its head at 'Akrabeh, and passes down into the western plain as Wady Ribâh. It passes north of Ras el'Ain, and so to the 'Aujeh. See in Vol.

III. Sect. VII, under May 12th; and Sect.
III, under Apr. 26th, 1852.

2 It proved to be the beginning of the deep Wady Kânah, which runs to the great plain south of Jiljîlia, and so to the 'Aujeh. See in Vol. III. Sect. III, under Apr. 24th and 26th, 1852.

Here the plain spreads out to a greater width; the eastern hills retiring somewhat more. On that side they are quite irregular and rocky, and often jut out into the plain; while on the western side the base of the slopes departs much less from a right line. The broad plain presented a beautiful appearance; it is everywhere cultivated, and was now covered with the rich green of millet, mingled with the yellow of the ripe grain, which the peasants were harvesting. Yet the soil seemed less fertile than that of most of the plains we had visited. The average width of this plain, may be here not far from half an hour, or forty minutes.

In passing along this plain we fell in with many people; but found more trouble in obtaining information from them, than we experienced in any other part of Palestine. They would hardly answer any of our questions; and although my companion dismounted and walked with them a long distance, and entered into conversation with them, yet it was with the greatest difficulty that he could get them to tell even the names of the various villages. We had several times found. something of the same reserve at first, and especially yesterday at Jiljîlia; but why it should be so much greater here than anywhere else, we were at a loss to conceive. We did not find it in Nâbulus itself, nor further north; and it may not improbably have been connected with the general dread of the governmental requisitions now in progress. Perhaps too the appearance of our Egyptian servants, carrying muskets, may have led them to imagine, that we had some connection with the government, and The were seeking for information which might injure them. peasantry around Nâbulus, it may be remembered, as well as those around Hebron, had felt the stern vengeance of the Egyptian government, after the rebellion of A. D. 1834.

Another steep Wady, coming down from the left, we passed at five minutes before noon; on which, high up and out of sight, is the large village or rather market town of Baurîn. Half an hour later we had the little hamlet of Kefr Kullîn above us on the side of Mount Gerizim. Several villages were scattered along on the eastern hills; on that side Haudela, 'Awerta, and Raujib, succeeded each other.

Instead of keeping along at the foot of the mountain quite to the entrance of the valley of Nâbulus, the road ascends and winds around the northeast corner of Mount Gerizim. We turned this point at 1 o'clock, and entered the narrow valley running up northwest between Mounts Gerizim and Ebal; thus leaving behind us the plain, which extends still further north. Below us, on the right, and not far above the edge of the plain, are the ruins of a little hamlet called Belât; further north and

nearly in the middle of the mouth of the narrow valley, stands a small white building, a Wely, called Joseph's tomb; while near the foot of Gerizim below Belât, is the ancient well, known as that of Jacob. Directly opposite to the mouth of the valley, among the eastern hills, a beautiful smaller plain runs up eastward from the larger one; and on the low hills near its entrance on the north, are seen the three villages of 'Azmût, Deir elHatab, and Salim.

After turning the point of the mountain, our path descended very little; yet so great is here the ascent of the narrow valley, that in a quarter of an hour we came out upon its bottom, near a fine copious fountain in its middle, 'Ain Difneh, furnished with a reservoir. Below the fountain, towards the east, a tract of ground of three or four acres had recently been enclosed as a garden; but as yet it contained no trees. Above this point, we soon came to the olive groves, where the ascent is less rapid, and the soil hard and stony. On the left, before reaching the city, at the foot of Gerizim, is a small tomb of a Muslim saint, called 'Amûd; but of recent construction, as we were informed, and containing nothing of antiquity. At 1 o'clock we were opposite the eastern end of the long narrow town, which we did not now enter. Keeping the road along its northern side, we passed some high mounds, apparently of ashes where, all at once, the ground sinks down to a valley running towards the west, with a soil of rich black vegetable mould. Here a scene of luxuriant and almost unparalleled verdure burst upon our view. The whole valley was filled with gardens of vegetables and orchards of all kinds of fruits, watered by several fountains, which burst forth in various parts and flow westwards in refreshing streams. It came upon us suddenly like a scene. of fairy enchantment. We saw nothing to compare with it in all Palestine. Here, beneath the shade of an immense mulberry tree, by the side of a purling rill, we pitched our tent for the remainder of the day and night.

1

;

The city of Nâbulus is long and narrow, stretching close along the northeast base of Mount Gerizim in this small deep valley, half an hour distant from the great eastern plain. The streets are narrow; the houses high and in general well built, all of stone, with domes upon the roofs as at Jerusalem. The valley itself, from the foot of Gerizim to that of Ebal, is here not more than some five hundred yards wide, extending from southeast to northwest. The city lies directly upon the watersummit in this valley; the waters on the eastern part, as we

1 We follow in this name the orthogra- pronunciation of the present day, it would phy of Abulfeda, which is probably the be written Nâblus. Abulf. Tab. Syr. p. 85. most correct According to the vulgar

have seen, flowing off east into the plain and so to the Jordan ; while the fine fountains on the western side send off a pretty brook down the valley northwest towards the Mediterranean. This somewhat remarkable circumstance, so far as I can find, has hitherto been noted by no traveller.

Mounts Gerizim and Ebal rise in steep rocky precipices immediately from the valley on each side, apparently some eight hundred feet in height.1 The sides of both these mountains, as here seen, were to our eyes equally naked and sterile; although some travellers have chosen to describe Gerizim as fertile, and confine the sterility to Ebal.2 The only exception in favour of the former, so far as we could perceive, is a small ravine coming down opposite the west end of the town, which indeed is full of fountains and trees; in other respects both mountains, as here seen, are desolate, except that a few olive trees are scattered upon them. The side of the northern mountain, Ebal, along the foot, exhibits many ancient excavated sepulchres. The southern mountain is now called by the inhabitants, Jebel et-Tûr,3 though the name Gerizim is known at least to the Samaritans. The modern appellation of Ebal we did not learn.

One of our first objects at Nâbulus, was to visit the Samaritans, that singular and feeble remnant of an ancient people, which to this day has survived the storms of ages and of adverse influences, upon their native soil. Some men formerly from Beirût soon came around us; and an old Christian of the Greek rite undertook to conduct us to the Samaritans, to the summit of Mount Gerizim, and to Jacob's well. We repaired to the city, passing among luxuriant groves of fig and other fruit trees, and entering by a gate at the western end. The quarter occupied by the Samaritans is in the southwest part of the city, rising somewhat upon the acclivity of Gerizim. It is well built, and the houses seemed solid and comfortable. On coming to the synagogue we found it closed. Several of the Samaritans came to us; but as the priest was not at hand to open the door, we could not now visit the synagogue. They offered us a guide, however, to the top of Mount Gerizim; and we determined to We go thither immediately, and see the priest on our return. set off therefore at 4 o'clock on foot, attended by one of the Our old younger Samaritans, an honest simple-minded man.

1 According to Schubert's barometrical observations, the town of Nâbulus is 1751 Par. feet above the sea, and the summit of Gerizim about 2500 feet, or about the same as the Mount of Olives. This gives 750 feet for the height of the mountain above the town. Reise III. p. 146.

2 Cotovicus p. 338. O. von Richter Wallfahrten p. 56. This story goes back

to the time of Benj. of Tudela; who says correctly, that there are fountains and fruit trees on Gerizim, that is, in the ravine described in the text; but this is not true of the mountain in general, which is as barren as Ebal. Itin I. 68.

p.

3 So too Yakût in Schult. Ind. in Vit. Salad. art. Tourum.