IN

PALESTINE,

AND IN THE ADJACENT REGIONS.

A

JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN THE YEAR

1838.

BY E. ROBINSON AND E. SMITH.

DRAWN UP FROM THE ORIGINAL DIARIES, WITH HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS,

BY

EDWARD ROBINSON, D. D. LL. D.

PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN THE UNION THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY, NEW YORK.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856,

BY EDWARD ROBINSON.

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

JOHN F. TROW,

RINT FR, STEREOTYPER, AND ELECTROTYPER, 377 AND 379 broadway, N. ▾

CONTENTS.

SECTION XI.

FROM JERUSALEM TO GAZA AND HEBRON.

Pages 1-94.

Shutting up of Jerusalem, 1. We stop but a single day, 1, 2. Preparations, guide,

etc. 2.-May 17th. Departure; go round by Beit Jâla, 2. Statistics of the village,

2-4. Way to the village el-Khudr, 4. View from high point beyond Wady Bittîr,

and notices of the country, 4-6.

Kustůl, probably Lat. Castellum,' 6. Sôba, its situation, 6. Not Modin, 6, 7.

Possibly for Zuph, Zophim, the ancient Ramathaim-Zophim of Samuel, 7, 8. Objection

from the position, 8, 9. Objection as being on Mount Ephraim, 9, 10.-Boundary be-

tween Benjamin and Judah, 10. It passes Kirjath Jearim, probably the present Kur-

yet el-'Enab, 10-12. Its further course, 12.

Way to Beit 'Atâb, 13. Beit 'Atâb and wide view, 13, 14. Way to Beit Nettîf;

ancient road, 14, 15. Beit Nettîf and country around, 15. Climate, 15. Wide view

of many ancient places, 16, 17. Inhabitants; the parties Keis and Yemen, 17, 18.

Hospitality of the people, 18, 19. General hospitality, the Medâfeh or Menzil, 19.—

May 18th. Fog in the valleys, 19. Proposed search after the site of Eleutheropolis ;

reported ruins at Beit Jibrin, etc. 19. Wady es-Sŭmt, 20. Socoh, 21. Place of Da-

vid's combat with Goliath, 21. Well with flocks; drawing water "with the foot," 22.

Remarkable excavations near Deir Dubbân, 22-24. Way to Beit Jibrîn, 24.

Beit Jibrîn, ruins of a strong Roman fortress, 25, 26. Ruined church, Santa

Hanneh, 26. People wish the Franks to come, 26. Former Sheikhs of the district,

27. Beit Jibrîn, if not Eleutheropolis, is certainly the ancient Betogabra, 27, 28. Hist.

notices, 28, 29. Way to Tell es-Sâfieh, 29. Dhikrîn, 29. Tell es-Sâfieh, 29, 30.

The Blanchegarde of the crusaders, 31, 32.-May 19th. Leave for Gaza; fertile coun-

try, 32, 33. Summeil, deep well; error of Breydenbach, 33. General wish for the

Franks, 34. Bureir, 35. Threshing and winnowing, 35. Lively harvest-scenes, 35.

Immense olive grove near Gaza, 35, 36. Quarantine guard, 36.

May 21st. Gaza; letter of introduction, 36. Visit to the mosk, an ancient church,

36. Governor's secretary, Tezkirah, 37. Remains of antiquity, places of former gates,

37, 38. Geogr. position, 38. Dârôn, 38. Sandy tract along the sea, 38. Fertility,

39. Population, 39. Trade, 39. Hist. Notices, 40-43. Gaza probably not "desert,"

when the book of Acts was written, 41.

Region S. E. of Gaza, Gerar, 43, 44. Leave Gaza for Beit Jibrîn by a more

southern route, 44. Hûj, recently built up, 44, 45. Return to Bureir, 45. Agricul-

ture; all the rich plains held by the government, 45, 46.—May 22d. Um Lâkis, not

Lachish, 46, 47. Turn off to Tell el-Hasy; harvest-scenes, 47. Wady el-Hasy, 47,

48. The Tell and region, 48. 'Ajlân, Eglon, 49. Es-Sukkarîyeh, probably an an-

cient site, 49. Difficulty for a guide, laziness, 50. Reapers and gleaners, "parched

corn," 50. El-Kubeibeh, 51. Beit Jibrîn, 51. Men of Beit Jâla, 51. The Sheikh

takes us to three clusters of very remarkable excavations, 51-53. Cufic inscriptions,

52. Sepulchres, 52. The Tell, 52. Singular excavated labyrinth, 53.

Not yet satisfied as to Eleutheropolis, 53. Roads to Hebron furnish a certain test,

54. Go to Dawâimeh for the night by mistake, 54, 55. Conclude to visit el-Burj

and hire a guide, 55, 56.—May 23d. The Sheikh attempts imposition; we return

towards Beit Jibrîn, 56. Take the road for Hebron by Idhna, Jedna, 56. Incident,

disarming of the peasants, 57. Reach Idhna in two hours from Beit Jibrîn, which

identifies the latter with Eleutheropolis, 57.

ELEUTHEROPOLIS, 57. Identical with Betogabra and Beit Jibrîn; evidence from the

specifications of Eusebius and Jerome, 57-59. Hist. Notices, serving to sustain their

testimony, 59–63. Writers who mention Betogabra make no allusion to Eleutheropo-

lis, and vice versa, 63. The expression "Betogabra of Eleutheropolis" probably a gloss,

63. Tradition of Samson's fountain in the vicinity, 64, 65. Hist. Notice identifying

Eleutheropolis and Betogabra, 65, 66.—Gath, 66, 67. Maresha, Maressa, 67. More-

sheth, 68. Invasion of the Edomites; the south of Palestine called Idumea, 68. Pos-

sible origin of the excavations we visited, 69.

Village of Idhna, Jedna, 69-71. Hospitality of the Sheikh, 70. Ascent of the

mountain, 71. Teffûh, Beth-Tappuch, 71. Violent Sirocco; drops of rain with dust,

72. Large oak, 72. Reach Hebron and encamp on the grassy western slope, 72.

Pressing invitation from Elias, 73. Delay at Hebron, 73.

HEBRON. May 24th. General character and situation, 73, 74. Ancient pools,

74. The Haram, description, 75, 76. A mere wall around an interior court, 76, 77.

Probably a Jewish structure surrounding the sepulchre of the patriarchs, 77. Hist.

Notices, 77-79. Jews' window, 79.-Citadel in ruins, 79. Manufactory of water-

skins, 79. Bazars, 79. Manufactures of glass, 80. Go out to breakfast with Elias

under the great oak, 80-82. Camel loads of arms from Dûra, 80. Vineyards, how

trained, 81. Wine and Dibs, 81.
Wine and Dibs, 81. The oak, 81. Elias and his family, breakfast, 82.

Threshing-floors; 'scenes of the book of Ruth, 83.-May 25th. Visit to the Rabbi of

the Jews, 83. Synagogue and manuscripts, 84. Ascend the western hill; extensive

view, 85. Visit to the three governors of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Hebron, 85-88. Offi-

cial dinner, Sheikh Sa'îd of Gaza, his character and fall, 86–88.—Population and

trade of Hebron, 88. Historical Notices, 88-94. Question as to the identity of the

ancient and modern site, 91, 92. Hospital and former distribution of bread, etc. 92,

Rebellion in 1834; the town sacked by the Egyptians, 93, 94.

SECTION XII.

FROM HEBRON TO WADY MUSA AND BACK.

Delays at Hebron, 95.
camels and guides, 95, 96.
Camels arrive; departure, 96.

Pages 95-212.

Visit from the Sheikh of the Jehâlîn, and bargain for
Further delay; shuffling conduct of Elias, 96.-May 26th.
Way to Carmel, 97. Ascend the ridge beyond, pros-

pect towards the south, 97. Country of the Jehâlîn, 98. Encamp over Sunday, 98.

Notices of the Jehâlîn, 98, 99.-May 27th. Visitors in our tent, 99, 100. Engage

five Haweitât, 100.

May 28th. New guides and camels, Arab dilatoriness, 100. Difficulty about a

head-guide, 100, 101. We at length set off, 101. Tell 'Arâd, ancient Arad, 101.

Rujeim Selâmeh and view, 102. Upper ez-Zuweirah, 103. Wide prospect over the

Dead sea and southern Ghôr, 103. First descent, lower tract of chalky hills, 104.

Second descent; ez-Zuweirah, fort and reservoirs, 104. Wady ez-Zuweirah; encamp
in a side valley, 104, 105. Our guides less intelligent than those from the Tawarah,
105, 106.

.

--

May 29th. Follow down Wady ez-Zuweirah to the shore, 106. Sunrise upon the

Dead sea, 106. Zuweirah has no relation to Zoar, which lay on the east of the sea,

106, 107. Hajr or Khashm Usdum (Sodom), a mountain of fossil salt, 107–110.

Bathe in the sea, 110. Deep cavern in the mountain, 110. Alarm at an approaching
party, 110. We prove the strongest, and our Haweitât begin to plunder; remon-
strances, 111. S. W. corner of the sea, 111. This end of the sea very shallow, and a
flat extends far to the south, 112. Eastern part of the Ghôr (Sâfieh) fertile and well-

watered, 112, 113. Range of cliffs crossing the Ghôr further south, an offset or step to

the 'Arabah beyond, 113. Already known that the waters of the 'Arabah flow north-

wards, 113, 114.-We keep along the western side of the Ghôr; character, salt rills,

114, 115. 'Ain el-Beida, 115. S. W. corner of the Ghôr, Wady el-Fikreh, 116. Keep

along the base of the transverse line of cliffs, 116. 'Ain el-'Arûs, 117. Wady Ghŭrŭn-

del and ruins, Arindela, 117. Haweitât breakfast, 117, 118. Mouth of Wady el-Jeib,

the drain of the 'Arabah, 118. Proceed up this deep broad chasm, 118, 119. Eve-

ning halt, romantic desert scene, 119, 120. Results of the day, 120.

Akrabbim," 120.

"Ascent of

Base of the mountains,

Juniper trees, 124. En-

May 30th. Night-travel, 121. Leave Wady el-Jeib, desert of the 'Arabah, 121.

Rocks Humra Fedân, and Wady Ghuweir, 121. Halt at 'Ain el-Buweirideh, 122.

Violent Sirocco, 122. Routes up to Wady Mûsa, 122, 123.

porphyry cliffs, 123. Romantic pass of Nemela, 123, 124.

camp at the top of the pass, 124.-May 31st. View from the brow of the mountain;

the 'Arabah, the western desert, Wady el-Jerâfeh, Mount Hor, etc. 124, 125. Region

of Nemela, 125, 126. Sandstone formation, 126. Oleanders, 126. Sîk or chasm,

with a sculptured tablet, 126. Plain Sutûh Beida, village Dibdiba, 127. Poverty of

inhabitants, 127. Way to Eljy, 127, 128. Saracenic fortress, 128. Eljy, 128. 'Ain

Mûsa and brook, 129.

Arrival at the valley; tomb on the right, 129. Enter the valley; commencement

of the street of tombs, 129. Monolithic tombs, like those in the valley of Jehoshaphat,

129, 130. Tomb with pyramids, 130. Entrance of the Sîk, 130. Arch across the

chasm, 130. Width of the chasm and height of the sides, 130, 131. Oleanders, chan-

nels, pavement, 131. Magnificence of impression, 131, 132. The Khuzneh, character

and imposing effect, 132, 133. Interior, 133. Tombs beyond the Khůzneh, 133.

Singular ornament, 133. Amphitheatre, 134. View from it, 134. Encamp; the ob-

ject of our visit, 134, 135.-Area of the ancient city on both sides of the brook, 135.

Remains of a temple and bridges, 135. Triumphal arch, 135. Kŭsr Far'ôn, a late

structure, 135. Zub Far'ôn, column of a temple, 136. The whole area once occupied

by a city of houses built of stone, 136.-Western wall of cliffs with tombs, 136. Springs

flowing off into a western chasm; its character, 137.

Laborde's delineations correct, but convey no good general idea of the whole, 138.

The ancient city not enclosed by perpendicular rocks on all sides, 138. Perpendicular