mâs, descending immediately by a very steep and rugged path into the deep Wady es-Suweinit. The way was so steep, and the rocky steps so high, that we were compelled to dismount; while the baggage-mules got along with great difficulty. The bottom of the great Wady is here broad and uneven; the main branch comes down between Bethel and Bîreh. Here, where we crossed, several short side Wadys came in from the southwest and northwest. The ridges between these terminate in elevated points projecting into the great Wady; and the easternmost of these bluffs on each side were probably the outposts of the two garrisons of Israel and the Philistines. The road passes around the eastern side of the southern hill, the post of Israel; and then strikes up over the western part of the northern one, the post of the Philistines, and the scene of Jonathan's adventure. These hills struck us now, more than formerly, as of sharp ascent, and as appropriate to the circumstances of the narrative. They are isolated hills in the valley; except so far as the low ridges, at the end of which they are found, connect them back with the higher ground on each side.1 After crossing the western part of the northern hill, the path descends again into the side Wady which here comes in; and then winds around eastward in ascending to the village. We reached Mukhmâs at 5.10; and pitched our tent in the fields on the northeast of the village. The day had been exceedingly hot and sultry; the thermometer rising to 95° in the afternoon. Here at 7 o'clock in the evening it stood at 83°. East of Mŭkhmâs and on the north side of Wady es-Suweinît, are two sites of ruins. One of them was in sight on a high round Tell, called Kubbeh; the other, further down, is called Duweir. Tuesday, May 11th. Our course of yesterday was taken, in order to visit particular localities, which seemed to need further examination. To day our purpose was to explore the country further north, keeping as near as possible to the brow of the Jordan valley; and then find our way afterwards to Nâbulus. We set off at 6.05 for Rummôn with a guide; and ascending the shallow Wady on the east of Mukhmâs, took from its head a course N. 50° E. At 6.15 some ruins appeared on a hill at our right, called Tell 'Askar. Our way lay across small plains and heads of valleys running southeast to the Suweinît. At 6.45 we crossed the road by which we had formerly travelled from Jericho to Deir Duwân; leaving now the remains of Abu 1 1 Sam. 14, 4 sq. See Vol. I. p. 441. [ii. 116.] This Kubbeh is doubtless the Gobah of Krafft; which he places on the south side of the valley at its junction with Wady VOL. III.-25 U Fârah; where we heard of a site called Subbâh on our left out of sight. The place is so called from a family that lived in it awhile; but its proper name is Kefr Nâta.1 From this point Rummôn bore directly north. We here met, for the first time on our present journey, flocks of sheep and goats mingled together; on our former journey we saw them often. Here too we found mandrakes; and partridges were frequent. There were also many fields of grain. After descending gradually by a side valley, we came at 7.15 to the bottom of the great Wady el-'Asas, under Rummôn. Further down it is called Wady es-Sik; and afterwards becomes Wady en-Na'imeh. By a circuitous route we rose again, steeply at first, then up a gradual slope through fields of wheat, and then still more steeply, to Rummôn, which we reached at 7.55. It lies high, on a rocky Tell, with a deep valley on the north running southeast into the deeper 'Asas. The place has an old look; and there is a deep tank cut in the rock on the northeast quarter. There seems to be no reason for doubt, but that this place represents the rock Rimmon, where the remnant of the Benjamites took refuge.2 Several military officers were here, taking a new list of houses and property. They were reported to have received bribes, to the amount of 2000 piastres, in the district of Beni Sâlim. At 8 o'clock we proceeded towards Taiyibeh, which bore N. 1o E. Here again the path led over small plains and heads of valleys running southeast. These tracts have more of good soil than one would anticipate in so rocky a region. There are no trees nor bushes. At 8.40 we were at the foot of the high Tell on which Taiyibeh is situated; here is the head of a valley called Wady Rubeiyeh, which runs down S. 10° E. to the 'Asas on the east of Rummôn. Instead of ascending to the town, we turned to the left along the foot of the Tell, and so along its western side, which rises from the Wady Kusîs; this latter extending (as Wady el-'Ain) to the 'Asas opposite Deir Duwân. We thus passed round to the slope of the basin on the north of Taiyibeh, and came at 9 o'clock to Deir Jerûr; from which Taiyibeh bore S. 5° E. Deir Jerûr is a village of some size, facing towards the south, on a point between two Wadys; which here unite and form Wady Habis, running down to the Ghôr between Dak and 'Aujeh. We sought to obtain here a guide; but after considerable delay, were obliged to depart without one. We were now entering upon a region which had been seldom traversed; and was, as yet, comparatively a blank upon the See Vol. I. p. 573. [ii. 311.] * Judg. 20, 45. 47. See more in Vol. I. p. 440. [ii. 113.] See Vol. I. p. 444. [ii. 120.]-For our former visit to Taiyibeh, see ibid. [ii. 121 sq.] maps. Leaving Deir Jerûr at 9.15, we followed up the Wady which comes from the north; and came in ten minutes to a cistern, where women were washing. We needed water for our beasts; at first they denied that there was any, but afterwards let us draw. Here we stopped ten minutes. We ought now to have ascended the eastern hill or ridge, on the road to Kefr Mâlik; but being without a guide, we kept on up the valley till 10 o'clock; when some boys tending goats set us right, and we then ascended the hill by a more difficult path, and came at 10.10 into the right road. It lies along the top of what proved to be a high ridge; the highest ground, indeed, that we passed over. Kurn Surtabeh was in the northeast below us; and before us was a very deep and broken gorge running down to the Ghôr. Our course was now about N. 55° E. We soon began to descend very steeply; and at 10.45 came to Kefr Mâlik, a village of good size, situated on a ridge projecting towards the northeast, between two valleys running down to the deep Wady Mühâmy. From this point Khirbet Jeradeh was seen on a Tell in the valley, about a mile and a half distant nearly north; and further on, beyond a hill, was said to be the plain of Turmus 'Âya.' The direction of Sâmieh was pointed out to us, about east. Above it were said to be the ruins of a castle, called el-Merjemeh.' We rested and took our lunch at Kefr-Mâlik; and started again at 12.30 with a guide for Daumeh. Descending steeply and slowly into the western valley, we passed down it in a northeasterly direction; and at 12.55 were at the mouth of the Wady Hûmar coming down on the south of Khirbet Jeradeh. The hills (or rather mountains) round about were rocky and naked; except where occasionally olive trees had been planted among the rocks. Five minutes later we turned up Wady Shâm northwest; and afterwards followed up a branch of it northeast. The great Wady formed by the junction of all these and others is here called el-Mŭhâmy; and lower down Wady es-Sâmieh. At 1.30, near the head of the side valley, the ruins of Si'a were on a hill close on our left. Five minutes later we came out upon a high ridge; and looked down on the east into a deep valley running south. Down this valley we could see the position of Sâmieh, some two and a half miles distant, in the main valley; its rich plain covered with fields of onions, and watered by its fountains. Sâmieh was now a ruin; its castle was not 'Bearings at 10: Deir Jerûr S. 35° E. Taiyibeh 167°. Bearings at 10.10 from top of ridge: Kurn Sŭrtabeh 55°. el-Mughaiyir 54°. See Vol. II. p. 268. [iii. 85.] 4 Bearings at Kefr Malik: Abu el-'Auf 335°. Khirbet Jeradeh 355°, 1 m. elMughaiyir 53°. m. Here Khirbet Jeradeh bore N. 10° W. here visible. Below the village the Wady turns east and descends to the plain as Wady 'Aujeh, next north of Wady Nuwâ'imeh. At some distance beyond Sâmieh is a high conical mountain called Nejemeh.' Ten minutes later we descended a little into the eastern part of a fine plain, mostly covered with wheat, extending two or three miles from east to west, and perhaps a mile wide; drained apparently towards the southeast by the valley above described. At 2 o'clock we saw towards the north, on the summit of the hills, an old site called Kulasôn, about three quarters of a mile distant. We now rose gradually from the plain, at its northeastern corner, through another narrow plain; and came at 2.15 to Mughaiyir, a village of considerable size, and built of hewn stones. The people were quite civil, and readily answered all our inquiries. Setting off again at 2.30, we descended considerably into a beautiful plain, where we rode through extensive wheat fields, on a course about N. N. E. The crops here, however, were much less heavy than those we had seen further north, and especially in Galilee; and this remark was applicable throughout all Judea. The plain lay long and narrow from southwest to northeast; and our course being rather diagonal to it, we rose after a time on the left to a higher rocky terrace, skirted by rugged hills or mountains towards the west. Here we crossed a ravine coming from these hills, called Wady Reshshash, descending east through a deep narrow chasm to the Ghôr, where it unites with Wady Fusâil. The fine plain above mentioned is drained into it; and we could see that the cultivation was continued for some distance down the mountain. We here got into a wrong path and wandered about for some time; losing fifteen minutes. We crossed at 3.20 another Wady from the northwest, a branch of the former, with a ruin called Merâjim on its high western bank, a quarter of a mile distant. Following up a shallow side Wady towards the northeast, we came out upon the ridge, or rather the high table land, which forms the brow of the mountain overlooking the Ghôr; and at 3.30 reached the village of Daumeh. 1 Bearings at 1.35: Khirbet Jeradeh S. 85° W. es-Sâmieh S. 25° E. 2 m. Nejemeh S. 25° E.-This es-Sâmieh is probably the place called Ssamireh by Barth, who passed from Jericho to Nâbulus in Feb. 1847; see Ritter XV. i. p. 465. But it is not the same with the Sumrah, of which we heard at Jericho; which is a ruin in the Ghôr, about three quarters of an hour north of 'Ain es-Sultan. It was visited by my companion in 1844. See Vol. I. p. 569. [ii. 305.] Ritter L c. p. 465 sq. The name es-Sâmieh stands in our former lists.-Barth seems also to speak of a castle called Nejemeh; ib. p. 464. 2 Bearings at Mughaiyir: Kulasôn 321°. el-Mejdel 6.-This seems to be the Mreir of Barth, also built of hewn stones; Ritter XV. i. p. 467. The place stands in our former lists; Bibl. Res. first edit. III. App. p. 128. This is an old place, answering to the Edumia or Edomia of Eusebius and Jerome, which they fix at twelve Roman miles in the east from Neapolis, and erroneously assign to the tribe of Benjamin. There are ancient sepulchres round about the village. It has also a fountain, which we did not visit; but were glad to drink of its waters, after another day of oppressive heat, during which we had thus far found only rain water from cisterns. I do not find that this village had before been visited by any traveller. Five minutes east of the village is a more elevated point, affording an unobstructed view over this part of the Ghor and towards Kurn Sŭrtabeh. Opposite this point a broad offset from the Ghôr runs up between Kürn Sŭrtabeh on the north, and a lower projection on the south called Mŭskŭrah. In this offset is the site of Fusâil, the ancient Phasaëlis; and the projecting point Muskurah separates it from the smaller offset of 'Aujeh on the south.2 There was a sirocco haze in the atmosphere, so that we could not view the various objects with entire distinctness; but we could see the outline of the great offset below, running up among the mountains; though Fusâil itself was just out of sight under the mountain on which we stood.3 The general course of the Jordan was visible; but the mountain range beyond was only dimly seen. The long, high, rocky ridge of Surtabeh was overagainst us on the left, beyond the offset, running down from northwest to southeast, and extending far into the Ghôr. Towards the extremity and on its highest part is the horn (Kurn), not unlike that of a rhinoceros in form. Beyond this is a large shoulder; and then a low rocky ridge reaching almost to the Jordan. Indeed the valley of the Jordan is here contracted to its narrowest limits; and the ridge of Kurn Surtabeh may be said to divide it into the lower and upper Ghôr; the former mostly desert, and the latter fertile and in many parts cultivated. The valley at this point appears also higher than further south; a low ridge or hill seeming to extend across it from the foot of Surtabeh to the base of the eastern mountains. Where the Jordan finds its way through this higher tract, the latter is broken up into labyrinths of deep ravines with barren chalky sides, forming cones and hills of various shapes, and presenting a most wild and desolate scene.' These wild hills we could now see; as also the course of the Jordan among them. 1 Onomast. art. Edomia. The plain of 'Aujeh is in like manner separated from the tract of Wady Nuwa'imeh, further south, by another low projecting point, called 'Esh el-Ghŭrâb. E. Smith Ms. Journ. Apr. 17th, 1844. The site of Fúsail was visited by Dr Smith in April 1844. There are foundaVOL. III.-25* tions of houses, and of walls perhaps for gardens, with remains of conduits. Ms. Journal. This description is taken from the manuscript journal of Dr Smith, who travelled up the Ghôr from Jericho to Wady Fâri'a in April 1844. |