which form main characteristics in all the notices of Arabian writers.

The first of these circumstances is the change of name. The city reappears, not as Heliopolis, but as Ba'albek. That the latter name corresponds to the former in the first part at least, no one doubts; but as yet no satisfactory etymology or origin of the latter portion has been discovered. No ancient form is known, either in Hebrew or Aramæan, from which it can be well derived. Some of the Frank historians of the crusades write the name Malbec.2

1

The other circumstance referred to above, was the early conversion of the great temple and its courts into a fortress. It is mainly as a fortress that Arabian writers speak of Ba'albek.

The earliest Arabian authors, who mention Ba'albek, are elIsthakhri and Ibn Haukal, about the middle of the tenth century. Their notices are brief, and quite similar to each other. The latter writes: "Here are gates of palaces, sculptured in marble; and lofty columns, also of marble; and in the whole region of Syria there is not a more stupendous or considerable edifice." No further notice of Ba'albek occurs for more than a century. As a fortress, the possession of it was important in the frequent wars waged between the Fatimite Khalifs of Egypt and the various dynasties of northern Syria. Near the close of the eleventh century, and not long before the arrival of the crusaders, after several alternations, Ba'albek passed finally, in A. D. 1090, from the Egyptian rule under that of the Seljuk princes of Aleppo and Damascus.' In A. D. 1134, the place was an object of strife to the latter among themselves. Five years later, in A. D. 1139, Ba'albek surrendered to the victorious arms of Zenki, the celebrated Atabek chieftain; after whose death it reverted, in A. D. 1145, to the Seljuk prince of Damascus."

316.

Will. Tyr. 9. 15. ib. 21. 6, 8. Jac. de. Vitr. c. 45 Maubech. Adrichom. p. 109.

"el-Isthakhri, das Buch der Länder, übers. von Mordtmann, Hamb. 1845, p. 37. Ouseley, the Oriental Geogr. of Ebn Haukal, 4to, Lond. 1800. This last work is held by some to be only a copy of the first; see Mordtmann's Preface to Isthakhri.

1 Perhaps the suggestion of A. Schul- sq. Rosenm. Bibl. Geogr. L. ii. pp. 280, tens is the most probable, viz. that the syllable bek comes from the Arabic root bakka, to be compressed, thronged;' see Freytag's Lex. I. p. 144. Hence Ba'albek would signify" Ba'al's throng," or place of multitude. The city Mecca is also sometimes called Bekkah, perhaps by alliteration. See A. Schulten's Index. Geogr. in Vit. Salad. art. Baalbechum.-Others regard the syllable bek as for the Egyptian word BAKI, "city;" and then Ba'albek would correspond fully in meaning with Heliopolis. But to form such a compound with a foreign word is against the genius of the Semitic tongues; and probably no analogous example can anywhere be found. See Michalis Suppl. in Lex. Heb. p. 198

De Guignes Hist. des Huns, II. pp. 386, 387, 388, Germ.

Ibid. p. 434, Germ.

Ibid. pp. 474, 483, Germ. Wilken, Gesch. der Kreuzz. II. p. 685. Comp. Reinaud, Chroniques Arabes etc. p. 70.

To the middle of this twelfth century belongs the notice of Edrisi the geographer. He describes Ba'albek as situated in the midst of a fertile and abundant region, and surrounded by vineyards and fruit trees. He speaks also of the two temples; and refers to the tradition, which even then regarded the greater temple, with its immense stones, as a work of the times of Solomon. Some ten years later, Benjamin of Tudela likewise mentions the " stones of enormous size" laid up without cement, as the supposed work of Solomon assisted by the genii. During the same century no less than three earthquakes are recorded, in the years 1139, 1157, 1170; by which all Syria was more or less desolated. Aleppo, Hamah, Hums, and, in connection with the last, Ba'albek, are specially enumerated, as having been overthrown, and many of the inhabitants buried under the ruins.3

In A. D. 1174, the formidable Saladin, who three years earlier had made himself master of Egypt, appeared in Syria, and seized possession of Damascus, Hums, Hamah, and the other towns of Colesyria. Two years later, in the summer of A. D. 1176, while Saladin was occupied in the region of Aleppo, Raymond, Count of Tripolis, in concert with king Baldwin IV, whose expedition to the Bukâ'a and 'Anjar we have already recounted," led his troops by way of Byblus (Jebeil) and across the mountain by the strong post Manethera (el-Muneitirah) near Afka, and so made an inroad upon the district of Ba'albek, plundering and burning whatever came in his way. The two expeditions met afterwards in the middle of the Bŭkâ'a; defeated the Saracen troops from Damascus ; and each returned laden with booty to their head-quarters on the coast."

One line of Saladin's descendants continued to be lords of Damascus and the adjacent region, including Ba'albek, until near the middle of the thirteenth century. After their expulsion by the Egyptians, Ba'albek probably followed the fortunes of its more prosperous neighbour, the provincial capital Damascus. In A. D. 1260 it was captured by the general of Hulagu the Mogol Khân; who laid the fortress in ruins. There exists no further notice of the place during that century.

Early in the fourteenth century the princely geographer of Hamah, Abulfeda, describes Ba'albek as an ancient city enclosed by a wall, with a large and strong fortress; and situated amid

1 Edrisi par Jaubert, I. p. 353 sq.

Asher's Benj. of Tudela, I. p. 86. Engl.-Rabbi Benjamin holds Ba'albek to be the Baalath of Scripture; which (he says) Solomon built for the daughter of Pharaoh. 1 K. 9, 18. 2 Chr. 8, 6.

3 De Guignes Hist. des Huns, II. pp. 474, 495, 527, Germ. Reinaud, Chroniques Arabes p. 146.

De Guignes, ibid. pp. 533, 542, Germ. Reinaud, Chroniques Arabes, p. 176.

See above, p. 496.

Will. Tyr. 21. 11. Tuch in Zeitschr. d. morg. Ges. IV. p. 512 sq. Ritter XVII. p. 227. Wilken III. ii. p. 169.

De Guignes, Hist. des Huns, Introd. pp. 502, 503, Germ.

"De Guignes 1. c. III. p. 273.

trees, and running streams, and an abundance of all good things.' At this time one of the quarters of the city was called Makriz; and here was born, in the year 1367, the celebrated Arabian historian Takieddin Ahmed, better known by his more usual appellative, el-Makrizi. At the very close of the century, in A. D. 1400, Ba'albek surrendered to the powerful Tartar conqueror, Tamerlane (Timur Leng); who directed his march this way from Hums to Damascus. The conqueror made no delay, but hastened on to Damascus ; as the winter was approaching.3 This appears to be the latest historical notice of Ba'albek in oriental writers.

Ba'albek seems at that time to have been as yet unknown to Frank travellers after the crusades. It was remote from any of the great roads, which connected Damascus either with the coast, or with the more northern cities of Syria. Hence for a hundred and fifty years, until the middle of the sixteenth century, we find no further notice of Ba'albek. At that time, A. D. 1548, the French traveller Belon was the first to pass this way; and he briefly describes the place, much in the same way as an intelligent passing traveller would do at the present day. The great temple was still a fortress; and within it were then standing nine lofty columns." Thevet, another French traveller, was at Ba'albek about A. D. 1550; but seems to add nothing to Belon's account. The same remark applies to the German Melchior von Seydlitz in A. D. 1557; and to Radzivil in A. D. 1583.7

6

In the next century, Quaresmius, about A. D. 1620, briefly describes Ba'albek. The good father was probably not very particular in his observations; as he speaks (somewhat doubtfully) of fifty-five columns then standing. Much more important were the visits of De la Roque in 1688, and Maundrell in 1697. Both these travellers give descriptions and sketches of the ruins; but the account of De la Roque is by far the most complete. It is singular that Maundrell makes but a single allusion to any portion of the great temple, viz. the row of Corinthian pillars, very great and lofty."

8

'Abulf. Tab. Syriæ, ed. Köhler, p. 103. 2 D'Herbelot Biblioth. Orient. art. Macrizi.

* Sherifeddin, Hist. de Timur Bec ou Tamerlan, par La Croix, Par. 1723, lib. V. c. 23. Tom. III. pp. 311, 312. De Guignes 1. c. IV. p. 306 Germ. Ritter XVII. p. 244.

Adrichomius (1590) makes no reference to any modern traveller; pp. 108,

109.

P. Belon, Observations etc. 4to. Par. 1555. p. 153. Germ. in Paulus' Sammlung, Th. II. p. 5.

A. Thevet, Cosmographie universelle, I. 6. c. 14.

7 M. v. Seydlitz in Reissb. p. 490. Radzivil in the same, II. p. 148.

De la Roque Voyage en Syrie, 12mo. Amst. 1723, Tom. I. pp. 97-153.-Maundrell's Journey, under May 5th. The following is all that relates to the great temple: "About fifty yards distant from the [lesser] temple is a row of Corinthian pillars, very great and lofty; with a most stately architrave and cornish at top. This speaks itself to have been part of some very august pile; but what one now sees

During the eighteenth century, we have the drawings and explanations of Pococke about A. D. 1737; the great work of Wood and Dawkins in A. D. 1751; and the elegant description of Volney, in A. D. 1784. From the latter we learn the cause and progress of the destruction of the temples, which had taken place since the visit of Wood and Dawkins; and which is still continued in a less degree by the ignorance and ruthless barbarity both of the people and the Turkish officials. The great earthquake of A. D. 1759 left standing only six of the nine columns of the great peristyle, as depicted by Wood and Dawkins; and of the twenty-nine which they found around the lesser temple, only twenty were left. The same earthquake partially dislodged the central stone over the grand portal of the lesser temple; though it has now sunk much lower than in Volney's day.

1

Whoever desires to obtain a correct idea of the general plan, and many of the architectural details of these magnificent ruins, will do best to consult the great work of Wood and Dawkins.2 General views of the more picturesque portions are also found in the later sketches and engravings of Cassas, Laborde, and Roberts.

of it is but just enough to give a regret, that there should be no more of it remaining."

1 Volney, Voyage II. p. 222.

The Ruins of Baalbec, fol. Lond. 1757.

SECTION XII.

FROM BA'ALBEK BY RIBLEH TO EL-HUSN.

BEYOND Ba'albek, towards the north, the character of the Bukâ'a undergoes a great change. Hitherto, from Kâmid northwards, its main features are those of a broad, level, fertile plain, occupying the greater portion of the great mountain cleft; with only a narrow parallel valley or terrace along the foot of Anti-Lebanon, separated from the lower plain by a line of hills. The average breadth between the mountains we estimated as from two and a half to three hours, or from seven to nine miles. Near Neby Shit, as we have seen, the lower western ridge of Anti-Lebanon terminates; and the higher dorsal ridge forms further north the wall of the Bŭkâ'a.' This converges gradually towards Lebanon; and the great valley becomes narrower, as far at least as to the water-shed near Lebweh.

Thursday, June 10th. We spent the early morning hours in completing our examination of the ruins; and also visited the fountain. At 10.15 we set off from our encampment near the temples; and in ten minutes were at the northern gate in the ancient city wall. Both on the northeast and northwest of the town are cemeteries; and I was struck with the form of the tomb stones placed at each end of the graves, and resembling entirely those customary in New England. Here, however, there were also low side-pieces connecting them, and thus enclosing the grave in a parallelogram.-Our course was now northeast, towards Nahleh.

Before us now was a rise of land, bordering on the arm of the plain which runs up eastward to the fountain. As we drew near to Ba'albek from the south, it had the appearance of a ridge running out across the valley from the eastern mountain. It now turned out to be the southern end of a wide gravelly slope,

1 See above, p. 503.