The Khan Is On The Great Road From Akka To
Damascus.
It is inhabited by a dozen Moggrebyn soldiers, with their
families, who cultivate the fields near it.
We continued to descend from Djob Yousef; the district is here called
Koua el Kerd (Arabic), and a little lower down Redjel el Kaa (Arabic).
At one hour and a half from the Djob Yousef we came to the borders of
the lake of Tiberias. At a short distance to the E. of the spot where we
reached the plain, is a spring near the border of the lake, called Ain
Tabegha (Arabic), with a few houses and a mill; but the water is so
strongly impregnated with salt as not to be drinkable. The few
inhabitants of this miserable place live by fishing. To the N.E. of
Tabegha,
HOTTEIN
[p.319] between it and the Jordan, are the ruins called Tel Houm
(Arabic), which are generally supposed to be those of Capernaum. Here is
a well of salt water, called Tennour Ayoub (Arabic). The rivulet El Eshe
(Arabic) empties itself into the lake just by. Beyond Tabegha we came to
a ruined Khan, near the borders of the lake, called Mennye (Arabic), a
large and well constructed building. Here begins a plain of about twenty
minutes in breadth, to the north of which the mountain stretches down
close to the lake. That plain is covered with the tree called Doum
(Arabic) or Theder (Arabic), which bears a small yellow fruit like the
Zaarour. It was now about mid-day, and the sun intensely hot, we
therefore looked out for a shady spot, and reposed under a very large
fig-tree, at the foot of which a rivulet of sweet water gushes out from
beneath the rocks, and falls into the lake at a few hundred paces
distant. The tree has given its name to the spring, Ain-et-Tin (Arabic);
near it are several other springs, which occasion a very luxuriant
herbage along the borders of the lake. The pastures of Mennye are
proverbial for their richness among the inhabitants of the neighbouring
countries. High reeds grow along the shore, but I found none of the
aromatic reeds and rushes mentioned by Strabo.[Greek. l.16, p.755] The
N.W. and S. shores are generally sandy, without reeds, but large
quantities grow at the mouths of the Wadys on the E. side.
In thirty-eight minutes from Khan Mennye we passed a small rivulet,
which waters Wady Lymoun. At about one hour’s distance from our road, up
in the mountain, we saw the village Sendjol (Arabic), about half an hour
to the west of which lies the village Hottein (Arabic). In forty-five
minutes we passed the large branch of the Wady Lymoun. The mountains
which border the lake here terminate
TABARIA
[p.320] in a perpendicular cliff, which is basaltish with an upper
stratum of calcareous rock; and the shore changes from the direction
S.W. by S. to that of S. by E. In the angle stands the miserable village
El Medjdel (Arabic), one hour distant from Ain-et-Tin, and agreeing both
in name and position with the ancient Magdala. The Wady Hammam, in which
stands the Kalaat ibn-Maan, branches off from Medjdel. Proceeding from
hence the shore of the lake is overgrown with Defle (Solanum furiosum),
and there are several springs close to the water’s side. At the end of
two hours and a quarter from Ain-et-Tin, we reached Tabaria (Arabic).
June 23d.--There being no Khan for travellers at Tabaria I went to the
Catholic priest, and desired him to let me have the keys of the church,
that I might take up my quarters there; he gave them to me, but finding
the place swarming with vermin, I removed into the open churchyard.
Tabaria, the ancient Tiberias,[Tel el Faras, the southern extremity of
Djebel Heish, bears from a point above Tabaria N.E. by E.] stands close
to the lake, upon a small plain, surrounded by mountains. Its situation
is extremely hot and unhealthy, as the mountain impedes the free course
of the westerly winds which prevail throughout Syria during the summer.
Hence intermittent fevers, especially those of the quartan form, are
very common in the town in that season. Little rain falls in winter,
snow is almost unknown on the borders of the lake, and the temperature,
on the whole, appears to be very nearly the same as that of the Dead
sea. The town is surrounded towards the land by a thick and well built
wall, about twenty feet in height, with a high parapet and loop-holes.
It surrounds the city on three sides, and touches the water at its two
[p.321] extremities; but there are some remains on the shore of the
lake, which seem to indicate that the town was once inclosed on this
side also. I observed, likewise, some broken columns of granite in the
water close to the shore. The town wall is flanked by twenty round
towers standing at unequal distances. Both towers and walls are built
with black stones of moderate size, and seem to be the work of not very
remote times; the whole being in a good state of repair, the place may
be considered as almost impregnable to Syrian soldiers.
[Map not included] a, The town gate; b, the Serai or palace of the
Mutsellim, a spacious building, which has lately been repaired; c, the
mosque, a fine building, but in bad condition; d, the Catholic church;
e, the gate of the Jews quarter; f, a mosque; g, a range of large
vaults; h, a small town-gate now walled up; i, a newly built Bazar. The
mosque (f) is a handsome arched building, and was anciently a church.
The range of vaults at g, which are close to the sea shore, communicate
with each other by cross alleys and have very low roofs, which terminate
at top in a point:
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