The River, Which Flows In A Rocky Bed, Was Almost Dried
Up, Having Less Water Than The Zerka Mayn And
Wale, but its bed bears
evident marks of its impetuosity during the rainy season, the shattered
fragments of large pieces
Of rock which had been broken from the banks
nearest the river, and carried along by the torrent, being deposited at
a considerable height above the present channel of the stream. A few
Defle and willow trees grow on its banks.
The principal source of the Modjeb is at a short distance to the N.E. of
Katrane, a station of the Syrian Hadj; there the river is called Seyl
Sayde [Seyl means rivulet in this country.] (Arabic), lower down it
changes its name to Efm el Kereim (Arabic), or, as it is also called,
Szefye (Arabic). At about one hour east of the bridge it receives the
waters of the Ledjoum, which flow from the N.E. in a deep bed; the
Ledjoum receives a rivulet caled Seyl el Mekhreys (Arabic), and then the
Baloua (Arabic), after which it takes the name of Enkheyle (Arabic).
Near the source of the Ledjoum is the ruined place called Tedoun
[p.374] (Arabic); and near the source of the Baloua is a small ruined
castle called Kalaat Baloua. The rivulet Salyhha (Arabic), coming from
the south, empties itself into the Modjeb below the bridge.
Near the confluence of the Ledjoum and the Modjeb there seemed to be a
fine verdant pasture ground, in the midst of which stands a hill with
some ruins upon it, and by the side of the river are several ruined
mills. In mounting the southern ascent from the Modjeb, we passed, upon
a narrow level at about five minutes from the bridge, the ruins of a
small castle, of which nothing but the foundations remains: it is called
Mehatet el Hadj (Arabic), from the supposition that the pilgrim route to
Mekka formerly passed here, and that this was a station of the Hadj.
Near the ruin is a Birket, which was filled by a canal from the Ledjoum,
the remains of which are still visible. This may, perhaps, be the site
of Areopolis. My guide told me that M. Seetzen had been partly stripped
at this place, by some Arabs. We did not meet with any living being in
crossing the Wady. Near the ruins is another heap of broken columns,
like those on the opposite bank of the river; I conjecture that the
columns were Roman milliaria, because a causeway begins here, and runs
all the way up the mountain, and from thence as far as Rabba; it is
about fifteen feet broad, and was well paved, though at present in a bad
state, owing to a torrent which rushes along it from the mountain in
winter time. At twenty-eight minutes from the Mehatet el Hadj are three
similar columns, entire, but lying on the ground. We were an hour and
three quarters in ascending from the bridge to the top; on this side the
road might easily be made passable for horses. In several places the
rock has been cut through to form the path. The lower part of the
mountains is calcareous; I found great numbers of small petrified
shells, and small pieces of mica are likewise met with. Towards
ARABS HAMAIDE
[p.375] the upper part of the mountain the ground is covered with large
blocks of the black Haouran stone,[It is from this black and heavy
stone, (which M. Seetzen calls basalt, but which I rather conceive to
belong to the species called tufwacke by the Germans), that the ancient
opinion of there having been mountains of iron on the east side of the
Jordan appears to have arisen. Even now the Arabs believe that these
stones consist chiefly of iron, and I was often asked if I did not know
how to extract it.] which I found to be more porous than any specimens
of it which I had seen further northward. On the summit of this steep
southern ascent are the ruins of a large square building, of which the
foundations only remain, covered with heaps of stone; they are directly
opposite Araayr, and the ruins above mentioned are also called Mehatet
el Hadj. I believe them to be of modern date.
We had now again reached a high plain. To our right, about three
quarters of an hour, was the Djebel Shyhhan, an insulated mountain, with
the ruined village of that name on its summit. To our left, on the E.
side of the Ledjoum, about two or three hours distant, is a chain of low
mountains, called El Ghoweythe (Arabic), running from N. to S. about
three or four hours. To the south of El Ghoweythe begins a chain of low
hills, called El Tarfouye (Arabic), which farther south takes the name
of Orokaraye (Arabic); it then turns westward, and terminates to the
south-west of Kerek. From the Mehatet el Hadj we followed the paved road
which leads in a straight line towards Rabba, in a S.W. direction; in
half an hour, we met some shepherds with a flock of sheep, who led us to
the tents of their people behind a hill near the side of the road. We
were much fatigued, but the kindness of our hosts soon made us forget
our laborious day’s march. We alighted under the tent of the Sheikh, who
was dying of a wound he had received a few days before from a thrust of
a lance; but such is the hospitality of these people, and their
attention to the comforts
BEIT KERM
[p.376] of the traveller, that we did not learn the Sheikh’s misfortune
till the following day. He was in the women’s apartment, and we did not
hear him utter any complaints. They supposed, with reason, that if we
were informed of his situation it would prevent us from enjoying our
supper.
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