The
Ground Being Here Considerably Elevated Above The Plain Of Damascus And
The Djolan, These Hills, When Seen From Afar,
Appear like mountains,
although, when viewed from their foot, they are of very moderate height.
They are insulated, and terminate,
As I have already mentioned, at the
hill called Tel Faras, towards the plain of Djolan. The Bedouins who
pasture their cattle in these mountains retire in the hot season towards
the Djebel el Sheikh. The governor of the Heish el Kanneytra, who
receives his charge every year from the Pasha, used formerly to reside
at Kanneytra; but since that place has been deserted, he usually encamps
with the Turkmans of the Heish, and goes from one encampment to another,
to collect the Miri from these Arabs.
At the end of seven hours and a half we passed Tel Abou Nedy [Arabic],
with the tomb of the Sheikh Abou Nedy. At eight hours is a reservoir of
water, a few hundred paces to the S. of the road, which the Bedouins
call Birket el Ram [Arabic], and the peasants Birket Abou Ermeil
[Arabic]; it lies near the foot of Tel Abou Nedy, is about one hundred
and twenty paces in circumference, and is supplied by two springs which
are never dry; one of them is in the bottom of a deep well in the midst
of the Birket. Just by this reservoir are the ruins of an ancient town,
about a quarter of an hour in circuit, of which nothing remains but
large heaps of stones. Five minutes farther is another Birket, which is
filled by rain water only. The neighbourhood of these reservoirs is
covered with a forest of short oak trees. The rock of the mountain
consists of sand-stone, and the basalt of Haouran. Beyond the Birkets
the road begins to descend gently, and at nine hours and a half, just by
the road, on the left, is a large pond called Birket Nefah or Tefah
[Arabic] (I am uncertain which), about two hundred paces in
DJISSR BENI YAKOUB
[p.315] circumference: there are remains of a stone channel
communicating with the Birket. Some of my companions asserted that the
pond contained a spring, while others denied it; from which I inferred
that the water never dries up completely. I take this to be the Lake
Phiala, laid down in the maps of Syria, as there is no other lake or
pond in the neighbourhood. From hence towards Feik, upon the mountains
to the E. of the lake of Tiberias, is an open country intersected by
many Wadys. At ten hours we passed a large hill to the left, called Tel
el Khanzyr [Arabic], the boar’s hill. The ground was here covered with
the finest pasturage; the dry grass was as high as a horse, and so
thick, that we passed through it with difficulty. At ten hours and a
half are several springs by the side of the road, called Ayoun Essemmam
[Arabic]. Eleven hours and a quarter, are the ruins of a city called
Noworan [Arabic], with a copious spring near it.
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