The Mountain Consists Of Calcareous
Rock, With Layers Of Various Coloured Sand-Stone, And Large Blocks Of
The Black Haouran Stone, Or Basalt, Which Forms A Principal Feature In
The Mineralogy Of Eastern Syria.
In two hours and three quarters we
arrived at the top of the mountain, from whence Abou Obeida bore N.N.W.
Here we had a fine view over the valley below.
On the west side of the Jordan, between the river and the mountains of
Nablous, I remarked a chain of low calcareous rocky heights which begin
at about three hours north of Abou Obeida, and continue for several
hours distance to the S. of that place on the opposite side of the
river. The highest point of Djebel Nablous bore N.W.; the direction of
Nablous itself was pointed out to me as W.N.W. On the summit where we
stood are some large heaps of hewn stones, and several ruined walls,
with the fragments of three large columns. The Arabs call the spot El
Meysera (Arabic). The Zerka, or Jabock of the Scriptures, divides the
district of Moerad from the country called El Belka (Arabic). The
highest summit of the mountains of Moerad seems to be considerably
higher than any part of the mountains of Belka. From Meysera the road
continues over an uneven tract, along the summit of the lower ridge of
mountains which form the northern limits of
MOUNT OSHA
[p.348] the Belka. We had now entered a climate quite different from
that of the Ghor. During the whole of yesterday we had been much
oppressed by heat, which was never lessened by the slightest breeze; in
the Belka mountains, on the contrary, we were refreshed by cool winds,
and every where found a grateful shade of fine oak and wild pistachio
trees, with a scenery more like that of Europe than any I had yet seen
in Syria. In three quarters of an hour from Meysera we passed a spring.
I was told that in the valley of the Zerka, at about one hour above its
issue from the mountains into the plain, are several hills, called
Telloul el Dahab (Arabic) (the Hills of Gold), so called, as the Arabs
affirm, from their containing a gold mine. In one hour and a quarter we
passed the ruined place called El Herath (Arabic). The Arabs cultivate
here several fields of Dhourra and cucumbers. My companions seeing no
keepers in the neighbouring wood carried off more than a quintal of
cucumbers. About one hour to the S.E. of Herath are the ruined places
called Allan (Arabic), and Syhhan (Arabic). At the end of two hours we
reached the foot of the mountain called Djebel Djelaad and Djebel
Djelaoud (Arabic), the Gilead of the Scriptures, which runs from east to
west, and is about two hours and a half in length. Upon it are the
ruined towns of Djelaad and Djelaoud. We ascended the western extremity
of the mountain, and then reached the lofty mountain called Djebel Osha,
whose summit overtops the whole of the Belka.
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