Feet long,
and three feet broad; their depth is generally about five feet. In the
greater part of them there is on one side a curved recess, cut in the
rock, about four feet in length, and two feet in breadth. All these
coffins had originally stone lids of a single block of stone, exactly
covering the aperture of the coffin. Only a small proportion of these
now remain entire, but there are some quite uninjured. I saw only two or
three in which a sculptured frieze or cornice was carried along the
whole length of the cover; the generality have only a few ornaments on
the two ends; they are all of the annexed shape.
The apertures of the coffins are invariably even with the surface of the
ground, and the lids only are seen from without, as if lying upon the
surface.
[p.127]The sepulchral caves vary in their sizes and construction; the
entrance is generally through a low door, sometimes ornamented by short
pilasters, into a vaulted room cut in the rock, the size of which varies
from six to fifteen feet in length, and from four to ten feet in
breadth; the height of the vault is about six feet; but sometimes the
cave terminates in a flat roof. They all contain coffins, or receptacles
for the dead; in the smaller chambers there is a coffin in each of the
three sides: the larger contain four or six coffins, two opposite the
entrance, and one on each side, or two on each of the three sides: the
coffins in general are very rudely formed. Some of the natural caverns
contain also artificial receptacles for the dead, similar to those
already described; I have seen many of these caverns in different parts
of Syria. The south side of the village being less rocky, there are
neither caves nor coffins on that side. On the east side I counted
twenty-one coffins, and five sepulchral caves; of the former, fourteen
are within a very small space; the greater part of them are single, but
in same places they have been formed in pairs, upon the same level, and
almost touching each other.
Crossing to the N. side of the valley of Kefr Lata, I met with a long
wall built with large blocks of stone; to the north of it is an oblong
square, thirty-seven paces in length, and twenty-seven in breadth, cut
out of the rock; in its walls are several niches. In the middle of it is
a large coffin, with the remains of a wall which had enclosed it. To the
E. of this is a similar square, but of smaller dimensions. I counted in
this neighbourhood twenty coffins and four sepulchral caves, besides
several open niches very neatly wrought in the side of the mountain,
containing recesses for the dead.
Returning towards the village I passed the source of the rivulet which
waters the valley. Over it stands an ancient building, which consists of
a vaulted roof supported by four short columns, in a very bad heavy
style; it is about thirieen feet in height. A
DJEBEL ERBAYN.
[p.128] few letters of a Greek in scription are visible on the lower
part of the roof:
[Greek].
We left the village about mid-day, and crossed the mountain in a
northerly direction, by the short foot way to Rieha; in half an hour we
reached the point of the mountain directly over Rieha. It is this part
of the Djebel Rieha which is properly called Djebel Erbayn. In the last
century a summer residence was built here just above the town; but it is
now abandoned, although a most beautiful spot, surrounded by fruit trees
of all sorts, with a copious spring, and presenting a magnificent view
over the plains of Aleppo and Edlip. A spring, which here issues from
under the rock, collects in front of the building into a large basin,
from whence it flows down to Rieha. I here took the following bearings;
Edlip N. by E.; Sermein N.E.b.N.; Mount St. Simon N.N.E.; Khan Touman
E.N.E.; Djebel el Ala N.; Djebel Akra W.N.W. About one hour N.E. of
Rieha lies the village Haleya.
From Djebel Erbayn we continued our road in a S.S.W. direction, on the
declivity of the mountain of Rieha. In half an hour
EL BARA.
[p.129] we passed a copious spring, enclosed by a square building,
called El Monboaa [Arabic]. In the plain to the right we saw the village
Kefrzebou [Arabic], and half an hour to the west of it another, called
Ourim [Arabic]. We met with several sepulchral caves on our road.
Wherever, in these parts, the soil admits of culture, wheat and barley
are sown among the rocks. If such spots are distant from a village, the
cultivators pitch a few tents for the purpose of watching the seed and
crop; such encampments are called Mezraa [Arabic]. In an hour and ten
minutes we reached Nahle; two hours and forty minutes the village
Meghara [Arabic], with many remains of ancient buildings. Here I saw a
neat sepulchral cave with a vaulted portico supported by two pillars. In
three hours we reached the village Merayan [Arabic]; the direction of
our route sometimes S.W. sometimes S.S.W. Just by Merayan is a large
coffin, cut in the rocky ground, like those of Kefr Lata; and near it a
spring, with ancient walls. In three hours and twenty minutes we came to
Ahsin [Arabic], half an hour to the west of which is the village Eblim
[Arabic]. The principal produce of all these villages is grapes, which
are carried to the Aleppo market, and there sold, in ordinary years, at
about nine shillings per quintal; or else they are boiled to form the
sweet glutinous extract called Debs, which is a substitute for sugar all
over the East.
