Within This Country There Are Twenty-Eight
Nations, The Northern Boundary Being Mount Caucasus, And The Red Sea To The
South.
Along the Red Sea, and at its northern angle, are Arabia, Sabaea,
and Eudomane, or Idumea.
Beyond the river Euphrates, quite westward to the
Mediterranean, and northward to Mount Taurus, even into Armenia, and
southward to near Egypt, are many countries, namely Comagene, Phenicia,
Damascena, Coelle, Moab, Ammon, Idumea, Judea, Palestine, and Sarracene,
all of which are comprehended under the general name of Syria. To the north
of Syria are the hills called Taurus, and to the north of these are
Capadocia and Armenia, the former being to the westward of the latter; and
to the westward of Capadocia is the country called the lesser Asia. To the
north of Capadocia is the plain called Temisere, and betwixt Capadocia and
lesser Asia are Cilicia and Isauria. Lesser Asia is entirely surrounded by
salt water, except to the eastward; having the Euxine on the north, the
Propontis and Hellespont on the west, and the Mediterranean on the south.
In it is the high mountain of Olympus.
Sec. 5. To the northward of hither Egypt is Palestine, to the eastwards
the land of the Sarracens, to the west is Libia, and to the south the
mountain called Climax. The head of the Nile is near the cliffs of
the Red Sea, though some say it is in the western part of Africa, near
Mount Atlas, whence it flows over a large track of land, till it sinks;
after which, it proceeds in its course, till it becomes a great sea, or
wide river[14]. The spot where the river takes its rise is called by some
Nuchal, and by others Dara. Hence, for some distance from the wider part,
before[l5] it rises from the sand, it runs westward to Ethiopia,
where it is called Jon, till it reaches the eastern part, where it becomes
a wide river[16], and then it sinks again into the earth; after which it
appears again opposite to the cliffs of the Red Sea, as I mentioned before,
and from this place it is called the Nile. Then running from thence
westwards, it divides its stream round an island called Meroe[17]; then
running to the northward, it empties itself into the Mediterranean. There,
in the winter season, the current at its mouth is opposed by the north
winds, so that the river is spread all over the land of Egypt;[l8] and by
the rich earth which it deposits, it fertilizes the whole country. The
farther Egypt lies along the southern part of the Red Sea, and to
the east is the ocean. To the west is the hither Egypt, and in the
two Egypts there are twenty-four nations.
Sec. 6. Having before given an account of the north part of Asia, I shall now
speak of its southern parts. I have before mentioned that Mount Caucasus is
to the north of India, beginning eastwards on the ocean, and running due
west, till it join the Armenian mountains, which the inhabitants call
Parcoatrae, from which the Euphrates takes its rise; and from the
Parcoatrian mountains mount Taurus runs due west, quite to Cilicia.
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