East of the Jordan: A Record of Travel and Observation in the Countries of Moab, Gilead and Bashan during the Years 1875-1877 9781463219055

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East of the Jordan

Gorgias Historic Travels in the Cradle of Civilization 25

Gorgias Historic Travels in the Cradle of Civilization is a series of reprints of historic travelogues from travelers to regions of high antiquity: North Africa, Western and West-Central Asia. Glimpses into a forgotten world, these journals show us many of the roots of our own present-day civilization.

East of the Jordan

A Record of Travel and Observation in the Countries of Moab, Gilead and Bashan during the Years 1875-1877

Selah Merrill

1 gorgias press 2010

Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2010 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in 1883 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2010

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^

1

ISBN 978-1-60724-316-8

ISSN 1935-3200

This is a facsimile reprint of the book published under the same title by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1883.

Printed in the United States of America

TO

PROFESSOR JOSEPH HENRY THAYER, I) I) WHOSE STEADFAST FOR MANY

FRIENDSHIP I HAVE

YEAES

ENJOYED,

THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED.

I N T R 01) f J O r / Q N . The name Palestine tus.

occurs for

the first time in

Like its Hebrew equivalent,

" I'elesheth," or " land of

wanderers," it meant only PhUistia. Roman

Herodo-

In the later Greek and

period it was applied, as ire, apply it, to the whole

country occupied by the Israelites

on both sides of the

Jordan.

But as Canaan, the oldest of all the names, meant only the " lowlandor

country west of the Jordan, so now most people,

when they think of Palestine, give it the same narrow aries.

Eastern

bound-

Palestine hardly comes into the account.

And yet the historic

associations

belonging to the

east of the Jordan are rich and various.

country

Two and. a half of

the twelve tribes that came out, of Egypt under Moses chose that side of the river for their home.

Syrian, Assyrian,

Chaldean armies marched in and out there. banded veterans the Jordan career.

of Alexander

that John the Baptist

settled there.

and

Some of the disIt was beyond

began and ended his official

Nearly six months of our Lord's brief ministry

spent on the same side of the river.

The Christian

itself sought refuge there when the Roman

were Church

legions began to

vi

INTRODUCTION.

close in upon Jerusalem. country

was full

baths.

In

of cities, with

the fifth

century

ized, were numerous The Biblical pared

with

In the time of the An to nines the

and

the multitude

But they are of peculiar

somewhere

the Turkish

Empire,

always actually

spicuous

and Succoth

are words.

witnessed

the And

nominally

calls

a part

is mm, and has been for centuries, Travelling

dangerous.

of

in the

there is always difficult, if not

Till quite recently very little was its ruins, or its

however, is now fairly

As Archaeologist

inhabitants. begun.

tact, and

And

had rare

several important

carefully,

His

Palesliiu

lie

good

He showed

good luck, in dealing

as in Andover.

identifications.

He was no ordi-

were exceptionally

were well improved.

whose habits he studied as securely

field.

of the American

Society, his opportunities

and these opportunities

he dwelt

plain

are like household

though

and excellent service in the

Exploration

mirable

The five cities of the

of the booh here offered to the public has done con-

traveller.

Bedaween,

rivet.

arms."

either about the country,

the author

side of the

beyond occurred what Milton

of country,

The work of exploration,

nary

interest.

in the wilderness

hands of Bedaween.

organ-

upon the Founder of our religion.

the " great duel, not of

known

on the western

wherever it was beyond the Jordan,

This whole section

well

tere not very many, as com-

Xebo and Pisgah

descent of the Spirit

theatres, and

churches,

J'enuel, Mahanaim,

suggestive names. Bethabara,

temple:;,

flourishing.

sites, to be sure,

were trans-Jordanic.

their

Christian

ad-

with

and among

the

whom,

has the credit

" Topographical

of

Notes

TNTIiOT) VC 77 ON. on Eastern .scholarly

Palestine." manner,

\U

in which he gives, in a concise and

the results

of the explorations

already

made, withheld from publication for the present for

reasons

which, need not he detailed, mil appear in due time. The present volume has assumed a popular incidents

enliven the narrative.

farm.

The illustrations

mul original, many of them from tin author's

Persona l are fresh

own

drawings.

The hook contains a large amount of matter wholly new. author was careful and patient in his investigations, tells the story of his life beyond the Jordan equally entertaining

and

in a

The

and now manner

instructive. RORWELL

D.

HITCHCOCK.

Union Theologic.nl Seminary, New York. Anguxt in, 1 8 S 1 .

PREFACE. On the, 20th of

October, 1874, I

archaeologist of the American ciety, and sailed from 1875, arriving

New

at Beirut,

Palestine York

Exploration

on the lWi

of

SoJune,

our head-quarters in Syria, on

Monday, the Dth day of August. four

was appointed the

1875-77 I made

During

different expeditions, of which the journal

is given at length in the following pages.

of but two

On

Thursday,

December 23, 1875, I was placed in charge of the exploration work, which I carried, on until the summer of 1877, when, I returned

to America.

I

have since been, retained

by the

Society to write reports and to assist Mr. Meyer in the preparation of our maps.

During

the two years that I was in

the field, I labored under the, immediate advice and direction of the Advisory

Committee in Beirut.

composed of gentlemen ivho are familiar Syria and Palestine,

This

committee is

with many parts of

and who, in every way, are deserving

of the highest respect and honor, and my relations with them were always exceedingly pleasant. Special mention should here be made of Professor Bostvell D. Hitchcock, York,

I). D., of Union Theological

who, as president

labored, indefatigably Rudolph

Meyer,

for

of the Exploration its interests,

the Society's faithful

Seminary, New Society, has

and also of

Mr.

engineer, by whose

PRE FA CE.

X

skilful hand its map Juts been prepared. I desire to acknowledge my obligation to J. Henry Thayer, Professor in the Theological Seminary, Audover, Mass., and Timothy Otis Paine, Professor in the New Church Theological Seminary, Boston, Mass., likewise- to Charles L. Merriam and George IF. Stearns, for valuable. services rendered ivhile carrying this work through the press. It may not be out of place for me to add, that of the large amount of archaological and other material in my possession connected with Palestine, it has been found possible to introduce only a limited portion in the present volume. SELAH AXDOVEK, Mass.,

May

2, 1881.

MERRILL.

CONTENTS. CHArTKl!

I. II.

PAGE

PREPARATIONS

III.

"

"

"

"

V.

VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII.

.

.

.

.

.

A M O N G THE CITIES OF BASH AN

IV.

VI.

.

"

.

.

. .

1 .

10

"

24

"

43

ILAURAN ARCHITECTURE

60

U M EL JEMAL, THE M O T H E R OF THE CAMEL PERSONAL

EXPERIENCES

.

.

.

. .

78

.

88

SICK IN THE DESERT

100

ON THE W A Y TO THE AROUND EL

FIELD

112

THE SEA OP GALILEE

H A M M A , AN A N C I E N T

.

.

.

.

WATERING-PLACE

125 .

.

GADARA OP A SYLUAN A R M Y ( I .

A P I I E K , THE GRAVE

KINGS

XX., 3 0 ) XIV. XV.

"

"

XVI.

"

"

XVII.

XIX. XX. XXI. XXII.

159

T H E JORDAN V A L L E Y

. .

, .

.

. .

.

"

"

MOUNT

"

,

. .

L O W E R JORDAN V A L L E Y . — T H E

XVIII.

,

.

.

.

.

"

"

177

.

191 .

.

206 222

NEBO

240 .

.

,

253

.

.

,

291

G-II'JBAD DECAPOLIS

172

.

.

SIIITTIM P L A I N

O N THE U P P E R ZERKA, OR J.VP.BOK

THE

137 145

273 .

.

.

.

xii

CONTENTS. X X M .

XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI.

RETURN

GOLAN PILGRIM

XXXIX.

.

.

.

AND A S H T E R O T H

.

.

KARNAIM

.

.

.

.

303

.

.

320 333

.

.

.

T H E W A T C H - T O W E R OP GILEAD ON THE LOWER EXPLORATION A

.

CARAVANS

A N UNDERGROUND CITY

ZERKA,

.

.

.

.

.

.

OR J A B B O K

OF T H E JABBOK

359

.

.

348

. .

,

.

.

.

WAR-CLOUD

C O N D I T I O N OF T H E A

SURPRISE

.

419 .

.

.

.

,

. .

CONCLUSION INDEX

"

"

"

"

425 .

A R A B L I F E IN T H E D E S E R T

"

404 411

PARTY

M A H A N A I M AND P E L L A

"

372 381

COUNTRY

O U R L O R D A T C A P E R N A U M A N D IN P E R E A

XXXVII. XXXVIII.

.

448 467

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

488 503

.

. 5 1 6 533

L I S T OF

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Where not otherwise stated, the illustrations are from photographs taken by the American Palestine Exploration Society, or Iroin original drawings. PAUE

A M M A N on" THE U P P E R

JABBOK.

LOOKING UP THE Y A L L E Y

TO

THE SOUTH-WEST

Frontispiece

T H E L A V A BED IN THE L E J A H

.

.

T E L L S H A I H A N , I N THE L B J A I I

FROM

WETZSTEIN

12

.

.

.

FROM BURTON AND DRAKE

15

I N T E R I O R OF T E M P L E A T MUSMIEH

.

FROM DE VOGUÉ

.

18

.

FROM DE VOGUÉ .

.

TEMPLE A T MUSMIEH

„

.

17

PERIPTERAL TEMPLE AT K U N A W A T

24

P L A N OP THE CHURCH A T E D H R ' A CYCLOPEAN STRUCTURE I N

THE

L E J A H , NEAR K I R A T E H

.

TEMPLE A T SULEIM

32

A N C I E N T CASTLE A T K U N A W A T .

R O M A N R O U N D - T O W E R I N THE

DISTANCE

3(! A N T I Q U E H E A D A T THE R I G H T

TEMPLE A T K U N A W A T .

H E A D S OP B A A L AND A S T A R T E

.

.

.

38

FROM "UNEXPLORED SYRIA"

40

COLOSSAL H E A D A T K U N A W A T

41

BULLOCK'S H E A D ON A N A L T A R OP B A S A L T , PROM K U N A W A T SPECIMENS OP O R N A M E N T A L W O R K I N THE I H A U R A N ARCHITECTURE. P R O M S I ' A \ SPECIMENS OF H A U R A N PROM SI'A TEMPLE A T ' A T Î L

29 31

.

F R O M

D E

VOCJÛÉ

.

•

42 4 3

ARCHITECTURE, I .

.

.

\ FROM DE VOGUÉ.

.

44 47

xiv

LIST

OF

ILLUSTRATIONS. PAfiK

ANCIENT

SCULPTURE

FOUND

AT

'ART.

T A T I O N OF T H E D E I T Y D U S A R E S , LIONS AND PALM-TREE. CASTLE AT

SALCHAD.

CATHEDRAL

POSSIBLY A

OR B A C C H U S

FROM TIIE CASTLE A T I N THE M O U T H

AT BOZRAH

.

.

.

.

From .

TWO

LARGE

PUBLIC

De .

A N T E R O O M CONNECTED W I T H TIIE T H E A T R E OF

.

.

.

49

SALCHAD

OF A N E X T I N C T

MOSQUE AND RESERVOIR A T B O Z R A H

REMAINS

REPRESEN-

.

Vogue

PERHAPS

55

.

56

TEM57

.

.

.

FROM

DE

VOGUE

W I N D O W S A N D D O O R S FROM T H E H A U R A N FROM

I)E

VOGUE .

STONE HOUSE IN THE H A U R A N

CHURCH AND HOUSES A T

.

.

W I N D O W S FROM T H E H A U R A N

.

.

FROM

DE

VOGUE

FROM

DE

VOGUE .

64 .

05

.

69

67

.

U M EL JEMAL

82

ES SALT

90

TO FACE PAGE EL E M I R

HYRCANUS'S PALACE AT ' A R A K

SCULPTURE IN THE BOCK.

S E C T I O N OF R O C K ,

107

NEAR

TYRE

SHOWING A S S Y R I A N SCULPTURE.

.

.

. 1 1 8

NEAR TYRE

S Y R I A N HORSESHOE AND N A I L S

STONES

IN

VARIETIES THE

OF

ROMAN

3 50

MASONS'

BATH

AT

MARKS,

EL

FROM

HAMMA,

THE

OR

HOT

S P R I N G S OF G A D A R A ROMAN ROAD AT

151

GADARA

D O O R OF A T O M B A T

154

GADARA

155

C A N D L E S T I C K ( ? ) ON A L I N T E L C A S T L E OF K A U K A B VALLEY NATURAL

F.L

AT F I K

IIAUWA,

SPRING N O R T H

PLAN

OF T H E M ' S I I I T A

. 1 . 7 4 .

188

.

. 1 0 0 231

FROM

OR F O U N T A I N S ^ O F M O S E S MUSA

.

. .

SHITTIM PLAIN

T O M B S T O N E OF A B E D A W I N S H E I K H .

R U I N S ON J E B E L

.

JORDAN

.

OF P E L L A

IN A Q U A R R Y IN JEBEL ' A J L U N

ANCIENT MILL-STONE,

' A Y O N MUSA,

162

AS SEEN A C R O S S T H E

FROM T H E H I L L S S O U T H OF G A D A R A

BRIDGE AND H O T

MILL-STONE

119 135

SEATS IN TIIE B A T H A T E L H A M M A TWENTY-THREE

54

page

PLES, A T B O Z R A I I W I N D O W S FROM T H E H A U R A N

ASSYRIAN

52

.

.

To face

AT BOZRAH

BUILDINGS,

51

CRATER

. RUIN

. .

. .

.

NEAR HASEAN

.

240

FROM

DUE DE LUYNES

242

FROM

DUE DE LUYUES

246

FROM

DR.

256

TRISTRAM

LIST

OF ILL USTIiA LIONS,

xv L'AGE

GATE AT M ' S H I T A M'SHITA.

.

*

.

INTERIOR VIEW

T O W E R AT M ' S H I T A P L A N OE A T E M P L E

.

»

. .

.

.

AT AMMAN

T H E A T R E AT GERASII

.

.

.

. .

.

.

.

.

T E M P L E OF T H E S U N A T G E R A S H

.

.

.

» .

» .

.

.

.

.

. .

.

.

T R I U M P H A L A R C H AT GERASII

.

.

.

.

.

.

204

.

272

FRMU HUE