side. The mosque of the "Haram" professes to be the one built by Sultan Bibars in accordance with his promise, and the tomb which stands in the court of the mosque to have been built for the saint before his death, the body having been let down into the vault below through the two ends of the tomb, which are now walled up'.

Schwarz, confounding Eli and Ali, supposes the inhabitants to represent this as the grave of Eli. He says that on one side of the tombstone is a Hebrew, and the other a Samaritan, inscription; and that the Samaritans constantly go to perform their devotions at it (p. 143).

lid.

Um-Khalid is one of the chief villages of the plain of Sharon, and Um-Kha- the height above it commands one of the most striking views of the mountains of Ephraim, the very view in all likelihood intended in the description of Abraham's approach to Mount Gerizim, when " he saw the place afar off." It is so called from a great female saint, "Sittah Saba, the mother of Khalid," whose tomb is marked, not as usual by a mosque, but by a large enclosure in which it stands in the open air, under the shade of an enormous fig-tree. The ancient and Hebrew name of Antipatris3, which is situated about ten miles from Um-Khalid, was Caphar Saba, which is still preserved in the Arabic Kefr-Sâba. The not unnatural belief of the peasants of Um-Khalid is, that this name is derived from the Lady Saba who lies buried under their own fig-tree. It would be a curious question to know whether this is an accidental coincidence, or whether there was a real Hebrew or Syrian worthy in earlier times, who has been thus connected with the later Arabian traditions of Khalid of Damascus.

1 Pliny speaks of the town and river of Crocodiles in Phoenicia (H. N. v. 19); and Strabo (xvi.) places the town of Crocodiles between Accho and Cæsarea, apparently near the latter. The fact is noticed by Pococke. The river in question is a stream-fordable, but deepimmediately north of Cæsarea, marked in Zimmermann's map as Nahr Zerka. The keeper of the mosque of El-Haram curiously confirmed the old story. He said at once that the river was called "Moi Temsah "the water of the crocodile " -and described, without any suggestion

on our part, that he had seen in it creatures nearly as long as a boat, with long tails like lizards. I give this testimony for what it is worth. The man had never been in Egypt, nor ever seen an Egyptian crocodile. Compare Kenrick's Phoenicia, p. 24. They are mentioned by the Crusading Historians near this spot.

2 See Chap. V.; note on Gerizim, p. 251.

3 For the whole question of Antipatris, see Conybeare and Howson on St. Paul, vol. ii. pp. 277, 278.

NOTE C.

PHOENICIAN ANTIQUITIES ON THE MARITIME PLAIN.

Hiram.

THE Phoenician plain, far beyond any part of Palestine Proper, is strewed with the distinct fragments of older civilisation. Tomb of One of these is the "Tomb of Hiram," which has been shortly described by Robinson (iii. 384), and Van de Velde (i. 184); and engraved as a frontispiece to Captain Allen's work on the Dead Sea. It stands inland amongst wild rocky hills, about three miles from Tyre. It is a single gray sarcophagus hollowed out so as just to admit a body. A large oblong stone is placed over it, so as completely to cover it, the only entrance being an aperture knocked through at its eastern extremity. The whole rests on a rude pedestal of upright unhewn stones. There are other broken stones in the neighbourhood. Our guide from Tyre (professing to derive his information from an Arabic work on Tyre called "Torad,") said "that it was the tomb of King Hiram, buried at the eastern gate of old Tyre, which thence reached down the hill towards the sea.'

Nabi Zur.

Another monument of unknown age is a circle of upright stonesas of Stonehenge-which rises amongst the bushes near the shore, about an hour N. of the mouth of the Khâsimîyeh or Litâny, near Adlûn'. These must be what M. Van de Velde (i. 203) saw from a distance, and what his guide told him " were men turned into stone for scoffing at Nabi Zur." Nabi Zur (of whom he here and elsewhere speaks) is evidently the Prophet Zur,” i. e. the founder (Eponymus) of Tyre-as Nabi Sidoon of Sidon. A similar circle appears to exist under the name of Hadjar-Lasbah near the Dead Sea (De Saulcy, ii. 69). They are curious as probably examples or illustrations of the monumental stones so often mentioned in the Old Testament.

gus of

Esmunazar.

To these must now be added the sarcophagus of Esmunazar, King of Sidon, found in the royal burial-place near Sidon, and now by the munificence of the Duc de Luynes deposited in Sarcophathe Louvre. It is remarkable as bearing the only Phonician inscription yet discovered in Phoenicia. The inscription, which is double, consists chiefly of an imprecation much in the style, and occasionally in the very words, of the Hebrew Prophets, on any one who shall remove the sarcophagus or its cover from the place of interment.

The Duc de Luynes, who has published a learned commentary on

1 See Kenrick's Phoenicia, p. 19.

2 Mémoire sur le Sarcophage et l'In

scription funéraire d'Esmunazar, par H. d'Albert de Luynes.

the whole inscription, arrives at the conclusion that Esmunazar lived at the end of the seventh century before the Christian era, and therefore in the last times of the Jewish monarchy. Near the close of the inscription, Esmunazar expresses his gratitude to the God Milcom for having enabled him to conquer "Dor and Japha, and wide-spread lands of corn in the root of Dan." The Duke in his commentary (p. 34) makes Dan to be the Northern colony (see Chapter XI.), and Dor and Japha to be respectively Hammoth-dor (Josh. xxi. 32) of Naphtali, and Japhia of Zebulun (Josh. xix. 12). But Esmunazar could hardly have attached such importance to these two obscure, only once-named towns. Nor have they any connection even with the northern Dan. The two cities must surely be Dor and Jaffa, already described in this chapter, celebrated as seaports, and both included in the territory of Dan.' With this also will best agree the further designation of "lands of corn "if this translation of my is adopted. To this the ample cornfields of Sharon and Philistia would correspond as well, as the rough hills of Zebulon and Naphtali correspond ill. Is it not, however, possible that the word "Dagan" rendered "corn," may be "Dagon," and that the lands thus described as granted by Milcom may derive this appellation from "Dagon" the Philistine and maritime god?

With the southern limit thus ascribed to the Phoenicians agrees the definition of their boundary both by Herodotus and Pliny.

1 Δανίται .

...

Αζώτῳ καὶ Δώροις ὁριζόμενοι. Jos. Ant. V. i. 22.

CHAPTER VII.

Gen. xiii. 10. of Jordan."

THE JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the 'round'

Josephus' Wars of the Jews, IV. viii. 2. "The country between the two ranges of mountains which extend to the Lake of Asphalt is called 'the great plain.' Its length is 230 furlongs, and its breadth 120. It is divided in the midst by the river Jordan, and it contains two lakes, the Lake of Tiberias, and the Lake of Asphalt, of the most opposite natures; for the one is salt and barren, and the other sweet and full of life. In the summer season the plain is burnt up, and from the excessive drought the air becomes pestilential; for the whole plain is without water except the Jordan; and so it results that the palm-groves on its banks are flourishing—but less so those that are further off."

Justin. xxxvi. 3. Est vallis, quæ continuis montibus, velut mare quodam, ad instar castrorum clauditur.

The Four Rivers of Lebanon-The physical peculiarities of the Jordan-Its importance as the river of Palestine.-Unfrequented-Historical scenes. I. Vale of Siddim and Dead Sea: 1. Battle of the Kings; 2. Overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah; 3. Appearance of the DEAD SEA; 4. Vision of Ezekiel; 5. En-gedi. II. Plain-Terraces of the Jordan; 1. Plain of Abel-Shittim-Encampment of the Israelites-Views from PisgahBalaam-Moses-Burial-place of Moses-Passage of the Jordan; 2. Jericho-At the time of the capture-Of the prophets Of Christ; 3. Bethabara-Scene of the Preaching of John-Scene of the Temptation-Baptism in the Jordan-Bathing of the Pilgrims.