Garrett, Robert: Publications of an American Archaeological Expedition to Syria in 1899 - 1900 (Band 1): Topography and itinerary (New York, 1914)

Harim, a village northwest and at foot of the Djebel il-A'la. View from the castle hill looking northeast.
Our second encampment, at Harim, was just to the north and in the shelter of a high
mound, the summit of which is almost covered by the ruin of an interesting Moham-
medan castle built in part out of Roman materials. The mound rises to a height of 165
feet on the west side. It is apparently partly artificial. The modern town is to the east
of the mound and nestles at the foot of the Djebel il-A'la, or the "Higher Mountain."
In the evening the Agha of Harim, with a companion whose official position we
did not discover, paid us a visit and offered us welcome in a gracious manner.
We intended to be off early the next morning, October 25th, but one of the camp

PALMYRA AND THE REGION OF THE HAURAN 7
later. Its name was presumably given to it because of its great strength and not
because iron was used in holding the blocks of stone together.
1 he road near Antioch was rough and stony but later we found it free from stones
and in excellent condition. Traveling was uncomfortable because of the penetrating
cold, for which we were not properly clad. It is level all the way across the southern
portion of the plain of il-'Amk, but in midwinter and spring the road is probably
nearly impassable on account of the mud. We spent three hours at Djisr il-Hadid,
eating lunch in leisurely fashion and resting afterward while waiting for our caravan
to pass. We had ridden some distance ahead of it between Antioch and our stop-
pmg-place. The road after leaving the bridge heads nearly straight toward Ilarim,
and at three points it forms a tangent to three sharp bends of the river. It grew much
warmer as we approached Ilarim,—in fact, out in the open the sun's rays were quite hot.