DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36287#0036
TOPOGRAPHY OF NORTHERN CENTRAL SYRIA,
*4
On the 2d of November we broke camp and started down the eastern slope of
the Djebel il-A'la. We passed the church at a quarter past nine in the morning and
were soon near Kirk Beza, following the difficult path down the gully toward Hattan.
At one point it was necessary to dismount and thus lessen the danger to both man
and horse.
Hattan is in appearance a modern village and it boasts of only a few traces of its
early history. Near the main road, which goes through it, there are one or two
arches of medieval construction.
Soon after crossing the level valley, or Wadi Hattan, to the Djebel Barlsha, we
began to realize that we had not seen by any means the best ruins in this region.
We met with fresh surprises every little while.
Nearly opposite Hattan and on the eastern side of the valley we came upon an old
quarry showing a peculiarly regular cutting, which must have been done with saws.
Many structures in the neighborhood, and among them the church of Kalb Lauzeh,
were very likely built of the stone from this quarry. There are two or three simple
rock-hewn tombs at its southern end.
Turning to the north, we soon came to Banakfur, an interesting ruined town, and
after stopping a few hours there we started up into the higher portion of the mountain
toward Khirbit Hasan. The ride was exceedingly rough until we reached the well-
trodden road connecting the Wadi Hattan and il-'Amk with the more important
towns in the hills, such as Bashmishli and Barlsha. Shortly after four o'clock we
arrived at Dehes, the largest and finest group of ruins we had yet visited. On all
sides we came upon conventional symbols and other decorative features over the
doorways and windows of many of the private houses and other buildings. There
are also a number of inscriptions, one of them a celebrated Syriac writing, which was
published by M. de Vogue.
Just beside Dehes is an extensive olive orchard, in which a small army of natives,
men, women, and children, were engaged as we passed by in gathering the fruit. They
were beating the olives down with long poles and the trees were suffering greatly from
the treatment. Dehes itself is uninhabited; the people had come from the near-by vil-
lages.
We did not stay long in Dehes that time, but soon went on at a brisk pace by a
comparatively good path to Bashmishli, where we found the camp pitched on a smooth
stretch of turf south of the village. This space served as a threshing-floor. It was a
treat to have such a good site for the camp after the usual discomfort of loose stones
of many sizes strewn about both inside and outside of the tents. The change of camp-
ing-place, however, brought with it another change which was not, to say the least, for
the better, for we had left our Druse friends and had intrusted ourselves to Moham-
medans, who, it turned out, were not altogether well disposed toward us.
*4
On the 2d of November we broke camp and started down the eastern slope of
the Djebel il-A'la. We passed the church at a quarter past nine in the morning and
were soon near Kirk Beza, following the difficult path down the gully toward Hattan.
At one point it was necessary to dismount and thus lessen the danger to both man
and horse.
Hattan is in appearance a modern village and it boasts of only a few traces of its
early history. Near the main road, which goes through it, there are one or two
arches of medieval construction.
Soon after crossing the level valley, or Wadi Hattan, to the Djebel Barlsha, we
began to realize that we had not seen by any means the best ruins in this region.
We met with fresh surprises every little while.
Nearly opposite Hattan and on the eastern side of the valley we came upon an old
quarry showing a peculiarly regular cutting, which must have been done with saws.
Many structures in the neighborhood, and among them the church of Kalb Lauzeh,
were very likely built of the stone from this quarry. There are two or three simple
rock-hewn tombs at its southern end.
Turning to the north, we soon came to Banakfur, an interesting ruined town, and
after stopping a few hours there we started up into the higher portion of the mountain
toward Khirbit Hasan. The ride was exceedingly rough until we reached the well-
trodden road connecting the Wadi Hattan and il-'Amk with the more important
towns in the hills, such as Bashmishli and Barlsha. Shortly after four o'clock we
arrived at Dehes, the largest and finest group of ruins we had yet visited. On all
sides we came upon conventional symbols and other decorative features over the
doorways and windows of many of the private houses and other buildings. There
are also a number of inscriptions, one of them a celebrated Syriac writing, which was
published by M. de Vogue.
Just beside Dehes is an extensive olive orchard, in which a small army of natives,
men, women, and children, were engaged as we passed by in gathering the fruit. They
were beating the olives down with long poles and the trees were suffering greatly from
the treatment. Dehes itself is uninhabited; the people had come from the near-by vil-
lages.
We did not stay long in Dehes that time, but soon went on at a brisk pace by a
comparatively good path to Bashmishli, where we found the camp pitched on a smooth
stretch of turf south of the village. This space served as a threshing-floor. It was a
treat to have such a good site for the camp after the usual discomfort of loose stones
of many sizes strewn about both inside and outside of the tents. The change of camp-
ing-place, however, brought with it another change which was not, to say the least, for
the better, for we had left our Druse friends and had intrusted ourselves to Moham-
medans, who, it turned out, were not altogether well disposed toward us.