DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36287#0080
56
TOPOGRAPHY OF NORTHERN CENTRAL SYRIA,
there were inscriptions in the village, they would not point them out. A few, however,
were found and studied.
On the afternoon of the 18th two of our party rode down into the Orontes valley.
It is broad and marshy at this point and bears the name of il-Ghab. The papyrus
reed is said to grow along the banks of the river at this pointd A few villages are to
be found on dry spots in the depression, and some of them, we were told, are inhabited
by members of the Nusairiyeh sect. Tueni, in which I believe there are some of the
Nusairiyeh, is made up of houses of a peculiar type,^ but I am not able to say whether
or not this is the characteristic house of the sect. As is the case with the Euphrates
valleydthis marshy depression attracts great Rocks of birds of many speciesd
The animosity of the natives at Kal'at il-Mudik toward us wore itself out somewhat,
and in the evening Mr. Prentice reported that, partly owing to the aid given by a few
of the people, he had discovered sixteen Latin and Greek inscriptions, including both
those in the ruins and those found in the modern village.
On the igth of March we continued the journey and soon entered the Djebel Riha.
This district we had hoped to visit in the autumn, but had not been able to do so on
account of alack of time.^ As we approached Hass, it was evident that we were again
in a country thickly dotted with ancient towns, similar to the region further north,
which we had already studied. The people of Hass received us gladly and during
our entire stay with them did all they could to give assistance in our investigations.
The invited us to partake of his hospitality in his humble home. Large, thin
cakes of bread were served, together with some milk and
honey and the bitter coffee which the Bedawin drink.
Afterward he gave us some of the more palatable sweet-
ened coffee. The customary round straw mats^ were used
in lieu of tables, and we sat around them on other mats of
coarser texture. The host and his family, according to
the custom of the country, did not eat with us, but aided
in serving the food. Two of them partook of the several
dishes after we were through, but the waited until
we had left. A small member of the family named
'Abdullah, presumably a grandson of the host, was told
to kiss our hands as we were going.
The people wondered at the nature of our work and the care we took with it.
They thought that the inscriptions we sought and copied indicated to those who
could decipher them where treasure was hid, and that the camera was a magical
iLe Strange: Palestine under the Moslems, p. 70. ^Le Strange, pp. 70, 71.
2 See p. 92. s ggg p ^
3 See p. 37. ^ Sge pp, ^2 and 44.
A Mohammedan at prayer, facing
toward Mecca.
Photograph taken at Khirbit Hass.
TOPOGRAPHY OF NORTHERN CENTRAL SYRIA,
there were inscriptions in the village, they would not point them out. A few, however,
were found and studied.
On the afternoon of the 18th two of our party rode down into the Orontes valley.
It is broad and marshy at this point and bears the name of il-Ghab. The papyrus
reed is said to grow along the banks of the river at this pointd A few villages are to
be found on dry spots in the depression, and some of them, we were told, are inhabited
by members of the Nusairiyeh sect. Tueni, in which I believe there are some of the
Nusairiyeh, is made up of houses of a peculiar type,^ but I am not able to say whether
or not this is the characteristic house of the sect. As is the case with the Euphrates
valleydthis marshy depression attracts great Rocks of birds of many speciesd
The animosity of the natives at Kal'at il-Mudik toward us wore itself out somewhat,
and in the evening Mr. Prentice reported that, partly owing to the aid given by a few
of the people, he had discovered sixteen Latin and Greek inscriptions, including both
those in the ruins and those found in the modern village.
On the igth of March we continued the journey and soon entered the Djebel Riha.
This district we had hoped to visit in the autumn, but had not been able to do so on
account of alack of time.^ As we approached Hass, it was evident that we were again
in a country thickly dotted with ancient towns, similar to the region further north,
which we had already studied. The people of Hass received us gladly and during
our entire stay with them did all they could to give assistance in our investigations.
The invited us to partake of his hospitality in his humble home. Large, thin
cakes of bread were served, together with some milk and
honey and the bitter coffee which the Bedawin drink.
Afterward he gave us some of the more palatable sweet-
ened coffee. The customary round straw mats^ were used
in lieu of tables, and we sat around them on other mats of
coarser texture. The host and his family, according to
the custom of the country, did not eat with us, but aided
in serving the food. Two of them partook of the several
dishes after we were through, but the waited until
we had left. A small member of the family named
'Abdullah, presumably a grandson of the host, was told
to kiss our hands as we were going.
The people wondered at the nature of our work and the care we took with it.
They thought that the inscriptions we sought and copied indicated to those who
could decipher them where treasure was hid, and that the camera was a magical
iLe Strange: Palestine under the Moslems, p. 70. ^Le Strange, pp. 70, 71.
2 See p. 92. s ggg p ^
3 See p. 37. ^ Sge pp, ^2 and 44.
A Mohammedan at prayer, facing
toward Mecca.
Photograph taken at Khirbit Hass.