DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44946#0027
1. AMMONITIS.
I. CARAK IL-EMIR (TYROS).
The great ruin known as cArak il-Emir, in the mountains east of Jordan, about
seven hours from Jericho, was first brought to the serious attention of scholars by the
Count de Vogue in 1864, when he published his “Temple de Jerusalem' l; though the
place had been visited as early as 1817 by Mess’rs Irby and Mangles, and is mentioned
in the account2 of their journey in Syria. Mr. Bankes, who accompanied the English
travellers on this part of their voyage, recognized cArak il-Emir as the site of Tyros,
where, according to Josephus, 3 a “palace” was built by one Hyrkanos in the early part
of the second century before our era. M. de Vogue established the identification beyond
the possibility of a doubt, and described the building at some length. He was followed
by M. de Saulcy, who in 1895, published a description 4 and a large plan of the site.
Since that time many travellers have halted at cArak il-Emir, and have devoted greater
or less space to descriptions of its ruins. Many of these are mentioned in the ac-
companying bibliography. Only two of these many visitors have attempted a publication
with definite details, of the great central ruin, and none of them has made more than
casual mention of the smaller ruins about it. M. de Vogue presents a rough plan,
with approximate dimensions of length and breadth, a hasty reconstruction in elevation
and cross section, on a very small scale, together with a few measured details, and a
sketch of some of the ornament, all of which appear in the text, beside two plates,
one of which is a perspective drawing of the main ruin, the other a drawing of the
entrance to the rock-hewn chambers in the cliff above. Captain Conder, 0 who spent
several days at cArak il-Emir in 1881, while making his survey east ofjordan, published
a small plan, even less detailed than that of M. de Vogue, giving a few rough draw-
ings of some of the details already published by M. de Vogue, and adding inaccurate
drawings of a few others. He also published a general plan of the site, together with
a sketch of the main ruin, and a large number of measured drawings of the caves.
Several photographs of the ruins have been published by other visitors.
M. de Vogue was far from satisfied with his publication of the chief monument,
and strongly urged that our expedition make a point of visiting cArak il-Emir with a
view to securing more details of the great building, and extending the search for
inscriptions. The results of our work upon this site are contained in the following pages.
1 Temple de Jerusalem^ Le Cte. de Vogiie, Pls. XXXIV XXXV, dext, pp. 38-43.
2 Travels in Egypt and Nubia.* Syria and the Holy Land. The Hon. Charles Leonard Irby, James Mangles,
London, 1852, p. 146.
3 Antiquitatum Judaicarum^ XII, iv, II. 4 Voyage en Terre Sainte, F. de Saulcy, 1865, pp. 211-235.
5 The Survey of Eastern Palestine.* Capt. C. R. Conder, pp. 65-87.
Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria, Div. II, Sec. A. Pt. 1. I
I. CARAK IL-EMIR (TYROS).
The great ruin known as cArak il-Emir, in the mountains east of Jordan, about
seven hours from Jericho, was first brought to the serious attention of scholars by the
Count de Vogue in 1864, when he published his “Temple de Jerusalem' l; though the
place had been visited as early as 1817 by Mess’rs Irby and Mangles, and is mentioned
in the account2 of their journey in Syria. Mr. Bankes, who accompanied the English
travellers on this part of their voyage, recognized cArak il-Emir as the site of Tyros,
where, according to Josephus, 3 a “palace” was built by one Hyrkanos in the early part
of the second century before our era. M. de Vogue established the identification beyond
the possibility of a doubt, and described the building at some length. He was followed
by M. de Saulcy, who in 1895, published a description 4 and a large plan of the site.
Since that time many travellers have halted at cArak il-Emir, and have devoted greater
or less space to descriptions of its ruins. Many of these are mentioned in the ac-
companying bibliography. Only two of these many visitors have attempted a publication
with definite details, of the great central ruin, and none of them has made more than
casual mention of the smaller ruins about it. M. de Vogue presents a rough plan,
with approximate dimensions of length and breadth, a hasty reconstruction in elevation
and cross section, on a very small scale, together with a few measured details, and a
sketch of some of the ornament, all of which appear in the text, beside two plates,
one of which is a perspective drawing of the main ruin, the other a drawing of the
entrance to the rock-hewn chambers in the cliff above. Captain Conder, 0 who spent
several days at cArak il-Emir in 1881, while making his survey east ofjordan, published
a small plan, even less detailed than that of M. de Vogue, giving a few rough draw-
ings of some of the details already published by M. de Vogue, and adding inaccurate
drawings of a few others. He also published a general plan of the site, together with
a sketch of the main ruin, and a large number of measured drawings of the caves.
Several photographs of the ruins have been published by other visitors.
M. de Vogue was far from satisfied with his publication of the chief monument,
and strongly urged that our expedition make a point of visiting cArak il-Emir with a
view to securing more details of the great building, and extending the search for
inscriptions. The results of our work upon this site are contained in the following pages.
1 Temple de Jerusalem^ Le Cte. de Vogiie, Pls. XXXIV XXXV, dext, pp. 38-43.
2 Travels in Egypt and Nubia.* Syria and the Holy Land. The Hon. Charles Leonard Irby, James Mangles,
London, 1852, p. 146.
3 Antiquitatum Judaicarum^ XII, iv, II. 4 Voyage en Terre Sainte, F. de Saulcy, 1865, pp. 211-235.
5 The Survey of Eastern Palestine.* Capt. C. R. Conder, pp. 65-87.
Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria, Div. II, Sec. A. Pt. 1. I