DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44946#0030
4
II. A. i. Ammonitis.
The site of ancient Tyros, (Ill. i A) is one of exceptional impressiveness and
beauty; lofty hills to the west, north and northwest, form a hollow like the koilon
of a greek theatre, built high up in the mountains and opening upon a splendid vista
toward the south. If one follows the simile, the orchestra is occupied by the dry bed of
the ancient artificial lake, in the midst of which, like the thymele, rose the massive
structure of white stone with its frieze of lions. The line of the skene is marked by
the long ruins of the retaining wall that confined the waters of the lake. Immediately
beyond this, the slope descends steep and ruggedly for 200 or 300 meters into the
valley of the Wadi is-Sir. The scene viewed from the ruins, or from the slopes above
them, is one of remarkable grandeur. A deep gorge lies immediately below the site,
widening out toward the southwest in the direction of the valley of the Dead Sea.
Mountain rises above mountain in the distance, all grey, barren and rugged; but taking
on hues, now vivid, now sombre, with the changes of light and atmosphere. The pic-
ture is one of magnificent desolation, and this effect is accentuated by a narrow broken
line of dark, rich green, traced by a rank growth of oleanders that marks the course
of the Wadi is-Sir. This band of green was splashed with patches of brilliant pink
blooms, as we saw it in the waning autumn, when all else was parched and burned
by the long drought of summer. The only sound is the music of a succession of water-
falls to the east of the ruins, which strikes the ear with unwonted sweetness in so
barren a wilderess. On all sides the decaying works of men’s hands add a touch of
formality to the imposing scene that nature has provided. Winding walls mark the
approach from the valley below, while around the bed of the lake, rising terrace above
terrace, the huge retaining walls of the “hanging gardens” stand out in rugged relief,
suggesting the handiwork of the Cyclopes.
The ruins consist, (1) of the building called Kasr il-cAbd, (2) of two gateways on
the course of the approach, (3) a building on a terrace north of the Kasr il-’Abd, (4)
the terrace walls, and (5) the aqueduct, besides the mass of debris below the modern
Bedawin settlement, and the rock-hewn chambers. These are all indicated upon the
accompanying map, and are described in order below.
Kasr il-cAbd. — The “Castle of the Slave”, the most important of the buildings
at ‘Arak il-Emir, has long been known as the Palace of Hyrkanos. There is no
particular reason for calling the ruin a palace; though it seems with small doubt to
have been built by Hyrkanos, and the question arises: what other kind of building
would this adventurer have been likely to build? Neither the Greek βαρις nor the Latin
turris necessarily implies a palace, and Josephus expressly states that rooms for feasting
and for sleeping were provided in the caves, and that other halls (αύλαί) were construc-
ted, in addition to, and apart from the βαρις, and surrounded with gardens. If the
banquet room and the bed chambers and other spacious halls were not in the “palace”
it is difficult to imagine what rooms were in it. Moreover, it has no resemblance to
an ancient stronghold — a castle or a fort — either in plan or in outward appearance.
M. de Saulcy calls it an Ammonite temple, and, indeed, the form of the building is
more like that of a temple than any other kind of building; but it is not easy to
account for the building of a temple by the rebellious brother of the king of Jerusalem,
unless a second temple to Jehovah and a new Jerusalem were projected. The building was
placed upon a low, flat, rectangular mound or platform hemmed in by retaining walls
II. A. i. Ammonitis.
The site of ancient Tyros, (Ill. i A) is one of exceptional impressiveness and
beauty; lofty hills to the west, north and northwest, form a hollow like the koilon
of a greek theatre, built high up in the mountains and opening upon a splendid vista
toward the south. If one follows the simile, the orchestra is occupied by the dry bed of
the ancient artificial lake, in the midst of which, like the thymele, rose the massive
structure of white stone with its frieze of lions. The line of the skene is marked by
the long ruins of the retaining wall that confined the waters of the lake. Immediately
beyond this, the slope descends steep and ruggedly for 200 or 300 meters into the
valley of the Wadi is-Sir. The scene viewed from the ruins, or from the slopes above
them, is one of remarkable grandeur. A deep gorge lies immediately below the site,
widening out toward the southwest in the direction of the valley of the Dead Sea.
Mountain rises above mountain in the distance, all grey, barren and rugged; but taking
on hues, now vivid, now sombre, with the changes of light and atmosphere. The pic-
ture is one of magnificent desolation, and this effect is accentuated by a narrow broken
line of dark, rich green, traced by a rank growth of oleanders that marks the course
of the Wadi is-Sir. This band of green was splashed with patches of brilliant pink
blooms, as we saw it in the waning autumn, when all else was parched and burned
by the long drought of summer. The only sound is the music of a succession of water-
falls to the east of the ruins, which strikes the ear with unwonted sweetness in so
barren a wilderess. On all sides the decaying works of men’s hands add a touch of
formality to the imposing scene that nature has provided. Winding walls mark the
approach from the valley below, while around the bed of the lake, rising terrace above
terrace, the huge retaining walls of the “hanging gardens” stand out in rugged relief,
suggesting the handiwork of the Cyclopes.
The ruins consist, (1) of the building called Kasr il-cAbd, (2) of two gateways on
the course of the approach, (3) a building on a terrace north of the Kasr il-’Abd, (4)
the terrace walls, and (5) the aqueduct, besides the mass of debris below the modern
Bedawin settlement, and the rock-hewn chambers. These are all indicated upon the
accompanying map, and are described in order below.
Kasr il-cAbd. — The “Castle of the Slave”, the most important of the buildings
at ‘Arak il-Emir, has long been known as the Palace of Hyrkanos. There is no
particular reason for calling the ruin a palace; though it seems with small doubt to
have been built by Hyrkanos, and the question arises: what other kind of building
would this adventurer have been likely to build? Neither the Greek βαρις nor the Latin
turris necessarily implies a palace, and Josephus expressly states that rooms for feasting
and for sleeping were provided in the caves, and that other halls (αύλαί) were construc-
ted, in addition to, and apart from the βαρις, and surrounded with gardens. If the
banquet room and the bed chambers and other spacious halls were not in the “palace”
it is difficult to imagine what rooms were in it. Moreover, it has no resemblance to
an ancient stronghold — a castle or a fort — either in plan or in outward appearance.
M. de Saulcy calls it an Ammonite temple, and, indeed, the form of the building is
more like that of a temple than any other kind of building; but it is not easy to
account for the building of a temple by the rebellious brother of the king of Jerusalem,
unless a second temple to Jehovah and a new Jerusalem were projected. The building was
placed upon a low, flat, rectangular mound or platform hemmed in by retaining walls