DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10357#0143
n8
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
The third source of supply was derived from several springs in a valley, Wady A rub, to
the left of the road from Jerusalem to Hebron. One of the springs is estimated to yield as
much as one hundred thousand gallons a day.
It will thus be seen that Jerusalem was during the brighter period of its history well
supplied with water; and it may be inferred, from the numerous cisterns and conduits that
have been found, that the supply was distributed throughout all quarters of the city. An
English lady known throughout the world for her many kind actions, the Baroness Burdett
Coutts, has on more than one occasion expressed a wish to construct at her own cost works
which would give to every one in Jerusalem the most priceless of all gifts in the East, good
water; but hitherto all efforts to overcome the difficulties thrown in the way by the local
government have been unavailing.
The population of Jerusalem may be estimated at about twenty-one thousand, of which
seven thousand are Moslems, nine thousand Jews, and five thousand Christians. The Moslems
belong for the most part to the same race as the peasantry of Palestine, representatives it may
be, though with a large intermixture of foreign blood, of the Jebusite that dwelt in the land.
The higher classes, as a rule, pass most of their time in the bath, the mosque, or the bazaar,
smoking, praying, or gossiping. The Turks, who for the most part belong to the official
class, are very inferior to the Arabs in education and capacity; whilst the fellahin are chiefly
remarkable for their fine physique, and that keenness in barter which seems to distinguish the
descendants of the ancient races that peopled the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
The Jews are divided into three principal divisions, the Sephardim, the Ashkenazim, and
the Karaim. Nothing can be more striking than the marked difference in appearance and
costume between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The former are far superior in culture
and manners ; they have generally dark complexions, black hair, and regular features; they
are fairly industrious and honest; they dress in Oriental costume, and are not wanting in a
certain dignity. The Ashkenazim, on the other hand, have pale complexions and flaxen hair,
from which two long love-locks hang down, one on either side of the face ; and they always
wear the long Eastern robe (caftan), with a hat of felt or fur (see pages 40 and 82). The
Sephardim speak Spanish, and trace their descent from the Jews who were driven from
Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the fifteenth century; hence their name
from Sepharad, the Spain of the Rabbins. They are Ottoman subjects, and their chief
rabbi, who bears the title of Hakim Bashi, is a recognised official and has a certain degree
of civil authority. The Sephardim have a curious tradition that their ancestors were settled
in Spain before the date of the Crucifixion, and they thus claim to be exempt from the
consequences of the outcry of the Jews, " His blood be upon us and our children." The
Ashkenazim are chiefly of Polish origin, they or their immediate ancestors having come from
German, Austrian, or Russian Poland. They are subdivided into Peroshim (Pharisees) and
Khasidim (Cabalists). The former accept the Talmud, whilst the latter believe also in oral
tradition and the transmigration of souls, study the Cabala, and in their religious worship
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
The third source of supply was derived from several springs in a valley, Wady A rub, to
the left of the road from Jerusalem to Hebron. One of the springs is estimated to yield as
much as one hundred thousand gallons a day.
It will thus be seen that Jerusalem was during the brighter period of its history well
supplied with water; and it may be inferred, from the numerous cisterns and conduits that
have been found, that the supply was distributed throughout all quarters of the city. An
English lady known throughout the world for her many kind actions, the Baroness Burdett
Coutts, has on more than one occasion expressed a wish to construct at her own cost works
which would give to every one in Jerusalem the most priceless of all gifts in the East, good
water; but hitherto all efforts to overcome the difficulties thrown in the way by the local
government have been unavailing.
The population of Jerusalem may be estimated at about twenty-one thousand, of which
seven thousand are Moslems, nine thousand Jews, and five thousand Christians. The Moslems
belong for the most part to the same race as the peasantry of Palestine, representatives it may
be, though with a large intermixture of foreign blood, of the Jebusite that dwelt in the land.
The higher classes, as a rule, pass most of their time in the bath, the mosque, or the bazaar,
smoking, praying, or gossiping. The Turks, who for the most part belong to the official
class, are very inferior to the Arabs in education and capacity; whilst the fellahin are chiefly
remarkable for their fine physique, and that keenness in barter which seems to distinguish the
descendants of the ancient races that peopled the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
The Jews are divided into three principal divisions, the Sephardim, the Ashkenazim, and
the Karaim. Nothing can be more striking than the marked difference in appearance and
costume between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The former are far superior in culture
and manners ; they have generally dark complexions, black hair, and regular features; they
are fairly industrious and honest; they dress in Oriental costume, and are not wanting in a
certain dignity. The Ashkenazim, on the other hand, have pale complexions and flaxen hair,
from which two long love-locks hang down, one on either side of the face ; and they always
wear the long Eastern robe (caftan), with a hat of felt or fur (see pages 40 and 82). The
Sephardim speak Spanish, and trace their descent from the Jews who were driven from
Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the fifteenth century; hence their name
from Sepharad, the Spain of the Rabbins. They are Ottoman subjects, and their chief
rabbi, who bears the title of Hakim Bashi, is a recognised official and has a certain degree
of civil authority. The Sephardim have a curious tradition that their ancestors were settled
in Spain before the date of the Crucifixion, and they thus claim to be exempt from the
consequences of the outcry of the Jews, " His blood be upon us and our children." The
Ashkenazim are chiefly of Polish origin, they or their immediate ancestors having come from
German, Austrian, or Russian Poland. They are subdivided into Peroshim (Pharisees) and
Khasidim (Cabalists). The former accept the Talmud, whilst the latter believe also in oral
tradition and the transmigration of souls, study the Cabala, and in their religious worship