1846.] Region of the Hüleh. 199 stretches up, in most places to the mountains,) and reached the lake fifteen minutes south-east of the great fountain el-Mellâhah. We must have ridden about ten miles; which is therefore nearly the length of the marsh. As the lake narrows towards the outlet, the plain on the west widens, forming a beautiful and very fertile champaign called Ard elKhait. The lake itself is also called el-Khait by the Arabs. The water is clear and sweet, and the shore muddy where we visited it. But a little further south, as the Arabs informed us, it is abrupt and stony; and such was its appearance. Its surface is, in many places, covered with a marsh plant, having very broad leaves. On its bosom were sporting a variety of water-fowl. By our estimate the lake may be about seven miles long, and its greatest width six. But it very rapidly narrows on the western side towards the outlet of the Jordan. On the north, the lake and the marsh blend and intermingle; but on all the other sides, the Hûleh is as well defined as any other lake. The land is in fact ploughed quite down to the edge of the water. Josephus calls this lake Semechonitis; and says that it is sixty furlongs in length and thirty wide; which is a little longer, but not so wide, as our estimate. The relation of the numbers, sixty and thirty, shows that he did not aim at minute accuracy. His description is not a little curious from its obscurity:1 "Selucia was situated at the lake Semechonitis, which lake is thirty furlongs in breadth and sixty in length. Its marshes reach as far as the place Daphne, which in other respects is a delicious place, and hath such fountains as supply water to what is called little Jordan under the temple of the golden calf; where it is sent into great Jordan." And the translator adds in a note: "Here we have the exact situation of one of Jeroboam's golden calves, at the exit of little Jordan into great Jordan near a place called Daphne, but of old called Dan." Now this description is so exact, that no place answering to it can be found. I cannot ascertain with any certainty which is little and which great Jordan. If greater and lesser refer to length, there is but little foundation for the claim of preeminence between Bâniâs and Tell elKady, the difference being only a mile or two. If we estimate by volume of water, the shorter is by far the greater stream. If, as intimated above, Bânias and Tell el-Kâdy be regarded as identical, and the Hasbâny be the greater Jordan, some of the difficulties are considerably relieved. We reached the edge of the lake at a small encampment of Arabs, and took lunch under one of their tents. In the same tent were a number of horsemen from the desert of Haurân, a sinister, cut-throat looking company. Having seen some sugar amongst our articles, they ve 1 Josephus B. J. IV. 1. J.-See Note at the end of the article.-E. R. hemently demanded it. I gave each a little; but one of them was determined to have more. Being absolutely and sternly refused, he came to me with his hand on his sword, and demanded very roughly, why I dared to come into such a place without arms; said it was very wrong; this was Belâd ed-dushman (land of strife), and I would certainly be killed. Though I did not believe they would rob us while in an Arab's tent, yet we felt a little relieved when finally out of their society. We stopped on our way back to examine the fountain el-Mellâhah. It rises under the mountain a few rods west of the road, and is immediate→ ly conducted upon the wheels of a couple of mills. The fountain forms a pool of about twenty rods in circumference, and two feet deep. Like the Hasbâny, it swarms with fish. The water is tepid and insipid. Below the mills it forms a shallow stream forty or fifty feet wide, and glides sluggishly across the plain towards the lake. A little to the north of this stream, and about half a mile down in the plain, is an artificial mound with some ruins about it; and north of this is a large encampment of Ghawârineh Arabs, amongst the very reeds of the marsh. There are two or three companies of the same tribe farther north; one near the large fountain called Derakit or Belât. At this latter fountain, are traces of considerable ruins; and perhaps one of these names belongs to the fountain and the other to the ruins. There is still another fountain about half an hour farther north, with marks of ancient buildings around it; but there happened to be no one present from whom we could ascertain its name. During the dry season of the year the Arabs pasture their cattle on the northern part of the marsh; and appear to penetrate as far down as the great mound already mentioned. Below this it is wholly an impassable swamp. I asked an Arab, if I could not reach the lake through the marsh. He regarded we with surprise for some time, as if to ascertain whether I was in earnest, and then lifting his hand, he swore by the Almighty, the Great, that not even a wild boar could get through. This is probably correct. The whole taken together is the largest marsh I have seen. It is perfectly level, and covered with flags and reeds and rushes. Flocks almost innumerable of white sheep and black goats, each with its shepherd before and dogs behind, are seen from early dawn till evening, sauntering lazily along the eastern, northern, and western shores of the marsh. Droves of camels, and herds of cows and buffaloes also enliven every part of the plain; whilst low ranges of tents, here and there, stretch their black curtains along the reedy marsh, and associate what is everyday and common place, with the ancient and the patriarchal. The ascent to Hûnîn is very steep, and the elevation above the plain 1846.] Castle of Hûnîn. 201 cannot be much less than 2500 feet. The path for some time leads up the valley which forms part of the district of Merj 'Ayûn; then climbs the precipitous declivity of the mountain under a frightful ledge of rocks several hundred feet high; and lands the weary traveller at last on one of the most commanding platforms in the country. We reached Hûnîn at sunset, having spent another delightful and exciting day. The extent of the lake and marsh far exceeded our expectation. Taken together, they cover a larger area than the lake of Tiberias. The whole was probably at one time covered with water, and the northern part has been gradually filled by detritus from the mountains and plains. Even now, in the rainy season, it must be mostly submerged. There was a second shore a few rods from the edge of the lake, where we saw it; up to which the water evidently extends during the wet months; and the lake thus swollen would cover much of the marsh. Several years ago a company of men in Hasbeiya obtained permission from Ibrahim Pasha, to remove some rocks which choked up the outlet of the lake; by which means a large tract of most fertile land was laid dry, and luxuriant crops were gathered from it for two or three years; until a fresh fall of rocks again filled up the channel, and restored the lake to its former dimensions. I have been assured, by one of the persons engaged in that enterprise, that the whole lake and marsh might be drained without difficulty, and at a moderate expense. Castle of Hûnîn.-Sept. 22nd. This fortress is the most conspicuous object on the western mountains. It stands out in bold relief, from Bâniâs almost due west, and has been in full view during all our rides for the last two days. The castle is an oblong quadrangle, rounded at the south end, and is about 900 feet long by 300 wide. It overhangs the very brow of the precipice, which on the east side falls sheer down to a great depth, towards the plain. On the north and west sides it is protected by a trench, hewn in the solid rock forty feet wide and fifteen or twenty deep. The southern and south-western parts are defended by six round towers, and a double wall. There are also three round towers on the eastern wall. The large area within was formerly covered with houses and magazines, and undermined by numerous cisterns. The village has no fountain, but depends entirely upon these cisterns; and the water at this dry season is very scarce and alive with animalcules. There is a fountain about a mile below the castle, near which I noticed foundations of ancient buldings. Probably the village was located there in former times. Insecurity has, however, obliged the people to settle The exact bearing of Hûnîn from Bânias, by compass, as afterwards taken by Rev. E. Smith, is S. 83° W.-E. R. around this feudal castle. The village is small and inhabited by Metawileh. Most of the works existing at present are quite modern; probably Saracenic or even Turkish. But the northern part bears undoubted marks of extreme antiquity. It is about 300 feet square, and surrounded on all sides by a ditch hewn in the solid rock, as described above. A few specimens of the original wall are still to be seen, and show that the whole was constructed of large bevelled stones bound together by iron clamps, bearing a close resemblance to works of Jewish or Phenician origin which I have seen at Jerusalem, and on the island Ruad, the ancient Aradus. May not this old castle mark the site of Hazor? We know that Hazor was a city of Naphtali, somewhere in the neighborhood of Kedesh, Abel, and Ijon. And if, as Josephus says,2 Hazor was on a high mountain above the Hûleh, this site accords well with his account; for it occupies precisely such a position, commanding a noble view of the plain, marsh and lake. It was, moreover, evidently built to command the passage round the north-western border of the marsh. There are there indications which seem to point out this place as being at least in the neighborhood of Hazor. When Tiglath Pileser attacked Pekah, king of Israel, he took Ijon, Abel, Kedesh, and Hazor. Now Ijon is Merj 'Ayûn; and Abel is the modern Âbil, directly north of Hûnîn; and Kedesh lies not far south of it. Hazor, therefore, must be either Hûnîn itself, or some place near it. In Joshua also Kedesh and Hazor are coupled together as two feudal or walled cities given to Naphtali.3 This much then is certain, that Hazor was a walled city, somewhere in this vicinity; and until it is farther identified, Hûnîn may stand for its site. And this is countenanced by the earliest mention we have of Hazor. Jabin, king of Hazor, hearing that Joshua had conquered all the south of Palestine, gathered a vast army from a great many neighboring cities, amongst which Hûnîn would be nearly the centre. With this host he took possession of the waters of Merom; that is, as I suppose, of the narrow passage between the marshes of the Hûleh and the mountain, below this very Hûnîn and near the great fountains of Derakît and el-Mellâhah. But Joshua fell upon them suddenly, overthrew and chased them to old Sidon, etc. Being routed, the host would necessarily rush along the narrow tract between the marsh and the mountains, up the rising plain of Merj 'Ayûn, under Hûnîn, and passing by Abel, would cross the Lîtâny below Külat esh-Shükif, the only practicable point on the way to Sidon. From this ford the road is direct and plain by Nebâtiyeh, Hab 1 Josh. 19: 36-38. 2 K. 15:29. Joseph. Ant. V. 5. 1. 4 Josh. 11: 1. sq. 1846.] Castle of Hûnîn. 203 bush, Deir Zahrâny, Zifty(?) and the sea-shore to Sidon. Joshua having chased them to this city, turned back, the narration says, and took Hazor and burnt it with fire. This was the only city that he burnt; and it is further said that Hazor was the head of all the surrounding kingdoms. The position of Hûnîn seems to meet all the intimation contained in this narrative. Subsequently we hear frequently of this Hazor, of its being rebuilt and repeatedly conquered. Josephus says that in the days of Deborah this Hazor had in pay 300,000 footmen, 10,000 horsemen, and 3,000 chariots;1 a story quite beyond the ne plus of my credulity. Hazor being by far the most powerful and celebrated of all the cities in this region, it becomes a question of interest to determine its location.2 Hûnîn belongs to Belâd Beshârah; and a branch of the ruling family formerly resided here. But since the great earthquake of June 1837, no part of the castle has been habitable; and these feudal chiefs have all settled in and around Tibnìn. Kedes, the ancient Kedesh Naphtali, lies on the same mountain ridge, a few miles further south. We regretted our inability to visit it.3 As the sun rose this morning, I ascended one of the eastern towers to take bearings, and enjoy another view of this magnificent prospect. The N. E. corner of the lake itself bore S. S. E. And in the extreme distance south, a little west, the mountains towards the Dead Sea are visible. Tell el-Kâdy is east a little north, and Bâniâs in the same line. The summit of Mount Hermon bears N. E. and the highest peak of Lebanon, north a little east; while the verdant carpet of Coelo-Syria lies spread out between the two. I envy not the man who can gaze on such a scene unmoved. Whatever is lovely in mountain, plain, marsh, and lake, is before the eye, and with surprising distinctness. Old Jebel eshSheikh, like a venerable Turk, with his head wrapped in a snowy turban, sits yonder on his throne in the sky, surveying with imperturbable dignity the fair lands below; and all around, east, west, north, south, mountain meets mountain to guard and gaze upon the lovely vale of the Hûleh. -What a constellation of venerable names! Lebanon and Hermon, Bashan and Gilead, Moab and Judah, Samaria and Galilee ! There too is the vast plain of Coelo-Syria, upper and lower, studded with trees, clothed with flocks, and dotted with Arab tents; and there the charming Hûleh with its hundred streams, glittering like silver lace on robes of green, and its thousand pools sparkling in the morning sun. Venerable and beautiful vale of the Hûleh, farewell! Region North of Hûnîn. 1 Joseph. Ant. V. 5.1. From Hûnîn, we set out to visit the castle of 2 See Notes at the end of the Article.-E. R. Kedes was visited in 1844 by the Rev. Eli Smith, who has a full account of it in manuscript.-E. R. |