Ride to _Jerash_--Magnificent ruins--Circassian
colonists--History--Preservation of buildings--East of
Jordan--_Sûf_--A moonlight scene--Down to the Jabbok.
[Illustration: JERASH, GATEWAY]
OUR _Bozrah_ guide was first in the saddle, and, starting out along
the valley, he led the way towards _Jerash_; from this point, however,
his office was a sinecure, the road being well marked. We followed the
winding path through wooded vale and over wooded hill until we reached
a height overlooking rich, cultivated flats, to which we descended by a
rocky track, leaving for a time the woodland behind us. Here we found
a road on which some labour had been expended, passing between fields
partly surrounded by stone walls.
Going forward, we met a cart of antique shape, drawn by a team of
oxen, guided by a sturdy Circassian, who was seated in front. The
cart was long, narrow, and deep; the axles were wide, and the wheels
low. It resembled those still to be seen in many country districts on
the continent of Europe. The type may have been introduced into this
country by the German colonists. These carts are the only wheeled
vehicles used as yet by agriculturists in Palestine, of whom, next
to the Germans, the Circassians are perhaps the most successful. We
spoke to the driver, but received for reply only a bow, and sundry
gestures by which he manifestly sought to make himself agreeable, from
which it could also be inferred that he knew no Arabic. Our way led
round the left shoulder of a little hill, and down a gentle incline,
when, suddenly, almost the whole extent of the ruins on the southern
bank of the stream came into view. Men and animals were gladdened by
the cheerful sound of flowing water. Just where the road turns sharply
to the right towards the ancient city gate, we struck an irrigation
channel, full of clear, cool water. After a general scramble for
the refreshing liquid, in which riders and horses seemed to mingle
indiscriminately, spectacles, etc., being dropped into the stream
and duly fished up again, we assumed a more dignified attitude, and
prepared to enter the city. On the height to the right were several
empty sarcophagi and burial caverns. We traversed the whole length of
the city on the northern side of the valley, and pitched our tents
under the cliffs just outside the boundary, beyond a copious fountain,
over which remains of Greek buildings are still standing. It was yet
early afternoon, and most of us were at once drawn forth to see the
splendid ruins.
_Jerash_, or, as it was anciently called, _Gerasa_, stands in _Wady
ed-Deir_, on either side of a perennial stream which flows into the
Jabbok a few miles to the south, and one of the sources of which is the
fountain above mentioned, at the north-west corner of the city. All
the principal buildings of which anything noteworthy remains are on
the southern bank of the brook. The ground rises quickly from the bed
of the stream, some fifty to a hundred feet, and then slopes gradually
backward. Upon this higher part, almost all the magnificence of the
old city was gathered. From north-west to south-east runs the famous
street, paved throughout, and lined on either side its whole length
with fine columns, many of which are standing, capitals and architrave
being in parts almost perfect still.
Of _Jerash_ we may say generally, it is the best preserved of all the
ruined cities east of Jordan. The ruins are weather-worn and beaten
with the storms of centuries; earthquakes have shaken down many once
splendid buildings, but there were no traces of the destroying hand
of man. The Circassians have now supplied this lack. One fears that
much of value and interest has already perished under their hammers,
as they sought materials to build their houses. This points the urgent
necessity to have the ruins thoroughly explored, and measures taken at
once to secure what is worth preserving. Passing along the street from
the north-west, we first saw a small theatre to the right, now sadly
ruined. A little farther forward, on the same side, stands what must
have been by far the finest building of all, as it still is the most
imposing ruin. This is known as the Temple of the Sun. Situated on an
elevated terrace, it is approached by a broad stairway, which leads to
the portico. This consists of three rows of columns of magnificent
proportions and artistic workmanship. Originally fourteen in number,
the greater part are still in position. Of the principal building, the
area is now blocked up with fallen stones. The temple stands in the
middle of a court, once surrounded by a colonnade, and measures some
eighty feet by seventy. The position commands a fine view of the city.
In the near neighbourhood to the south and west are traces of columns,
arches, etc., which may have belonged to smaller temples. There are
also remains of a church. But all are so buried beneath their own ruins
that it is impossible now to speak of them with certainty. On the other
side of the road are remains of baths and of a basilica. The pillared
street terminates in a circular area surrounded by columns, of which
nearly all are standing; many still supporting pieces of the architrave.
[Illustration: JERASH, TEMPLE OF THE SUN]
Beyond this, on rising ground, close to the ancient city wall, are
the ruins of a large theatre and temple. The rows of stone seats in
the former are well preserved. The slopes in front are literally
heaped with great stones and pieces of colossal columns, while the
amount of building underground seems almost equal to what is seen
above. The acoustics of these theatres are perfect. Once, with some
friends, I made trial of that at Gadara; the lowest articulate sounds
were audible throughout the entire building. A little to the east of
the temple, a road leads off directly to the south, passing under a
triumphal arch, dating, probably, from the time of Trajan. To the
west of the road, just inside the triumphal arch, lay the Naumachia
(for mock sea-fights), without which these cities would seem to have
been incomplete. Westward, outside the city wall, are great numbers of
sarcophagi. This, apparently, was the chief ancient burying-ground.
Nowhere, not even at Gadara where these are numerous, have I seen so
many stony receptacles of the dead lying exposed. All have been opened
long ago, many of the lids being broken, no doubt, in the feverish
search for hidden treasure.
Turning back, we walked the whole length of the street, noting the
remains of a _tetrapylon_ near the southern end, and of another not far
from the northern end, in each case traces of the ruined arches being
distinguishable. The ancient gateway to the north is blocked up, but
a passage is cut through the great mound of stones which once formed
the wall; and along this a considerable volume of water, caught in the
higher reaches of the valley and led captive hither, passes, to turn
the picturesque old mill below. Above the city, on the southern bank
of the stream, are numbers of sarcophagi, many of them adorned with
sculptured wreaths, roses, and heads in relief. There are traces of
what must have been a large and fine building, with broken columns and
sculptured stones. Several mutilated Greek inscriptions are to be seen
among the ruins. In the cliffs north-east of the stream, above the spot
where our camp was pitched, are several large natural caverns, which do
not seem to have been used for any other purpose than the sheltering
of flocks. Beyond the city wall, to the north-east, however, are many
sepulchral caves, some of those visited being hewn out of the living
rock.
The northern bank of the stream is now occupied by a colony of
Circassians, whose neatly-built and plastered houses, each with a
walled court in front, contrast most favourably with those of any of
the native peasants in Palestinian villages. The houses were built for
the most part of ordinary materials, very few of the sculptured stones
from the ancient city being employed. This may be accounted for by the
fact that few public buildings of any importance stood on this side of
the stream. Since then these settlers have gone farther afield, to the
peril, as we have seen, of what lends _Jerash_ its attractions for us.
Entering the town from the north, we find the fountain arched over,
from which the main supply of the colony is obtained; beautiful, clear,
cool water it is. In the lower ground to the right are vestiges of a
temple, around which the colonists have fine gardens. Turning up to the
left, for a long distance the city wall is almost intact. Within the
wall, to the south-east, are prostrate columns and sculptured stones,
marking the site of a building of no little splendour, but whether
palace or temple, it is impossible to say.
Outside the wall are scanty remains which may indicate the position
of an ancient church. Judging by the magnificence of many of the
sarcophagi found here, this may have been the burying-ground of the
greater ones. Just below, by the wayside, at the entrance to the modern
village, lies the Circassian graveyard. The graves are of the ordinary
Moslem type--little mounds with a protuberance at each end, supposed
resting-places for the angels. Here, however, the Circassians seem
to expend but little care. The whole place was overgrown with rank
grass, nettles, and thistles. The stream which divides ancient from
modern _Jerash_ is lined with oleanders, whose luxuriant growth in many
places quite hides the rippling waters. Just where it passes beyond the
boundary of the town it plunges in foamy streaks over a high cliff into
a romantic ravine, whence issues the music of a water-mill.
Of the Circassians who now occupy the place, we learned that only some
six years before they had come hither. The Turk, finding it hard to
control these brave, free-spirited people among their native mountains,
has been carrying out gradually the policy of expatriation, adopted
wholesale by ancient conquerors in these regions. Removed from the
associations of childhood and the inspiring memories that haunt the
scenes around them in their highland homes, required to work hard for
the mere necessities of life, their rulers hope to make docile subjects
out of these once turbulent clans. Colonies are scattered over all
Syria and Palestine. One large village is occupied by them on the
heights between Tiberias and Tabor. Old _Kuneitera_, in the _Jaulân_,
is awakening to new life at their touch. In their agricultural
enterprises they are protected by their reputation for absolute
fearlessness, unwavering resolution in avenging an injury, and skill
in the handling of their weapons. Roving _Bedawy_ and robber peasant
alike stand in wholesome dread of their keen blade and unerring bullet.
They can thus reckon with certainty on reaping what they have sown,
and enjoying the fruits of their labours. They scruple not, therefore,
to put hard work into the soil. Gathering the stones from the surface,
they form walls along the boundaries of their fields. Their implements,
although antiquated, are yet an improvement on those employed by the
ordinary fellahîn. The qualities that protect them from thief and
robber also secure them in great measure against the unjust exactions
of a corrupt Government, and guarantee them entire immunity from
outrage at the hands of the soldiery, to which the miserable peasants
have so often to submit.
Of the history of _Jerash_ but little is known. Josephus places it
in the Decapolis, and in his day it must have been a city of some
importance. It was one of the chief cities in the Roman province of
Arabia. In the days of Bozrah’s splendour, _Jerash_ must also have been
a wealthy commercial centre, Arabian and Egyptian caravans probably
passing this way to the north. Baldwin II., in 1121, is said to have
marched against _Jerash_, but already in the thirteenth century the
city is described as deserted. Why, we cannot tell.
[Illustration: JERASH, STREET OF COLUMNS]
To the west of Jordan there are very few ancient sites where remains
of any consequence are to be seen. The few half-buried pillars of
Herod’s colonnade at Samaria and the ruined synagogue at _Tell Hûm_ are
about the most important, outside the discoveries made in Jerusalem.
The most famous sites are marked only by pottery-strewn heaps, or
stretches of shapeless ruins. These are insignificant when compared
with the massive walls and stately columns with artistic adornments
that meet one everywhere on the east of Jordan. The west, more open to
influences from without, has suffered heavily under the many changes
it has experienced. Ancient structures were carried off bodily to form
new buildings of a more temporary character. These soon perished, the
old materials being thus scattered or buried under the debris and
dirt. Several causes have contributed to the better preservation of
the cities east of Jordan. The land has been much more secluded from
foreign influence, and, since the days of the Mohammedan conquest, can
hardly be said to have been in contact with the outside world at all.
The inhabitants, being chiefly dwellers in tents, have had no occasion
to employ ancient materials for the building of houses. The peasants
who do occupy stone houses have usually found all the shelter they
required in the durable structures of basalt, which are so numerous,
ready to their hands. A company, moving to village or town, simply
swung back the stone doors, opened the stone shutters, swept out
the rooms, and took possession, finding thus much finer houses than
they could have constructed for themselves. If they did require to
build, the smaller stones of the ruins around served their purposes
admirably, and the remains of the larger buildings, spared through
centuries by storm and earthquake, secured immunity from attack.
_Sûf_, reputed Mizpah, the famous meeting-place of Jacob and Laban,
where he fled with his wives, children, and possessions, lies only
about an hour to the north-west of _Jerash_. On the occasion of a
second visit to the district, I passed through this village. It stands
on the south-west lip of the _wady_, which here is of considerable
depth. The houses are of the common type, built of white limestone and
mud. It is inhabited by Moslems. When I saw it, a large weather-worn,
goats’-hair tent was pitched in the middle of the village, where the
youth of _Sûf_ assembled to learn verses of the _Korʾân_ from the lips
of the _Khatîb_--probably the only man in the village who knew how to
read and write. The numerous dolmens in the vicinity point back to a
very high antiquity.
On the same occasion I enjoyed the exquisite pleasure of seeing the
beautiful ruins of _Jerash_ under the mellow beams of the moon. It was
a sight never to be forgotten. The kindly light, hiding all that was
defective, seemed to reveal only what was fair, throwing its delicate
splendours over tall column and massive wall, until the ancient city
seemed to stand before us in all its ancient magnificence; and one
could almost imagine, through the quiet night, the echoing footfall of
the Roman guard along the pillared street.
[Illustration: JERASH, GENERAL VIEW]
Our road lay through the triumphal arch and down _Wady ed-Deir_ to
the Jabbok. Just on the point of starting we were treated to another
entertainment by our friend the cook. From this point southward he
was quite familiar with the country, but he feigned first ignorance
and then fear, in order to secure a convoy from _Jerash_. For sake of
peace and pleasantness we had almost yielded to his importunity, but
the man he brought forward was so exorbitant in his demands, doubtless
instructed by the cook, that he received unceremonious dismissal. The
road could not be hard to find in any case, so we set out, leaving
the knight of the toasting-fork to follow at his leisure. Soon he
thought better of it, and took his place again at the head of the
procession. In the lower reaches of the valley we saw further evidence
of Circassian industry, in the rich crops that waved by the wayside. A
short distance east of our route lies a small village, which takes its
name from the saint whose tomb stands there--_Neby Hûd_, renowned in
ancient Arab story.
We took the more easterly of two possible roads--the longer, but also
the easier for the animals. The greater variety and beauty of the
scenery repay the extra travel. The descent into the Jabbok valley
winds down a narrow ravine, turning sharply round jutting crags, and,
in parts, almost precipitous. Oaks and thorns clung to the steeps;
luxuriant vegetation covered the ground. The fertile soil of the
valley supported a fine crop of wheat. The line of the river could
be traced by a winding glory of oleander bloom, overtopped by tall,
gracefully-bending papyrus reeds, whose heavy heads swayed in the
breeze. Reaching the “brook,” we found the bed more than half dry,
but even thus the water took the horses above the saddle-girths. With
a short struggle, we all landed safely on the other side. During the
winter months this must be a perfectly impassable torrent.
On the farther bank we sat to rest and lunch. The horses too refreshed
themselves before facing the steep mountain in front. We gathered
bunches of papyrus heads--an operation requiring both care and skill,
as we found the undergrowth bound together with trailing brambles,
furnished with the sharpest of prickles. Two square towers stand one at
each end of the meadow in which we halted. They have not the appearance
of great antiquity. There is no entrance to their interior, and their
use we were unable to discover.
Climbing the mountains south of the Jabbok, or _Zerka_--“the blue”
river, as it is now called--was the hardest work our horses had
to face. The track was narrow, and the foothold often extremely
precarious, especially over rocky parts where a slip would have meant
a fall of hundreds of feet. What a tremendous gorge that Jabbok is! It
literally cleaves the country in twain.
[Illustration: GORGE OF THE JABBOK]
Now we were within the borders of the modern province of _el-Belkâ_,
of which _es-Salt_ is the principal--indeed, the only--city. This lies
in the land of the ancient Ammonites. These cool, breezy uplands,
beautifully diversified with wooded knoll and pleasant vale, in
which may be heard the murmur of flowing water most of the year, offer
a rich return to the hand of the enterprising and diligent cultivator.
But whence is he to come? Numerous are the flocks and herds that browse
on the grassy slopes, find shelter in the shady woods, and drink from
the oleander-fringed streams in the vales. But no one who sees it can
for a moment suppose that this rich soil is designed simply for the
support of sheep and oxen. Those who hope for the return of Israel to
the land of their fathers should turn their eyes rather to this rich
and empty land than to the more populous and less kindly country west
of Jordan.