[p.366] Om el Aamed (Arabic), situated close together upon low
elevations. At about four hours distant, to the east of our road, I
observed a chain of hills, which begins near Kalaat Zerka, passes to the
east of Amman, near the Kalaat el Belka, (a station of the Syrian Hadj,
called by the Bedouins Kalaat Remeydan [Arabic]), and continues as far as
Wady Modjeb. The mountains bear the name of El Zoble (Arabic); the Hadj
route to Mekka lies along their western side. At seven hours and a
quarter is El Kefeyrat (Arabic), a ruined town of some extent. In seven
hours and a half we came to the remains of a well paved ancient
causeway; my guide told me that this had been formerly the route of the
Hadj, and that the pavement was made by the Mohammedans; but it appeared
to me to be a Roman work. At the end of eight hours we reached Madeba,
built upon a round hill; this is the ancient Medaba, but there is no
river near it. It is at least half an hour in circumference; I observed
many remains of the walls of private houses, constructed with blocks of
silex; but not a single edifice is standing. There is a large Birket,
which, as there is no spring at Madeba might still be of use to the
Bedouins, were the surrounding ground cleared of the rubbish, to allow
the water to flow into it; but such an undertaking is far beyond the
views of the wandering Arab. On the west side of the town are the
foundations of a temple, built with large stones, and apparently of
great antiquity. The annexed is its form and dimensions. A part of its
eastern wall remains, constructed in the same style as the castle wall
at Amman. At the entrance of one of the courts stand two columns of the
Doric order, each of two pieces, without bases, and thicker in the
centre than at either extremity, a peculiarity of which this is the only
instance I have seen in Syria. More modern capitals have been added, one
of
[p.367] which is Corinthian and the other Doric, and an equally coarse
architrave has been laid upon them. In the centre of one of the courts
is a large well.
About half an hour west of Madeba (Arabic), are the ruins of El Teym
(Arabic), perhaps the Kerjathaim of the Scripture, where, according to
my guide, a very large Birket is cut entirely in the rock, and is still
filled in the winter with rain water. As there are no springs in this
part of the upper plain of the Belka, the inha[bi]tants were obliged to
provide by cisterns for their supply of water during the summer months.
We returned from Madeba towards the great road, where we fell in with a
large party of Bedouins, on foot, who were going to rob by night an
encampment of Beni Szakher, at least fourteen hours distant from hence.
Each of them had a small bag of flower on his back, some were armed with
guns and others with sticks. I was afterwards informed that they drove
off above a dozen camels belonging to the Beni Szakher. They pointed out
to us the place where their tribe was encamped, and as we were then
looking out for some place where we might get a supper, of which we
stood in great need, we followed the direction they gave us. In turning
a little westwards we entered the mountainous country which forms the
eastern border of the valley of the Jordan, and descending in a S.W.
direction along the windings of a Wady, we arrived at a large encampment
of Bedouins, at the end of ten hours and a half from our setting out in
the morning. The upper part of the mountains consists entirely of
siliceous rock. We passed on the road several spots where the Bedouins
cultivate Dhourra.
We were well received by the Bedouins of the encampment; who are on good
terms with the people of Szalt: one of the principal Sheikhs of which
place is married to the daughter of the chief of this tribe. They belong
to the Ghanemat, whose Sheikh, called