AMONG THE LEBANONS.
Before writing of the Holy Land, I shall devote an article to
the week which we spent among the Lebanons. While the trip from
Beyrout to Baalbek and Damascus is included in the advertisement of
Palestine tours, the places visited are not so intimately connected
with Bible history as those of Judea and Galilee.
Beyrout, the seaport for this section of Syria, has the best harbor
to be found on the east coast of the Mediterranean, and the city
is naturally a place of considerable size and importance. The
population is estimated at about one hundred and fifty thousand, and
the residence portion covers the foothills of the Lebanon range.
The principal industry is the production of raw silk, the mulberry
groves extending as far as the eye can reach.
The road from Beyrout to Baalbek climbs over the Lebanon range,
reaching in one place an altitude of about six thousand feet. The
view is one of rare beauty--the winding shore of the Mediterranean,
the terraced mountain sides and the snow clad peaks combining to
form an impressive picture. The far-famed cedars of Lebanon, some
of them sixteen feet in diameter, still crown the higher summits,
but few of them are visible from the train. A well built carriage
road follows the same general course as the railroad, but the latter
now monopolizes the traffic. The main line of the railroad runs to
Damascus, but in the Beka, as the valley of the Leontes is called at
this point, a branch has been built to Baalbek, where a wonderful
temple once stood.
The city of Baalbek was founded so long ago that history does not
record its beginning. Arab tradition peoples this district with
the earliest of the Bible characters. The tower of Babel has been
located at Baalbek by one tradition, while another has Cain building
a fortress there as a refuge. It is certain that the city ranks
among the oldest known to history, the location being probably
determined by the presence of a very large spring whose waters
would supply a great population. The name of the city (but a few
thousand inhabitants are to be found there now) indicates that it
was the center of Baal, or sun, worship. It is believed by those who
have made research that an ancient temple, built by the Egyptians
or Phoenicians, occupied the ground now covered by the ruins of a
later temple built by the Romans. It is this latter temple which
has drawn tourists from all over the world. It was begun during the
first century of the Christian era, and the work upon it continued
for more than two hundred years. It was dedicated to Jupiter and the
Sun, the worship of these two deities being combined. The Romans
even adopted the Greek name, Heliopolis, for the city, but the
Arabic designation, Baalbek, has survived.
[Illustration: TEMPLE AT BAALBEK]
This great temple was laid out upon an immense scale. First a
hill was built, filled with subterranean chambers, and upon the
massive walls which separated these chambers the superstructure was
reared. The temple was approached by a staircase one hundred and
fifty feet wide and entered through a hexagonal court two hundred
feet in diameter. Next came the great court, nearly four hundred
feet square, with an altar in the center. Both of these courts
were open, but had broad colonnades around the sides supported by
granite pillars brought from the upper Nile. These colonnades were
ornamented with carvings and contained two rows of niches, three
hundred and thirty altogether, formerly occupied by images. Our
guide, Mr. Alouf, whose pamphlet on Baalbek gives the results of
his fifteen years' study of the ruins, insists that the great court
was really a pantheon and contained all of the gods at that time
worshiped by the conquerors and by the native population.
The temple of Jupiter must have been a most impressive building. It
stood twenty-six feet above the courts and therefore about fifty
feet above the natural level of the ground around. It measured three
hundred and ten feet in length and one hundred and sixty in breadth.
Its outer wall supported fifty-four columns of Corinthian style,
each column being seventy feet in height, seven feet in diameter and
composed of three pieces. Six of these columns are still standing,
having survived three earthquakes and one mountain torrent. The
six columns with the capitals and cornice give some idea of the
magnificence of the temple before its decay. The stone used is taken
from a limestone quarry near the city, and the carving is excellent.
Enormous masses of stone lie scattered over the ground--parts of
pillars, pieces of cornice, and sections of the pediment. How
these huge blocks were ever lifted into place is still a matter of
conjecture. No mortar was used, and yet in some places the joints
are so nicely fitted and the stone so accurately cut that a knife
blade can not be inserted after a lapse of nearly twenty centuries.
Stupendous as is the plan of this wonderful temple and elaborate
as is its ornamentation, the most remarkable feature is the size
of the stones employed. The guide first shows a number of blocks
about thirty-three feet long, fourteen feet high and ten feet thick.
After one's wonder has had sufficient time to express itself, three
blocks are pointed out which measure sixty-four feet in length,
fourteen feet in height and twelve feet in thickness. The estimated
weight of one of these stones is nearly one thousand tons, and it is
calculated that it would require ten thousand horse power to lift
it. At the quarry about three-quarters of a mile away a companion
block, seventy-two feet long and about fifteen feet in height and
thickness is to be seen, chiseled from the stone about it, but not
entirely separated from the stratum beneath it. This was probably
intended for the sustaining wall around the temple. Whether it
remained at the quarry because the work was interrupted, or because
the builders despaired of being able to move it, is a secret which
the living are not able to reveal. After the decline of paganism
the Christians built a church in the great court, using the stones
and pillars for the walls. Then came the Mohammedans and turned the
courts and temple into a fortress, making use of the walls of the
church.
[Illustration: THE GIANT STONE AT BAALBEK.]
A little way distant from the great temple is a smaller temple
dedicated to Bacchus, which would of itself be sufficient to
distinguish a city, but for its more famous rival. This temple is
about two hundred and twenty-five feet long by one hundred and
ten feet wide, and a row of fifty columns, of which fourteen are
fluted, surround it. These columns are sixty feet in height and
about six feet in diameter. While smaller in its dimensions this
temple is even more elaborately carved than the larger one. Some
of the clusters of grapes are less than two inches in length but
exquisitely wrought. This temple is in a much better state of
preservation than the great temple and is therefore in some respects
even more interesting.
Emperor William of Germany visited Baalbek in 1898 and was so
impressed by the ruins that he obtained permission from the
sultan to clear away the debris, and the traveling world is under
obligations to him for having made it possible to inspect the
foundations and the ground plan. In this connection it may be added
that Emperor William seems to take a deep interest in this part of
Asia. He visited Jerusalem to lay the corner stone of the German
church; he sent to Damascus a beautiful bronze wreath to adorn the
tomb of the great Mohammedan general, Saladin, and he has encouraged
the establishment of German colonies in Palestine. There are German
settlements of considerable size at Jerusalem, Joppa, and Haifa. At
four places we found German hotels, and it is needless to say that
they are kept with the excellence characteristic of the race.
The friendship which the emperor has shown for the sultan seems to
be reciprocated, for roads were built, harbors improved and many
other things done in honor of his visit. We have heard all sorts of
rumors as to the kaiser's intentions, but the only thing that seems
certain is that German influence in this part of Asia is increasing.
While Baalbek contains the largest and most famous ruins, it is not
the only place that attracts the archæologist. There are hundreds
of sites of ancient cities which abundantly repay the excavator.
Specimens of Greek and Roman art have been found on both sides of
the Jordan as well as along the Mediterranean coast. The tombs also
have yielded up their treasures and the museums of the world have
been supplied with tear bottles, perfumery jars, vases, bowls,
scarabs, ancient coins, etc.
The Phoenicians are credited with having invented the making of
glass in the days when Tyre and Sidon were their chief cities. It is
said that the art owes its discovery to the use of saltpeter in the
place of stones by some sailors who landed at the mouth of the river
Belos, near Akka. Finding no stones upon which to put their kettles,
they used blocks of saltpeter and were surprised to find that the
fire had fused the sand and saltpeter into a transparent substance.
The industry was inaugurated at Tyre and Sidon, and for some time
the Phoenicians supplied the world with glass. The bottles and vases
found from time to time in the tombs of Syria and Egypt are more
beautiful than when they left the hand of the manufacturer; the
outer surface has decayed, and beneath are revealed all the colors
of the rainbow. It was the custom to fill the tear bottles with
tears of the mourners and to bury them with the dead.
The scarab, which is found so often in the ancient tombs in Syria
and in Egypt, is the old fashioned tumble-bug or dung beetle
with which every boy, or at least every country or village boy,
is familiar. I little thought, when I used to see the tumble-bug
rolling his little globe of manure along the dusty road, that he was
considered a sacred insect several thousand years ago or that he was
ever used as a symbol of the Creator; and yet his likeness adorns
temples and tombs while his image, cut in stone and bearing the
seal of rulers, has been found by the thousands. Often the heart of
a dead person was removed and a scarab inserted in its place. The
scarab, rolling its ball, typified to the ancient an unseen power
guiding the sun while the bursting of the young bug from its egg in
the ball symbolized the resurrection--to what classical uses this
commonplace little insect was put!
[Illustration: CEDARS OF LEBANON]
Among those who have been instrumental in bringing the hidden
treasures of Syria to the attention of the world, Mr. Azeez Khayat,
a native of Tyre, but now an American citizen, deserves special
mention. Many American museums are indebted to him for their
collections.
Speaking of Tyre and Sidon reminds me that in the study of Syria
and Palestine, I ran across an early instance of monopoly. Josephus
accuses John of Gischala of monopolizing the oil business on the
Mediterranean coast. It was early in the Christian era that the
aforesaid John, according to Josephus, convinced the Jews who dwelt
in Syria that they were obliged to use oil made by others, and the
historian adds: "So he (John) bought four amphoræ with such Syrian
money as was of the value of four Attic drachmæ and sold every half
amphor at the same price; and as Galilee was very fruitful in oil
and was peculiarly so at this time, by sending away great quantities
and having the sole privilege so to do, he gathered an immense sum
of money together."
This is interesting and instructive. It shows, first, that monopoly
is an ancient evil and, second, that the monopolist in his
inclination to take advantage of the consumer by raising the price
was much the same then as now--but I have been afraid, ever since I
read of John of Gischala, that some American named John might try to
imitate him and establish a monopoly in our country--possibly in oil.
But on to Damascus--and we reached it all too soon, for the ride
across the Anti-Lebanon range is also picturesque. The route down
the east side of the mountain follows the valley of the Abana, a
splendid stream, worthy of the compliment paid it by Naaman. It
leaps from the mountain side a full grown river and plunges down
into the plain only to be lost in the sands, but not until it has
brought verdure to many square miles that would otherwise be barren.
It is easy to understand why Damascus is among the oldest, if not
actually the oldest, of all the cities still standing. It occupies
the one green spot in all that section and is the outpost of the
Mediterranean coast. The Arabian desert stretches to the east and
southeast for hundreds of miles, and the caravans from Persia and
Arabia pass through Damascus on their way to Egypt even now, as they
did when Babylon and Ninevah were young; it is also on the road
between the great East and Tyre and Sidon.
[Illustration: BEYROUTH--SYRIA]
Damascus is an Oriental city and is still innocent of the ways of
the western world. Its bazaars give one a glimpse of life as it was
before Europe and America were known to history. The government
is erecting public buildings according to modern plans; but the
covered streets, lined with little booths, the homes of the people,
the dress, the customs and the habits are the same that they were
when Saul of Tarsus wandered down the street "called Straight" in
search of the one who was to restore his sight. (This street though
straight as compared with the other streets, is hardly deserving of
the name which it still bears.)
As in Cairo, the different trades have different sections. The
dealers in sugar occupy one quarter; the silversmiths, the candy
manufacturers, the blacksmiths, the carpenters--each class has its
cluster of shops. The Arabian horse being the pride of the Bedouin,
we were not surprised to find much attention paid to the manufacture
of saddles, saddle bags, bridles and trappings, only they were for
the most part made of wool and cotton rather than of leather. Bright
colors, tassels, fringes, shells and ostrich feathers are employed
in the ornamentation of the horse, the donkey and the camel.
[Illustration: THE BIG TAIL SHEEP.]
The candies of Damascus are good and very cheap, and nuts of all
kinds are to be found in abundance, an excellent variety of walnut
being grown within the city limits. Naturally this city is a market
for Persian rugs and large stocks are kept on hand. While the people
make everything which enters into the daily life of the country,
they are especially skilled in brass, damascene ware and the
inlaying of wood with mother-of-pearl.
Damascus is not especially noted for places of historical interest.
The tourist is shown the house of Ananias and the window through
which Paul was let down from the wall, but it is doubtful whether
the identity of these places has been really established. A house,
known as the house of Naaman the Leper, is now very appropriately
used for a leper's home. There is no uncertainty about the river
Abana, and another river near Damascus known as Pharpar. An ancient
wall surrounds the city, and one of the largest mosques in the world
occupies ground first dedicated to a heathen temple and afterward to
the church of St. John the Baptist, erected by Arcadius, the son of
Theodosius.
[Illustration: DAMASCUS DOGS.]
The big-tailed sheep described by Herodotus is to be found on the
streets of Damascus. It is a peculiar breed, and the tail, which is
considered a great delicacy, is often so heavy as to seem a burden
to the sheep. It is broad, covered with wool, and sometimes ends in
a curl. We also saw here the long-eared goats, as curious looking in
their way as the sheep.
And what shall we say of the Damascus dog? He is to be found
everywhere and has no owner. We counted eighteen in one group and
two hundred and thirty-eight in one forenoon's ride. They live on
charity and fight whenever an opportunity offers. It seems to be
against the law of the sultan to kill dogs, as one learns to his
regret after he has heard them barking at all hours of the night. It
is superfluous to add that the flea is as common as the dog, and as
indifferent also to the peace of the stranger.
A new railroad which is now building from Damascus to the south will
soon make it possible to go to Galilee in a few hours, but now it is
more convenient to return to Beyrout and go to Haifa by boat. This
we did, and having a couple of days at Beyrout we learned something
of the religious work done there.
In the division of territory the Presbyterians of America were, in
1870, assigned the country around Beyrout. The district is divided
into the Beyrout, Lebanon, Sidon and Tripoli stations, and at all of
these stations schools, as well as churches, are being established.
So successful has the work been that the native communities now
contribute half a dollar for every dollar sent from America. There
is also an American press at Beyrout which publishes the Bible
in Arabic, some eighty thousand copies being issued last year in
addition to religious tracts of various kinds. One of the leaders
in the missionary movement, Rev. H. H. Jessup, has completed his
fiftieth year of service among the Syrians.
The Syrian Protestant college is also located in Beyrout; it
occupies a beautiful site overlooking the sea and is in sight of
the highest peak of the Lebanons. While Christian in management,
this college is not denominational but is under the control of an
American board representing a number of churches. Between six and
seven hundred young men are in attendance, and its graduates are
scattered throughout the world. Within its halls are to be found
Protestants, Catholics (both Greek and Roman), Armenians, Jews and
Mohammedans, and its influences in these parts can scarcely be
overestimated.
The present president of the college, Dr. Howard S. Bliss, is the
worthy son of the college's first president, Dr. Daniel Bliss, whose
religious and educational work in this territory covers more than
half a century. The elder Bliss, now past eighty-three, and his wife
are enjoying an enviable experience. Their active labors over, with
minds still alert and with hearts still young, they are spending the
evening of their lives near the scenes of their labors and among the
children and grandchildren who have blessed their home. Their rest
has been earned, and the peace of their latter years is a merited
reward. Surely they illustrate the blessedness of lives consecrated
to a high purpose and rich in noble service.