the shoush, overtaking us, led us back to the more northern and more
difficult but shorter path which our camels had taken. The ascent was
very steep indeed; and the path then wound along the mountain-side and
across ravines, till at length we reached the olive-grove which
surrounds the Kasr Ghurián; but in the dark we had some difficulty in
reaching it, and still more in finding our companions, who at length,
however, rejoined the party. In order to obtain something to eat, we
were obliged to pay our respects to the governor; but the Turks in the
castle were so suspicious that they would scarcely admit us. When at
last they allowed us to slip through the gate in single file, they
searched us for arms; but the governor having assured himself that we
had no hostile intention, and that we were furnished with a letter from
the basha, sent a servant to procure us a lodging in the homestead or
housh of a man called Ibrahim, where we pitched our tent. It was then
nine o’clock; and we felt quite disposed to enjoy some food and repose.
[Sidenote: Wednesday, February 13th.]
We paid a visit to the governor, who, as well as the aghá, received us
with the civility usual with Turks, and, in order to do us honour,
ordered the garrison, consisting of 200 men, to pass in review before
us. They were good-looking men and well conditioned, though generally
rather young. He then showed us the magazines, which are always kept in
good order, for fear of a revolt, but will be of no avail so long as the
command rests with ignorant and unprincipled men. It is built on a spur
of the tableland, commanding on the south and south-west side the Wadi
Rummána and the highroad into the interior. Towards the north the lower
hilly ground intervenes between it and Mount Tekút.
Having returned to our quarters, we started on foot a little after mid-
day, on an excursion to Mount Tekút, which, from its elevation and its
shape, appeared to us well worth a visit. Descending the slope by the
“trík tobbi,” a road made by the Turks, we reached the eastern foot of
the mountain, after an hour and a half’s expeditious march through the
village Gwásem, and olive-groves, and over a number of subterranean
dwellings. My companion went round to the south side in search of an
easier ascent. I chose the cliff just above us, which, though steep,
indeed, and difficult on account of scattered blocks and stones, was not
very high. Having once climbed it, I had easier work, keeping along the
crest, which, winding upwards in a semicircle, gradually led to the
highest point of the mountain, on the north side, with an absolute
elevation of about 2800 feet. On the top are the ruins of a chapel of Si
Ramadhán, which, I think, is very rarely visited. The crest, which has
fallen in on the S.E. side, encloses a perfectly circular little plain,
resembling an amphitheatre, and called Shʿabet Tekút. The mount appears
evidently to have been an active volcano in former times, yet my
companion declared the rock not to be pure basalt. The view was very
extensive, and I was able to take the angles of several conspicuous
points. After we had satisfied our curiosity, we descended along the
northern slope, which is much more gradual, being even practicable for
horses, and left the “Shʿabet” by the natural opening. Thence we
returned along the path called Um e’ Nekhél, which passes by the Roman
sepulchre described by Lyon in general terms[15], and situated in a very
conspicuous position.
[Sidenote: Thursday, February 14th.]
Accompanied by the shoush, I made an excursion in a south-westerly
direction. The villages, at least those above the ground, are generally
in a wretched condition and half deserted; still the country is in a
tolerable state of cultivation, saffron and olive-trees being the two
staple articles of industry. Passing the little subterranean village of
Shuedeya, we reached the Kasr Teghrínna, originally a Berber settlement,
as its name testifies, with a strong position on a perfectly detached
hill. At present the kasr, or the village on the hill-top, is little
more than a heap of ruins, inhabited only by a few families. At the
northern foot of the hill a small village has recently been formed,
called Menzel Teghrínna. On the west and east sides the hill is
encompassed by a valley with a fine olive-grove, beyond which the Wadi
el Arbʿa stretches westwards; and it was by this round-about way that my
guide had intended to take me from Wadi el Ugla to Kasr Ghurián.
Protected by the walls, I was able to take a few angles; but the strong
wind which prevailed soon made me desist.
From this spot I went to the villages called Ksúr Gamúdi. These once
formed likewise a strong place, but were entirely destroyed in the last
war, since which a new village has arisen at the foot of the rocky
eminence. A few date-trees grow at the N. foot of the hill, while it is
well known, that the palm is rare in the Ghurián. As I was taking angles
from the top of the hill, the inhabitants of the village joined me, and
manifested a friendly disposition, furnishing me readily with any
information, but giving full vent to their hatred of the Turks. As the
most remarkable ruins of the time of the Jahalíyeh—or the pagans, as the
occupants of the country before the time of Mohammed are called,—they
mentioned to me, besides Ghirze, a tower or sepulchre called Metuḯje,
about two days’ journey S.E.; Beluwár, another tower-like monument at
less distance; and in a S.W. direction ʿAmúd, a round edifice which has
not yet been visited by any European.
The valley at the foot of the Ksúr Gamúdi is watered by several abundant
springs, which once supplied nourishment for a great variety of
vegetables; but the kitchen-gardens and orchards are at present
neglected, and corn alone is now cultivated as the most necessary want.
The uppermost of these springs, which are stated to be six in number, is
called Sma Rhʿain—not an Arabic name. Beyond, towards the south, is
Jehésha, further eastward Usáden, mentioned by Lyon, with a chapel, Geba
with a chapel, and, going round towards the north, Shetán, and further
on Mésufín. The country beyond Kuléba, a village forming the southern
border of the Ghurián, is called Ghadáma, a name evidently connected
with that of Ghadámes, though we know the latter to be at least of two
thousand years’ standing.
Continuing our march through the valley N.E., and passing the village
Bu-Mát and the ruined old places called Hanshír Metelíli and Hanshír
Jamúm[16], we reached the ruins of another old place called Hanshír
Settára, in the centre of the olive-grove. The houses, which in general
are built of small irregular stones, present a remarkable contrast to a
pair of immense slabs, above ten feet long and regularly hewn, standing
upright, which I at first supposed to be remnants of a large building;
but having since had a better opportunity of studying this subject, I
concluded that they were erected, like the cromlechs, for some religious
purpose. On the road back to our encampment, the inhabitants of Gamúdi,
who were unwilling to part company with me, gave vent to their hatred
against the Turks in a singular way. While passing a number of saffron-
plantations, which I said proved the productiveness of their country,
they maintained that the present production of saffron is as nothing
compared to what it was before the country came into the impious hands
of the Osmanlis. In former times, they said, several stems usually shot
forth from the same root, whereas now scarcely a single sample can be
found with more than one stalk,—a natural consequence of the
contamination or pollution (nejes) of the Turks, whose predominance had
caused even the laws of nature to deteriorate. In order to prove the
truth of this, they went about the fields and succeeded in finding only
a single specimen with several stems issuing from the same root.
Passing the subterranean villages of Suayeh and Ushen, and further on
that called Housh el Yehúd, which, as its name indicates, is entirely
inhabited by Jews, we reached our encampment in the housh of Ibrahim.
The subterranean dwellings which have been described by Captain
Lyon[17], seem to me to have originated principally with the Jews, who,
from time immemorial had become intimately connected with the Berbers,
many of the Berber tribes having adopted the Jewish creed; and just in
the same way as they are found mingling with the Berbers in these
regions—for the original inhabitants of the Ghurián belong entirely to
the Berber race—on friendly terms, so are they found also in the
recesses of the Atlas in Morocco.
[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.
M. & N. Hanhart, lith. et impt.
KASR GHURIÁN.
Feby. 13th. 1850.]
I then went to see the market, which is held every Thursday on the open
ground at the east side of the castle, close to the northern edge of the
ridge. Though much better supplied than that near Kasr Jebel, it was yet
extremely poor; only a single camel was offered for sale. This results
from the mistrust of the inhabitants, who, in bringing their produce to
the great market at Tripoli, are less exposed to vexations than here.
When taking leave of the Kaimakám, we found the whole castle beset by
litigants. I saw in the company of the governor the chief of the Haj
caravan, the Sheikh el Rakeb, of whose grand entrance into the town I
had been witness. The aghá, wanting to show us their little paradise,
accompanied us into the Wadi Rummána, which, in a direction from S.E. to
N.W., winds along the southern foot of the ridge on which the castle is
situated. Though it looks rather wild and neglected, it is a charming
retreat for the leisure hours of a governor of a place like this. It is
irrigated by a very powerful spring issuing from the limestone rock in a
channel widened by art, and then dividing into several little rills,
which are directed over the terraces of the slope. These, of course,
have been raised by art, and are laid out in orchards, which, besides
the pomegranates which have given their name to the valley, produce
sferéj (sfarájel)—the Malum Cydonium—of an excellent quality, figs,
grapes, and almonds. A path, practicable even for horses, leads down
from the castle to the spring. Before I left this charming spot, I made
a sketch of the valley, with the castle on the cliffs, which is
represented in the accompanying plate.
[Footnote 10: I can scarcely believe this to be correct; for all the
water descending from the Jebel Yefren evidently joins the little wadi
which runs on the east side of Zwára (Zwára el Gharbíye). I am sure that
he spoke of the torrents descending from the Ghurián, which, without
doubt, join the Wadi Haera, and, if very exuberant, will reach the sea
at Zenzúr.]
[Footnote 11: Mr. Overweg, who made a hypsometrical observation by
boiling water, found the elevation of this spot just the same as that of
Mount Tekút, viz. 2800 feet.]
[Footnote 12: In El Bekri’s time (11th century) all these Roman
monuments hereabout were still the objects of adoration. “De nos jours
encore, toutes les tribus berbères qui habitent aux environs offrent à
cette idole des sacrifices, lui adressent des prières pour obtenir la
guérison de leurs maladies, et lui attribuent l’accroissement de leurs
richesses.”—_Notices et Extraits_, vol. xii. p. 458.]
[Footnote 13: These villages are as follows:—Bú-Jáfet, Amsír, Welád Bu-
Síri, El Abaiyát, Welád Músa, Welád Naʿam, Welád Amrán, Ghurfa, Welád
Si-Ammer, El Khodhúr, Nsú, Takbán, Welád Sʿaid, Gujíla (consisting of
four separate villages), Jendúba, Welád Bú-Músi, Msaida, El Fratsa,
Shehésh, Negúr, and El Makhrúg.]
[Footnote 14: Compare what Captain Lyon narrates with regard to the
valley of Beniulíd, p. 61. of his Narrative.]
[Footnote 15: Lyon’s Narrative, p. 30.]
[Footnote 16: I will only mention, that the name “Hanshír” is evidently
the same word with the “Hazeroth” of the Hebrew wanderers.]
[Footnote 17: The name of this part of the mountains has, I think, been
erroneously brought into connexion with these caves. For, from the word
ghár, غَارٌ, the regular and only plural form besides اغوار is غِيرَان.
E’ Sheikh e’ Tijāni certainly (Journal Asiatique, série v. tom. i. p.
110.) calls it expressly by this name, غيران. But we see from Ebn
Khaldún (t. i. p. 275. transl.) that Ghurián was the name of a tribe.]
CHAP. III.
FERTILE MOUNTAIN REGION RICH IN ANCIENT REMAINS.
It was past three in the afternoon of Thursday, February 14th, when we
started from the dwelling of our host, in order to pursue our route in a
south-easterly direction. We were agreeably surprised to see fine
vineyards at the village called Jelíli; but the cultivation of olive-
trees seemed almost to cease here, while the country became quite open,
and afforded an unbounded prospect towards the distant southern range,
with its peaks, depressions, and steep slopes. But the fine olive-grove
of Sgáif proved that we had not yet reached the limit of this useful
tree. We were just about to descend the slope into the broad valley
called Wadi Rán, when, seeing darkness approaching, and frightened by
the black clouds rising from the valley, together with a very chilly
stream of air, we began to look seriously about for some secure shelter
for the night. To our right we had a pleasant little hollow with olive-
trees; but that would not suffice in such weather as was apparently
approaching, and we therefore descended a little along the cliffs on our
left, where our shoush knew that there were caverns called Merwán.
Scarcely had we pitched our tent on the little terrace in front of
these, when the rain began to pour down, and, accompanied with snow,
continued the whole night.
When we arose next morning, the whole country was covered with snow
about an inch deep, and its natural features were no longer
recognisable. Placed on the very brink of a bank partly consisting of
rocky ground, with many holes, partly of marly soil and accordingly very
slippery, we could not think of starting. At half-past six, the
thermometer stood at 34° Fahr. Fortunately our tent, which had been
fitted by Mr. Warrington for every kind of weather, kept the wet out.
The caverns were very irregular excavations, used by the shepherds as
temporary retreats, and full of fleas. The snow did not melt till late
in the afternoon, and the rain fell without intermission the whole
night.
[Sidenote: February 16th.]
In the morning the bad weather still continued, but the cold was not
quite so severe. Tired as we were of our involuntary delay in such a
place, we decided upon starting; but it was difficult to get our half-
frozen people to go to work. At length we set out, accompanied by an old
man whom we hired as guide, on the deep descent into Wadi Rán. The soil
was often so slippery that the camels could scarcely keep their feet;
and we were heartily glad when, after an hour and a quarter’s descent,
we at length reached stony ground, though still on the slope. Here the
valley spread out before us to the right and left, with the village
Usíne, inhabited by the Merabetín Selahát, situated on the top of a
hill, and distinguished for the quality of its dates, which are of a
peculiar kind, short and thick with a very broad stone,—while at the
foot of the western heights another village was seen, and on the top of
them the castle Bústam. Here the great valley is joined by a smaller
ravine, called Wadi Nkhal, with a small village of the same name. We
crossed two paths leading to Beni Ulíd, passing by Wadi Rán, which went
parallel to our course on the right, and where there are two springs and
a date-grove, while to the left, we obtained a view of Sedi-ūris,
situated on a cone overtowering the northern end of Wadi Kominshát. We
then approached closely the steep glen of Wadi Rán, and, after some
turnings, crossed the small rivulet which flows through it, and, a
little further on, recrossed it. Then, traversing the valley called Wadi
Marníyeh, we entered a fine fertile plain surrounded on all sides by
heights, among which the Kelúba Naʿame was conspicuous on our right.
But the camels found the marly soil, fully saturated as it was with
rain, very difficult, especially after we had entered the “Shʿabet
sóda.” For this reason, also, we could not think of following the direct
path, which leads over the hills. At the western end of the shʿabet are
the villages Deb Beni ʿAbas and Suadíyeh, with olive-groves. All the
waters of the district are carried into Wadi Rán, which joins the Wadi
Haera.
The country begins to exhibit decidedly a volcanic character, and from
all the heights rise bare basaltic cones, while the lower part is
covered with halfa. This character of the country seems to have been
well understood by the Arabs, when they gave to these basins, surrounded
by basaltic mounts, the name “Shʿabet,” which we have already seen given
to the crater of the Tekút. Here, at a short distance on our left, we
passed “another Shʿabet,” distinguished as “el Akhera.”
At length we found an opening through the hilly chain on our right,
behind an indented projection of the ridge called “Sennet el Osis,” and
then suddenly changed our course from N.E. to S.E. As soon as we had
made the circuit of this mount, we obtained a view of the highest points
of the Tarhōna, and directed our course by one of them, Mount Bíbel,
which is said to be sometimes visible from Tripoli. Tales of deadly
strife are attached to some localities hereabouts; and, according to our
guide, the torrent which we crossed beyond Wadi Ruéra poured down, some
years ago, a bloody stream. But at present the scene wants life, the
Kasr Kuséba, situated on the apex of a cone, being almost the only
dwelling-place which we had seen for five hours. Life has fled from
these fertile and pleasant regions; and the monotonous character which
they at present exhibit necessarily impresses itself on the narrative of
the traveller.
At length, after having entered the gorges of the mountains, we reached
the encampment of the Merabetín Bu-ʿAáysha, and pitched our tent at a
short distance from it. These people have considerable herds of camels
and sheep; as for cattle, there are at present very few in the whole
regency of Tripoli, except in the neighbourhood of Ben-gházi. Their
chief, ʿAbdallah, who lives in Tripoli, is much respected. The valleys
and plains hereabouts, when well saturated with rain, produce a great
quantity of corn, but they are almost entirely destitute of trees.
Having been thoroughly drenched to-day by heavy showers, we were in a
very uncomfortable condition at its close.
[Sidenote: Sunday, February 17th.]
About an hour before sunrise, when the thermometer stood at 41°, I set
out to ascend an eminence north from our tent, which afforded me an
excellent site whence to take the bearings of several prominent cones.
After my return to the tent, we started together in advance of the
camels, that we might have time to ascend the broad cone of Jebel Msíd,
which had arrested our attention. We soon passed a well, or rather
fountain, called Bir el ʿAr, which gives its name to some ancient
monument (“sanem,” or idol, as it is called by the Arabs) at a little
distance, and which the guide described as a kasr tawíl Beni Jehel, “a
high fortress of the Romans.” The country was varied and pleasant, and
enlivened, moreover, by flocks; but we saw no traces of agriculture till
we reached the well called Hasi el abiár, beyond which we entered upon a
volcanic formation. As we ascended along a small ravine, and entered
another irregular mountain-plain of confined dimensions, we found the
basalt in many places protruding from the surface. The more desolate
character of the country was interrupted in a pleasant way by the Wadi
Nekhél, which has received its name from the number of palm-trees which
grow here in a very dwarfish state, though watered by a copious spring.
Following the windings of another small valley, we reached a plain at
the foot of Mount Msíd, while on the right a large ravine led down from
the heights. Here we commenced our ascent of the cone; and on the slope
of the mountain we met with large pillars similar to those which I had
seen in the ruins of Hanshír Settára. The pillars succeeded each other
at regular distances up the slope, apparently marking the track to be
followed by those ascending for religious purposes. The ascent was very
gradual for the first twelve minutes; and twelve minutes more brought us
to its summit, which was crowned with a castle of good Arabic masonry of
about the thirteenth century. Its ruined walls gave us a little
protection against the very strong blasts of wind; but we found it
rather difficult to take accurate angles, which was the more to be
regretted as a great many peaks were visible from this beautifully-
shaped and conspicuous mount.
It was a little past noon when we pursued our journey from the western
foot of this once holy mount[18], and, turning its southern side,
resumed our north-easterly direction. We then soon came to the “Wadi
hammám,” which forms here a wider basin for the brook running along it
towards Mejenín, so as to produce a pleasant and fresh green spot.
Having watered our animals, we entered a plain from which detached
basaltic hillocks started up; and some ruins of regularly-hewn stones,
scattered about, bore testimony that the Romans had deemed the place
worthy of fixed settlements. A small limestone hill contrasts handsomely
with these black basaltic masses, among which the Leblú, the highest
summit of a larger group to our right, is particularly remarkable. At
the foot of the Jebel Jemmʿa was an encampment of the Welád ʿAli; but I
cannot say in what degree they are connected with the family which has
given its name to the valley in the Yefren. From this side in
particular, the Jebel Msíd presents the form of a beautiful dome, the
most regular I remember to have ever seen. It seems to rise with a proud
air over its humbler neighbours. Having then passed a continuous ridge
of cones stretching S.S.E., and cleared the basaltic region, we entered
a wide plain covered with halfa, and, cutting right across it, we
reached the fertile low plain Elkeb, where another encampment of the
Welád ʿAli excited the desire of our people to try their hospitality for
our night’s quarters; but some distance to the left two enormous pillars
were to be seen standing upright, and thither we repaired. Here I had an
opportunity of accurately investigating a very peculiar kind of ancient
remains, giving a clue, I hope, to the character of the religion of the
early inhabitants of these regions, though it seems impossible to give a
satisfactory explanation respecting all the details of their structure.
[Illustration]
It consists in a pair of quadrangular pillars erected on a common basis,
which is fixed into the ground, and measures 3 ft. 1⁵⁄₁₂′ in length, and
2 ft. 10′ in width. The two pillars which measure 2 feet on each side,
being 1 ft. 7²⁄₁₀′ asunder, are 10 feet high. The western pillar has
three quadrangular holes on the inside, while the corresponding holes in
the eastern pillar go quite through; the lowest hole is 1 ft. 8′ above
the ground, and the second 1 ft. ½′ higher up, and so the third above
the second. The holes are 6 in. square.
Over these pillars, which at present lean to one side, is laid another
enormous stone about 6 feet 6½ inches long, and of the same width as the
pillars, so that the whole structure bears a surprising resemblance to
the most conspicuous part of the celebrated Celtic ruins at
Stonehenge[19] and other ruins in Malabar[20], about the religious
purpose of which not the least doubt remains at present. But besides
these, there are other very curious stones of different workmanship, and
destined evidently for different purposes; some of them are large, flat,
and quadrangular, very peculiarly worked, and adapted, probably, to
sacrifices. One of them is three feet in length and breadth, but with a
projection on one side, as is represented in the woodcut, and 1 ft. 2′
high. On the surface of this stone, and parallel to its sides, is carved
a channel 4⁸⁄₁₀ inches broad, forming a quadrangle; and from this a
small channel branches along the projecting part. Several stones of
similar workmanship lie about. There is also the remnant of an enormous
stone 3 feet 7½ inches at the back and across, but rounded off at the
corners, looking like a solid throne, excepting that on the upper side
there is an excavation measuring 1 ft. 3²⁄₁₀ in. at the back, 9⁶⁄₁₀
inches on the front, and 1 ft. 1²⁄₁₀ in. across, and about 10 inches
deep, with a small opening. This stone looks very peculiar, and probably
formed an altar.