ii. Geography. — One of the most beautiful and fertile plains in the world is that which lies to the east of the Anti-Lebanon range, at an elevation of about 2200 ft. above sea-level. Great Hermon, Jebel esh-Sheikh, a vast snowy bank filling all the horizon, forms the western boundary. A chain of hills, thrown off to eastward from Anti-Libanus, runs along the northern edge. Jebel el-Aswad and Jebel Mdni' shut it in on the south. Three marshy lakes mark the eastern frontier of fertility ; and away beyond them rises a range of low hills, which definitely cuts off this district from the sandy wastes of the Arabian desert. These sur- rounding hills, all bare and forbidding, save in the deeper and shadier wadies, enclose within their rocky arms a broad expanse of rich wa\'ing green.
This plain owes its fertility almost entirely to the river el-Barada, 'the cool,' which bursts through the limestone ramparts on the north, to fling itself in many a refreshing stream over its surface ; and to the waters of el-A'waj, 'the crooked,' which, comin"; down from the eastern slopes of Gt. Her- mon, flows through the southern meadows. Some- thing is also due to the protection of the desert hills in the east, which in a measure bar the way against the drifting sand-storms from the wilder- ness. In the plain the natives distinguish five districts. The western portion, extending about two hours east of the gorge of the Barada, is di\'ided by that river into the northern and southern Ghautah. To the east is the Merj, also divided by the Barada into north and south ; while all lyinji between these districts and Jebel el-Asicad and the valley of el-A'icaJ, is known as Wady el'Ajam. Scattered over this tract are some 140 villages. A population of about 50,000 are engaged almost ex- clusively in agricultural pursuits. Clumps of olives, and many varieties of fruit trees pleasantly diversify the landscape, while between them, iu season, far and wide, wave seas of golden grain. On the edge of the plain, east of et-Barnda, just under Jebel Ka.nun, which rises some 1700 ft., lie the famous orchards, some 30 miles in circum- ference, which encircle with luxuriant foliage the ancient city of Damascus. From afar are seen the white roofs, domes, and minarets, in striking relief against the green. The scene of rich beauty here
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presented, with the shade of fruitful trees, and on every hand the music of running water, has ever lnB(>ired the Arab with admiration ; and when he dr-^amed of Paradise — 'the garden' mr excellence — his imagery was drawn from the gardens and streams of Damascus. Nor need we wonder if, coming from the dreary monotony of the burning desert, the Bedawi, fascinated by its delights, thinks himself in the midst of an earthly Paradise. Even for the eye accustomed to the fresh beauty and fruitfulness of the West, it possesses many a charm, although the descriptive language of the Arab may appear somewhat exaggerated. There are few places where so rich a variety of fruits is brought to maturity within a similar area. In the vicinity of the city are large vegetable gardens ; and in the fields beyond diflerent kinds of grain, tobacco, cotton, tia.x, hemp, madder - roots, and vicinus are grown. The olive is plentiful, and much of the oil used in the city is made in the neighbourhood. Tall, graceful poplars line the baincs of the streams, yielding excellent timber for building purposes. Firewooa is mostly made of the olive and the apricot. There are also the cypress, the plane tree, and the stately palm. But the charm of D. is felt chiefly in her ^rdens, and under the shadow of her far-stretch- mg thickets of fruit trees. There, in generous rivalry, are found the orange, the lemon, and the citron ; the apple, the pear, and the quince ; plums and prunes, grapes and figs, pomegranate and mulberry, almonds and walnuts, hazel-nuts and pistachios.
D. is situated about 60 miles from the coast. Its exact position is 33° 30' N. lat., 36° 18' E. long. It is now most easily approached by the magnifi- cent P'rench diligence road from Beirflt, which scales Mount Lebanon, crosses el-Bcka, and then follows the easy passes through Anti-Lebanon to the plain of Damascus. The routes by which of old she communicated with the sealxjaru varied with political conditions. The way to Tripoli lay past Baalbek and Bosherreh. That to Beirflt followed closely the line of the present road ; while the great height of the two Lebanons lay also between D. and Tyre and Sidon. When the way was clear, she found the most convenient outlet at Acre. This road led to the south-west past Sa'sa' and Kuneiterah over the Jediir uplands, crossed the Jordan below lake H&Uh by Jisr Bendt Yn'kub, traversed the rolling downs of the upper Jordan valley, and splitting towards the west, one arm took the difficult but direct route by way of Snfcd ; the other swept southward past KhAn Jubb Yusif to the plain of Gennesarct at KhAn Minyeh, and, following an ca.sy line by the wadies to the north- west, joined the Sn/ed road at Er-RAmeh. From Gennesaret a branch of this hijihway ascended the uplands west of the Sea of Galilee to KhAn et- TujjAr, and, passing round the base of Tabor, crossed the plain of Esdraelon to Mcgiddo, and thence to the Philistine plain and Kgj-pt. Another branch kept the valley along the shore of the lake, and southward past Bethshan to Jericho. This was cros.ied by a road, which, leaving D. in a more southerlj' direction, traversed the level reaches of the HnurAn, came down into the valley from the Jau/dn highlands ea.'^t of the sea, by way of Aphck, and here dividing, one limb crossed the Jordan below the lake, climbed the hills to west- ward, and reached Acre by way of Kcfr Kennah ; the other passed up the vale of Jezreel, and again bifurcating, one branch went straight to the sea over Esdraelon : the other, bending to the south- west, is identified with the ancient caravan road from Gilead, which iia.'<ses by Dotlian, and comes down upon the plain of Sharon. The old gold and frankincense caravan road from Arabia the Happy