The vegetation, especially as we go further south, becomes very nearly tropical, and the faima re- sembles that of Africa. The lion, which abounded in ancient times, and continued to be encountered even in the Middle Ages, has completely disappeared. But other carnivorous animals are found here, leopards and hytenas, as well as wild boars, porcu- pines, etc. In Palestine 58 species of bii'ds are met with, which are also N. African : nearly all of them belong to the Gh6r. The flora has the same character, it recalls that of Nubia, Abyssinia, the Sahara, and the region of the great African lakes. Great heat prevails throughout this whole region, a fact which is (juite naturally explained when we remember that it is a valley shut in between high walls, at its highest point 682 and at its lowest 1292 feet below the sea-level. The temperature varies from 77° to 130° Fahr. This circumstance undoubtedly accounts largely for the fact that there are not and never have been any towns on the banks of the Jordan. But another reason for the latter important fact may be found in the danger to which the inhabitants would be exposed, owing to the impossibility of ett'ectually fortifying themselves against attacks. The few towns of the Gh&r at one time populated, e.g. Phasael and Jericho, are on the height at some distance from the river, near protecting mountains. The other inhabited places are only wretched villages.
The Jordan forms a very large number of rapids ; about thirty may be counted, apart from the whirl- pools, which are numerous. 'There is also a con- siderable number of fords ; the majority of them — 22— are in the northern part, to the north of Karn Sartabeh ; there are 5 more in the south. A little to tiie north of Beisan there is a bridge, which dates from the Middle Ages, the Jisr el-Mujamieh, on the way — an ancient Roman road — leading from the plain of Jezreel to Gadara and Damascus. Further south is the ruined bridge of Damieh ; and lastly, near Jericho, a modern bridge, the Jisr el-Ghor- anieh, at the place where the mosaic map of Madaba indicates a ferry-boat. For information regarding the fords of the Jordan, see G. A. Smith, HGffLp. 336 f.
The configuration of the Jordan valley is remark- able for its formation into terraces (in Arabic tnbakdt), the river flowing between the lowermost of these. There is no comparatively equal and continuous incline from the mountain to the river, but a succession of horizontal platforms, with sudden and very steep slopes, which form what are called the steep banks or clift's of Jordan. They are marly, and have a tendency to become worn, and even to give way. The Z6r itself is bordered by them, and the Jordan often flows, at least at one side, along the foot of a declivity impossible of ascent. This is the case, e.g., in front of the so- called place of the Baptism at the latitude of Jericho. These terraces correspond to the ditterent levels attained by the waters of the great lake which at one time filled the whole valley, and which first increased and then sank down again.
The Jordan is fed by numerous tributaries. The most important of these are on the left bank. One of them, the Hieromax of the Greeks, the Yarmiik of the Rabbis, the Sherl'at el-Manadireh of the Arabs, already mentioned above, flows down from the high plateau on tlie east of Lake Tiberias, and passes between the warm springs of el-9ammah and the ancient Gadara (modern Umm Keis). Further south, also on the eastern bank, the Jordan receives the Zerka (blue river), the Yabbok of ancient times.
900
JORDAN
JORDAN
which, after passing 'Amman (Rabbath- Amnion, Philadelphia), describes an immense semi-circle towards the east, resumes its westward course, passes to the south of Jerask (Gerasa), and at last empties itself into the Jordan ; the position of its mouth has considerably changed in the course of the centuries. On the right bank, we must men- tion the Nahr-Jalud, which springs from the fountain of 5arod at the foot of Mt. Gilboa and passes to Beisan ; then, close to Jericho, the Wadi el-Kelt, which tradition, probably wrongly, identi- fies' mth the Cherith of the Bible.
It is scarcely necessary to say that the Jordan is not navigable. Yet on three occasions the attempt has been made to sail down its course from the Lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea. The first time it was an Irishman, Costigan, who, in 1835, accom- plished this daring feat alone in a boat for one oars- man ; the second time it was Lieutenant Molyneux, of the British Navy, in 1847. Both succeeded in reaching the Dead Sea, but both died soon after from the strain which they had undergone. Lastly, in 1848, an American expedition, under Lieutenant Lynch, sailed all the way do^vn in two boats speci- ally built for the jjurpose, reached the Dead Sea, and were able to record a whole series of very useful observations. Other travellers have also made a careful study of the Jordan valley, but from the land ; besides those whom we have already men- tioned, we may recall the names of Robinson, Gu6rin, and Conder. Long before there was any
?[uestion of scientific explorations, pilgrims had oUowed the course of the Jordan through the whole of the Ghdr, e.g. Antonius Martyr in the 6th cent., Willibald in the 8th ; we may add to these the name of King Baldwin I. , who passed up from Jericlio to the Lake of Tiberias.