RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Palestine
Dahab, whose two peaks fall away abruptly to the Nahr al-Zar^a. Toward the east the Jabal 'Ajlun changes into a rolling hill country which finally reaches the Nahr al-Zarka. Its breadth from east to west varies from seven to ten miles, and at Tell al-Hanazirah and the more southern Rihab it merges with the Hamad. The southern portion has a number of wells, but the northern is waterless. The declivities toward the Nahr al-Zarka are in part wooded and watered, but are often bald; and the middle portions are less steep than either the uppermost or the lowest parts. West of the Jabal 'Ajlun and the Jabal Mi'rad stretches a highland pierced by numerous wadis and with many springs, still bearing remnants of once rich forests. The closer the Jordan is approached, the balder are the declivities, and the steeper, stonier, and deeper the valleys. The chief tributaries of the Jordan, from north to south, are the Wadi al- 'Arab, Wadi Yabis, Wadi Kafrinji (or Wadi 'Ajlun), and Wadi Rajib. The district of al-Balka lies between the Nahr al-Zarka and the Wadi al- Mojib. Stretching south from the former, the land rises with considerable steepness to the Jabal Jil'ad (evidently the Gilead of the Old Testament; see Peilea). This range reaches its highest point in the western Jabal Osha' (3,380 feet), from the summit of which a panorama of Palestine may be obtained from the Dead Sea to Hermon. In the east the range sinks to the plateau of al-Bukai'ah, sloping away north and east, and on the south merging in the watershed which separates the sources of the Nahr al-Zarka from the wadis which empty into the Jordan. From this watershed a ridge extends southward to Ma'in. The southern part of the plateau is traversed by the Wadi Haidan, or Wadi al-Walah, and falls away to the bed of the Wadi Mojib, which at 'Ar'air is 300 feet below the level of the Mediterranean.
III. Minerals and Soil: Palestine is mostly calcareous in formation; though Nubian sandstone occurs in the faults near the Jordan valley east of the Dead Sea. Beneath this sandstone lie permocarboniferous limestone and sandstone, resting on an old volcanic crystalline formation with veins of •porphyry and diorite. Several varieties of marble are found, as well as basalt (from the tertiary period) and lava (from the later diluvial age). Though there is no evidence of volcanic action since the age of man, the Tell al-'Ajjul on the Jabal al-Dahi is an old crater, and tufa and other volcanic products are found northeast of Tabor, between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee and as far as the plain of Jezreel. Volcanic basalt likewise occurs in Moab (as at Diban and Jabal Shihan) ; while flint is seen in the desert of Judah, near Jerusalem, and in 'Ajlun. The hills both east and west of the Jordan abound in caves, as in the vicinity of Bit Jibrin and in Mount Carmel (cf. Amos ix. 3). Earthquakes are not uncommon in Palestine, but are non-volcanic (I Sam. xiv. 15; Amos i. 1; Zech. xiv. 5; and Matt, xxvii. 51); prophets and poets often picture the terrors of earthquake to heighten the appearance of God in judgment (Ps. xix. 8, 16, cxiv. 4, 6-7; Isa. xiii. 13; Ezek. xxxviii. 19 sqq.; Mic. i. 3-4). Two earthquake zones may be dis-
tinguished: one from Diarbakr on the upper Tigris, running, by way of Edessa, Mambij on the Euphrates, and Aleppo, to Antioch, where it turns south and parallels the Syrian coast to Ascalon and Gaza; and the other from 'Ain Tab in northern Syria, crossing the first zone at Aleppo, and coinciding with the Bika' between Lebanon, Antilebanon, and the rift of the Jordan. The remains of ancient iron mines have been discovered in the district east of the Jordan; and the minerals of the Dead Sea and its vicinity are of distinct commercial value. On its shores are found petroleum, pure asphalt, and cretaceous asphalt. The latter is found in large quantities in the desert of Judah, together with cretaceous phosphates containing remains of fossil fish. The water of the Dead Sea, moreover, occasionally casts up masses of asphalt. Phosphates of high percentage are found east of the Jordan; and in the so-called lower terraces are rock salt, chromoxid, and sulfur. The " slime pits " of Gen. xiv. 10 probably imply the emergence of masses of petroleum and asphalt through the diluvial formations of the higher and lower terraces. The arable soil of Palestine varies greatly in formation. Present conditions west of the Jordan are unfavorable to the production of humus; but east of the Jordan, where the arborage is more abundant and the rocka consequently more covered, circumstances are far better. Here, when the upper surface of the rock breaks up under the influence of air and moisture, a red, loamy earth is left which, when properly irrigated, well repays agriculture. Still more fruitful is the soil produced by decomposition of lava. In many places, however, as on the coast plain and in the Jordan Valley, the soil is composed of a marl or sand which defies all attempts at irrigation.
IV. Climate: The land west of the Jordan, lying between 31° and 32° north latitude, belongs to the northern subtropical region and agrees generally in climate with the Mediterranean countries. The year thus falls into a hot, rainless period, and a cool, rainy season. On the coast the climate is mild and even; in the mountains it is I. Heat and more inclement and variable; the Jor- Winds. dan valley approximates tropical conditions; and east of the river the vicinity of the desert is not without influence. The mean temperature on the coast is 20.5° C, but at Jerusalem 17.1°. In the mountains the heat increases rapidly from April to May from 14.7° to 20.7°, reaching 24.5° in August, falling to 15.5° in November, and being at the minimum, 8.8° C, in February. The hottest days (generally in May, June, and September) range from 37° to 44° C. in the shade; the coldest (in January) sink to —4° C. The temperature frequently varies greatly during the day, ranging from 7.4° to 7.7° C. in December, January, and February, and from 12.8° to 13.1° C. from May to October. This variability is due to the sudden cooling of the air by the strong radiation from the surface of the ground. The unhoalthful consequences of this variability are lessened by the low humidity, even in the hot months. East of the Jordan the contrast between the temperature of day and night seems to be still greater than west of the river. The winds of Palestine are closely
Palestine