Chapter VIII: Sea Routes in the Eastern Mediterranean (5)

From the Virgin’s Garden the Shâria el-Misalleh (obelisk street) leads
to the N. to the site of =Heliopolis-On=, one of tho most ancient
places in Egypt, famous for the cult of the falcon-headed sun-god
Rē-Harakhtē. The _Obelisk_ of red granite is the oldest in the land.
Scanty fragments of the temple and of the town-wall are the only other
ruins.

3. We may next visit =Old Cairo= (tramway No. 4, p. 440).

The route is by the SHÂRIA MASR EL-KADÎMEH, the continuation of Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7; p. 455). On the left, at its beginning, is a hexagonal _Water Tower_, which once supplied an _Aqueduct_ (El-Kanâtir) built by El-Ghûri (p. 449), extending to Bâb el-Karâfeh (Pl. E, 7), and still traceable in its ruins, 66 ft. high.

About ¼ M. beyond the new Abbâs Bridge (p. 461) the Shâria Gâmia Amr, on the left, leads to the picturesque old Coptic convent _Deir Abû Sefein_ and the Amru Mosque (see below).

From the tramway-terminus in the poor little town of _Old Cairo_ (Masr el-Kadîmeh, p. 443) we follow the street to the Gîzeh steam-ferry (p. 461), turn to the left past the police-station, and in the Shâria es-Saghîr to the left again. This brings us to _St. Georges_, a station on the Helwân railway (see p. 439). On the E. side of the railway is the site of—

=Babylon= (p. 443), a Roman castle, of which the only remains are parts of the outer walls and a _Gateway_, on the S.W. side, with two projecting towers.

Within the precincts of the ancient fortress now lies _Kasr esh-Shama_, a village inhabited chiefly by Copts, with a synagogue, five mediæval Coptic churches (_El-Moallaka_, _Abu Sergeh_, etc.), and the Greek _Convent of St. George_ (W. side). One of the entrances is between the convent and an old tower.

From the N.E. angle of the fortress, skirting the rubbish-mounds of _Fostât_ (p. 443), we reach (10 min.) the Amru Mosque, surrounded by cemeteries and potteries, where the porous kullehs are made, and conspicuous by its red and white striped façade.

The =Gâmia Amr ibn el-Âsî=, commonly called the _Amru Mosque_ by Europeans, is named after the general of caliph Omar (p. 443). It was originally a small edifice built in 642, probably of crude bricks, but it was repeatedly rebuilt or restored, as in 698 and 827, and notably by Saladin in 1172, after the invasion of king Amalarich of Jerusalem and the burning of Fostât in 1168. Other restorations took place in the three following centuries. The two minarets are modern.

The INTERIOR, a slightly irregular rectangle, 132 by 108 yds., though
sadly ruinous, is of impressive dimensions. The six-aisled sanctuary
contains 21 series of arcades (with pointed arches) running towards
the kibla (prayer niche facing Mecca). The three outer rows of columns
on each side are continued by those of the N.E. and the S.W. lîwâns,
of which, however, the bases alone remain. The lîwân on the side of
the quadrangle next the entrance has a single arcade only. The Roman
and Byzantine columns from Memphis (p. 464), once 366 in number it is
said, have been utilized without regard to symmetry or congruity.

In the centre of the court, now planted with trees, is a hanefîyeh
(18th cent.). In the N. angle of the sanctuary is an uninteresting
monument over the supposed tomb of Sheikh Abdallah, son of Amr,
erected by Abbâs I. (1849–54). On the almost intact S.W. wall of the
sanctuary are curious wood-carvings, still purely Byzantine (9th
cent.).

=4.= The PYRAMIDS OF GÎZEH should be visited on a calm and clear day, as the sand-drift is most trying in windy weather. (Umbrella or dark-coloured spectacles advisable to protect the eyes from the glare.) The excursion takes at least 4 hrs., or, including Sakkâra, a whole day. Those who are pressed for time visit the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the Granite Temple only. (Tramway No. 1, see p. 440; carr. in 1–1¼ hr., p. 441.)

The tramway diverges at Old Cairo (p. 460), about 770 yds. to the S. of the Water Tower, to the right from line No. 4, and crosses a branch of the Nile to the island of =Rôda= (_Gezîret Rôda_), at the S. end of which is the old _Nilometer_ (Arabic Mikyâs), dating from the time of the Omaiyade caliph Suleimân (716), but often restored since.

We next cross the main channel of the Nile by the _Pont Abbâs II._ (opened 10–11 a.m. and 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. for the passage of vessels) to the village of =Gîzeh= (Tues. market), at the N. end of which, about 550 yds. below the steam-ferry (p. 460), our tramway joins the branch from Gezîreh (p. 457).

Leaving the Nile, and passing a station on the Upper Egyptian railway (p. 463), we still have a run of 5 M., nearly due W., to the Pyramids, the huge angular forms of which gradually become more distinct and soon stand out in clear outlines.

The terminus of the tramway is near the large _Mena House Hotel_ (p. 440), on the N.E. border of the _Libyan Desert_. Adjacent is a Greek restaurant. The road then ascends in a curve to the (½ M.) plateau of the Pyramids.

Near the tramway-terminus is a station for donkeys and camels (5 pias.
per hour; see also pp. 173, 174).—The plateau is open to the public
and may be quite well explored without a guide. TICKETS of admittance
to the monuments themselves are sold at a stall next to the _Viceregal
Kiosque_, at the N.E. corner of the Great Pyramid. Guides (Bedouins)
also are obtained here on application to their sheikh (recognizable by
the rosette on his breast). Ticket for the ascent of the Great Pyramid
10 pias. (for the interior, also 10 pias.); for the other monuments 5
pias.; for the entire expedition, including the ascent of the Great
Pyramid and the visit to its interior, 20 pias.—Bakshîsh optional, but
it is usual to give a few piastres. No attention should be paid to
beggars or to vendors of ‘antiquities’. Unofficial guides who try to
thrust themselves on visitors should be repelled, with the aid of the
police if need be.

The **=Pyramids of Gîzeh= form the second and most imposing of the six groups of pyramids extending along the border of the Libyan desert, in a line of about 19 M. in length. To the N.W. is the _Abu Roâsh_ group, towards the S.E. are the groups of _Zâwyet el-Aryân_, _Abusîr_ (p. 464), _Sakkâra_ (p. 464), and _Dahshûr_ (p. 464). The Arabs call them _ahrâm_ (sing, _háram_).

The Pyramids of Gîzeh, creations of the 4th Dynasty (about B.C. 2850 to 2700), rank among the oldest monuments of human industry, and their colossal proportions extort from us to-day the same astonishment that was felt in antiquity by Greek and Roman travellers. We marvel both at the technical skill shown by the Egyptians in their construction, and at the might of the kings, who must have had the services of many thousands of their subjects at command. The pyramids are believed to have been built in layers. Each king at his accession began to erect his tomb-pyramid on a small scale. If wealthy or long-lived he enlarged the original design, and after his death the outer covering was added.

The **=Great Pyramid=, erected by Kheops or Cheops, the Khufu of the Egyptians, was called by them _Yekhwet Khufu_ (the ‘glorious place of Khufu’). Herodotus (II, 125) states that 100,000 men were employed for three months every year in building it. The outer covering, with the exception of a few fragments on the base below the entrance, has disappeared. Each side is now 248 yds. in length (originally 255 yds.). The perpendicular height is 450 ft. (once, to the apex, 480 ft.). The sides rise at an angle of 51°50′. The solid content of the masonry, deducting the nucleus of rock and the chambers in the interior, was formerly about 3,302,500 (and is still about 3,081,100) cubic yards. This stupendous structure is composed of yellowish limestone blocks, quarried in the vicinity and containing numerous fossils, chiefly nummulites (a kind of snail-shell), while the incrustation consisted of blocks of a finer white limestone from the Mokattam quarries.

The ASCENT of the Pyramid, though free from danger, is very toilsome.
The visitor is helped up the steps, mostly 3 ft. high, by three
Bedouins, two holding his hands and the third pushing behind. We may
reach the top, a platform of 11 yds. square, in 10–15 min., but a more
leisurely ascent is advisable. The *View of the yellow sands and bare
rocks of the great desert-plateau, on which rise the Sphinx, the
smaller pyramids of Gîzeh, and the more distant tombs stretching as
far as Dahshûr, awakens solemn thoughts of death and eternity. At our
feet stretches a tract of rich arable land, luxuriantly clothed with
blue-green vegetation and entirely inundated in autumn. To the E.,
beyond the glittering river, rise the citadel of Cairo and the
warmly-coloured Mokattam hills.

The INTERIOR of the Pyramid will not interest ordinary travellers. The
air in the passages, hall, and tomb-chamber is hot and stifling and
makes the visit very disagreeable.

From the E. side of the Great Pyramid, where a _Temple_ for the cult of the dead once stood, we walk past the _Three Small Pyramids_ of relatives of Kheops to the Sphinx, which rises from the sand of the desert some 350 yds. to the S.E.

The **=Sphinx=, the most famous monument in this vast burial-ground, probably once a natural rock, has the form of a recumbent lion with the head of a king (Khephren?), wearing a head-cloth adorned with the royal serpent. In front of the breast is the image of a god, much weather-worn. The head also is sadly mutilated, the nose and beard have broken off, and the reddish tint which once enlivened the face has almost entirely disappeared. But in spite of all injuries the monument preserves a striking expression of strength and majesty. The eyes have a pensive, faraway look, the lips wear a half-smile, and the whole face is of graceful and beautiful type. The height of the monument, from the pavement on which the fore-legs of the lion rest to the crown of the head is about 66 ft.; its length, from the lion’s fore-paws to the root of the tail, is about 186 ft. On the top of the head is a cavity.

Some 48 yds. to the S.E. of the Sphinx are the remains of the *=Granite Temple=, or _Sphinx Temple_, a large building of hewn stone. It was once the sacred entrance through which the Pyramid of Khephren (see below) was approached from the valley below. The edifice is a fine example of majestic simplicity, and the very hard stone has been treated with marvellous skill. The exterior of the temple is buried in rubbish. The two main halls are rectangular, and the beams of their ceilings rested on granite pillars.

The CIRCUIT OF THE PYRAMID PLATEAU (1½–2 hrs.) is interesting. From
the Great Pyramid we walk to the W. to the great =Burial Ground= of
the relatives and officials of the royal family, as well as of the
priests and officials of the temples of the dead. The square tombs
(_mastabas_) are ranged in straight lines like streets, affording a
good example of an Egyptian necropolis. On the way we pass the Tomb of
_Shepses-kef-onekh_, dating from the 5th Dynasty (about 2700–2550
B.C.).

Through a cleft in the rock, near the _Quarry_ which yielded the stone
in the reign of Ramses II. for the temple of Heliopolis (p. 459), we
descend to the artificially levelled plateau of the—

=Second Pyramid=, Egyp. _Wer-Khefrē_ (‘great is Khefrē‘), built by
Khephren (Khefrē). Standing on higher ground, it looks larger than the
Pyramid of Kheops. Its perpendicular height is 447 (once 454) ft.;
each side is 230 (formerly 235) yds. in length; its sides rise at an
angle of 52°20′. The masonry has a solid content of 2,173,552 (once
2,445,377) cub. yds.

The foundations of the _Temple of the Dead_, on the E. side of the
pyramid, were excavated in 1908. On the W. side of the pyramid we
observe an _Inscription_ and several _Rock Tombs_. Adjacent is a mummy
shaft (caution advisable).

The road now leads to the S.W. to the =Third Pyramid=, Egyp.
_Neter-Menkewrē_ (‘divine is Menkewrē‘), built by Menkewrē, the
Mykerinos of Herodotus. Its perpendicular height is 204 (once 218)
ft., while its sides rise at an angle of 51°; each side of the base
measures 118 yds. The stones are unusually large. To the S. rise
_Three Small Pyramids_.

We next walk to the remains of the _Temple of the Dead_ to the E. of
the third pyramid and then follow the ancient paved track by which the
stones were once brought up from the Nile valley. On the way, among
several _Rock Tombs_, are the ruins of an unfinished pyramid. Passing
a very ruinous family burial-place of the 26th Dynasty, called
_Campbell’s Tomb_ after its discoverer, we now descend to the _Granite
Temple_ (see above), and walk to the N.W., past the _Sphinx_ (p. 462),
to the _Three Small Pyramids_ (p. 462) near the Pyramid of Kheops.

Lastly we may visit the _Rock Tombs_ of the Ancient Empire, near the
Arab village _Kafr el-Hâram_. The best-known, the ‘_Tomb of Numbers_‘,
contains badly preserved reliefs (counting of cattle).

=5.= The EXCURSION TO MEMPHIS AND SAKKÂRA is easily made in one day. Provisions (supplied by the hotels in lieu of déjeuner), candles (obtainable also at Bedrashein), and if possible an acetylene lamp should be taken. We start early from the chief station (first train usually at 7 a.m.) by the Upper Egyptian line for _Bedrashein_ (1 hr.; fare 16½ or 8½ pias.), where donkeys are in waiting (to Sakkâra and back 10 pias.; bargain should be made in presence of the Bedouin sheikh). The ride back takes fully 1½ hr. (train for Cairo at present 4.56 p.m.). Tickets for the monuments (5 pias.) are sold by the custodians or at _Mariette’s House_ (p. 465).

Robust travellers may ride from Sakkâra along the margin of the
desert, or viâ the pyramids of _Abusîr_, in 2½–3 hrs. to the _Mena
House Hotel_ (p. 461). The charge (15–20 pias.) should be agreed upon
with the donkey-boy at the Bedrashein station. In the reverse
direction we may go by tramway to Gîzeh (comp. p. 461), and ride
thence viâ the Pyramids of Gîzeh to Sakkâra (donkey 20, camel 30
pias.; comp. pp. 173, 174). Or we may drive in a desert-car (80 pias.)
from Mena House Hotel along the border of the desert to Sakkâra.

The RAILWAY, passing _Bûlâk_ (p. 454), runs to the N.W. and crosses the _Nile_. 2 M. _Embâbeh_, noted for the ‘battle of the Pyramids’, in which Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes in 1798.—Describing a circuit the train next comes to (6¼ M.) _Bûlâk ed-Dakrûr_, on a Nile canal. At (8 M.) _Gîzeh_ (p. 461) we sight the Pyramids (p. 461) on the right, and then, on the left, Old Cairo (p. 460) and the long range of the Mokattam (p. 454), continued to the S.E. by _Gebel Turra_. Next, on the left, is _Gezîret Tirsâ_, an island in the Nile.

14½ M. _Abu Nemrûs._ On the right rise the hills bordering the Libyan desert, with the pyramids of Abusîr. Beyond (17½ M.) _El-Hawamdîyeh_ the step-pyramid (p. 465) is visible for a short time. To the left, at the foot of Gebel Turra, lies _Helwân_ (_Hélouan_), a winter health-resort.

20½ M. =Bedrashein=, on the E. side of the railway.

From the railway-crossing we ride to the W., past the village (Wed. market), by a road through green fields, which are entirely flooded in autumn, to the (20 min.) palm-grove of Bedrashein.

In the foreground, shaded by palms, lies the site of =Memphis=, now a heap of débris, the oldest capital of Egypt, founded under the name of ‘White Walls’ about 3400 B.C. by Menes, the first historical king. The vast area of the ruins seems to have extended, down to the 12th cent. A.D., as far as Gîzeh. The chief quarters of the city probably lay on the fields of Bedrashein and _Mit-Rahîneh_.

The road forks 20 min. beyond Bedrashein. The SUMMER ROUTE, impassable during the inundations, leads to the left in about 8 min. to the two *_Colossal Statues of Ramses II._ (p. 456), both now prostrate, which once stood at the entrance to the famous temple of Ptah. The first is 25 ft., or including the crown 31½ ft., long; the second, protected by a mud-hut (adm. 4 pias.), is 42 ft. in length.

We now ride on, leaving the village of Mit Rahîneh at a little distance to the right, towards the palm-grove of _Sakkâra_, at the foot of the desert-plateau. On the yellow sand of the desert rise eleven pyramids. To the extreme left (S.) is the necropolis of _Dahshûr_, where the ‘blunted pyramid’ or ‘pyramid of the two angles’ catches the eye. To the right (to the N.W. of the huts of Sakkâra) rise the Onnos and step-pyramids (see below).

Turning to the N. near Sakkâra, ½ hr. beyond the statues of Ramses, and skirting the palm-grove, we ride towards the ruins of some mud-built houses. The WINTER ROUTE from the bifurcation mentioned at p. 464 makes a long bend to the N. and leads through the palm-grove of Bedrashein and past the ruins of the brick houses of ancient Memphis; it then crosses a sluice-bridge, passes on either side several ponds, and rejoins the summer route.

We now ascend to the sandy plateau and overlook the *=Necropolis of Sakkâra=. This vast area, about 4½ M. long from N. to S. and from 550 to 1600 yds. in breadth from E. to W., has afforded material for repeated exploration.

We ride straight to the *_Step Pyramid_ (Arab. El-Hâram el-Mudarrag), the great landmark of Sakkâra. This was the tomb of king Zoser (3rd Dynasty, about 2900–2850 B.C.), and is still older than the pyramids of Gîzeh. It is 196 ft. high, and each step recedes about 6½ ft.

About 330 yds. to the S.W. of the Step Pyramid rises the _Pyramid of
King Onnos_ (or Unis; about 2550 B.C.), which is easily scaled. The
view embraces all the pyramids from Dahshûr to Gîzeh. The central
chamber and burial-vault in the interior (shown by the custodian) are
full of hieroglyphic inscriptions, the oldest religious Egyptian text
known.

Beyond the Step Pyramid, in the direction of Mariette’s House, we suddenly obtain a striking view of the pyramids of Abusîr and Gîzeh to the N.; in the palm-shaded Nile valley, bordered by the yellowish-grey desert, we observe in the distance the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. 454).

When the road forks we ride to the left to the _Mastaba of Ptahhotep_, the tomb of the highest state-official of a king of the 5th Dynasty (about 2700–2550 B.C.). The interesting, delicately executed wall-reliefs, like those of the almost contemporaneous mastaba of Ti (p. 466), are among the finest of the Ancient Empire but are imperfectly lighted. The richest wall-decoration is in the sacrificial chamber (funeral repast, rural scenes, etc.).

We now repair to _Mariette’s House_, a little to the N., where the famous Egyptologist lived during the excavations. We rest and take luncheon on the terrace here. (Custodians 2½–5 pias.; Arabian coffee provided if desired.)

A few min. to the W. of Mariette’s house is the *_Serapeum_, with the underground rock-tombs of the sacred bulls of the god Ptah.

Apis, the sacred bull, had a temple of his own at Memphis, and after
death was buried with great pomp. He represented man in a future state
as identified with the god Osiris, and his tomb was a favourite goal
of pilgrims. Hermits too sometimes lived in the narrow cells of the
tomb. After Ptolemy I. had introduced the cult of Serapis (p. 435)
into Egypt, this new god was identified with Osiris-Apis (Egyp.
Oser-hapē, Gr. Osorapis).

The temple over the Apis tombs has disappeared, and so too has a
second temple erected here by Nektanebos (358–341 B.C.), to which the
great sphinx avenue ascended from the plain below. The main passage to
the tombs, which was constructed by Psammetichos I. (663–609), is now
alone accessible. In the tomb-chambers are still preserved 24 of the
huge sarcophagi in which the mummies of the Apis bulls reposed.

The famous *_Mastaba of Ti_, to the N.E. of Mariette’s house, is still deeply imbedded in the sand. This was the tomb of the royal architect of king Nuserrē (5th Dyn.). The most beautiful of the reliefs are in the tomb-chamber, which is entered from the road through two vestibules and two passages. We note particularly, on the E. wall, Harvest and Boat-building; on the S. wall, Sacrifices to the dead; on the N. wall, *Scenes from life in the Delta marshes.

Those who do not intend to ride on to Gîzeh may, on their way back, glance at the _Tomb of Merekura_, of the early 6th Dynasty, and at the _Street of Tombs_ near it, of like date (including the _Tomb of Enkhmē-Hor_, also called the ‘Tomb of the Physicians’, etc.)

For full details, see _Baedeker’s Egypt_.

=72. From Alexandria or Port Said to Beirut= (_Smyrna_,
_Constantinople_) =viâ Jaffa=.

464 (or 261) M. STEAMERS (mostly small and old; agents at Alexandria,
see p. 432; at Port Said, p. 437; at Jaffa, p. 467; at Beirut, pp.
481, 482). =1.= _Messageries Maritimes_, S. Mediterranean line (coming
from Marseilles, and touching at Alexandria): from Port Said on Frid.
(returning Mon. or Tues.) to Beirut, alternately direct in 1 day and
viâ Jaffa in 2 days; fare from Port Said to Jaffa 35 or 25 fr., to
Beirut 65 or 55 fr.—=2.= _Austrian Lloyd_ (Trieste and Syria line;
comp. R. 68; touching at Alexandria): from Port Said on Mon. aft. viâ
Jaffa and Haifa to Beirut in ca. 2½ days (returning Thurs. night);
fare from Port Said to Jaffa 33 or 22 K, to Beirut 75 or 52 K.—=3.=
_Khedivial Mail Co._ (coming from Alexandria), from Port Said on Sun.
aft. viâ Jaffa and Haifa in ca. 1½ days to Beirut (going on, every
alternate week, to Alexandretta and Constantinople), returning from
Beirut Sun. foren.; fare from Port Said to Jaffa £ 1 E 35 pias. or £ E
1, to Beirut £ 2 E 60 pias. or £ E 2.—=4.= _Russian Steam Navigation &
Trading Co._ (Syria and Egypt circular line; coming from Alexandria),
from Port Said on Mon. or Sat. nights viâ Jaffa and Haifa in ca. 2
days to Beirut (going on to Smyrna and Constantinople), returning from
Beirut Tues. or Wed. aft.; fare 60 or 44 fr. (to Jaffa 36 or 26
fr.).—=5.= _German Levant Line_, cargo-steamers from Alexandria twice
monthly viâ Jaffa and Haifa to Beirut (comp. R. 65).—=6.= _Società
Nazionale_ (Lines VII, VII bis; coming from Alexandria), from Port
Said each monthly viâ Jaffa to Beirut in ca. 2 days.

As to passports, see p. 491; Turkish money, p. 536.

_Alexandria_, see p. 431; _Port Said_, see p. 436. The flat Egyptian coast disappears soon after we leave Port Said.

Nearing Jaffa we survey the hill-country of _Judaea_, with the heights around Jerusalem and (to the N.E.) the mountains of _Samaria_, The broad coast-plain, flanked with low dunes, is the ancient _Peleshet_, the ‘plain’, stretching from the Egyptian frontier to Mt. Carmel (p. 468), once inhabited by the _Philistines_ (Pelishtîm).

* * * * *

=Jaffa.=—ARRIVAL. The steamers anchor in the open roads. In winter,
when a westerly gale is blowing, it is often impossible to land.
Passengers must then go on to Haifa (p. 468) or to Beirut (p. 481).
The arrangements for landing are unsatisfactory; in rough weather as
much as 20 fr. is demanded. It is best to land in one of the boats
belonging to the hotels or tourist-agents (see below; 6–7 fr. to
station or to hotel, incl. baggage, on which a watchful eye should be
kept), and to decline the services of other boatmen or of porters and
dragomans (Arabic terjumân). The passport office and custom-house are
in the S. angle of the harbour. Customs examination, see p. 537.

RAILWAY STATION to the N.E. of the town, 1½ M. from the harbour.

HOTELS (charges should be ascertained at once; advisable to order
rooms beforehand in the height of the season). _Jerusalem Hotel_ and
_Hôt. du Parc_, both in the German colony, pens. 12½, in the quiet
season 8 fr.; _Hôt. Kaminitz_, in Rue Boustrous, leading to the German
colony; _Frank_, in the German colony, with restaurant.

TOURIST AGENTS. _Thos. Cook & Son_, opposite the Jerusalem
Hotel; _Clark_, in the Hôt. du Parc; _Dr. Benzinger_, at Frank’s
Hotel; _Hamburg-American Line_, _Agence Lubin_, both at the
harbour.—STEAMBOAT OFFICES all on the quay, to the N.E. of the
custom-house.

POST OFFICES. _Turkish_ in Rue Boustrous (also International
Telegraph); _German_ and _Austrian-Hungarian_, at the N.E. end of the
quay; _French_, farther to the N.E.; _Russian_, on the quay, opposite
the Quarantine Station.

CONSULS. British Vice-Consul, _J. Falanga_.—United States Consular
Agent, _J. Hardegg_.

PHYSICIANS. _Dr. J. M. Keith_ (medical superintendent of the _English
Hospital_); _Dr. Lin_ (French); _Dr. Lorch_, _Dr. Saad_ (both German).

BANKS. _Anglo-Palestine Co._, _Banque Ottomane_, both in the Gaza
Road; _German Palaestina-Bank_, _Crédit Lyonnais_, both on the quay.

ENGLISH CHURCH SERVICES, on Sun. at 9.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.

CARRIAGES. Drive 1 beshlik (3½ pias.); ½ day 10, day 20 fr.; to
Jerusalem (7–8 hrs.) in the season 50–60 fr. (single seat 10–15 fr.),
to Haifa (1½–2 days), 100–140 fr., according to weather.

_Jaffa_, Arabic _Yâfâ_, Gr. _Joppa_ (pop. 47,000, viz. about 30,000 Moslems, 10,000 Christians, and 7000 Jews), originally a Phœnician colony in the land of the Philistines, is mentioned as early as the reign of Solomon (p. 472) as the seaport of Jerusalem. The Maccabees (p. 472) brought it under Jewish domination. During the Crusades it was repeatedly wrested from the Christians, and in 1267 it was destroyed by the Mameluke sultan Beybars. In 1799 the town was stormed by the French under Kléber (p. 444).

The old town rises on a rock 118 ft. high, behind the _Quay_, built towards the end of the 17th century. Its streets are very dusty and in wet weather muddy.

The quay and its prolongation, the main arteries of traffic, lead in a curve towards the E. to the _Market_ (Sûk), where the Semitic type of the inhabitants is very noticeable.

Beyond this market is a public garden with a _Clock Tower_ erected by the town of Jaffa to commemorate the 25th year of the reign of the now deposed Sultan Abdul Hamid (1876–1909), and several Arabian cafés. The Gaza road leads thence to the right through the S. suburb. The Jerusalem road leads straight on through the new town and a number of orange-groves; after 12 min. a road diverges to the left to the Russian settlement, where we are shown the site of the house of _Tabitha_ and her rock-tomb (Acts ix. 35). The Rue Boustrous leads to the left to the railway-station and the pleasant houses of the _German Colony_, founded in 1868 (about 350 inhab., chiefly of the ‘Temple’ sect).

A second colony of these Templars is _Sarona_, 1 M. to the N.E.,
behind the dunes, in the coast-plain of _Sharon_ between Jaffa and
Cæsarea, famed ever since ancient times for its fertility. The vine in
particular thrives here admirably.

* * * * *

Beyond Jaffa the STEAMER soon passes the mouth of the _Nahr el-Aujâ_, the largest river in Palestine next to the Jordan, and then, near the N. boundary of Judæa, the site of _Apollonia_ (now _Arsûf_). Farther on we sight the scanty ruins of _Caesarea Palaestina_ (Arabic _El-Kaisarîyeh_), a seaport founded by Herod the Great, which in the Roman period surpassed Jerusalem.

Beyond the _Nahr ez-Zerkâ_ (‘blue river’, p. xxxiii), the _Crocodile River_ of Pliny, come the little town of _Tantûra_, the _Dor_ of the Old Testament, which classical authors say was a Phœnician colony, and then _Atlît_, the _Castellum Peregrinorum_ of the Crusaders, the seat of the Knights Templar in 1218–91, with its grand ruins.

The beautiful outlines of *_Mt. Carmel_ (1811 ft.; _Jebel Mâr Elyâs_, ‘sacred mount of Elijah’) become more distinct. On the hill-side is the _Carmelite Monastery_ (558 ft.), the original seat of the order, which extended its sphere to Europe in 1238. Below it, on the evergreen N. slope of the range, rises a _Lighthouse_.

Most of the steamers call at the open roads of =Haifa= or _Khaifa_ (Hôt. Karmel or Krafft, pens. 8–10 fr.; carr. at the tourist-office of Unger & Hermann, at G. Sus’s, etc.; Brit. vice-cons., P. Abela; U. S. cons. agent, Th. Struve; pop. 16,000), a rapidly rising commercial town, beautifully situated at the N. base of Mt. Carmel and on the S. shore of the _Bay of Acre_, not far from the site of the _Sycaminum_ of antiquity. The trade is chiefly in the hands of the German ‘Temple’ sect, whose settlement presents a striking contrast to the prevailing Oriental squalor.

A ROAD leads from Haifa viâ _Atlît_ and _Tantûra_ (see above), and
then inland viâ the Jewish agricultural colony of _Zammarín_ (Hôt.
Graff) and _Kakûn_ (410 ft.) to =Nàbulus= or _Nâblus_ (1870 ft.; Hôt.
Nablus, German,) once _Sichem_, the capital of _Samaria_. After the
war of 67 A.D. (p. 472) it was re-founded by Vespasian as _Flavia
Neapolis_. It is now a town of 27,000 inhab. (incl. 700 Christians and
170 members of the Samaritan sect). Fine view from _Mt. Gerizim_ (2848
ft.; Arab. _Jebel et-Tôr_), to the S. of the town. A new road leads
from Nâbulus, past _Jacob’s Well_ (St. John, iv. 5–30), viâ
_El-Lubban_ and _El-Bireh_, to _Jerusalem_ (p. 470).

FROM HAIFA VIÂ DERÂT TO DAMASCUS, 177 M., Railway. One train daily in
10 hrs.; fares, 1st cl., 142½, 3rd cl. 65½ pias. (note exchange at
rail. stat.: 1 mejidieh = 19 pias.; 20 fr. = 86½ pias.; £ 1 = 109¼
pias.; £ 1 Turkish = 96 pias.). Most travellers, however, prefer the
following profoundly interesting route, joining the train at _Samakh_
(p. 469).

We drive from Haifa to (24 M.) _Nazareth_ (1145 ft.; Hôt. Germania,
pens. 8–12½ fr.), the home of Christ, whence the Christians in the
Levant are still called Nazarenes (Nasâra). Then past _Mt. Tabor_
(1844 ft.; _Jebel et-Tor_; fine view), the traditional scene of the
Transfiguration, and _Kafr Kennâ_, the _Cana_ of the Bible (St. John,
ii), to (4½ hrs.) =Tabarîya= (82 ft. below sea-level; Hôt. Tiberias or
Grossmann, pens. 10–12½ fr.; pop. 7500, incl. many Polish Jews), the
ancient _Tiberias_, once the capital of _Galilee_, and, after the
destruction of Jerusalem (p. 472), the chief seat of the Jewish
nation. It lies high up on the W. bank of the _Lake of Gennesaret_, or
_of Tiberias_, or _Sea of Galilee_ (682 ft. below sea-level; 13 M.
long, 7½ M. broad), through which flows the _Jordan_. During half of
the year the climate in this profound Syrian valley is extremely hot.

From Tiberias we row down the lake in 2 hrs. to the rail. station of
_Samakh_ (610 ft. below sea-level; 54½ M. from Haifa). The train
ascends the *_Yarmuk Valley_ to (100 M.) _Derât_ (1735 ft. above
sea-level; Buffet), where it joins the main Hejâz line to _Damascus_
(p. 484; Kadem station).—For details, see _Baedeker’s Palestine and
Syria_.

Beyond Haifa all the steamers skirt the coast of ancient _Phoenicia_ at some distance from land, as the cliffs here endanger navigation, but the numerous small headlands, bays, and islands adapt it admirably for settlement. It once extended, far beyond Beirut, to the river _Eleutheros_, now _Nahr el-Kebîr_.

From afar we sight the lighthouse and forts of _Akka_ or _Acre_, the ancient _Akko_ (later _Ptolemais_). In 1104 it became the naval station of the Crusaders. Taken by Saladin in 1187 it was recaptured by Richard Cœur-de-Lion in 1191 and for a century was a great bulwark of Christianity. Under the name of _St. Jean d’Acre_ it was the seat of the knights of St. John (p. 475) after their expulsion from Jerusalem. Far to the N.E. rises _Mt. Hermon_ (p. 489).

Beyond the white _Râs el-Nâkûra_, the ancient _Scala Tyriorum_, and _Râs el-Abyad_, the _Promontorium Album_ of Pliny, we sight a low headland on which lies the poor little town of =Sûr=, with a ruined church of the Crusaders, ruins of their fortifications, and a lighthouse. This was the ancient seaport of _Tyre_, once situated on two islands, but connected with the mainland by an embankment built by Alexander during his famous siege (332 B.C.).

Farther on we pass the mouth of the _Nahr el-Lîtânî_ (p. 483), here called _Nahr el-Kâsimîyeh_, and obtain a fine view of the coast-region in front of _Lebanon_; to the E. rise _Jebel er-Rihân_ and _Tômât Nîhâ_ (6070 ft.; ‘twins of Nîhâ’), snow-capped in winter, and to the N.E. the distant _Jebel Sannîn_ (p. 483).

Beyond _Sarafant_ (ancient _Zarpath_ or _Sarepta_) opens the broad bay of =Saida=, formerly _Sidon_, the oldest and, next to Tyre, greatest port of the Phœnicians, now girdled by rich vegetation.

Passing the mouth of the _Nahr el-Auwâlî_ (ancient _Bostrenus_) and the _Râs er-Rumeileh_, the N. limit of the bay of Saida, we come to the far-projecting _Râs ed-Dâmûr_ and the _Nahr ed-Dâmûr_, the ancient _Tamyras_, which in winter is one of the most copious rivers in the Lebanon region. Near Beirut begin the mulberry and olive groves and the vineyards of the fertile coast-plain.

We round the reddish hills of _Râs Beirût_ (p. 483), with the pigeons’ grottoes and lighthouse, and enter _Beirut_ harbour (p. 481).

73. From Jaffa to Jerusalem.

54½ M. RAILWAY. Two trains daily in 3 hrs. 40 min. (1st cl. 70½ pias.;
2nd, inferior to good Engl. 3rd, 25 pias.). Railway rates of exchange:
1 mejidieh = 20 pias.; 20 fr. = 94 pias.; £ 1 = 124 pias.; £ 1 Turkish
= 108 pias. (comp. p. 536).

_Jaffa_, see p. 467. The train skirts the orchards around Jaffa (with Sarona on the left) and turns to the S.E. through the plain of Sharon (p. 468), following the depression of the _Wâdi Miserâra_. On the right is the agricultural colony of the Alliance Israélite. To the E. rise the bluish hills of ancient _Judaea_.

12 M. _Lydda_, Arabic _Ludd_, Old Test. _Lod_, Gr.-Rom. _Diospolis_, was severed from Samaria by the Maccabees (p. 472) in 145 B.C. and annexed to Judæa.

14 M. =Er-Ramleh= (accommodation at the Franciscan convent; pop. exceeding 7000, incl. 2500 Christians), founded by the Omaiyades (p. 485) in 716, was the _Ramula_ of the era of the Crusades, when it was even more important than Jerusalem. The chief sight is the *_Minaret_ of the oldest mosque (_Jâmi el-Abyad_, ‘white mosque’), famed also for its view. It was erected by En-Nâsir (p. 448) in 1318, in a style recalling the Romanesque transition buildings of the Crusaders (p. 474), but has lost its original summit.

The train crosses the Jerusalem road and runs to the S. through marshy flats to (18 M.) the village of _Nâaneh_. At some distance from the railway _Akir_, once _Ekron_, one of the five chief cities of the Philistines (p. 466), lies on the right (W.), and on the left (E.) are the famous ruins of _Tell Jezer_, mentioned in the letters found at Tell el-Amarna (p. 456), originally the Canaanitish (Phœnician) city of _Gezer_ (a drive of 1 hr. from Er-Ramleh).

24½ M. _Sejed._ Soon turning to the E., we ascend the _Wâdi es-Sarâr_ (‘valley of Sorek’, Judg. xvi. 4), which beyond (31 M.) _Deir Abân_ narrows to a wild rocky gorge.

47½ M. _Bittir_, the ancient _Baither_ or _Bethar_, was heroically defended against the Romans during the revolt of Bar Cochba (p. 472). The train then ascends in the _Wâdi el-Werd_ (‘valley of roses’) and crosses the plain of _El-Bukeia_ to (54½ M.) _Jerusalem_.

* * * * *

=Jerusalem.=—The STATION (2451 ft.; see Pl. C, 9) lies ¾ M. to the S.
of the Jaffa Gate; carr. into the town 2–5 fr., according to the
season.

HOTELS. *_Fast’s Hotel_ (Pl. a; C, 4, 5), Jaffa Road; _Grand New
Hotel_ (Pl. c; D, 5), New Bazaar; _Hôt. Hughes_ (Pl. d; C, 4), Jaffa
Road; _Olivet House_ (Pl. e; C, 2); _Hôt. Kaminitz_ (Pl. b; C, 4),
Jaffa Road. Pension at all 12–15 (out of season 8–10) fr. per day.
Agreement advisable. Wine of the country 1–2, French wine from 3 fr. a
bottle.

HOSPICES. _Prussian Johanniter-Hospiz_ (Pl. g; F, 4), pens. 5 fr.;
_German Catholic Hospice St. Paulus_ (Pl. h; E, 2), outside the
Damascus Gate; _Austrian_ (Pl. i; F, 3), Via Dolorosa; _Casa Nuova_
(Pl. k; D 4, 5), of the Franciscans; all good, pens. 5–8 fr.

RESTAURANTS. _Deutsche Bierhalle_, Jaffa Road; _Lendhold_ (brewery),
in the German Temple colony.

POST OFFICES. _Turkish_ (Pl. C, 5: with the International Telegraph),
outside the Jaffa Gate; _French_ (Pl. C, 5), adjoining it; _German_
(Pl. D, 5), etc.

TOURIST OFFICES. _Thos. Cook & Son_, inside Jaffa Gate; _Clark_,
_Hamburg-American Line_, _Dr. Benzinger_ (North German Lloyd), _N.
Tadros_, all in Jaffa Road.

CARRIAGES at the Jaffa Gate. Drive ¼ hour, ½ mejidieh. Excursions are
best arranged for by tourist-agent or landlord of hotel. So also
HORSES, half-day 5, whole day 8 fr.; donkey per day 4–5, half-day 2–3
fr.

CONSULATES. British (Pl. 5; A, 1), _H. E. Satow_.—United States (Pl.
13; E, 5): consul, _W. Coffin_.

BANKS. _Anglo-Palestine Co._ (Pl. 1; E, 6), opposite the citadel;
_Crédit Lyonnais_ (Pl. 2; D, 5) and _Banque Ottomane_ (Pl. D, 5),
Jaffa Road; _German Palaestina-Bank_ (Pl. 3; D, 5), inside Jaffa Gate.

PHOTOGRAPHS. The best are those of the _American Colony_, of _Bonfils_
of Beirut, and (coloured) of the _Photoglob_ of Zürich, to be obtained
from _Vester_ (American Colony Store), _Boulus Meo_, _Sfeir_, and
_Shammas_, all in the Grand New Hotel; _A. Attallah_, at the Bâb
el-Jedîd; _Salman & Co._, Jaffa Road.—Other favourite SOUVENIRS of
Jerusalem are carved olive-wood and mother-of-pearl objects, in which
there is a brisk trade; the largest choice is to be found in the
square in front of St. Sepulchre’s, but half at most of the price
asked should be offered; higher class work is best purchased at the
shops mentioned above.

CHURCHES, convents, missions, schools, etc. abound (see Baedeker’s
Palestine & Syria). Among them may be mentioned the _Collegiate Church
of St. George_ (with the Bishop’s House; services at 9 a.m. and 4.30
p.m.), to the N. of the town; _Christ Church_ (Pl. E, 6; services at
10 a.m. and 4 p.m.); _St. Paul’s_ (Pl. C, 1, 2; Arabic services at
9.30 a.m. and 3 p.m.).

TWO DAYS (when time is limited). 1st. Forenoon, _Mt. of Olives_ (p.
479), _Kidron_ and _Hinnom Valleys_ (p. 480); afternoon, _Church of
the Holy Sepulchre_ (p. 474), _Mûristân_ (p. 475), and _Zion_ (p.
473).—2nd. Forenoon, _Haram esh-Sherîf_ (p. 476); afternoon, excursion
to _Bethlehem_ (p. 480).

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is open before 11.30 and after 3; a
forenoon visit may usually be prolonged by giving a fee to the Moslem
custodian (1 fr.).

Leave to visit the Haram esh-Sherîf must be obtained from the Turkish
authorities through the visitor’s consulate (see above). He is then
escorted by a Turkish soldier and usually by a cavass of the consulate
also. The cavass receives 8–10 fr., or 4–5 fr. from each member of a
party, which covers all fees and outlays. On Fridays and during the
Moslem festival of Nebi-Mûsâ (Wed. of Holy Week to Easter Mon.) the
mosque is closed to strangers.

* * * * *

KEY TO PLAN OF JERUSALEM. _Banks_, see above.—_Bazaars_, Old (Sûks)
and New, F 5; E 5.—_Churches._ Christ Church (English), E 6; Church of
the Redeemer (German Prot.), E 5; Holy Sepulchre, E 4; St. Anne’s, H
3; St. George’s (English), with Bishop’s House, a little to the N. of
E 1; St. Mary’s, K 3; St. Mary Magdalen’s, K 4; St. Paul’s
(Arab.-Prot.), C 1, 2.— _Consulates_, see above.—_Monasteries._
Abraham’s (Greek), Pl. 19, E 4, 5; Abyssinian, Pl. 14, E 4; Armenian
Catholic, Pl. 15, F 4; Coptic, Pl. 16, E 4; Gethsemane, Pl. 20, E 5;
Greek (Great), D E 4, 5; Panagia (Greek), Pl. 21, E 4; Panagia Melæna
(Gr.), Pl. 22, E 5; St. Basil (Gr.), Pl. 23, D 4; St. Caralombos
(Gr.), Pl. 24, E 4; St. Catharine (Gr.), Pl. 25, E 4; St. Demetrius
(Gr.), Pl. 26, D 5; St. George’s (Coptic), Pl. 17, D 5; St. George’s
(Greek), Pl. 27 & 28, D 4 & E 7; St. John the Baptist’s (Gr.), Pl. 29,
E 5; St. John Euthymius (Gr.), Pl. 30, E 4; St. Michael’s (Gr.), Pl.
31, D 4; St. Nicholas (Gr.), Pl. 32, D 4; St. Salvator’s (Latin), Pl.
36, D 4; St. Stephen’s (Dominican), E 1; St. Theodore’s (Greek), Pl.
33, D 4.—_Mosques._ El-Aksâ, H 5, 6; Kubbet es-Sakhra (Dome of the
Rock), H 4, 5; Sîdni Omar, Pl. 37, E 5.—_Synagogues_ (indicated by the
letter ‘S’ on the Plan), many, E, F 5–7.

_Jerusalem_ (Hebrew _Yerushalayim_, Gr. and Lat. _Hierosolyma_, Arabic _El-Kuds_) lies in 31°46′ N. lat. and 35°13′ E. long., on an arid limestone plateau (cold in winter) which rises in the form of a peninsula from the _Kidron Valley_ (_Wâdi Sitti Maryam_, ‘Mary’s Valley’), on the E., and from the _Valley of Hinnom_ (_Wâdi er-Rabâbi_), on the S. side. The narrow E. height (2441 ft.), the ancient _Temple Hill_, is separated from the W. hill, that of the old _Upper Town_ (2550 ft.), by a depression, now very slight, called _Tyropoeon_ (‘dung valley’) by Josephus, the Jewish historian. Still higher is the N.W. angle of the present town (2591 ft.).

The population is estimated at 70,000, of whom 45,000 are Jews, living mostly on alms bestowed by the charitable institutions of their European co-religionists; of the 15,000 Christians nearly half are Syrians of the Greek orthodox faith; the Moslems number about 10,000. In spring, especially at the time of the Greek Easter, the town is flooded with pilgrims, the majority being Russians. As a centre of the three chief religions of the world, Jerusalem has quite a religious atmosphere and is historically a city of overwhelming interest, but its tranquillity is sadly marred by the dissensions and jealousies of its numerous religious communities. Careful and patient study alone will reveal to the traveller something of the departed glory of the venerable capital of the Jewish empire.

HISTORY. From the tablets of Tell el-Amarna (p. 456) it appears that
_Urusalim_ was the capital of a small principality dependent on Egypt
about 1400 B.C. When the Israelites under David conquered the town in
the 11th cent. (2 Sam. v. 6–10) it was the chief stronghold of the
Jebusites, a Canaanitish tribe. David made it his residence and built
a castle known as the City of David. His son Solomon, with the aid of
Phœnician artificers, afterwards built his palace and the Temple of
Jehovah on Mt. Zion (the E. hill). On the bi-partition of the kingdom
after his death Jerusalem became the capital of Judah. The kingdom of
Israel in N. Palestine was subjugated by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.,
and in 597 Jerusalem, under Jehoiachin, shared a like fate at the
hands of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In 586 the revolt under Zedekiah
led to the destruction of the city. On the return of the Jews from
captivity in 538 the city and Temple were gradually rebuilt, and the
new town-wall was completed in 444. On the death of Alexander the
Great in 323 Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Ptolemies (p. 433)
and often suffered severely from conflicts with the Diadochi of Syria.
The last royal dynasty, that of the Maccabees (167–63), was overthrown
by the Romans when Pompey conquered the city. As the residence of
Herod the Great (37–4 B.C., according to the accepted chronology), in
the last year of whose reign Christ was born, Jerusalem prospered
anew. A new palace in the Roman style was erected at the N.W. angle of
the upper town, and the rebuilding of the Temple was begun. But a
revolt of the Zealots, or Jewish national party, led to embittered
struggles with the Romans in 67 A.D., with the result that Jerusalem
was stormed by Titus in 70, the Temple burned down, and the city was
completely destroyed as Carthage had once been. Another rising of the
Jews under Trajan (117) extended as far as the Cyrenaica (comp. p.
413) in N. Africa. On the ruins of the city, on a site almost
coinciding with that enclosed by the present city-walls, Emp. Hadrian
erected the new pagan colony of _Ælia Capitolina_, from which, after
the last revolt, that of Bar Cochba (132–5), Jews were excluded.

The modern history of Christian Jerusalem begins with the building of
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Emp. Constantine (about 326–36).
Pilgrims soon flocked to the holy places, and in 570 there were
already hospices with 3000 beds for their use. In 614 the Persians
under Chosroes II. (p. 485) sacked the city, but when it was captured
by caliph Omar in 637 it was treated with clemency, being regarded as
a sacred place by Moslems as well as by Christians. In 691 began the
erection of the famous Dome of the Rock, on the sacred rock (p. 477),
the site of the ancient Jewish Temple, the greatest sanctuary of Islam
after the Kaaba of Mecca. Jerusalem fell into the hands of the
Egyptian Fatimites in 969, but was wrested from them by the Seljuks in
1077. It was chiefly the maltreatment of the Christian pilgrims by the
Seljuks that gave rise to the First Crusade. In 1099 the Crusaders
conquered Jerusalem, which under Godfrey de Bouillon (d. 1100) became
the capital of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem. The city was
retaken by Saladin in 1187, but in 1229 was voluntarily ceded by Melik
el-Kâmil to Emp. Frederick II. Lastly, in 1244, it was stormed by the
Kharezmians, and has been under Moslem rule ever since.

BOOKS. Among the best of the numerous works on Jerusalem are
_Barclay’s_ ‘City of the Great King’, _Besant & Palmer’s_ ‘Jerusalem,
the City of Herod and Saladin’ (5th ed., London, 1908), _Warren’s_
‘Underground Jerusalem’ (London, 1876), and _Wilson & Warren’s_
‘Recovery of Jerusalem’ (London, 1871). _Miss A. Goodrich-Freer’s_
‘Inner Jerusalem’ (1904), _Laurence Hutton’s_ ‘Literary Landmarks of
Jerusalem’, and _C. R. Conder’s_ ‘The City of Jerusalem’ (London,
1909) also may be mentioned.

The *OLD TOWN is enclosed by a *_Wall_ of the 13–14th cent., restored by Suleiman the Great (p. 542) in 1537–41; it is 40 ft. high and about 2½ M. long. The two main streets lead to the W. from the _Jaffa Gate_ (Pl. D, 5, 6; Arabic Bâb el-Khalîl), and N. from the handsome _Damascus Gate_ (Pl. D, 5, 6; Bâb el-Amûd) respectively. They divide the town into four quarters, to the N.W. the Greek-Frank, S.W. the Armenian, S.E. the Jewish, and N.E. the Moslem. The streets are crooked, often vaulted over, and, in the Jewish quarter especially, very dirty. All the houses have rain-water cisterns, besides which there are several reservoirs.

The JAFFA SUBURB, situated to the N.W., is the most important, in style the most European. It is the chief seat of the European or ‘Frank’ inhabitants and contains the consulates, several churches, and the extensive _Russian Buildings_ (Pl. A-C, 2, 3).—Outside the _Gate of Zion_ (Pl. E, 7, 8; Bâb en-Nebi Dâûd, ‘gate of the prophet David’), but originally within the town-walls, lies the so-called _Zion Suburb_. It contains the Christian cemeteries, the German Benedictine monastery _Dormitio Sanctae Mariae_ (Pl. E, 8; ‘death-sleep of Mary’), with the new _Church of St. Mary_, and the now Mohammedan buildings of _En-Nebi Dâûd_ (Pl. E, 8; with ‘David’s Tomb’ and the ‘Room of the Last Supper’). Near the railway-station (p. 470) is the substantial German _Temple Colony_ (comp. p. 468).

We begin our visit to the old town at the Jaffa Gate, a busy centre of traffic, to which the road from the station leads (p. 480). To the S.E. of the gate, and partly on the site of Herod’s palace, rises the citadel _El-Kala_ (Pl. D, 6; 14th and 16th cent.); the N.E. tower probably corresponds to the Phasaël Tower of the time of Herod.

DAVID STREET, one of the chief business streets, under different names (Sueikat Allân, Hâret el-Bizâr, and Tarîk Bâb es-Silseleh; Pl. D-G, 5), connects the Jaffa Gate with the Silseleh Gate of the Haram esh-Sherîf (p. 476). On the left, opposite the citadel, is the well-stocked _New Bazaar_ (Pl. D, 5).

At _St. John’s Monastery_ (Pl. 29; E, 5), the Greek pilgrims’ hospice at the S.W. angle of the Mûristân (p. 475), we first turn to the left into the HÂRET EN-NÂSARA (Pl. E, 5, 4; Christians’ Street). On the left is the very ancient _Patriarch’s Pool_ (Birket Hammâm el-Batrak; Pl. E, 5), assigned by tradition to king Hezekiah (about 700 B.C.); on the right is the _Patriarch’s Bath_. Opposite the _Great Greek Monastery_ (Deir er-Rûm el-Kebîr; Pl. D, E, 4, 5), is, on the right, the entrance to the—

*=Church of the Holy Sepulchre= (Pl. E, 4; adm., see p. 471), whose principal dome, crowned with a gilded cross, is everywhere conspicuous. This, especially at Easter, is the great goal of the pilgrims. The discovery of the Holy Sepulchre, which Eusebius, Bishop of Cæsarea, the father of church history (314–40), tells us was made by Constantine, induced that emperor to build a round church here, the so-called Anastasis (church of the resurrection), and a five-aisled basilica, dedicated to the sign of the Cross (Martyrion). These churches having been burned down by the Persians (p. 473), Abbot Modestus, under Emp. Heraclius, began to build, in 629, a new church of the resurrection, the prototype of the Dome of the Rock (p. 477), a new church of the Cross, and a small Calvary church on the supposed site of the Crucifixion (Golgotha). A fourth church, that of St. Mary, is said to have existed here in 670. Between 1140 and 1149, the period of the Second Crusade, the Crusaders caused a great new church to be built by the architect _Jourdain_, in the Romanesque transition style, under Arabian influence, an edifice intended to embrace almost all the holy places. On the E. side of the new double church a chapel was dedicated to St. Helena (d. about 326), the mother of Constantine, who, according to later historians, once made a pilgrimage to the holy places and discovered the true Cross near the Sepulchre. On the S. side of the double church a Gothic clock-tower, originally detached, was erected in 1160–80. After the destructions of 1187 and 1244 (see p. 473), we hear of a handsome new church existing here in 1310. At length in 1719 a great part of the church was rebuilt, and at the joint cost of the Greeks and the Armenians, again in 1810 by the architect _Komnenos Kalfa_. Since then the Greek cathedral, the dome-roofed ‘Catholicon’, has occupied the nave of what was once the Crusaders’ basilica. Among the many additions the chapel of the Apparition (p. 475) is one of the oldest (14th cent.).

In the N.W. corner of the QUADRANGLE, or outer court, over the Chapel
of the Forty Martyrs, rises the Bell Tower, the upper part of which
has been destroyed. The Façade, dating from the era of the Crusades,
has fine reliefs of the French school over the portals.

A vestibule, where the custodians (p. 471) sit, leads to the Stone of
Unction (John xix. 38–40), last renewed in 1808.

The great ROTUNDA of the Sepulchre still has the foundation pillars,
the massive outer wall of the W. semicircle, and the three apses of
the Crusaders’ church. The round central structure embraces the Chapel
of the Sepulchre and the Angels’ Chapel. Adjoining the Sepulchre is
the 14th station of the Via Dolorosa (see below).

From the N.E. side of the ambulatory an ante-room leads to the CHAPEL
OF THE APPARITION, the chief Latin (Rom. Cath.) sanctuary, on the spot
where Christ is said to have appeared to his mother. In a niche is
shown a fragment of the ‘Column of Scourging’.

The NAVE, which we next visit, has suffered greatly from the
introduction of the Catholicon. The pointed windows, the clustered
pillars, and the groined vaulting still bear traces of their origin in
the Crusaders’ era. The southmost of the three chapels in the apse, in
the outer wall of the choir ambulatory, contains the ‘Column of the
Derision’.

To the left of this chapel a flight of 29 steps descends to ST.
HELENA’S CHAPEL, belonging to the Armenians, on the site of
Constantine’s basilica, with foundations of the period of Modestus; 13
more steps descend thence to the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross.

We now return to the ambulatory and ascend from it, to the left (S.),
to the higher-lying GOLGOTHA CHAPELS, the 10–13th stations on the Via
Dolorosa (see below).