view is somewhat more open; for here lies the plain of Rephaim, already described,' commencing just at the southern brink of the Valley of Hinnom, and stretching off S. W. where it runs to the western sea. In the N. W. too the eye reaches up along the upper part of the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and, from many points, can discern the mosk of Neby Samwîl, situated on a lofty ridge beyond the great Wady, at the distance of two hours.

The surface of the elevated promontory itself, on which the city stands, slopes somewhat steeply towards the East, terminating on the brink of the valley of Jehoshaphat. From the northern part, near the present Damascus Gate, a depression or shallow Wady runs in a southern direction, having on the West the ancient hills of Akra and Zion, and on the East the lower ones of Bezetha and Moriah. Between the hills of Akra and Zion another depression or shallow Wady (still easy to be traced) comes down from near the Yâfa Gate, and joins the former. It then continues obliquely down the slope, but with a deeper bed, in a southern direction quite to the Pool of Siloam and the Valley of Jehoshaphat. This is the ancient Tyropoeon. West of its lower part, Zion rises loftily, lying mostly without the modern city; while on the East of the Tyropoeon and the valley first mentioned, lie Bezetha, Moriah, and Ophel, the last a long and comparatively narrow ridge also outside of the modern city, and terminating in a rocky point over the Pool of Siloam. These three last hills may strictly be taken as only parts of one and the same ridge. The breadth of the whole site of Jerusalem, from the brow of the Valley of Hinnom near the Yâfa Gate to the brink of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, is about 1020 yards, or nearest half a geographical mile; of which dis

1) See above, pp. 323, 324.

tance 318 yards is occupied by the area of the great mosk, el-Haram esh-Sherîf. North of the Yâfa Gate the city-wall sweeps round more to the West, and increases the breadth of the city in that part.

The country around Jerusalem is all of limestone formation; and not particularly fertile. The rocks everywhere come out above the surface, which in many parts is also thickly strewed with loose stones; and the aspect of the whole region is barren and dreary. Yet the olive thrives here abundantly; and fields of grain are seen in the vallies and level places; but they are less productive than in the region of Hebron and Nâbulus. Neither vineyards nor fig-trees flourish on the high ground around the city; though the latter are found in the gardens below Siloam, and are very frequent in the vicinity of Bethlehem.

II. THE CITY, ITS INTERIOR, ETC.

The Walls. An inscription in Arabic over the Yâfa Gate, as well as others in various places, records that the present walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt by order of Sultan Suleimân in A. H. 948, corresponding to A. D. 1542. They appear to occupy very nearly the site of the former walls of the middle ages, which were several times thrown down and rebuilt during the crusades; a slight deviation only being visible around the N. W. corner, on both the western and northern sides. The materials were probably those of the former walls; and are in great part apparently

1) Or as usually given, A. D. 1543.-Quaresmius assigns the building of the walls to Selim in A. D. 1517; he doubtless could not read the inscriptions. Elucid. II. p. 41.-Belon, who was here about A. D. 1547, mentions that the walls had been recently built up; Observations, etc. p. 143. Paulus' Samml.

I. p. 162.-Schweigger in 1576 also ascribes them to Selim, and tells a fabulous story of his causing the lions to be carved over St. Stephen's Gate; Reissbuch des h. Landes, II. p. 122.

2) See further on under "Walls of the Middle Ages."

ancient. They consist wholly of hewn stones, in general not very large, laid in mortar. Many of them are bevelled in the manner which will be described hereafter, evincing an antiquity not later than the times of the Romans; and these are intermingled with others plainly hewn, especially in the upper part of the walls. On the eastern side, the wall of the area of the Haram esh-Sherif, constitutes also the wall of the city for about half the extent upon this side. The same is true of the southern wall of this area for about two hundred yards from its S. E. corner; at which point the city wall comes up at right angles from the South and unites with the former. The parts of the wall thus connected with the mosk, would seem not to have been rebuilt at the same time with the rest; they are apparently older and more dilapidated; although they exhibit an abundance of patchwork.

The walls of the city have quite a stately and imposing appearance; all of hewn stone, with towers and battlements; the latter crowning a breastwork with loopholes. This has already been described, as protecting the broad walk along the top of the wall within, to which flights of steps lead up at convenient intervals. The height of the walls on the outside varies much with the inequalities of the ground in different parts, from some twenty to fifty feet. At the N. E. corner and along a portion of the northern side, a trench has been cut in the rock outside, along the wall, apparently as a further defence; but in other places equally exposed, there is no trace of any trench. Indeed the walls of Jerusalem, notwithstanding their elevation and imposing aspect, would probably present no great obstacle to the entrance of a regular besieging army.

1) Notwithstanding the mortar, the walls are full of crevices; furnishing a retreat to multitudes of VOL. I.

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lizards, which are seen gliding over them in all directions.

2) See above, p. 352.

Gates. Jerusalem at present has only four open gates, one on each of the four sides of the city, looking towards the North, South, East, and West. Besides these there were formerly four other mostly smaller gates, now closed up with walls. All these gates appear to occupy the same places as those which existed before the present city-wall was rebuilt; and some of them are evidently themselves earlier structures, which were retained at that time. In this respect we shall recur to them again hereafter, confining ourselves here to their present state and names.

On the West side of the city is the gate called by the natives Bâb el-Khulil, or Hebron Gate; but which the Franks call also the Gate of Bethlehem, or of Yâfa, and sometimes Gate of the Pilgrims. From it lead the roads to all these three towns. It consists of a massive square tower; and in going out of the city one enters it from the East and passes out through its northern side. The breadth of the city from this gate to the western entrance of the Haram esh-Sherîf, is about 2100 feet or 700 yards, as near as we could determine it by paces.

On the North is the Damascus Gate of the Franks; called by the natives Bâb el-'Amûd, "Gate of the Pillar." It is more ornamented than the rest. The great road to Nâbulus, Damascus, and the North, leads from it.

St. Stephen's Gate, so called by the Franks, is on the East side of the city, a little North of the area of the great mosk. The Muslims call it Bâb es-Subât, "Gate of the Tribes;" while the native Christians give it the name Bâb Sitty Meryam, "Gate of my Lady Mary," probably in reference to the church and tomb of the Virgin Mary in the Valley of Jehoshaphat below. From it lead the roads to the Mount of Olives, Bethany, 'Anâta, etc. Over this gate on the outside

are sculptured four lions; which shows at least that it was not originally the work of Muhammedans.

The southern gate, called by the Franks that of Zion, and by the natives Bâb en-Neby Dâûd, "Gate of the Prophet David," opens out only upon the exterior part of Zion, towards the Muslim tomb of David, etc. Several paths indeed wind down from it to the Vallies of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat; but no important road leads from it.

Of the gates now closed up, one is on the North side, about half way between the Damascus Gate and the N. E. corner of the city. It is only a small portal in one of the towers. This is called by Franks the Gate of Herod, and by the natives Bâb ez-Zahary, "the flowery."-Another small portal, the Dung Gate of the Franks, is on the South side of the city, a little West of South from the S. W. corner of the area of the mosk, and near the bed of the Tyropoeon. The native name is Bâb el-Mughâribeh, “ Gate of the Western Africans."-A third is the large double gateway on the eastern side of the area of the great mosk, now called by the natives Bâb ed-Dahariyeh," the Eternal Gate;" but which Franks are wont to speak of as the Golden Gate, Porta aurea. This is evidently a structure of antiquity, and will be more fully described hereafter.—The fourth of these gates is adjacent to the South wall of the area of the mosk, just in the corner where the city-wall comes up and joins it. It is a low square tower; and if seen only from the outside, looks as if it had once led up into the area of the mosk. We examined it, and entered it afterwards from the inside, and found that it led only into the city. The

1) The adjacent quarter of the city, near the S. W. part of the court of the great mosk, appears at one time to have been inhabited by a colony of these people. See the History of Jerusalem by Mejr

ed-Din in A. D. 1495, translated by von Hammer, Fundgruben des Orients, II. pp. 98, 125.

2) The name Porta aurea goes back at least to the times of the crusades; Will. Tyr. VIII. 3.