See Deut. xi. 24.
For a description of the city and its great mosque, see Baedeker, also Guy Le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, chap. vi. The most eastern dome of the mosque is to this day called Kubbet-es-Saa, the Dome of Hours. Mukaddasi gives an elaborate description of the mosaics and other features of this mosque.
Cf. Midrash Raba, chap, xiv:
; also Josephus, Ant. I, vii, 2 who quotes Nicolaus of Damascus in the words "In Damasco regnarit Abramus."
Pethachia estimates the Jewish population at 19,000. This confirms the opinion already given (p. 26) that Benjamin refers to heads of families.