BETHLEHEM, Palestine.—"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel." In Hebrew the word signifies the "place of bread," or, more generally, "the place of food," and is possibly derived from the fact that the region about Bethlehem has from very remote antiquity presented a marked contrast to the surrounding "wilderness." We learn from the Bible that the inhabitants of Bethlehem possessed cornfields, vineyards and flocks of goats, and that they made cheese. The natural products of to-day in every respect confirm this record.
DEAD SEA, Palestine.—This sea, situated sixteen miles from Jerusalem and visible from the Mount of Olives, occupies that deep depression thirteen hundred feet below the Mediterranean, which extends from the mountains of Lebanon to the Gulf of Akabah, and is forty-six miles long and about ten miles wide. The River Jordan and smaller streams empty their waters into it, and it has no visible outlet. The water of the Dead Sea contains a large quantity of mineral substances, consisting of chlorides of sodium, calcium and magnesium, which give it a bitter taste, and render it smooth and oily.
NAZARETH, Palestine.—This village, situated in Galilee about sixty-five miles from Jerusalem, is the place where Jesus grew up from infancy. From its highest elevation the most beautiful views of the Holy Land can be taken. The place must have been very small in the time of Christ, as the village is not named in the Old Testament. The population in those times was mainly Jewish, but it now has Greek, Latin and Moslem quarters and a Protestant mission. During the Middle Ages many Christians visited Nazareth, but when the Turks seized Palestine in 1517, they were again driven out.
JACOB'S WELL, Palestine.—Jews, Christians and Muslims agree that this is the "Well of Jacob" of Scripture. (Gen. XXXIII., 19.) It is situated on the high road from Jerusalem to Galilee, according perfectly with the narrative of St. John IV., 5-30. In summer, it is often dry. It is seven and one-half feet in diameter and lined with masonry. If, as is probable, this well was the scene of Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman, the tradition had already attached to it, that this was Jacob's Well, and around it was the field which he purchased, and where Joseph was afterwards buried. (Joshua XXIV., 32.)
BEYROUTH, Syria.—The above city, located on the Mediterranean, is one of great antiquity. The city proper is an irregular square, open towards the sea, and surrounded on the land side by a substantial tower-flanked wall. The streets are wider than is usual in Syrian towns, and are paved with large stones. The houses, for the most part, are lofty and spacious. During the hot season the wealthier inhabitants move inland. The surrounding hills consist of reddish sand, interspersed with rock, and are covered with a light soil.
GREAT MOSQUE, Damascus, Syria.—It is possible that during the first century of the Christian era, a heathen temple stood on the site of the present mosque. The building was converted into a Christian church, and contained a casket in which the head of John the Baptist was shown. The Christian church was destroyed, and the present mosque erected. Antique columns were collected in towns of Syria, and used in the decoration. The pavement and lower walls are covered with rarest marbles. The ceiling, from which hang six hundred golden lamps, is of wood, inlaid with gold. The urn above the altar is said to still contain the remains of the head of John the Baptist.
BAALBEC, Syria.—These magnificent ruins have excited the wonder and admiration of every beholder. In view of the fact that the Jewish style of architecture is mingled with that of the Doric and the Corinthian order, this building is supposed to have been the house that Solomon built for his Egyptian wife. It may be surpassed in classical taste by the Temple of Athens, and, in some respects, Rome may rival it. Even in magnitude the Nile exceeds it, but there is something about Baalbec that causes it to stand alone, and makes it peer of all. Its origin is not known, yet it passed through the Greek, Arab and Roman hands, and suffered assaults by the Crusades.
MECCA, Syria.—The pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim is bound to undertake once in his life, is a most curious religious custom. In the neighborhood of Mecca the pilgrims undress, laying aside even their head-gear, and put on aprons and a piece of cloth over the left shoulder. They then perform the circuit of the Ka'ba, kiss the black stone, hear the sermon on Mount Arafat, near Mecca, pelt Satan with stones in the Valley of Mina, and conclude their pilgrimage with a great sacrificial feast. The picture shows the famous cemetery of Mecca, the bodies all buried above the ground.
KALBADEVIE ROAD, Bombay, India.—The city of Bombay, under English rule, with a population of nearly a million inhabitants, is one or the most flourishing cities in India, on account of its nearness to the Suez Canal. The approach from the sea discloses one of the finest panoramas in the world, the only European analogy being the Bay of Naples. The town itself consists of well-built and usually handsome native bazaars, and of spacious streets devoted to European commerce, of which the above is one of the principal avenues.
BENARES, India.—The city here represented is the religious centre of Hindooism, and one of the oldest cities on the globe. The bank of the Ganges is entirely lined with stone, and there are many very fine landing-places, built by pious devotees, and highly ornamented. The internal streets are so narrow and winding, that there is not room for a carriage to pass; and it is difficult to penetrate them even on horseback. The houses are built of Chanar stone, and are lofty, none being less than two, and many five and six, stories high.