"Those Holy Fields." Palestine, Illustrated by Pen and Pencil

by Samuel Manning

PREFACE

The journey of which a brief account is given in the following pages was undertaken in the early part of 1873. The object of the writer was to compare the Land and the Book, and by an examination of the topography of Palestine to illustrate the histories of Scripture. Had any doubt existed in his own mind as to the veracity of those histories, it must have been dispelled by the minute agreement which he traced between the indications of the narrative and the physical geography of the country. No “fable,” however “cunningly devised,” no myth or legend coming into existence at a later age, could have adapted itself so precisely to the topographical details of the scene. The main design of the present volume has been to trace these coincidences, and thus to elucidate and confirm the biblical narrative. Whilst he has availed himself of all the help he could gain from the writings of former travellers, he has in no case depended upon them, but endeavoured, by a personal and careful inspection of the sites, to arrive at an independent and accurate conclusion.

In the Illustrations, which form so large a part of the present volume, fidelity rather than artistic effect has been aimed at. Many of the engravings are from drawings made on the spot, but a greater number are from photographs. Those of Messrs. Bergheim and Nicodemus of Jerusalem, and Madame Bonfils of Beyrout, have been largely used for this purpose; and the writer desires to express his gratitude for the liberality with which the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund have placed their admirable series at his disposal.

The Maps are enlarged by permission of Messrs. W. and A. Keith Johnston, from their Royal Atlas Map of Syria, which for correctness and fulness of detail is worthy of the high reputation they have long enjoyed as chartographers.

List of Illustrations.

Range of Hermon, near Banias	[Frontispiece.]
Village of Siloam, and Valley of the Kedron	[Preface.]
Southern Palestine, or Judæa.
JAFFA TO HEBRON.
Map of the District	page [10]
Head-Piece—Our Camp	[11]
Initial—Eastern Water-Seller	[11]
Jaffa, from the North	[12]
Jaffa, from the Sea	[15]
Ploughing in Palestine	[17]
Ramleh	[18]
German Colony near Jaffa	[19]
Lydda	[21]
Amwâs, or Nicopolis	[22]
Women of the Hill Country of Judæa	[24]
Wady es-Sumt and Kulônia	[25]
Southern Wall of the Temple Area Showing the opening of “Robinson’s Arch”	[27]
Tomb of Rachel	[29]
Solomon’s Pools	[31]
Ruins of Tekoa, on the way down to Hebron	[32]
Distant View of Hebron	[33]
Hebron, and Mosque over the Cave of Machpelah	[35]
Pool of Hebron	[36]
Entrance to the Mosque over Machpelah	[37]
Roof of the Mosque	[38]
Arrangement of Tombs in the Cave	[39]
Abraham’s Oak, near Hebron	[40]
BETHLEHEM TO THE DEAD SEA.
Head-Piece—Bethlehem	[41]
Initial—The Dead Sea	[41]
Gate of Bethlehem	[42]
Women of Bethlehem	[43]
Shepherd of Bethlehem	[44]
Eastern Gleaners	[45]
Entrance to the Cave of Adullam	[47]
Interior of the Cave of Adullam	[48]
Bethlehem, from the Shepherds’ Field	[49]
Interior of a Khan	[50]
Interior of the Church of the Nativity	[52]
Church of the Nativity	[53]
Convent of Mar Saba	[55]
Wilderness of Judæa	[57]
Northern Shore of the Dead Sea	[59]
Southern Shore of the Dead Sea	[60]
The Dead Sea	[61]
Approach to Engedi	[63]
Makaur, the site of ancient Machærus	[65]
The Dead Sea, near Masada	[66]
Map of the Dead Sea	[67]
The Well of Bethlehem	[68]
JERICHO AND THE JORDAN TO JERUSALEM.
Head-Piece—Arabs of the Plain	[69]
Initial—Er Riha, near Jericho	[69]
Plain of the Jordan, near Jericho	[70]
Arabs in the Plain of Jericho	[71]
Banks of the Jordan	[73]
Sketch Plan of the Jordan	[74]
Site of Ancient Jericho	[75]
Elisha’s Fountain, near Jericho	[81]
Bathing-Place of Pilgrims on the Jordan	[82]
Ruined Aqueduct near Jericho	[83]
Bethany	[85]
Church on the Summit of the Mount of Olives	[87]
St. Stephen’s Gate	[88]
JERUSALEM.
Head-Piece—Church of the Holy Sepulchre	[89]
Initial—Tomb of Absalom	[89]
Plan of Jerusalem	[90]
Ruins near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre	[92]
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives	[93]
Walls of Jerusalem	[95]
Street of Modern Jerusalem	[96]
Sketch Plan of the Site of Jerusalem	[97]
Entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre	[98]
The Pool of Hezekiah	[99]
Plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre	[101]
Interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre	[102]
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre	[103]
The Place of Scourging	[104]
Cave under the Church	[105]
Via Dolorosa	[106]
The Mosque of Omar	[109]
The Golden Gate	[111]
Projecting Stones of Robinson’s Arch	[112]
Wailing-Place of the Jews	[113]
Jewish Almshouses	[115]
Pool of Bethesda	[116]
Substructions under the Temple Area	[117]
Temple Area and Mount of Olives	[118]
Tunnel and Shaft of the Palestine Exploration Fund outside the Temple Wall	[120]
Garden of Gethsemane	[121]
Mount of Corruption	[124]
Tomb of Zacharias	[125]
Aceldama	[126]
Tomb of Helena	[127]
The Valley of Jehoshaphat	[128]
Central Palestine, or Samaria.
JERUSALEM TO SHILOH.
Map of the District	[130]
Head-Piece	[131]
Initial—Mosque of David	[131]
Jerusalem, from Scopus	[132]
Ramah	[133]
Anathoth	[134]
Ruins of Bethel	[137]
Stone Circle near Bethel	[139]
Ruined Synagogue at Shiloh	[141]
The Site of Shiloh	[142]
SHECHEM, EBAL, AND GERIZIM.
Head-Piece—Road-side Wells	[143]
Initial—Arab at Tent Door	[143]
Valley of Shechem, with Ebal and Gerizim	[144]
Jacob’s Well and Joseph’s Tomb	[145]
Nablus	[146]
Evening on a Housetop	[148]
Ruins on the Summit of Gerizim	[151]
Cylinder enclosing the Samaritan Pentateuch	[154]
Translation of Inscriptions	[154]
Copy of a portion of the Samaritan Pentateuch	[155]
In a Bazaar	[158]
Gate at Nablus	[159]
NABLUS TO THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON.
Head-Piece	[160]
Initial—Ruined Church of St. John in Samaria	[160]
The Hill of Samaria	[162]
An Arab Story-Teller	[164]
Ruins of the City of Samaria	[165]
Ruins of Cæsarea	[166]
Jenin, the ancient En-gannim	[168]
Head-Dress of Egyptian Fellaheen	[170]
Plain of Esdraelon, with the Ruins of Jezreel	[171]
Mouth of the River Kishon	[172]
Sketch Plan of the Esdraelon Plain and surrounding district from El-Muhrakah	[174]
Monastery on Mount Carmel	[176]
Promontory of Carmel, from the Sea	[178]
Northern Palestine, or Galilee.
SOUTHERN GALILEE AND NAZARETH.
Map of the District	[180]
Head-Piece—Village of Nazareth	[181]
Initial—Fountain of Mary at Nazareth	[181]
Tabor	[183]
Nain	[185]
Nazareth	[187]
Cliff behind the Maronite Convent at Nazareth, the supposed “Rock of Precipitation”	[189]
Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth	[191]
Fountain at Cana	[194]
THE LAKE OF GENNESARETH.
Head-Piece	[195]
Initial—Town and Lake of Tiberias	[195]
North Shore of the Lake, near Tell Hum	[196]
The Town of Tiberias	[199]
Magdala	[201]
Southern End of the Sea of Galilee	[202]
Hills over Gennesareth	[203]
Ruins of Et-Tabigah	[206]
Ruins of Tell Hum	[207]
The Lake of Gennesareth from near Khan Minyeh	[208]
GENNESARETH TO THE SOURCE OF THE JORDAN.
Head-Piece—Lake Hûleh	[209]
Initial—An Arab Encampment	[209]
Bridge of Jacob’s Daughters	[210]
Rob Roy captured by the Arabs on the waters of the Lake Hûleh	[211]
The Mouth of the Jordan, Lake Hûleh	[213]
Lake Hûleh, or the Waters of Merom	[214]
Hermon, from the Northern Shore of Lake Hûleh	[215]
Hermon, from near Tell-el-Kadi	[216]
The Source of the Jordan at Banias	[218]