The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-10-12

three hundred feet. The view from this
point commands the plain of Bashan to
Hermon on the northwest; the plain of
Moab on the south; the plain of Arabia on
the east. In every direction towns and
villages are to beseen. The towers of Beth
gamul are just visible on the horizon.
In the vale to the south are several de-
serted towns. Twelve miles distant. on
the plain, is Bozrah-once a magnificent
city of hundred thousand inhabitants-
now mass of ruins-palaces, theatres,
baths, fountains, arches. About six miles
to the southeast, along an ancient road,
on the top of hill, is the uninhabited
town of Maleh. Con the section of the
plain, writes our traveller, between
south and east counted fourteen towns,
all OF them, 80 far as could see with my
telescope, habitable like Salcah, but en-
tarety desertedI From this one spot
saw a4p'oards of Thirty deserted towns |
Well might I exclaim with the prophet
=. Moab is spoiled, and gone up out
Of her cities. Moab is COMPOUNDED, for it
is broken down and judgment is
come upon Kirithaim, and upon Beth
gamul, and upon Kerioth upon Bozrah,
and upon all the cities of the land of
Moab, far and near" (Jer. Xviii: IS
"a
Mr.. Cyril Graham makes the same rep
resentation. Strange as it may appear,
numbers of deserted cities still stand in
this limited area to attest the fidelity of
the Bible record. Such is the testimony
of these travellers. Of Beth-gamul Mr..
Graham says: $50 perfect was every
street, every house, every room, that 1
almost fancied I was in dream wan
dering alone in this city of the dead (.
all perfect, yet not hearing sound"
He visited eleven of these deserted cities
between Bozrah and Beth-gamul. He
also penetrated east of the mountains of
Bashan, where he found ancient cities,
and roads, and vast numbers of inscrip-
tons in unknown characters, but not a
single iraha6itant.
Five hundred deserted houses are still
standing, says Mr.. Porter, in Salcah, the
circumference of the town and castle be-
ing some three miles. Two miles distant
on the right, is Ayan, deserted city as
large as Salcah. A two hours ride brings
you to Kureiyeh, the KeriotA of Jere-
miah Xviii: Al. The remains here con-
sist of few towers of the Christian era,
along with houses much more ancient,
with colossal walls and massive stone
doors, such as characterize the older por-
tons of the deserted cities of Bashan.
The walls, the ceilings, the doors, the
window shutters, are all of massive stone.
One of the stone doors at Kerioth is de-
scribed as 9 feet high, Al feet wide, and
10 inches thick. The roofs are of heavy
stone slabs of black basalt. X
We have in fact in this district to the
east of the upper Jordan and to the
south of Damascus, numbers of deserted or
ruined cities, spanning the periods of Ro-
man and Greek dominion, and going back
to the most remote antiquity, whose re-
mains testify to the literal truthfulness
OF the Mosaic narrative with regard to
the sixty fenced cities in the days of
Moses in the region of Argob and the
land of Bashan.
In Pauls day this district constituted
the principal part of the kingdom OF
Arabia, and it was to this region that he
refers in Galatians, when he says, Meth
er went up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me, but went into
Arabia and in the ancient kingdom OF
the last of the giants were doubtless the
first-fruits of his apostolic labors. In the
fourth century, churches existed in most
of the cities and towns, this single pro-
vince then containing no less than thirty
three bishoprics. Some of these churches
still remain, some Of them having been
converted into mosques, but most of them
standing desolate in deserted cities
Porter alone, as we have mentioned
counted thirty of these ancient cities
which are now utterly uninhabited, from
the acropolis of Salcah
And gazing upon them he was remind
/ a - O.