Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-23
GARDENS OF STDON
SCENES OF RARE BEAUTY IN THE CID
PHGkIciAN CITY.

II ~ N"seo FOR 5ItA Many
Groves and Gardens @Phenieia a. She
Appeals 1Dday the Dress or Its peopIe.
Their Garments and Their ARM.
The dewdrops glittered in the light Of
the just rising sun, and the air was heavy
with swee. odors of hundreds of orange
end lemon trees with white blossoms.
Inc scene was picture of marvellous
fertility. Orange thickets, yellow and
white with their double burden of fr,1it
and flowers; lemon, apricot and fig trees.
interspersed with the more tropical palm
and date, all growing in the greatest
iuxurlance. At times We saw the queer
snaftllke leaves of the banana, often 10
rect In length. An occasional mulberry
orchard explained the presence of an en-.
terprising silk mandatory near by.
Every few yards little brooks babbled
along, the absolute essential Of this lux.
uriance.
1t is not strange that this paradise o,
flowers and fruit is much freauented by
the Inhabitants of the crowded. dirty
town. No one can ride through these
fair gardens and fail to perceive why the
worship of the old Sidonians was SC
closely connected with the grove, and
how from natures rich profusion about
them they learned TO worship the idea Of
fertility, which was the essence of their
religion. The ancient Sidon, too, was
not crowded down close by the sea, but
was situated farther back in the plain
and thus was enriched by ring of en-.
erald.
On. the outskirts of the gardens we
came 70 the catacombs Of old Sidon
which have been excavated by the
French. In the soft limestone rock ex.
tend long series Of connected chambers
which have contributed few rude
statues, several sarcophagi and mum.
mics to the very few mementos which
we have Of that enterprising people
who secured their alphabet in Egypt
and carried it to Greece, and thus trans
mitted, with certain changes, the letters
with which we communicate our 10th
century ideas. More of the aesthetic art
OF Ph9nicia is to be seen today in
Athens than in all Palestine. There il
the MycenB room one can see the richly
tnlaid daggers, the beautiful ornaments
and the facsimiles of the beaten gold
cnns which p,ora olso ,,.n,,foa4, ~
these artisans Of oriental antiquity to
grace the temple OF Solomon at Jerusa-
lem. Every ruin of that ancient world
whether in pbo.nicio or no+ ~ 49,
hare bears ann1e tast;n,ony IL ~ Lii
and enternr;sa of this Sa,n;+io ro+;o,, ~
traders -
Leaving tbesa old tor,bs ord +he
thoughts that thew ins,,;red wa r,ore
soon stndving pbnn;cia as sha a,,-aar.
TODAY. On orr left ertandad tho 7 ,eha.
non RANCE while in tba distsnca roSe
Mount Hermon clad in enow eTI;s+orino
like PenteEcns marble in the middaT
sun. On the RIGHT was the blna 500 in,
to which we ere lone tool a nlnngo Po,
fore MS the narrow bridle natb erferded
now through fertile altbopob on1v bo1t
cultivated fields now over a rocl,T ,,,.o,,,,
ontorv which often inttad into The COO
Habitations were rare and GENERALLY
buddled together for nrotact;on ooains :,
the Arab incprsions
On the highways we often met tbese
modern representatives and probable de-
scendants of the ancient M;dia,,ites
Tall muscular fellows with the darI
Semitic countenance and black beard
clad with the striped abba a sonar,
piece of goat hair cloth folded and sawcf
above the shoulders the chief par1nent
of the patriarchs and the mantle OF Eli
iah the Tishbite. Underneath tbev wor,
the kimbez. the long flowing tunic
which appeared when thew threw bacl
their abbas. About their heads was tirbt
ly wrapped the sillien kefyeh, crowned
with the two heavy goat hair coils. which
encircled the tons of their heads ike .
large. black serpent. About the wais
was tightly bound the girdle, adorned
with huge. odd SHAPED knives, or. if h,
be a civilized Arab, with pistols.
An ugly looking speer 10 or 90 fee
l