The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-24

Early Christian f1ra-thc Oldest
City in the World-A Glimpse Of
Life as il Was Before Europe Had Il
PauI's Window on Exhibition at
DanaScus-Ihc Tails Of the Big
Tailed sheep Described by IierodO-
tu- Still Considered Il Delicacy-
Dogs i'll SuarmS That Bark All
Nieht-Prospcctiyc Railroad from
Puts Gut 10000 Bibles i'll Arabic i'll
Cnc Year.
Copyright, 1906, by Joseph b.
Bowles-Copyright i'll Great Brit
ain-AlI Rights Itcserved.)
Athens, May Is, i905.-HefcIe writ
ing of the Holy Land l shall devote
an article to the week which we spent
among the LebanOnS. While the trip
from Bcrout to Baalbck is included i'll
the advertisement of Palestine tours,
In" TlaceS visited Ar" not SO in
timately connected with Bible his
tory as those of Judea and Gallilee.
Beyrout, the seaport for this sec
ton of Syria, has the best harbOr to
NC found on the G q t coast of ne
4NltDlttI ItHtdll, anu Iit CItS IL Idl-
uially q place of considerable size
and Importance. The population is
estimated at 0,000, and the resi-
dence portion overs the foothills Of
the Lebanon apg The principal
rndustry is the production of raw silk,
tic mulberry groves extending as
far as the eye can reach.
The road from BeyrOut to Baalbek
climbs over the Lebanon range. reach
ing in one place an altitude of about
5000 feet. The view is one of rare
beauty-the winding shore of the
Mediterranean, the tcrr&rcI ~mGunta2.
sides and the SnoW-Clad peaks combine
u form an impressive picture. The
far-famed ccdarS of Lebanon. some 16
feet in diameter, still crown the high
est SUBMITS. But few Of them are Wis
Ihic from the train. : \ we'll built car
ri2gc rOad follows the same general
curse as the railroad, but the latter
now monopolizeS the traffic. The main
line Of the railroad runs to Damas-
Gus, but in Beka, as the Vally of
the LcOntcS is called at this point, a
branch has been built to Baalbck,
where a wonderful temple once stood.
The city was founded so long &
That history does not record its be
ginning. Arab tradition peoples this
district with the earliest Of the Bible
characters.
The tower Of Babel has been located
at Eaalbek by one tradition, while an
rthHr has Cam Duil IN, Il fc}trcre
there as a refuge. It is certain that
the city ranks among the oldest known
to history, the location being probably
determined by the presence of a very
large spring. whose waters would sup
ply q great population. The name of
tho city (but a few thousand inhabit-
ants are to be found there nOW) indi-
Z. I tho II ~ Tho ao,1a, 90 p,.l
or sun Worship. 1t is believed by
those who haVc made research hat
an ancient temple, built by the Egyp-
tIanS or phOenicianS, occupied the
ground now covered 10y the ruins of
a later temple built by the Romans.
1t is this latter temple which has
drawn tourists from all over the
world. It was begun during the first
CcntC-y of the Christian era, and the
work upon it continued for more than
200 years. 1t was dedicated to Jupiter
and the Sun. the worship of these two
dcitieS being combined. The Romans
even adopted the Greek name, Hcliop-
oils, for the city. but the Arabic des-
ignation, BaaIbek. has survived.
This great temple was laid out upon
ar immense scale. First a hill was
built, filed with subterranean cham
bers, and upon the massive walls
which separated these chambers he
S(lpeTSJruCture was reared. The tenn
pic was approached by a staircase $50
feet wide, and entered through q hex
GGOnal court 200 feet in diameter. Next
came the great court. nearly 400 feet
square, With an altar in the center.
Both of these courts We're open, but
ha1 broad C~OlOnadcS around the sides
supported by granite pillars brought
from the upper Nile. These colon
nodes were Ornamented with cary
in~S n contained two rows of inches,
$50 altogether. formerly occupied by
images. Our guide, Mr.. AiOuff. whose
pamphIet or Baalbek gives the re
suits of his Ia years study of the
ruins. insists that the great court was
really a pantheon and contained all
c. the gods at that time WorSh:pI1cd
tY the conquerors and by the native
O~"nulation.
ne temple of Jupiter must have
Ic"n a most impressive building. II
F'0Od DC feet above the courts. and
therefore about so feet above the nat
measured $40 feet in length, and 16C
in breadth. Its outer wall supported "a
columns in CO~rinthian style each col
umn being 20 feet in height, seven feet
IN diameter and composed of three
pieces. Six Of these columns are still
standing. having survived three earth
QIaEeS and one mountain torrent. The
SIX columns with the capitals and
CCrn1Ce give some idea of the magni-
hCcnCc of the temple before its de
cay. The stone used is taken from E
limestone quarry near the city, ant
the carving is excellent. Enormous
masses Of stone lie scattered over the
grOund-partS of pillars, pieces O.