The Irish standard., 1917-12-22

5 | AND ARD
west, railroad 81 miles long con-
Meeting Jaffa with Jerusalem. The
antiquity of the city is borne home
when one learns that Jaffa anciently
was Phoenician colony in the lands
OF the Philistines. The seaport town
is of sufficient Importance to export
annually more than $3000,000 worth
OF goods, consisting mostly of oranges
and other foodstuffs, it's imports being
chiefly cotton goods, cloths and foods.
Jerusalem itself is, in the Arabian
tongue, "El-kuds,' which literally
means The Holy" of all holy cities
that enter into the making of the
greatest book in the world 1t is stu
ajed $500 feet above sea level on a
| rocky plateau in a mountainous region
| between the Mediterranean and the
Dead sea. There is a deep cut valley
OF kedron, or Jehoshaphat, to the east
Of the city, beyond which is the Mount
| OF Olives and on the west and south
| is the tortuous valley Of Hinnom. The
| southern half of the modern Jerusalem
is roughly the site of the main part
of ancient Jerusalem, or upper city,
the upper city being separated on the
| east by a long depression the valley
of Tyropeon), which is now largely
! obliterated by the piled up debris of
the centuries, from the City of David,
or Zion, and Mount Moriah. The site
of David's city, in fact, is not inside
the present city walls.
Four "Quarters" Within Walls.
Inside the city walls are four guar
ters"-the Christian quarter at the
northwest, the Mohammedan to the
northeast, the Jewish at the southeast
and the Armenian at the southwest.
Everywhere are narrow streets with
many arched passages. The houses
are as a rule of massively built walls
of hewn stone, often consisting of
many detached apartments. The roofs
are flat for the most part, with un-
counted low cupolas relieving the sky
lines, single house often boasting of
several cupolas.
The city walls, which are ornament
cd with many towers and include eight
gates-one of the gates has been
walled up for centuries-rise to a
height Of almost 40 feet and bound
circuit of two and half miles. Many
Of the most interesting and historic
points of Jerusalem are outside the
walled little city. Most important of
the cty's wall gates are the Jaffa,
Damascus and Abdul-Hamid gates.
Mentioned as Early as 1900 3. c.
AS far back as the year 1900 b. G.
Jerusalem was mentioned in the
Egyptian records. One thousand years
before Christ was born it was the capi-
tai of the Hebrew kingdom. Then
when Solomon had died and the He
brew kingdom was disrupted Jerusa-
lem became the capital of the King
dom of Judea.
The town was distinguished as a
military stronghold even in the dim
days when David captured it 0I. Sam
vel, v. S:1O). David liked what is
now Jerusalem, and decided to live
there and he built on the site the
City of David Then came Solomon,
wisest man of all time, and beautified
the City of David already built. Solo,
mon put up a great palace and tenn
pie OH the easterly hillocl1 Of the city
and built fort in the northeastern
part of the town. And during Solo
mons reign Jerusalem became the
Headquarters of the Israclites.
Away back in Rehoboam's reign
Jerusalem had to surrender to an
Egyptian king, Shisal1. About a hun
dred years later the Arabian and Phil
istinc tribes. as one may learn by turn
ing to ri Chronicles, XX, IT, plnndered
the city. Sixty years later king or
Israel, Jehoash. entered Jerusalem in
triumph But then came a great earth
quake which demolished the city's
lovclncss.
Hczekiah entered and repaired Je-
rusolcns Notifications and also pro
viGed the city with water, building a
| 700 foot subterranean aqucduct, only
recently uncovered, to the pool OF
Sloan, which still is to be seen by
the visitor and is spoken of in II
Kings. Xxx, 20.
Nebuchadnezzar, King Of Babylonia.
happened along at the head Of his
hosts in $50 p. c., and destroyed
Jerusalem The Jews were permitted
70 rebuild the city thereafter under
the Persians. From the Persians the
town passed in turn to the rule OF
Macedon. Egypt and Syria. Again it
sI,1 80 ;,,1n INF
Jewish state under the Maccabees in
the second and first centuries before
Christ, and after the fall of the Mac
oabces Jerusalem arose to its great
splendor under Herod the Great at
time when Judea had become de-
nendency of Rome.
Once more the city was destroyed,
this time by the Romans under Titus
in the year 70 A. D. Within the fol
lowing century the Emperor Hadrfan