Page:An Introduction to the Survey of Western Palestine.djvu/63

47 NAHR RUBIN. 47

to the waterparting through Beit Surik, along the wady desceuding to W. es Surar, from that village. The western side of the recess extends along the waterparting from near Beit Surik, to the east of Biddu, Beit Izza (alt. 2,621 feet), and Beitunia (alt. 2,670 feet), to el Muntar, a trigonometrical station of the Palestine Exploration Survey with the altitude of 2,685 feet. It may be observed that the heads of Wady el Imeish and Wady Selman rise in the plain of el Jib, and are not separated from Wady ed Deir by any prominent elevation. From el Muntar the northern side passes through Earn Allah (alt. 2,850 feet) to Bireh (alt. 2,820 feet), the biblical Beeroth, a village on the Jerusalem-Nablus road. The eastern side passes along the edge of the Jordan basin, from Bireh by Kefr Akab (alt. 2,740 feet), er Earn (alt. 2,600 feet), and Tell el Ful (alt. 2,754 feet), to the west of Jerusalem.

Two parallel watercourses with tributaries run through the plateau from north to south. The western is Wady ed Deir, which rises at Earn Allah, and " winding among low hills,"* has el Jib (alt, 2,535 feet), and Neby Samwil (alt. 2,935 feet) on its right bank. On this side the Wady Amir comes from near Biddu, and passes between el Jib and Neby Samwil.

The eastern watercourse rises as Wady Jillan near Bireh, and skirts the Jerusalem road in passing Kefr Akab and er Earn (alt. 2,600 feet) on its left bank. South of er Earn, the wady takes the name of ed Dumm, and turns to the south- west, to meet the western branch, on the south of the village of Beit Hannina, which lies between the wadys. The villages of Tell en Nasbeh, Eafat, Kulundia, Jedireh, and Bir Nebala, are also situated in a (( beautiful plain "t between the two wadys.

Below the confluence the wady is called after the village of Beit Hannina, and it runs on southward for about two miles to Lifta, where it bends to the westward for a mile and a half, receiving the Wady el Abbeideh from Neby Samwil and


 * Robinson's " Bib. Res.," i., 454. f