Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 2.djvu/55

 b Character of Country occupied by the Hittites. 39 of the husbandman to become one of the most fertile districts in the world, is bound on the west and north by the almost perpen- dicular rocks of the Taurus range, which will always secure its happy possessor against foreign inroads. The battle of Nazib, in 1836, gave Syria and Mesopotamia to Mehemet Ali ; his son Ibrahim, conscious of the importance of Kulek-Boghaz, the " Cilician gates " of the ancients^ had it fortified and guarded. It is the only pass to which pieces of artillery can be brought from the coast. Behind the walls of this stronghold, its garrison was secured against attacks from the Turkomans in Fium Map of English Admiralty CPecror* From o to 25 m. From 25 to 50. From 50 attd beyond. Fig. 265.— Plain of Cilicia. From Reclus. their raids on the central plateau ; but as soon as they retired the garrison, to keep its prestige, would sally forth with great bravado, frightening the inhabitants into passive quietude. The political and military frontier of Syria therefore is not Issus Bay, but the Taurus range, which, having no passes through which the enemy can pour down their forces, opposes an impassable barrier, which can be held by a handful of men. A glance at the map will show the soundness of our view, corroborated by historical facts. It is well known that Syrian centres contended with Egypt for the palm of antiquity, and that their language, art, and religion, outwardly at least, were unin-