Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/573

 SYRIA 545 the Jordan form the culminating point of these hills. Further E., in the Hauran, is a lofty table land, waterless, and with vast black bowlders and rocks scattered over its face. The most remarkable feature of the topog- raphy of Syria is the extraordinary depression of the valley of the Jordan. The valley of Coele-Syria (now El-Bukaa), between the Li- banus and the Anti-Libanus, is about 2,300 ft. above the sea; it formerly contained Heliop- olis or Baalbek, and other great cities. Near its southern termination it divides into two branches, one cutting through the Lebanon range in the narrow gorge through which the Leontes finds its way to the sea, the other striking off southward and descending rapidly for 15 m. to the source of the Jordan at the base of Herinon. The continuation of the lat- ter, the valley of the Jordan, descending with a steady but rapid slope, at the plain of Huleh is at the sea level; at the lake of Tiberias it is about 650 ft. below it; and within 60 m. of direct distance, though by the circuitous channel of the river 200 m., at the Dead sea, it is about 1,300 ft. below the Mediterranean. No similar river valley is known. Among the level tracts of Syria are the great plain of Esdraelon, that of Sharon, and the arid sandy plain of Gaza. Around Damascus, an oasis in the desert, vast plains of sand extend E. and S., and cover the region that contains the ruins of Palmyra. The geology of Syria is interesting. In the extreme south are only primitive rocks, the variegated granite of the Sinaitic peninsula; the deep chasm of the Dead sea, with its bitumen pits, salt moun- tains, and warm springs, belongs to the car- boniferous era; the calcareous and sandstone formations of Hermon and Lebanon abound in fossils of the era of the new red sandstone; and the porphyry and basalt of the Hauran give evidence of their igneous origin. The soil is exceedingly fertile wherever there are sufficient rains, or irrigation can be practised ; but where there is no water, it is sandy and utterly barren. The region around the Dead sea is thoroughly impregnated with salt and alkalies, and is entirely devoid of vegetation. In the south and east there are vast sandy wastes. The mineral productions of Syria are iron of excellent quality, a little quicksilver and some coal in the south, and in the Dead sea region salt and bitumen. Good salt is also made on the shores of the Mediterra- nean. There are few countries of the same extent in which the climate is so varied as in Syria. On the slopes of Lebanon it is cool and pleasant in the summer months, and in the winter heavy rains fall, but the cold is not severe. In the valley of the Jordan the summer heat is equal to that of the hottest portion of the tropics, and on the coast the summers are also very hot and unhealthf ul. In winter Beyrout and some of the other cities of the coast are favorable for invalids. In Jeru- salem the heat is oppressive during the day in summer ; rain seldom falls between the end of April and the beginning of October, and there are few clouds, and hence everything is parched till the rainy season. Damascus is colder in winter than the western slopes of Lebanon, and snow frequently falls ; yet the orange and fig thrive there. The average range of heat in the hottest part of summer at Je- rusalem and Damascus is from 84 to 86 F. In Aleppo the annual range is very great, the thermometer falling below zero in winter and rising above 100 in summer. The implements and modes of agriculture are nearly identical with those in use 2,500 years ago. Still the crops, wherever there are rains or irrigation can be practised, are large. Wheat, barley, durra, and spelt are largely produced, as well as rice, lentils, peas, &c.; cotton, hemp, silk, madder, indigo, sesamum, castor oil, tobacco, potatoes, capsicum, melons, cucumbers, and ar- tichokes are also important crops. Figs, olives, mulberries, grapes, almonds, apricots, peach- es, pomegranates, oranges, lemons, dates, and other fruits abound. Vineyards are numerous on the mountain slopes and in the hill country of Judea; the grapes are large and luscious, and the wine made from them is excellent. Storax is produced for the market. In the vicinity of Damascus are extensive fields of roses, the petals of which furnish the attar of commerce. The sycamore, Indian fig, carob, mulberry, and pistachio trees grow abundantly, both wild and cultivated. Scammony and su- mach are gathered about Mt. Lebanon for ex- portation. The cedar, pine, and fir are found in extensive forests on the mountains, though the true cedar of Lebanon, once so highly prized for building purposes, is nearly extinct. The arbutus, terebinth, laurel, and several species of juniper occur on the table lands, and also dwarf oaks which produce the best gall nuts. The domestic animals are horses, of which the wandering tribes possess breeds of extraordi- nary speed and beauty ; cattle, generally small and inferior ; asses and mules, large and very serviceable ; sheep and goats of several kinds, the broad-tailed variety of the former being found only in N. Syria ; camels throughout the country, and the domesticated buffalo on the coast and in the valley of the Orontes. Jack- als, foxes, and hyasnas are common in the des- ert mountains ; the Syrian bear has his home in Mt. Lebanon ; wolves and wild boars in the northern forests, and the latter also occasional- ly further S. ; deer are also found in the north, and antelopes in the desert regions ; and hares, porcupines, and jerboas are abundant. There are no poisonous serpents. Silkworms are reared extensively in the mountainous districts. Turtles and tortoises are found in considerable numbers. Fish are abundant in some of the inland lakes, though not plentiful along the coast of the Mediterranean. The manufactures are few and coarse. Beyrout is now the chief commercial city, and within 40 years its popu- lation has increased from 5,000 to TO, 000.