Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 15.djvu/292

PALESTINE. ward to form a portion of the great Anti- Lebanon range.

Across the valley tlirough which flow the upper coui'ses of the Jordan lie the rapidly ascending slopes of Mount Hernion, whose summit is 'JlGti feet above the sea. Out from the depths of this vast mountain flow most of the springs which combine to form the .Jordan. Where these streams converge the valley is 8 to 10 piiles wide and but little above the level of the sea. It soon becomes marsliy. and at last opens into Lake Hulcli. After this the valley narrows and the stream descends rapidly to the Sea of Gali- lee. From this lake to the Dead Sea, 65 miles, the .Jordan Valley varies in width from 3 to 14 miles. It is only about 4 miles wide Avhere it leaves the Sea of Galilee, but broadens where it is joined by the Valley of .Jezrecl, 13 miles below. It again narrows, but after receiv- ing the Jabbok continual!}' widens until, at Jericho, it attains its maximum breadth. Where the .Jordan enters the Dead Sea the valley bot- tom is swampy. On either side of the valley the ascent to the highlands is generally steep. The western side is much broken by many ravines and passes, but the eastern hills present a jnore uniform appearance, being broken only at long intervals by the larger streams. The valley is of inexhaustible fertility, and has an almost tropical climate. The Dead Sea marks the deep- est part of this great depression. It has no oulet, and the constant evaporation, aided by the saline character of many of the springs in the neighborhood, makes its waters so heavily charged with salt that they are exceedingly bitter in taste and of high specific gravity. They are, nevertheless, very transparent. In some places the shores are heavily lined Avith salt deposit. The Dead Sea is also remarkal)le for the petro- leum springs below its surface from which come the lumps of bitumen often found floating on its waters. Hence its ancient name, Asphiiltis. The sea is deepest (c.l300 feet) at its northern end. The southern half is quite shallow. Lying at a level of 1292 feet below the sea, and surrounded by hills rising 3000 to 4000 feet above its sur- face, the Dea Sea is one of the hottest regions on the earth.

Across the deep, hot valley lies Eastern Pales- tine, much more uniform in character than the territory west of the .Jordan. It divides natural- ly into three main sections. From Moimt Her- nion to the Yarmuk (Hieromax). a large peren- nial stream traversing the eastern plateau and emptying into the .Jordan, the limestone is over- lain with a thick volcanic formation. E.Ktinct volcanoes alupund and the lava soil renders the region extraordinarily fertile. Only the western portion, the Jaulan (ancient Gaulanitis), belongs within the limits of Palestine. The eastern por- tion represents the ancient Bashan. The general elevation is highest near Hernion. gradually sink- ing toward the Yarmuk. The drainage is all west ( to the .Jordan ) or south ( to the Yarmuk ). Only near the Sea of Galilee and the Yarmuk is the plateau much broken by ravines. South of the Yarmuk to the .Jabbok and from the .Jabbok to the .rnon, a total distance of nearly 100 miles, lie ancient Gilead and the Plains of Moab, identical with the Pcra>a of New Testament times. The lava soil characteristic of the region north of the Yarmuk is not found here. Basalt gives place to limestone, and the soil, though fairly well watered, is of inferior fertility. It is con.sequently less titled for agriculture, but has ever been famous for its pasturage. It is a hi^h rolling plateau broken only by the larger wadics running to the .Jordan. Xorth (iil«ad (modern .Jlnn, north of the .Jab- bok) is not so high as Soutli (iilead and the Plains of iloab (the modern ellielka), but more heavily wooded and better supplied with water. The most southern portion, south of the Arnon, and the home of ancient Moab, is even more barren and dry, yet still suitable for pasturage.

Palestine is somewhat deficient in its water supply. During the winter there are heavy rains, but the numberless wadies, with few exceptions, are dry in the summer or dry sea- son. Where the hard limestone is near the surface, at the foot of high hills, perennial springs are numerous. This is mainly true of Northern and Central Palestine, while "in Judah and on the plateau of Southern Gilead and Moab springs are rare. The .Jordan is the only con- siderable stream. Its sources are perennial'. springs mostly flowing from the slopes of Mount Hernion. Of these the most famous is that near Banias, the ancient Paneas, near the site of Dan, where the stream issues forth from a large cave. The Jordan is supplied farther down by several perennial allluents, of which the Yarmuk, the Wady el-Arab, and tlie .Jabbok on the east, and the Xahr Jaluad ( in the Valley of .Jezreel) and the Wady Farah on the west are the most important. On the western slope the Leontes at the extreme north, the Kishon (which drains the great Plain of Esdraelon), and the Zerka or Crocodile River are perennial.

In the whole country there are but two sea- sons in the year. The rainy, or 'winter' season, begins in October-November with the 'early rain.' This softens the parched and baked soil and en- ables the farmers to plow. The rain, with occasional snows on the mountains, falls more or less continuously until February. During February sowing takes place. Some weeks later (March-.April) the so-called 'latter' rain is in- dispensable to the well-being of the now growing crops. By May the rains are over, and the long hot summer (May to October) begins. The aver- age annual rainfall is 21 inches. The different elevation of the several zones of Palestine causes a great variety in the temperature and other conditions. When it is pleasantly cool on the uplands it is unendurably hot in the .Jordan Valley a few miles away. The highlands are dry and salubrious, the lowlands moist and op- pressive. The mean annual teniperature of the uplands is 03°, with an average maximum of 100° and an average minimum of 34°. The pre- vailing winds are from the sea. northwest in summer, west or southwest in winter. The hot winds (sirocco) carrying clouds of dust from the deserts east and south often inflict damage and severe discomfort.

Flora and Fauxa. Considering the limited area and the fact that portions of the country are desert-lands, the flora of Palestine is re- markably rich. This is owing to the fact that Palestine is the meeting point of three large floral regions which ditTer considerably from each other, the Mediterranean, the .siatic steppe- flora, and the tropical flora of .rabia and Eg>pt. The latter is confined to the valleys, in which the pajiyrus grows near the water: dates, ba-