Travels in Palestine, through the countries of Bashan and Cilead, east of the River Jordan; including a visit to the cities of Geraza and Gamala, in the Decapolis . toward the isthmus stillremaining, and being entered by a humble gate,while that on the north side is broken down,showing only detached fragments of circulartowers greatly dilapidated. These walls, bothfrom their confined extent and style of building,would seem to be of less antiquity than thosewhich encompassed Tyrus in the days of its high-est splendour, as they do not enclose a space ofmore than two miles in extent, and are of o
Travels in Palestine, through the countries of Bashan and Cilead, east of the River Jordan; including a visit to the cities of Geraza and Gamala, in the Decapolis . toward the isthmus stillremaining, and being entered by a humble gate,while that on the north side is broken down,showing only detached fragments of circulartowers greatly dilapidated. These walls, bothfrom their confined extent and style of building,would seem to be of less antiquity than thosewhich encompassed Tyrus in the days of its high-est splendour, as they do not enclose a space ofmore than two miles in extent, and are of ordi-nary workmanship. They do not reach beyondthe precincts of the present town, thus shuttingout all the range to the northwartl of the harbour,which appears to be composed of the ruins offormer buildings. The tower to the south-eastis not more than fifty feet square, and about thesame height. It is turretted on the top, and hassmall windows and loop-holes on each of its flight of steps leads up to it from without, andits vviiole appearance is much like that of theSaracenic buildings in the neighbourhood ofCairo. STAY AT SOOR, THE ANCIENT TYRUS. 75. 76 STAY AT SOOR, THE ANCIENT TYRUS. At the present time the town of Soor containsabout eight hundred substantial stone-builtdwellings, mostly having courts, wells, andvarious conveniencies attached to them, besidesother smaller habitations for the poor. There•are within the walls one mosque, three Christianchurches, a bath, and three bazars. The in-habitants are at the lowest computation from fiveto eight thousand, three-fourths of which areArab Catholics, and the remainder Arab Mos-lems and Turks. In the fair season, that Is from April to Oc-tober, the port is frequented by vessels from theGreek islands, the coasts of Asia Minor, andEgypt; and the trade is considerable in all theproductions of those parts, as Soor is consideredone of the marts of supply from without forDamascus, for which its local situation is still,as
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