The giant cities of Bashan; and Syria's holy places . eenth century. ? 48 JERUSALEM AND ITS ENVIRONS. The view of the Kidron valley from this spot is singularly impres-sive. There is nothing like it in Palestine, or elsewhere. Thevalley is deep, rugged, and altogether destitute of verdure. Onone side Moriah rises in banks of naked rock and bare shelvingacclivities, until it is crowned, far overhead, by the colossalwall of the Haram; on the other side the limestone cliffs arehewn out into architectural facades, and stately monuments,and yawning sepulchres; while away above them, here andthere,
The giant cities of Bashan; and Syria's holy places . eenth century. ? 48 JERUSALEM AND ITS ENVIRONS. The view of the Kidron valley from this spot is singularly impres-sive. There is nothing like it in Palestine, or elsewhere. Thevalley is deep, rugged, and altogether destitute of verdure. Onone side Moriah rises in banks of naked rock and bare shelvingacclivities, until it is crowned, far overhead, by the colossalwall of the Haram; on the other side the limestone cliffs arehewn out into architectural facades, and stately monuments,and yawning sepulchres; while away above them, here andthere, a patriarchal olive, with sparse branches and greatgnarled arms, stands forsaken and desolate, like the last treeof a forest. THE TOMBS OF THE PROPHETS. High up on the brow of Olivet, between the footpath thatleads to the Church of the Ascension and the main road toBethany, is a very remarkable catacomb, of the most ancientJewish type. It is now called the Tomb of the Prophets, thoughthere is no inscription, or historical memorial, or even ancient. tradition, to justify the name. Equipped in a working cos-tume, and furnished with a handful of little candles, we started THE VIRGINS TOMB. 149 early one morning to explore it. Crawling into a narrow holein an open field, and then down a long gallery, we reached acircular vault, twenty-four feet in diameter; from it two parallelgalleries, five feet wide and ten feet high, are carried throughthe rock for some twenty yards; a third runs in another direc-tion ; and they are all connected by cross galleries, the outerone Of which is forty yards in length, and has a range of thirtyloculi for bodies. The accompanying diagram will show theintricate plan and singular structure of these interesting cata-combs better than any description. TOMB OF THE VIRGIN. In coming forth again to the light of day, which, after thedarkness, seemed doubly brilliant, we descended the hill-side,and paid a passing visit to the tomb of Mary. It is a quaint,but s
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