UNDER EASTERN SKIES

Evening Star, Issue 19020, 15 August 1925, Page 18

UNDER EASTERN SKIES

SCENES 111 SYRIA LORD BALFOUR'S VISIT Ko. 3. Tin's instalment concludes ilic account given by Miss Busck and Miss Mhittall of their adventures in Palestine and the Near East:— PALMYRA AND DAMASCUS. Palmyra has been called “ The rosered city half as old as time,” but it ccrtciedy is not rose ted, except just at sunset, when it takes a wonderful glow. Otherwise it is a combination of deep gold and cream, and its ruins are cxtremonly picturesque. It was of the later Roman period, and reached its zenith under Queen /ennbia, who seems to have done much for it. There was a huge temple to tho sun or to Baal; probably tho one cult followed the other. And into tho interior ruins of this temple a modern village has been built, so that one cannot see it to advantage. The sanctuary is now used as a mosque, and it is only from tho roof that cue can get any idea of the extent of tho whole. Much of tho outer wall and rows of columns of an inner colonnade are still standing, but quit© swamped by the village. A short distance from the entrance is a sort of triumphal arch leading tq a street of columns. In fact, the city seems to have been marked out by streets of columns, with arches at the cross sections, and tho houses and shops, etc., must have been in behind. To-day it is lines of these columns which are still standing, with a few small buildings of temple type. A wonderful place to find in tho middle of tho desert I Some people think it stands on the site of a city that Solomon “ built in tho wilderness.” To tho N.W. it is flanked by hills—l suppose the foothills of the Lebanon range. The coloring altogether is very beautiful. We spent three days there, mid then came back to Damascus. We should like to have stayed longer, but had to keep our car in order to get back. Some of the convoys from Bagdad came through there, but they arc always packed, and we could not risk getting seats there. Ou our way back, having left Palmyra behind and 2i hours’ run across tho desert to tho nearest village, we wore stopped by a transport van going outward to warn us that there wore some Bedouin hanging about tho track. We put ou speed and went ahead, keeping a sharp lookout, but nothing happened, though _we did see two or three scattered individuals, and luckily our only puncture did not happen just then. On tho Bagdad track there must bo a convoy of at least four cars. No one is allowed to travel singly, as some of the tribes out that way make themselves very objectionable. To-day in Damascus nearly all the shops in the bazaars are closed, and all the people are hanging about in the streets; and wo hear Lord Balfour arrived yesterday, so Mohammedans are welcoming him thus in sympathy with their brothers in Palestine. Soldiers constantly patrol the streets, but I doubt whether bo has been outside the hotel, for there might be a row if he went to tho great mosque (which is the principal thing to sec), and all the bazaars have closed shutters. Tho only thing he might do is to drive up the hillside for the general .view.

To-morrow wo are going on to Baalbek, and I bear Lord Balfour is going there, too, so we may possibly seo him then. At any rate, he can look at the ruins there without let or hindrance. The goldsmiths hare a souk, or rather a large building, all to_ themselves here in Damascus, the funniest place, which we found yesterday evening, but on going there this morning to see it again wo found the whole place closed up. iWe probably saved some money, for the old silver work is very fascinating and tempting; but it seems to me they are losing over this game, for many tourists do not stay long here, and only allow themselves time just to _go the rounds. They must bo rather disgusted who are here to-day. Personally, we have seen it all pretty well. That same afternoon there were lively times in Damascus. It appears that during the morning there was some sort of demonstration outside the hotel, and I believe Lord Balfour showed himself, laughed, and clapped his hands; but he was evidently visited by the French authorities, and immediately after lunch slipped away very quietly, nobody knowing ho had goue. In the afternoon there was a more determined show outside the hotel; The mounted men tried to disperse the crowd, who began to throw stones, and the soldiers then used the butt ends of their rides. Some were dragged from their horses; then rifles were loaded and even bayonets used, untd everyone became so excited they went half-mad, and soldiers were galloping about flourishing drawn swords. When comparative quiet reigned once more it was found there wore two dead and some fifteen wounded rather badly, and many more with cuts and bruises. The following day we came on to Baalbek, and on arrival heard that Lord Balfour bad been expected .here, but at the last minute telegraphed he was not coming; and it appears ho wont straight through to Beirut and on board the ship, without waiting anywhere, knowing that demonstrations were waiting him in both places, and I have no doubt the French asked him to go. . BAALBEK.

To return to our own doings. We came along here by car, a lovely run over the Anti Lebanon Range, westwards until we reached a town called Zahleh; then turned northwards, or perhaps north-east, up the valley of the Litani to Baalbek. The coloring of these mountains is extraordinary, and quite unlike anything else I have seen. The soil is a brick red, or sometimes more orange, and, surmounted with wild grey rocks and mixed up with vivid patches of bright spring green, makes a wonderful color scheme; then the higher mountains are capped with snow. Our road came round fairly close to Mount Hermon, the summit of which is a sheet of snow, and it stands up alone in a very -imposing way. Syria as a whole seems to be far more fertile than Palestine, and, of course, up here among the mountains there is no lack of water. All this valley looks very prosperous and smiling, and from our hotel ■window wo look across to snow-capped mountains, a fine background to the enormous ruins rearing 'up in front. These ruins axe of a colossal temple to the kun or later to Jupiter, or, as some cave jumbled up the two and called it v Hehopolitan Jove,” a smaller temple *aid to have been dedicated to Bacchus, and some remains of other things, together with a small round structure called the Temple of Venus, but it looks more like the Roman Temple of Vestcr. The ruins as seen to-day are of Roman architecture and on a very magnificent scale, though they have been badly treated by Arabs, who converted parts of them into fortifications; and, also, earthquakes have done much damage. As they are they are extremely picturesque, and probably much more so than when they were entire, roofed in and adorned with numberless statues, as was the custom of the Romans. Some of the monoliths in the lower walls of the foundations are gigantic, rivalling those of Egypt, and it is probable that a temple stood, there at a far more remote period, built by Phoenicians or some people coeval with the Egyptians. The erection of these gigantic columns, as some of them still stand to-day; is a marvel. Their girth and height are not quite so great as at Karnak; but, on the other hand, they are cemnosed of two or three blocks only,

mounted one on the other, instead of being built up of smaller sections. Some excavation lias been done here and most of the later Arab ramparts pulled down, and the plan of the whole temple is there; and in some corners even the decorations are almost intact, so that one can reconstruct it all pretty well. The great entrance portico leads into a hexagonal court, which was encircled with a covered colonnade. Beyond this was the great court, an enormous enclosure, rectangular, and also encircled with a covered colonnade. From this an enormous flight _of steps led up to tho temple proper, raised ou a much higher platffirm. Of this last only six great pillars remain, towering up in solitary state. Christianity took no hold in this part of the country until the temple was destroyed, and tho earl}' Christians took the material to erect for themselves a basilica in the centre of the great court, entirely covering tho enormous altar of The altar has been uncovered again, but much of the basilica walls is stall standing, and spoils the effect of the grandeur of tho great court. The smaller Temple of Bacchus, _ standing to one side, is more or less intact, and is very beautiful, though, of course, tho interior is very mutilated, and not a trace of a statue remains anywhere, though there must have been hundreds of them. Tho general coloring is grey and golden yellow, and all the surroundings of the varying shades of fresh spring green. The colonnade round the great court of the big temple was of red granite, probably brought from Egypt, and the only relief in the general coloring, except the capitals of the columns at the first entrance, which were gilded. We are lucky in meeting here a professor of archaeology, a. Swede by name Wrangel, and are particularly interested to find that our own opinions are coroborated by his, which shows us that wo have learned something 1 The people round about here are very nice and friendly, and altogether we are very charmed with the place. Here, too, one finds the most wonderful needlework of all sorts—lace, embroideries, drawn-thread, in linens, silks, and crepe de chine, for clothing, house linen, etc., and of the daintiest kind—done by the refugee Armenians or those of them who survived the Turks. Also much old silver work from the same source.

Next wfiok wo go on to Beirut to take ship for Cyprus and Constantinople, and that tale had better wait a future letter.