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Show 226 MADELYN CANNON STEWART SILVER Some twenty-eight miles west and south of Damascus is snow-covered Mt. Hermon, highest point in the Anti-Liban range, on the boundary between Syria and Lebanon. It is men tioned by the Psalmist, and is the northern limit of ancient Hebrew conquests. On their way south of Amman, capital of Jordan, the Silvers passed fields of lentil, saw many grain threshing floors, and watched blowing grain and chaff. Madelyn wrote of ruins, minarets, shrines on hills, and old amphitheaters that were reminiscent of Roman occupation. In what Madelyn referred to as "an adventure," they drove on to the ruined Nabateaen city of Petra, with its temples, pil lars, tombs, and dwellings carved in rose, crimson, and purple limestone. They saw altars for sacrifices, a square for worship, a monastery, a temple, and a tomb entrance, all wrought by these non-Jewish peoples out of the living mountain rock from the sixth century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. They developed a superb irrigation system and a beautiful "eggshell" pottery. On the way to Petra and back the Silvers met again with Simon Mansour and saw school children, grazing camels, a burro and colt leading sheep, a shepherd, watering place, an oleander gulch, grain fields, camels and riders, a Bedouin camp, and police with Arabian steeds. Immediately northeast of the Dead Sea is Mount Gilead, a Hebrew name that means rugged. In ancient days it was heavi ly forested, but is now used primarily for herding. Madelyn found Bedouins, camels, grain fields, and the ruins of Jerash (Gerasa), one of the great cities of Roman Arabia. Founded by Alexander the Great, the city had extensive ruins-amphithe ater, aqueduct, church, temple, gate, forum, and old wall. III The Silvers were now into the valley of the Jordan River. The runs from north of the Sea of Galilee southward to the Jordan Dead Sea and is the world's lowest river, flowing mainly below sea level. The valley is enclosed between steep mountain walls, especially the eastern side, which is the source of some of the tributaries. The summers are very hot. Most of the water for the comes from Mount Hermon in the north, and the Jordan |
