Show a r r OLDEST CITY IN THE WORLD I j jI Interesting Facts About Which Flourished In tho Days of Abraham and Is Now Ono of tho tim I j Largest Cities In Turkey u u u u u u tutu U II 14 U U U U U U U U LA U U U U Special Correspondence Beirut Syria Nov 10 26 AH I mentioned before la Is the time oldest city In tho timo world It Is III mentioned by b I Ahrn horn hom whoso steward was n a 1 certain 1 of ot Damascus It was Willi conquered by b David It formed part purt of ot the time domin donnin dominions ions of ot Solomon but rebelled and ammil had Independent I t hI mm of ot Its III I t e own shortly after ottel It had mad many mall wills wars with time the king kingdoms dumB doms of at anti and Israel It was by Assyrians In 7 2 U B C tt It subject to Alexander the time Great ass 11 u uc c 0 III In CI I H 11 C It under tinder Human rule rulo rub In CIO A J D I It was conquered by bytho bytho tho time Persians from train the tho hut but afterwards regained by hr time the latter hut but butIn hutIn hutin In A D n 1 It was Willi taken taleen by time tho Mo ro and has hall been under Mo Mohammedan Io rule rul since that time al ni although though It inns has passed through many wars sars between time the different dynasties and It was wan nt at OliO ammo time the tho capital of ot the time empire It Is 18 still the time third largest city dt In Turkey with a population of ot about does n Il very WI business and has baa time the tiniest bazars and baths I have hae seen I en enIn In Turkey This Thill city elt Is 2260 feet teft above aboc al oe the sell sen level Ivel a n small of ot snow In is not unknown In winter and amid spring does not commence until March The Time beauties of ot Damascus are lire much extolled by lIy tho thin Arabs and amid to them from the time dreary sandy sand wastes of at Arabia or the time Syrian desert the sight of at thin city elt laying on the time deserts edge edse with Its verdure the time Immense orchards orchard the tIme fruits and vegetables of at so 80 many kinds kind time the streams of ot water for tor Ir nit nil over Oer the city must ho lie bery imery her delightful TIP TIme lan Ian guaRO of ot their writers however in praise of nt thus this city o It Is extreme They say emmy 1111 time till city Is an earthly reflection of ot where a II foretaste of ot the tho joys of t heaven are Ole attainable anti and where hero many of ot tho time beauties of ot IMen Belen can ran yet It be LI seen lIeen I quote from one of ot their writers Though old ohl ns as history Itself thou art fresh tresh ns as the tIme breath of ot spring blooming In III their own rosebuds and fragrant ns tie their own orange O 0 Damascus pearl of ot the east And Amid nd tilt did not the time leper lepor thinking with a n pardonable pride of It tho timo streams of ot this timi beautiful city say to the time prophet Art Are not Abana Abamia and anil Rn rivers of ot Damascus better nil all the time waters of ot Israel Irae It Not having seen ten any II In of at time the rivers of Israel I nm am unable to but time the river niver r Abana time the present Barada Is clr certainly certainly n a very Cr delightful stream and anti distributed as liS It Is as OS soon lIoon as OR It comes COmoR out of ot the mountains reminds r to some tome extent of ot our homes In Utah OF OP DAMASCUS PA One Ommo of tho time attractions usia is III I Mosque a II large portion of ot burnt down n a few tew years ago anil la IU i inow now noli In course cour e of ot It Is III u mm most mORt magnificent and will comport compare In size anti and splendor or with many of ot tIme tho th renowned edifices In Eu Iu Europe rope ot or o America The site alto Is that of ot a former Christian church and before that time of ot a II temple In a II avery aVery very prominent place p IIO In the center renter of ot the time mosque l is III the tomb of John tho the Baptist whether It Jt contains his body boLly or only anI his head hod I nm am unable to find out ou which Is held In great veneration by b time the as IlS well as ns Chris Wo 0 also saw eams en time the tower from which according to Mohammedan tradition JOBUS will Judge the time world They Timey Th also say SlI In the tower an aes Il R Is always kept bridled and amid saddled awaiting tho time day of lIt our Saviors corning and ready rend for tor Ills His use lUle amid Ills his use uso only Hero we saw Sill nomo places mentioned In iii New ew Testament history his lory the time street culled mentioned In Iii Act 0 D 11 still a Il busy bus street but only com coni comparatively straight anti not straight In Inthe Inthe Inthe the way wa an aim American would plot out a II city We Wo also saw sass the plate where Paul Is I reputed to have been let letdown IE letdown down from tram the thu wall In a 1 basket Aits ts 0 i 26 25 anti and went want Into Inlo time the house of ot An Acts Alts 9 10 which the tIme Hainan Catholics have converted a chapel hapel StayIng Slaying three thre dins days In Iii Damascus amid seeing some somo that were favorably dis disposed ls posed to the Gospel we e started out to tu visit Gung Quing au ng up the Anti Antl mountains keeping In Iii sight most of ot the time time nf ot time the river riser Harada and going as all we travelled upward from froni time the region of ot the tho olive and fig to that of ot the apple then down the Anti Antl Le be Lebanon banon Into the time beautiful elevated valley between the time I banon and the time Anti Antl Lebanon ranges rind and known knowlI na us the time cleft It bt be being ing the time hollow Syria of ot an rill ancient elent all o II and from Irma where wo we could see Mt It Herman Hermon with snow ano on omm Us lis summit su It Through thus this valley the time Lit Itt Litany Litan any an river runs rime the time 0 11 breaking UH its way the tho Lebanon chain und amid emptying Into time the Mediterranean near neur time the town of Sur the time ancient Tyre Here In iii this timis valley cultivation Is l lien bet better heltor ter tor the III grape vines are In regular rows row amid are well pruned the time mulberry trees used for tor tr in iii planted In Iii long rows and have clean cultivation and ana In the villages here the way tho time work vork Is l done domme Is i a n pleasant contrast to time the disorderly condition of ot things wo we 0 have seen around Turkish i I anti and Arab villages for tor tho the past two weeks This Is 18 the time country of the time Drazos and anti In oter rule rIlle I I through the time B wo we e lOot mot quite a U number of ot men amen who could speak gill J Mi lieu being mostly Christians ns I Iwho I who had hal been Iwon to America anti made maLIc a 1 little money either olther In factories or ur by I peddling pl and amid had imad returned Traveling up this wide vIde wI do valley M l reached where surrounded by b small tone or mud house houses are aro some of ot the time most magnificent ruins In the tIme world OK OI K Time Tile origin of ot the theof l lot of ot Joshua Josinia and amid the time hp city ctt of ot time the sun of ot the Greeks Is la lost In iii re rl remote r mote antiquity hut but was mas once time tho th niost of ot tho time seven soven cities It Is 19 situated In time the valley of ot the Lita Ilta ny fly n here feet above the sen ea In Inthe Inthe the time great ruins of ot the time temples some of ot the columns sixty feet teet In height flU are still standing while others oilmeN lie scattered over the time grounds These columns gland stani glandon stanion nIl nIlon on ft II basement about fifty fitt feet teut Ill the time surrounding plain Sonic Some So I of ot th tb rocks used In time the ot of this aro oro perhaps the largest ever eer used f tor fr r building by b mann man nn We e could not give the time size of ot the time rocks rooks used u 11 In Inthe Inthe Inthe the building of at which three are arc of ot mammoth proportions proportion bu lu t we e did measure one rock In the quarry bout II n a mile away awa this rock being leing ready for removal but nut nt t removed We I foyn nun 1 I It 71 ft t long hang Ion H II ft tt high amid 13 ft H wide and It II I Is estimated tn to vl li l OO tons Thet will mk very cry little Impression as ns to the time Imin n nelly idly elly Ill of ot these thc p rocks rock with most of us III unless Wf w ve compare In our minds time tho size of at these thele single rocks with houses of ot about the time On Saturday Nov O SI 21 1 leaving Haal bek for tor Beirut firt t on goal gool goo 1 roads down the wide valley then cro I ln Iii n hanon banon mountains by a pas about feet elevation then going down to t th t sea serl on n R very ery Rood road IfIll but nf of 1 the way 11 too tep t p for we tramped tromped Bl alun with our wheels whO 8 t Ci 1 i I u u u u u UJ U u tue to the time ten semi the time f I Is particularly beautiful even at nt this timis time of ut the tIme year eRI The Pime steep mountain side have ben terraced which muni hae been heNI an nn enormous planted wit with vines Ines and mulberry or nr other trees treel nm 1111 In Iii other vines places there thre art are grovu grovo of at cedars the time villages village aro 10 numerous time the houses for tor Turkey fairly built an anthe amid the time scenery Is III not hot only on Krand and amid mag meg but most pleasing to the time eye 0 and the time beautiful picture of en the time slope of ot Lebanon above Beirut will long ionic nta stay In my imm III memory Hut But traveling most o othe ot of the way on foot using being footsore am amid w weary nry It watt was lifter after dark 1111 w we 1 reached Bei rum t one omm e of ot the t lie html nd html I imports and an one 1110 lie of ot the time few feim l cities of ot Turkey THOS fIlOS P 1 J |