Palestine and Syria: Handbook for Travelers (page 251)
After 5 min. (from Khân el-Lubban) we see to the left the village of El-Lubban, the ancient Lebonah (Judges xxi. 19). In the N.E. corner of the plain, which we traverse lengthwise , we turn to the right into a broad level valley which ascends gradually and terminates in a barren ridge. In 25 min. we leave Es-Sâwiyeh to the left, and in 20 min. more reach the dilapidated Khân es-Sâwiyeh. To the N.E., half-way up the hill, is a spring with good water.
From Khân es-Sâwiyeh the road descends N.W. into the Wâdi Yetma (1/4 hr.); to the right of the road lie Kabelân and Yetma, to the left Yâsûf. On the N. side of the valley the road again steeply ascends. At the top of the hill (30 min.) we obtain a view of the large plain of El-Makhna, framed by the mountains of Samaria. Before us rise Ebal and Gerizim, and far to the N. the Great Hermon. After 5 min. we descend by a very bad road into a narrow valley, descending which we reach (20 min.) the S. extremity of the plain of El-Makhna. To the left is the village of Kûza, to the right Bêta. From this point there are two routes: either along the W. margin of the plain, or more to the E. and across it; the latter route affords the better view of the country, but is only practicable in the dry season. We pass (20 min.) the large village of Huwâra on the left, situated at the foot of the chain of Gerizim. The village of 'Audallâh next lies on the hill to the right. This is the broadest part of the plain of Makhna. We ride past the ruins of the former village of Makhna; on the right, after l/4 hr. lies 'Awerta, where the tombs of Eleazar and Phinehas (Joshua xxiv. 33) are shown. On Mt. Gerizim stands the Weli Abu Isma'in (Ishmael). After 1/2 hr. the village of Kafr Kallîn lies to the left, and that of Rûjib to the right beyond the plain. Above us, on the summit of Mt. Gerizim, is a Muslim weli.
The road skirts the N.E. corner of Mt. Gerizim. After 35 min., to the right of the road, is situated Jacob's Well, adjoining which are the ruins of an old church. Jacob's Well belongs to the Greeks and has been enclosed with a wall.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree that this is the "Well of Jacob, and the tradition to that effect is traceable as far back as the 4th century. The cistern is situated on the highroad from Jerusalem to Galilee, thus according with the narrative of St. John (iv. 5-30). The Samaritan woman came from Sychar, which is probably identical with the modern 'Asker (p. 258). Moreover the tradition already existed at the time of Christ (John iv. 5, 6) that here lay Jacob's Well and the field which he purchased and where Joseph was afterwards buried (Josh, xxiv, 32). To get to the mouth of the well, one must be let down into the vault that has been built over it. The cistern is very deep (75 ft.). In summer it is often dry. It was formerly deeper than now. It is 7 1/2 ft. in diameter and lined with masonry. The ruins of a church built over it in the 4th cent., and still existing in the 8th cent., and the numerous stones that have fallen or been thrown into the well have probably raised its bottom.
Joseph's Tomb is shown in a building about 1100 yds. to the N. of the cistern. It is entirely modern and, according to an English inscrip tion, was restored in 1868 by the British consul Mr. Rogers. The Jews burn small votive offerings in the hollows of the two little columns of the tomb.
From Jacob's Well we turn to the W. into the valley of Nâbulus. To the left rises Mt. Gerizim, to the right Mt. Ebal with its terraces lined with cactus and extending from the foot to the summit. The floor of the valley is well cultivated. On the right, after 7 min., is the village of Balâta. Here, according to early Christian tradition and the Samaritan chronicle, stood the oak (ballut) of Shechem (Joshua xxiv. 26). About 4 min. farther rock-tombs are visible on Mt. Ebal. We now reach the spring `Ain Defna, near which Turkish barracks with an arsenal and hospital have been erected. There is a carriage-road from here to Nâbulus. Olive-groves soon begin. To the left lies the chapel of the Rijâl el-`Amûd (men of the columns ), where forty Jewish prophets are said to be buried and the pillar of Abimelech (Judges ix. 6) perhaps stood. In 12 min. more we reach the gate of the town of Nâbulus, which formerly extended farther to the E. than now, perhaps as far as 'Ain Defna.
Nâbulus. — Accommodation in the Latin Mission House (letter of introduction from Jerusalem necessary).
The Camping Ground is on the W. side of the town. It is reached by turning to the right before reaching the gate of the town and riding round the N. side of the town. The commandant should be requested to furnish one or two soldiers as a guard for the tents (about 1/2 mej. per man).
Post and Telegraph Office (Turkish).
History, a. Samaria and the Samaritans. The district of Samaria derives its name from Samaria, the ancient Shomeron (1 Kings xvi. 24; p. 259). From the Maccabæan period onwards the name of Samaria was used to denote Central Palestine. After part of the population of the northern kingdom had been carried to the East by the Assyrians, foreign colonists gradually spread over the country (2 Kings xvii. 24), and the population of Samaria thus acquired a mixed character: After the return from the captivity, therefore, which had, if possible, intensified the exclusiveness of the Jewish character, the contrast between Jews and Samaritans was strongly marked. It was this spirit of jealous reserve which prompted the Jews to decline the aid of the Samaritans in building the walls and temple of Jerusalem, and as the Jews excluded them from all participation in their worship, the Samaritans founded a holy city and a sanctuary of their own under the leadership of a certain Sanballat (Nehem. ii. 10, 19). Mt. Gerizim was chosen for this purpose and a temple was built there, probably not long after the time of Nehemiah; the town of Shechem at its base thus rose in importance, while Samaria declined. Conflicts frequently took place between the Jews and the Samaritans. According to Josephus, the Temple on Mt. Gerizim 'was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 129 B.C. In the time of Pilate an adventurer instigated a great insurrection among the Samaritans. A crowd of them arrayed themselves against Vespasian on Mt. Gerizim, but he anticipated their action and slew 11,600 of the rebels. The Jews regarded the name of Samaritan as a term of reproach (John viii. 48), and the apostles did not at first go to Samaria to preach the gospel (Matth. x. 5; comp., however, Acts, viii. 5-25). Most of the Samaritans adhered to their old religion, and they", therefore, came frequently in collision with Christianity and with the Roman emperors, particularly in 529. About this period they martyred Christians and destroyed many churches. At Neapolis they killed the bishop and made Julian, one of their leaders, king. Justinian, however, despatched an army against them, and many of the insurgents were slain. They were now turned out of their own synagogues, and many of them fled to Persia, while others embraced Christianity. At a later period they ceased to play a part in history. In the 12th cent. Benjamin of Tudela found about 1000 adherents of the sect of the Samaritans at Nâbulus, and a few also at Ascalon, Cæsarea, and Damascus. For some years past they have been confined to Nâbulus, although they formerly had small communities at Cairo, Gaza, and Damascus. Their numbers are steadily diminishing, now consisting of 170 individuals only, who live in a distinct quarter of the town (S.W.). — The Samaritans have preserved a venerable type of Jewish physiognomy.
With regard to their Creed, the Samaritans are strict monotheists, and abhor all images and all expressions whereby human attributes are ascribed to God. They believe in good and evil spirits, in the resur rection and last judgment. They expect the Messiah to appear 6000 years after the creation of the world, but they do not consider that he will be greater than Moses. Of the Old Testament they possess the pentateuch only, in the old Hebrew or 'Samaritan' writing. Their literature chiefly consists of prayers and hymns. Their oldest chronicles date from the 12th century. Three times a year, viz. at the festival of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and the feast of tabernacles, they make a pilgrimage to the sacred Mt. Gerizim. They celebrate all the Mosaic festivals, but they offer sacrifices at the Passover only. Bigamy is permitted if the first wife be childless, and when a married man dies, his nearest relation, but not his brother, is bound to marry the widow.
b. Nâbulus is a corruption of Neapolis, or more fully Flavia Neapolis, as it was called to commemorate its restoration by Titus Flavius Vespasianus. This is one of 'the rare instances in which a place has exchanged its ancient Semitic name for a later one of Roman origin. Nâbulus was also sometimes called Mamortha, or Mabortha, which signifies 'pass' or 'place of passage', but the ancient name was Sichem, or Shechem ('the back). Sichem was one of the towns of the tribe of Ephraim. It was the scene of the episode of Abimelech (Judges ix) . Under Rehoboam the national assembly was held here (1 Kings xii) which resulted in the final separation of the northern tribes from the southern. Jeroboam chose Sichem for his residence. — During the Christian period Neanolis became the seat of a bishop. The Crusaders under Tancred took Nâbulus soon after the conquest of Jerusalem, and in 1120 Baldwin II. held a great diet here. Nabulus was frequently conquered, and suffered severely during the Crusaders' period. In later history the district of Samaria, and particularly the neighbourhood of Nâbulus, has been chiefly noted for its insecurity, and the inhabitants still have the reputation of being restless, turbulent, and quarrelsome.
Ndbulus (1870 ft. above the sea-level) lies in a long line on the floor of the valley between Ebal (Arab. Jebel Eslâmîyeh or esh-Shemûli the N. mountain) and Gerizim (arab. Jebel et-Tôr or el-Kibli, the S. mountain). The environs are beautifully green and extremely fertile, and water flows in abundance from 22 springs, about half of which are perennial. The town contains about 24,000 inhab., including 170 Samaritans (see above), a few Jews, and about 700 Christians, chiefly belonging to the Greek orthodox church; a few are Latins, and 150 Protestants. Nâbulus is the seat of Mutesarrif and of a Greek orthodox bishop, possesses a garrison (1 regiment of infantry), 8 large mosques, and 2 Muslim schools (a girls' school and a college), in addition to the Koran schools. It is also a station of the English Church Mission (missionary, Rev. Mr. Falscheer), which maintains a church , a school, and a hospital. The Latins have a church and mission-house under the Patriarch and a Franciscan church; the united and the orthodox Greeks each own a church here. — Nâbulus carries on a considerable trade with the country E. of Jordan, particularly in wool and cotton. It contains 15 manufactories of soap, which is made from olive-oil.
The interior of the town (which resembles the interior of Jerusalem) contains few attractions beyond the bazaar. In the E. part of the town is situated the Jâmi' el-Kebîr (PI. 1), or the great mosque. Admission is not easily obtained. The E. portal, which is well preserved, and resembles that of the Church of the Sepulchre, consists of 5 recessed arches, borne by 5 small semi-columns, and adorned with sculptures in the Romanesque style. The court contains a reservoir surrounded by antique columns. The mosque was originally a basilica built by Justinian, and rebuilt by the canons of the Holy Sepulchre in 1167. — The Jami' en-Nasr, or 'mosque of victory' (PI. 4), is probably a Crusaders' church too, as no doubt is the Jâmi' el-Khadrâ (PI. 2), the 'green mosque'. It is said to stand on the spot where Joseph's coat was brought by his brethren to Jacob. By the church rises a kind of clock-tower resembling that of Ramleh, a slab in the wall of which bears a Samaritan inscription. The Samaritans assert that they once possessed a synagogue here. — Immediately to the W. rises a large mound of ashes, which commands a magnificent view of the town, the plain, and the dark mountains beyond Jordan to the E. — In the N.E. corner of the town is the Jâmi' el-Mesâkîn, the 'mosque of the lepers' (who live there). It was probably erected by the Crusaders, perhaps as a hospital for the Templars. — A little farther to the N. is shown what Muslim tradition declares to be the Tomb of Jacob's Sons, beside a newly erected mosque.
The quarter of the Samaritans is in the S.W. part of the town. Their Synagogue (Kenîset es-Sâmireh) is a small, white-washed chamber, the pavement of which is covered with matting, and must not be trodden on with shoes. Their worship is interesting. The prayers are repeated in the Samaritan dialect, although Arabic is now the colloquial language of the people. The men wear white surplices and red turbans. They attach great importance to cleanliness. The office of high-priest is hereditary , and Ya`kûb, the present holder of it, is a descendant of the tribe of Levi. He is the president of the community and, at the same time, one of the district authorities. His stipend consists of tithes paid him by his flock. The Samaritan codex of the pentateuch is old, but that it was written by a grandson or great-grandson of Aaron, is a myth, as it is certainly not older than the Christian era. An inferior codex is generally palmed off on travellers; the genuine codex is kept in a costly case, with a cover of green Venetian fabric. The fee to the kôhen is for a single person 2 fr., for a party 1 fr. each.