From a very early period Damascus has heen regarded by the Arabs as an earthly reflection of paradise. In accordance with the description given in the Koran, the Arahs picture to themselves paradise, following the original meaning of the word, as an orchard, traversed by 'streams of flowing water', where the most delicious fruits are ever ready to drop into the mouth. This ideal, so rarely approached in the Arabian peninsula, appeared to the natives of that sterile region to be realised at Damascus, and the city and its surrounding gardens (the so-called Ohutd) are accordingly lavishly extolled by Arabian poets. From an Occidental point of view these praises hardly seem justified. The Ghuta, a district extending towards the S. and E. of Damascus to a distance of about 9 M. , does not produce on the traveller, who is accustomed to the luxuriant vegetation of America, the admirably cultivated farms of England, or the beautiful gardens of France, the same overwhelming impression which it makes on the Arab of the sterile desert. As the city lies 2260 ft. above the sea-level , spring does not begin here until March , although mild days sometimes occur as early as February. It is not, however, till May , when the walnut-tree is in full leaf and the vine climbs exuberantly from tree to tree, or still later, when the large apricot-trees in the midst of their rich carpet of green herbage bear their countless golden fruits, and the pomegranates are in the perfection of their blossom, that the gardens are truly beautiful.
he natives call Damascus Esh-Shâm (p. Ivii), although the old name of Dimishk is not unknown. The city lies on the W. margin of the great Syrian desert, and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the N. rises Anti-Libanus, extending into the desert towards the N.E., and apparently terminated by the round hill of 'Akabet et-Tenîyeh. To the N.W., close to the city, rises the bare Jebel Kâsyûn, adjoining which, farther to the W., towers Mt. Hermon. On the S. the volcanic hills of the Jebel Atwad and Jebel Mânî are visible. — From the mountain-gorges of Anti-Libanus several brooks descend to the Ghûta, the most important being the Baradâ (cold), or, as it was called by the Greeks, the Chrysorrhoas (golden stream) . This is the Abana (or Amana) of the Old Testament (2 Kings v. 12); Pharpar corresponds with the present Nahr el-A'waj (p. 302). The Baradâ is well stocked with a small, poor kind of fish. All the streams which water the plain of Damascus flow into the so-called Meadow Lakes, about 18 M. to the E. of Damascus (p. 366). In spring and summer these lakes are of considerable size, and are vis ited by numerous Beduins. In autumn and winter, they are mere morasses. — At the outlet of its gorge the Baradâ, whose sources we shall hereafter describe, divides into seven branches, two of which are used for distributing water in numerous conduits (kandt) throughout the city, while the rest are employed in irrigating the orchards. The water is not very wholesome. The water-supply being imperfectly regulated, many of the public wells are dry. The numerous fountains in the interior of the houses are supplied from the Baradâ. The water is usually filtered before being drunk. Many houses in the Christian quarter also have wells sunk. As long as the latter are well filled the water is not unwholesome, but it is apt to become so In autumn, and particularly after a dry winter, as the soil of Damascus consists of heaps of rubbish to a very great depth.
n summer most of the inhabitants live on frnit, which is often imperfectly ripe, and notwithstanding the heavy dews and the coolness of the nights, they sleep on the flat roofs of their houses, in consequence of which ophthalmia, intermittent fever, and dysentery are not uncommon. After a hot day, when the thermometer has per haps marked 100-104° Fahr. in the shade, the traveller should beware of the treacherous night-air, especially in well-watered gardens. In case of an illness of this kind refuge should at once be taken among the mountains. In the height of summer the air of the city is terribly poisoned with miasma, notwithstanding the efforts of the dogs, the universal scavengers of the East, which devour all kinds of carrion and garbage. These animals are generally peaceable when unmolested (p. xxxiv). — Owing to the lofty situation of the town, frost is not uncommon in winter, but fire-places are unknown except in the hotels.
The city contains several different quarters. The Jewish Quarter, in the S.E., still lies, as in Apostolic times, near the 'Street which is called Straight', or, as it is still named (though perhaps by a literary revival), Derb el-Mustaktîm (Acts ix. 11). To the N. of this extends the large Christian Quarter (p. 359). The other parts of the town are Muslim , including a quarter (the Meiddri) occupied by peasants alone, which extends towards the S. (p. 356). The present form of Damascus is not unlike that of a spoon, the handle being the long street just mentioned. These quarters are subdivided into smaller sections, each provided with wooden gates. These gates used to he closed at night and were opened on demand by the watchman. At present it is not advisable to walk through the town at night. Beggars are rare, as living here is very cheap. When accosted by one of the dervishes or vagrant madmen, who are known by the scantiness of their clothing, the traveller should lose no time in getting rid of him by bestowing a trifling alms.