This and Mahomerie-le-grand, already
mentioned, are Crusaders' churches. See Rey, _Les Colonies
franques de Syrie aux XII'e et XIII'e siecles_, p. 387; also
Conder, _The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem_.]

[Footnote 90: Beit-Nuba near Ramleh has been identified
without proof with Nob. Richard Coeur-de-Lion encamped here
some twenty-five years after Benjamin's visit. He with the
army of the Crusaders passed through Ibelin on his way to
Askelon. Cf. Vinsauf's _Itinerarium Regis Ricardi_.]

[Footnote 91: See an interesting Paper, "Der Pass von
Michmas," by Prof. D.G. Dalman, _Z.D.P.V._, 1904, vol.
XXVII, p. 161.]

[Footnote 92: Asher renders [Hebrew:] Ramleh, for which
there is some justification. Ramleh did not exist in Bible
times--it was founded in 716. It prospered to such an extent
that it became as large as Jerusalem. It was a good deal
damaged by an earthquake in 1033. Ramleh had a large Moslem
population, and the Jews there remained comparatively
unmolested by the Crusaders. This latter fact accounts for
the somewhat large number of Jews residing there. Asher's
reading, and that of all the printed editions, is "about
three Jews dwell there." This is obviously wrong. Probably
the copyist is to blame in taking [Hebrew:] to be an
abbreviation for [Hebrew:] The reports of contemporary
Arabic authors will be found in Guy Le Strange's
_Palestine_, pp. 303-8.]

[Footnote 93: Ali of Herat, Benjamin's contemporary, writes:
"Askelon is a fine and beautiful city. There is near here
the well of Abraham, which they say he dug with his own
hand." Bohadin, in his _Life of Saladin_, gives a detailed
account of the demolition of the city in 1192, after the
conclusion of peace between King Richard I and Saladin. Ibn
Batutah in 1355 found the town in ruins, but gives a
detailed account of the well. (Guy Le Strange, pp. 402-3;
cf. Dr. H. Hildesheimer, _Beitraege zur Geographie
Palaestinas_.)]

[Footnote 94: The cathedral at Lydda with the tomb of St.
George was destroyed when Saladin captured the place in
1191. It was rebuilt by a King of England in the seventeenth
century.]

[Footnote 95: A.M. Lunez in his Year-book for 1881, pp.
71-165, gives a complete list of the reputed Jewish tombs in
Palestine. There are many record