a place of wide extent, with brooks of water, gardens, and
plantations. Thence it is half a day to Salkat, which is Salchah of
old[105].

[p.49]

Thence it is half a day's journey to Baalbec, which is Baalath in the
plains of Lebanon, and which Solomon built for the daughter of
Pharaoh. The palace is built of large stones, each stone having a
length of twenty cubits and a width of twelve cubits, and there are no
spaces between the stones. It is said that Ashmedai alone could have
put up this building. From the upper part of the city a great spring
wells forth and flows into the middle of the city as a wide stream,
and alongside thereof are mills and gardens and plantations in the
midst of the city. At Tarmod (Tadmor) in the wilderness, which Solomon
built, there are similar structures of huge stones.[106] The city of
Tarmod is surrounded by walls; it is in the desert far away from
inhabited places, and is four days' journey from Baalath, just
mentioned. And in Tarmod there are about 2,000 Jews. They are valiant
in war and fight with the Christians and with the Arabs, which latter
are under the dominion of Nur-ed-din the king, and they help their
neighbours the Ishmaelites. At their head are R. Isaac Hajvani, R.
Nathan, and R. Uziel.

From Baalbec to Karjat[=e]n, which 1s Kirjathim, is a distance of half
a day; no Jews live there except one dyer. Thence it is a day's
journey to Emesa, which is a city of the Zemarites, where about twenty
Jews dwell[107]. Thence it is a day's journey to Hamah, which is
Hamath. It lies on the river Jabbok at the foot of Mount Lebanon[108].

[p.50]

Some time ago there was a great earthquake in the city, and 25,000
souls perished in one day, and of about 200 Jews but seventy escaped.
At their head are R. Eli Hacohen, and the Sheik Abu Galib and Mukhtar.
Thence it is half a day to Sheizar, which is Hazor[109], and from
there it is three parasangs to Dimin (Latmin).

[p.51]

Thence it is two days to Haleb (Aleppo) or Aram Zoba, which is the
royal city of Nur-ed-din. In the midst of the city is his palace
surrounded by a very high wall. This is a very large place. There is
no well there nor any stream, but the inhabitants drink rainwater,
each one possessing a cistern in his house[110]. The city has 5,000
Jewish inhabitants, at their head being R. Moses el Constantini and R.
Seth. Thence it is two days to Balis[111], which is Pethor on the
river Euphrates, and unto this day there stan