'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎462] (547/905)

462
PLAINS OF GALILEE.
[CHAP. XIX.
remainder of Upper and the whole of Lower Galilee, encloses
Plains ofSafet several fine plains. One of these, that of Safet, stretches north
eastward of that place along Lake Houle, towards the border
of Upper Galilee. Another, called El Buttauf, extends from
Kana-el-Jelil as far in the direction of Lake Tiberias as El
Hattin, where was fought the battle between the Crusaders,
under Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusalem, and the Saracens,
under Salah-ed-din, who gained a complete victory. 1 A little
way from Kana-el-Jelil commences the Ard-el-Hammar,
which extends in a S.S.E. direction for some distance along
the mountains at the western side of the Lake ; and farther
on, at the southern border of Lower Galilee, is the plain of
and Esdraeion. Merj Ibn Amir, formerly Esdraelon, which has been alike
remarkable for its fertility and as the site of historical events.
Here occurred the discomfiture of Sisera, and the defeat of
Ahab ; and here Napoleon gave effectual support to Kleber,
by defeating the Turks between the village of Fuleh and
Mount Tabor. South-westward of the hilly ground about
Nazareth, the plain has a width of 12 miles, and in some
places 15 miles ; and with the exceptions of a few undulations,
principally some hills about Jezreel and little Hermon, 2 it is
quite level, and extends south-eastward for nearly 20 miles
along the upper branch of the Nahr Makutta. A valley
proceeds from thence along the lower part of that river to the
bay of Akka; and there are three others of more considerable
extent diverging from its opposite extremity. The most
northern of these, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -el-Biri, runs from the foot of Tabor
Jezreel of j nto the valle y of the Jordan; the next, that of Jezreel, which
is wider and more level, extends in the same direction, from
the villages of Solam 3 and Zer'in, near which is the fountain
of Jalaad or Jezreel, 4 to Beisan, 5 having the hills of Hermon
on the northern, and those of Jelbon, anciently Gilboa, on the
1 Commonly called the Battle of Tiberias.—Mill's Hist, of the Crusades,
vol. I., pp. 433, 434; and Dictionnaire Historique des Sieges et Batailles, &c.
Paris, 1808. 2 Ps. XLIL, v. 6; LXXXIX., v. 12; and CXXXIIL, v. 3.
Ancient Shunem.—Dr. Robinson, vol. III., p. 169.
4 Benjamin of Tudela, by A. Asher. vol. L, p. 80, and Note, vol. II., p. 100.
Jebel-es-Sheikh, the highest part of Lebanon.