"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎١‎٨‎٧] (٧٣٨/٣٧٩)

368 LEBANON, ANTI-LEBANON, DAMASCUS PLAIN
ravines which descend obliquely toward the north ; immedi
ately over the Orontes channel the face is abrupt and in the
vicinity of Neba‘ el-‘Asi it drops to a deep chasm. The surface
is sparsely covered with oak, wild plum, hawthorn, and other
trees, to the effect of which the ridge owes its name sha'ra,
‘ hairy,’ in contrast to the baldness of the main ridge. The
ridge runs from J. Sannin northward to the end of the chain,
and its lowest and narrowest part is a little S. of Yamuneh
opposite where the central depression attains its greatest
width. Northward it increases in height and width, encroach
ing more and more upon the plain ; the greatest height of the
ridge and the least width of the plain are found opposite
Fikeh, a village at the base of the Anti-Lebanon.
In the vicinity of Zahleh and Shtora the mountain sides
are richly cultivated with vines, and closely resemble the
western slopes ; here a considerable stream, N. Bardani (see
p. 403), flows to the Litani. Southward the short and precipitous
slopes are scarred only by the beds of winter torrents. On
the southern part, along the base of J. Rlhan, there runs a
line of low sharp ridges, which become higher toward
the S. Between them is a valley running NE. to the
Litani in which is the large village of Meshghareh. Just
opposite Jisr Burghuz the slopes are intersected by W. Sifsaf,
up which the road to Jezzin leads ; immediately to the north
is a broad low swell about 1 mile wide, thrown eastward from
the base, through which breaks the deep chasm of the
river. Farther south another similar spur, a prolongation
of the southern foot of the Lebanon is thrown out. It passes
over and into the lower ridge east of the ruined Qal‘at
esh-Sheqif perched on a cliff 1,500 ft. sheer above the Litani,
near the point at which this river bends west to the sea.
Geology
While the bulk of the mountain and all the higher ranges
are, without exception, limestone of the early Cretaceous
period, the valleys and gorges are tilled with formations
of every possible variety, sedimentary, metamorphic, and