ملف رقم ٣١٤٢ لسنة ١٩٠٣ "سكة حديد الحجاز" [ظ‎‎٧‎٨] (٤٨٨/١٦٣)

12
Part Y. —Description of the Branch Line Haifa—Der’a.
Appended, a list of Stations with characteristics as for the Main Line.
No.
Names of Stations.
Distances of Stations
from—
Height
above Sea
Haifa.
One another.
Level.
•
Kilom.
Kilom.
Metres.
1
Haifa, the ancient Sycaminum, at the foot of Mount
Carmel, trading centre with about 12,000 inhabitants,
seat of a Kaimakam, under the Mutessarif of Akkn.
Chief exports are wheat, maize, sesame, olive oil, and
wine. The last named is cultivated especially by the
German Templar Colonies on the slopes of Mount
Carmel and by the Jewish Colonies. The inhabitants
are half Mahommedans; the remainder are Orthodox
Greeks, Jews, Roman Catholics, Maromites, and Greek
Uniates. Amongst the Europeans the Germans, about
600, predominate. Few but good wells
21*7
+ 1-45
2
Tell-insch-Sehainam, fellaheen village; about 100 inhabi
tants. Good water in wells
21-7
14-6
+ 39
O
O
Afule, fellaheen village; about 1,500 inhabitants. About
15 kilom. south of it the ancient Megiddo (now
El Ledjun), where extensive excavations are being
carried out at the instigation of the German Govern
ment. Good water in wells
36*3
14-7
+ 62-4
4
Schatta, fellaheen village; about 800 inhabitants. Water
from Dadi Djalub
51*0
8-0
— 78-19
5
«
Beisan, the old Canaanite town Bethsean, later on, after
the immigration of the Seythian settlers, Cally Seutho-
polis. Seat of a Midir; 3,000 inhabitants. Arabs (
belong to the civil list The oldest part of the town is
Tell-el-Hisn, which is like a fortress. Round these
hills the ruins of the Hellenistic-Roman town, Roman
theatre, arcade, hippodrome, bridges, &c. On the
heights surrounding Tell walls of fortification. On the
hill north of Tell extensive necropolis. There are aRo
inscriptions and monuments from Byzantine times, when
Beisan was the seat of a bishop. Too much irrigation
has made the gardens marshy and engendered fever.
Immediately beyond Beisan the railway leaves the
Zezereel plain and enters the Valley of the Jordan
59*0
17*3
- 121*72
6
Djisr-el-Madjami, station close before the Jordan bridge;
about 200 inhabitants (Arabs). Water from Jordan.
Fruitful land
76 *3
10*5
- 246*47
7
Sarnach, station at the southern end of the Sea of Gen-
nesaret acting at the same time as landing stage for
steamer connection which it is proposed to establish
here between liberias and Tapha. The inhabitants are
Algerian emigrants; about 500 in number. Lake
water ..
86*9
8*5
— 186-88
8
Hamma, sulphur springs, given to the Hedjaz Railway for
exploitation, were much celebrated at the time of the
Romans. At a distance of hours li s the village
Kukes (Roman Gadara), about 300 metres above the sea
level, with two Roman amphitheatres and other ruins.
Hamma also has a Roman amphithea're and the ruins of
a Roman bath. Inhabited by Bedouins (about thirty
tents). Water from Jermak
95*3
21*1
— 146-06
9
Wadi Khalid.* Only station building, no houses. Springs
occasionally vKited by Bedouins
107-4
12*1
— 56-62
10
Schedjere, distant about 4 kilom. from the fellaheen village
of the same name which has 500 inhabitants. Close by
i many other small villages and farms. Water from the
Jarmak 300 metres distant..
119*5
5*1
+ 26-89
11
i Mukarim, means “junction of three valleys.” No village,
oidy station for the surrounding villages of Harta, Errafid,
Sahem-el-Kafaret, Kkeir, &c. (S., sketch of Jarmak
Valiev, Table 1 ) ..
124-6
11*2
+ 71-14
12
i Seisun/fellaheen village; about 200 inhabitants. Fertile
soil, a tributary of the Jarmuk waters the country.
Waterfall
1 135*8
13-3
+ 260-19
* Probably called so after the Arab General Khalid, who gained a decisive victory over the Byzantines
near Jakusa, north of the Wadi T in 636 a.d.