'A handbook of Syria (including Palestine). London: Naval Staff Intelligence Department, June 1919' [‎194v] (393/738)

382 LEBANON, ANTI-LEBANON, DAMASCUS PLAIN
gorges, which has been erroneously termed the highest
point of Anti-Lebanon. At its NW. flank near the base
is a plentiful supply of cool sweet water from wells and
a spring, and near by is Qabu, now a dry cistern, which
gives its name to the mountain. The upper part of H. el-
Qabu is revetted with a hard yellow limestone usually banded
with pink. This stone is found all over the locality, and
being highly ornamental is used for building; the same class
of rock is also found in the parallel range of Mar Musa
el-Habashi. The wadis dividing these mountains naming
from S. to N. are W. el-Makhnaf, W. el-Maghareh, W. el-Hariq,
W. el-Weiriq, W. Zammarani, W. Khirbet el-Barud, W. el-Mal,
W. Mar T5blya, and lastly W. el-Qarein.
Jebel Qalamun .—This is the name 1 given to the third
chain which strikes in a north-easterly direction from
about Fijeh in W. Barada, to Ma‘lula and Yabrud, finally
sinking into the plain between Deir ‘Atiyeh and Qaryatein.
On its western flank the chain falls to the wide upland in
which is the village of £ Asal el-Ward. On the eastern side
it falls to Es-Sahra and the more elevated plain of Saidnaya
which latter, tow’ard the north-east, narrows down in parallel
1 The W.O. map 1916 gives the name ‘Jebel Kalamun ’ to the most
eastern or ‘ little finger ’ chain apparently following Kieperts map ‘ Carte
de la Syrie Meridionale ’ 1860. The Arabic map published by the Ottoman
Government, Beirut 1889, adopts the same name. Dr. Post, P.E.F., Q.S.
1891, however, gives this name to the third ‘finger’ chain running NE.
from Fijeh toward Ma‘lula where it presumably joins ‘ J. Ma‘lula ’ of
the W.O. map. In the latter map this chain is shown indefinitely and in
the Arabic and Kieperts maps not at all. Van de Velde, Karte von Paldstina,
1866, shows only a line of broken hills named ‘ Jubbet Asal’, whereas
Porter, Five Years in Damascus, 1855, and Burton, Unexplored Syria, 1872,
clearly show a continuous chain as far as Yabrud to which no name is given.
\ arious later travellers verify the existence of this chain, and the above
description is compiled from their evidence and Post’s nomenclature is
adopted. Both Burton and Post draw attention to the inaccuracies in all
maps of this region and indeed of the Anti-Lebanon generally.
Kiepert and Porter show the village of Ma‘areh, E. by N. of Menin,
whereas the W.O. and Burton’s maps show it almost due N. of Menln;
the former position appears to be correct.