"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٤] (٧٣٨/٤١٢)

THE LEBANON AND ANTI-LEBANON 401
A short distance farther north 3 on the r., is a small lake
formed by ‘Ain Huweith, and still farther north is a larger
lake fed by ‘Ain el-Huwash, on the southern shore of which
stands Huwash, the chief village of El-Ghab. At Jisr esh-
Shughr, an important road centre, the river is crossed by
a many-arched bridge. Here the valley is a fine broad
prairie extending on the west to the foot of the Ansariyeh
mountains. Beyond the bridge the river cuts more deeply
into the marble formation of its bed and receives on the 1. the
large tributary N. el-Abyadh (see p. 424); 2—3 miles farther on,
it enters a narrow and very deep ravine which terminates at
Darqush. In this section, before reaching Hammam Sheikh
‘Isa, there is a ford and ferry. The hills on either side rise
in terraces J. el-‘Ala to r. with its summit resembling a flat
table and, on the 1., the table-land of J. el-Quseir.
The middle course of the Orontes may be said to end at
Jisr el-Maqsur, near which place it receives a tributary,
N. Bawardeh (see p. 424), on the 1. The river then commences
its wide westerly bend round the base of J. el-Quseir and enters
the Antioch plain, El-‘Amq, where it is again crossed by
a bridge, Jisr el-Hadld, over which the direct Antioch-Aleppo
road passes. The water is here of a muddy colour caused by
the erosion of the marly banks. About 5 miles below the
bridge it receives its great tributary, the Kara Su, a navigable
river flowing from the Lake of Antioch and bringing a greater
volume of water than the Orontes itself (see Handbook of
Asia Minor, vol. iv, pt. 2).
In its south-westerly course the river is obstructed by
numerous fish weirs, winds among picturesque myrtle-clad
hills and passes Antioch on the 1. bank where it is crossed
by a masonry bridge of four arches. It then follows a
tortuous course over several cataracts, between steep wooded
hills ; the bed falls considerably and is in places obstructed
by rocks. It receives on the r., first the Kiichiik Chai, and
then the Biiyiik Kara Chai, the latter a considerable mountain
stream whose banks are covered with oleanders, arbutus, and
other shrubs. The river now enters the plain of Suweidiyeh,
c c
SYRIA