"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٢‎٦‎١] (٧٣٨/٥٢٧)

516
GALILEE
of the Qasimiyeh, which forms the lower course of the Litani
River from the point where it turns at right angles westwards
towards the coast. This deep ravine runs from east to west
across the greater part of the mountain range, its cliffs rise in
places to over a thousand feet, and only at a few points can it
be crossed. It thus forms a natural division between the
mountain mass of Upper Galilee and the Lebanon, and it leaves
but a short ridge or strip of high ground between itself and the
Jordan valley. Beyond this rise is the fertile Merj ‘Ayun,
the mouth of the great valley between Lebanon and Anti-
Lebanon. The southern slopes from the high ground are
covered with basaltic lava, and we may assume that it was
this laval outflow that turned the Litani River out of its
natural course down the Jordan valley and forced it to cut its
way through the rugged cliffs to the sea. The northern
boundary of Galilee to the east of the Qasimiyeh gorge, may
be carried around north of this volcanic outcrop to the Jordan
valley ; and the Merj ‘Ayun, though it may be conveniently
treated as the southward prolongation of the Biqa‘, is some
times regarded as within the limits of Palestine.
The district thus delimited represents an approximate area
of 1,300-1,400 square miles, having an extreme length from
north to south of 57 miles and an average breadth of about
30 miles. The southern part of the district falls within the
Turkish administrative area of the sanjaq of ‘Akka and the
northern part in the sanjaq of Beirut. The former includes
the kazas of ‘Akka, Tiberias, Safed, Nazareth, and a small part
of Haifa, and the latter most of the kaza of Sur and the kaza
of Merj ‘Ayun ; but it should be noted that the exterior
boundaries of these kazas do not in every part coincide with
the limits of Galilee as defined above, as, e. g., on the north,
where the kaza of Sur extends slightly beyond the River
Qasimiyeh.
Physical Features
A great variety of country is confined within these limits.
To the south lie Esdraelon and its contiguous valleys. To the