CHAPTER XVIII.
TH E PASHALIK OF ALEPPO.
N O R T H E R N S Y R I A .
Position.—Limits.—Superficies.— Subdivisions of Climate.—Plain of ’Umk,
—Sea-coast.— Edllp.—Jisr Shugher.—Plain of Aleppo, and its Tells.—
The Kowelk or Chalus.—Kinnisriu.—Village of Sphiri and Lake of EL.
Melak.— The Daradax.— Bills.— Thapsacus — Zelebi.—- The Kersiu.—
Nizib,-. The Sajur.—Tell Khalid-—Kal’at-enTNejm.—Mun,bedj.— Corns.
—Kills.—A’zaz.— Convent of St. Simon Stylites.— Murid Pi'shi.—Antioch.—‘
Scenery of the Orontes.—Ruins of Seleueia.—Aleppo.—Turkomans.
—Kurds.—Syrians.—Climate.—Earthquakes.—Vegetable and Animal Productions.—
Imports, Exports, and Commercial; Resources.
T he five subdivisions which prevailed in Syria from the time,
of Ahu-l-feda to the days, of Volney are now' represented by
the districts of Damascus, Acre, Tripoli, and A lep p o th e
last of these, which is the subject of the present chapter, owing,
to its geographical position and compact form, is the most
important of all.
The pashalik in question oceupies the northern extremity
of Syria, and it extends southward from the borders, of Asia.
Minor at the foot of the Taurus to Damascus, Tripoli, and
the confines of Arabia Deserta; the Mediterranean Sea and
the bays of the Orontes and Iskenderun being its western
limits, whilst on the eastern side it is separated from Mesopotamia
by the great river, the promised border of the Israelites.
Its surface contains ahout 7372 square miles, or is rather
less than that of the kingdom of the Netherlands.
The western side is very mountainous, being traversed from
north to south by the elevated range of the Amanus, and in
an eastern direction by its diverging branches. Towards the
centre other offsets run southward from the Taurus to the
neighbourhood of Kills, where they consist of trap and