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| Title | Page 18 |
| Creator | Holland, Frederick Whitmore, 1837-1880.
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| Description | Sinai and Jerusalem; or, Scenes from Bible Lands: Illustrated by Twelve Colored Photographic Views, Including a Panorama of Jerusalem, With Descriptive Letterpress. |
| Caption | THE DESERT OF SINAI. the gardens of Tor and Wady Eeiran form a considerable portion of the foodtf the Arabs in the Peninsula of Sinai. That these trees grew in the desert at the time of the Exodus, we learn from the description of Elim, one of the encampments of the Israelites on their march to Mount Sinai, " where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees." (Exodus xv. 27.) The tamarisk tree is well known on account of the manna which exudes at certain times of the year from its leaves, when they are punctured by a kind of fly. This manna does not, however, at all correspond, as some have supposed, with the manna mentioned in the Bible, and which is described as being " a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground, " and " like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it like wafers made with honey." (Exodus xvi. 14, 31.) The so-called manna from the tamarisk is of the colour, and somewhat resembles the taste, of honey; but it is only found in very small quantities, and is utterly unsuitable for use as food. The Arabs collect it, and it is sold by them at Cairo for medicinal purposes, and to the Russian pilgrims who visit the convent at Sinai, as a relic from the desert. The acacia is supposed to be the shittim tree which furnished the wood used for the boards of the tabernacle, the table, and the ark. (Exodus xxv. 10—23; xxvi. 15.) Doubts have been expressed as to whether it ever grew to a sufficient size for such purposes. The Arabs cut off the young shoots every year for feeding their goats, and hence most of the trees are stunted in their growth; but where they have escaped such ill-usage, they grow to a large size, and I have measured several upwards of nine feet in girth. Poplars, almond, olive, apple, pear, fig, and other kinds of fruit-trees, are found in the old monastic gardens, but most of them probably have been brought from other countries. The ruins of hermits' cells and monasteries are very numerous throughout the granite district. But there are also other ruins of greater interest, which extend over a still larger area. In form they resemble the * bothan, " or beehive houses in Scotland, being built in the shape of a dome, and having a low door, but no windows. They are about five feet in height, and from forty to fifty feet in circumference, and are often found in clusters of from twenty to thirty in number. These houses were evidently |
| Date | 1870 |
| Publisher | London: Printed by Jas. Truscott and Son, Suffolk Lane, City. |
| Subject.Topical (LCSH) | Palestine -- Description and travel.
Sinai Peninsula -- Description and travel.
Jerusalem -- Description and travel.
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| Subject (Geographic) | Palestine
Sinai Peninsula
Jerusalem
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| Original Item Location | http://library.uh.edu/record=b3601783~S11 |
| Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries |
| Use and Reproduction | This image is in the public domain and may be used freely. If publishing in print, electronically, or on a website, please use the citation button above. To request higher resolution images, please use the Request High Res button above. |
| File name | meast_201009_045.jpg |
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