ring of Fuwar ed-Der, the Sabbatio River of antiquity,
which Titus visited after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Josephus (_Wars of the Jews_, Book VII, sec. 5) describes it
as follows: "Its current is strong and has plenty of water;
after which its springs fail for six days together and leave
its channels dry, as any one may see; after which days it
runs on the seventh day as it did before, and as though it
had undergone no change at all: it has also been observed to
keep this order perpetually and exactly." The intermittent
action is readily accounted for by the stream having
hollowed out an underground duct, which acts as a syphon.]

[Footnote 108: Hamath is often mentioned in Scripture,
situated at no great distance from the Orontes. In the
troublous time after the first crusade it was taken by the
Ismailians or Assassins. The earthquake of 1157 caused great
damage. Twenty years later the place was captured by
Saladin.]

[Footnote 109: Robinson and Conder identify Hazor with a
site near Kedesh Naftali, but Sheiza is doubtless Sheizar,
the ancient Larissa. Having regard to the readings of the
other MSS., there is no doubt that Latmin, the next stage on
the way to Aleppo, is the correct name of the place. See M.
Hartmann's articles, "Beitraege zur Kenntuis der Syrischen
Steppe," _Z.D.P.V._, vols. XXII and XXIII, 1900 I. Cf. the
article on the Boundaries of Palestine and Syria by M.
Friedmann, Luncz's _Jerusalem_, vol. II.]

[Footnote 110: Edrisi writes that there was abundance of
water at Aleppo, but there is no discrepancy between
Benjamin's and Edrisi's statements, as Asher supposes. The
old waterworks were restored by Malek about the year 1200,
some thirty years after Benjamin's visit.]

[Footnote 111: Edrisi and Abulfeda speak of Balis and Kalat
Jabar. See Guy Le Strange, p. 417. Zengy the Atabeg was
slain at Kalat Jabar.]

[Footnote 112: Rakka is on the left bank of the Euphrates.
It was an important city of Upper Mesopotamia, commanding
the Syrian frontier. Salchah is in the Hauran. See p. 30,
note 5. On the right bank of the Euphrates, nearly opposite
to Rakka, was Thapsacus. Here Cyrus forded the river, and
here Alexander crossed in pursuit of Darius.]

[Footnote 113: Harr[=a]n, the city of Nahor, is twenty