Travels in Syria and the Holy Land | Page 2

will contain very copious
remarks on the Arabs on the Desert, and particularly the Wahabys.
The two principal maps annexed to the present volume have been
constructed under the continued inspection of the Editor, by Mr. John
Walker, junior, by whom they have been delineated and engraved.
[p.iii]In the course of this process, it has been found, that our traveller's
bearings by the compass are not always to be relied on. Those which
were obviously incorrect, and useless for geographical purposes, have
been omitted in the Journal; some instances of the same kind, which
did not occur to the Editor until the sheets were printed, are noticed in
the Errata, and if a few still remain, the reader is intreated not to
consider them as proofs of negligence in the formation of the maps,
which have been carefully constructed from Burckhardt's materials,
occasionally assisted and corrected by other extant authorities. One
cannot easily decide, whether the errors in our traveller's bearings are
chiefly to be attributed to the variable nature of the instrument, or to the
circumstances of haste and concealment under which he was often
obliged to take his observations, though it is sufficiently evident that be
fell into the error, not uncommon with unexperienced travellers, of
multiplying bearings to an excessive degree, instead of verifying a
smaller number, and measuring intermediate angles with a pocket
sextant. However his mistakes may have arisen, the consequence has
been, that some parts of the general map illustrative of his journeys in
Syria and the Holy Land have been constructed less from his bearings
than from his distances in time, combined with those of other travellers,

and checked by some known points on the coast. Hence also a smaller
scale has been chosen for that map than may be formed from the same
materials when a few points in the interior are determined by celestial
observations. In the mean time it is hoped, that the present sketch will
be sufficient to enable the reader to pursue the narrative without much
difficulty, especially as the part of Syria which the traveller examined
with more minuteness than any other, the Haouran, is illustrated by a
map upon a larger scale, which has been composed from two
delineations made by him in his two journeys in that province.
[p.iv]It appears unnecessary to the Editor to enter into any lengthened
discussion in justification of the ancient names which he has inserted in
the maps; he thinks it sufficient to refer to the copious exposition of the
evidences of Sacred Geography contained in the celebrated work of
Reland. Much is still wanting to complete this most interesting
geographical comparison; and as a great part of the country visited by
Burckhardt has since his time been explored by a gentleman better
qualified to illustrate its antiquities by his learning; who travelled under
more favourable circumstances, and who was particuarly diligent in
collecting those most faithful of all geographical evidences, ancient
inscriptions, it may be left to Mr. W. Bankes, to illustrate more fully
the ancient geography of the Decapolis and adjoining districts, and to
remove some of the difficulties arising from the ambiguity of the
ancient authorities.
It will be found, perhaps, that our traveller is incorrect in supposing,
that the ruins at Omkeis are those of Gamala, for the situalion of
Omkeis, the strength of its position, and the extent of the ruins, all
favour the opinion that it was Gadara, the chief city of Peraea, the
strongest place in this part of the country, and the situation of which, on
a mountain over against Tiberias and Scythopolis, [Polyb.1.5.c.71.
Joseph.de Bel. Jud.l.4.c.8. Euseb. Onomast. in [Greek text]. The
distance of the ruins at Omkeis from the Hieromax and the hot baths
seems to have been Burckhardt's objection to their being the remains of
Gadara; but this distance is justified by St. Jerom, by Eusebius, and by
a writer of the 5th century. According to the two former authors the hot
baths were not at Gadara, but at a place near it called Aitham, or

Aimath, or Emmatha; and the latter correctly states the distance at five
miles. Reland Palaest. p.302, 775. Perhaps Gamala was at El Hosn;
Gaulanitis, of which Gamala was the chief town, will then correspond
very well with Djolan.] corresponds precisely with that of Omkeis. But
it will probably be admitted, that our traveller has rightly placed several
other cities, such as Scythopolis, Hippus, Abila,[There were two cities
of this name. Abil on the Western borders of the Haouran appears to
have been the Abila of Lysanias, which the Emperors Claudius and
Nero gave together with Batanaea and Trachonitis, to Herodes Agrippa.
Joseph. Ant. Jud. l.19.c.5.--sl.20.c.7.] Gerasa, Amathus;
[p.v]and he has greatly improved our knowledge of Sacred Geography,
by ascertaining many of the Hebrew sites in