Palestine

The southern district, which includes the white marl region of Beersheba, was in ancient times called the Negeb. It is a wide steppe region over which Israel's hold at first was but very slight (Simeon). The high ground in ancient Samaria includes the limestone mass of Mt. Ephraim, with the higher ground near the Jordan rift, and the western plateau merging more with the low land than is the case in Judaea. Jebel Fukula (Gilboa) forms the watershed at the eastern extremity of the plain of Esdraelon, and is an outlier of Eocene rocks. The range of Carmel (highest point 1,810 ft.) runs from the small plain of Meri-el Ghuruk, though interrupted by many passes, to the end of the prom ontory which makes the harbour Haifa, at its foot, the best on the Palestine coast. Carmel is essentially an outpost of the hill country flanked by the maritime plain on one side and by the plain of Esdraelon on the other. The highest land in Samaria is in the neighbourhood of Nablus (Shechem)—city of refuge and regional focus. The hills include the rugged bare mass of Gerizim (Jebel-et-Turs), 2,849 ft., the smoother cactus-clad cone of Ebal (Sleimtye) 3,077 ft., and farther south Tell 'Asur, at which point begins the Judaean range. On the eastern side of the watershed the most important feature is perhaps the great valley system that connects the Mukhnah (the plain south of Nablus) with the Ghor—beginning with the Wadi Bilan and pro ceeding through the abundantly watered Wadi Far'a.

The Galilean Mountains and the Plain of Esdraelon. The Galilean mountains, north of the plain of Esdraelon, fall into two regions, divided by a line joining Acre with the north end of the Sea of Galilee. The northern region (Upper Galilee) is vir tually an outlier of the Lebanon mountains. At the north end is an elevated plateau, draining into the Kasimiya. The face toward the Jordan valley is lofty and steep. The highest point is Jebel Jermak, 3,934 feet. The region is fruitful, and in places well wooded. The southern region (Lower Galilee) shows somewhat different characteristics. It consists of chains of comparatively low hills, for the greater part running east and west, enclosing a number of elevated plains. The principal of these plains is El Buttauf, a tract 400 to Soo f t. above sea-level, enclosed within hills 1,700 ft. high. It is marshy at its eastern end and very fertile. This is the plain of Zebulun or Asochis, of antiquity. The plain of Tur'an, south-east of El-Buttauf, is smaller, but equally fertile. Among the principal mountains of this district may be named Jebel Tur'an, ft., and Jebel et-Tur (Tabor) 1,843 ft.; the latter is an isolated mass of regular shape which commands the plain of Esdraelon. Eastward the country falls to Jordan rift by a succes sion of steps, among which the lava-covered Sahel el-Ahma lies west of the cliffs overhanging the Sea of Galilee. The chief valleys of this region are the Nahr Na'aman with its branches, which runs into the sea south of Acre, and the Nahr-el-Muqattac, or Kishon, which joins the sea at Haifa. On the east may be mentioned the

Wadi er-Rubadiya, Wadi el-Hamam and Wadi Fajjas.

The great plain of Esdraelon, as has been shown, is one of the most important natural features of western Palestine. It is a large triangle, having its corners at Jenin, Jebel et-Tur and the outlet of the Nahr-el-Muqattal, by which it communicates with the sea-coast. On the south-west it is bounded by the range of hills that terminates in the spur of Carmel. Historically it let in the invaders—merchants and soldiers—that ruined the distinctive traditions of Israel. In the winter it is swampy (Jud. v., 19-21) and in places almost impassable, though the fertility of this region is proverbial. Megiddo guards the entrance from the south. There are several small subsidiary plains extending from it both north and south into the surrounding mountain region. East of the watershed is a number of valleys running to the Ghor, the most remarkable of which are the Wadi el-Bireh and the Wadi Jalud.

Climate.

The physical structure has a definite bearing upon the many local peculiarities of climate. Palestine is open to the influences of the Mediterranean and thereby escapes the excessive drought of the interior of Arabia and Syria. The westerly winds associated with rain-bearing cyclonic storms are felt in the Mediterranean in winter, and strike the coast of Palestine, giving very heavy rains. At the same time the interactions of the moist warm air over the Mediterranean and the denser, colder, drier air in winter over Asia Minor and Arabia give an extension to the cold dry air of the interior of Asia, a feature giving a winter snowfall to the Judaean hills and the mountains of the north. Even in winter the deep Jordan valley is relatively warm, as the air is heated as it blows down from the north and west. The winter westerlies deposit their rain on the long westward-facing slopes, leaving the eastern scarp of the Jordan rift almost rain-free. The winds are warmed again in the deep valley and on cooling deposit further rain on the slopes of oak-forested Gilead.

The winter rains die away about Easter time. These are "the latter rains" of the Old Testament that foretell of heat and the ripening of crops. What rain falls in summer is mainly associated with local thunderstorms, due to the interaction of the land and sea air. In the hot dry summer, with dust-laden winds blowing from the desert over Palestine, the thermometer occasionally regis ters as much as 100° F in the shade, though 80°-90° is the more normal maximum. In the Jordan valley the temperature may reach 130°. The temperature may range, within 24 hours, from freezing point to 8o° ; this daily alternation of temperature may cause the wind to veer round the whole circle of the compass in a day (Eccl. i., 6). In October come "the former rains," which are the signal for winter ploughing. After October the winter westerlies set in again. The mean annual rainfall along the coastal area is about 28 in., although in exceptional years as much as io in. more are registered.