JORDAN, the largest river of Palestine an one of the most celebrated in the world, called Esh-She-riah or Esh-Sheriah-el-Kebir by the Arabs.. It rises from three main sources at the foot of Hermon, and these upper streams unite in Lake Huleh, the ancient Waters of Merom. From this point it sinks with a rapid current in a narrow rocky bed below the level of the sea, and falls after a course of nine miles into the Lake of Galilee. Shortly after leaving the south end of this lake it enters a broad valley called by the Arabs Gluir, and in the Bible ''the plain); and continuing a singularly crooked course of about 65 miles direct dis tance, or 200 including windings, falls into the north end of the Dead Sea, having received the Zerka or Jabbok and numerous smaller affluents. The Ghfir expands at Bethlehem and Jericho into a wide plain, but elsewhere is from three to five miles across. The upper part of the valley of the Jordan is hilly, arid and barren, but it becomes more level and fertile as it ap proaches the Zerka. The river is muddy and full of small fish. In the dry season it is shal
low, with an average width of from 30 to 50 yards. At its mouth it is about 180 yards broad and about three feet deep. It is subject to great inundations during the winter season. The climate is tropical. Cereals, chiefly barley, are raised in some parts of the river's valley. The valley of the Jordan forms one of the most re markable depressions in the world, the Dead Sea being 1,312 feet below sea-level, and the total fall of the river being about 2,300 feet. Molyneux and Lynch made explorations of the river in 1847-48. Consult 'Official Report' (Washington 1852); 'Survey of Western Palestine' (London 1859) ; Smith, Geography of the Holy Land' ; Molyneux (in the Journal of the Royal Geographic Society 1848) ; Lynch, 'Narrative of the United States Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea' (1849) ; McGregor, Rob Roy on the Jor dan' (1870) ; Costello. 'Gospel Story' ; Mac millan, 'Guide to Palestine and Egypt' ; Thomas, 'Two Years in Palestine.)