:^ THE HANDBOOK OF PALESTINE ^ MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited • I-ONDON BOMBAY • CALCUTTA • MADRAS MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO DALLAS • SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd TORONTO THE HANDBOOK OF PALESTINE ROVAL ASIAT'C EDITED BY SOCIETY HARRY CHARLES LUKE, B.Litt., M.A. ASSISTANT GOVERNOR OF JERUSALEM AND EDWARD' KEITH-ROACH ASSISTANT CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF PALESTINE WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY The Right Hon. SIR HERBERT SAMUEL, P.C., G.B.E. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR PALESTINE Issued under the Authority of the Gover?t?nent of Palestine MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON 1922 107 3 COPYRIGHT PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN PREFACE The Handbook of Palestine has been written and printed during a period of transition in the administration of the country. While the book was in the press the Council of the League of Nations formally approved the conferment Britain of the for on Great Mandate Palestine ; and, consequent upon this act, a new constitution is to come into force, the nominated Advisory Council will be succeeded by a partly elected Legislative Council, and other changes in the direction of greater self-government, which had awaited the ratification of the Mandate, are becoming operative. Again, on the ist July, 1922, the adminis- trative divisions of the country were reorganized. The editors of the Handbook have endeavoured, to the best of their ability, to keep pace with these changes and to make as as in the work up-to-date possible ; but, view of the difficulties with which they have been faced in this con- nexion, they ask the indulgence of their readers if, at times, events have moved faster than the printer. They desire gratefully to acknowledge the assistance that has been so readily placed at their disposal. In the first place they wish to thank the High Commissioner for the encouragement he has given them in their task, and for being good enough to contribute the introduction to the volume. They are also indebted in general to Governors and Heads of Departments, and in particular to Sir Wynd- ham Deedes, Mr. Ronald Storrs, Mr. N. Bentwich, Mr. J. B. Barron, Mr. J. N. Stubbs, Mr. G. Blake and other officials too numerous to mention here, who have kindly V PREFACE supplied them with information regarding their particular ml spheres. Several members of the Administration haveirp. helped, too, in matters outside their departmental work, and a debt of gratitude is due in particular to Colonel E. R. Sawer, Director of Agriculture, to Dr. W. K. Biggar, Messrs. I. Aharoni, E. Rabinovitch, and P. A. Buxton for sections to Mr. E. T. Richmond the on Natural History ; for a valuable review of the Moslem architecture of elsewhere to Palestine, a task not previously attempted ; Professor Garstang and Mr. W. J. Phythian-Adams for several notes. To Colonel R. B. W. Holmes, General Manager, Palestine Railways, they owe permission to use the map which is attached to the volume. They are greatly indebted to Pere H. Vincent, O.P., of the Ecole de S. Etienne, for the review of the Christian archi- tecture of Palestine, and to Bishop Maclnnes and Canon H. Danby for the paragraphs respectively on the Anglican diocese and on Judaism in Palestine after 70 a.d. Dr. C. R. B. Eyre; Sub-Warden of the Hospital of the Order of S.John of Jerusalem, has kindly contributed the section on the postage stamps of Palestine, Lt. -Colonel H. Pirie-Gordon's Palestine Pocket Guide-books have been consulted with and material in connexion with the advantage ; help preparation of the volume for press has been received from Mr. A. G. Antippa of the Palestine Civil Service. H. C. L. E. K.-R. Jerusalem, September, 1922. CONTENTS PACE Introduction .._----- xi PART I GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY § I. Introductory ------- i § 2. Geography and Scenery ----- 2 _ - _ - § 3. Palestine in Biblical Times 3 § 4. Palestine under Rome, Byzantium and the Arabs - - - - - - - - 12 - - - - - - - § 5. The Crusades ^ 15 - § 6. Palestine under the Mamelukes and Turks 21 - - § 7. Palestine under the British Mandate 24 PART n PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS I. Race and Language ------ 32 § - - - § 2. Population 32 Arabs and Syrians ------ § 3. 34 Bosnians and Magharbeh - - § 4. Circassians, 35 Islam in Palestine ------ § 5. 36 of - § 6. The Orthodox Patriarchate Jerusalem 39 in Palestine - - - § 7. The Latin Church 41 vii viii CONTENTS PAGE § 8. The Uniate Churches ------ 43 - § 9, The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem 44 - - - § 10. Jacobites, Copts and Abyssinians 44 §11. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem - - 45 ' - - - - - § 12. The 'American Colony 48 - - - § 13. The German Templar Community 48 - - - - - - § 14. The Jews -.- 49 § 15. The Jewish Colonies ------ 55 § 16. The Samaritans ------- ^6 § 17. Druses and Metawileh ----- 57 - - - - - - - - § 18. The Baha'is 58 PART III PLACES OF INTEREST - - - § I. Archaeology and Art in Palestine 60 - - - - § 2. Department of Antiquities 74 § 3. The Palestine Museum 75 - ~ ' § 4. Coins 77 § 5. The Southern Province ----- 80 - - - - § 6. Jerusalem and Jaffa Province 86 § 7. Samaria Province -_-_.. jqi § 8. The Northern Province 104 PART IV COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS - - - § I. Palestine as a Tourist Resort- no to Palestine - -- - - § 2. Routes -113 ' - - - - - § 3. Inland Communications 115 - - - - - - - § 4. Accommodation 122 § 5. Books of Reference ------ 123 - - - - § 6. Mineral Springs of Palestine 125 CONTENTS ix PAGE § 7. Weights and Measures ----- 126 - § 8. Table of Sunrise and Sunset in Palestine 129 - - - - - - - § 9. Festivals -130 . - _ - § 10. The Pro-Jerusalem Society 131 PART V GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES - - - § I. System of Administration - - 133 - - - - - § 2. Administration of Justice 137 - - - § 3. Finance, Currency and Banking 144 - - - - - - - § 4. Customs -160 § 5. Commerce and Industry ----- 169 - - § 6. Immigration - - - - - -171 - - - - § 7. Education - - - -173 § 8. Land Tenure ------- 181 § 9. Agriculture and Forestry . _ - - 186 § 10. Public Works and Harbours - - - - 195 §11. Palestine Railways ------ igS " - § 12. Public Security - - - - - - 202 § 13. Medical and Meteorological - - . 204 § 14. Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones - - - 210 - § 15. Municipalities - - - - - . 224 Parliamentary Papers - - - _ _ §16. 226 . § 17. Trans-jordania 227 PART VI GEOLOGY, MINING AND NATURAL HISTORY I. Geology 229 § 2. Mineral Resources ------ 238 § 3. Mammalia -------- 242 Birds § 4. --------- 243 Reptilia - - - § 5. 256 X CONTENTS PAGE - - - - - - - - - § 6. Fishes 260 § 7. Insects --------- 261 - - § 8. Animal, Insect and Vegetable Pests 264 - - - - - - § 9, Game Preservation . 265 § 10. Flora --------- 266 PART VII MISCELLANEOUS - § I, Moslem, Orthodox and Jewish Kalendars 267 § 2. Official Holidays ------ 272 - - - - - - - § 3. Transliteration 273 . - - § 4. Newspapers and Periodicals 276 War Cemeteries in Palestine - - - - § 5. 276 - - - - § 6. Foreign Consuls in Palestine 277 - - - - § 7. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides 278 § 8. R.S.P.C.A. -------- 279 APPENDIX Mandate for Palestine - - - . - - - 280 Index ---- 291 Railway Map of Palestine and Trans-jordania In pocket at end of volume" INTRODUCTION If I were called upon to express in a single word the dis- tinguishing characteristic of Palestine I should say Diversity —diversity of religions, diversity of civilizations, diversity of climate, diversity of physical characteristics. If the traveller wishes for coolness in the summer, he may live feet the level of the sea if he wishes for 3,000 above ; warmth in the winter, he may live 1,000 feet below. He may find among the Beduin of Beersheba precisely the conditions in the of at that prevailed time Abraham ; Bethlehem he may see the women's costumes, and, in some of of of respects, the mode living the period the Crusaders ; the Arab villages are, for the most part, still under mediaeval conditions the towns of the of the ; present many problems nineteenth the arrivals early century ; \>i:hile new from Eastern and Central Europe, and from America,, bring with them the activities of the twentieth century, and sometimes, perhaps, the ideas of the twenty-first. Indeed, it is true to say that in Palestine you can choose the climate, or the century, that you prefer. And these conditions are found in a country so small that it is easy to motor in a single day from the northernmost town to the southernmost, and in a morning from the eastern boundary to the sea. These diversities would be enough to lend to Palestine an interest as the of unusual ; but her position birthplace religions renders that interest unique. Still farther is it enhanced by the conditions of the present time. Palestine has witnessed many and great changes in the four thousand years of her recorded history. But it is xu INTRODUCTION necessary to go back to the time of the Crusades for Si change as fundamental as that which is involved in the! ending of the Turkish Administration and the substitution of a British Mandate. An era of new development opens widely before her. A multitude of new problems arise. To the importance of the country as a centre of religious associations, new political and economic considerations are added. — In these circumstances a Handbook— of Palestine accurate and readable as this Handbook is will be of service ; both to those whose interest is dista.nt, and to those who, more fortunate, are able to visit the country, to experience the charm of its scenery and climate, to come into contact with its history, to study at first hand the many complexities of its present-day problems, and, above all, to hear the voice^ of its spiritual appeal. HERBERT SAMUEL. n ^ PART I. GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY. § I. Introductoryp Palestine is bounded on the north by the French sphere of Syria, on the west by the Mediterranean, on the south by Egyptian and Hejaz territory, the boundary running from a point west of Rafa on the Mediterranean to east of Taba at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, and then north-east. On the east is the territory of Trans-jordania, which is included in the area of the Palestine Mandate.