The old cultivation was traced by the wine-presses, olive-presses,
ruined terraces, and rude garden watch-towers. Ancient sites were
recognised by their tombs, cisterns, and rocky scarps. In seeking to
identify sites the greatest care was exercised: it was laid down that
the site must show traces of antiquity; it must be known to the natives
under its original name, or a modification of that name; its position
must suit the known accounts of the place; and the measured distances
must lend confirmation.
The new map was to include every object that has a name, and the name
itself was to be correctly given. But here was a difficulty. How are
names to be accurately ascertained in Palestine? The natives are
perverse, or they suspect you of designs against their country, and
they purposely mislead you. On the other hand, they are obliging, and
if you express a hope that you have found a Scripture site, which
you name, they will confirm your impression that it is so. Or it may
be that you yourself are deficient in Arabic, and after being at the
greatest pains to inquire the name of a site, find that the name you
have noted down signifies “a heap of stones.” A story is told of
a European traveller who asked his guide the name of a place, and
received the reply--_Mabarafsh_. Carefully marking it on the sketch-map
of his route, he by-and-bye inquired concerning a second site which
he did not recognise, and received the same reply--_Mabarafsh!_ Of
course it is possible that names should be repeated, as in England we
have several Newports, Nortons, and Hamptons; but _Mabarafsh_ actually
means, “I don’t know!” A wise suggestion was made that travellers and
surveyors should always get the sheikh of the village to write down the
name correctly in Arabic; but, unfortunately, only one sheikh in ten
can write at all, and he cannot spell correctly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account