Book VII, sec. 5) describes it as follows:  “Its current is strong and has plenty of water; after which its springs fail for six days together and leave its channels dry, as any one may see; after which days it runs on the seventh day as it did before, and as though it had undergone no change at all:  it has also been observed to keep this order perpetually and exactly.”  The intermittent action is readily accounted for by the stream having hollowed out an underground duct, which acts as a syphon.]

[Footnote 108:  Hamath is often mentioned in Scripture, situated at no great distance from the Orontes.  In the troublous time after the first crusade it was taken by the Ismailians or Assassins.  The earthquake of 1157 caused great damage.  Twenty years later the place was captured by Saladin.]

[Footnote 109:  Robinson and Conder identify Hazor with a site near Kedesh Naftali, but Sheiza is doubtless Sheizar, the ancient Larissa.  Having regard to the readings of the other MSS., there is no doubt that Latmin, the next stage on the way to Aleppo, is the correct name of the place.  See M. Hartmann’s articles, “Beitraege zur Kenntuis der Syrischen Steppe,” Z.D.P.V., vols.  XXII and XXIII, 1900 I. Cf. the article on the Boundaries of Palestine and Syria by M. Friedmann, Luncz’s Jerusalem, vol.  II.]

[Footnote 110:  Edrisi writes that there was abundance of water at Aleppo, but there is no discrepancy between Benjamin’s and Edrisi’s statements, as Asher supposes.  The old waterworks were restored by Malek about the year 1200, some thirty years after Benjamin’s visit.]

     [Footnote 111:  Edrisi and Abulfeda speak of Balis and Kalat
     Jabar.  See Guy Le Strange, p. 417.  Zengy the Atabeg was
     slain at Kalat Jabar.]

[Footnote 112:  Rakka is on the left bank of the Euphrates.  It was an important city of Upper Mesopotamia, commanding the Syrian frontier.  Salchah is in the Hauran.  See p. 30, note 5.  On the right bank of the Euphrates, nearly opposite to Rakka, was Thapsacus.  Here Cyrus forded the river, and here Alexander crossed in pursuit of Darius.]

     [Footnote 113:  Harr[=a]n, the city of Nahor, is twenty-four
     miles SSE. of Edessa on the Balikh.  Mustawfi tells us of
     Abraham’s Shrine.]

     [Footnote 114:  Ras-el-Ain, probably Rhesaina.  The river
     Khabur—­the Araxes of Xenophon—­flows from the Kurdistan
     mountains southwards, and runs into the Euphrates.]

[Footnote 115:  The Gozan river cannot be, as tacitly assumed by Asher, the Kizil Uzun (also known as the Araxes).  The Kizil Uzun is on the right of the watershed of the mountains of Kurdistan, and falls into the Caspian Sea.  The Khabur above referred to flows through Mesopotamia, not through Media.  The misconception arises probably from the author being too mindful of