Identifier: palestinephysica00kitt (find matches)
Title: Palestine : the physical geography and natural history of the Holy Land
Year: 1841 (1840s)
Authors: Kitto, John, 1804-1854
Subjects: Nature in the Bible Physical geography Natural history
Publisher: London : Charles Knight
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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h, from time immemorial, have been considered to be the work-manship of Solomon; and certainly they are well worthy the man to whom tradition hasassigned their construction. These reservoirs are each upon a distinct level, one above theother, and are capable of holding an immense body of water. They are so constructed, bothby conduits leading directly from one to another, and by what may be termed anastomasingbranches, that when the water in the upper one has reached to a certain height, the surplusflows off into the one below it, and so on into the third. These passages were obstructed and a I made me gardens aud orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits; I made me pools of water, to water there-with the wood thatbringeth forth trees.*> Antiq. viii. 7- Chap. VI.) LAKES AND RIVERS. CXC1X the whole of the cisterns were out of repair, when we visited them, so that there was hardlyany water in the lowest, while the upper one was nearly full of good pure water. Small
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(Pools of Solomon.) aqueducts lead from each of these cisterns to a main one that conducts the water to Jerusalem.They are all lined with a thick layer of hard whitish cement, and a flight of steps leads to thebottom of each, similar to some of those in the holy city. Where the lowest cistern joins thevalley of Etham, it is formed by an embankment of earth, and has a sluice to draw off thewater occasionally. A short distance from the upper pool, I descended into a narrow stonechamber, through which the water passes from the neighbouring spring on its course to thecisterns. This likewise has a traditionary tale to tell. It is said to be the sealed fountain towhich allusion is made in the fourth and fifth chapter of the Canticles. From an examina-tion of this place, it appeared to me that several springs empty themselves into thesereservoirs, which are partly cut out of the solid rock, and partly built with masonry. Nigh to the upper pool there is a large square castle, apparently of an

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