English: The Ottoman Government of Syria comprises two Vilayets or Wilayets (each under a Waly):—Beyrout and Damascus, each divided into Sanjaks or Mutasarrifiiks (each under a Mutesarrif) and two additional Sanjaks or Mutasarrifiiks:—Jerusalem and the Lebanon, both directly responsible to the Ottoman Ministry of the Interior. A Sanjak is divided into Kadds (districts, or circuits or arrondissements) each under a Kaimmakan, and the Kadas again into ndhiyahs (cantons or communes) under a Mudir.

I. The five Sanjaks or Mutasarrifiiks of the Vilayet of Beyrout are those of 1. Beyrout, covering the Kadds of Sidon, Tyre, and Merj 'Ayun. 2. 'Akka (Acre), covering the Kadds of Haifa, Tiberias, Safed, and Nazareth (but according to M. u. N.D.P.V., 1907, pp. 23 f., this has since 1906 been attached to the Sanjak of Jerusalem); as well as the nahiyahs of Sahil, Sha'iir, and Shefa 'Amr. 3. Tarabulus (Tripoli), of which only part lies within this map. 4. Ladakiyeh (Latakiah), which lies beyond the map. 5. Belka (so called because formerly it included the region called The Belka, E. of Jordan: see H.G.H.L., 535 f.), or properly Nablus (with its capital at Nablus, covering the nahiyahs first and second Jemma'In, and Jemmaln, and the Kadds Jenin and BenI Sa'b.

II. The four Sanjaks of the Vilayet of esh-Sham (Syria or Damascus) are those of : 1. Sham Sherif (Damascus), covering the Kadas of Ba'albek, Bika' el-'Aziz (capital Mu'allaka), Wady el 'Ajam (capital Katana), Duma, Nebk, Hasbeiya, Rasheiya, Zebdany, and el-^g^uneitra, 2. Hamah (Hamah ?), only partly in the map. 3. Hauran (capital formerly at Sheikh Sa'ad, now elsewhere), covering the ndhiyahs of Ghabaghib and Jasim, and the Kadds of 'Ajlun (capital Irbid), Suweideh (or Sueida), Busr el- Hariri (on S. border of the Leja'), ed-Dera'ah, Salkhad, and 'Ahire. 4. Kerak, with the ndhiyahs Khanzireh and Diban; and the Kadas, es-Salt, and et-Tafileh, and Ma*an. On the map es-Salt is reckoned to Hauran, but the change has been made recently. Dalman reports the addition of the ndhiyahs of esh-Shobak and el-'Akabah (M. u. N.D.V.P., 1909, 14).

III. The Sanjak of Jerusalem (Arab. Kuds Sherif) consists of the ndhiyahs Beit-Lahm (Bethlehem) Kamallah, Safa, and 'Abwain, and the kadas Yafa (Joppa), Ghazzeh (Gaza), Khalll (Hebron), Bir Seba' (Beersheba); and to these the IJada of Nazareth appears to have been added (see above). Dalman (loc. cit) reports that the kada of Bir es-Seba' has been changed into a Sanjak or Mutasarriflik Mu'awinliyeh.

IV. The Sanjak of Lebanon consists of the Kadas Shuf, Metn, Kesrwan, Batrun, Jezzin, Kura, Zahleh, and what was formerly the ndhiyah of Deir el-Kamr, directly under the Mutesarrif, but appears now to be a Kadd. The town and environs of Beyrout do not belong to the Sanjak of Lebanon, but are in the vilayet of Beyrout. The government of the Sanjak is based on the "Reglement Organique du Liban," constituted by the Sublime Porte, Great Britain, France, Prussia and Austria, and Russia in 1861. The Mutesarrif must be a Christian, and has the rank of a Vizier with the title of Pasha. For further details see von Oppenheim, Vom Mittelmeer zum Persischen Golf, i. 32 ff., with a map, Die Verwaltungs-Eintheilung des autonomen Bezirks des Lebanon, 1898."