volume 2 - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian History Workshop

Asht^rd and Ba'albak. l6i
eleven o'clock we reached Ashtura, or Shtora, where (as I
intended to visit Ba'albak) I left the diligence. There
was nothing of importance to see at AshturS., which
seemed to exist solely in the interests of the Berut-
Damascus Road Company. The little inn was clean and
well kept, and the innkeeper ordered a carriage to be got
ready to take me to Ba'albak whilst lunch was served.
I left Ashttira about one o'clock, and did not arrive
at Ba'albak until sunset. I had the vehicle to myself,
and when the driver found that I knew a little Arabic
he invited me to sit by his side and then talked freely.
At one point on the road he became very animated
in his conversation, and wishing to have his hands free
he tied the reins round one leg and went on talking for
some time. When he paused to light his cigarette
we found that the horses had stopped, but neither ot
us noticed it before. Soon after we passed the village
of Mu'allakah he pointed out to me on the left Al-Karak
Nuh, a large building which is said to be the Tomb
of Noah. Several miles further on, this side of Tamnin,
he pointed to a place on the left, where he said
there were many ancient rock-hewn tombs. We passed
through Tamnin and the road then ran over the plain
more to the north-east. We crossed the river Lit&ni
and next came to Talliyah, where we stopped for half an
hour ; here the driver had many friends and they showed
me much civUity. It was now growing late, and when
we came to Duris I could not visit the ruins which the
driver said were quite near, but I saw them the next
day. An hour later we arrived at Ba'albak and the
ruins looked very fine in the light of the afterglow.
The little inn was clean and tidy and was, I think, kept
by a Greek. In the course of the evening some French
Sisters who had a school there brought in and offered
for purchase coloured purses and bags knitted by their
pupUs, and each guest bought several, and the Sisters
went away happy.
Ba'albak lies about thirty-five miles north-northwest
of Damascus, and there seems to be little doubt
that the Romans called the site " Heliopolis," this