AATYL.
224
HLEN ETOYL
NTHININOT K
Near the temple I saw a bas-relief about ten inches square, representing ¬
a female bust, with hair in ringlets, falling upon the
shoulders; it was lying on the ground; but it was not of such
workmanship as to tempt me to take it with me. Upon the wall
of one of the largest houses in the village was a long inscription;
but too high for me to read.
N. E. of Aatyl, about one hour, up in the mountain, is a ruined
tower called Berdj Mabroum ().
The tobacco of Aatyl is preferred to that of any other part of
the Haouran. I here saw a public woman, a Kahirene, who seemed
to be kept at the expense of the whole village ; I was surprised
at this, for manners in the Haouran are generally almost as
pure as among the Bedouins: public women are not suffered,
and adultery is punished by the death of the woman, while the
man is ruined by the heavy penalties exacted by the government ¬
in expiation of his guilt. Last year a married Turkish woman -
at Mohadje, a village in the Loehf, was caught in the embraces ¬
of a young Christian; her three brothers hastened to the spot,
dragged her to the market place, and there in the presence of the
whole community, cut her in pieces with their swords, loading her
at the same time with the most horrible imprecations. The lover
was fined ten purses.
From Aatyl I pursued my way one hour and a quarter S. S. E.
to Soueida, at a short distance from which are the remains of an
ancient road. As I had examined the antiquities of this village in
1810, and did not wish to be seen here a second time, I passed on
without stopping, in the direction of Aaere, which is two hours and
a half distant in a south-westerly direction. In the plain, and at a
quarter of an hour to the west of Soueida, is the ruined convent
