349
SZALT
of the tribe of Abad (e); they had lately been robbed of almost
all their cattle by the Beni Szakher, and were reduced to such
misery that they could not afford to give us a little sour milk which
we begged of them. They were still at war with the Beni Szakher,
and were in hopes of recovering a part of their property ; but as
they were too weak to act openly, they had encamped, for protection, -
in the neighbourhood of their friends the inhabitants of Szalt.
They intended to make from hence some plundering excursions
against their enemies, for they had now hardly any thing more to
lose in continuing at war with them. I alighted at Szalt at the
house of one of my companions, where I was hospitably entertained ¬
during the whole of my stay at this place.
The town of Szalt is situated on the declivity of a hill, crowned
by a castle, and is surrounded on all sides by steep mountains. It
is the only inhabited place in the province of Belka, and its inhabitants ¬
are quite independent. The Pashas of Damascus have several -
times endeavoured in vain to subdue them. Abdulla Pasha,
the late governor, besieged the town for three months, without
success. The population consists of about four hundred Musulman -
and eighty Christian families of the Greek church, who
live in perfect amity and equality together: the Musulmans are
composed of three tribes, the Beni Kerad (), the Owamele
(de,e), and the Kteyshat (), each of which has its separate
quarter in the town ; the principal Sheikhs, at present two in number, ¬
live in the castle ; but they have no other authority over the
rest than such as a Bedouin Sheikh exercises over his tribe. The
castle was almost wholly rebuilt by the famous Dhaher el Omar,
who resided here several years. He obtained possession by the
assistance of the weakest of the two parties into which the place
» See the history of Sheikh Dhaher, the predecessor of Djezzar Pasha in the government ¬
of Akka, in Volney. Voyage en Egypte et en Syrie, vol. ii. chap. 25. Ed.
