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Syria, the land of Lebanon

Chapter 1: PREFACE
By Lewis Gaston Leary
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Travel Writing

About This Book

A travel writer and former resident offers a vivid, observant tour of Syria and Lebanon, blending personal reminiscence with descriptive reportage. He sketches coastal approaches and the snow-capped Lebanon range, cedar forests, mountain villages, and the fertile plains; moves inland to Beirut, Damascus, and other urban centers; examines classical and biblical antiquities such as Baalbek, Palmyra, and Hama; and describes desert landscapes, caravan routes, and local customs. Richly illustrated with photographs and maps, the account interweaves natural scenery, historical background, and contemporary social and religious life to present a panoramic view of the region's topography and heritage.

PREFACE

Although Syria possesses a rare natural beauty and boasts a wealth of historic and religious interest, its fame has been so overshadowed by that of the neighboring Land of Israel that most travelers are content to take the easy railway journey to Baalbek and Damascus, and know nothing of the wild mountain valleys and snow-capped summits of Lebanon or the many ancient shrines of a country whose history reaches far back of the classic days of Greece.

It is therefore with great pleasure that I accede to the request of the publishers of my “Real Palestine of To-day” and supplement the earlier work by the present companion-volume on Syria; so that, though the books may be read independently, the two together may give a complete view of the lands of the Bible.

The chapter on Palmyra is from the pen of Professor Harvey Porter, Ph.D., of the Syrian Protestant College; and for many of the hitherto unpublished photographs I am indebted to other members of the faculty of that institution. Grateful acknowledgment is also made to The World To-day, The New Era, The Sunday School Times, The Newark (N. J.) News, and especially to Travel and Scribner’s Magazine, for permission to include material which originally appeared in these publications.

In the writing of Arabic words, my aim has been smooth reading, rather than a systematic transliteration of the numerous sounds which are not found in English. As an aid to pronunciation, it should be noted that the stress always falls upon a syllable bearing a circumflex accent.

It will be seen that this book is written from a more intimate and personal viewpoint than the volume on Palestine. I could not write otherwise of the country which was for years my own home and where to-day I have many cherished friends among both Syrians and Franks. In fact, I must write very slowly; for every now and then I lay down my pen and, with a homesick lump in my throat, dream over again the happy days in that land of wondrous beauty which I still love with all my heart.

Lewis Gaston Leary

Pelham Manor, N. Y., October 15, 1913.