travels of lord Valentia, vol. ii. The Wahabees entered Mecca on the 27th of April 1803, lev. elled eighty of the tombs, belonging to the descendants of Mahomet, and the tomb also of his wife Kadiza, plundered the holy places, but left the Caaba. Mecca was, however, repossessed by its sherriffe. In 1804, Medina, the second city in Arabia, was taken by the Wahabees, who plundered all the treasures, which had been accumulating there for ages by the contributions of the faithful. The tomb of Mahomet himself was destroyed. The Arabs will soon be united under one master. Arabia is for ever lost to the Sultan, who consequently is no longer head of the Mahomedan religion. Mecca can. not be again visited by pilgrims, according to the order of the prophet. The mighty fabric of Mahometanism must be considered as having passed away, when Suad entered Mecca in 1803. Maundrel, Shaw, Park, Niebuhr, Bruce, Pocoke, Sonini, Gibbon, Modern Geog. ARACEANS, or ARKITES, people descended from Arak, son of Canaan, who dwelt in the city of Acre, near the foot of Lebanon. In the latter times of the Jewish Commonwealth, this city was a part of Agrippa's kingdom.

ARACH, a city of Chaldea, built by Nimrod, the grandson of Cush, Gen. x, 8. This in all probability is the town of Aracea, placed by Ptolemy in the Susiana on the Tigris, below its confluence with the Euphrates, Ammian calls it Arecha. From this city the Arcetæan plains, which abound with Naptha, and sometimes take fire, derive their name. Probably from the name of this place, the Arabians have named Iraca, or Irack, a large province, of Asia, extending along the waters of the Tigris, a distance of twenty days journey, its breadth eleven days journey. The capital of this province under the Chaldeans and Assyrians was Babylon; since it has been possessed by the Arabs, Bagdat has been the capital. By the Greeks and Latins, this province was called Chaldea and Babylonia. Lat. 31, 10.

ARAD, a city lying to the south of Judah and the land of Canaan, in Arabia Petrea. The Israelites having advanced, towards the land of Canaan, Numb. xxi, 1, the king of Arad, opposed their passage, defeated them, and took a booty from them. But they devoted his country, as a thing accursed, and destroyed all the cities thereof, as soon as they became

masters of the land of Canaan, Numb. xxxiii, Arad was rebuilt and Eusebius places it in the neighborhood of Kades, at the distance of twenty miles from Hebron. The Israelites in their passage through the wilderness, having departed from Sepher, came to Arad, and thence to Makkelath.

ARADUS, a small island on the coast north of Tripolis. It is two miles and a half from the Main, and a mile in com pass. It is supposed to have been settled by a son of Canaan, since we find the Arvadite mentioned among his descendants, it is also thought to be the same place, which in the book of Kings and in Isaiah is called Arpad, or Arphad or Arvad. "It seemed to the eye, said Mr. Maundrel, to be not above two or three furlongs in length, and to be filled up with tall buildings, like castles. The ancient inhabitants of this little island were once famous navigators, and possessed the continent as far as Gabala.

ARAM, is frequently rendered Syria, yet they do not mean precisely the same country. In some ancient writers Aram includes Mesopotamia. Hence Jacob in Hebrew is called an Aramite, though in our version, a Syrian. In Hosea xii, 12; by Syria must be understood Mesopotamia, "Israel

served for a wife, and for a wife kept sheep," which was done in Mesopotamia. Nor did Aram include all Syria, but that portion which was settled by the nation of Aram, that is the northern and eastern parts. From the Hebrew Aram the old Greek writers seem to have distinguished the inhabitants by the name of Arimi, which we find in Homer's Iliad ii, 783. The name Syri or Syrai is not found in that ancient poet.

ARARAT, a famous mountain in Armenia, on which Noah's ark is said to have rested after the deluge, Gen. viii, 4. It is affirmed, but without any good proof, that some remains of Noah's ark are still to be seen upon the top of this mountain. John Strue in his voyages, assures us, that he went up to the highest part of it, and that an hermit, who abode there, declared to him, that some broken pieces of the ark, were there to be seen, and at the same time, presented him with a cross, made of the wood of this famous vessel. But M. de Tournefort, who was upon the spot, assures us that there was nothing of the kind to be seen, that he found the top of mount Ararat inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow, which perpetually covers it. This mountain is situated

twelve leagues east of Erivan, in a vast plain, having no other mountain near it on either side. Josephus, says, that the remains of Noah's ark were still to be seen in his time, in the canton of Abdiabene, called Caron, a country remarkable for producing great plenty of cinna

mon.

That part of the mountains of Ararat, on which the ark rested is called by many of the eastern nations, Ar-dag, or Parmak-Dagh, the finger mountain, because it stands up right by itself, like a finger by itself, it is so high, as to be seen at the distance of ten days journey, according to the stages of the caravan; the city of Tauris is near this mount. Tavernier says, there are many monasteries upon mount Ararat, that the Armenians called it Meresoussar, because the ark stopped there. It is, as it were, taken off, from the other mountains of Armenia, which make a long chain, and from the middle to the top of it, is often covered with snow for three or four months in a year. There are some authors, however, that are of opinion that the ark rested on a mountain near Apamea in Phrygia.

John Shuir, howe:er, affirms that he ascended mount Ararat in Armenia and that some

pieces of the ark were then to be seen. It is also, well known, that in the vicinity of this mountain were preserved more authentic accounts of the ark, than in almost any other part of the world. The region about Ararat was esteemed among the ancients as a remarkably central situation; not only well calculated to supply its own inhabitants; but for the migration of colonies to other parts of the world. The region is very fruitful, especially in the part, where it is reported the Patriarch made his descent from the summit of the mountain. This country is also remarkably elevated. Such a country must be peculiarly eligible, immediately after the flood, being the soonest dry, and of course habitable. This mountain has in all ages since the deluge retained the name of Ararat. Is not this very conclusive evidence? Tournefort, who has particularly described this mountain, though he was not successful in reaching the top, says it consists chiefly in free stone, or calcareous sand stone. It is a detached mountain in the form of a sugar loaf, in the midst of an extensive plain, and has two summits. The lowest is most sharp, the highest, which is supposed to be that on which the

ark rested, lies north-west from the other, and raises itself far above all the mountains of the country, and is generally white with snow.

Various ancient writers assert the ruins of the ark were visible in their day. We have room to mention only a few. One relates, that in his time people carried about them, pieces of wood taken from the ark, as an amulet or charm, against accidents and diseases. Berosus, who wrote 2,000 years ago, says that in his day, they scraped off the pitch as a charm. Some of the Christian fathers declare, that the wreck of the ark existed in their time. In the second century Theophilus makes this assertion. In the fourth century, the eloquent Chrysostom speaks of the fact as though it were familiarly known to his people. "Do not," saith he, "do not those mountains of Armenia, bear witness to the truth? Those mountains where the ark first rested; and are not the remains preserved there to this day." Eusebius and Jerome both assert that in their time pieces of the ark still remained. ARGOB, a canton lying beyond Jordan, in the half tribe of Manasseh, and in the country of Bashan, one of the most fruitful on the other side of

Jordan. In the region of Argob there were sixty cities called Bashan-havoth jair, which had very high walls and strong gates, without reckoning many villages and hamlets, which were not enclosed, Deut. iii, 4, 14; and 1 Kings iv, 13. But Argob was more particularly the name of the capital city in the region of Argob, which Eusebius says was fifteen miles west from Geresa. Lat. 32, 57.

ARGOB, a place in Samaria, near the royal palace, where Pekah, son of Remaliah, assas sinated Peakaliah, a king of Israel. It lay in the tribe of Manasseh; it was a fertile tract of country.

ARIEL, or AR, the capital city of Moab, frequently men tioned in scripture. See the article AR. The Arnon ran through the place and divided it into two towns.

ARIEL, is likewise taken for the altar of burnt offerings, or for the city of Jerusalem, Isa. xxix, 1, 2, 7, and Ezek. xl, 15, 16; Ariel, literally signifies a Lion. See 1 Chron. xi, 22; Aquila and Symmachus say, Ariel signifies the Lion of God, and suppose it allegorically denotes the temple or city of Jerusalem, which is strong and powerful. Bonfrerius says that in Isaiah, Ariel denotes Jerusalem, and in Ezek. the altar.