Antioch in Syria

Antioch In Syria

The great interest attaching to this. place as the seat of the mother Church of the Gentile world, justifies us in a few additional particulars respecting its modern condition. The city is now accessible only on horseback, by way of Aleppo. It is thought to contain about six thousand inhabitants, including a few Christians. Since the last earthquake (April, 1872), which overthrew one half of the houses, an almost entirely new town has sprung up, consisting, however, of unsubstantial buildings rudely constructed of irregular fragments of stone, held together with mud or inferior mortar. -- The interior of the town consists of dreary heaps of ruins and unsightly houses, interspersed with rubbish and garbage. The bazaar is insignificant. On the east side of the town is a large silk-factory. Near it are the houses of the vice-consuls, all of whom (except the French) are natives, and speak their own language only (generally the Turkish). On the river Orontes are a number of large water-wheels for irrigating the gardens. See Badeker, Palest. and Syria, p. 578.

⇒See also the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.