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Unexplored Syria by Burton and Drake (1872)

Biography
Biography

Excerpts

A letter written by Isabel Burton in B'lúdán, near Damascus, on 20 Sept. 1870 CE was reproduced in Burton and Drake (1872:36-37). The letter mentions a keystone in the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek which slipped during one of the 1759 CE earthquakes (presumably the 25 Nov. Baalbek Quake).
English from Burton and Drake (1872)

For some months past my husband has been making interest with Rashid Pasha, the Wali, or Governor-general of Syria, to take certain precautionary steps for the conservation of old Heliopolis. ... nothing has been done to arrest the fall of the celebrated keystone in the soffit, which began to slip about 1759; which falls lower with every slight earthquake ( we had one at 6.15 P.M. on June 24, 1870), and which, if left unsupported, will bring down with it the other five monoliths of the lintel and sides, thus destroying one of, if not the grandest of ancient entrances the world can show.

English from Burton and Drake (1872) - embedded



Burton and Drake (1872:96) also reproduced a notice from The Builder (undated by Burton and Drake) written by J.D. Crace (possibly this J.D. Crace) which states that three columns in the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek fell during an earthquake in 1759 CE (presumably the 25 Nov. Baalbek Quake).
English from Burton and Drake (1872)

Those even who know Ba'albak only by pictures will remember that, occupying the most conspicuous place on the great platform, six gigantic columns, surmounted by an entablature, tower high above all others, and stand boldly out in deep golden contrast to the lilac, snow-streaked range of Lebanon. These six columns are all that remain of the fifty four which composed the peristyle of the Great Temple [Temple of Jupiter]. Three fell in 1759. The columns have a height of 75 feet, and a diameter of 7 feet 3 inches.

English from Burton and Drake (1872) - embedded



Chronology
Date Reference Corrections Notes
1759 CE 1759 CE none
Seismic Effects
  • the celebrated keystone in the soffit of the the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek began to slip in 1759 and falls lower with every slight earthquake
  • Three columns in the peristyle of the Great Temple [Temple of Jupiter]1 in Baalbek fell during an earthquake in 1759 CE
Footnotes

1 Based on the discussion of fallen columns, the original writer is referring to the Temple of Jupiter.

Locations
  • Baalbek
Online Versions and Further Reading
References