English from Robinson (1856 v. 2:420-424)
Safed lies on a high isolated hill or peak, rising upon the
northern end of a steep ridge, which runs down towards the S.W.,
between the eastern valley through which we had ascended, and
another still deeper one on the west. The latter has its beginning,
as a deep narrow basin, on the north of the hill of Safed ; the
water-shed between it and the eastern Wady being on the northeast
of the castle, just north of where we were encamped. The two valleys,
after running for some time parallel, come together and thus terminate
the ridge ; the united Wady then passes on down to the lake of
Tiberias across the plain el-Ghuweir as Wady el-'Amud. The most elevated
conical point of Safed is towards the north, and is crowned by the castle,
high above the deep valley in the north and west, and considerably higher
also than the head of the eastern valley and. the watershed on the
northeast. This castellated summit rises likewise high and rocky above
the more southern part of the ridge ; just at its southern base is a
slight depression or gap in the ridge itself ; south of which is another
lower rocky point or summit. The town of Safed was properly divided into
three distinct quarters, separated by the nature of the ground. One was upon
this lower southern summit, over against the castle ; another below the
castle in the head of the eastern valley near our tent ; and the third,
the seat of the Jews, was on the steep western and northwestern side
of the main summit, immediately below the castle. Between this
and the southern quarter, is the market.
...
The Jewish quarter was far more slightly built, as well as more crowded.
Clinging to the steep western declivity below the castle, their houses were
often of mud, and stood in rows one above another, almost like the seats
of an amphitheatre ; so that, in some instances, the flat roofs of one row
actually served as the street for those next above.
2 Safed is one of
the holy places of the Jews in Galilee, and for several centuries has been more
visited by them than Tiberias ; though the chief Rabbi of the latter city,
is said to take rank of the one in Safed
3. Of their former flourishing state
and their celebrated schools, I shall speak further on ; but even since the
period of their decay, they have had six or seven synagogues, and a school
for the study of the Talmud, as in Tiberias. More than all this, too, they
have had a printing office dating from the sixteenth century ; in connection
with which, in 1833, some thirty persons found regular employment.
4
Crowning the rocky summit, above the whole town, was the extensive Gothic castle,
a remnant of the times of the crusades, forming a most conspicuous object
at a great distance in every direction, except towards the north. Though already
partially in ruins before the earthquake, it was nevertheless sufficiently
in repair to be the official residence of the Mutesellim ; and on a former
visit to Safed, my companion had paid his respects to that officer within
its walls. The fortress is described as having been strong and imposing,
with two fine large round towers ; it was surrounded by a wall lower
down, with a broad trench.
1
Such was Safed down to the close of the year 1836. But on the first day of
January, 1837, the new year was ushered in by the tremendous shocks of an
earthquake, which rent the earth in many places, and in a few moments prostrated
most of the houses, and buried thousands of the inhabitants of Safed beneath the
ruins. The castle was utterly thrown down; the Muhammedan quarter, standing
on more level ground and being more solidly built, were somewhat less injured;
while here, as in Tiberias, the calamity, in its full weight, fell with relentless
fury upon the ill fated Jews. The very manner in which their houses were erected
along the steep hillside, exposed them to a more fearful destruction; for when
the terrific shock dashed their dwellings to the ground, those above fell upon those
lower down; so that, at length, the latter were covered with accumulated masses
of ruins. Slight shocks continued at intervals for several weeks; serving to aggravate
the scene of unspeakable dismay and distress, which now prevailed here. Many were killed
outright by the falling ruins; very many were engulfed and died a miserable
death before they could be dug out; some were extricated even after five or six
days, covered with wounds and bruises, only to prolong for a few hours a
painful existence; while others, with broken limbs, but more tenacity of life,
lived to recover. The spectacle which was presented for several weeks after the
catastrophe, — in every quarter the wounded, the dying, and the dead, without
shelter, without attendance, without a place to lay their heads; on every side "
wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores, that had not been closed, neither
bound up, neither mollified with ointment,"
2a — these scenes were described
to us by eyewitnesses as inexpressibly painful, and sometimes revolting even to
loathsomeness. According to the best accounts, there perished, in all, not far
from five thousand persons ; of whom about one thousand were Muhammedans
and the rest chiefly Jews.
1a
...
Nearly eighteen months had now elapsed since the calamity, when we visited
Safed. The frightful spectacle of human misery, had of course passed away ;
but the place was still little more than one great mass of ruins. In
the eastern quarter, where we had pitched our tent, many of the houses
had been again built up; though more still lay around us level with
the ground. The southern quarter was perhaps the least injured of all;
here the rubbish had been cleared away, and this was now the chief seat
of the Muhammedan population. Here too the Mutesellim had taken up his
abode. The castle remained in the same state in which it had been
left by the earthquake, a shapeless heap of ruins ; so shapeless
indeed, that it, was difficult to make out its original form
...
Safed appears obviously to have formed the central point of this mighty
concussion, and to have suffered more, in proportion, than any other place;
except perhaps the adjacent villages of 'Ain ez-Zeitun and el-Jish.
Yet the destruction, as we have seen, extended more or less to Tiberias
and the region around Nazareth; many of the villages in the region
east of the lake were likewise laid in ruins; many houses were thrown
down in Tyre and Sidon, and several were cracked and injured even in
Beirut, In Nablus, also, the shock was severely felt, and a number of
persons were killed. It is a remarkable circumstance, that some villages
remained entirely unaffected by the earthquake, although situated directly
between other places, which were destroyed. Thus a small village near
to el-Jish and Safed was uninjured. On the way from Tiberias to Nazareth,
esh-Shajerah was overthrown; Kefr Kenna received no harm; er-Reineh was
levelled to the ground; Nazareth sustained little damage; and
Seffurieh escaped entirely. All these places lie upon the same range of
hills, with no visible obstruction to break the shocks between them; and the exceptions are
therefore the more wonderful.
2b
2 Elliott l. c. p. 353, "As the hill on which the town is built is precipitous,
and the roofs are flat, public convenience has sanctioned the conversion of these
into thoroughfares; so that, both on mules and on foot, we repeatedly passed over
the tops of dwellings."
3 Jowett Chr. Res. in Syria, p. 180. Lond.
4 Nau in 1674 speaks of seven synagogues; p. 561. So too Von Egmond and Heyman,
and afterwards Pococke; the former also mention the high school and printing
office; Reisen II. p. 41. Pococke II. i. p. 76. Schulz in 1755 gives the number
of Jews at two hundred; the number of students in the school at twenty; and says
the printing office had been in the village 'Ain ez-Zeitun in the valley
north, but was then given up. Leitungen, etc. Th. V. pp. 211, 212.
In 1833 Mr Hardy mentions two presses at work, and two others in the
course of erection. The type and furniture were said to be made here
under the direction of the master. The execution of the works printed was
quite respectable; and near thirty persons were employed in the different
departments of composing, press work, and binding. See Hardy's Notices,
p. 244. Comp. Monro II. p. 13. See more further on.
1 Van Egmond and Heyman II. p. 43 sq. Pococke II. i. p. 76. Burckhardt p. 317.
2a Is. 1, 6.
1a It would not be at all surprising, if this estimate of the destruction of life were
found to be considerably exaggerated. Compare the varying estimates of the population of
Safed above, p. 420, note. See Mr Thomson's Report, referred to in the next note.
2b Mr Thomson visited all these places in the course of his journey; see his
Report, Miss. Herald Nov. 1837. pp. 442, 44
