Scott

Noah's tomb - or as our man has it 'the tomb of the honored old navigator' is on the outskirts of a new town called Karaq. 

The chapel has now become a Hezbollah madrassah, please see it on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQkjDZ6h6SU&list=UUKTFK9pSHIaikllWneaD2Xw&index=14

Ian Strathcarron
www.twaintraveler.com





On 8 May 2013, at 02:39, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> There seems to be a problem with The Innocents Abroad. A day seems to be
> missing between chapter 41 and chapter 42. According to the Quaker City
> Itinerary [QCI], as well as all the other sources I've found, Sam and
> the pilgrims departed Beirut by horseback on September 11 at 3:00 pm.
> They didn't travel very far that first day, only 10 or 12 miles.
> 
> 
> “We came to a halt here on the breezy summit of a shapely mountain
> overlooking the sea, and the handsome valley where dwelt some of those
> enterprising Phoenicians of ancient times we read so much about”
> 
> 
> It's my guess that they camped on the top of Mt. Lebanon. The end of
> chapter 41 has Twain describing a sumptuous meal and a form of camping
> out he was unfamiliar with but accepting of. The beginning of chapter 42
> has him indulging in a sumptuous breakfast as the camp is packed up and
> ready to go by 6:30 am. He calls this place Jacksonville and gives it's
> location near Temnin-el-Foka. Looking at maps of the region
> Temnin-el-Foka is about 30 miles from Beirut, located near Zahlah. His
> description, however, is still that of Mt. Lebanon and it's view of the
> sea.
> 
> 
> Ian Strathcarron has provided me with a spreadsheet of data points he
> used when writing his book Innocence and War. It notes that Twain's
> party stopped for lunch on September 12 at Mekseh, near the junction of
> the Lebanon Mountains and Jebel el Kuneyiseh, then later camped at a
> point between Mekseh and Baalbek. Zahlah is approximately one quarter of
> the way between Mekseh and Baalbek. The QCI notes that this camping spot
> is about two-thirds of the way between Beirut and Baalbek, also
> descriptive of Zahlah.
> 
> 
> My guess is that Twain and the pilgrims enjoyed equally sumptuous
> breakfasts at both locations, Mt Lebanon and near Zahlah. At both
> locations they broke camp at 6:30 am.
> 
> 
> There is another point in the journey that I'm interested in locating
> and that is the tomb of Noah, “of Deluge notoriety”. I'm guessing that
> landmark is found in Mekseh but I haven't seen anything to corroborate
> this.
> 
> 
> All sources agree that on September 13 Twain and the pilgrims traveled
> to Baalbek and then camped at Sirghaya. They arrived in Damascus at
> sunset of September 14.