Baalbec

or BAALBEK (city of the sun or of Gk., Helio polis), an ancient city of Syria, in a fertile valley at the foot of Anti-Libanus, 4,500 feet above sea level, 35 miles N.N.W. of Being on the route from Tyre to Palit acquired in very remote times vast wealth splendour, but is not mentioned by name in the or in any author earlier than Joseph us. The was made a colony of Rome under Julius and was occupied by a garrison under Au- In the first three centuries of Christianity was the scene of fierce opposition to the new The Moslems captured it after a severe. in 638, and the Caliph of Damascus in a.D. sacked and dismantled it, inflicting #& blow on its prosperity. In the 11th century se XH 310 the po e ed again much was corp orated four the collection one ing area its measured breadth. the portions Temple specimen been date, serve Turkish BY” Gulf is in Shirdni, opposite alviaions: five Khatak Sohadn the throughout of 1792, Cambridge, devoted junction stitute in inaccuracies he was his were From Cambridge. where yielding nomical fp bling Peninsula, east which and teristic development, ( Seljukian dynasty were masters here till dis by Genghis Khan, and in 1145 it was subject to Damascus, Earthquakes inflicted damage in the 12th century, and in 1400 it pillaged by Timur, and afterwards became in in the Turkish empire. The old walls, miles in circumference, can still be traced; but present population is housed.in a miserable of huts. The Great Temple of Baal is of the most magnificent ruins of the East, stand on a lofty artificial platform, and covering an of some four acres. The temple itself, with peristyle of fifty-four columns 62 feet high, at least 250 feet in length and 140 in Not far from this majestic structure stands Temple of the Sun, exceeding in size and pro the Par the non at Athens. The Circular is comparatively small, but is a finished of architecture. ‘hese 1uins have not yet fully explored. Two mosques of a much later and the traces of Saracenic fortifications denotice, Baba, Care, at the southern extremity of the province of Bigha, in Asia Minor (lat. 28’ N., long. 26° 4’ E.), at the entrance to the of Adramyti. The small town of Baba Kale i its immediate vicinity. Babar, (1) a large Afghan tribe, akin to the in the Koh-i-Daman, Dera Ishmail district, the Sangao and Dahina pa es; two main Mahsdd with seven Khels, Ghwara with Khels; 4,000 families. (2) A branch of the Afghans, left bank of the Indus near the river. The term B , Babor, which is Jtabhrava of Sanskrit records, is widespread north-west India, as amongst the J%ts Sindh and the Babrias (Baibars) of Gujerat. Babbage, CHARLES, born at Teignmouth in graduated in 1814 at Trinity College, without honours. He had, however, himself to higher mathematics, and in con with Herschel and Peacock, strove to sub the Leibnitzian for the Newton i an notation the Calculus. With the object of eliminating in astronomical and other calculations, started the idea of a calculating machine, and aided by the British Government in prosecuting designs, which occupied nearly all his life, but productive of no great practical succe . 1828 to, 1839 he was Lucas i an Profe or at “His later years were spent in London, he constructed several machines capable of certain results, helped to found the Astroand Statistical Societies, and waged war with street musicians. He died in Babblers (7imaliine), a sub-family of Bab- Thrushes (q.v.), most numerous in the Malay whence they range north, south, and in ee: numbers. In this sub-family, includes the Bower-Birds, Bush-Babblers, Regent Bird, the rounded concave wing characof the Babbling Thrushes reaches its fullest 282 of in Australia strong-legged, age, by the of a igned years the tongues, connected blance story and form builders fied fixes 606 of still temple, Nebuchadnezzar, engaged of be must tears), with Africa, of the the subject most which best Omar sovereign the dom, subjugated vaded he next crushed virtually dynasty written France, braced form, entitled cated theories His ) Babeuf. Babbling Thrushes (Zimaliide), a pa erine birds, characteristic of and abound the Oriental region, occurring le plentifally in and Africa. They are small, short-tailed, active birds, mostly of sombre plum and are distinguished from the True Thrushes their rounded concave wings, which fit close to body. [THRUSH. ] Babel (gate of God), the early and loca! name: Babylon (q.v.), the foundation of which is in Genesis (x. 10) to Nimrod, about 2,000 before the Christian era, The tradition as to building of the tower and the confusion of recerded in Genesis xi. 1-9, may have itself with the name, owing to its resemto the Hebrew balbel (confusion). The same recurs in the primitive history of many races, is preserved as regards Babylon in the cunei inscriptions. The famous tower, which the intended to carry up to heaven, is ident i by Strabo with the tomb of Belus, and he the height without apparent authority at ft. It is more probable that we have a trace the structure in Birs Nimroud, the ruins of which exist at Borsippa, a suburb of Babylon. This which was according to legend completed by after many previous kings had been in building it, is a pyramidical structure eight storeys, and over 200 ft, in height. If this the building seen by Hero dot us, the city walls in his time have embraced an enormous area. Bab-el-Mandeb, Straits oF (Arabic gate cf the channel which connects the Red Sea the Indian Ocean, thus dividing Arabia from has a mean breadth of 20 miles. The island Perim, occupied by Great Britain, divides it into Great Strait to the W., and the Little Strait to E. The latter, though narrow, is le deep and to fewer currents, and is therefore used by ve els pa ing in and out of the Red Sea.