Antiochia, City

1693. A geographical dictionary representing the present and ancient names by Edmund Bohun.

Antioch, Antiochia, call'd by the Turks Antachia; by the Arabians, Anthakia. It was built by Seleucus, the Son of Antiochus King of Syria, one of the Successors of Alexander the Great, and call'd after his Fathers Name. This City was, during the times the Greeks and Romans were possessed of it, the Capital of Syria, or rather of the East; here the Disciples and Followers of our Saviour Jesus Christ were first called Christians; and accordingly, the Bishop of this City was accounted the Third Patriarch of the World, Rome being the First, and Alexandria the Second: others count it the Second Patriarchate. As it had these great Honors, so it was excellently built, strongly fortified both by Art and Nature, and very Populous, till it fell into the hands of the Arabians, Mamalucks and Turks, who have made it desolate, and suffer'd all its stately, and most of its common Buildings, to fall into decay. June 3. 1098. it was recovered by the Christians, but in 1188. it was again betrayed into the hands of the Mahometans, who have been the Masters of it ever since: it is incompassed with a double Wall, one of Stone and the other of Brick, with 460 Towers within the Walls: the greatest part of these Walls remain with a most impregnable Castle at the East end of the City, but almost all the Houses are falling down; so that the Patriarch has remov'd his Dwelling to Damascus. This City is built on both sides of the River Orontes over which there was a Bridge. It stands about 12 Miles from the Mediterranean, the River Pharpar passing on the South side of it. This place is called in the Prophets, Ri•lah, and was memorable in those times for the Tragedies of •ec•nias and Zedechias, Kings of Judah. It stands about 20 Miles from Scanderone, South, and 22 from Aleppo: in 68. d. 10. m. Long. and 36. 20. Lat. //Paris Meridian was used in the book