Thence it is three days' voyage to the island of Chios, where there
are about 400 Jews, including R. Elijah Heman and R. Shabtha. Here
grow the trees from which mastic is obtained. Two days' voyage takes
one to the island of Samos, where there are 300 Jews, at their head
being R. Shemaria, R. Obadiah, and R. Joel. The islands have many
congregations of Jews. From Samos it is three days to Rhodes, where
there are about 400 Jews, at their head being R. Abba, R. Hannanel,
and R. Elijah. It is four days' voyage from here to Cyprus, where
there are Rabbanite Jews and Karaïtes; there are also some heretical
Jews called Epikursin, whom the Israelites have excommunicated in all
places. They profane the eve of the sabbath, and observe the first
night of the week, which is the termination of the sabbath[50].

[p.26]

From Cyprus it is four days' journey to Curicus (Kurch), which is the
beginning of the land called Armenia, and this is the frontier of the
empire of Thoros[51], ruler of the mountains, and king of Armenia,
whose dominions extend to the province of Trunia[52], and to the
country of the Togarmim or Turks. From there it is two days' journey
to Malmistras, which is Tarshish, situated by the sea; and thus far
extends the kingdom of the Javanim or Greeks[53].

Thence it is two days' journey to Antioch the Great, situated on the
river Fur (Orontes), which is the river Jabbok, that flows from Mount
Lebanon and from the land of Hamath[54]. This is the great city which
Antiochus the king built. The city lies by a lofty mountain, which is
surrounded by the city-wall. At the top of the mountain is a well,
from which a man appointed for that purpose directs the water by means
of twenty subterranean passages to the houses of the great men of the