in Norman, A. Antioch as a Centre of Hellenic Culture as Observed by Libanius, Liverpool University Press, 2000, pp.60-61) The 14th century Arab geographer Abu al-Fida described the lake as having sweet water and being 20 miles long and seven wide, Yener, K. and Wilkinson, T. The Amuq Valley Projects, 1995-96 Report, University of Chicago while an 18th-century traveller, Richard Pococke, noted that it was then locally called "Bahr-Agoule (the White Lake) by reaſon of the colour of its waters".