Jabal el Druze
Encyclopedia
Jabal al-Druze also known as Jabal al-Arab (Arabic: جبل العرب, Mountain of the Arabs) is an elevated volcanic region in southern Syria
, in the As-Suwayda Governorate. Most of the inhabitants of this region are arab Druze
, and there are also small arab Christian
communities. Safaitic
inscriptions were first found in this area. It was an autonomous state in the French Mandate of Syria
from 1921 to 1936, under the same name.
(also known as Harrat Ash Shaam) volcanic field that extends from southern Syria to Saudi Arabia.
In Arabic
, the word "tell" means "hill" but in Jabal al-Druze, "tell" rather refers to a volcanic cone
.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, in the As-Suwayda Governorate. Most of the inhabitants of this region are arab Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
, and there are also small arab Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
communities. Safaitic
Safaitic
Safaitic is the name given to an Old North Arabian dialect, preserved in the form of inscriptions which are written in a type of South Semitic script. These inscriptions were written by bedouin and semi-nomadic inhabitants of the Syro-Arabian desert...
inscriptions were first found in this area. It was an autonomous state in the French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
from 1921 to 1936, under the same name.
Geology
The Jabal al-Druze volcanic field, the southernmost in Syria, lies in the Haurun-Druze Plateau in SW Syria near the border with Jordan. The most prominent feature of this volcanic field is 1800m-high Jabal al-Druze (also known variously as Jabal ad Duruz, Djebel Al-Arab, Jabal Druze, Djebel ed Drouz). The alkaline volcanic field consists of a group of 118 basaltic volcanoes active from the lower-Pleistocene to the Holocene. The large SW Plateau depression is filled by basaltic lava flows from volcanoes aligned in a NW-SE direction. This volcanic field lies within the northern part of the massive alkaline Harrat Ash ShamahHarrat Ash Shamah
The Harrat Ash Shamah is a volcanic field covering a total area of some . This massive alkaline volcanic field extends from southern Syria, across Jordan and into northwestern Saudi Arabia....
(also known as Harrat Ash Shaam) volcanic field that extends from southern Syria to Saudi Arabia.
Peaks
- Tell Qeni (1803) m.
- Tell Joualine (1732) m.
- Tell Sleiman (1703) m.
- Tell Qleib (1698) m.
- Tell Abou-Hamra (1482) m.
- Tell El-Ahmar (1452) m.
- Tell Abed-Mar (1436) m.
- Tell Khodr-Imtan (1341) m.
- Tell Azran (1220) m.
- Tell Shihan (1138) m.
In Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, the word "tell" means "hill" but in Jabal al-Druze, "tell" rather refers to a volcanic cone
Volcanic cone
Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic formations. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and size of the fragments ejected during the eruption...
.