Al-'Al
Al-'Al
الْعَال | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Ruins of Al-'Al | |
  Al-'Al Al-'Al in Syria  Al-'Al Al-'Al (the Golan Heights) | |
| Coordinates: 32°48′11″N 35°44′43″E / 32.80306°N 35.74528°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Quneitra |
| District | Quneitra |
| Region | Golan Heights |
| Destroyed | June 10, 1967 |
| Elevation | 366 m (1,204 ft) |
Al-'Al (Arabic: الْعَال, romanized: al-ʿĀl, trans. "the high place"), is a former Syrian village in the southern Golan Heights,[1] on the southern tributary of Wadi es-Samekh.[2] Israel occupied the area during the Six-Day War. The village was abandoned and dismantled.[1][3]
During the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, the name was spelt "El Al" on French maps.
History
[edit]Archaeological remains of several Roman, Hellenistic, early Arab, Medieval, and Ottoman artifacts at the site give evidence of ancient settlement.[2][4] The town was inhabited by Pagans and had a history of being a military position.[5]
In 1812, the place was described as a "ruined village."[2] A modern village was probably established during the second half of the 19th century. In 1884, it was reported that the village contained 65 dwellings, including 320 inhabitants and was a "large, well-built village on the point of reviving."[2]
The Israeli settlement of Eliad was built nearby.[1]
During the Yom Kippur War, the Syrian 5th Infantry Division set up a defence in depth strategy at the Al 'Al ridgeline.[6]
See also
[edit]- Qasr Bardawil, an archaeological site from a mountain spur near Al-'Al, now classified as a Bronze Age fortification but previously misidentified as the Crusader castle of al-Al
- Syrian towns and villages depopulated in the Arab-Israeli conflict
References
[edit]- ^ a b c CIA map: Golan Heights and vicinity - showing Al-'Al as an abandoned/dismantled Syrian village.
- ^ a b c d Dan Urman, Paul V. M. Flesher (1998). Ancient synagogues: historical analysis and archaeological discovery. Brill Publishers. pp. 569–573. ISBN 90-04-11254-5.
- ^ Golan map Archived 2013-08-21 at the Wayback Machine showing Al ‘Al as a destroyed Arab village.
- ^ Gregg 2000, pp. 525
- ^ Gregg 2000, pp. 527
- ^ Kenneth M. Pollack (2004). Arabs at war: military effectiveness, 1948–1991. University of Nebraska Press. p. 493. ISBN 0-8032-8783-6.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gregg, Robert C. (2000). "Marking Religious and Ethnic Boundaries: Cases from the Ancient Golan Heights". Church History. 69 (3). American Society of Church History, Cambridge University Press: 519–557. ISSN 0009-6407. JSTOR 3169396. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
