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Deir Murran
Dayr Murrān was a monastery and village in the western outskirts of Damascus, on the lower slopes of Mount Qasioun, that had been a favored seasonal residence of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries. Its exact location has not been identified. Location and etymology The exact location of Dayr Murran has not been identified, though the medieval sources indicate it was situated on the lower slopes of Mount Qasioun near the Bab al-Faradis gate of Damascus.Sourdel 1965, p. 198. It overlooked the orchards of the Ghouta plain that surrounded the city. The village was named after the large Christian monastery located within it, though its etymology is obscure. It translates in Arabic as the "ash-tree monastery", which historian Dominique Sourdel considered a questionable name. He also doubts that the name has Syriac roots. Dayr Murran was known for its view of the saffron fields below and for containing abundant walled gardens and orchards. Its monastery was d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Qasioun
Mount Qasioun ( ar, جَبَل قَاسِيُون, transliterated as Jabal Qāsiyūn) is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus, Syria. It has a range of restaurants, from which the whole city can be viewed. As the city has expanded over the years, some districts have been established on the foot of the mountain. Its highest point is . The mountain has been heavily entrenched with Syrian government forces since the start of the Syrian Civil War, as it is a strategic site in the battle for the outskirts of Damascus. The mountain is also host to an endemic species of iris, '' Iris damascena'', which can be found on the steep eastern slopes, at an altitude of above sea level. The Syrian government has not given the species any protected status. Its only benefiting factor was that part of the habitat of the species lies within a military area near the 'Qassioun Republican Guards Military Base' and other military facilities, which prevents civilians from accessing the area. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
