Harran al-'Awamid ( ar, حران العواميد) is a town in southern
Syria, administratively part of the
Rif Dimashq Governorate
Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دمشق, ', literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the ...
, located southeast of
Damascus. It is situated on a plain that stretches to the marshes of Bahrat al-Qibliyah ("South Lake," the source of the
Barada River) along the boundary of the fertile
Ghouta region to the west, to the north of the
Hauran.
Nearby localities include
al-Kafrayn
Al-Kafrayn ( ar, الكفرين) was a Palestinian village in the Haifa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on 12 April 1948 as part of the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek. It was located 29.5 km s ...
and
Judaydat al-Khas
Judaydat al-Khas or Jdeidet el Khass ( ar, جديدة الخاص) is a village in southwestern Syria in Rif Dimashq Governorate, close to Damascus International Airport. It is located southwest of Lake Otaybah and near the archaeological site of T ...
to the south,
al-Atibeh to the northeast,
al-Abadah and
al-Qisa to the north,
al-Ahmadiyah to the northwest,
Sakka to the west and
Ghasulah
Ghasulah ( ar, غسولة) also spelled Ghassuleh, is a Syrian village located in Markaz Rif Dimashq, Douma District
Douma District ( ar-at, منطقة دوما, manṭiqat Dūmā) is a district of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in southern Syria. ...
and
al-Ghizlaniyah to the southwest.
According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Harran al-'Awamid had a population of 12,117 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and the most populous locality of the Harran al-'Awamid ''
nahiyah
A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
'' ("subdistrict") which consisted of four localities with a collective population of 22,853 in 2004.
[General Census of Population and Housing 2004](_blank)
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. The town was well known for its
mudbrick architecture and three
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
columns of an ancient Roman temple, hence the name ''Harran al-'Awamid'' ("Harran of the Columns.") The columns themselves shoot out of the roof of a
mudbrick building, which, along with many of the town's houses, have occupied the ruins of the temple.
History
Under
Ottoman rule in the late 19th century, Harran al-Awamid was visited by archaeologist William McLure Thomson, who asserted that it was the
Haran mentioned in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
. He noted that the plantation of Bahrat al-Qibliyah could be seen from the roof of the village's mosque. The area was inhabited by
Bedouins (nomads) and semi-nomadic
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s.
[Thomson, pp. 414-415.]
Roman temple
Because the ruins of the Roman temple, which likely dates to the reign of Emperor
Philip the Arab
Philip the Arab ( la, Marcus Julius Philippus "Arabs"; 204 – September 249) was Roman emperor from 244 to 249. He was born in Aurantis, Arabia, in a city situated in modern-day Syria. After the death of Gordian III in February 244, Philip, ...
(244-49 CE), have become entangled with Harran al-Awamid's
mudbrick houses, the plan of the temple could not be ascertained. However, it has been determined that the structure was built on a high podium as indicated by the columns' elevation and location which also suggests that they marked the temple's northwestern corner.
The columns have a height of roughly twelve feet and a width of six feet.
They are constructed in the
Ionic style from black
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
stone with ornately carved capitals,
although one of the column's capitals had fallen off. The columns consisted of either six or seven parts that are cracked and worn out.
[Thompson, p. 416.] The style of the capitals is similar to that of the columns of ancient Roman temples in the
Hauran region, being based upon the
acanthus. However, those at Harran al-Awamid were "more boldly drawn and are wrought in more massive style, a little coarser, perhaps..."
[Butler, 1998, p. 399.]
References
Bibliography
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{{Rif Dimashq Governorate, douma
Populated places in Douma District
Roman sites in Syria
Towns in Syria