Lajat

The Lajat (Arabic: اللجاة/ALA-LC: al-Lajāʾ), also spelled Lejat, Lajah, el-Leja or Laja, is the largest lava field in southern Syria. It covers about 900 square kilometers. The Lajat lies around 50 kilometers southeast of Damascus. It borders the Hauran plain to the west and the foothills of Jabal al-Druze to the south.

The land is mostly dry and barren, with little rain each year. However, some low areas can still grow crops.

The Lajat has had many names throughout history. It was called "Argob" in the Hebrew Bible and "Trachonitis" by the Greeks. This name appears in the Gospel of Luke. Long home to Arab groups, the area grew under the Romans. They built roads linking it to their province of Syria. Even after the Byzantine era brought many new buildings, the land saw changes over time.

During the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, people fleeing from other parts of Syria found safety here. This gave the region its modern name, al-Lajāʾ, meaning "the refuge." Over the centuries, different groups lived there, including Bedouin tribes and Druze migrants from Mount Lebanon. Today, the Lajat is home to a mix of people. Druze live in the central and eastern parts, and Muslims and Melkite Christians live in villages along the western edge.

Etymology

Lajat was called "Trachonitis" long ago. This name means "the land of rough stones." The Greeks used this name for two rocky places near Damascus. The area near Jabal al-Druze is called el-Leja in Arabic, which means "the refuge" or "asylum."

Geography

The Lajat is in southeastern Syria. It is a triangular area between the towns of Izra' and Shahba. It stretches about 48 kilometers north, close to Burraq. It is about 50 kilometers south of Damascus. The northern edge of the Lajat is marked by the Wadi al-Ajam gorge. This separates it from the Ghouta area near Damascus. To the east is Ard al-Bathaniyya. To the southeast is Jabal al-Druze. To the south is the Nuqrah part of the Hauran plain. To the northwest is Jaydur, also part of the Hauran plain.

The Lajat is higher than the flat lands around it, with an average height of between 600 and 700 meters above sea level. Many hills in the Lajat are made of volcanic rock and rise above 1,000 meters. The tallest hill, west of Shahba, is 1,159 meters high. The land is covered in gray lava fields with sharp basalt rocks. There are also round dips in the ground called ka′ in Arabic. These likely came from past volcanic activity and are some of the few places where plants can grow. The area has few dry stream beds and very few deep cracks that could form caves or water stores.

Water is hard to find in the Lajat. There are only a few natural springs and underground sources. Most villages depend on rainwater stored in cisterns, especially during the dry summer months. In the past, people stored water in reservoirs near their homes. But by the early 1900s, these reservoirs had fallen apart. So, cisterns became the main way to save water.

History

Antiquity

Early history

Long ago, the area called Trachonitis included the Lajat and the Tulul as-Safa to its east. For much of the first and second millennium BC, this area was not very important. It was influenced by people from Damascus, called the Arameans, and the Israelites. Later, the Seleucid Empire took control in the second century BC. During this time, Trachonitis was a border area between two groups: the southern Nabataeans and the northwestern Itureans, both Arab groups.

Roman period

In 24 BC, the Roman Empire took over Syria and gave the Trachonitis region to Herod the Great, the king of Judaea. The Romans helped settle some people there to keep things safe. Later, during Roman times, many towns and villages grew. There are old ruins and writings from that time still found in the Lajat today.

Byzantine period

After the Romans, the Byzantine Empire ruled Syria. During this time, many new settlements appeared in Trachonitis. Christianity spread to some areas, especially near the southwest edge of the Lajat, starting around the middle of the sixth century.

Middle Ages

The name “Lajah” was first used in the Middle Ages. By the early 13th century, the area still had many people and villages, possibly filled by refugees from other parts of Syria during the time of the Mongol invasions. We know about thirteen places in the Lajat that have ruins from Islamic times, mostly from the 13th century.

Ottoman period

During the early years of Ottoman rule, which started in 1517, some places in the Lajat were still lived in. But by the 17th century, most of the area was empty except for a few Christian villages on the west side.

In the late 18th and during the 19th century, people from the Druze faith moved into the Lajat, mostly from areas like Wadi al-Taym and Mount Lebanon. Druze families settled in many places in the Lajat.

Modern period

In the early 1900s, farming in the Lajat was mostly done in the western and southwestern parts, where the soil was good for growing wheat and barley, along with some olive, apricot, and pear trees. The Lajat became a World Biosphere reserve according to UNESCO in 2009.

Biblical references

The Lajat region has a long history. It was ruled by a leader named Og when Israeli people were exploring the area. Later, it was managed by Solomon. In the stories from Luke, the region was called Trachonitis, meaning "the rugged region." It was also ruled by Herod Philip.

The Lajat area still shows signs of its past with many old stone buildings. These buildings have thick walls and strong stone doors.

Population

Most people in the Lajat live near its edges. Only a few small villages are inside, in areas without many stones. Many of these villages were built around old ruins.

In the past, the Lajat was home to nomadic and semi-nomadic Bedouin tribes, farmers from the Hauran plain, and later, Druze people from Jabal al-Druze. The area was also a good place for sheep, goats, and camels to graze.

By the early 1900s, about 5,000 semi-nomadic Bedouin from the Sulut tribe and a smaller group from the Fahsa tribe lived in the Lajat. There were also about 10,000 Druze farmers living along the eastern and southeastern edges and some in the inner parts.

Maps