Al-Safa (Syria)
Volcanic activities
The field contains numerous vents which have been active during the Holocene Epoch (12,000 years ago). A boiling lava lake was observed in the Es Safa volcanic area in the middle of the 19th century (see Erta Ale in Ethiopia and Puʻu ʻŌʻō in Hawaii for reference).
Demography
The region was frequently used by the Druze through history as a refuge in the years of war. The whole region currently lies within As-Suwayda Governorate, as the governorate's borders run along the region's boundaries. Only roaming Bedouins visit it occasionally, in addition to some archaeologists. Safaitic inscriptions were first discovered in this area in 1857, and were named after the region.
Syrian civil war
In the Syrian civil war, al-Safa became the last pocket of ISIL in the As-Suwayda Governorate and the Rif-Damasiq Governorate. It was surrounded by the Syrian Army in the As-Suwayda offensive. The area was captured on 17 November 2018.
List of volcanic cones in Es Safa
- Tell el Aqzass (Tell el Aqzass) 889 m.
- Tell ed Ders (Tell ed Ders) 878 m.
- Jabal Rghēli (Jabal Rgheli) 874 m.
- Tell Darayir Šimāli (Tell Darayer Shimali) 844 m.
- Tell Um Ħwār (Tell Um Hwar) 818 m.
- Tell Um el Janbrīs (Tell Um el Janbris) 808 m.
- Tell Darayir Qebli (Tell Darayir Qebli) 803 m.
- Tell ‘Ali (Tell Ali) 770 m.
- Tell al Khēl (Tell el Kheil) 765 m.
- Tell Eş Şafa (Tell Es Safa) 739m.
- Tell Ţarrān (Tell Tarran) 731 m.
- Jabal Sīs (Jabal Sees) 692 m.
- Tell Zqēţa (Tell Zqeita) 670 m.
- Jabal el Jarīn (Jabal el Jareen) 657 m.
- Jabal Abū Ghanem (Jabal Abu Ghanem) 632 m.
References
- ^ NASA Landsat image of Es Safa
- ^ "Assad regime forces capture southern Syrian region from Islamic State". 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
External links
33°2′10″N 37°11′53″E / 33.03611°N 37.19806°E