Complex sentence: Maps of Roman Syria indicate that the Barada river emptied into a lake of some size east of Damascus; today it is called Bahira Atayba, the hesitant lake, because in years of severe drought it does not even exist.
Split into simpler sentences: Maps of Roman Syria indicate that the Barada river emptied into a lake of some size east of Damascus. Today it is called Bahira Atayba, the hesitant lake, because in years of severe drought it does not even exist.