page_title: Lajat
hierarchical_section_title: Lajat
caption_attribution_description: English: An illustration from the Encyclopaedia Biblica, a 1903 publication which is now in the public domain. Map for article "Trachonitis". It would be helpful if someone could add colour to the map (specifically, the oceans, rivers, and lakes), to clarify it/ improve the aesthetic. INDEX TO NAMES (this has not been formatted - if you wish to apply a better format, please do so) Article references refer to Encyclopaedia Biblica articles. Parentheses indicating articles that refer to the place-names are in certain cases added to non-biblical names having no biblical equivalent. The alphabetical arrangement usually ignores prefixes&#160;: ard ('land ' ), bahret ('lake'), beit ('house'), 'belad' ('towns'), derb ('road'), deir ('monastery'), ed-, ej-, er-, es-, esh-, et-, ez- ('the'), iklim ('district'), J. (jebel, 'mountain'), kal'at ('castle'), kanat ('canal'), kasr ('castle'), kefr ('village'), merj ('meadow'), N. (nahr, 'river'), sheri'at ('watering place'), suk ('market'), tell ('mound '), tulul ('mounds'), umm ('mother'), W. (wady, ' valley'). jeleb el-'Abayeh, D3 Abil, B5 Abila, C1 Abila, B5 Adra, C5 el-Afineh, E5 (TRACHONITIS, 4) 'Aiha, B5 wady el-'Ajam, CD2 (GOLAN) jebel 'Ajlun, B6 (JEZREEL) el-'Al, A4 (ELBALEH) Alema, D4 nahr el-'Allan, B4 (GOLAN) mons Alsadamus, EF5 damet el-'Alya, D4 (TRACHONITS, 3) Aqueduct, Ancient, B5 Aqueduct of Palma, DE5 w. el-'Arab, A5 (EPHRON) el-A'raj, A4 (BETHSAIDA) Arbel, B5 nahr el-'Arni, BC2 (PHARPAR) tell el-Asfar, E3 tell el-'Asha'ir, F5 tell el-Ash'ari, C4 (BASHAN, 3) tell 'Ashtera, C4 (BASHAN, 3) bahret el-'Atebeh, E1-2 'Atil, E4 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Auranitis, DE4-5 nahr el-A'waj, CD2 (PHARPAR) merj 'Ayun, A2 (IJON) Baniyas, A3 (BAAL-GAD) wady Barada, C1 (ABANA) suk wady Barada, C1 (ABANA) nahr Barbar, C2 (PHARPAR) nahr el-Baruk, A1 (LEBANON, 6) Bashan, BC3-4 ard el-Bathaniyeh, EF3-4 el-Bafiha, A4 (GALILEE, SEA OF, 3) iklim el-Bellan, B2 Bosor, D4 Bosra, E5 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Bostrenus, A1 Burak, D3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Bureikeh, E3 (TRACHONITIS, 4) Butsr el-Hariri, D4 Butheneh, E4 Caesarea Paneas, A3 Casphor, C5 jebel ed-Dahr, AB1 (LEBANON, 3) Dama, D4 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Damascus, D1 Dan, A3 Dathema, C5 Decapolis, A3-D3 tell Delfa', E3 Der'at, C5 Dimashk, D5 jebel ed-Druz, E5-6 (TRACHONITIS, 2) Edrei, C5 'Edun, B6 w. el-Ehrer, BC4-5 Ephron 2, B5 Ezra', D4 (BASHAN, 3) Fahl Tabakat, A6 tell el-Fara, F4 el-Fijeh, C1 (ABANA) Fik, A4 (APHEK, 3) kanat Fir'aun, B5 (CONDUITS) Gadara, A5 Gerasa A4 (GERASENES, COUNTRY OF) kasr wady el-Ghafr, B5 Ghararet el-Kibliyeh, E4 (TRACHONITIS, 2) el-Ghor, A5-6 (JORDAN) Golan, B3-4 Golanitis, B3-4 el-Hadr, B2 (HAZAR-ENAN) derb el-Haj, CD2-6 Halbun, D1 (HELBON) Hamad, DE6 Hammath, A5 el-Hammeh, A5 Hara, B3 busr el-Hariri, D4 N. el-Hatsbani, A2 (AIN, 2) Hatsbeya, A2 (BAAL-HAMON) Hauran, DE4-5 Hauran, DE4-5 jebel Hauran, E5 el-Zasm, E3 (BASHAN, 3) Hebran, E5 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Hermon, B2 Heyat, E4 (BASHAN, 3) Hieromax, A5 (GADARA) Hippos, A5 (GALILEE, SEA OF, 7) Hit E4 (BASHAN, 3) kal'at el-Hotsn, A4 derb el-Huleh, A3 bahret el-Huleh, A3 (MEROM, WATERS OF) 'Ilma, D4 Irbid, B5 'Ire, E5 Jabesh, A6 Jaulan, B3-4 el-Jedur, C3 (GEDOR) tell ej-Jena, E5 beit Jenn, B2 (PHARPAR) nahr ej-Jennai, B2 (PHARPAR) umm el-Jimal, D6 (BETH-GAMUL) Jordan, A3-6 Jurein, D4 (ASHTAROTH) tell el-Kadi, A3 jebel Kafkafa, B6 (GILEAD) jebel Kalamun, D1 Kanata, D5 (TRACHONITIS, 4) Kanawat, E4 deir Kanun, C1 w. el-Karn, BC1 sheruat el-Kebireh, A5-6 (Jordan, 1) kenath, E4 Kerak, D5 Kersa, A4 (GERASENES, COUNTRY OF) um Kes, A5 ard el-Khanafis, D3 Khisfin, B4 (CASPHOR) Khubab, C3 (BASHAN, 3) Kirateh, D4 (TRACHONITIS, 3) el-Kubbeh, D3 jebel el-Kuleib, E5 el-Kunetra, B4 el-Kunetra, B3 Kureim, D3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Kureiyeh, E5 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Lebanon, A2 el-Leja, D3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) jebel Libnan, A1 nahr Litani, A1-2 (LEBANON, 6) tell el-Loz, F5 kefr el-Ma, B4 (ALEMA) shari'at-el Manadireh, AB4-5 (GOLAN) jebel el-Mani, D2 el-Mas'adiyeh, A4 (BETHSAIDA) el-Merj, DE1-2 el-Merkez, C4 (ASHTAROTH) Miryamin, A6 Mismiyeh, D3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) jisr el-Mujami, A5 (JORDAN, 6) Mujeidel, D4 (TRACHONITIS, 3) el-Mushennef, F4 (TRACHONITIS, 4) el-Muzeirib, C5 Nawa, C4 (PALESTINE, 12) Nejran, D4 (TRACHONITIS, 4) deir Nileh, E3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) en-Nukra, BC2-4 (DECAPOLIS) Palma, Aqueduct of, DE5 Pella, A6 Phaenae, D3 beit er Ras, B5 (EDREI) Rasheya, B1 er-Remtheh, C5 Roman Road, de2-6 nah er-Rukkad, B4 (GOLAN) sheik Sa'd, C4 (ASHTAROTH) Sahem el-Jaulan, B4 (GOLAN) Sahn, D3 (TRACHONITIs, 3) Salcah, F5 Salchad, F5 Tsamakh, A5 es-Tsanamen, C3 Sa'sa', C2 (PHARPAR) Tsauwarah, E3 (TRACHONITIS, 3) L. Semachonitis, A3 w. Semak, A4 (GERASENES, COUNTRY OF) tulul esh-Shahibat, E3 Shakka, E4 (TRACHONITIS) esh-Shari'a, A3-4 (JORDAN, 1) jebel esh-Sheikh, B2 tell esh-Sheikha, B3 tell Shihan, E4 (TRACHONITIS, 2) Shubbah, E4 (TRACHONITIS, 3) Susitha, A4-5 Susiyeh, A4 es-Suweda, E5 (TRACHONITIS, 3) jebel belad ets-Tsuwet, BC5 Tabakat Fahl, A6 bahr Tabariyeh, A4-5 lower wady et-Teim, A2 (SYRIA, 5) upper wady et-Teim, AB1-2 (SYRIA, 5) et-Tell, A4 jebel eth-Thelj, B2 Sea of Tiberias, A4-5 Tibneh, A6 Trachon, D4 Trachonitis, D4 Tsil, B4 et-Turra, B5 Yarmuk, B4 (GOLAN) Zeizun B5 jebel ez-Zumieh, C5-6 (BASHAN, 1)
context_page_description: The Lajat, also spelled Lejat, Lajah, el-Leja or Laja, is the largest lava field in southern Syria, spanning some 900 square kilometers. Located about 50 kilometers southeast of Damascus, the Lajat borders the Hauran plain to the west and the foothills of Jabal al-Druze to the south. The average elevation is between 600 and 700 meters above sea level, with the highest volcanic cone being 1,159 meters above sea level. Receiving little annual rainfall, the Lajat is largely barren, though there are scattered patches of arable land in some of its depressions.
  The region has been known by a number of names throughout its history, including "Argob" in the Hebrew Bible and "Trachonitis" by the Greeks, a name under which it is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. Long inhabited by Arab groups, it saw development under the Romans, who built a road through the center of the region connecting it with the empire's province of Syria. The pagan cults that predominated in Trachonitis during the Roman and pre-Roman era persisted through much of the Byzantine era, until the 6th century when Christianity became dominant.
context_section_description: The Lajat (Arabic: اللجاة‎/ALA-LC: al-Lajāʾ), also spelled Lejat, Lajah, el-Leja or Laja, is the largest lava field in southern Syria, spanning some 900 square kilometers. Located about 50 kilometers (31 mi) southeast of Damascus, the Lajat borders the Hauran plain to the west and the foothills of Jabal al-Druze to the south. The average elevation is between 600 and 700 meters above sea level, with the highest volcanic cone being 1,159 meters above sea level. Receiving little annual rainfall, the Lajat is largely barren, though there are scattered patches of arable land in some of its depressions.
  The region has been known by a number of names throughout its history, including "Argob" (Hebrew: ארגוב ’Argōḇ,) in the Hebrew Bible and "Trachonitis" (Greek: Τραχωνῖτις) by the Greeks, a name under which it is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:1). Long inhabited by Arab groups, it saw development under the Romans, who built a road through the center of the region connecting it with the empire's province of Syria. The pagan cults that predominated in Trachonitis during the Roman and pre-Roman era persisted through much of the Byzantine era, until the 6th century when Christianity became dominant. During Byzantine rule, Trachonitis experienced a massive building boom with churches, homes, bathhouses and colonnades being constructed in numerous villages, whose inhabitants remained largely Arab.
  At some point the region was abandoned, but repopulated by refugees from other parts of Syria during the 13th-century Mongol invasions. It was then that the region gained its modern Arabic name, al-Lajāʾ, which means "the refuge". During early Ottoman rule in the 16th century, the Lajat contained numerous grain-growing villages, but by the 17th century, the region was all but abandoned. Local Bedouin tribes, such as the Sulut, increasingly used the region for grazing their flocks, and Druze migrants from Mount Lebanon began settling the area in the early 19th century. Today, the population is mixed, with Druze inhabiting its central and eastern areas, and Muslims and Melkites living in villages along its western edge.
caption: Trachonitis on map from Encyclopaedia Biblica (1903)
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