Al-'Al

For the Jordanian town, see Al `Al, Jordan.

Al-'Al الْعَال
Village
Ruins of Al-'Al
Al-'Al Al-'Al in Syria Show map of Syria Al-'Al Al-'Al (the Golan Heights) Show map of the Golan Heights
Coordinates: 32°48′11″N 35°44′43″E
Country	Syria
Governorate	Quneitra
District	Quneitra
Region	Golan Heights
Destroyed	June 10, 1967
Elevation	366 m (1,204 ft)

Al-'Al (Arabic: الْعَال, romanized: al-ʿĀl, trans. "the high place"), is a former Syrian village in the southern Golan Heights,[1] on the southern tributary of Wadi es-Samekh.[2] Israel occupied the area during the Six-Day War. The village was abandoned and dismantled.[1][3]

During the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, the name was spelt "El Al" on French maps.

History

Archaeological remains of several Roman, Hellenistic, early Arab, Medieval, and Ottoman artifacts at the site give evidence of ancient settlement.[2][4] The town was inhabited by Pagans and had a history of being a military position.[5]

In 1812, the place was described as a "ruined village."[2] A modern village was probably established during the second half of the 19th century. In 1884, it was reported that the village contained 65 dwellings, including 320 inhabitants and was a "large, well-built village on the point of reviving."[2]

The Israeli settlement of Eliad was built nearby.[1]

During the Yom Kippur War, the Syrian 5th Infantry Division set up a defence in depth strategy at the Al 'Al ridgeline.[6]

See also

• Qasr Bardawil, an archaeological site from a mountain spur near Al-'Al, now classified as a Bronze Age fortification but previously misidentified as the Crusader castle of al-Al
• Syrian towns and villages depopulated in the Arab-Israeli conflict

References

1. CIA map: Golan Heights and vicinity - showing Al-'Al as an abandoned/dismantled Syrian village.
2. Dan Urman, Paul V. M. Flesher (1998). Ancient synagogues: historical analysis and archaeological discovery. Brill Publishers. pp. 569–573. ISBN 90-04-11254-5.
3. Golan map Archived 2013-08-21 at the Wayback Machine showing Al ‘Al as a destroyed Arab village.
4. Gregg 2000, pp. 525
5. Gregg 2000, pp. 527
6. Kenneth M. Pollack (2004). Arabs at war: military effectiveness, 1948–1991. University of Nebraska Press. p. 493. ISBN 0-8032-8783-6.

Bibliography

• Gregg, Robert C. (2000). "Marking Religious and Ethnic Boundaries: Cases from the Ancient Golan Heights". Church History. 69 (3). American Society of Church History, Cambridge University Press: 519–557. ISSN 0009-6407. JSTOR 3169396. Retrieved 2024-09-02.