Al-'Al

Abandoned Syrian village in the Golan Heights
Village in Quneitra, Syria
Al-'Al
الْعَال
Village
Ruins of Al-'Al
Ruins of Al-'Al
32°48′11″N 35°44′43″E / 32.80306°N 35.74528°E / 32.80306; 35.74528
Country Syria
GovernorateQuneitra
DistrictQuneitra
RegionGolan Heights
DestroyedJune 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 and Greek artifacts at the site give evidence of ancient settlement.[2]

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.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c CIA map: Golan Heights and vicinity - showing Al-'Al as an abandoned/dismantled Syrian village.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Kenneth M. Pollack (2004). Arabs at war: military effectiveness, 1948–1991. University of Nebraska Press. p. 493. ISBN 0-8032-8783-6.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Quneitra District
Quneitra Governorate
Syria
Fiq District
  • Sayda
Israeli settlements in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Town
Kibbutzim
Moshavim
Community settlements
Syrian localities in
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Populated
Depopulated
  • Al-Ahmadiyah
  • Al-'Al
  • Almin
  • 'Ayn Fit
  • Ain Hamra
  • Ain Ziwan
  • al-Birah
  • al-Butayha
  • Dabburah
  • Dalwa
  • Dayr Aziz
  • Dayr Siras
  • al-Eshshah
  • Fiq
  • Hafar
  • Hatal
  • Jabbin
  • Jawziah
  • Jubata ez-Zeit
  • Kafr Harib
  • Kafr al-Ma
  • Kafr Naffakh
  • Khisfin
  • Khishniyah
  • Khokhah
  • Mumsiyah
  • Qarahta
  • Razzaniyah
  • Saffuriyah
  • Shayta
  • al-Sindiyanah
  • Skufiyah
  • al-Summaqah
  • Umm al-Dananir
Israeli settlements in italics were on the Mandatory Palestine side of the 1923 border.