Mount Ḥaṣṣ or Mount Aḥaṣṣ (Arabic: جبل الحص or جبل الأحص; northern Syrian vernacular: ǧabal əl-Ḥəṣṣ) is a 500-metre-high plateau (maximum height 638 m) on the northern fringe of the Syrian Desert. It is located in the Safīrah District of Aleppo Governorate in Syria.

Mount al-Hass
View of Mount Ḥaṣṣ from Safīrah
Highest point
Elevation638 m (2,093 ft)
Coordinates35°58′12″N 37°18′42″E / 35.97000°N 37.31167°E / 35.97000; 37.31167
Naming
English translationجبل الحص
Language of namear
Geography
Mount al-Hass is located in Syria
Mount al-Hass
Mount al-Hass
Location of Mount al-Hass
LocationAleppo Governorate, Syria

Location and description

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The plateau extends for 60 km (37 mi) with a width of about 30 km (19 mi) on the western side of Lake Jabboul from Safīrah in the north to Sabkhat Kharāyij (Arabic: سبخة الخرايج) and Sabkhat Ḥammām (Arabic: سبخة همام) in the south. To the east lie the Qinnasrīn plain (southern Aleppo plain) and the Maṭkh lowland. A lesser elevation called Mount Shabīth (Arabic: جبل شبيث) (highest point 360 m) is found in the southeast, beyond which lie Sabkhat Shabīth (Arabic: سبخة شبيث). The plain of Khunāṣir separates between Mount Ḥaṣṣ and Mount Shabīth.[1]

The area has more than 150 villages inhabited by Bedouins or people of Bedouinic ancestry. It is one of the poorest regions in Syria. A development project aims to improve living standards.[2]

An ancient fortress dating to classical antiquity has been recently uncovered on Mount Ḥaṣṣ.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Abd as-Salam, Adil (1991) General Geography of Syria (Arabic)
  2. ^ esyria (Arabic)
  3. ^ "الصفحة الرئيسية".