Dayr al-Asmar
Archaeological site in southern Syria
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Dayr al-Asmar or Deir al-Asmar (Arabic: دير الأصمر) is an archaeological site in the Hauran region of southern Syria.
| Dayr al-Asmar | |
|---|---|
| دير الأصمر (Arabic) | |
| Deir al-Asmar | |
  Location within Syria | |
 Interactive map of Dayr al-Asmar | |
| 32°50′35.0″N 36°27′53.0″E | |
| Type | Tell (settlement mound) and monastery |
| Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman |
| Region | Hauran |
| Nearest city | Nijran, Suwayda Governorate, Syria |
| History | |
| Original use | Settlement; monastery |
| Site notes | |
| Elevation | 780 m (2,560 ft) |
| Area | 1.5 ha (3.7 acres) |
| Archaeologists | Howard Crosby Butler; François Braemer; Jérôme Rohmer |
| Condition | Ruins; partially destroyed by road/pipeline construction |
Description
Dayr al-Asmar is located approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) east of the modern village of Najran, within a bend along the edge of the riverbed of Wadi al-Laja', on a plateau overlooking Wadi Abu-Dahab. The site lies at an elevation of about 780 metres (2,560 ft) above sea level and covers approximately 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres).[1] The site comprises two archaeological sites: the western tell (settlement mound) and an eastern site containing the remains of a Byzantine monastery.[1] Surveys have identified evidence of occupation ranging from the Bronze Age and Iron Age to the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods.[1]
Tell (western site)
The tell is enclosed by a stone rampart.[1] The main entrance was probably located on the southeastern side, where a ramp led into the enclosure.[1] At the tell's summit, the remains of substantial buildings suggest a fortified structure.[2] Additionally, a group of Bedouin graves occupies part of the summit and the rampart.[1]
At the foot of the tell, the lower settlement consists of a series of walled enclosures containing rectangular buildings interpreted as dwellings and ancillary structures, including storage rooms and livestock pens.[1] One well-preserved building on the lower terrace has been identified as a four-room house, with a central courtyard divided by rows of pillars and flanking elongated rooms, a plan characteristic of Iron Age domestic architecture in the southern Levant.[2] Elsewhere, the lower settlement comprised densely arranged rectangular buildings, many attached to large enclosed compounds.[2] Some buildings formed continuous rows along the settlement's western edge, possibly defining its outer boundary, although it remains uncertain whether they were built against an earlier enclosure wall.[2]
A small oval structure excavated in the eastern part of the settlement may represent a Bronze Age phase of occupation.[2] A large depression in the eastern part of the site has been interpreted as a reservoir, while an open, level area northeast of the settlement may have served as a threshing floor.[2]
Surface finds recovered included mortars, grinders, cylindrical pestles, basalt vessels, a possible loom weight, and two basalt rings of uncertain function.[3]
Research history
The eastern site was first documented by Howard Crosby Butler, who associated it with mills in Wadi Abu-Dahab.[1] The western site was identified by François Braemer during surveys in the 1980s.[1] Between 2005 and 2008, construction of a road and pipeline destroyed part of the site's western edge, exposing architectural remains that were recorded in a theodolite survey conducted in 2008. The damaged areas were also partially reconstructed using satellite imagery taken before the construction works.[1]