Al-A'la plateau

The al-A'la plateau, or Jabal al-A'la (lit. 'the High [land]') is a plateau in central Syria, which rises east of the city of Hama, on the western fringes of the Syrian steppe. The plateau contains numerous villages with Byzantine-era inscriptions, found in the remains of mostly 6th-century homes, towers and churches. In the late 18th century, the region became a haven and area of settlement for the Mawali and other Bedouin tribes. Alawites began to settle in the area as well in the early 20th century. The al-A'la is a plateau which rises close to the city of Hama's eastern outskirts, and west of Salamiyah, and on the western margin of the Syrian steppe. It is roughly triangular in shape, measuring about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) in breadth and 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) in length. It is the southernmost (and geographically detached) area of the basaltic rolling hill country which continues northward around 70 kilometers (43 mi) to Jabal al-Hass. The plateau is generally steep on all sides though its east side gently slopes into the desert. The plateau is generally flat and arable. Several villages dot the plateau, most no further than 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) apart and nearly all built on ancient sites. Due to the villages' reconstructions, which reused the ancient basaltic building materials of their ruins, few standing remains are extant. Nevertheless, several reused and ancient Greek-inscribed basaltic lintels indicate an extensive Byzantine-era occupation. There are at least fifty Byzantine inscriptions, most dating to the reign of Emperor Justinian (r. 527–565), though about twenty date to the forty years which followed his death. Few are dated before the 6th century and the latest dates to 605 CE. Most of the villages contained a defensive tower, probably to keep watch due to the plateau's high vulnerability to Bedouin raids from the desert. At least one, Umm Hartein, contained a rectangular citadel with towers on each corner. All the villages contained several houses, each characterized by one of two plans. The smaller homes consisted of two floors, the lower reserved for livestock. They faced paved courts containing a well which led to a cistern. The larger hom

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