Al-Mushannaf المشنف | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Al-Mushannaf | |
| Coordinates:32°44′34″N36°46′28″E / 32.74278°N 36.77444°E /32.74278; 36.77444 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Suwayda |
| District | Suwayda |
| Subdistrict | Mushannaf |
| Elevation | 1,400 m (4,600 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 2,581 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Mushannaf (Arabic:المشنف also spelledMushennef) is a village in southernSyria, administratively part of theal-Suwayda Governorate, located northeast ofal-Suwayda. Nearby localities includeTarba to the north,Shahba andSalkhad to the northwest,Qanawat to the west andal-Kafr to the southwest. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Mushannaf had a population of 2,581 in the 2004 census. The town is also the administrative center of the al-Mushannafnahiyah of theal-Suwayda District consisting of 14 villages with a combined population of 17,134.[1]
Al-Mushannaf (ancientNela orNelkomia) was a part of the province ofSyria under theRoman Empire on the borders with the province ofArabia Petraea.[2]
Druze tribes settled in the village between 1856 and 1858.[3]
The village has a well preserved Roman prostyletemple dating to the first century BC that was dedicated to the godsZeus andAthena.[4][5] The temple stands on a podium, measuring 13.45 by 9.6 metres (44.1 ft × 31.5 ft),[6] and faces a rectangulartemenos which is surrounded by four walls and looks out on an artificial pool from its south side and colonnades on the other ones. The temple's entrance is aligned to the north and the courtyard has steps that lead to the inner sanctuary.[7] The whole temple is built from the local black basalt rocks.[6] The walls are built without binding materials and display beautiful ornaments including capitals and entablature,[7] while the courtyard is paved with flat stones of various sizes.[6] An inscription inside the temple states that it was built in celebration of theHerodian kingAgrippa I.[5] The temple was excavated in the early 1900s byHoward Crosby Butler and later by Clarence Ward, and was partially restored by the Syrian government.[7]
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