Syrian desert

The Syrian desert (Arabic: بادية الشام Bādiyat Ash-Shām), also known as the North Arabian desert, the Jordanian steppe, the Syrian steppe, or the Badiya, or Badiyat al-Sham, is a huge area of desert, semi-desert, and steppe covering about 500,000 square kilometers (200,000 square miles) of West Asia. It includes parts of northern Saudi Arabia, eastern Jordan, southern Syria, and western Iraq. This desert covers most of the land in Jordan and a large part of Syria.

The Syrian desert is mostly open, rocky, or gravelly desert pavement, with few plants growing on the ground. There are also dry river valleys called wadis that usually don’t have water running through them. To the south, the Syrian desert connects with the Arabian Desert, making a very large dry area together.

Location and name

The Syrian Desert is found between the Orontes Valley and the volcanic field of Harrat al-Shamah on the west side, and the Euphrates river on the east side. To the north, the desert becomes more fertile land, and to the south, it connects with the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Sometimes people call parts of this desert by other names, like the Homs Desert or the Palmyrene Desert near the city of Palmyra. From Iraq, the part of the desert that lies inside Iraq’s borders is called the Western Desert. The name Shamiyah is also used for this desert, which has been translated as Badiyat al-Sham or Badiyat ash-Sham.

Geography

The Syrian desert is a large, dry area in West Asia that covers parts of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. In the middle of this desert is a flat, rocky area called the Hamad Plateau, which stands between 700 and 900 meters (2,300 to 3,000 feet) above sea level. This area is a semi-desert made mostly of limestone with gravel on top. Very little rain falls here, and when it does, the water collects in salty flat areas nearby.

The Hamad Plateau, together with the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, is one of the driest places in the world. Some of its highest points include the Khawr um Wual in Saudi Arabia, which rises over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), and Jebel Aneiza, which is 960 meters (3,150 feet) high and sits where the borders of Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia meet.

Wildlife

The Syrian Desert is home to many types of plants and animals. Some of the plants found here include Caroxylon vermiculatum, Stipa barbata, Artemisia herba-alba, and Atriplex leucoclada. This area faces threats from drought, over-grazing, hunting, and other human activities, which have caused some native animals and plants to disappear.

The Syrian Desert is where the golden hamster originally came from. Birds such as storks, herons, cranes, and waterfowl visit the seasonal lakes. Small rodents live here, along with their predators like snakes, scorpions, and camel spiders. In the past, animals like gazelle, wolves, jackals, foxes, and ostriches were common, but many larger animals are no longer found in this area.

History

Ancient

The Syrian desert was home to many traveling Arab groups, including the Bedouin, and Aramean tribes. Many of these groups still live in towns and settlements near water sources called oases. Some Bedouin still live in the desert as their ancestors did. We can see old writings called Safaitic inscriptions and proto-Arabic texts made by educated Bedouin from around the first century BC to the fourth century AD.

One of the most famous old towns in the Syrian desert is Palmyra. People first wrote about it in the second millennium BC. It became a busy trading place during Roman times. The people of Palmyra were known for their skills in trade. They were located on the Silk Road, a major trade route connecting the Far East to the Mediterranean Sea. They taxed travelers and traded valuable goods from faraway places, which made the city very rich.

Another important ancient town is Dura-Europos on the Euphrates River. It began as a fortress during the time of the Seleucid Empire and was later called Europos by the Greeks. The name Dura-Europos was created much later. The town grew because of its position on the Euphrates, helping trade and military activities between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. After attacks in the 250s, many people left, and the town was mostly abandoned.

Modern

The Syrian desert was first crossed by a motor vehicle in 1919.

During the Syrian civil war and the War in Iraq, a group called ISIS took control of much of the desert in both Iraq and Syria between 2013 and 2015. Beginning in December 2016 and continuing through 2017, many efforts succeeded in taking back the whole area from this group, though small fights still happened sometimes.

Economy and agriculture

The Syrian desert has little rain and poor soil, so it is mainly used as a place for animals to graze. Many Bedouin people, who still move around with their animals, raise about twelve million sheep and goats, along with some camels.

An organization called the International Fund for Agricultural Development worked with the Syrian government to help improve the land. They started a project in 1995 to fix over a million hectares of damaged land. When animals were not allowed to graze in some areas, many native plants grew back on their own. In other areas, they planted new seeds and shrubs to help the land. By 2010, when the project ended, a lot of land had been improved, and some animal owners saw their herds grow much bigger.