Mount Qasioun

Mount Qasioun
جَبَل قَاسِيُون
Mount Qasioun in Damascus, seen from Abu Roumaneh, 2004
Highest point
Elevation1,151 m (3,776 ft)
Coordinates33°32′45″N 36°17′11″E / 33.54583°N 36.28639°E / 33.54583; 36.28639[1][better source needed]
Geography
Mount Qasioun is located in Syria
Mount Qasioun
Mount Qasioun
Location in Syria
LocationDamascus, Syria

Mount Qasioun (Arabic: جَبَل قَاسِيُون, romanized: Jabal Qāsiyūn) is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus, Syria. It has a range of restaurants, from which the whole city can be viewed. As the city has expanded over the years, some districts have been established at the foot of the mountain. Its highest point is 1,151 metres (3,776 ft).[2]

The mountain was heavily entrenched with Syrian government forces from the start of the Syrian Civil War, as it was a strategic site in the battle for the outskirts of Damascus.[3][4]

The mountain is also host to an endemic species of iris, Iris damascena, which can be found on the steep eastern slopes, at high elevation.[5] The Syrian government has not given the species any protected status but part of the habitat of the species lies within a military area near the Qassioun Republican Guards Military Base and other military facilities, which prevents civilians from accessing the area.[6] The base and steepness of the habitat also prevent construction or development, but it is still classified as "critically endangered".[7]

  1. ^ Dschabal Qasyun, Retrieved 2009-03-07Dschabal_Qasyun|
  2. ^ Profile, lib.utexas.edu. Accessed 8 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Syria's civil war: Closer to the capital". The Economist. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. ^ Sam Dagher, "Assad Readies for U.S. Strike Despite Delay", The Wall Street Journal, 3 September 2013, p. A6
  5. ^ Dominguez, Rafael Diez (27 July 2007). "Iris damascena". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ^ Al-Faham, Amr (19 January 2016). "Factors Driving the Destruction of Syria's Natural Heritage". atlantoccouncil.org. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  7. ^ Sapir, Y. (2015). "Iris damascena". dx.doi.org (IUCN). doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13161620A18611035.en. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)