Selected Villages- Thakeer

Thakir

is one of the villages on the eastern edge of the Lajat region, located on the Damascus-Suwayda highway. It is 58 km from Damascus, 42 km from Suwayda, and 25 km from the city of Shahba. Situated at an altitude of approximately 730 meters above sea level, it currently belongs to the Al-Surah Al-Saghira subdistrict. It lies, along with a group of other towns and villages, near a valley called Wadi Al-Liwa. Dhakir is considered one of the important archaeological sites in the Suwayda Governorate. It was inhabited by the Nabataeans as early as the 1st century BC, where they built a temple to the god Baalshamin (Lord of the Heavens), dating back to the 2nd century AD. They also constructed numerous houses from basalt stone, adorning them with exquisite architectural elements and beautiful inscriptions, such as lintels bearing floral, geometric, and calligraphic motifs. Its entrances were also sealed with stone doors and windows, often consisting of one or two leaves. Some of these houses were two stories high, with staircases located directly behind the door. They also included an inner courtyard around which the rooms of the house were arranged. Examples of beautiful dwellings include two houses, each with a courtyard equipped with a portico supported by columns and roofed with long basalt stone slabs called “rabd.” The temple dedicated to the god Baalshamin was converted into a church during the Byzantine era. It also contains several defensive towers. Some wells were dug and filled with rainwater flowing in the Wadi al-Lawa, and canals were constructed to carry the valley’s water to the village’s pools. The water was collected and used after the rains ceased in late spring. In the south of the town, we observe the remains of a large and important burial site, which includes an archway and several burial chambers. Its construction dates back to the beginning of the second century AD (the period of the Arab province). Numerous rock-carved tombs, still preserved, can be found in the northern part of the town.

Exploring the Site:

At the beginning of the nineteenth century (1812), the town of Dhakir was mentioned in the writings of the explorer J.L. Burckhardt in his book, “Travels in Syria and the Holy Land.” He wrote the following about Dhakir: “After a half-hour’s walk from the village of Khalkhala, the ruins of the village of Dhakir lie in the Lajat region, facing east. If you look towards Tell Shihan, you will find the small town of Al-Surah to the southeast.”

During the mid-nineteenth century, the Prussian (German) consul in Damascus, J.G. Weitzstein, wrote his book, “A Journey to Hauran and the Golan” (1860). He stated: There is a single temple, possibly dating back to the Seleucid period (meaning the Nabataean era), located on the eastern edge of the Lajat plain. It is separated from the town of Dhakir by Wadi al-Liwa, and its beautiful features are scattered throughout the village. Commenting on a Greek inscription discovered there, numbered (157), he says: “The village of Dhakir is on the eastern edge of the Lajat plain, and on the eastern side of Wadi al-Liwa are the ruins of a beautiful ancient temple. Likewise, the abandoned mosque is built with reused stones.” (Y. G. Fitzstein, p. 61). The linguist W. H. Waddington also published some Greek inscription discoveries in Dhakir, commenting on an inscription numbered (2537): “Dhakir was an important town, and the ruins of a temple can be seen on the eastern side, but the place is desolate.” (W. H. Waddington, Greek and Latin Inscriptions in Syria). In the late nineteenth century, B. M. wrote… Sigourney wrote an article in which he stated the following: “Zakir is an inhabited village that was once very important, and it now has several important monuments that are still standing, and well-carved decorations. A wonderful frieze and a large slab on which three busts of a high standard caught my attention, but the faces are distorted.” – Biblical Journal 1898, p. 287. On May 7, 1898, the two German researchers, Brunoff and Domaszewski, passed through the town of Zakir and recorded that in its east there is a small temple, and in its north there is a building with an arch, on which is a Greek inscription which I translated into Arabic as: “Aqba’i bin Qasit, the head of the village.” – Arab Province 1909, p. 179. In a house located in the middle of the village there is another text in Greek that includes the name of Eilam bin Malik from the family of Bonitos, and he and members of his family had the honor of paying a sum of money to build a basilica, and another inscription in the courtyard of that house mentions members of the same family who contributed to the construction of the basilica wing and its upper section. Another text found within the small temple located east of the town states in its translation that Elam son of Rabbel and his brothers who came with him presented this pillar.
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