Jabal Druze

Jabal Druze, mountain just east of Sweida (Al-Suwaydāʾ) in southern Syria. Jabal Druze rises to about 5,900 feet (1,800 meters). The name in Arabic means “Mountain of the Druzes.”

The Druze, a sect derived (but distinct) from the Ismāʿīliyyah branch of Shiʿi Islam, settled in the area of Jabal Druze in the 11th century. There are some 120 Druze villages located on or near the mountain, among them Sālah (Roman Salamanestha), the largest on the eastern slope, and Qanawāt (Roman Canatha), on the west, the seat of the highest ranking jawwād (spiritual leader) in the locality. Qanawāt is a place of pilgrimage for the Druze. The entire area of Jabal Druze, which is located strategically on the north-south trade route, contains the remains of many Roman towns and forts.