Jebel Bishri or Mount Bishri ( ''Jabal al-Bišrī'', in Akkadian: ''ba-sa-ar'' or ''bi-si-ir'',Cinzia Pappi (2006).
The Jebel Bishri in the Physical and Cultural Landscape of the Ancient Near East
. ''Kaskal'', Volume 3. p. 241– in

Amorite The Amorites () were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking Bronze Age people from the Levant. Initially appearing in Sumerian records c. 2500 BC, they expanded and ruled most of the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Egypt from the 21st century BC ...

: ''Biśri'') is a highland region in northeastern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. It is located on the border between

Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor () is the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the country. Located on the banks of the Euphrates to the northeast of the capital Damascus, Deir ez-Zor is the capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. In the 2018 ...

Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...

and

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

governorates.

Geography

Jebel Bishri is a broad ridge of mountains extending immediately west of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

river, northwest of the city of

, southwestwards toward

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

. It forms part of the Palmyrene mountain belt in central Syria. Its eastern piedmont reaches Deir ez-Zor. The region is abundant with natural

Asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

which was discovered in 2007.اكتشاف الإسفلت في جبل البشري سيجعلنا دولة مصدرة ل50 سنة قادمة
/ref> Gas and oil facilities are around the Bishri mountains.

History

Jebel Bishri is associated with the

Amorites The Amorites () were an ancient Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic-speaking Bronze Age people from the Levant. Initially appearing in Sumerian records c. 2500 BC, they expanded and ruled most of the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Eg ...

and was known as the "mountain of the Amorites" (''ba-sa-ar šá-dú-ì'' ^ki) in Akkadian sources.Cinzia Pappi (2006).
The Jebel Bishri in the Physical and Cultural Landscape of the Ancient Near East
. ''Kaskal'', Volume 3. p. 241–
The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands, Syria (ACSAD)
headquartered in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, developed a plan to be implemented from 1994 to 2006 to stop

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

in the region of Jebel Bishri. The scheme included planting certain kinds of trees such as

Pistacia atlantica ''Pistacia atlantica'' is a species of Pistacia, pistachio tree known by the English language, English common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree, Atlas pistachio, Atlantic pistacio, Atlantic terebinth, wild pistachio, and Cyprus turpentine tree. ''P. a ...

and

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...

Syrian Civil War

On 25 April 2022, as part of

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

's 'Vengeance for two Sheikhs' campaign, three Pro-Assad

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

were killed in clashes with Islamic State fighters in the area. Following the clashes, Russian warplanes reportedly carried out at least 20 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in the nearby deserts, causing an unknown number of casualties. On 20 June 2022, clashes erupted in the area between Islamic State militants and forces of the Syrian military. Over the course of three days, at least 26 Syrian soldiers and 7 IS fighters were killed. On 3 March 2024, during SAA combing operations, eight NDF militiamen were found shot dead after being executed by ISIS militants on the outskirts of the area. The group had been missing since 21 February.

Notes

References

* * Mountain ranges of Syria Deir ez-Zor Governorate {{DeirZorSY-geo-stub Amorites