جولة ٢ : الضفة اليسرى لنهر الفرات ١_a .. كتاب في ربوع سورية

Round 2 The left bank of the Euphrates

It is a tour that we started from the city of Abu Kamal, crossing the Euphrates River through the modern Al-Bukamal Bridge at its western end, known as Al-Assad Bridge, to take the Euphrates Al-Jazeera Road, heading north, west at one time and west at another (Fig. 33). At the end of the northern bridge, we find a secondary road that takes us east to the village of Al-Baghouz. However, the destination of our tour is in the opposite direction, to pass through the outskirts of the village of Al-Soussa, which is famous for its fertile soil and the diversity of its cultivations (citrus, pomegranate, palm, apple ... etc.), whose houses are spread linearly along the left bank of the river. And the asphalt transportation road is a distance of no less than 1.5 km, after which we reach the village of Al-Sha’fah, which contains about 700 houses spread linearly on both sides of the continuation of Al-Sha’fah as a result of the continuity of urbanization, leading to the village of Abu Hassan, and then to Hajin (the center of the district), and after that we enter the village of Al-Bahra It consists of about 420 houses, and after about 5 km we reach the village of Al-Gharanij, where the salinity of the soil begins to appear clearly in some parts of its lands, then we pass through the village of Al-Kashkiya, which spreads to the southwest of the road on the bank of the Euphrates, connecting to it through a secondary road. And later we pass through the village of Al-Kashma, which is.

My asphalt is 1.5 km long, and after the kishkiya, about 4 km, we reach the village of Abu Hammam, in whose lands salinization increases, especially in the depressions that distinguish it in summer from a bright white salt layer. On the left side of the road, the houses of the village of Abu Hardoub later spread towards the Euphrates bank, with a secondary asphalt road leading to those houses. What is striking about this village is the large number of carts (tanbars) that are pulled by horses and driven by women, and donkeys are used extensively to transport grass (fodder) from the fields. To homes to provide fodder for cows. The lands of the village of Abu Hardoub appear better than the previous one, as there were no clear signs of salinization on the surface. After Abu Hardoub, about 15 km, we pass the village of Al-Jardhi, whose houses are scattered on both sides of the road, especially on its left. There are also many canopies in this village, as it is distinguished by the abundance of poplar and apricot trees. Then we pass through the village of Swedan Jazirah, then Darang and Al-Tayana, to enter after that the lands of Dhiban, whose houses are spread on the left of the road, Between it and the course of the river, connecting it with a wide asphalt road and a beautiful entrance so that one would imagine that he is entering a newly organized city, to come across after about 700 m several modern urban facilities on the left of the road and others on the right of the road (public service centers of the town: the center of the clinic, the secondary center Telephone, retail hall, commercial market, agricultural association...etc.) Then the asphalt road continues towards the southeast, scattered around it with dozens of residential houses and a length of about 2 km, as the urbanization of the town spreads over an area of ​​about 32 km. with an inflection in

After Dhiban, we continue our tour through the northern Euphrates road, to pass after about a kilometer in the village of Ragheeb, and then the villages of the eastern and western Shuhail, where salinity reappears clearly, especially in the depressions, to decrease at the outskirts of the town

Al-Khabour (Al-Basira Bridge) passing at Al-Busira (the center of the district), then we will pass over the bridge of the northeastern outskirts of Al-Basira. It is necessary to take a short pause in insight and wander around in it to get acquainted with the aspects of its ancient history. It is an ancient town known as Qarqisia. It was one of the famous cities of the Euphrates in the Roman era, as its walls and towers were built on the side that connects the Euphrates with Khabur during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who died in 313 AD, and it was known as «Karkisium», to be known after the Arab Islamic conquest as «Qarqisiya». The ancient city was not confined to the ancient hill located east of it, but its ruins spread south of the hill to the Euphrates, and some buildings are still standing, especially the camp, whose dimensions are estimated at about 4050 m. Much Islamic pottery was also found.

After insight, about 3 km, we pass through the village of Ibriha, then in Dahleh, then in Jdeidet Al-Baqqara, then the village of Al-Saadouni, followed by Al-Tabia, to reach the village of Khasham, which is located at the outskirts of the desert of Al-Jazeera, and it consists of old houses, most of which are made of mud and stones and a flat roof, and a little of it is cement. From the city of Deir ez-Zor and let the institutions and factories begin, where we first encounter the General Establishment for Grain Trade and Processing (the right of the road) and the General Establishment for Agricultural Mechanization (the left of the road) and then the Deir ez-Zor Warehouses (the left (the road) until we meet on the Hasakah-Deir ez-Zor road After about 7 km from Deir Ezzor, we continue to it until the beginning of the Al-Hasakah Bridge on the Euphrates River, where we turn to the right, taking the Euphrates road - which moved away from the course of the river after the village of Jdeidet Al-Baqqara and walked in the margins of the southern desert.

After about 1,000 meters from the Al-Hasakah Bridge, the Al-Waha Hotel appears to us to the right of the road, followed by, after about 500 meters, the Agricultural High School and the College of Agriculture, and behind them