Bashan

Bashan, a, country to the N.E. of the valley of the Jordan in Syria. In the time of Abraham it was occupied by the Rephaim, the chief city being Ashteroth Kamaim. The Amorites were their successors, and Og, King of Bashan, was overthrown by the Israelites at Edrei, his kingdom going to the tribe of Manasseh. In the Psalms and Prophets the fertility of the region with its bulls, rams, goats, and fruit trees, is often referred to. It is last mentioned in 2 Kings x. 33. Later on it was divided into Gaulonitis, Trachonitis, Auranitis, and Batanea. After the death of Alexander its possession was frequently contested. The Arabian dynasty of the Gharsanides established themselves there. Trachonitis and the interior have been for many centuries more or less infested by freebooters, and Hauran is still the seat of the Druses. The country is volcanic, and Jebel-el-Druz rises to a height of 6,000 feet. None of the architectural remains appear to be of great antiquity.