Harran, Suwayda: The Harran Inscription and the Nabi Ayyub Well
A village 26 km north-west of As-Suwayda, home of the bilingual inscription of 568, among the oldest Arabic writing, and of a well reached down 80 steps.
- Opening hours
- Inside the village; no posted hours for the well
- Entry
- Variable — confirm at the entrance
- Duration
- 60 minutes
- Best time
- Daytime; the well takes its light from the opening above
- Period
- Byzantine; Ottoman; Druze village
- Address
- Harran village, 26 kilometres north-west of As-Suwayda
Harran is a village 26 kilometres north-west of As-Suwayda, in the southern part of al-Lajat. Its place in the history of Arabic writing comes from a bilingual inscription dated 568: Greek and Arabic texts on the same stone record the founding of a martyrium, a shrine to a martyr. The most tangible thing to visit in the village today is the ancient well of Nabi Ayyub, reached down 80 steps.
Where it is
26 kilometres north-west of As-Suwayda, with Busra al-Harir to the west. It is not the Harran near Şanlıurfa in Turkey.
What the Harran inscription says
According to the Greek text, the phylarch Asarael son of Talemos founded the martyrium of Saint John in the year 463. The Arabic text tells the same story in its own words: Sharahil ibn Zalim built this martyrium in 463, one year after the campaign against Khaybar. The year 463 belongs to the calendar of Bosra used in the region; in today’s calendar it is 568. Together with the Zabad inscription of 512 and the Jabal Usays inscription, it is one of the three earliest known examples of Arabic script in Syria.
What other inscriptions were found
An Athena inscription dated between 212 and 375 was also found in the village, along with one recording a public guesthouse built by the village leaders in 397-398. In later centuries the village shrank: the records of 1596 list a Muslim hamlet of four households, and in 1838 it was a ruin. By 1862 it had become a Druze village.
The well of Nabi Ayyub
You go down to the water by a spiral stair of 80 steps. The well takes its light from an opening at the top of the cave beside it. Above it stands a ruined pavilion called al-Mushrif, with only its north wall still upright. The municipality repaired the upper steps and added a railing. The water is salty.
Can you see the inscription in the village?
The sources do not say whether the inscribed stone is still in the village or in a museum. If that is why you are going, ask beforehand or on arrival. The villagers, who guard the surrounding ruins against looters, know best where the stones are.
How long it takes
About an hour to go down the well and walk around the village.
Where it stands now
Access to the village since July 2025 cannot be confirmed; Suwayda governorate has been inside an armed conflict since then. This page tells you what Harran is; it does not tell you that you can go there today.
Tips
- The well is 80 steps down and the way out is the same stair; it is hard on the knees
- The well water is salty; it is not for drinking
- Ask in the village where the inscribed stone is; it may have gone to a museum
- Busra al-Harir is to the west and can be added to the same route
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- Written by hand; opening hours, entry fee and coordinates are kept as data. A field that is not known for certain is marked as variable rather than guessed.
- Facts checked
- September 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026