Harran, Suwayda

Harran
حران
Village
Harran
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 32°53′12″N 36°23′1″E / 32.88667°N 36.38361°E / 32.88667; 36.38361
Grid position279/255
Country Syria
GovernorateSuwayda
DistrictShahba
SubdistrictAriqah
Population
 (2004)
 • Total
1,523
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Harran (Arabic: حران) is a village in the Suwayda Governorate in southwestern Syria. It is situated in the southern Lajah plateau, northwest of the city of Suwayda. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Harran had a population of 1,523 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Druze.

During the early Byzantine era, Harran's Arabic-speaking inhabitants were pagans, but by the late 6th century, the population had become Christian. A bilingual Greek and Arabic inscription known as the Harran inscription found in the village is among the earliest known appearances of written Arabic in Syria. In the early Ottoman era (16th century), Harran was a grain-producing Muslim hamlet. It was later abandoned, and then in the mid-19th century it was settled by Druze, who still inhabit the village.