Al-Mashqouq: A Comprehensive Historical and Archaeological Study

This study presents a detailed historical and archaeological documentation of Al-Mashqouq, a prominent village in the southern Hauran region of Syria. Located near the city of Salkhad, Al-Mashqouq serves as a continuous record of human habitation spanning from the Stone Age through the Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods to the modern era. The research, based on field surveys and the primary reports of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition (1905), analyzes key architectural landmarks including the now-lost Roman Tower (351 CE) and the Deir al-Mashqouq religious complex. A significant portion of the study is dedicated to epigraphic analysis, detailing Greek and Nabataean inscriptions that reveal the site's religious transformations—from a temple dedicated to the god Ashar (124 CE) to its later Christian and monastic phases. The article also examines the phenomenon of architectural reuse (Spolia) and the modern reconstruction of the village in the early 20th century. This documentation emphasizes Al-Mashqouq's strategic role in the southern Levantine frontier and provides critical insights into the regional socio-religious evolution over two millennia.